Professor next Door

by Summer Cooper

  Today, Lilian would have her own adventure. A bicycle ride to town alone. She would order a coffee and hopefully some food and do it on her own. She was confident that somehow she would communicate to these fine Portuguese people.

  Lillian set off down the lane on her bicycle, nervous to be doing it on her own but full of excitement. She took her time and eventually came to the busy crossing. Waiting for a gap she hurried across onto the quiet lane on the other side. She’d done it. The hardest part of the trip, she thought. With that under her belt, ordering coffee would be a breeze.

  She cycled into the little fishing village and not too far from the plaza she parked up her bike and locked it to a street light. Looking around, she realised she was spoiled for choice as there were so many cafes and bars to choose from. Over in a corner of the square she saw a couple about her age, sat drinking coffee and gossiping. Beside them was an empty table. Perfect, she thought. She won’t look too alone sat next to other people and they might even make conversation. Lillian knew a lot of the locals spoke English. She hurried over and sat down before anyone else could grab the table.

  She picked up the menu and looked at the couple at the table next to her. She smiled and nodded and said “Ola!” and went back to studying the menu.

  The two people beside her smiled back she noticed. “They obviously think I’m a local,” she thought. The man, she noted, was large. Very large and already sweating in the early sunshine. He wore a straw hat he’d obviously bought from one of the shops on the sea front and a thin striped cotton, short-sleeved shirt. He had the regulation khaki shorts and sandals. He was constantly removing his hat to wipe his head and brow with a handkerchief. The woman with him, Lillian assumed must be his wife, was a petite lady in a floral light summer dress. She too was sporting a floppy straw hat and sunglasses but looked significantly happier to be in the warm sunshine.

  “You wipe that brow one more time, Chuck, and you won’t have no damn brow left to wipe,” the woman said, nudging the man beside her and smiling at Lillian.

  “Sorry, Edna. Just feeling it a bit today is all,” the man replied with a tired voice.

  Lillian’s head shot up and she turned again to look at the couple.

  “Pardon me, but are you people from America?” Lillian asked with hope. It would be so nice to hear other American voices!

  “We are indeed ma’am. Richmond, Virginia. And where might you be from? I’m guessing not too far away by the accent?” the man said.

  “I’m from a little town in West Virginia. You won’t have heard of it. A coal town called Berwind,” Lillian replied smiling happily. Real, honest to God, Americans!

  “Yep, that sure is coal country there,” the woman added, nodding along with her husband.

  “Chuck Vogelsang. This is my wife Edna. And who might you be and how in the heck did you end up here? If I might ask, of course,” Chuck said extending his hand to Lillian.

  “Lillian Montgomery. A pleasure to meet you, Chuck, and a pleasure to meet you too, Edna,” Lillian said. “I’m here with my daughter for a vacation. It was supposed to have been her honeymoon trip but things didn’t go as planned. So here we are. Four thousand miles away and sitting next to a couple I could drive to back home,” she laughed.

  Edna and Chuck laughed too. “Yup, sure is a long ways to be going to meet your neighbours, that’s a fact Lillian,” Chuck said.

  The waitress had been stood patiently waiting at Lillians’s table not wanting to interrupt the introductions but now she coughed and said politely, “Could I get you something?”

  “A coffee please. Thank you,” Lillian replied with a smile for the woman.

  The waitress disappeared back into the café leaving the three of them to drop back into their conversation.

  “Well I thought that might be a bit more complicated,” Lillian said, nodding towards the café door.

  “What would be?” Edna asked.

  “Ordering something to drink,” Lillian said, laughing. “They do all speak very good English though. Do you speak Portuguese?”

  “Well, sort of. I use a Portuguese accent and then speak slowly and loudly in English. I usually get what I want,” Chuck said, laughing as he slapped his own thigh, receiving a glare from Edna.

  “You talk far too loud, Chuck. Doesn’t matter what language you do it in,” Edna scolded, before cracking a smile to show she was teasing.

  The coffee arrived and the three of them fell into a long conversation as if they’d known each other for years. Chuck and Edna had been coming to the Algarve on and off for quite a few years and when they weren’t here they were somewhere equally as exotic. But they loved to travel. They told Lillian tales of the wonderful places they’d seen, and gave her a full run down of what she must see and do whilst in the Algarve. Lillian was impressed, but they too were impressed with her own tales of life in the mountains of West Virginia and how brave she and Mary had been to make the trip.

  Edna insisted Lillian accompany them on a stroll through the town and they took her to a little place they knew for lunch. All day they talked. Lillian was so happy to hear a familiar accent. They hadn’t been there long but already Lillian was missing her husband, and other familiar things. To hear Chuck and Edna talking was as homely as listening to the mountain creek falling over the rocks.

  Lillian insisted Edna and Chuck would visit them that evening for dinner with Ben and Mary. It was a bit of an impromptu invite, but not as impromptu as the invite to Spain they extended to Lillian.

  Edna and Chuck had planned a trip to Seville in the morning and asked if Lillian would like to join them. Mary too, of course. Lillian thought on it and decided that this would of course be a perfect chance for Ben and Mary to have the day to themselves again, assuming the morning had gone well for them. She hoped it had.

  Mary was sat in the garden when Lillian arrived home. She had declined a ride with the Vogelsangs to make sure her bicycle got home in one piece. Chuck had offered to drive her and the bicycle, but Mary had visions of the constantly sweating man having a heart attack loading it into the car.

  “Mom! You’re back. We were beginning to worry. Ben suggested you might have ended up in Spain again,” Mary exclaimed as Lillian came in through the gate.

  “No dear, that’s tomorrow,” Lillian said, laughing. “Tonight we need to get a bit organised. We have company coming.”

  “Company?” Mary repeated, looking suitably confused. “What sort of company?”

  “American company, dear. A delightful couple I met today. They’re coming for dinner. I hope Ben will be able to lend us a hand. I promised some of that chicken he makes so well, and of course his mojitos!”

  “Oh Mom! How could you without asking Ben first?” Mary asked, frowning but turning it quickly into a grin. “I’ll go and let him know. I’m sure he’ll be happy to.”

  Ben was more than happy to help. He’d had a mind-blowing time at the beach with Mary and couldn’t be happier. He was beaming when he arrived to start the charcoal grill and had prepared a good supply of mojito mix in the fridge.

  The Vogelsangs were on time. Not an easy task as the house was not the easiest place to find, but Ben had offered to stand guard on the lane and look out for them, waving at the first confused couple he’d seen coming up the road. Fortunately, they turned out to be the Vogelsangs.

  They sat and talked and laughed late into the evening. Ben took an instant liking to Chuck. He was big and loud but totally sincere and genuine and, more importantly, good fun. They shared stories and drank more mojito’s and wine.

  The plan of the trip to Seville was broached and Lillian suggested quite obviously that she would go and Mary could enjoy the day with Ben. Ben was somewhat taken aback at how this seemed almost planned by Lillian but was happy to go along with it. He wasn’t getting roped in to a trip to Spain. And another day alone with Mary was his idea of a good day.

  The Vogelsangs eventually decided if they were ever going to get anywhere tomorrow
they’d better leave and get some sort of sleep. They would be round to pick Lillian up in the morning.

  After the Vogelsangs had departed with a lot of back slapping and goodbyes, Mary, Lillian and Ben also took to their beds. Ben had to do some work in the morning but the rest of the day he’d spend with Mary. And after such an arousing day at the beach, he hoped to find out more about the sweetly seductive Mary.

  Chapter 11

  The Vogelsangs, punctual as ever, parked outside at nine o’clock on the dot. Lillian was up and ready and hurried out to meet them, waving a cheery goodbye to Mary who had come to see them off, still wearing her pyjamas.

  Chuck, still wearing his straw hat even as he drove, pulled the car down the lane and soon they’d disappeared around the bend on their way to Spain.

  Mary made her way back into the barn and sat with a mug of coffee, contemplating her own day. Hopefully the exploration of yesterday would go much further. She’d decided to take what was offered and not push for more. She wanted Ben, and she’d take what she could get from him.

  Today, as Ben was working, she decided on sunbathing out on the patio with some music and chilled drinks. She still had to get used to the cola they sell in Portugal. It would do but it wasn’t the stuff she was used to, made with real sugar and much different from the cola at home.

  Ben had made his way downstairs and out into his courtyard. With a mug of tea in his hand and two slices of buttered toast on a plate beside him, he stared blankly at his laptop. Today, he wanted to write a long and scouring review of a visit to the local hospital he’d suffered a few weeks ago. He wasn’t dying, fortunately, but he was concerned at the lack of facilities for sick people in the area. He couldn’t always write about the good stuff; the stuff dream holidays are made of. There were problems here too, and as a travel writer it was his job to point them out to potential visitors. So he sat and stared. He also knew Mary was home alone. Right next door. Alone. Staring was about as much as he was going to get out of his brain at the moment, so he stood up and went to the gate. He called out her name softly, not wanting to frighten her if she was busy.

  Mary heard Ben calling and lifted herself from the couch in the living room and made her way to the glass sliding doors.

  “Hi!” she called back. “Mom’s off already, how’s your morning going?”

  “Well, slowly. Got a bit of writers block just now but I’ll get it done eventually. I’m just glad to see you again. Thought it might spur me into getting to work quicker,” Ben replied making his way over to Mary.

  “Well sit a while and finish your coffee. Then you can go and get your work done and spend the rest of the day with me. Chuck said not to expect them back until late this evening. So it looks like we have to take care of each other today,” Mary replied sitting down beside him.

  “She’ll have fun with them. Seville is a fantastic place to visit. This is tea by the way. I am English, you know,” Ben said, chuckling.

  “Ah, of course, the famous English tea. How would you all survive without it?” Mary giggled back.

  “We wouldn’t,” Ben acknowledged. “Britain would collapse into the channel without tea.”

  They sat in silence drinking until Ben stood up.

  “Okay, back to work,” he said awkwardly, perhaps hoping for a prompt from Mary. Mary remained seated and smiled at him. She could see he was waiting for some sign of encouragement but was enjoying his nervousness. It made him look vulnerable and human. Not the solid, well spoken, without a care, ex-military chap he usually came across as.

  “Okay.” She smiled, a promise lingering in the corners. “You go get finished and come on back. I won’t bother you ‘til your done, honey, but I’ll be waiting right here when you’re ready.”

  Ben was smiling as he made his way back to his courtyard and laptop. With a fresh mug of tea in hand, he crashed into his blog with enthusiasm. The sooner this was done the sooner he would be back with Mary, and he would be able to spend the whole day with her without worrying about work. As he typed he hummed to himself. “Laying in the arms of Mary.” He smiled again. Not heard that song in forever, he thought to himself.

  * * *

  Lillian was having the time of her life. She’d thought Spain was another country a good many miles away and until the accidental train trip made her realise they were almost at the border. Now as they crossed into Spain heading for Seville she was loving every minute of it. As they drove into town she marvelled at the tall buildings and heavy traffic.

  “Can get like New York here if you happen to end up downtown at the wrong time,” Chuck noted as he changed lanes to the honking of cars behind him. “Best way to drive here is to relax and just go with it and follow a local. They usually know where they’re going. I sure don’t.” He laughed.

  Chuck eventually pulled in to park and they began an exploration of the city. Lillian had never experienced a city quite as big nor as old as Seville. Modern buildings competed with ancient Moorish relics on the skyline. People were hustling and bustling in every direction, sending Lillian into a head spin. Chuck guided them over to a little side street café where they settled down for a coffee and pastries.

  “So how you finding Spain, Lillian? Bit more hectic than your little village I guess,” Edna asked.

  “It’s absolutely fantastic. Sure bigger than any town I’ve ever been in. Not sure I could live here for long though, I’d go insane with all these people.” Lillian laughed as she looked around at all of the sights and sounds.

  “Oh there are much busier places than this! But today, we’ll take our time and see what we can see.” Chuck added ordering them another round of the rich and fragrant coffee.

  After coffee they walked. They talked and investigated and joked. Lillian was thinking about Mary at home. She hoped things were going well.

  * * *

  Mary had settled herself on the sun lounger with an iced drink by her side and her phone playing chilled tunes. She’d found an old tourist book of the places of interest in the Algarve and had settled down to read. Every so often she would change position to check and see if Ben was on his way. So far, no Ben. She would shrug and go back to her book. The history of the Algarve was certainly fascinating. Roman armies and Barbary pirates, the Inquisition and even a revolution not that many years ago, but Ben was far more interesting. He’d be here soon, she thought, getting up to refill her cola.

  Ben had been busy typing all morning. The words eventually began to fall onto the page in some semblance of order and he was on a roll. Two more mugs of tea and he was done. He sat back in the chair and read and reread his article. It was good, he thought. He felt inspired for a change. He hit send and took his mug into the kitchen. Time for a quick shower and change. Then round to visit Mary. Hopefully he thought, she’d still be settled on the sun lounger.

  Mary struggled to look casual as Ben came through the gate and gave a relaxed wave.

  “Did you finish at last?” she said.

  “Yes, I’m all done and I brought us a couple of drinks,” Ben said, sauntering over trying too to look as casual as possible. It didn’t last. He placed the drinks down beside the lounger and that was about it. She looked up at him, he down at her and before he knew it they were locked together, their lips fused as their passions took over.

  Sun loungers, especially the cheap, plastic ones, were uncomfortable at the best of times and certainly not the ideal place for making love on. This soon became obvious to them both and taking him by the hand, Mary led Ben into the barn and to her bedroom.

  He saw a shadow of a doubt in her eyes and knew he felt his own self-doubt. It had been quite a while since he’d made love to a woman like Mary. His wife had been so ill he’d never wanted to bother her, though there had been moments early on when she’d rally and want him to love her. He’d given her whatever she’d asked for, giving her those last moments of peace she needed. Since her passing he hadn’t really thought about sex as anything but an outlet. Standing there wit
h Mary though, Mary’s presence alone had his mind filled with things he hadn’t thought about for years now.

  Things that made his knees weak and his body harden with far more than mere need. Ben hoped to take some of the doubt from Mary’s mind by kissing her. He pulled her to him, backing himself up against the wall to the living room. He braced there, slouching, so that he could pull her between his legs. He wanted her close to him. They both knew what was about to happen and they both wanted it. He wanted her, and as his lips met hers and their bodies fused together, he felt a heat explode between them.

  Ben could feel a satisfying heat where their bodies met, an ache building up that he knew only Mary could quench. He delved into the silken strands of her hair, holding her face to his as they leaned into each other. Her hands moved on him frantically, pushing his clothes away. He was glad he kept himself in decent shape as her hands roamed over his chest, the flat planes responding to her touch. He loved her long fingers on his skin, and when her hand moved lower, much lower, he gasped.

  Ben looked into Mary’s eyes, asking her once more silently if she was sure. Her response was to kiss him again. Mary moaned into his mouth as his own hands pushed at her clothes, the scraps disappearing into a pile on the floor. She was gorgeous, her weight just right to add shape to her body, to soften the angles that would have been hard and sharp otherwise.

  Her breasts filled his hands, his work-roughened palms a contrast to the silky smoothness of her flesh. He reminded himself to start using lotion again, Mary deserved soft touches. His lips followed his hands as his fingers trailed over her dark nipples, his mouth hungry for her taste. Mary gave him a satisfying gasp as she felt the intense heat of his mouth on her bud, clasping at his head with her hands.