Alf, the Neighbourhood Grandpa

The conclusion of the story of Alf and his friends. I have tried to show how Alf is more than just an older man enjoying intimacy with a couple of young women but is also a friend and companion even when sex is off the table.

Because of this, the occasions when there is sex happening it is implied in the story. If you want a stroke story then I'm sorry but this won't meet your needs.

I do hope that those who read this find it to be an appropriate ending to the story. As always, please let me know your thoughts - I read all the comments on my tales.

Thank you for taking the time to read my offerings.

DG

xxXxx

xxXxx

Among the flow of parents and children heading towards the school in the last week of February, I noticed a mother and child walking along who seemed alone in the crowd, and with that 'first day at a new school' look. I was sure I hadn't seen them before.

The woman glanced over curiously as one of the other mothers handed me the paper she had picked up from the footpath outside my neighbor's house. It was just a quick glance, but I smiled and called out 'good morning' to her. She looked back and gave me a cautious smile before carrying on towards the school gate.

As I finished reading the paper and while draining my second mug of coffee I saw the woman from earlier slowly walking past, head down and focused on the footpath in front of her, looking like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Seeming to sense being watched, she stopped and glanced around until she saw me in the window. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she strode away, not quite running but clearly wanting to get away as quickly as she could.

She seemed so sad and lost that she stayed in my thoughts throughout the day.

The Postie delivers the mail in the early afternoon, and I was out checking my letterbox and saying hi to the parents heading towards the school for their precious bundles of joy, but I didn't see the mystery woman among them.

She was there the following morning and when she saw me at my gate she went very red and scurried past forcing her daughter to run beside her. I had no idea why she reacted to me in such a way, but obviously something triggered the behaviour.

Her manner remained similar over the following weeks, although she did stop hurrying by and favoured me with more of her fleeting glances. I smiled and said hello on the occasions when I saw her look over at me, but I ensured I didn't single her out.

By the last week of the term, she would shyly smile at me and give a little wave.

When the second term started I noticed her daughter was riding a bicycle while her mum walked with her. It looked to be nearly new, bright pink with a little plastic basket on the front and colourful tassels hanging from the hand grips. The little girl looked very proud of her bike.

Disaster struck on a Thursday about a month later.

I was outside looking for my paper when I heard a crash and a child's wail. Looking up the road I could see the young girl being comforted by her mother while the bike lay on the grass verge.

"Anything I can help with?" I asked, walking up towards them. "Is anyone hurt?"

"We're fine," the woman said curtly. She had crouched down beside the girl who looked at her bike, tears glistening on her cheeks.

"What's happened?"

"Nothing, we're fine. No business of yours."

"It looks like the chain has come off. It's easily fixed and will take all of ten minutes to put back on. I'm happy to help if you want me to, and if you prefer not, that's fine too." I walked back home leaving the offer open, although I did open my garage door and checked my spanners were where they should be.

I turned in time to see the woman, bike in one hand, child holding the other, walk past on the way to the school. She didn't look at me, but I saw her lean the bike against my fence as she passed.

It was a sweet ride for the girl, and I had it all sorted out and back against the fence before she left the school gates on her way home. I even had the time to write a brief note with my name and phone number and suggested she may like to leave the bike just inside my gate so her daughter could collect it on their way home after school.

Making a point of not hanging around outside when she came past I pottered about in the back garden, pulling weeds and vacuuming out the pool.

In the middle of preparing my dinner I received a text message from an unknown number.

<Hi Alf, thanks for fixing the bike. Heather

Her name is Heather, huh?

I pictured her as I last saw her, walking past and carrying the bike. She looked a little older than the other mums, maybe in her early thirties and stood about 5'6, her auburn hair clean and pulled away from her face, but maybe looking overdue for a trim. Her clothes were fashionable and stylish, and yet the way they hung on her made me think she had lost weight since buying them.

Her eyes were hazel with dark circles, her face devoid of makeup, in fact devoid of any vestige of joy. Something or someone had sucked all the life out of her, a feeling I had known only too well a few years ago.

I replied with a simple <Hi Heather. Happy to help.

Next morning again found me out looking for my paper when a child called out, "Thank you for fixing my bike, Mr Alf." The girl sat on her bike, left foot on the ground, face split with a huge smile for me, and beside her stood Heather also with a smile, but at a much lower wattage.

"You have me at a disadvantage, little Miss. You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"I'm Alyssa, and this is Mum."

"It is nice to meet you, Alyssa," I replied, then looking at her mum smiled and said, "and to meet you too, Mum."

She smiled a little. "I'm Heather, but you already know that."

"True, but I didn't know if Alyssa knew that I knew."

Heather gave a slight nod but said nothing.

"Would you like to call in for a coffee when you have dropped off Alyssa? We can sit on the front porch and enjoy the day."

After pondering for a moment, she again gave a small nod. "Yes, I can do that. Come on Lyssie, you don't want to be late to school." They walked off without saying another word.

I went inside and set things ready for the coffee, putting a plate of biscuits on the tray and looked around to make sure the place was tidy.

My living room has French doors opening onto the front veranda, and I have a couple of chairs and a small table out there. The morning being warm enough and calm enough to have the doors open, I carried the tray out and set it on the table. Very little traffic drove past now the school day had started so we could sit outside enjoying the sun in peace.

I watched Heather walk cautiously up the path towards me making me think that any wrong move or signal and she would be off running.

"How do you like your coffee?" I ask. "Milk and sugar?"

"Just as it comes out the pot, please, nothing added."

"That's nice and easy. Please, take a seat."

Heather sat, choosing the seat closest to the path, and watched me while I turned the mugs over, poured the coffee, and set them on the tray so she could choose which she preferred.

"Help yourself and have a biscuit; I didn't make them, so you don't have to pretend to like them."

"I doubt I'd have to pretend; you don't seem the type to be less than proficient at anything you do."

I gave her a puzzled look. "Thank you, Heather. I don't know how you arrived at that conclusion, though."

"I like to think I am observant. Your home and garden are well looked after, and I've seen how people interact with you, both parents and children; well, the ones who aren't glued to their phone, anyway. The kids are eager to please you by finding your paper and you often stay out there to say hello even when you already have it. Kids are usually a good judge of character, and mothers are very cautious of adults around their children. They all appear to trust you."

"It's a bit of fun for them and gives me something to look forward to during the week."

"And you're single? I mean, I've only ever seen you here. Generally."

I looked down and picked up my mug and took a sip. "Yes, I'm single again." Looking back up I said, "Generally?"

"Pardon me?"

"You said generally. You have seen only me here, generally."

She coloured a little, and replied, "Um, yes. I have seen one or two of the kids' mums leaving here during the day when I've driven past," then hastening to add, "I wasn't spying or anything, I just noticed them."

"I see. And what did you think when you saw them?"

"I only saw them briefly, but I thought they looked happy. Satisfied, maybe?"

"Hmm. OK. And despite what you saw you're here with me now not drinking your coffee. It'll be getting cold."

She picked up the mug and took a sip, then drank it down. "It had cooled off. Sorry."

"It doesn't matter, and I can easily make more."

Setting the mug down, she said, "I better hadn't, or I'll be having to pee all the time."

Smiling, I said, "Yeah, coffee will have that effect. I do have a bathroom, and I can show you where it is. Would you like a fresh mug?"

"Not right now, thanks." She paused, then said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, although I reserve the right to not answer it."

She laughed - the first time I heard her laugh - and I liked it. "Answered like a lawyer. Are you a lawyer?"

"Is that your question?" I replied with a smile.

"That was a telling reply, but no, that wasn't my question."

"Well, just for you I will answer that bonus question. I'm not and never have been a lawyer."

"That's a good thing; I don't like lawyers."

She said it calmly, but I could detect a hint of bitterness in her voice. Perhaps she would tell me why one day. But not today.

"I have yet to meet someone who does like lawyers; not even lawyers like lawyers." I sat back in my chair and met her eyes. "So, Heather, what is your question?"

"I hope you don't think it rude or impertinent, but you're not a bad looking man, it seems you look after yourself, you seem to be well set up and my feeling is you own this house." She paused to take a breath.

"Thank you, and yes, I do own my home."

Cocking her head a little, she asked, "Why are you single? You said you are single again, so I assume you were married, or in a long-term relationship. Did you leave her for someone younger, abandon her when her looks began to fade?" She became a little sharp at the end which made me wonder if this was something that had happened to her.

"Well, you don't hold back. Before I answer that I'm going to make another coffee; I drink a lot of coffee. And I would rather sit inside on a softer seat. Come on in and find a chair."

I gathered up the items on the table and carried them through to the kitchen and made a fresh pot of Java which I poured and carried the mugs through to the sitting room.

Settling in my favorite chair opposite her, I took a sip and watched as she did also.

"By the way, the bathroom is left through that door and second on the right."

She smiled, glancing at the door then back at me.

I put my coffee down on the side table and sat back, crossing my ankles, my elbows on the chair arms.

"You're right. I was married for twenty-four years, and we lived in this house for many of them. Happily, I'd thought, but I found out she wasn't. Well, she wasn't happy with me. She was happy with her best friend's husband, and one of his mates, and a couple of old boyfriends. Often all together. I had my own business and worked long hours to make a go of it, and she took advantage of that to party with her friends."

I put my feet flat on the floor and leaned forward, looking at the pattern on the rug. "You asked if I abandoned her, the answer is yes, I kicked her to the kerb after I found out." I paused for a beat, then continued, "Well, the actual order of events was I came home early one day, and she was with a couple of men having a good old time on the back terrace. They didn't notice me. I took a bunch of photos with my phone, drove back to my office and asked the lawyer I used for the business if he knew a good divorce lawyer. He did."

I got up and stood with my back to the window.

"I arranged for my wife to meet me for lunch the next day, and while she was out of the house the lawyer had cameras and mikes installed, so we could see if this was a one-off event or not. Not that that would make me feel any better. Well, it wasn't a one off. Pretty much every day she was cuckolding me. With all that proof of her screwing around, she was served. I changed the locks, packed up her things and left them outside by the front door."

I wiped a hand across my face and squeezed my eyes, trying without success to erase the still painful memory.

"She was visiting her mother when she was served. You know what? She collected her things while I was at work and I didn't hear from her for... what, it must have been a year or so. I had received a very generous offer for my business which allowed me to retire. Somehow she found out and tried to get her hands on most of it. She'd never played any part in the business which I started before we met, so she didn't get a cent. Dunno what her lawyer cost her and don't care."

I walked slowly back to my chair and sat down again. "Since then, I haven't found anyone I want to get that close to."

"But you still enjoy female company," Heather said, speaking for the first time since I started my story.

"Yes, I do. I might be getting on in years, but I still enjoy a romp in the hay. But only with single women, if they are in a relationship I won't get involved."

"You have quite a few to choose from walking past your house every day. Don't they get upset being used and replaced with someone new?"

"You said before that people trust me, that you see how they talk with me. Do any of the women seem upset with me? I mean, surely if I was the hump and dump type the word would have spread and they would avoid me like the plague."

"Yes, I guess that's true. So, what, are you telling me you have a willing harem?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. A couple of the mums visit wanting affection and intimacy without obligations or ties. They come to me, and I help if I can. I'm not always available and they understand that."

Heather sat there looking at me, eyes unfocused as she pondered my words, then looked around the room appraisingly.

"I don't keep trophies, my headboard doesn't have notches, I don't keep a journal. I have no interest in writing a tell-all exposé."

"You do get to have sex with young women. Don't try and tell me you don't enjoy the variety or the age difference."

"Of course I enjoy it. But just to make it clear, it isn't always sex. It often is, but not always. Sometimes we just sit and talk. Or they just want to be held and caressed. I'm like the grandfather they wish they had, one they feel safe and comfortable with. I have even shown them how to do maintenance; you know, change a wheel or mend a fuse, check the oil and water, top up the window washer bottle, change a tap washer, all sorts of things."

I stood and asked her to follow me to the kitchen.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you to make me a sandwich," I said, which caused her to snort.

"Good luck with that, I'll never be a man's servant again."

I filled the kettle and turned it on. "I need another coffee. How about you, do you have time for one? I don't know what your plans are for the day."

"Yes, that would be nice, all this listening has made me thirsty," she said, a slight smile twitching the corners of her mouth.

"We can sit out in the sun if you like, I'll just close the street door, so we don't get robbed."

"Or interrupted? Is that how you let people know you are home and available?"

"The door was open when we were in the sitting room," I pointed out. "I have a phone and if people want to visit they will text me to see if I'm free."

I finished making the drink and led the way to the back garden. Heather stopped in the doorway and gasped.

"This is beautiful. I'd never have guessed the back of the house could be so big. You even have a pool."

"Thanks, yes, I love it out here. It's my little slice of paradise."

Heather sat her mug down, kicked off her shoes and walked onto the lawn, pausing to enjoy the sensation.

"There's is something so soothing about walking on grass barefoot. Where I live it's full of prickles and weeds. Do you mind if I wander?"

"Not at all. Help yourself."

I sat and watched as she walked around the back lawn, stopping to smell the flowers in the border beds, making her way around to the pool where she leaned her arms on the fencing and looked at the water. A gentle breeze briefly held her sundress against her, showing every curve and hollow to my appreciative eye. Turning, she leaned her back against the fence and looked around the yard again before walking back and sitting in the chair beside me.

"When it warms up a bit more, you and Alyssa can come for a swim," I told her.

"I'm very tempted to agree now, but I think I will get to know you better first."

We sat and talked for a while longer although she shared very little about herself, and when the school lunch bell sounded in the distance she took it as her cue to leave. With thanks for the drinks and conversation she left.

I watched as she walked away, feeling like I had been interviewed. Throughout our conversations she had shared very little about herself, and yet her questions spoke volumes; there was hurt and pain in her past.

She had built a wall around herself, the wall was tall, well-made and surrounded by a barrier of thorns. I had no idea if she would be back, if she would open up to me, let me get to know her even just a little bit, but I hoped so. She was interesting - challenging without a doubt - but she was a good mother who cared for Alyssa, and she was brave, shown by her visit.

I knew better than to push so I left it to her to make the next move.

xxXxx

xxXxx

Monday morning and as soon as I opened the door I was being kissed passionately by Renee.

"Oh god, Poppa, I have missed you," she gasped as she came up for air.

"It's only been a couple of days, sweetie."

"Whaddaya mean? Last Wednesday is damn near a whole week away!"

The front door was still open, and movement caught my eye. Over Renee's shoulder I saw Heather looking at us as she walked past. I gave her a smile and a quick wave as I closed the door.

"It's really only a few days."

"Maybe numerically, but perceptually it feels like a lifetime ago," she whined. Nuzzling back into me she began kissing my neck and said, "I'm all showered... mwah... and shaved... mwah... and horny as fuck... mwah... and I want to sixty-nine with you."

After checking that the front door was closed, I grabbed the hem of her top and pulled up, peeling it off. "Time to get naked then."

When hunger and thirst drove us to leave the bed, Renee pulled on a tee shirt, and I donned a pair of shorts before heading to the kitchen to make bacon sammies for lunch.

"Have you spoken with Tiff recently?" I asked.

"Sure, this morning when I collected her boys. Why?"

"She told me she is seeing a guy so, um."

"Oh right. No more nookie with Tiff. She did tell me she'd told you. You OK with it?"

"I am," I said. "I'm pleased she has found someone her own age; I just hope he isn't a dick like Cody."

"No, he seems a good guy. I've met him a couple of times. Tiff seems happy."

"That's all that matters, really. She deserves happiness."

Renee looked at me, then reached over and took my hand.

"I'm missing her too, Poppa. We used to spend a lot of time together, but you know that friends can get forgotten when you've met someone new."