Chapter 116

"It was the stuff about obedience. I had to think about it for a while. I couldn't just accept it as I heard it. Then, in the night I understood. As my boss you could order me around and when that happens the employee feels the power struggle. Employees end up resenting the boss. You were telling me that you seldom give orders. You expect the requests and suggestions to be acted upon but you aren't going to be the tyrant. By morning I was ready to accept your offer, so I did."

"I'm glad we were able to work it through. I did give you an order yesterday."

"I was being punished and orders are part of that."

"We need to get to work. Last night you got the tour of the lodge. This morning we should tour the rest of the place. We can make lists of the supplies we need to have before winter for each of the cabins, the boats, and the lodge. Perhaps tomorrow we can go shopping and find the things we put on the lists."

"First, I'll make breakfast."

The day went and the lists were made. If we got everything done that we put on the lists the resort would be really great when we opened at the end of March. Monica acted like my partner, not an employee. When she saw something that needed doing, she did it. When we toured she made suggestions about improvements and changes and they were thoughtful and made good sense.

At both lunch and dinner that day Monica quizzed me about what I liked to eat. She made lists of the foods we needed to get for the winter. I found a restaurant supply on the internet and we ordered the things she needed. We found time to play twice that day. Once after lunch and again that evening in front of the fireplace.

Late that night I woke up and thought for a while before going back to sleep. I thought about the way my life was three years before when I was unhappily married and unhappily working for a corporate job that I hated and I felt stuck. I thought about the work I had done since buying the resort and the last couple of days since Monica entered my life. Getting downsized wasn't such a terrible thing at all.

Monica made a great breakfast on the day we were going into town. We were up, dressed and fed by six. The old pick-up ran well so we took it rather than the RV.

She was more comfortable on the way into town, less like a young girl on an adventure and more like a woman on a mission. She reviewed her lists and made a couple of additions. She joked with me, talked with me, shared her thoughts and feelings with me as we drove.

My first stop in town was the bank. It was one of those really small town banks with a manager and two others working there. I asked them how I could get another credit card for my account. Ten minutes later we had a temporary card for Monica and true small town service. The manager asked where she would be shopping and we named three stores. One of his employees called them and let them know the temp card was Ok.

I had Monica drop me at the Builders Center and told her I would be sitting on the bench out front when I was done. I guessed I would be done by 10:30. She headed out with directions on how to find the other stores.

By 10:30 I was a financially popular customer at the Builders Center. They promised to deliver all of what I ordered within three days. Two of the guys who helped me had fished out at the lake all their lives. They were glad someone had taken over who loved fishing.

When I stepped out of the Builders Center Monica was parked right in front of the bench. She smiled when our eyes met. I climbed into the truck and she said, "May I show you something?"

"Right here?" I asked, grinning like James Coburn.

"No, something else."

"Sure, drive on."

Five minutes later she pulled into a driveway. In the driveway three teenaged boys were working on three snowmobiles. They smiled when we stopped. Monica introduced me to the boys and told me they might be able to help us.

The oldest looking of the three, Chad, said, "Your missus says you two need a reliable snowmobile."

"You know the old fishing lodge out at the lake? We live there. There may come a time when we can't drive out on the road and a snowmobile could save our lives. That's what we need."

"My Dad has a three year old two-seater that is almost like new. I can ask him if he'd sell it."

"Ok. What's wrong with these?"

"Nothing. We love working on them. They are better now than when the factory made them."

We talked for a while and we invited them to come out to the lodge for a good ride during the winter. Monica promised that if they would call first she would make lunch for them at a big discount. They smiled and said they looked forward to the first big snow. Chad said he would call us that night.

The back of the truck was pretty full. Three ice chests and the rest full of boxes. We headed home with Monica driving.

"Why did you promise them lunch?"

"So they would call and warn us they were coming. Having those boys walk in while we were playing hide the salami wouldn't be good for us, them or the business."

"Hide the salami?"

"That's what my husband used to call it."

"I think I would have liked him."

"I do too."

She was quiet the rest of the way home. We carried the big ice chests in and unloaded them into our freezer and refrigerators. They were loaner ice chests from the market. Next trip in, we would return them.

All the boxes got piled in the lobby. When we got up that morning it was cool. By the time we got the truck unloaded it was quite warm. I decided to walk out on the dock and maybe take a dip in the lake. I knew the water would be cold. It would also be invigorating. I told Monica what I was thinking and she started undressing.

I stopped her and said we should undress out on the dock and take a couple towels too. She got a couple towels and led me by the hand out of the lodge and onto the dock. As we walked she talked about how happy she was.

When I was a teen I saw some girls from my school out at the lake near our town. They were out on a dock, sort of like mine, and at first they were in modest two piece bathing suits. They thought they were alone. They didn't see me or my 10X50 binoculars. I remember Mary Beth Carver was the one who started it. She had sunned for half an hour or so when she peeled off her top exposing the whitest breasts I had ever seen. The other girls squealed and waved their arms around. I was too far away to hear anything but the squeals.

When they calmed down Karen Billings removed her top. Mary Beth was slender and had small breasts and small nipples. Karen was much bigger. Her large breasts were also not as white as Mary Beth's. Karen's showed tan lines of a halter top. Karen's nipples were bigger and slightly darker than Mary Beth's. The others never took off anything. I remember beating off there in the woods and often for the next couple of months until Mary Beth started dating me and gave me a private showing.

Undressing on the dock with Monica brought back those memories.

When we were both naked Monica said, "You first."