Colours of the Sun
A/N 1: I have risen from the dead to write a one-shot Strummer piece of fluff for you guys. It literally is inconsequential, really so don't blame me.
A/N 2: I had to write it coz I woke up one morning from a dream about them in some very blue-golden place and decided to write this!
A/N 3: Un-betaed, so all mistakes are mine. Leave me some reviews, pretty please?!
Colours of the Sun
“Yours is the light by which my spirit's born: - you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.”
― E.E. Cummings
October 31, 2015
11:25 a.m.
Cabin Amaranthus
Attean Lake, Birch Island
Somerset, Maine
“Look Don, I can see the pinecone trees from here” Meryl trilled from the balcony of their weekend retreat.
He smiled and mused at the fact that his 66 year wife still found the simplest joys of life to be so amusing. He paid off the porter and made his way to join his overly excited wife who had finally found ‘bliss’ after fulfilling her dream of coming to Maine and staying in one of those ‘cool cottages without electricity’.
They’d wanted to do this trip in since forever but they’d found themselves eternally busy, up until this weekend when Meryl had put her foot down and decided to come to Maine, as they did quite often, to relive the memories of when they’d fallen in love and make new ones. They hadn’t been able to celebrate their anniversary alone and they’d desperately wanted to do it, so Halloween seemed to be the perfect time considering the memories they had made on that day a million years back.
“Come see Don! There are loons in the lake. Ohhh..this is bliss.” Don came from within the cabin and wrapped his arms around her waist and pecked her on the cheek.
“You’ve already said that! No, but really girl, I have a feeling this weekend will be heavenly.” He raised an eyebrow and slowly moved his hand from her waist to her ass and looked sideways towards Meryl who stared at him wide-eyed. “You’re literally incorrigible. Is that what is always going on in your mind?”
He wrapped her up completely in his arms and kissed her forehead. “Not always. Mostly I’m thinking about how a regular guy like me ended up with Miss Aphrodite.” He kisses her eyelids and she blushes and looks at him tenderly “Don’t kid! We both know which one of us got lucky.” She stands on her tiptoes and kisses his jaw.
“Yup! We both got lucky.” Don said mussing her hair and losing himself in its unique fragrance. She buries her head in his chest.
“Can we stay inside all day and make love darl?” Don said pulling her in for a deep kiss.
“Uhngh---uhh-nooo---sto-p” Meryl managed to say, detangling herself from her husband’s embrace “No chance sweetheart, we’re gonna spend the day on in this beautiful island instead of this room. That was the idea, remember?”
Don fake pouted and said “Yes Ma’am. Shall we make a move then?”
********
1:30 p.m.
Birch Island
“It’s amazing how quiet it is here, isn’t it and the best part is it’s still free of those scavengers hunting for pictures. Thank God for that.” Meryl said chewing on her sandwich. They had come out to the beach right after checking in and had brought food from their cabin pantry to eat on the beach.
“Yeah, well I hope it stays this way until we’re alive” they both laughed and resumed looking into the lake and pointing out beautiful creatures and things on the beach.
“It crazy how beautiful it is, isn’t it---how the green and blue seem to be dancing off the water and gleaming under the sun-and the ripples, doesn’t it feel like the water is laughing with joy.” Meryl looks at Don to reaffirm her thoughts but finds him gazing at her instead.
“Don, are you even listening?” Meryl says tugging him by his shirt and looking into his eyes.
“Absolutely. It indeed is crazy beautiful how the green-blue of your eyes keep gleaming under the sun and manage to enchant me every single time and these,” he stops to trace his hands over the wrinkles near her eyes “representing all your joys and laughter. See, listening to you?”
Meryl blushes and looks at Don for a moment with an unreadable look on her face and closes the distance between them with a kiss on his lips and mutters a “crazy man!”.
*******
They spend most the day on the island showing each other beautiful things-the wildlife, corals, and starfish and discussing everything under the sun while feeding each other and staying enveloped in each other’s arms.
“It’s getting late. “ Meryl says casually starting to pack up all the things on their picnic mat.
“Oh really? Do you have better things we could do elsewhere or are you scared I might try something right here?” Don smirks.
Meryl makes a face and says “Hah! Afraid? Of you. 37 years mister, no chance” she laughs and goes back to gathering things as Don inches closer towards her and pins her down in place.
Meryl giggles and squirms under him and suddenly gasps in pain “Ow, I think a glass piece went into my left foot.”
At once Don got worried and stopped his shenanigans to take a look at his wife’s injured foot but instead found himself being conned by his wife who was already up on her feet and running away from him “You forgot I’m an actress. Catch me if you can.” Meryl said in glee.
Don only nodded his head knowingly pondering over how childlike and innocent his wife still was and how much he loved her for it. “No way darl, there is no away you’re getting away with this,” with that he got up swiftly and started chasing his wife who by now was rolling with laughter and shrieking whenever she was on the verge of losing her footing and being caught by Don.
Soon Don caught up with her and wrapped her up in his arms and picked her up while she shrieked and giggled like a little girl.
“So you were trying to challenge me.” Don says while edging towards the water.
“No Don, no, please put me down…I’m sorry…aaaahhhhh..no” she screams as he threatens to throw her into the water. He wades into the water while she giggles and screams simultaneously and finally puts her down so that the lower half of her body is fully in water and he starts splashing water onto her upper half.
“I’m gonna kill you Gummer!” Meryl yells at her husband who is busy in his endeavor to drench her. Soon she joins in and both of them are drenched in cold water and as they run around the shore trying to dodge violent splashes and screaming their guts out like teenagers.
“Okay, okay, stop! We should get back Don. Really!” Meryl says breathlessly pausing to take a break while Don goes on splashing water heedlessly. “DON! I’m sure you don’t want to deal with a sick wife this weekend! We must get back if you don’t want me to catch a cold.” She tries to say seriously.
“Okay, okay Miss Aphrodite let’s head back.” Don says and comes up to hold her waist and pick up the things they’d brought along.
Magically from somewhere she manages to drench him with one last splash of water and runs away along the shore.
Don can do nothing but laugh as he shouts out “You’re ten!” Meryl looks back and says “You’re seven!” and sticks out her tongue and turns back to continue running.
Suddenly she laughs and the sound of it reverberates in the atmosphere and for a moment Don really thinks she might be some exquisite goddess from the heavens above and he thanks whoever there is for bestowing her in his care and making him a part of her world.
*******
5:30 p.m.
Cabin Amaranthus
“I swear to God Don if I catch a cold I’ll kill you!”
“It’ll only make you sad if you kill me.” Don says cheekily while lighting candles in their electricity less cabin and earning a smack on the chest from his wife “Not funny!”
“Okay, not! We’ll take a nice warm bath with some bath oils and you’ll be all set. Let me just draw us a bath and I’ll call you.”
“Nope!”
“What ‘nope’, what d’you mean ‘nope’?!” Don is already half anticipating that his wife won’t join him in the shower and crushes all his dreams of lying in the bathtub with his wife for a million years because she seems to have other plans.
“I can’t be in the water for too long. I’ll take a quick bath and then you take one. I’ll get the table set up and dinner ready till then.”
“Oh come on Meryl, all that can wait! We’re on a holiday, remember? I don’t care if I have to eat out of a bowl.”
“Well, sadly, I do. Please Don, humour me?! You won’t regret it.” She winks and makes her way towards the bathroom leaving behind a confused Don who really doesn’t know anything that would not make him not regret having a shower along with his wife.
*******
Meryl had decided on this even before making their plans to come to Maine for the weekend. She’d wanted to make Don an apple pie in since forever but somehow it had always turned out to be some other dessert for dinner, courtesy their kids. Hence she’d decided to whip up a pie for him as a surprise this weekend.
So as he took a bath enjoying his glass of beer, she was busy making him a dessert he’d fallen in love with more than 35 years ago.
*******
7:00 p.m.
By the time Don had taken a shower and changed he had worked up quite an appetite and couldn’t wait to have a good sit down dinner with his wife who seemed MIA given the absolute silence in their cabin considering there wasn’t a moment his wife was not humming when they were home.
He noticed that some of the candles he’d earlier lit had either burnt out or had been blown out deliberately. He could see from the bedroom that the only place that seemed illuminated was the place around the dining room and he was pretty sure it was his wife’s doing.
He hadn’t imagined this place-a small cabin without electricity on an island in the middle of nowhere could be so beautiful and just spending half a day on this island with his wife could be as fulfilling as it had been. He’d definitely have to thank his wife later, after dinner he thought, as he made his way towards the dining room.
As he approached the kitchen all he could see was the back of a figure draped in red satin bending over the oven trying to get something out.
“Ow!” she exclaims and withdraws her hand from the hot utensil and uses a cloth as she tries to take it out again a second time. He almost feels voyeurish standing by the door looking at his wife’s antics. She takes out the plate from the oven and brings it near her face to smell it, Don can’t quite see clearly what it is as she’s turned away from him.
After a second she seems satisfied with the result as she puts the plate down and sways to an unheard rhythm. She wipes her hand swiftly with some cloth, picks up the plate and makes her way towards the dining room on her left oblivious to her voyeur.
He follows her and as she is about to set the plate down on the table he clears his throat, clearly surprising her. She almost loses her footing and drops the plate but stabilizes herself and slowly turns. And that’s when Don loses whatever iota of coherence he has in him.
His wife stands before him in a red robe, half open, almost strategically--and peeking from within it is a very seductive lacy piece of blood red lingerie-dangerously flimsy and sheer, just about enough to cover whatever is required. He tries hard but can’t tear his eyes away from the sight even when he registers a familiar chuckle in the background.
In all these years that he’s known his wife, he’s never seen anything more intensely erotic-just her-a vision of red with a pie plate in hand, hair all mussed and gathered to one side of her shoulder, bathed in the soft candlelight emanating from the centre of the dining table. He loses himself in the vivid reality of the whole situation-the mixture of red and gold playing hide and seek with his mind.
He faintly registers her saying something about an apple pie and dessert but he can’t think of anything other than pinning down Meryl then and there and never letting her go-worshipping each inch of her body and drinking her up as if she were some sacred wine that if you once drank would intoxicate you forever.
“Don? Dinner?” she says innocently and bites her lips. Damn her.
She leads him to the table and sits him down and takes a place next to him. He still moves in a haze and brings a hand to her right jaw and caresses it.
“Why do you do this?”
“What? The pie? I’ve wanted to make it for you in forever; I didn’t get a chance before tonight. Sorry it took so long.” She smiles again and rubs her face against his palm.
“No, not that. Why are you so beautiful?” he asks with pure incomprehensible amusement. And then she laughs, the sound of it fills the room and the candles burn a little more brightly while it makes his veins surge with a rush of adrenaline.
“You’re crazy!” she says and looks him in the eye. He wonders if she knows how breathtakingly beautiful she is and the kind of power she has over him. Her eyes look wondrous and happy; they shine as she glows a little more from within and blushes turning her face away. “Eat now!”
All through dinner Don can’t do much but stare at her as she talks about the randomest of things like she usually does. He feeds her periodically and she’s content just being there talking animatedly about the world and everything that matters. He hardly eats but instead fills himself up with his wife’s expressions and beauty.
When they finish eating Meryl takes the pie plate and Don thinks she’s gonna serve it, instead she stands up and says “This, near the fireplace. Fetch the wine.” She winks and leaves with a sway of her hips leaving behind Don to gather his wits and join her.
*******
8:30 p.m.
When Don joins his wife near the fireplace he’s in for another bout of incoherence and incomprehension. She’s ditched the robe now and the only article of clothing covering her is the red negligee which seems to have been couture made for her as it kisses all her curves and sits snugly in place. These are those rare days when Don knows she’s upto no good. Don knows she has a thing with lingerie-she wears the weirdest prints and makes them look sexy and then there are those nights when she goes all classic. Like tonight. And it’s worse then, coz she looks like the masterpiece of some master painter---exquisite, priceless and not to be showcased to the world-but to be taken care of and preserved because it’s a little too valuable for anything else.
He again wants to again her there and then but he knows she has other plans, so he doesn’t even try. Instead he pours white wine for both of them and sits close to her. She graciously moves her lithe body and takes a place in the crook of his arms. She cuts a piece of the apple pie wordlessly and feeds him the piece and momentarily he’s transported to another era.
He thinks of the time when they were only just falling in love and how different everything was. He closes his eyes and pictures Meryl-young, innocent, vulnerable with that mane of shining golden hair blowing in the wind and her just smiling at him widely - a sense of immense relief washes over him and he thanks God that that woman he pictures is right beside him after so many years-still as pretty and dreamy eyed, innocent, vulnerable and yet confident, powerful and happy. He feels complete---she makes him feel complete, he realizes once again.
“It’s-it’s-just like that from 35 years ago. How did you manage?”
She laughs “Haha, I’m sure you’ve forgotten how it tasted. You are easily impressed Mister. Always are.” She smiles again and kisses his cheek. She pauses and then adds “Thank you.”
Don looks confused and looks at her quizzically. She pecks him on the mouth this time “For everything.” She pecks him again and then bites her lips and buries her face in his arms inhaling his scent. And in that moment Don forgets everything about wanting his wife just sexually but wants to hold her securely instead. He wraps her up firmly in his arms and kisses her hair and rubs his nose against it as her petite frame snuggles into his lap. He feels this extremely fierce wave of protectiveness wash over him and he wants to guard this vulnerable creature from any harm that might befall her in this world and wants to keep her wrapped up in his embrace forever.
“I love you, Meryl.” He whispers against her ears and musses her hair as she looks up to stare directly into his eyes. He once again loses himself in the green blue sea which is sparkling with mirth. She studies his face intently as if to gauge the sincerity of the words and once she finds it she smiles even more and Don’s brain just shuts down because of her beauty as she whispers “I love you.” A pause “I love you” and then she murmurs it against his chest and kisses it again and again.
She seems almost in a trance, drunk on love as she works her way along his body kissing everywhere she can. Don knows tonight is not about him reveling in her beauty, as much as he wants to. He wants to kiss every inch of her being, caress every freckle, drink up all her pain and give her all the happiness in the world.
He knows it’s about her needing something extremely central to her existence, the validation of his love for her; so he lets her go wild as she tries to memorize every inch of his body and whispers to some unknown being in an almost frenzied state. He only guides her and helps her and kisses her when she allows it. Once her thirst quenches she slows down and silently gives him the signal to proceed. She lays spread eagle on the floor as she surrenders herself to him and guides him along her body.
Don’s never been so attracted to his wife he thinks although he knows he thinks that way every other night. However, tonight something alien seems to have possessed them. He feels almost as if he’s in a dream as his want for her increases even more and more. The more he holds and kisses her, the more he craves it-it’s almost maddening and it feels almost self destructive. She lays there squirming and emitting noises which spurs him on even more. Both are as incoherent as they can be---her ‘uhhs’ and ‘aaahs’ reverberate in the golden warmth of the fire and fills his blood with ferocious warmth. He almost wants to own her tonight-to never let her go out in the world but to stay with him-only for him, forever---and he desires her even more while she pulls him down onto her almost as if to fuse their bones and their bodies if it were possible.
Their bodies are on fire as she guides him towards her hot entrance while he caresses her smooth ivory thighs and kisses her breasts-the negligee is long gone and so are his clothes-there isn’t a stitch of clothing on either of them and she quivers under him in ecstasy as he thrusts rhythmically to a soundless tune. He wonders how her skin is so impossibly soft, how her breasts with their coral nipples are so perfectly shaped and taut while she wonders how he’s so impossibly strong and sinewy even at this age, how she feels so safe being here with him. She wonders about all the love she’s ever felt for him and it overwhelms her as she comes with a feral growl and not long after he comes too-filling her up only in a way he’s allowed to-with a welcome warmth. He kisses her again and wraps her up in his arms and she snuggles tiredly into him.
He traces a finger across her face and brushes away a few strands of wispy blonde hair. He chuckles as he thinks of the date and how they’d conceived Mamie on similar night years ago.
Don hears a faint “thank you” before drifting into that sleep wake state of unconsciousness with a smile on his face.
*******
November 1, 2015
7:06 a.m.
Cabin Bedroom
It’s been raining since last night and as he looks out of the French windows he can see a faint sunshine peeking out from behind the clouds and hear the incessant pattering of raindrops against the backdrop of cool southern winds. He glances down at the hand on his chest-pale petite fingers tightly wrapped around his body and he has a terrible urge to kiss the tip of every digit but he resists, because he’ll just wake her up and he likes doing something else better-looking at her while she sleeps.
He turns ever so slowly to face his wife and looks at her earnestly, his eyes roaming over each part of her as it comes to view---her pale porcelain skin and hands, her petite body all curled up under the duvet and finally her face where his gaze comes to rest. He wonders how it is that everything seems all so new and fresh every single morning-each wrinkle, every freckle, every contour of the eternally changing face-he’s got her face memorized and yet every morning it all seems so new and interesting that he wants to memorize each and every detail all over again.
He gently touches the corner of her mouth and revels in the soft pink skin and feels her soft even breath on his fingers. He loses himself in the motion of her closed eyes as they flutter in dreams unknown. And so Don wonders every single morning how is it that Meryl never ceases to amaze and mesmerize him with all her beauty, innocence and quirkiness after 37 years of marriage. He wonders why all of it, all of the full 37 years feel so short and how he wants to live every day for the rest of their lives in her presence-waking up like this, her sleeping soundly, next to him, without a worry in the world.
He takes a loose strand of her hair and revels in its silkiness before tucking it behind her ear when his hand touches a rough bruise below her ear. A hickey of course. His thoughts immediately drift to the night before and a familiar warmth fills his heart. He whispers a “Thank you”- like the ones his wife said a million times the night before, against her ear.
It wakes her up and she looks sleepily up at him and smiles. She’s still bleary eyed and disoriented and Don chuckles at how cute she looks.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning girl. Slept well?”
She rubs her eyes and nods in the affirmative “I wanna stay here forever.” she exclaims as she stretches and sits up tugging the sheets up to her breasts.
“Uh-hun. We should get one of these cabins-without electricity and all-and some more nights like last night.” We winks and pecks her lightly. She blushes and wraps the sheets around her body and gets out of the bed to go stand near one of the French windows.
She looks out wide eyed and exclaims “It really is beautiful!” Don looks at his wife instead-standing hear the window under the morning sun shining brilliantly on her. She looks iridescent almost--with that mane of golden hair all mussed, still half sleepy and wrapped up in sheets. He says “Yes. Yes indeed.” He can’t think of a better way of waking up on a Sunday morning than this.
“Let’s stay here a while longer” he says and Meryl’s head turns towards him immediately and her face breaks into the biggest smile as she runs across the room towards her husband the sheets half forgotten.
A/N 2: I had to write it coz I woke up one morning from a dream about them in some very blue-golden place and decided to write this!
A/N 3: Un-betaed, so all mistakes are mine. Leave me some reviews, pretty please?!
Colours of the Sun
“Yours is the light by which my spirit's born: - you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.”
― E.E. Cummings
October 31, 2015
11:25 a.m.
Cabin Amaranthus
Attean Lake, Birch Island
Somerset, Maine
“Look Don, I can see the pinecone trees from here” Meryl trilled from the balcony of their weekend retreat.
He smiled and mused at the fact that his 66 year wife still found the simplest joys of life to be so amusing. He paid off the porter and made his way to join his overly excited wife who had finally found ‘bliss’ after fulfilling her dream of coming to Maine and staying in one of those ‘cool cottages without electricity’.
They’d wanted to do this trip in since forever but they’d found themselves eternally busy, up until this weekend when Meryl had put her foot down and decided to come to Maine, as they did quite often, to relive the memories of when they’d fallen in love and make new ones. They hadn’t been able to celebrate their anniversary alone and they’d desperately wanted to do it, so Halloween seemed to be the perfect time considering the memories they had made on that day a million years back.
“Come see Don! There are loons in the lake. Ohhh..this is bliss.” Don came from within the cabin and wrapped his arms around her waist and pecked her on the cheek.
“You’ve already said that! No, but really girl, I have a feeling this weekend will be heavenly.” He raised an eyebrow and slowly moved his hand from her waist to her ass and looked sideways towards Meryl who stared at him wide-eyed. “You’re literally incorrigible. Is that what is always going on in your mind?”
He wrapped her up completely in his arms and kissed her forehead. “Not always. Mostly I’m thinking about how a regular guy like me ended up with Miss Aphrodite.” He kisses her eyelids and she blushes and looks at him tenderly “Don’t kid! We both know which one of us got lucky.” She stands on her tiptoes and kisses his jaw.
“Yup! We both got lucky.” Don said mussing her hair and losing himself in its unique fragrance. She buries her head in his chest.
“Can we stay inside all day and make love darl?” Don said pulling her in for a deep kiss.
“Uhngh---uhh-nooo---sto-p” Meryl managed to say, detangling herself from her husband’s embrace “No chance sweetheart, we’re gonna spend the day on in this beautiful island instead of this room. That was the idea, remember?”
Don fake pouted and said “Yes Ma’am. Shall we make a move then?”
********
1:30 p.m.
Birch Island
“It’s amazing how quiet it is here, isn’t it and the best part is it’s still free of those scavengers hunting for pictures. Thank God for that.” Meryl said chewing on her sandwich. They had come out to the beach right after checking in and had brought food from their cabin pantry to eat on the beach.
“Yeah, well I hope it stays this way until we’re alive” they both laughed and resumed looking into the lake and pointing out beautiful creatures and things on the beach.
“It crazy how beautiful it is, isn’t it---how the green and blue seem to be dancing off the water and gleaming under the sun-and the ripples, doesn’t it feel like the water is laughing with joy.” Meryl looks at Don to reaffirm her thoughts but finds him gazing at her instead.
“Don, are you even listening?” Meryl says tugging him by his shirt and looking into his eyes.
“Absolutely. It indeed is crazy beautiful how the green-blue of your eyes keep gleaming under the sun and manage to enchant me every single time and these,” he stops to trace his hands over the wrinkles near her eyes “representing all your joys and laughter. See, listening to you?”
Meryl blushes and looks at Don for a moment with an unreadable look on her face and closes the distance between them with a kiss on his lips and mutters a “crazy man!”.
*******
They spend most the day on the island showing each other beautiful things-the wildlife, corals, and starfish and discussing everything under the sun while feeding each other and staying enveloped in each other’s arms.
“It’s getting late. “ Meryl says casually starting to pack up all the things on their picnic mat.
“Oh really? Do you have better things we could do elsewhere or are you scared I might try something right here?” Don smirks.
Meryl makes a face and says “Hah! Afraid? Of you. 37 years mister, no chance” she laughs and goes back to gathering things as Don inches closer towards her and pins her down in place.
Meryl giggles and squirms under him and suddenly gasps in pain “Ow, I think a glass piece went into my left foot.”
At once Don got worried and stopped his shenanigans to take a look at his wife’s injured foot but instead found himself being conned by his wife who was already up on her feet and running away from him “You forgot I’m an actress. Catch me if you can.” Meryl said in glee.
Don only nodded his head knowingly pondering over how childlike and innocent his wife still was and how much he loved her for it. “No way darl, there is no away you’re getting away with this,” with that he got up swiftly and started chasing his wife who by now was rolling with laughter and shrieking whenever she was on the verge of losing her footing and being caught by Don.
Soon Don caught up with her and wrapped her up in his arms and picked her up while she shrieked and giggled like a little girl.
“So you were trying to challenge me.” Don says while edging towards the water.
“No Don, no, please put me down…I’m sorry…aaaahhhhh..no” she screams as he threatens to throw her into the water. He wades into the water while she giggles and screams simultaneously and finally puts her down so that the lower half of her body is fully in water and he starts splashing water onto her upper half.
“I’m gonna kill you Gummer!” Meryl yells at her husband who is busy in his endeavor to drench her. Soon she joins in and both of them are drenched in cold water and as they run around the shore trying to dodge violent splashes and screaming their guts out like teenagers.
“Okay, okay, stop! We should get back Don. Really!” Meryl says breathlessly pausing to take a break while Don goes on splashing water heedlessly. “DON! I’m sure you don’t want to deal with a sick wife this weekend! We must get back if you don’t want me to catch a cold.” She tries to say seriously.
“Okay, okay Miss Aphrodite let’s head back.” Don says and comes up to hold her waist and pick up the things they’d brought along.
Magically from somewhere she manages to drench him with one last splash of water and runs away along the shore.
Don can do nothing but laugh as he shouts out “You’re ten!” Meryl looks back and says “You’re seven!” and sticks out her tongue and turns back to continue running.
Suddenly she laughs and the sound of it reverberates in the atmosphere and for a moment Don really thinks she might be some exquisite goddess from the heavens above and he thanks whoever there is for bestowing her in his care and making him a part of her world.
*******
5:30 p.m.
Cabin Amaranthus
“I swear to God Don if I catch a cold I’ll kill you!”
“It’ll only make you sad if you kill me.” Don says cheekily while lighting candles in their electricity less cabin and earning a smack on the chest from his wife “Not funny!”
“Okay, not! We’ll take a nice warm bath with some bath oils and you’ll be all set. Let me just draw us a bath and I’ll call you.”
“Nope!”
“What ‘nope’, what d’you mean ‘nope’?!” Don is already half anticipating that his wife won’t join him in the shower and crushes all his dreams of lying in the bathtub with his wife for a million years because she seems to have other plans.
“I can’t be in the water for too long. I’ll take a quick bath and then you take one. I’ll get the table set up and dinner ready till then.”
“Oh come on Meryl, all that can wait! We’re on a holiday, remember? I don’t care if I have to eat out of a bowl.”
“Well, sadly, I do. Please Don, humour me?! You won’t regret it.” She winks and makes her way towards the bathroom leaving behind a confused Don who really doesn’t know anything that would not make him not regret having a shower along with his wife.
*******
Meryl had decided on this even before making their plans to come to Maine for the weekend. She’d wanted to make Don an apple pie in since forever but somehow it had always turned out to be some other dessert for dinner, courtesy their kids. Hence she’d decided to whip up a pie for him as a surprise this weekend.
So as he took a bath enjoying his glass of beer, she was busy making him a dessert he’d fallen in love with more than 35 years ago.
*******
7:00 p.m.
By the time Don had taken a shower and changed he had worked up quite an appetite and couldn’t wait to have a good sit down dinner with his wife who seemed MIA given the absolute silence in their cabin considering there wasn’t a moment his wife was not humming when they were home.
He noticed that some of the candles he’d earlier lit had either burnt out or had been blown out deliberately. He could see from the bedroom that the only place that seemed illuminated was the place around the dining room and he was pretty sure it was his wife’s doing.
He hadn’t imagined this place-a small cabin without electricity on an island in the middle of nowhere could be so beautiful and just spending half a day on this island with his wife could be as fulfilling as it had been. He’d definitely have to thank his wife later, after dinner he thought, as he made his way towards the dining room.
As he approached the kitchen all he could see was the back of a figure draped in red satin bending over the oven trying to get something out.
“Ow!” she exclaims and withdraws her hand from the hot utensil and uses a cloth as she tries to take it out again a second time. He almost feels voyeurish standing by the door looking at his wife’s antics. She takes out the plate from the oven and brings it near her face to smell it, Don can’t quite see clearly what it is as she’s turned away from him.
After a second she seems satisfied with the result as she puts the plate down and sways to an unheard rhythm. She wipes her hand swiftly with some cloth, picks up the plate and makes her way towards the dining room on her left oblivious to her voyeur.
He follows her and as she is about to set the plate down on the table he clears his throat, clearly surprising her. She almost loses her footing and drops the plate but stabilizes herself and slowly turns. And that’s when Don loses whatever iota of coherence he has in him.
His wife stands before him in a red robe, half open, almost strategically--and peeking from within it is a very seductive lacy piece of blood red lingerie-dangerously flimsy and sheer, just about enough to cover whatever is required. He tries hard but can’t tear his eyes away from the sight even when he registers a familiar chuckle in the background.
In all these years that he’s known his wife, he’s never seen anything more intensely erotic-just her-a vision of red with a pie plate in hand, hair all mussed and gathered to one side of her shoulder, bathed in the soft candlelight emanating from the centre of the dining table. He loses himself in the vivid reality of the whole situation-the mixture of red and gold playing hide and seek with his mind.
He faintly registers her saying something about an apple pie and dessert but he can’t think of anything other than pinning down Meryl then and there and never letting her go-worshipping each inch of her body and drinking her up as if she were some sacred wine that if you once drank would intoxicate you forever.
“Don? Dinner?” she says innocently and bites her lips. Damn her.
She leads him to the table and sits him down and takes a place next to him. He still moves in a haze and brings a hand to her right jaw and caresses it.
“Why do you do this?”
“What? The pie? I’ve wanted to make it for you in forever; I didn’t get a chance before tonight. Sorry it took so long.” She smiles again and rubs her face against his palm.
“No, not that. Why are you so beautiful?” he asks with pure incomprehensible amusement. And then she laughs, the sound of it fills the room and the candles burn a little more brightly while it makes his veins surge with a rush of adrenaline.
“You’re crazy!” she says and looks him in the eye. He wonders if she knows how breathtakingly beautiful she is and the kind of power she has over him. Her eyes look wondrous and happy; they shine as she glows a little more from within and blushes turning her face away. “Eat now!”
All through dinner Don can’t do much but stare at her as she talks about the randomest of things like she usually does. He feeds her periodically and she’s content just being there talking animatedly about the world and everything that matters. He hardly eats but instead fills himself up with his wife’s expressions and beauty.
When they finish eating Meryl takes the pie plate and Don thinks she’s gonna serve it, instead she stands up and says “This, near the fireplace. Fetch the wine.” She winks and leaves with a sway of her hips leaving behind Don to gather his wits and join her.
*******
8:30 p.m.
When Don joins his wife near the fireplace he’s in for another bout of incoherence and incomprehension. She’s ditched the robe now and the only article of clothing covering her is the red negligee which seems to have been couture made for her as it kisses all her curves and sits snugly in place. These are those rare days when Don knows she’s upto no good. Don knows she has a thing with lingerie-she wears the weirdest prints and makes them look sexy and then there are those nights when she goes all classic. Like tonight. And it’s worse then, coz she looks like the masterpiece of some master painter---exquisite, priceless and not to be showcased to the world-but to be taken care of and preserved because it’s a little too valuable for anything else.
He again wants to again her there and then but he knows she has other plans, so he doesn’t even try. Instead he pours white wine for both of them and sits close to her. She graciously moves her lithe body and takes a place in the crook of his arms. She cuts a piece of the apple pie wordlessly and feeds him the piece and momentarily he’s transported to another era.
He thinks of the time when they were only just falling in love and how different everything was. He closes his eyes and pictures Meryl-young, innocent, vulnerable with that mane of shining golden hair blowing in the wind and her just smiling at him widely - a sense of immense relief washes over him and he thanks God that that woman he pictures is right beside him after so many years-still as pretty and dreamy eyed, innocent, vulnerable and yet confident, powerful and happy. He feels complete---she makes him feel complete, he realizes once again.
“It’s-it’s-just like that from 35 years ago. How did you manage?”
She laughs “Haha, I’m sure you’ve forgotten how it tasted. You are easily impressed Mister. Always are.” She smiles again and kisses his cheek. She pauses and then adds “Thank you.”
Don looks confused and looks at her quizzically. She pecks him on the mouth this time “For everything.” She pecks him again and then bites her lips and buries her face in his arms inhaling his scent. And in that moment Don forgets everything about wanting his wife just sexually but wants to hold her securely instead. He wraps her up firmly in his arms and kisses her hair and rubs his nose against it as her petite frame snuggles into his lap. He feels this extremely fierce wave of protectiveness wash over him and he wants to guard this vulnerable creature from any harm that might befall her in this world and wants to keep her wrapped up in his embrace forever.
“I love you, Meryl.” He whispers against her ears and musses her hair as she looks up to stare directly into his eyes. He once again loses himself in the green blue sea which is sparkling with mirth. She studies his face intently as if to gauge the sincerity of the words and once she finds it she smiles even more and Don’s brain just shuts down because of her beauty as she whispers “I love you.” A pause “I love you” and then she murmurs it against his chest and kisses it again and again.
She seems almost in a trance, drunk on love as she works her way along his body kissing everywhere she can. Don knows tonight is not about him reveling in her beauty, as much as he wants to. He wants to kiss every inch of her being, caress every freckle, drink up all her pain and give her all the happiness in the world.
He knows it’s about her needing something extremely central to her existence, the validation of his love for her; so he lets her go wild as she tries to memorize every inch of his body and whispers to some unknown being in an almost frenzied state. He only guides her and helps her and kisses her when she allows it. Once her thirst quenches she slows down and silently gives him the signal to proceed. She lays spread eagle on the floor as she surrenders herself to him and guides him along her body.
Don’s never been so attracted to his wife he thinks although he knows he thinks that way every other night. However, tonight something alien seems to have possessed them. He feels almost as if he’s in a dream as his want for her increases even more and more. The more he holds and kisses her, the more he craves it-it’s almost maddening and it feels almost self destructive. She lays there squirming and emitting noises which spurs him on even more. Both are as incoherent as they can be---her ‘uhhs’ and ‘aaahs’ reverberate in the golden warmth of the fire and fills his blood with ferocious warmth. He almost wants to own her tonight-to never let her go out in the world but to stay with him-only for him, forever---and he desires her even more while she pulls him down onto her almost as if to fuse their bones and their bodies if it were possible.
Their bodies are on fire as she guides him towards her hot entrance while he caresses her smooth ivory thighs and kisses her breasts-the negligee is long gone and so are his clothes-there isn’t a stitch of clothing on either of them and she quivers under him in ecstasy as he thrusts rhythmically to a soundless tune. He wonders how her skin is so impossibly soft, how her breasts with their coral nipples are so perfectly shaped and taut while she wonders how he’s so impossibly strong and sinewy even at this age, how she feels so safe being here with him. She wonders about all the love she’s ever felt for him and it overwhelms her as she comes with a feral growl and not long after he comes too-filling her up only in a way he’s allowed to-with a welcome warmth. He kisses her again and wraps her up in his arms and she snuggles tiredly into him.
He traces a finger across her face and brushes away a few strands of wispy blonde hair. He chuckles as he thinks of the date and how they’d conceived Mamie on similar night years ago.
Don hears a faint “thank you” before drifting into that sleep wake state of unconsciousness with a smile on his face.
*******
November 1, 2015
7:06 a.m.
Cabin Bedroom
It’s been raining since last night and as he looks out of the French windows he can see a faint sunshine peeking out from behind the clouds and hear the incessant pattering of raindrops against the backdrop of cool southern winds. He glances down at the hand on his chest-pale petite fingers tightly wrapped around his body and he has a terrible urge to kiss the tip of every digit but he resists, because he’ll just wake her up and he likes doing something else better-looking at her while she sleeps.
He turns ever so slowly to face his wife and looks at her earnestly, his eyes roaming over each part of her as it comes to view---her pale porcelain skin and hands, her petite body all curled up under the duvet and finally her face where his gaze comes to rest. He wonders how it is that everything seems all so new and fresh every single morning-each wrinkle, every freckle, every contour of the eternally changing face-he’s got her face memorized and yet every morning it all seems so new and interesting that he wants to memorize each and every detail all over again.
He gently touches the corner of her mouth and revels in the soft pink skin and feels her soft even breath on his fingers. He loses himself in the motion of her closed eyes as they flutter in dreams unknown. And so Don wonders every single morning how is it that Meryl never ceases to amaze and mesmerize him with all her beauty, innocence and quirkiness after 37 years of marriage. He wonders why all of it, all of the full 37 years feel so short and how he wants to live every day for the rest of their lives in her presence-waking up like this, her sleeping soundly, next to him, without a worry in the world.
He takes a loose strand of her hair and revels in its silkiness before tucking it behind her ear when his hand touches a rough bruise below her ear. A hickey of course. His thoughts immediately drift to the night before and a familiar warmth fills his heart. He whispers a “Thank you”- like the ones his wife said a million times the night before, against her ear.
It wakes her up and she looks sleepily up at him and smiles. She’s still bleary eyed and disoriented and Don chuckles at how cute she looks.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning girl. Slept well?”
She rubs her eyes and nods in the affirmative “I wanna stay here forever.” she exclaims as she stretches and sits up tugging the sheets up to her breasts.
“Uh-hun. We should get one of these cabins-without electricity and all-and some more nights like last night.” We winks and pecks her lightly. She blushes and wraps the sheets around her body and gets out of the bed to go stand near one of the French windows.
She looks out wide eyed and exclaims “It really is beautiful!” Don looks at his wife instead-standing hear the window under the morning sun shining brilliantly on her. She looks iridescent almost--with that mane of golden hair all mussed, still half sleepy and wrapped up in sheets. He says “Yes. Yes indeed.” He can’t think of a better way of waking up on a Sunday morning than this.
“Let’s stay here a while longer” he says and Meryl’s head turns towards him immediately and her face breaks into the biggest smile as she runs across the room towards her husband the sheets half forgotten.