The Inn of Destiny

by Gene P. Abel

  Jerry was so upset by his dream that it awakened him and he found himself in a cold sweat. He was relieved when he discovered it was all a dream. It seemed so real. All his dreams that night seemed as though the events had already taken place. Jerry got up and washed his face, as if to make sure this was just a bad dream!

  8

  Sunday Morning at the Inn

  It was early when Jerry finished in the bathroom, and he returned to bed. He gazed at Jackie peacefully sleeping and thought how beautiful she was lying there. She looked so serene, and he didn’t want to disturb her. He carefully slipped into bed and went back to sleep. It seemed like only a few minutes since Jerry had woken from his dream when he felt Jackie begin to stir.

  “Are you awake, dear?” Jerry asked.

  “I think so. What time is it?” she asked.

  Jerry looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand and to his surprise it read 9:15 a.m. “You won’t believe it! It’s after nine,” he responded.

  “How did it get that late?” Jackie asked.

  “I guess it must have been all the activity this weekend.”

  Jackie got out of bed and walked over to the mirror at the sink. “I look a wreck!”

  “You are beautiful. In fact, you look better first thing in the morning than other women look anytime during the day,” Jerry said.

  That made Jackie feel good. She knew that she was attractive, but it was important for her to know that Jerry thought so too. The prospect of getting older was beginning to creep into Jackie’s thoughts, and she wondered when her body would begin to show reality. For now, she was able to convince herself that medical science would eventually find the “fountain of youth.” After all, there was a lot of research being done on the aging process. Whoever unlocked the secret of youth would definitely reap a gigantic prize.

  Jackie went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She stepped into the tub and pulled the curtain closed. The warm water felt good as it cascaded down her exquisite body. This feeling awakened the memory of her dream from Friday night of her affair with Chris. Even though it was just a dream, the memory seemed so real to Jackie. She relived the opposing emotions she’d experienced: guilt and lust.

  Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw the shower curtain slide open and Jerry stepped in.

  “Need some help?” he asked.

  “I can always use your help,” she responded.

  Jerry took the soft nylon puff from her hand and squirted a liberal amount of strawberry-scented bath gel on it from the dispenser mounted on the shower wall. As he began to gently rub the gel over Jackie’s back, that distinctive aroma filled her nostrils. She was immediately taken back to last night’s lovemaking. Jerry had given her a most pleasurable experience that would remain in her memory for a long time.

  “That feels good!” she exclaimed. “Don’t stop with my back!”

  Jerry didn’t intend to neglect any part of her. When he had thoroughly washed Jackie’s back, he moved down a bit to her buttocks and the backs of her legs. He turned her to the front and completed the job, paying special attention to her breasts and her voluminous red patch, which had fully recovered from the bikini trim of last summer. By the time Jerry completed his job, Jackie was clean enough to perform surgery. In addition, he was again ready for action, even though Jackie hadn’t assisted in the process other than allowing him to wash her body. He began to kiss her under the falling water of the shower, and their tongues quickly began a dueling contest. Nothing turned Jackie on faster than French kissing. Her experience with François must have been partly responsible. Jackie reached for the bath-gel dispenser and took some of the magical fluid and applied it to the proper part of Jerry.

  “You are the best lover I ever had!” Jerry declared.

  “And how many are you comparing it to?” Jackie questioned.

  “None of your business. All you have to know is it’s been the only one since our second date.”

  “Well, what about between our first and second dates?” she asked.

  “I’m not talking,” he responded.

  “Oh, you were messing around after you met me.” Before Jerry could respond, Jackie began to think of her past, especially the year in Paris, and decided to drop the subject. “Never mind. As long as you didn’t have anyone after you had me, that’s fine.”

  Jerry liked shower sex, and this standing position enabled him to control the action and last longer. After almost a half hour, Jackie was impressed. “That’s the longest you ever lasted. It must be all that sex you had over the weekend,” she reminded him. Jerry just grinned, as he, too, was pleased with his performance that weekend.

  They finished their shower and got dressed. By this time, it was after eleven o’clock. Jackie decided to pack their suitcases before they went down for brunch. The checkout time was 12:30 p.m., and she thought it would be better to be packed so they could leave after they ate. They walked to the dining room holding hands.

  As they passed the registration desk, Jerry saw it was slow and decided to check out except for turning in the key. The desk clerk asked them, “How did you enjoy your stay with us?”

  “We had a very good time,” Jerry responded.

  The clerk entered their name into the computer and said, “Oh, you were in room D I see.” Jerry wondered why he made mention of the fact they were in room D.

  After the clerk ran Jerry’s credit card through the system, it printed out a receipt. At the very bottom of the receipt was the following message: We at the Inn of Destiny are pleased you spent the weekend with us and hope all your dreams come true. The Management.

  When Jackie and Jerry arrived at the dining room, they spotted Frank and Kathy, who had just been seated. They beckoned them to come over and join them. “Hi! Please have brunch with us,” Kathy said.

  “Great! We would love to,” Jackie responded.

  “Did you check out?” Jerry asked.

  “Yes, we did,” Frank responded. “We need to get on the road as soon as brunch is over. I have some work on a new website. The client wants to see it first thing Monday morning.”

  “Did you have to go through the normal checkout procedure since you were on a freebie?” Jerry asked.

  “Yes, all they did was enter a credit for the cost of the weekend. They do that for tax purposes.”

  Frank showed it to Jerry, who said, “That’s what I call a great rate. You can’t beat zero.” As Jerry glanced at Frank’s receipt, he noticed the message on the bottom was slightly different. It said, We at The Inn of Destiny are pleased you spent the weekend with us and hope you had a good time. Please come back soon. The Management. Jerry wondered why there would be a different message on his receipt. He didn’t comment, however, and handed it back to Frank.

  The two couples proceeded to the extensive array of food that the inn provided for this parting amenity. Like everything else at the inn, the brunch was outstanding both in the selection and quality of the cuisine. When they finished, the two couples thanked each other for their company and exchanged phone numbers.

  “We must get together. Princeton and Philadelphia are close,” Frank said.

  “Sounds great! We will call you,” Jackie replied. They shook hands and left the dining room. Jackie and Jerry made one last visit to their room to use the bathroom and make sure they didn’t leave anything behind. They’d had a fantastic weekend. The Inn of Destiny had lived up to the claims on its web page. What they didn’t know was that their adventure at the inn wasn’t over.

  9

  Return to Princeton

  As Jerry and Jackie were leaving the inn, they noticed a billboard advertising a large flea market on Route 209. Jackie said, “Do we have time to stop and do some shopping?”

  “I guess so. We told your parents we would pick the kids up at dinnertime,” Jerry answered.

  They had been on
the road about twenty minutes when Jackie saw a sign for Route 209. “You go south, and we should see signs for the flea market soon after we turn onto Two Oh Nine.” As advertised, the flea market was on the left, and Jerry pulled into the field that was used as a parking lot. Though it was frozen, Jerry commented, “I bet this field is a problem if they get too much rain during the spring or summer.”

  “This place is huge,” Jackie commented. She was right. There were dozens of interlocking buildings and several hundred vendors. This was advertised as one of the largest flea markets in the area. They had merchants selling almost anything one could imagine. When Jackie saw the extent of the place, she shifted into shopping mode. Jerry was not as enthusiastic until he discovered an antique dealer that specialized in Civil War items. Other than golf, this was one of Jerry’s few hobbies, and he couldn’t believe his luck.

  Jerry was a bit of an expert on the Civil War. He first asked to examine some of the items the dealer had for sale to see if they were fakes. After examining several pieces, he was convinced the items were genuine. “Would you believe I would find this in the Poconos?” he said to Jackie. Jerry spent about a half hour looking over the supply of artifacts and purchased a set of buttons from a Confederate officer’s uniform. He also looked at a few old pictures that were said to have been taken by Brady, the famous Civil War photographer. However, Jerry was not 100 percent sure they were actually taken by Brady and decided to pass. They spent several hours and got things for the folks at home. Jackie purchased a Poconos T-shirt and an apple-paring machine.

  “We better get on the road. It will take us until five o’clock even with light traffic,” Jerry said. “Why don’t you call your parents and tell them to expect us between five and five thirty. Ask them if we should pick up pizza and bring it with us. We can all eat together at their house and then drive home and get the kids settled for the night.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll see if that’s OK with my parents.” Jackie called them on the phone, and they agreed pizza was a good idea.

  It was just after five o’clock when they arrived at Jackie’s parents’ home in Princeton. The kids ran out to greet them. It was great to get away, but they were glad to see the children and her parents.

  “Let’s get the pizza out before it gets cold,” Jerry said. They had called ahead when they were twenty minutes from the pizza place.

  As they ate, Jackie gave them a thumbnail sketch of the inn. She also said they had surprises for everyone in the car. Lisa wanted to know what they had brought for them. “Just be patient. You will see soon enough,” Jackie said. After they finished the pizza, Jerry went to the car and brought in the bags with their flea market purchases.

  Lisa and David each got a new video game for their PlayStation. It proved a mistake to give the kids their presents first. All they wanted to do was go home to try their new games. For Jackie’s father they got a DVD of the movie Titanic. Jackie’s mother got a new gourmet cookbook. This was just the thing for her because Jackie’s parents belonged to a gourmet group. They would have parties and try out the latest culinary delights.

  After everyone had opened their gifts, Jackie and Jerry loaded the kids and their suitcase in the SUV and started the drive home. It was dark when they pulled into their driveway, and the kids couldn’t wait to play the video games. “You must first get your bath; then you can play for a short time before bed,” Jackie told them.

  “Do we have to get a bath first?” David asked.

  “Yes, no arguments,” Jackie responded.

  They dashed up the stairs, and David took his bath first. Jackie helped Lisa with her bath, and they went to the playroom and tried out their new games. Jackie allowed them to stay up a half hour past their normal bedtime. She knew they were excited.

  At nine o’clock, Jackie said, “Time for bed, kids.” They turned off the game and went to their bedrooms. As Jackie tucked them in, Jerry put the car in the garage. When he came back into the house, he came to their room and said good night to them. He then told Jackie he had to get things ready for a Monday-morning meeting and took his briefcase into the study.

  Jackie took the empty suitcases to the attic. She had a hard time even getting into it since everything was piled at the top of the pull-down steps. She decided to rearrange a few things in the attic to make it easier to replace the suitcases. As Jackie was moving things around, she spotted an old wardrobe in one corner. She unzipped it and saw it was full of her old clothes. Some of them went back to her days at Smith. She took several items out and tried to remember the last time she wore each one. In the bottom of the wardrobe was a shipping tube. She pulled it out and removed one end cap. There was a rolled-up piece of paper in the tube. Jackie removed it and began to unroll it. It was the nude portrait François had drawn in Paris. She had forgotten how great the drawing was and how beautiful and happy she looked in the picture.

  Suddenly she heard Jerry calling, “Jackie, where are you?”

  “I’m in the attic putting the suitcases away.”

  “You didn’t have to do that. I would have put them away,” he replied.

  “It was no problem; they’re light. I’ll be down in a second.” Jackie quickly put the drawing back in the tube and placed it in the wardrobe. Now was not the time to dig into the past. In fact, she didn’t intend to show her portrait to Jerry.

  She climbed down the ladder and turned the attic light off. Jerry had come up to help her and pushed the spring-loaded access door into place. “Did you say good night to the kids?” Jackie asked.

  “Yes. They’re all set for the night. They wanted to play longer with their new video games. I told them maybe tomorrow. I think they spend too much time playing those games,” Jerry said.

  “Well, I know how engrossed I can become at the computer at times,” Jackie responded.

  “You seemed to be able to keep yourself occupied this weekend without the computer,” Jerry quipped.

  “Ha ha. You think you are funny,” Jackie responded.

  They went into the family room to relax after their weekend adventure. They held each other on the sofa and began to kiss. This time their kissing was not a prelude to something else but just to be with each other after a most enjoyable time together. As they relaxed, Jerry told her how glad he was that she had arranged their weekend at the inn. Jackie had hoped for a romantic interlude, and it was that and more. Jerry loved Jackie, but he didn’t seem to realize that Jackie’s physical needs weren’t being fully met at times. Jackie and Mary often discussed her need for sex and how she should communicate this to Jerry. Jackie wasn’t shy, but she didn’t want Jerry to feel inadequate by her becoming too forward. Jerry enjoyed sex, too, and never strayed from his marriage vows. Jackie needed to find a way of making Jerry aware of her needs. At times, she felt close to exploding with pent-up up sexual desire. She knew the answer was not to go away each weekend and hoped their trip had reminded Jerry how good sex could be with her. Maybe this will spark him into action more often, Jackie thought.

  Jerry was thinking of how great the sex had been that weekend and was proud of himself. I still have it, he thought. I was able to keep up with Jackie. He wondered what was up with her. She had never wanted so much sex since their honeymoon.

  It was almost eleven o’clock when they decided to take a shower together and have one last interlude to cap off the weekend. After their lovemaking in the shower, they got dressed for bed and said good night. Before Jackie fell asleep, Jerry turned to her and said, “I love you, Jackie.”

  “I love you too,” she responded.

  10

  Back to Normal

  It was back to normal for Jackie, as the alarm clock let her know it was six o’clock and time to get up. She rolled out and put her robe on to help shield her from the cold winter morning. She could hear the heater trying to get ahead of the night setting and bring the house to a comfortable state. Ice had forme
d along the edges of the windows, indicating how cold it was this February morning. Jackie’s weekday routine found her making sure Jerry and the kids were awake, and starting breakfast.

  Jerry went directly to the shower and then ate breakfast with the kids and Jackie. They tried to eat breakfast during the week as a family. Given the fast pace of the rest of their lives, both Jackie and Jerry felt that having breakfast together was important. Jerry had to be at the train station to get the 7:20, which required him to be out of the house by seven.

  Today the kids lingered a bit and Jackie had to call them a second time. “You better get up,” she said sternly. That brought the sound of little feet on the stairs, and Lisa and David appeared at the kitchen doorway.

  “Sit down. What do you want this morning?” Jackie inquired. Lisa decided on Frosted Flakes and David wanted a scrambled egg. A few minutes later Jerry came into the kitchen and asked Jackie to adjust his tie. He had some toast, juice, and several cups of coffee. Jerry was also a bit slow this morning and looked at his watch to see it was already several minutes past seven. “I’m late.” He grabbed his hat, coat, and briefcase as he kissed the kids and gave Jackie a passing kiss as he ran out the door. She knew he was a bit late but had hoped for a kiss more reflective of their weekend. She thought, I guess the weekend is really over!

  She got the kids to finish their breakfast and brush their teeth. “Bundle up. It’s very cold and windy out this morning.” Jackie always walked to the sidewalk and watched them until they got to the bus stop. There were several other kids there, and Jackie waited until the bus picked them up before returning to the kitchen. She wanted to quickly clean up the breakfast dishes, knowing Mary would be coming soon to get the skinny on her weekend.