Episode11
Jennie set the table and we worked together to toss a salad. We were done well in advance of dinner so I opened a bottle of Chardonnay and brought two glasses of wine to the living room. We sat together on the couch, content and comfortable in our silence. I turned on the TV, but even with 200 channels there was still nothing I thought was worth watching so I pushed a DVD into the machine and turned to ask Jennie, “Ever hear of Charlie Chan? His movies used to be popular, but they’ve fallen out of favor because while good old Charlie was supposed to be a Chinese from Honolulu he was always played by white guys like Sidney Toler with a cheesy accent.”
“Sounds like a rip; I’ll give it a shot. Is this what you do for kicks…watch obscure old movies?”
“Sure, they’re better than the trash that’s on the tube these days. Those so-called reality shows are just absurd. None of them are anything even close to ’reality.’” I started the movie and sat back. Jennie snuggled close, pulling my arm over and around her shoulder. We sat silently, watching cornball Charlie Chan solve yet another insolvable crime.
I was about to turn the set off when the movie had ended, but stopped when Jennie commented, “Better than I thought it would be. Have any more?”
“Yeah, I have. I have Blazing Saddles, North by Northwest, High Noon, and a few others, too.”
“I’ve heard of Blazing Saddles, but not the others.”
“Then you’re in for a few surprises.” I kissed her quickly then rose to turn on the grill and tend to the steak, cutting into the fat along the side to prevent shrinkage and rubbing a mixture of salt, pepper, and spices into the meat. “I hope you like your steak medium rare,” I called into the living room. “That’s the only way I know how to cook it.” Jennie responded with a laugh.
Dinner was served fifteen minutes later and the steak was delicious, the potatoes were done just right, and the salad was a good complement to the meal. To complete the dinner I had opened a bottle of Chianti Classico, Vintage 2008. “Did you know that there’s a special Chianti grape? Regular Chianti has varying percentages of that special grape, but only Chianti Classico is made exclusively from the Chianti grape.”
“Actually, I didn’t know that. It wasn’t high on my menu priorities in my former life. I think Ripple or Muscatel was more appropriate.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up…I mean….”
“Relax, Doug—I’m not upset with you. It was what it was. You were right—I am a survivor.” We finished the meal in silence then I sat her at my desk with a note pad and told her, “Practice your new signature—Jennifer Marie Townsend. I’m sure you’ll have to print it tomorrow morning and complete some forms, too. The more you do it now the easier it will be then.” I kissed her again and went to tackle the dishes. It was no big deal. I’d been single like forever. I’d done them like a thousand times.
I emptied the trash and returned to find Jennie working feverishly on her third sheet. “This was a good idea. It’s almost automatic now.” I noticed that she had written her new signature three different ways with “Marie,” her initial “M,” and without. It was a very satisfactory exercise. She was just about to start her fourth page when I stopped her. “We need to go to bed. We have an early appointment and we’ll have to fast. I’ll take you out for breakfast after.” I set the house alarm and followed Jennie to the bedroom. She slid into bed naked and I followed. “Don’t you think we should brush our teeth…maybe go to the bathroom?”
“Can’t we do it after? You’re going to get up to dump the condom, aren’t you?” Damn, sometimes I just hate logic, but she was right. I lay back onto the bed and pulled her to me. We kissed and held each other. I ran my hand up and down her back, my finger exploring the sweet crack of her shapely ass. Jennie, for her part, had one hand enmeshed in my hair while the other had a firm grip on my cock. We rolled around on the bed for more than ten minutes until she could take no more.