Reaching the bathhouse I saw there weren’t any lockable door knobs. Only a spring loaded catch kept the doors shut and I quickly found the towels. I pulled out two and dried myself off then wrapped one around my waist. I took two clean towels for Jean. After I dried her, I needed to wrap her into the large towel to keep her warm as the air cooled. By now the time was near 11:40 PM. The pool was heated but the night air was cooling into the low to mid 70’s tonight following a small cool front.
The large digital thermometer above the control panel read 76 already. A wisp of a breeze blew through and had I the combination to the lock, I would have taken her inside. Satisfied she was comfortable and resting peacefully, I then remembered the champagne. As wonderful as it was to make love to Jean, something was gnawing at me in the back of my mind. I knew I had sex with my aunt and figured it was guilt generated by social barriers. I still felt a tad weak but needed a drink more than ever. I stood and headed for the wet bar.
Retrieving the bottle from the chiller, it felt nice and cold now I worked the foil off. I pried the cork off making that satisfying “POP” sound sending the cork off into the night air through the open lattice of the wet bar’s roof. It landed with a ‘plop’ in the far end of the pool somewhere a few seconds later. It would eventually be drawn into the one of the strainers around the pool’s edges. Holding the bottle over the sink as the champagne foamed, I quickly held a large fluted glass under the stream as it diminished.
I drank my fill of the aerated liquid. I always preferred drinking the liquid from the foaming stream. It tasted better to me somehow. I filled Jean’s glass and refilled mine then put the bottle in the refrigerator. Now with no cork the taste would get flat but alcohol was still alcohol. Picking up the glasses, I headed for a chaise next to hers.
The “pop” from the cork woke her and she realized she was wrapped in a towel up under her arms with a smaller towel across her chest and draped over shoulders. Then she heard a small ‘plop’ as something hit the water. She blinked a few times, lifted her head and looked around. I came into view with two glasses of champagne and seeing her awake, offered her one. She took it looking up at me. I looked at her as I took a seat on the chaise. She had a look of compassionate affection when she looked at me. You know that kind of look a woman in love with her man gives him during a special moment. Without a word, she raised her glass to me. I raised mine to hers.
To the end of loneliness. She said softly. Smiling I nodded and clinked my glass with hers making a musical note as if to herald in the oath. She smiled too. We sipped our drinks as we looked into each other’s eyes. In reflecting on that moment, I had never felt so much love toward another person since the day I married my wife or the day of my daughter’s birth as I did toward Jean right then. Long minutes passed as we made eyes at each other and sipped our champagne holding hands. Again an irksome feeling hit me. I quashed it stubbornly.
A particularly stiff breeze blew across the patio and Jean shivered as goose bumps instantly appeared on her skin. I set down my glass then took hers and set it down. I felt I had regained some strength back just sitting and resting so I stood. Bending over Jean, I reached down and scooped her up in my arms as she wrapped hers around me. I carried her toward the big glass doors that led into the great room next to the kitchen. Once at the door, I held her so she could reach the keypad but she didn’t move. She looked at me quizzically then realization dawned and she laughed softly.
That’s why I’m wrapped in a towel ay? she said. I smiled and nodded. “How thoughtful.” she said and pulled herself up and kissed me. Pulling away she turned her attention to the panel and keyed in the code. The door slid open and I stepped through to a more comfortable environment and felt soothed. The motor-assisted door slid closed and an audible click came from the locking mechanism. A green light shown on the inside panel. I thought it peculiar for her to have so much technology around as my impression over the years had been she despised her computer with the way she talked about it.
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