An Unexpected Affair

The Ride

      Morning arrived and she found herself on the couch. Netflix had continued to stream and she found herself six episodes into her series. Crap! She exclaimed, as she hurriedly turned off Netflix before any of the plot twists were revealed. She made her way to the kitchen where she scrambled eggs and fried bacon. The bacon was especially delectable this morning. She finished the last morsel and went to shower.

       While showering she pondered what to do first for the day. There is certainly housework to be done, but maybe later or maybe even tomorrow. Tom won't be back until Tuesday night. I can have the house clean by the time he gets back, so I don't have to hear him whine... I'll just tidy up the kitchen and go for a ride, after all, it's warm and the sun is shining! She put on a fashionable tank top, yoga pants, and headed to the golf cart. She set her iPhone to play and pulled out of the driveway. 

       As she cruised she lost track of time until she neared her neighbor's house. She saw him in the driveway washing his Jeep. He looked up and his face beamed when he saw her approaching. He smiled that smile and enthusiastically waived. She smiled and waved as she drove past. She noticed him watch her in the rear-view mirror and grinned. She drove home and had a sandwich. She grinned at the thought of him watching her as she drove away. He is cute, but I am sure that is just being nice, she chided herself.

       Soon she got bored and decided to cruise again. She drove around and this time she found that her neighbor had just finished cleaning the Jeep and had the soft top down. He was walking to his mailbox when she approached. He saw her coming and lingered before stepping into the street to get his mail. She stopped and waived him through. He smiled and said, "Thank you kindly" in that sweet southern accent. She hadn't experienced being at a loss for words since she was a teenager. Now she awkwardly stammered, "Oh, you're welcome, I wouldn't want to run you over!" At that, he laughed and exclaimed "Thank you very much, nor do I!" As he walked up to the golf cart and extended his hand. As they shook hands he said my name is "James and it is a pleasure to officially meet you." Regina smiled and responded "And my name is Regina." 

       "I really like your golf cart. Having one of those must be fun." He said as he looked at her intently. She smiled, nodded, and looked and said the same thing about his Jeep. "Yeah, I really enjoy it. I am actually about to drive to the lake. I just need to cruise around and clear my head." He said as he looked down the street. "I totally understand that, I do that with the golf cart. You know, come to think of it, I've never ridden in a Jeep before!" She said. "Oh, I love it, but they aren't the most comfortable of rides, people certainly don't buy them for comfort. Want to go for a ride sometime? The prerequisite, is that your first ride has to be topless." He blushed as he immediately realized what he had just said. He quickly stammered " the Jeep has to be topless, not you!" Regina laughed and took pleasure in his slip of words, until she realized that she wasn't wearing a bra! 

       After all, today was comfy day and she didn't anticipate conversing with anyone, let alone him. She glanced down and noticed the faint outline of her nipples. As she glanced down, his eyes followed hers. She noticed him immediately look away shyly, as it registered. At first she crossed her arms over her chest as they continued to banter, but eventually she completely stopped worrying about it. To his credit, he met her gaze while speaking with her and was careful to not let his eyes wonder. 

       She was about to leave when she turned and said, "You know what, I would like to ride some time." He beamed and enthusiastically said "Awesome!" "Actually, how about today? Regina asked with a smile. "Sure, just let me finish packing my cooler!" With that, she nodded and said "I'll be back in a few minutes, just let me go park the golf cart and lock the house." 

       She drove the golf cart into the garage and plugged it into charge. She ran in the house and grabbed her cell. She shot a quick text to her sister telling her that she was going to go for a drive in the event that she or kids needed her. Her sister responded with a text saying go and relax, we are fine. Take some time for yourself. She smiled, grabbed her keys, her purse, and the second unopened bottle of Merlot. This was his gift for taking her for a ride, she thought. She momentarily paused, I really need to put on a bra. Screw it, she said and walked out of the door towards James's house.

       She made it to his house and he was by the Jeep waiting patiently. He smiled and said "Are you ready?" She smiled and said "Absolutely!" She handed him the bottle of wine and he looked at her quizzically, which prompted her to say, "Payment for my ride!" He laughed and said "No mam, payment is not necessary." She raised her eyebrows and was about to respond when he graciously nodded and placed the bottle in the Jeep.

       So they set off. She was a little self-consciousness as they drove through the neighborhood. What if someone sees me, will this cause conflict? She fretted. She then thought screw it, this is my day. They rounded the corner and passed her house. She then told James that this was her house. He nodded and then said that it was a beautiful home. They soon passed her sister's, suddenly she fretted that the kids would be outside and see her. She was about to second guess her decision, but saw no one in the yard. As she passed by, her sister was actually sitting in her living room peering outside, as she noticed Regina pass by in the Jeep. She just smiled and thought, good for you girl, go have fun. You deserve it.

       James asked her what type of music she preferred and she said rock. He smiled broadly and said me too! He tuned his Sirius Radio to Octane as they set off. They made their way through the development and headed to the lake. The ride was amazing. The wind tossed her hair and she felt the kiss of the sun on her skin. This was even better than the golf cart, I need a Jeep, she thought. It was hard to converse over the wind noise, so they just enjoyed the music and breeze. At one point Regina had to lower the sun visor. Upon doing so, she noticed a mirror. She quickly surveyed herself and realized that she wasn't wearing any makeup either. Good Lord she thought, no make-up, no bra, it truly is my comfy day!

       James was happy that Regina wanted to go for a ride. He had sensed her struggles. The day that she and her husband passed, her demeanor spoke volumes. He was sad for her. He too had once been in a similar situation, as his mind wandered. He shook his head and glanced at Regina. She had pulled her hair back revealing her neckline, likely from the wind he thought. She was quite lovely. He tried to keep his eyes up and on the road, but he had to admit that was exceedingly difficult. The wind periodically rustled her shirt in such a way that it revealed her bust line. Moments later, he looked over to see if she were enjoying the ride and the wind revealed even more. He blushed and quickly looked away. Hopefully, she didn't notice, the last thing he wanted was for her to think he's a creep or a serial killer. As his mind trailed off, he focused on driving.

       Regina watched James from the corner of her eye. She grinned to herself as he struggled to keep his eyes up. She actually thought it cute and appreciated his politeness. She put her hair up for two reasons, the first was because of the wind and the second was to have a little fun. Regina was aware of what the wind was doing to her shirt. She recognized it when she looked in the mirror. At that moment she decided to test James. She pulled her hair up so that it wouldn't prohibit the periodic forbidden view. Regina grinned and mentally gave credit to James, he did well, even when she nonchalantly pulled down on the bottom of her shirt to reveal much more of her cleavage than the wind alone could reveal. She was assured that he wasn't a rapist or serial killer at that moment. They arrived at the lake and found a place to park.

       James looked over and asked, "Well, what do think of Jeep life, Regina?" She smiled broadly, and said "I love it!" " You need to get one too then." he said. "If only" she replied, a tinge of sadness in her voice. James didn't want to sour her mood. "Well, fancy a walk? he asked. "Absolutely!" Regina said.