A Simple Life: Chapter 56 (Patreon)

Bella slices through the calm evening water.  With me at the wheel and Grandpa chillin behind me I tell him about the most incredible night of my life.

“The party was so fun.  It was a really good group.  Cain and Riley were there.  There was a new girl named Briar.  She’s studying computer stuff at the college.  She is super smart and kinda oddball like me.”

“I like her already.”

“Me too.”  I giggle.  “We had some drinks and joked around.  Turned out Briar plays that Fables of Fantasy game that Winona plays.  And Cain watches a show about it.  It was so cool we had this thing in common.  The whole group of us are going to start a new game tomorrow.”

“FoF?  Ha!  That game’s still around?”

“You played?”

“Oh God, once or twice WAYYY back when.  Wasn’t really my thing but it seemed kinda groovy.”

“I think it’s groovy.”  I say as I shift the wheel port just a bit to center us toward our destination.  “OH!  OH!  Have you seen The Princess Bride?”

“Can’t say that I have.  I was working so much back in the 80’s and 90’s that one kinda slipped past me.  Always meant to.”

“You gotta!  We gotta!  It’s the best movie I’ve ever seen.  It’s got a grandpa and a boy and…it’s got EVERYTHING!”

“Woah!  Well yeah, let’s do it Buttercup. I can’t wait to see it.”

“Yeah.”  I say softly.  I stand silent a moment feeling the vibration of the engine through my feet and hands.  Grandpa doesn’t rush me.  He knew I had more to say and waits, like he always did.  “After the movie I…um, had another e-episode.”

“Oh?”

“I ran away and hid and started crying.”

“What happened?”

“I was thinking about you…and your c-c-cancer.”  Just saying it makes me start to tear up again.

“Aw, my boy.”

“It’s okay.”  I say, my voice soft as I remembered back.  “Winona came and got me.  She didn’t tease me or make me feel bad.  She…She made me feel good.  She understood, even though she didn’t know why I was crying.  I guess her b-brother was kinda shy like me.  She never made me feel ashamed.”

“She lifted you up.”  He says from experience.  “When you thought nothing could.”

“Yes.”  I say.  “And when I came back in everyone was so cool about it.  Totally cool.”

“That does sound like a good group.”

“They are.”  I say happily.  “Good thing too!  Winona said she was gonna kick their butts if they teased me.”

“Ha!  She’s a keeper.”

“Yeah.  After the movie there was dancing.  Neither of us were good but we had so much fun.  And we had a couple slow dances.  It was sooo nice Grandpa.”

“The perfect end to an evening.”  He says.  “Or the beginning of a night?”

I peek back over my shoulder at him to see him smiling at me.  In a small voice I confess.  “It was just the beginning.”

“Ohhh my!”

I sigh.  “Oh Grandpa.”  I search for words.  “She’s…she’s…she’s…”

“One of a kind?”

“Yes!”

“Perfect?”

“Yes!  Yes!”

“An angel put on this Earth just for you?  And you for her?”

“YES!  YES!  YES!”

“You got it bad alright.”

“She…she really is a one of kind Grandpa.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Um…she’s…got…a thing.”

“A thing?”

“You know.”  I swallow and lower my voice.  “A p-penis.”

“Oh really.”  He says without missing a beat.  “I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“D-Don’t tell anyone!”

“You know me better than that my boy.”

“I know.”  I say.  “But that’s not why she’s special.  She’s just so nice.  She takes charge and makes everything so easy and treats me so nice.  She makes me feel like a…a prince or something.   I can’t even…”  I sigh again, my words failing to express just how incredible Winona actually was.  “She even bought me presents.  When she went to the mainland she picked me stuff up.  I couldn’t believe it.”

“Aw, what a sweetheart.  What did she get you?”

“Uhhhh.”  Oops.  I never meant to go down this alley.  I wasn’t about to tell Grandpa she got me a cock cage!  “P-P-Pajamas.”

“Pajamas!?”  He lets out a big laugh.  “For an innocent little sleepover I’m sure.”

I giggle.  “I d-did spend the night.”

“My little Romeo!  You kids these days work quick.”

“She wasn’t going to give it to me yet b-but when she saw how sad I was behind the bush…”

“Bush?”

“When I was crying.”

“Ah.”

“She…she wanted to cheer me up.”  I say.  “She was so nervous when she drove me to her place.  She thought I was going to think she’s a weirdo or something.  She was so beautiful Grandpa.”

“Pajamas.”  He continues to chuckle.  “Not one for subtlety that gal.”

“Yeah.”  I say.  “Um…um…actually…”

“Yeah.”

“Um.”

“What is it Avery?”

If I couldn’t tell Grandpa…who could I tell?  “It, um…it wasn’t actually pajamas.”

“Oh?”

“She got me a…”  Again I peek back at him, wanting to see his reaction. “…a nightie.  A girl’s nightie.  And I p-put it on for her.”

He gives me a long look then rises to come up beside me.  Slipping a hand on my opposite shoulder he asks.  “And?”

“And…I-I-I liked it.” I nervously glance back and forth between his face and the ocean.  “I-I think I looked really pretty in it actually.”

“I am sure you did Buttercup.”

Feeling nothing but love I continue.  “It was turquoise with green lace.  It was so smooth and felt so nice on me.  And so pretty.  I slept in it.  It was wonderful Grandpa.”

With a warm smile he gives my shoulder a light squeeze.

“I-I-I shouldn’t have told you that.”

“Come on now.”  He gives me a shake.  “You can tell your old Gramps anything.  You know that Buttercup.  Anything.”

“Yeah.”  I say, feeling really good for telling someone despite what I’d just said.  “It’s kinda weird though.”

“What?  You think you’re the first one of us to rock a dress?”

“What?”

“Didn’t I ever tell you about Halloween of 73?”

“No.”

“Anna and I went as Sonny and Cher.”  Staring straight ahead his eyes twinkle as he sees not the ocean and the crimson-orange sky but a memory of his one true love.  “She was Sonny.  I was Cher.”

“Cher!?  Pfff!”

“Don’t you laugh at me.”  He says with playful indignance.  “I made a pretty damn fine Cher thank you very much.  And your Grandma…she looked SO cute in that mustache.”  He smiles, his eyes still distant.  “It tickled when we kissed.”

“He he he he.”

“It started a whole thing for awhile.  From 73 to 84, if I was ashore, we’d go as a famous music couple.  Yoko and John.  John and Olivia.  Kenny and Dolly was fun.”  He grabs his pecs.  “I had these two humongous water balloons for boobs.  They were bouncin and floppin all over the place.”

“PFFF!”

“It was fine until Anna squeezed too hard and one burst!  Not only was I all wet…I only had one tit for the rest of the night!”  He says.  “I was one miffed Dolly.”

“Ha ha ha ha!  Grandpa!”  I burble.  “You did that!?”

“What?”  He raises his chin.  “You think a hard workin fisherman can’t get in touch with his feminine side?”

“No.”  I can’t stop giggling.  “He he he he.”

“And I can tell you that your Grandma was the perfect gentleman.  Opened doors and pulled out chairs.  She really knew how to treat a lady.”

“He he he he he!”

“And I can also tell ya, we didn’t just wear the costumes to the parties either.  Heh.”  He laughs.  “Don’t tell her, but sometimes when your Mom was off to sleep we’d break out the outfits.”

“Pbrlt!  Really?”

“Variety is the spice of life mah boy.”  He pats my shoulder.   “We even did Ike and Tina.”  He cringes.  “It was the 70’s but…eeesh.  The less said about that year the better.  I don’t know what we were thinking.  That one’s just between you, me and Grandma, Buttercup.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“And the last year we did Johnny and June.  In all black…mmm mmm, my Anna was something that night.”  That soulful tone in his voice, I felt that I knew it a little better now.  “And everybody agreed that the dress I chose really showed off my legs.”

“I bet you looked great Grandpa.”

“I’ll show ya.  I’ve got some pictures around here somewhere.”

“Yes!  I wanna see.”  It takes a second but I realize that I’d heard the name ‘June’ just recently.  “June?  Oh!  Johnny, as in Johnny Cash.”

“And June Carter.  Yeah.”

“Johnny is Winona’s favorite.”

“The gal’s got good taste, in music and men.”  He gives my shoulder another squeeze and another pat.  “Remember the reef to starboard.”

“Aye Cap’n.”

“I’m gonna go find those photos and set the table.  You can tell me the rest over supper.”  He says.  “Gimme a shout when we’re dropping anchor.”

“I will.”  As he goes to pull away I stop him.  Letting go of the wheel I grab him up in another hard hug.

“Eyy!”  He chuckles and hugs me back.  “Bonus hug!”

“Thank you Grandpa.”  I whisper.

“Thank me?  For what?”

“For just…being you.”

Chapter 57