Hunting Pixies

Hunting Pixies, Part 18 / Epilogue

As I stop to fuel up at the convenient WaWa at the entrance to Celebration Pointe, it occurs to me that I should text Beth a quick update, so I do, "OMW. ETA still 1." I'm old enough to remember when a quick check in like that would have required finding a payphone and making a collect call, or using a a calling card, both of which would have resulted in a conversation. I suppose the price we pay for convenience in our hyperconnected world can sometimes be a loss of opportunity for deeper connections.

That thought reminds me that I ought to check in with one other woman before I hit the road, and I'm suddenly as nervous as I used to get trying to psych myself up to make rare phone calls to girls in high school. And therein is the benefit of texting, I think: there don't have to be any awkward pauses and silences to manage.

I try to remember where I had left things with Kelly. I distinctly recall our single, excellent kiss, even though it was chaste in comparison with most of those I've shared with Margaret over the last few days. And the image she sent of her pussy will likely be burned in my memory forever, and is still somewhere on my phone, I think? Although I note I deleted the text string, or maybe my pixie took care of that for me? I remind myself I likely need to do some phone maintenance when I get home, I know Margaret moved quite a few images into my hidden gallery, and I assume Kelly's is one of them.

I've steeled my nerves enough to make the first move, "Good morning, Kelly. Sorry to have left you on 'read' for so long. Margaret actually had my phone last night and snuck that first text to you. I probably would not have been so bold. But I'm glad she did, because, WOW. Your sexy little return surprise was amazing!"

"I meant to thank you last night, but your gift distracted us both. I very much enjoyed meeting you, and would like to get to know you better some time soon? Brain and body? Today's just not good, though. Hitting the road now to get back home for some prior commitments with the family. But we can 'chat' next week?"

"No pressure, though, I know my 'situation' is weird and may be a bit too much. Also, I think Margaret is going to try to reach out to you as well, from her own phone this time, lol. Hope you have a great day, and best of luck, I'm sure the 'gentlemen' will be out in full force with all the big games on."

Admittedly, a big wall of text to throw at her out of the gate, but I feel better about clearing the air all at once. I don't expect a response anytime soon, but see the rolling ellipses of her incoming message, so wait to see what she has to say.

"Yeah! You messaged me back...I'm so happy about that!...I was worried I might have pushed things too far with my picture and you ghosted me...I've never actually sent anything like that to someone before...Thanks for explaining, this makes me feel so much better now...It does make sense that it was Margaret and not you...that whole 'mischievous pixie thing?' Seems almost real...She's so much fun. I actually did get a text from her a few minutes ago asking if we could talk tomorrow morning. Very interested to see what that's about...And I'm very interested to get to know YOU much better. Brain and body, lol. No pressure and no rush, I'm not going anywhere. Your situation IS 'weird,' but also... intriguing?...Maybe we can become 'friends with benefits?'...I've never tried that, could be fun?...I am NOT looking forward to my shift, but have to get ready for it now. Drive safe, and I hope to hear from you next week?"

Her messages roll in so quickly that I'm unable to interject in real time, so I just watch them flow in, smiling as I read them. I remind myself that this young woman is Gen Z, a digital native, so I shouldn't be surprised at her speed, but I'm quite happy to see that she's using full sentences and not abbreviations I couldn't possibly understand. Must be an old soul, or fully aware she's interacting with an old man, the thought makes me laugh out loud.

I'm tempted to just give her a thumbs up reply at the end, not wanting to leave her on read for long twice, but think better of it, typing out a short reply instead, "Friends with benefits sounds...excellent. Will talk next week." She replies immediately with a heart emoji. I smile to myself, probably like an idiot. For my first pixie hunting expedition, this week has been extremely successful. I probably shouldn't let that go to my head, though.

My gas pump stopped minutes ago, I laugh again at my good fortune, and replace the nozzle, close my cap, hook my phone back up, and hit the interstate. Traffic, predictably starts to get heavy just before I reach Ocala, and I exit to take state road 40 through the woods on a route that is quickly becoming familiar.

I reach interstate 95 in good time, and my notifications light up with Beth's incoming message, I play it and find she's given me her shopping list of thankfully few items. I'll add them to the things I already know I need for grilling this afternoon.

I stop at the Publix that is most convenient coming from this direction, one of only five within a couple miles of our apartment. I'm not sure what their business strategy or secret is, but every one of them is usually packed, and a big football Saturday at the beginning of snowbird season makes this one no exception.

I gather what I need quickly and self-checkout in fairly good time. Many in my generation seem to hate that convenience, I personally don't understand why. I pack my bags in around my bike in the back cab of the truck. I'd largely forgotten it, I would typically have dropped it back off at Oak Haven, as the riding isn't great in Viera.

It's much warmer here on the coast than it was in Gainesville. The skies are clear and blue, and the temperature is hovering just in the low 70s. We may lack the Fall colors here, but this is still one of my favorite seasons to live in the Sunshine State.

I pull into a space across from the apartment at just a few minutes before one, right on time. I look at the number of bags in the back, and text the family group chat asking for some help getting them to our fourth floor unit.

I'm gathering some up to head to the elevators and see Sophie and Aiden coming across the street to help. I put a few back for them. "Hey dad!" Sophie smiles, "survived another ride, I see? No dog attacks, broken bones, or heart failure?"

"Not this time, the riding was quite fantastic..." I smile back at her and she rolls her eyes and gathers a few of the bags to help.

"Oh good, you're making your wings?" Aiden asks as he picks up the bags with the uncooked chicken, "they're always amazing."

"Thanks, bud, I'll let you help me make them so you can learn how?" He smiles and nods and starts making his way back to the building. I gather my luggage and close the truck door, remembering to lock it with my bike in the back. I'll try to remember to put it in our storage garage here at the apartment later.

Sophie has waited for me, and we cross the street together, it strikes me how much she looks like a much younger version of Beth, she is a really beautiful young woman. "Everything good here? Did I miss any excitement?"

"Oh yeah," she laughs, "after shopping we all went over to Urban Prime and then Lakeside Social. Mom and Chris got really drunk. Not as drunk as uncle Jay, but mom was almost as gone as she was that one time at Arcade Monsters..." I laugh a little at the memory. Beth wasn't really that out of it that night a long time ago, but she WAS having fun. Somehow it has become a part of our family lore. I'm grateful the kids have no similar memories of me, they likely would not be such happy ones.

"Well, hopefully everyone is feeling okay, what about Reid?" I ask as we meet Aiden by the elevator, waiting for us to go up.

"He had a few, but not nearly as much as Mom," Aiden chimes in, "don't worry, no one did any 'dumb things'..." he assures me that my primary rule for my kids is being followed and I smile.

"Where is he now?" I ask.

"I think he's at work, but will be back sometime during the game," Aiden replies as we ride the elevator up. Reid works shifts in the dining room of a senior living facility in the neighborhood whenever he's home for more than a few days.

"What about you and Cindy? Are you watching it here?"

"Probably, she's over at her parents right now, we're thinking of going back to campus right after the game, though?" UCF is only an hour away, and their classes will start back Monday.

"Okay, she's welcome to spend the night here, too, whatever you want to do," I say as we enter the apartment. Beth is in the open concept kitchen near the door with Nibbles underfoot, working on some side dishes.

"Oh good, just in time," she says as we're placing the grocery bags on the counters, "how was your drive?"

"It was good," I say and lean in, touching her waist and giving her a quick kiss, I feel Sophie's eyeroll even though I can't see her. "Let me just put my stuff away and I'll come back to help"

I head to our bedroom and dump my luggage out. Putting things away and gathering my dirty clothes together. The hamper in the closet is nearly empty, so I add them to it and take it to our small laundry room. I have to navigate through Aiden's mountain of clothes in various states of cleaning, but am happy to see the washer available, even if I jump the line to take it. I start my load and get to work in the kitchen with Beth.

The kids are in and out of the kitchen space or watching TV in the room beyond, so there isn't an opportunity for any private conversation.

"So, you look very happy," Beth says, "I take it you had some nice rides?"

"Mm, yes. Very nice rides, thanks." I'm sure she understands the double meaning and smiles.

"That's good, maybe I should have gone with you, might have kept me from doing foolish things last night..."

"Oh? The kids mentioned you and Chris seemed to be having fun at Lakeside?"

"Mm, too much, my head's still hurting, but it wasn't a wild night, just lots of...talking."

"Oh? That's good. I'm sure you had a lot to catch up on, it's been a long time since you were able to visit with her for this long."

"It was good, except for the too much drinking, not doing any of that tonight...well, maybe just a THC drink or two to get me through the game." she laughs.

"Yeah, I might need something stronger than tonic water for four hours of gametime with those two, I think I have some hop waters left," we both laugh.

Aiden comes in the kitchen and I show him how to prep the wings I make. I get hickory chips from the pantry and soak them, find my homemade dry rub in the spice cabinet, and we set about prepping and seasoning. He helps me size, prep, and season the burger patties. We both help Beth with the remaining sides, a bunch of appetizers and dips and easy dishes for snacking on over the course of the game.

It's two, and the pregame for 3:30 kickoff probably starts in an hour. I ask Sophie to go down to the pool area of the complex to commandeer one of the grill stations and a cabana, if she can. Beth announces she's going to take a long shower. I get a text from Sophie confirming she has the grill staked out, and Jay is already set up in one cabana, but to send help soon. I spam her a sticker in response.

Cindy arrives and she and Aiden change into bathing suits and head to the pool to join Sophie, I ask him to get all of the burners on the grill preheating, trying not to leer at her. I know she's my son's girlfriend, but I'm a man, and my god she's distracting in a bikini. I text Sophie that help is on the way, she responds with an eyeroll emoji.

I move my clothes to the dryer, and then am left in the kitchen by myself with Nibbles and hear my phone ping, and I'm sure it's more spam from Sophie, but smile when I read the text from Margaret, "Hi, baby. I'm just outside of Columbus getting gas and something to eat. Making pretty good time. Your cure for the cramps is wearing off, though, did you make it home okay?"

I respond immediately, "Yes, a little bit ago. Much easier drive than yours. We should meet in Columbus sometime, it's a really cool little city. Sorry about the cramps, would love to help you out with those if I could."

Her reply comes back immediately as well, "Ooh, goody! I caught you. I would say we could try out some sexting tonight, but you should be on good behavior for Beth? I'll be okay, I have my spank bank pretty full, and Phil, so..."

I feel my erection growing at the idea of her reviewing the many images she had me capture during our trysts and pleasuring herself with her new toy. "Well, at least I'll be there vicariously? Drive safe, you're more than halfway there, and you get your hour back when you cross the river."

"I wish the house wasn't going to be empty when I get there, but David will have the kids back by lunch tomorrow. I'm so excited to see them! I'll message again when I get home and settled."

I reply with a heart. Beth is still in the bedroom, showering or getting ready. I sit on the couch and Nibbles jumps up to join me, curling into my lap and accepting my second rate petting since "Mom" is not in the room. The circus will begin soon enough, and I'm sure I'll need to play ringmaster for part of it, so I decide now will be my best chance to do some phone maintenance.

I check the message string from Margaret, and don't see anything I need to save, so I delete it. Her contact picture is the one I took of her with her pixie wings and ears on, and it makes me smile. It's perfect, so I leave it and make sure it is in my normal gallery along with the first picture I took of her, I don't need to hide her "G-rated" images.

The message string from Kelly is still intact, including the two highly erotic but very personal pictures. I confirm they are saved in my hidden photo album, but note that Margaret has saved a LOT of images here when I wasn't paying attention. My slutty pixie was pretty busy building me a spank bank of my own, I see. I chuckle and close it, confirming it needs FaceID to open I'll have to decide what to do with each image later.

I don't know Kelly's last name, and certainly can't use the only picture I have of her as a contact photo, so I enter "Editor" in the company box. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, or manifesting, and it isn't really any of my business, but I think it would be fantastic for Margaret to do something to further her mom's work, and Kelly might be a good catalyst for that.

I look for and find Lisa's number, adding "Pharma Sales" under the company information. I could possibly put "OnlyFans" but haven't had a chance to confirm my suspicions on that. Not going to judge her for it, even if that's the case. And not going to rule her out as a possible future encounter. It's been a long time since I had sex with someone where it was only about sex, so I should maybe give it a try again sometime?

I look for Meagan's number and add "Hospitality" to her contact. I hadn't had a chance to get to know her much at all, but it seems like Margaret must have made a big impression for her to seem so interested out of the gate. She seemed quite shy at first, but was almost aggressive about wanting to stay in touch this morning. Could be very interesting. But so young. I suppose only a few years younger than Kelly, but she's also so young. I wonder if they may know one another? They work basically across the street in similar roles...I'll have to ask.

I'm about to consider my project done, but then remember Kathy. How could I forget? She sent me a confirmation text right after I gave her my number. She and Lisa are certainly the most age appropriate of the lot for me. She doesn't have the conventional beauty of the others, but there is still something undeniably sexy about her, and we likely have the most interests in common.

I pull up the her text and add her to my contacts, choosing "Bike Group" as my memory tickler. I think we left it that she was going to get with me about camping at Oak Haven. That could be a lot of fun even if it is strictly platonic. It would be nice to test the waters with "hosting" riders there, and I'm sure her group would be excellent subjects for it, they are exactly the demographic I'd be looking to attract. I delete the text and close my phone.

My mind starts to categorize these women I've just met. I don't know if that's just me, or a condition of the society and culture we live in, but it seems to come naturally. I'm not proud of it, because it feels like I'm objectifying them. But in an age where we can conveniently swipe left or right to make potentially life altering decisions based on mostly visual cues, and where we rate every experience on a five point scale where anything less than five is "problematic," I'm not sure I'm an outlier.

Margaret and I have defined our relationship well, I think: paramours. One love experienced on the side of another. I love Beth, I love Margaret. I think I felt that possible level of connection from the moment we met. The others, of course, I have no actual relationship with, yet. Kelly is young. Way too young to realistically contemplate a deep attachment, she has too much life ahead of her. But friends with benefits? That is an intriguing thought, and a relationship dynamic we agreed we might like to pursue. It feels like one that could be right. I smile at that.

Lisa would likely fall in the one-night stand or booty-call category. I should probably feel bad for focusing on just the physical and sexual attraction, but believe she'd be okay with that. Meagan is WAY too young. Too close to my children's ages. She's an interesting fantasy, and slots in that category along with my hot young yoga instructors, but I'm not sure I could take things beyond that. Of course, a certain pixie might be able to convince me otherwise. I smile at the thought. And then there's Kathy, attractive and arguably the "most appropriate" match, but she fits most comfortably in the friend category.

And then, of course, there's Beth, who supersedes all of these categories. Our lives so entwined that the thought of unwinding them is almost paralyzing. As imperfect as it is, our relationship has a foundation rooted deeply through our shared experiences. If only there weren't the missing pieces that I feel, none of these other categories would be relevant.

If only, I sigh, as Beth exits the bedroom, freshly cleaned up and ready for the afternoon ahead. "You look great" I say, "feeling any better?"

"Thanks, and a little better," she says, I think I detect some color in her cheeks. Sophie isn't here, but I sense her eyes rolling by the pool. "It looks like Nibbles missed you..." Beth comments as Nibbles is still attached to my lap, although she is looking up at her now expectantly and wagging her tail with a vengeance.

"Only a poor second while she waits for Mom," I laugh, and Nibbles confirms it by rising and crossing the couch to get within petting length of the only one she truly loves. Beth scratches her behind the ears.

"I guess I'll take her for a quick walk now, then we can start getting things set up by the pool?"

"Yeah, I'll go with you, I need to get the wagon out of the garage for everything."

We exit the apartment with Beth holding the leash and me holding an empty poop bag, and make our way to the elevator. Nibbles is only good for one trip down the stairs on most days, and has probably already taken it this morning. I start to reach for Beth's free hand but pull back, remembering this isn't Margaret, and holding hands isn't something we've ever done.

I try not to dwell on the comparison but fail, as I always do when it comes to this. Beth likes to think that my craving for physical touch with her is strictly sexual, but it isn't. I've almost begged for the simple intimacy of walking while holding hands, or arm-in-arm, but no one should have to beg for that. I've suggested I probably wouldn't "need" as much sex if she could just give me some of that contact, but she doesn't. I swallow the urge to say anything and we take Nibbles for a short and silent walk.