A May-September Wedding

by Bill Sanderson

  In return, Phyl had been examining her friend. She was irrevocably in love with this frustratingly honourable not-so-old man. In the candlelight the scattered grey in his short hair twinkled as he turned his head. He had been the soul of kindness all week making sure that she was well taken care of and the kids were getting along.

  She glanced over at Cal and let him see her unguarded desire for a second before her head overruled it.

  Cal caught the look, the same one he'd seen from Brenda many times over their long marriage. His head was telling him she was younger than Mark and that David was still irrationally obsessed with her. But his heart had noticed the laugh lines and the firm loving way she treated the kids. His body reminded him of the feel of Phyl in his arms as they went through the obstacle course. He was close enough to smell the orange-mango shampoo and baby powder scent that always threatened to overrule his good sense.

  The show ended and they walked slowly down the path toward the cabin in companionable silence. Without any conscious thought, Cal offered his arm and Phyl took it. Passing the cabin, they could see that Tim was already asleep on the top bunk with the lights on and a book on his chest and they could hear four excited soprano voices nattering in the other side of the cabin amid many giggles.

  Cal said, "It's a nice night for a walk. Why don't we let the girls natter for a while?" Phyl nodded and they continued walking in silence for a while.

  "I wasn't sure I wanted to come here again, but the kids needed to get away from the house, I think. Maybe we did, too." Phyl snuggled a little closer into Cal.

  "There were so many reminders of Brenda here last year. I didn't visit our meadow, though. That would have been too hard. I did go this year."

  "And I didn't swim out to the raft last year, probably for the same reason. But I am glad we came."

  Cal turned to face Phyl. "So am I."

  They stood there facing each other for a while, studying each others' face in the moonlight. Phyl broke the silence. "Are you finally going to kiss me?"

  Cal stood still gazing into Phyl's eyes for a while. "Would you be angry if I did?"

  She put her arms around his neck. "I'd be angrier if you didn't."

  He leaned slightly down to capture her soft lips. With a hungry sigh, Phyl moved one hand down to draw Cal closer. Cal's heart was racing, hyperaware of the combination of Phyl's lean muscles and womanly softness.

  He began to trail kisses across her jaw line and down the side of her neck. Cal could feel the catch in Phyl's breath as she tilted her head to give him better access. Cal kissed his way back up to Phyl's lips and nibbled on her lower lip. Phyl responded by running the tip of her tongue across Cal's upper lip and then tried to deepen the kiss.

  Snick! They jumped apart as they heard voices on the path in front of them.

  Hand in hand, they resumed their stroll before returning to the cabin. Cal, apologetically, said, "Thank you, Phyl..."

  She frowned. "I hear a 'but' coming."

  Cal took both her hands. "I don't think it's wise to do that again."

  Phyl said, fiercely, "To hell with being wise, Cal Richardson. I wanted more kids with Harry but he convinced me that having only two was wise. We ate right and exercised so we'd have a long healthy wise life together. But he made an unwise decision and left me a widow. Don't you get it? You're only fifty-six and you're in good health. We could have a month or we could have fifty years together. I don't want to hear about wisdom. I don't want to hear all the logical arguments, Cal, I just want to hear you breathing hard the next time we kiss."

  "I'm sorry, Phyl, but I can't right now."

  "As long as it's not 'never again' I can live with that."

  Cal swallowed. "Okay. I won't say 'never again.' But don't expect anything."

  Phyl reached up and drew Cal's head close. She gave him a soft lingering kiss on the lips to demonstrate the depth of her yearning and said, in an intimate tone, "Don't imagine that I'm letting you go without a fight. Good night, my love. Sweet dreams."

  Cal said, wistfully, "Good night, dear heart."

  The girls were still up when Phyl came in. "You look distracted, Mum. Is something wrong?" Lydia looked like she was going to get up.

  "Nothing important, lovie. Just thinking about tomorrow and having to go home." Which wasn't totally untrue.

  "We've had a great time, Mum. I mean, I still miss Dad, but it's been lots better than last year."

  Felicity said, happily, "Lydia and I took a walk around to Mom's favourite birding place on Wednesday evening and last night Tim came with us when we went to see Harry's favourite places."

  "You were right, Mum. It's better to see all the places and remember the good things. It didn't hurt this year...well, not near as much as last year."

  Phyl pasted on a smile and started changing for bed. "I'm very glad that we came, then. I wasn't sure about it."

  Lydia did get up this time and came over to wrap her arms around her now noticeably shorter mother. "I still miss him, Mum."

  Phyl's tears started to flow. "I do, too," she said, but she couldn't remember what he looked like any more. Instead her thoughts were focused on the frustrating older man next door who didn't seem to want to accept what she was offering.

  She crawled into bed wracked with emotion. Guilt over her residual anger at Harry, guilt that she didn't miss Harry as much as the kids did, anger at Cal for refusing her, anger at herself for throwing herself at him, longing for the touch of a man. No, not any man, she wanted Cal, her beloved best friend who could excite her and calm her down and make her laugh and make her long for his touch.

  She replayed the evening and the kisses about sixty times before she was able to calm down enough to try to see it from his perspective. She didn't believe he was uninterested. The kisses had lasted too long and were too tender, too passionate for her to believe that.

  She thought that with all the good memories here, he missed Brenda. But Brenda had hinted in that last week before she died that Phyl would be a good match for Cal and that she expected that Cal would remarry. Well, I'll give him some more time, but I'm not giving up on him.

  Tim was snoring softly as Cal changed for bed. Cal took out his swimsuit for the last morning swim before heading home. He knew from experience that emotional encounters like tonight's would mean an early morning for him and if he didn't have everything laid out he'd wake Tim when he stomped around.

  What had possessed Phyl to kiss him like that? The last tender kiss was so incredibly powerful that he was still wound as tight as a violin string. The last time he'd been kissed like that was, well, never, really. Brenda had been a comfortable, willing and affirming but somewhat reserved lover, so she never seemed to pour her whole heart into a kiss like that.

  How was he going to pretend nothing had happened? He knew that as soon as he saw her tomorrow he was going to be looking at her differently. He had to convince her that they couldn't go any farther.

  Then he remembered how she had molded herself to him as she responded to his kiss. Maybe a good swim tomorrow would help him to relieve the tension.

  Saturday morning dawned brightly and Cal rolled out of bed, his head still spinning because his heart was telling him he was an absolute fool not to take Phyl's offer. Other than sharing a bed they might as well be married. It would make things much easier, in fact to be living in the same house. Married? Where had that come from? He pulled on his swim trunks and headed down to the lake.

  Phyl looked out at the raft from the end of the dock and decided that it was foolish to continue to avoid it. She should head over and make her peace with her memories of Harry. She dove into the water wincing slightly at the change in temperature then began a slow steady crawl toward the raft.

  Cal overestimated his stamina, again. Fifty-six wasn't old, but some days it felt like it. It was one thing to paddle a canoe for hours but a fifteen minute swim was much more exhausting for him. With an effort he heaved himself up onto the raft to catch his breath.


  Phyl stopped to tread water as she realized she wasn't alone. Then she berated herself for attempting this sort of swim when she was alone and gave thanks for the company. Looking up she saw Cal's lean frame as he hauled himself up onto the raft. Her heart began to beat faster and she resumed swimming.

  Cal lay on his back feeling the morning sun starting to warm him up. His breathing slowed as his heart rate went back to something approaching normal, when he heard a familiar voice close to his head say, "Come here often, sailor?"

  Trying not to show his surprise, Cal turned over to see Phyl's head and shoulders emerge as she propped herself up on the edge of the raft. "Only when there might be a mermaid lurking about."

  Phyl smiled and forgot that she was here to remember Harry. She took in the slicked back hair and broad muscular chest that she remembered pressing against her last night. Licking her lips nervously, she asked, "Did you sleep well?"

  Cal inched forward until he was nose to nose with her. "You know very well I didn't, temptress." His gentle smile took the sting out of the words. "I must have been hoping you'd come out here. I remembered about you and Harry and the morning swims."

  Phyl blushed and felt annoyed rather than guilty. "I came out here because I needed to get some of those memories out of my system." She dropped back into the water with one hand on the raft. "You could help." She gave him an inviting look.

  Cal looked into Phyl's beautiful blue eyes and rolled off the raft into the water beside her. "I promised Brenda I'd try to help you. So what do I need to do?"

  Phyl held Cal's gaze and said, playfully, "You need to put your left hand on that handhold," pointing at a half metre long horizontal bar on the side of the raft away from the beach.

  Cal moved his hand to the indicated place. "Now what needs doing?"

  Phyl swam in closer and put first one arm then the other around his neck. "The next part is a bit tricky. You need to put your right arm around my waist."

  Cal drew Phyl in until their noses were touching and their bodies were in full contact. "Did I do that right?" Cal's breathing started to accelerate and Phyl's matched his rhythm.

  She moved sinuously against him and purred, "Perfectly." She licked her lips then said, "This is the hardest part, old man." She tilted her head to invite a kiss. Cal groaned and let his heart win.

  Phyl's lips were soft and warm against his. He moved his right hand downward to cup her bottom and lift her up into a better angle for kissing. She moved one hand from his neck and began to explore his back muscles. Breaking the kiss to catch her breath, she whispered, "Oh Cal. I guess you aren't afraid of the hard parts after all."

  As she wriggled against him to get a better angle on the next kiss, he said, "You don't seem to be afraid of the hard parts either."

  She had been moving in for another kiss but began to giggle as she figured out what he meant. Stifling a full laugh against his shoulder, she said, "That's awful, Cal Richardson."

  "What? You were the one who started talking about hard parts."

  Phyl reached down and tried to pinch Cal's bottom, but there wasn't anything but smooth muscle to pinch. Using her left hand, she pulled his head down to hers again, while her right hand continued to explore.

  The kissing lasted until the two of them began to get chilled. "I guess we need to get back to the kids now."

  Phyl sighed. "I guess so." She fixed his gaze. "Are you going to give me any nonsense about not kissing me again?"

  Cal examined his lovely neighbour's face and his gaze softened. "No, my love, I'm not. But we're going to get a lot of raised eyebrows, Phyl."

  Phyl laid her head on Cal's shoulder, enjoying the feel of his large capable hand holding her bottom. "I guess you're right. Does this mean you're courting me?"

  Cal released Phyl, reluctantly, and said, "Would you like me to? I mean do it up properly with dancing and dates and everything?"

  "Yes, I would. At the big soccer tournament, all of the divorced soccer moms were looking at you like you were a rabbit at a wolf convention. A few of them even asked me how you were in bed." Phyl felt her temper rising as she remembered all the whispers. "I want us to be seen as a couple."

  "Ah, so that's what those looks at soccer registration were about. Yes, my dear Phyllida, we will be seen as a couple." Cal started to shiver. "I don't know about you, my dear, but I need to go towel off and warm up."

  They swam side by side until they reached the shallows and Phyl took Cal's hand underwater without thought. They were still holding hands when they came out of the water. The girls were smiling ecstatically.

  The drive home was wonderful.

  Chapter Seventeen - September

  Lydia came home from school to hear banging and crashing from the laundry room. She crept down the stairs to the basement and heard her mother muttering. "I'm going to kill him. So help me he's a dead man the next time he comes near me. Just because some ignorant volunteer at the high school thought he was my father. Wait 'til I get my hands on him."

  Lydia cleared her throat. "Mum? Are you okay?"

  Phyl looked up in shock. Then tears started to form. "I'm fine."

  "That's a two dollar fine for lying, Mum." Lydia tried out her mother's stern tones to see how they fit and held out her hand.

  Phyl stopped long enough to stare at her daughter, then silently reached into her jeans and handed her a toonie.

  "Is it Cal?"

  "Who else could get me worked up like this?" Phyl began to shove unfolded laundry into the sorting bins. "I mean, I thought we'd finally gotten over the age thing. Then that ... that creature at the school asked if I was his daughter."

  "Is that all?"

  "Lydia, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. But he's so aware of it all the time." She sat down on the floor next to the dryer. "I'm sorry sweetie. But it was so nice to be a real couple the last few weeks and go out on real dates with him. And now this...this idiocy. And to top it off he still wants me to look after Felicity while he goes off to San Diego for the next four weeks to crawl all over some stupid smelly ship."

  "You promised he could, Mum. And Felicity would be disappointed if she couldn't stay with us. I know David or Elaine would take her, but ..."

  Phyl stood up to hug her daughter. "Felicity is going to stay with us, don't worry. Just because I'm incensed with her short sighted pain in the ass older than dirt father doesn't mean I don't love her."

  Lydia looked down at her mother's head resting on her shoulder. "You really love him, don't you, Mum? Like you loved Dad."

  Phyl wiped her eyes. "Not exactly the same way, sweetheart, because it's the second time around for me and I'm a bit more sure of what's happening, but, yes. I love Cal as much as I loved Harry. As much as I love you and Tim and Felicity. But I'm absolutely furious with him right now."

  Lydia just hugged her mum harder and they stood there until Phyl could stand on her own again.

  "You did what?" Felicity let her father have it with both barrels. "You dumped her? Are you out of you mind?"

  "It's for the best." Cal was avoiding his daughter's gaze as he started to pack his suitcase and garment bag.

  "That's a load of bullshit if I ever heard it, Dad!" She glared at him with a fiery look. "And I am not going to watch my language. You're a hypocrite. You keep saying that I should follow my heart and do the things I love and you're not willing to take your own advice. Well, have a wonderful time in San Diego. I hope it all goes wrong and you're stuck there by yourself for six months. Write when you have news."

  Felicity stormed out of the room leaving Cal wondering what hit him.

  Obviously she didn't understand what was going on. There were people laughing at him. When they looked at him it was obvious they were thinking Phyl was a trophy wife and he didn't have the strength to fight that all the time. She'd eventually be embarrassed to be seen with him and that would be the end of it.

  No, he was sticking to his guns. Better to end it now than wait until they'd done something they
couldn't undo.

  He heard Felicity shout, "Good bye jackass," up the stairs then heard a heartfelt shout of "Jerk!" as the front door slammed. He looked out the bedroom window to see her march over to Phyl's house wiping tears from her face and get wrapped in a big hug at the front door.

  He felt so hollow that if someone stuck a pin in him he'd go shooting around the room, but that didn't matter. He was doing it for Phyl. She couldn't possibly be happy with him long term.

  He tried to call from the airport in Chicago but the line was busy. By the time he landed in San Diego it was well past midnight at home.

  Phyl stayed awake until two a.m. hoping and dreading that the phone would ring. There was a brief text message on her cell that said he'd landed in San Diego and that he'd call tomorrow. She didn't know whether that was good or bad.

  Cal was run ragged on the first day and the first opportunity he got to call home was at supper time. Lydia answered. "Hi Lydia. Can I speak to Felicity or Phyl please?"

  "Are you going to apologize to them for being a jerk?"

  "What?"

  "You heard me. Are you going to apologize?"

  "I haven't done anything that needs an apology." Cal was mulish.

  "They're both alive. That's all the information you get until you come to your senses. Bye." Lydia hung up.

  Cal looked at his cell phone with the dial tone buzzing. What just happened?

  "Lydia Gertrude, that was unspeakably rude," Phyl chastised. "You have no right to say those things to Cal."

  "Maybe not, but someone has to say them. You've been crying more than half the day and Felicity's a basket case. She asked to see the guidance counsellor today and she's hiding in the spare room and won't even talk to me. And Tim did what always does when you're upset, he goes to his room and cranks his Xbox with the headphones on. So I don't have a single normal person to talk to. And it is all his fault." Phyl sat down in astonishment as her daughter, her sensible Lydia, launched into the tirade. "And don't you dare call him. It's his problem, he gets to fix it."