It had been a beautiful sunny day, nothing to get worried about, except that my wife Heather had gone and taken with her everything she could. And she had gone for good, only leaving me a letter in which she had written her last goodbyes. I had also found her promise ring and a divorce certificate in the envelope. So I was left to raise our little daughter Liz all on my own. This task was really difficult to achieve for I had a hard job.

Heather had been my first real love. We had been a couple ever since we were 16 (her) and 19 (me). I had proposed marriage to her right after she told me she was pregnant with Liz. We had been such a nice and lovely couple. And then just one day, she was gone. Gone for good… And believe it or not: I still was in love with her.

I had never been very interested in women ever since. I had often enough tried and realized it wouldn’t work out. And I didn’t want my daughter to get used to a ‘new mother’ every now and again.

Twenty years had passed. My daughter being in her mid twenties had left home to get settled long ago. She had always been the only true companion I could count on, the most precious person I could ever have. I loved her like a father can love his own child. Every now and then she would show up and give her old man a little company.

As for me: I was in my early fifties trying my best not to get old too fast. For this I practiced several martial arts. I was a black belt Karate and Tae-Kwon-Do fighter . And to complete my sportive activities, I went to work by bike every day. But all of this couldn’t stop my hair from getting gray.

This day – a Saturday – my daughter was about to come around once more for the weekend. I had to pick her up at the train station in the early evening. It was a chilly fall evening and the first signs of the upcoming winter drew everyone’s attention.

Liz looked great as she always did. She was standing right in front of the main entrance of the station and her long straight blonde hair was rhythmically waving in the wind. She stepped into my car.

“Good evening young lady,” I said.

“Hi dad,” she said kissing me on the cheek. “How are you?”

“I’m happy, as always when I get to see you, Liz. Any plans for tonight?”

“Sure,” she replied, “I had a few of my old friends on the phone this afternoon and there’s gonna be a great party at the Murphy’s pub and everyone’s invited.”

“And how are you?” I asked.

“Fine. As you said: as always when I get to see my daddy.” She smiled. “There’s something I need to tell you since like forever…” She paused. “I’ve got a new boyfriend.”

“That’s something nice to hear. What’s his name?”

“He’s called Joey and I met him a while ago at a friend’s birthday party.”

“Joey, huh? I’d like to meet him. You gotta introduce him to me one day, promise?”

“Sure. How about you? Any new girl in your life, dad?”

“No. But you know that as long as I have you, I’m happy. You’re my only girl and you know that.”

“But dad, I don’t like seeing you all alone in your house. And you know that too. Couldn’t you at least try to find a companion? I just want my daddy to be happy.”

I just smiled at her. “You’re the one that makes me happy and you’ve always been, Liz.” I sighed. “And now let’s talk of something else. Where do you want to eat tonight?”

“Let’s go to the Chinese around the corner. I like that place best.”

“Then the Chinese it shall be.”

First we went back home to get rid of her traveling bag. Then we walked to the Chinese which took us less than five minutes. We had a nice long chat about ongoing stuff, news et cetera. We had half a bottle of Bordeaux to accompany the great meal.

After another good chat it was around 9 p.m. and about time for us to go.

As the waiter handed us the bill, I said, “I’m inviting you today.”

But Liz was faster. “Says you,” she said giving the waiter a 50 dollar bill, “you invited me the last three times, now it’s my turn.”

We got back home before our ways parted for the night. She had to meet up with some of her local friends before getting to the Murphy’s as she had said. As for me, I made my way to a bar I used to go every now and then again. It was some sort of a rock and blues club where they would play old hits like Still got the Blues, Texas Flood or Hey Joe. And this day was special: They had a blues band supposed to come on stage. They were called Joe and his Broken Men.

As I entered the club I was recognized by the security guy. “Hey Jack! How are you tonight?”

“Fine, Tom,” I replied, “thanks for asking. Did I already miss something?”

“Don’t worry, it’s not gonna start until an hour or two.”

I headed straight to the bar. They had a new girl around 25 fixing the drinks. I ordered a good old fashion coke for I had to take a ride home after that evening. She was good looking, hazel eyes and orange sized breasts hidden behind a dark green tank top. And she was kind too. The bar had always had nice staff.

As she handed me my glass, she smiled at me. She was cute, so I made my best to smile back. I took a deep look in her eyes as the first chords of Red House came from the speakers. I would have asked her for a dance and joined the people on the dance floor but she had a job waiting to be done and she smiled like this for every customer, I guessed.

My eyes travelled over the crowd and estimated that there were 150 people and an average age of 35. So I was one of the eldest in there. I was wondering whether I had to feel part of the younger crowd or if I should rather feel like a gaffer trying his hardest not to look too old. I didn’t waste that much time on that thought. I am here to have fun, right? I thought.

I let the music guide my body only stopping to get small sips of my coke. Soon a lady around 40 joined me and matched her moves with mine. She held a Campari and soda in her hand. I figured out that she was insanely drunk and I gently wove her aside. She soon found another guy to dance with who was at least 15 years younger than she was.

Some other women tried to get me to dance with them but I turned them all down. I wasn’t out for nookie that night; I only wanted to enjoy the Broken Men.

After an hour, they began their sound check. They didn’t take too long. By now everyone had slightly drawn nearer to the stage to greet the artists. All three of them were men a little younger than me.

The singer and guitarist greeted the crowd with a short “Hi there! I’m Joe, and these are my wonderful Broken Men!”

I could hear some people answer with a loud “Hey Joe!”

But the first song wasn’t Hey Joe, although they covered former blues bands. They started with Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix. They went through a whole range of well known songs of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Gary Moore, Joe Bonamassa and so on. Their talent was indeed impressive and the sound was great. More than once they were rewarded by great ovations coming from the audience.

After a good two hour show, they had done their job. It was getting early in the morning but I wasn’t tired enough yet. I headed to the bar to get me another coke. As I ordered my drink, I could make out the shape of two people arguing from the corner of my eye. I couldn’t make out who they were, but I could tell it had to be a guy with his wife or his girlfriend from the voices. I wasn’t acting concerned until I had my drink fixed. I watched a little bit of the scene. It was happening a two feet from me. Before I realized what was really going on I saw a male hand rise up as if to slap someone in the face. I understood that the situation was going to escalate so I grabbed the man’s wrist.

He spun around to see who or what was blocking the track of his hand to his companion’s face. He reeked of alcohol like the worst vodka you could get.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I said stoically.

“None of your business,” he stammered while raising his free fist to land it on my face.

Before either one of us could make another move, I felt a strong hand grab me by my shoulder. It was Tom.

“I’m sorry to bother you but I need to put the two of you outside,” he said in a friendly yet bossy tone.

I followed without any resistance. This other guy needed to be hauled off by three security employees. As soon as he was outside, he fell to the ground and fell asleep like a rock.

I heard a familiar female voice call my name: “Jack! Everything alright?”

I knew that voice but still I wondered who was asking for me. I looked in the direction I had heard the call from. And I saw a well-known but aged face come towards me: It was Heather, the lady who had left me for another man twenty years before.

My eyes locked onto her face. I was hallucinating, I thought. But I was wrong, of course. So there we were, Heather and I, remaining in front of the entrance with Tom standing right next to us.

“I’m sorry Jack. I’m afraid I may not let you enter here tonight again,” he said wrinkling his forehead. “It’s the rules. You cause ruckus, you gotta stay out. I’m sorry.”

Heather stepped to him to whisper something in his ear. He had to bend over for she was not a tall woman. After two minutes, both of them seemed to agree on something I wasn’t quite sure about until she showed me; she took me by my hand and guided me into the club again.

“Don’t worry, I’m in charge of you now,” she told me blinking her eye.

We sat on two bar stools and ordered some drinks. There sure was a hell of a lot to talk about! Twenty years without any contact. Twenty years without any information – mutually! I wasn’t sure what to say to crack the ice. So I took a large sip of my drink.

“You look great,” she stammered.

“Thanks, you too. How long has it been? Twenty years? Maybe more?”

Her eyes travelled over my hands eradiating a slight feeling of shame and guilt as if she were desperately fumbling for words to express her excuses. They flashed at the moment she recognized a golden ring on my ring finger.

“So you’re married again? Who is the lucky lady?” she asked.

“You should know better. Take a better look. It still is our wedding ring,” I replied, “and I wear it not to let any ‘lucky lady’ to come too close to me.”

“And? Does it work?”

“It works pretty well. But it doesn’t protect me from everyone, like you see,” I said waving my hand to point towards her.

“So you want to tell me, I’m no welcome face for you anymore?”

“My words…”

“So thanks for your honesty, I really appreciate that. But you won’t get rid of me that easily,” she said icily. “And thanks for helping me earlie,” she added.

I didn’t even look at her; I just stared at the slowly vanishing liquid in my glass. “Your boyfriend?” I looked up to meet her eyes.

“Yeah, kind of. A real pain in the ass. Why do all the guys need to be total lunkheads again?” She seemed searching for something to look at as these words passed from her tongue to her lips.

I allowed myself to slide a hand under her hair that covered her temple and to take a close look to her face. She had a large bruise right beneath her hairline.

“So this would not have been the first time I guess,” I commented.

A tear left her eye. She snuggled against my hand. Her cheeks were quickly reddening from her now freely erupting feelings.

I stood up again. “I think it’s time for me to go now. Want a ride?”

She lightly nodded. I offered her my hand. “So let me take you with me.”

She followed me emotionlessly and blankly looking into space. As soon as she had taken a seat in my car, she burst into tears. I audibly gasped for a long deep breath thinking of the awkward yet Kafkaesque situation. It was me and my ex wife, who had left me for another total fuckhead, and was about to drown my car in a lake of tears in that very moment. I just needed a few seconds to cool down. The instant before I turned on the ignition did last at least two minutes instead of those mentioned few seconds.

On the way home Heather told me of her failed relationship between her sobs and how this dickhead had become aggressive due to his growing thirst for booze. I didn’t really listen. As far as I was concerned, she just used me as a shoulder to cry on, that’s what I thought.

On the question where I could let her out, she seriously asked me if I’d take her home. I had to ask her to repeat herself for I wasn’t sure about what I had just heard. But of course she pressed on and I gave in. She had just had an awful evening and the indulgent man I was couldn’t take the risk to anything happen to her. That’s just how things were. So I took her home being totally oblivious of Liz, who could possibly have come back home by the time it was. But she wasn’t, so I remained ignorant of her.

Hardly arrived home, we had already made ourselves comfortable on the couch in the living room. She looked around and her tear filled eyes. She was lying in my arms still sniffing every now and then.

“It looks just like I remember it. As if I hadn’t gone,” she said.

“Yeah! I left everything in place, just in case you’d decide to come back someday. I hoped you’d come back and feel this place is where you belong,” I replied.

She clutched my arm. “It feels like home indeed.” New tears ran down her cheeks. “It’s the only place that really felt like home. And you even left the picture from our wedding on the TV.”

“Yes,” I answered coldly.

“Why would you do this? It must have been like killing yourself every time you watched TV.”

“It just felt right this way.” I tried my best to sound inapproachable.

“You’re still mad at me, are you? Well just be. I deserve it. I was a fool to leave you.”

“Yes I still am, sometimes. But it’s so long ago that whenever I get mad again, I’m asking myself why because it’s like I have already forgotten long ago.”

“And you hoped I’d come back every day. Why didn’t you just give up on that disappointing idea?”

“You are here. This proves my hopes were not in vain. I didn’t get why you would leave me at all. We were a family! We were happy as we were!” Some old feelings I thought had drowned long before swelled up again.

“You do exactly know why! Didn’t you read the letter? Or do you still not have a clue about anything yet?! You have always been incomprehensible to any of my problems!” Both of us were shocked from those words. The whole room seemed to black out for a second before she added an almost silent “…but I missed you.”

An uncomfortable hush filled the room. My mind raced through millions of thoughts in unison with my heavily speeding heart. I could tell from her facial expression that she felt exactly the same. I only noticed that we had approached us as I sensed her weighty breath on my lips.

The awkwardness passed away and we both closed our eyes.

That’s when I heard a nearing voice coming from the hallway. “Hey dad! Who’s that lady…” Before Liz had finished her question Heather and I turned around to look at her. Her voice died right there: “…you’re…with…?”

She stood there facing both of us, staring at her mother literally dumbstruck. Her mouth fell open. Neither one of us knew what to say in that very moment. All three of us were speechless.

I was the first to stammer something that sounded like Liz. No need to say that it was too late already. Liz turned around and stomped to her room upstairs.

Heather tried to make her turn around in vain. “Wait Liz! Don’t go away! Let me talk to you!” There was no use. “Shit, Jack! What did you tell her?!”

I stood up. “The truth! And I think it’s better for you to go now.” Heather looked at me as though she hadn’t heard right. “You can’t go back to that drunkard, I guess, so I’ll offer you a ride to the next motel and give you 200 bucks, that’s all I have here.”

Heather reluctantly accepted the offer. The next motel was at a ten minutes car ride. On the whole ride we didn’t exchange any words. She checked in for one night temporarily. I promised to come and see after her the next day.

Back home I straightly headed to Liz’ room. She was lying in her sheets crying too. I sat on the bed next to her. I had hell of a lot of solace come up with that night.

"Hey Liz," was the only line, I was able to say. I rubbed her back a little.

She got her head out of the pillow. Her eyes were blood red. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“Listen... Yes, it was exactly what it looked like. I was about to kiss Heather.”- long pause - “I met her at the bar tonight by accident. She was there too. Her boyfriend was about to beat her up, so I decided to make it my business and I held him back. I didn't know it was her having that fight by then.” I bit my under lip for I wasn't sure if my explanation did have any effect. “Then he got thrown out. I only recognized her the moment she came over to say thanks.” I paused to await Liz' reaction.

“Go on,” she said rubbing the tears from her eyes, “I wanna get a proper apology.”

She was listening. That was something – at least.

I spoke very slowly for I was doing my best not to sound corny: “OK, then. We had a long chat, nothing serious; we just exchanged a few formalities until we got here. I know I shouldn't have brought her. We only started rolling up old stories as we were already sitting on the couch downstairs. We got into a moment of uncomfortable silence just before you broke in.”

I didn't continue for a few seconds so Liz took her turn to talk. “And to get over that silly instant you start to make out or what?” Her voice was very shaky and she still was breathing hard trying to suffocate her every sob.

I scratched my head. “Oh man. This REALLY not how I had pictured this evening to end.” I took a deep breath. “Do you know what? Tomorrow morning I'll be looking after her at the Motel. Feel free to join us if you want.”

Liz threw the pillow all over her room to the door. “I don't want to see this bitch EVER AGAIN!!!”

“Don't talk about Heather this way! She is your mother after all!”

“But that doesn't justify what she did to us and especially to you!”

“Liz! This is a very old story and it we're better if we let it rest.”

“I don't wanna talk about this anymore and now just let me sleep, will ya?”

I did as ordered and sped out of her room. I had to pull myself together not to slam the door. All of that was close to way too much for me. It was almost four a.m. So I went to bed too. First I had troubles falling asleep. But after a while I just drifted off to another world.

I woke up by the smell of fresh bacon and eggs. Liz was already waiting for me to eat breakfast. We exchanged a few meaningless lines while eating. We acted as if nothing had happened the night before.

After breakfast I quickly tidied up the kitchen before getting prepared to face Heather again.

Just as I was about to leave, Liz came to me again. “So you're going for real.”

“Yes, I am and you are still sincerely invited to join us,” I replied.

She acted absent minded. “No, it's alright. Just tell me when you're back.”

“I promise I will. You're my beloved daughter, and you know that,” I said approaching her to kiss her forehead.

On the way to the motel close to a million thoughts raced through my mind. It was so distracting that I almost missed my actual destination.

As I walked up to her room, I was trying to formulate some silly lines in my head. And then it hit me: What if she had gone already? But of course she still was around pulling the door open before I even could touch the knob. And with that she also made sure I didn't have to come up with any awkward greeting: “Oh hi... You're late!”

She took my hand and pulled me into the tiny room. I confusedly tried to open my mouth but got cut short again: “We need to talk... A lot!” she said in a decisive way. “Have a seat on the bed. I'll find a big and nice bunch of pure black coffee, we'll need it!”

I could tell there was no use to try to question any of her orders, so I just followed.

It didn't take her too long to come back with a huge pot full of finest black coffee.

“I know the owner of a café right there around the corner,” she said pointing in some random direction.

She poured us two mugs of the dark liquid. I took a sip, and it sure was delicious.

“You don't need to tell me it's the best coffee you've ever had. I just know,” she said, “So tell me. WHAT truth did you tell Liz? I mean, how come my own daughter runs away from me from seeing me for the first time after twenty years?”

I breathed heavily. “You know she's been raised without a mother. And I was no good substitute.”

Her mug was half empty already. “Yes you were. I've seen what a pretty young lady you have made of her.”

“You don't understand! She needed you more than anyone else and you just let her down. I mean leaving me is one thing. But leaving a five-year-old infant to the mercy of a workaholic father definitely is too much!”

“Hold on there, buster. If you think it was easy to leave the two of you you're really not well informed. I hope I'm getting you wrong that you try to accuse me of being a cold blooded witch?”

“No you're not. It is hard yes, but it appears that someone sitting right next to me could do it without hesitation!”

Her mug was empty. She poured herself another one while talking. “So it would have been my and only my fault if you had failed her?”

“That's exactly what I'm saying! You had already failed her by leaving her.” Her mug was empty again. I was amazed of her drinking pace. “So this leaves you the entire guilt of crashing our family!”

“Says you!” She was furious. “And who was Mr. so-called-by-himself workaholic? It was just work and Karate and Tae-Kwon-Do! What should I do? I cannot work and raise a child at the same time all on my own!”

I felt the blood speed up to my face. “Oh just shut up! You were already screwing any guy who came closer than three feet!”

“What does that have to do with any of this?! We're not chit-chatting about who's cheating on whom, we're talking about Liz. OUR daughter!”

I was caught off guard by that line. Did she just say our daughter? My face softened. I was not angry anymore. In that very moment, I understood that Heather really felt guilty about all of this.

“Listen, Heather. Why don't we just forget all of this? I mean, what's the use of us arguing about something that happened twenty years back in time? We just met again after all that time.”

She seemed cooled down too: “I guess you're right. Jack... um?”

“Yes?”

“I don't know how to say this but... I wanna try it again. Would you take me back home and introduce me to Liz again? But we'll do it right this time.”

I sighed. “I guess it would be right this way. She has a right to have a mother even after all those years have passed.”

Silence again.

Heather's face blushed red. She looked down on the floor. “Would you...” – silent pause – her whispering, “seal it with your lips?”

No words needed. I put my hand on her cheek. She looked back in my eyes. Though being around 50 already, her face looked like the one of a young girl with sparkling green eyes full of life. She closed them. I steadily neared her closing my eyes too.

We were very cautious at the beginning. We were like kids experiencing these feelings and moments for the first time. First our lips slightly touched before (I'm not sure who it was) one of us started to caress the other's soft lip skin with their own. Soon after that the kiss got deeper. Twenty years of missing the other's smooth skin took over us. We were making out like wild crazy teenagers. Both of us remembered the time back in high school, where all of this had begun, where we had shared our first lover's kiss, our first lovemaking...

We broke the kiss.

“It's been so long...” I said.

“I only realize now how much I have missed you, Jack.”

“We were so young back then. And everything was just perfect. Heather, do you want me to take your hand and come back in time with me?”

She smiled the happiest smile I could imagine. “Yes. Take me with you, Jack. But we have a lot to catch up,” she replied.

I kissed her again. “I love you Heather.”

“I love you too, Jack.”

We cuddled up and remained in that position for a few moments to inhale the familiar scent of one another, to listen to our hearts beating in unison. I realized my year long hopes had not been in vain one single day. I was one happy man.

She tossed me aside to unbutton my shirt. Without any words left to say, I pulled her shirt over her head to see she hadn't had time to dress up properly for there was no bra, just her bare breasts. And they sure were a pair of nicely rounded oranges. Even though we had been used to one another, she acted a little ashamed. I couldn't take my eyes off her tits. They were almost free from any signs of age save slight almost unnoticeable sag. I cupped one of them with my hand and started kissing her neck. I could hear her gasp silently. She pressed my head in her neck a little and rubbed my back with her free hand.

I let my face travel down her body to her chest to get a mouthful of breast. I bit her nipple. She let out a first real moan on that. As I worked her tits I started to remember how much I had loved all of this. Everything came clear to me. During those twenty years I had almost forgotten how good it felt. In that very moment I was like a child exploring the world around.

After a few minutes, I ran my hands further down all over her belly. She matched my every down stroke arching her back so that my finger tips would eventually slip in her pants from time to time.

Then I got those trousers off her smooth legs. She helped me slide them off and unbuttoned my jeans. She had dark red laced panties. I could make out a moist patch in her crotch while freeing her legs off her pants.

I wanted to touch her. I wanted to feel her. I wanted to be hers. I kissed her left thigh and stroked the other with my hand. I could feel her hands running through my hair. I slowly and patiently made my way up to her panties. The more I got closer to her pubic area, the more she would spread her legs.

As my mouth neared her crotch, I could sense the faint smell of her pussy. That familiar sweet aroma filled the entire room as I pulled the fabric of her panties aside to reveal what I knew was the prettiest pussy there was.

I sniffed in her scent to remember it well before beginning my oral assault. I started the oral play by running the tip of my tongue over her slit causing her to gasp in affirmation. Then I spread her lips to kiss her gently all over her pussy. She was unbelievably wet already from her overflowing sweet nectar. I ran my tongue in circles around her entrance and over her mound, flicking it once and again over her clit. She was moaning to the rhythm of my tongue and slightly rocking her hips on my face whilst pushing my head on her pubic area. She trashed her head in all directions from the intense pleasure she was given. I loved seeing her squirm in pleasure.

Then she pulled my head from her crotch. She guided me to lie on her body. I penetrated her snatch with two fingers to find her g-spot.

“I want you... so bad... right now.” Every moan of hers matched my strokes to her pussy walls. “Please... make love to me!” she sexily whispered in my ear, hardly able to form those words, for she was breathing way too heavily.

I got her panties and my shorts off and lay on her again, making sure my raging hard-on would land on her slit. We started rock both our hips back and forth in order to please on another. There was no guidance needed, my cock easily found its way to her entrance.

As the head of my dick had found a comfortable position inside her, I rammed my whole seven inches inside her.

“Oh my god!” she yelped and it hit the spot: Oh my god was the accurate description of what I was feeling right then. It felt like entering your first pussy ever! Again we were like those teenagers we once were back in time.

We started a rhythmic and passionate play of two true lovers. I was in heaven and so was she. We rocked our bodies in a slow grinding pace, making sure to give one another as much pleasure as possible.

From that moment on, no additional words were needed. Both of us would instantly understand the others little motions and signs, and reply on them as if there was an imaginary scenario to our lovemaking. It felt as though we were a year-long attuned couple.

Her pussy felt so smooth yet soft. It convulsed on my full girth deeply buried inside her. She was moaning in the long forgotten pleasures she was given by me.

The love we made was the most intense I’d ever had until that moment. We were as one and it was perfect just as it was, even though the moment both of us reached our climaxes came speeding in large steps.

She came on me making her pussy contract on my stiff member as if to milk every drop of my semen. That was all it needed to send me over the edge as well. She experienced an almost never ending orgasm, and so did I.

Totally exhausted we lay there on the sheets for a long moment, still panting from our intense sex. She rested her head on my chest and played with the curls of my hair. It was like twenty years before. We were two lovers made for each other… For sure!

After a while she said decisively, “Let’s go, I can’t wait to see Liz!”

I gave my OK. So we dressed back up and got back home.

The first thing she did after having come in was to take in a deep breath.

“Mmm…” she sighed, “It’s just like I remember it.”

We didn’t have to look for Liz for she was already heading downstairs to meet up with us.

“There you are. Come here, we have a lot to catch up, don’t we?” I said.

“I somehow knew, you would bring her with you,” Liz replied coming towards us.

Instead of the reluctant hand shaking I was expecting, Liz was visually computing on some confusion before she hugged her mother like only a little child would.

“Welcome back, Mom,” she whispered, “I have missed you for so long.”

The moment was cheesy, REAL cheesy, but it was harmonious. Finally we were a real family again.

THE END