Ginny was playing cards with her usual group of
friends. All of a sudden she was hit
with a flash She saw herself ten years
from now. She had been doing this same thing with these same people for longer
than she could remember. It’s not that
she didn’t enjoy the people or the activity but she was BORED senseless and
decided some changes had to be made before it was too late.
Once home, she poured a glass of wine, sat in her favorite
chair and thought about what she wanted to do with the remainder of her
life. Her husband Steve had passed away
two years ago and since then she had just continued to do the things she had
always done. Their son, Adam was married
and had two sons. He had a successful insurance business and between that and
his own family he didn’t have very much free time for me. Their daughter had moved to California four
years ago and was not coming back to Castle Pines except for the infrequent
visits. So the very first thing she
decided was that the house was going up for sale. She wasn’t sure what she would do after that
but it was a start.
Three days later the For Sale sign was posted in the front
yard. The realtor suggested decluttering
and repainting some of the rooms for a quick sale. She wasn’t sure that’s what she wanted
because; some major decisions had to be made about what to do with the rest of
her life. But, whatever she decided
thirty years worth of accumulated possessions had to be dealt with now. Thirty years, it didn’t seem possible that
she had lived in this house that long.
So many memories occurred here.
She remembered the first time she had seen it. Driving by on her way to some club meeting and
noticed the for sale sign. She called
Steve and told him to call the realtor and make an appointment to see the
house. They saw the house that very afternoon and fell in love. It was just the kind of house in which they
wanted to raise their family. And that
they did. Adam was born ten months after
they moved in and Carolyn was born eighteen months after that.
When Ginny called Adam and Carolyn to tell them of her
decision to sell the house she got mixed reactions. Adam thought of himself as her protector – a
job he assumed when his dad has passed away. He thought his mother was making a
very foolish decision. Carolyn, on the
other hand, was thrilled and gave her mom
lots of encouragement to start living again. She even volunteered to come and help sort
through the thirty years worth of accumulation.
Ginny took her up on her offer and to come whenever she could make
arrangements to do so.
Carolyn arrived the next week. By then, Ginny had been through the closets
in her bedroom, the spare bedrooms, the kitchen pantry, and the linen closets
in the three bathrooms. The local charitable organization was the recipient of
a truckload of recyclable goods that was no longer of use to her. The first night Carolyn arrived; they were
invited to Adam’s for dinner. Up to this
point neither Carolyn nor Adam had asked their mother’s plans once the house
was sold. Ginny figured they both
thought she would just move to one of the new condo’s being built just outside
of town. But that wasn’t Ginny’s
intention so when her daughter in law Cathy said:
“So Mom what are your plans once the house is sold?”
“I’m moving to Arizona ”
said Ginny.
Both of her children were stunned. Adam was the first to recover:
“What”, Adam said.
“You mean to tell me you are moving two thousand miles from here to a
place you’ve never lived and only visited a couple of times”. “Why”
“It’s just something
I have always wanted to do. Your father
and I talked about it when he was alive but then he got sick and plans
changed. I just decided I’m going to do
it before I get any older. It’s an
adventure and I need to shake up my life.
I’m too stagnant here and if I wait much longer, I will never do it”.
Carolyn said “Good for you Mom”. She understood her mother’s reasoning. She had felt the same way when she decided to
move to California . It was the best thing she had done to
date. Although she loved Castle Pines,
it was a small town and nothing much changed from one year to another. Carolyn knew she wanted something more. She was happy for her mother and gave her a
lot of credit for being willing to take the chance and move forward with her
life.
Adam continued to grouse that he thought Ginny was being
foolhardy. “You will be so far
away”. “When will we see you”?
“Well, said Ginny, “Arizona
is not that far from California . And, Adam, you live across town and we see
each other about once a month. That’s
not a slam against you. You have your
own life and it’s a busy one. Look at it
this way, when you come to visit, we will be spending quality time because you
will have carved that time out of your schedule. Arizona
has some great golf courses. California
has the beach and all those resort/amusement parks the kids would enjoy”.
SIX MONTHS LATER
Ginny settled down in the living room of her new condo in Tucson ,
Arizona
Ginny was glad that part was over. Now she just wanted to just sit back and
relax for the next couple of days before the next phase of her life began. The doorbell rang. Dang, who could that
be? Ginny wasn’t sure she had the energy
to get up to answer it right now. The only person she really knew was the
realtor who sold her the condo.
She looked through the peephole and standing there was this
gorgeous man. Because this was a secured
complex she didn’t hesitate to open the door.
The gentleman said hello and handed her a card while introducing himself
as Ken Vandenberg. Looking at the card
she noticed he was an insurance agent.
She explained that her son was an insurance agent and he took care of
all her needs. He laughed and said he
wasn’t there to sell her insurance but it was good to know her insurance needs
were being met. He said he lived three
condos down and was looking for his kitty.
Princess had run out the door when a delivery was being made and he was
canvassing the neighbors to see if anyone had seen her. Ginny introduced herself and explained she
had just moved in a few days ago and hadn’t seen any kitty.
Ken said “Well, Welcome to the
neighborhood”.
“Thank you and I will be sure to keep an eye out for a
kitty” Ginny said and started closing her door. Going back to her recliner she
thought about the handsome man just leaving her door. He was about 6 ft tall with silver hair which
was set off by his deeply tanned face.
She couldn’t help but notice his muscular build. Wow, I wonder if he’s married.
Ginny picked up her e-reader and must have nodded off
because the next thing she knew she was hearing a noise from the storage area
off her patio. She got up to investigate
and when she opened the door a tortoise colored kitty came running out. The kitty must have gotten in there while she
was putting away some of her recent purchases.
The kitty ran into the house and Ginny immediately closed the door to
prevent further escape. This had to be
Ken’s kitty. Picking up the card off the
counter she called his number. He
answered right away. Ginny explained who
she was and told him that she thought she may have found his kitty.
“Great” he said.
“I’ll be right over if that’s okay with you”.
Ginny said that was fine with her. It seemed like only seconds went by when the
doorbell rang. She closed the kitty in
the bedroom so it couldn’t run out the door when Ken arrived. She answered the door and thought Lord, he
was a good looking guy, and she actually had butterflies in her tummy and
thought she was too old to be feeling like this.
“Come on in” “I
heard a strange noise in the storage closet and went to investigate. I was in there earlier and the kitty must
have gotten in then. I didn’t even see
her”,
“Her name is Princess and she is a little stinker. Quick as a flash of light. I didn’t even see her get out of my
place. Princess is always finding hiding
places so I didn’t think anything of it until a couple of hours ago. When she didn't come out of hiding at the
sound of the can opener, I knew she wasn’t anywhere in the condo. Thank you so much for finding her.”
” I didn’t find her,
she found me. I closed her in the
bedroom so she couldn’t run out the door.
Do you want to go get her?”
“Are you asking me into your bedroom” He chuckled and his eyes twinkled.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I am”. Ginny couldn’t believe she was being so bold.
“Well, then let’s go”
Ginny led the way down the hall and opened the door. There was Princess all curled up in the
middle of the bed. Ken went to scoop her
up. While doing so he noticed this was a pretty feminine bedroom – no signs of
a man. Good, he thought. I would like to get to know this lady better
and Princess might have just provided the perfect opportunity.
“I would love to take you to dinner as a thank you for
rescuing Princess” “I realize you just
moved in and are probably tired, so how about if we do it tomorrow. “Would that be okay with you?”
“Yes, I would like that”
“Good. I’ll see you
tomorrow at 7:00 .
Ken and Princess left.
Ginny just leaned against the door.
Was this dinner an actual date? I hope so: I’m practically drooling over
this man and I don’t even know him.
At sixty five, Ginny
still was attractive. Her salt and
pepper hair was cut in a stylish way that flattered her face. There were wrinkles, of course, but not so
many that it was the only thing you saw.
She was neither thin nor heavy, but of course gravity had taken over and
things were rearranged differently than they were in her twenties and
thirties. All in all, not too
bad.
Not being sure of what to wear because Ken had not mentioned
where he would be taking her to dinner, she decided on a casual pair of white
pants and a long turquoise tunic. With
white heeled sandals and her silver jewelry it wouldn’t matter if the place was
casual or a little more formal. The
closer it got to 7:00 the more
nervous she became. My last first date
was forty years ago. – Things had
changed a lot during that time. What
were Ken’s expectations? He invited me
as a thank you so she knew they wouldn’t be splitting the bill. Did he expect to get any return on his
investment?
When the doorbell rang, Ken stood there in white slacks and
a turquoise golf shirt. They laughed and
it really broke the ice. Ginny invited
him in and asked if he would like to have a glass of wine before heading out.
“No”, let’s save the cocktails for the restaurant. The place we’re going is not far and we can
sit on the patio and enjoy the beautiful October in Tucson
weather”.
“Great, I’ll just get my purse and we can be off.
Ken had a white BMW convertible and the top was down. “Do you mind”, he asked. “If so, I can put
the top up but it’s such a beautiful evening it seems a shame to waste it.”
“No, I love a convertible and why own one if you don’t put
the top down. Actually, I have the same car.
I bought it when I knew I was moving here. I wanted one my whole life so now seemed the
perfect time to indulge my fantasy”.
He laughed and said “you’re kidding”. Not only do we dress alike but we have the
same car” “Is there a message in here
somewhere?”
When they arrived at the restaurant they were seated out on
the patio. The waitress came to take
their order and Ginny ordered a Lemon Drop Martini. Ken wasn’t familiar with that drink and asked
what it was. Ginny answered,”that her
daughter had suggested she try one and she loved them. However, to date my limit had been two. I’m not sure if I could handle more than
that.”
Ken ordered a Vodka Martini and said “he knew his limit was
two, especially if he was the designated driver”. Ginny giggled and her eyes crinkled up. He was enjoying her company. He was really glad that Princess had escaped
yesterday.
Over dinner they talked about their lives and how they had
ended up in Tucson . He had been born and raised in California
and moved to Tucson after his wife
passed away fifteen years ago. Much like
Ginny he wanted a fresh start. During
that time, he had dated off and on but nothing serious. He had two children also, a boy and a
girl. But in his case, the girl was the
first born. Heather was married and had
children and still lived in northern California . Josh was married and divorced and had a place
in Phoenix but traveled extensively
for his job so Ken didn’t get to see either of his children much.
After dinner, they retired to the lounge area where they had
coffee and an after dinner drink. The
piano player had started to play as they entered and Ken asked if Ginny would
be willing to take a chance on his two left feet. Ginny couldn’t imagine Ken being anything but
a great dancer. She was completely
mesmerized by this man. There must be something
wrong with him but if there was she hadn’t discovered it. Along with being drop dead gorgeous, he had
courtly manners which Ginny thought had gone out of style. He loved animals, had been devoted to his
wife. Ginny heard the love in his voice when he mentioned her. He seemed to
have a great self deprecating sense of humor. Nobody could be that perfect and
not have been snatched up before now. While they were on the dance floor, Ginny
couldn’t help but ask:
“So Ken why hasn’t some lovely lady laid claim to you yet?
He actually blushed and responded that “I could say the same
thing to you”.
Ginny replied, “I don’t usually attract ladies”.
He laughed and said “touché”
He loved the repartee they exchanged all evening and decided
he wanted to spend more time with this woman.
“What are you doing this weekend”, he asked.
Ginny replied that she had planned on taking a drive to
Tubac. Her realtor told her it was a
growing artist colony and had a nice inn not too far out of town. Ginny thought it might be fun and she would
be getting to know something of her new surroundings. Ken replied “well, if I am not being too
presumptuous, I would love to join you.”
I think I know the inn you are referring to and it has a great two
bedroom casita that might be available.
Are you game? “
Ginny thought it sounded great but she was a little
hesitant. After all, she had just met
this man and now he was asking her to spend the weekend with him. Her mind
wandered to what Adam would say if he should find out about this. Oh hell, she thought. She liked this man and
she wanted a fresh start on life so why not take a chance.
“Okay, Ken. I am
game.
Shall I call the inn
or will you?
________________________________
Ginny and Ken were spending a great deal of time
together. Ginny loved their relationship
except that Ken could be a little over protective at times. She thought that he and Adam would get along
just great. She didn’t like being told
what she could and couldn’t do. Ken was
used to making decisions in his business life and from what she gathered he had
made all of the decisions in his married life.
He could be a little overbearing at times. She was beginning to understand why he was
still single. The word “submissive” was
not in her dictionary. She and Steve had
always shared everything and if they had a difference of opinion they talked it
out until a final decision was made.
Last weekend was a great example of Ken’s attitude. Her
daughter, Carolyn, planned on driving over and spending the weekend with
Ginny. At the last minute something came
up and she was unable to make it. Ken
was apoplectic that she would cancel at the last minute without a thought of
how her change of plans might affect her mother. Ginny said to relax; it wasn’t that big a
deal. Ken thought it was and carried on
until Ginny said enough and went back to her condo.
A couple of hours later, Ken was knocking at her door and
offering an apology for his behavior.
Ginny accepted but told him they were going to have to come to an
understanding if their relationship was to continue. She took pride in her independence and was
not willing to give that up to a man at this stage of her life. Ken listened to what Ginny had to say. He understood her position and said he could
live with it. There were only two things he insisted upon – complete honesty
and her safety. He would not give in on
those. They were too important to him.
Ginny understood the honesty part. A relationship could not thrive and succeed
without it. As far as she was concerned
safety was also something she could live with.
After all, she was always careful. Having been a mother, it was
something that was second nature to her.
Most safety issues were just common sense and after sixty five years
there weren’t many things she hadn’t encountered and dealt with successfully.
___________________________________________
Tonight was going to be a big night. Adam, Cathy and the kids were coming to
visit. They would be staying with
Ginny. This would be the first time that
Adam would be meeting Ken. Ginny had
spent most of the week getting ready for the visit. She wanted everything to be perfect. To that end she made dinner reservations at
the place she and Ken frequented. Ginny
asked Ken to meet them there rather than getting together at the house. Her theory was it would be better for the men
to meet on neutral territory and in the more casual atmosphere of a
restaurant. Ginny knew that Adam would
be on “protective alert” and wanted the meeting to go smoothly.
Her family arrived about 2:00. Ginny had wanted to pick them up at the
airport but Adam said not to bother. He
was going to have to rent a car anyway so they would just pick one up at the
airport and drive to the condo. The children
had grown in the time since she had last seen them. They were now 8 and 10. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed
them. They “skyped” now and then but
their lives were filled with school, friends and sports and they didn’t have
much time for telephone conversations with Grammy. She was thrilled to have them here even if it
was for too short a time.
They were meeting for dinner at 5:30. Early but then considering the time zone
difference it would be better for the kids.
Ken was already there when the rest of them arrived. He looked a little nervous, but she was sure
she would be the only one to notice. He
stood and shook hands with Adam and gave Cathy a quick kiss on the cheek. He shook hands with the children and gave
them each a small goodie bag. Ginny was thrilled with his thoughtfulness. Once everyone settled in, Ken and Adam
started talking about insurance giving Cathy time to talk to Ginny. Cathy thought Ken was very handsome and
seemed to really care for Ginny. Cathy
asked if their relationship was going to end up being permanent. Ginny said “like in marry”. “Yes”, said Cathy. Ginny said that “No, she didn’t think
so. She liked Ken immensely and might
even love him, but she liked having her own place and the freedom to come and
go as she pleased”. Ken didn’t mean to
eavesdrop but when he heard that he was dumbstruck. During Adam’s visit, he planned on telling
him he was going to ask his mother to marry him.
As they were leaving the restaurant, Ken asked Ginny to
drive home with him. Adam could follow
if he wasn’t sure of how to get back to the condo. When they were alone in the car, Ken told
Ginny he had heard what she had said to Cathy.
He then put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small package and
handed it to Ginny. She opened and was
awe struck. Inside was a beautiful
diamond engagement ring. “Does that
change your mind?” asked Ken. Ginny was
speechless – she just continued to hold the box in her hand.
“Oh Ken I didn’t see this coming”. “I know we have been seeing lot of each other
and I certainly enjoy your company but I never imagined you were this
serious. I just wanted a fresh start and
a new life. I never thought about getting married again. I love the freedom of knowing when I get up
in the morning with the whole day ahead of me that I have no obligations
whatsoever.” “Can you understand that?”
Yes I can. I may not
like it but I understand it. Is it
because I’m overprotective?
“That is something that makes me a little uncomfortable but
that’s not the only reason”
Well, I can’t help who I am.
I have given you more latitude than I ever gave my wife. You know I loved my wife dearly but what you
don’t know was that I would spank her when she overstepped the boundaries I
set. We had a wonderful marriage and
when she passed I wasn’t sure I would ever find someone I would be willing to
share my life with. Then I met you. You are a wonderful free spirited woman and I
love that about you and that is why I have tried very hard to curtail my
dominant attitudes. But I’m not sure I could change after all these years.”
“Ken I am just not ready to commit to a full-time all
encompassing relationship right now. I
know it’s been two years since Steven passed but I really only started really
being myself when I moved here to Arizona.
I would like to enjoy that for a while longer. I am not saying I will never be ready but I
am definitely not ready now”
“Do you think we could continue to see each other”, said
Ken. “I am not willing to give up so
easily”
Ginny said she thought they could continue to see each
other. She liked him very much and for
the most part was very comfortable with him.
What he just shared about spanking his wife didn’t really surprise
her. He had hinted about being in charge
in his marriage and once, way back in the beginning of their relationship, they
had a little argument and he told her that if she didn’t stop yelling at him he
would spank her bottom. She wasn’t sure how that issue was resolved but she
knew he didn’t spank her.
“Okay then” said Ken.
They had just pulled into the condo garage. Ken asked if they could continue with their
plans they had made. She thought that
was fine. He kissed her good night and
took her to her door. Adam was just
coming out the door to get something out of the car so the kiss was a quickie.
I’ll see you all tomorrow. And off he went.
FOUR MONTHS LATER
Ginny loved her new life – she had been living in Tucson for
less than a year but she was right at home. Sometimes she got a little
whimsical for Castle Pines but it never lasted long. She had a very active life and was doing
worthwhile things - not just playing cards with the girls. She had become a Friend of the Library and
was also involved with the local food bank.
She and Ken still dated.
He had asked her to marry him several times over the last four months
and she always told him that she was just not ready. He was becoming less and less enamored of her
refusals. One of these days she was going to have to either give in and accept
his engagement ring or just let him go.
She wasn’t being fair to him by stringing him along. She would give him her decision soon.
That weekend she and Ken were attending a charity function
for the local food bank. It was the
biggest fund raising event of their year.
One of the features was a silent auction. Ginny decided to donate a weekend at the Inn
in Tubac. She knew that Ken would be
bidding on several of the items and was sure he would pick the Tubac
weekend. She was going to arrange to
slip in a little surprise if he won the auction.
When it was announced that Ken Vandenberg was the highest
bidder for the Tubac weekend, Ginny silently started planning the weekend. To her great chagrin, Ken turned the weekend
over to the couple that had made the next highest bid.
When they left the event, Ginny started sputtering about how
he could have given up that weekend.
She went on and on. He told her
there was no sense in recreating a special weekend when he was no longer
waiting for her to decide that she wanted him to be a permanent part of her
life. This was the last time he was
going to be her “Ken Doll” to take out and use when it suited her. From now on, he was either in her life or out
of her life. He had danced to her tune
for the last time. Now he was the one
leading the dance.
She was furious even though she had decided that she was
going to tell Ken that she would be honored to be his wife. Actually that was
why she had donated that item for bid.
She thought it would be perfect time to tell him then that she had made
her decision. How dare he throw down a gauntlet? It wasn’t his place to tell her when she was
ready. She was the one that would be
making that decision. There were
definitely some items that needed to be clarified before that ring was placed
on her finger.
She was still giving him a piece of her mind when they
arrived at her doorway. He opened the
door and followed her in. Ginny finally
realized he had stopped speaking some time back. His face was a mass of chiseled stone. He very resolutely took her arm and led her
to the nearest chair. He sat down and
pulled her down across his knee and proceeded to give her the spanking she had
coming for a very long time.
“You stop this
immediately” cried Ginny as he gave her the first smacks.
“owwwwwww, “stop I said”
“I am going to call the police when you let
me up”
“Then I better make this good honey” said Ken. “This is
it. I’ve wanted to do this for
months. I’ve been patient and waited as
long as I am going to for you to decide to marry me. I am not going to stand by and watch you
throw away our happiness any longer.
When I am finished spanking you, I am going to kiss you good night and
walk away. If you decide you want me,
you know where I am. Until you do, we
won’t be seeing each other socially anymore and I am telling you I won’t wait
long. Enough is enough.”
He gave her two final licks and let her up. He tried to hug her and give her a kiss, but
she pushed him away and told him to “get out”.
He walked to the door and closed it behind him.
“Make sure to lock the door, Ginny”, Ken said thrWillough the
door. Ginny picked up a figurine and threw it at the closed door. She heard him chuckle.
Adam and his family, and Carolyn along with Ken’s daughter Heather and her children, and his son Josh were awaiting the arrival of the newlyweds. Ken and Ginny were married in the judge’s chambers and their wedding dinner was being held at the Inn in Tubac. Their children weren’t sure why their respective parents had chosen this particular site and when they asked, Ken and Ginny looked at each other and smiled.
“It’s a place of great beginnings and happy endings."
They didn't rent the two bedroom casita.
The word 'obey' was not part of the marriage vows.
Will be back with my regularly scheduled programming by the weekend (lol). Thanks for dropping by and see you later for more Aimless Ramblngs.
