
A Widow's Burden [part 1 of 6]
By: AsylumSeeker (jmars_111@yahoo.com)
A WIDOW'S BURDEN CH. 01 By AsylumSeekerIt was Sunday evening when I stepped off the bus and found myself in yet another strange town in the dark of night. Only this time it was warm, and freezing rain wasn't pelting my face. I still didn't know why the hell I was here.
And why was I? Daisy had me tamed... great sex at night, decent chow at the diner in town, and a real job -- a job where I didn't have to look over one shoulder while wondering if the feds were hot on my trail. It was a real life, living in a place a guy could call home, with a sexy dame on one arm.
But no, Rochelle had to go and have another one of her visions and suddenly here I was, not knowing any more this time around than I had the first. An eight year-old kid sending me, a self-professed tough-guy, out of town on a bus? Are you fucking kidding me? My first thought was to ignore her, but there was something about that kid...
"She's a seer," Daisy had told me later that night as we lay in one another's arms, the heat from our frantic lovemaking radiating off of our sweat-moistened skin. "There's someone out there that needs your help."
"You're the one that talked me into sticking around," I had quickly pointed out, "and now all of a sudden you want to help me pack."
Fucking dames, I'd never figure them out.
And here I stood, still unsure why. It was warm enough to shed the jacket, but with my shoulder holster and trusty pistol tucked inside, the sight might not be much of a welcoming one, so I kept the jacket on.
The ride had given me time to think, time to try and put things into perspective. I was ticked off by the kid but I was beginning to acknowledge that she did have some kind of special talent; there were just too many coincidences to be explained any other way.
But she wasn't the one calling the shots, she was just the messenger. And if I was right about this, then who was? Fate? Karma? A higher power? Or was it the people themselves, fraught with emotion during times of great distress, somehow channeling this negative energy like a radio broadcast, and Rochelle was tuned into the same fucking station?
Geez, all of these crazy thoughts going through my head would've driven an ordinary man insane. This was when I made a pact with myself -- give it one day. If Rochelle had been right I should know something by the end of tomorrow. If not, I could honestly say that I -
It was right then when I thought my time on earth was up.
I was so busy thinking that I hadn't been paying attention. The bus had long since left me standing by the side of the road, which I apparently started to cross without giving it a second thought. I didn't even hear the car coming, just suddenly looked up to see a pair of bright headlights bearing down on me. Without thinking, just reacting, I turned to run... unfortunately I wasn't as fast as I used to be.
So, there are bright lights at the end of a guy's life, I thought to myself as I experienced a floating sensation, not quite sure in which direction I'd be pulled, down or up. I knew which direction I preferred to go in if given a choice in the matter.
And then I saw an angel with a bright halo surrounding her head, just like they said a guy would. Hands were lifting my head up, faint words reaching my ears.
"Are you okay?"
It was a dame, with the sweetest voice I'd ever heard, but this greeting to the afterlife wasn't quite what I'd expected. Then a sharp pain jarred me back to reality.
"It's my leg," I managed to communicate through gritted teeth.
I came to, or better yet came to my senses, to find myself sitting in the passenger seat of a car without having any memory of how I'd gotten there. I glanced over to see the blurry image of a dame with short dark hair and skin that matched. From what I could tell she was in her early twenties, a little younger and darker-skinned than Daisy, and quite attractive.
"We're almost there," she announced.
I didn't know where "there" was, but I groaned my acknowledgement. Was this the one I'd been sent here to help? It seemed this dame was the one helping me, at least to start off with.
The way I felt it wasn't likely I'd be going anywhere soon, except maybe to the hospital, if there even was one in these parts. Deciding I had plenty of time to get things figured out later, I stopped thinking so hard and just kept my eyes open.
"I'm Alice. What's your name?" she asked.
"Gerry," I told her. "Where we headed?"
"Mrs. Kingsley's boarding house, that's where I live," the dame explained. "It's not much further. We can call the doctor and get you checked out."
The initial sharp pain in my left leg had seemed to ebb and was more of a throbbing ache now, so I was hoping I might not be as bad off as I first thought. Took a hit to my head too, it hurt like hell, and I just knew there'd be a sizeable knot to go along with it. This wasn't the first time I'd landed in trouble like this, but I sure as hell hadn't seen this one coming.
The brief look at the town I got along the way made it clear it was larger than the one I'd just left. I could've asked her the name but it didn't really matter, now did it?
"I'm so sorry," the dame said, sounding all choked up after the shock of the accident began to wear off. "I didn't see you until it was too late. Please, forgive me."
"Nothing to forgive, it wasn't your fault, it just happened." I didn't tell her that I had a gut feeling this was meant to happen for one reason or another.
A minute later she pulled up in front of a large two-story house. A nice house, too. There was a large expanse of green grass and a sidewalk leading up to the steps of a covered wood porch that ran the length of the structure. White posts supported the sloped roof, and in between were railings except where the steps were. Several chairs and a swinging bench were situated beside a couple of small side tables.
"Nice place," I spoke up as she got out and walked to my side of the car.
Our intermittent conversation fell silent as she helped me out and to my feet. I looked pretty banged up as I glanced at my injured leg. The pants were torn and bloody on the outside part of the upper leg, but I didn't see any bones sticking out. Thank the heavens for small favors.
"Think you can walk?" the dame inquired.
"Guess we'll be finding out."
As it turned out I could... but not real well. And certainly not without her on my left side, her right arm around my shoulder to help support my bad side. Taking ginger steps, avoiding placing weight on the bad leg, we eventually reached the porch steps. With the railing to use I abandoned her help and managed on my own, and once reaching the top she took over again.
I wasn't feeling like such a tough guy at the moment, relying on a dame to help me do something as simple as this. Once inside she sat me down on a long couch and there I settled in for the moment as Alice disappeared.
Regardless of what might happen from this point forward, I made a quick decision that having a pistol under my left arm might not serve me well. Sliding the jacket off, the holster next, I shoved it under the back of the couch cushions and hoped that nobody would find it there before I had a chance to reclaim it. Then I put my jacket back on.
Meanwhile, in the background, an older dame I couldn't see was throwing a fit, clearly upset about my untimely arrival. Alice was keeping her dulcet tones quiet and so I couldn't hear but the noisier side of the conversation. It wasn't sounding like the news was being taken well at all.
When Alice returned she was visibly shaken. Things were awkward as we sat there together with me in pain and her periodically glancing down at the injuries I'd sustained, looking mighty guilty for her part in all of this. I felt bad for the dame, being so young and all. I figured this was likely the first accident she'd experienced.
"You live here," I recalled from earlier, making an effort to break the ice. "Work here too?"
Alice nodded. "I clean rooms, help with the cooking, do most of the cleaning, do the laundry. Me and Mrs. K, we get by okay. I've known her for years, since my mother started working here, bless her soul. We've grown very close, like family."
"Dr. Walker will be here shortly," Mrs. Kingsley announced as she made an appearance in the living room. "Would you care for some water, Mr...."
"Gerry," I filled in the blank. "Thanks, but I'm fine for the moment. Sorry to crash your party like this but I didn't exactly have a choice."
I could tell the old dame wasn't comfortable around me, and she didn't stick around for long, making up some excuse to skedaddle. That suited me just fine... I hadn't been enjoying her company either.
The faint sound of a car engine could be heard. When it did Alice turned toward the back of the couch, which was positioned in front of a large bay window next to the swinging bench outside on the porch.
"He's here, I'll be right back."
* * * * *
The doctor sewed me up like a torn shirt, said nothing was broken but I had a nasty sprain. Just my fucking luck. Mrs. Kingsley wasn't high on me staying there, of course, but the gray-haired doctor's argument prevailed.
And so I was left laying there on the couch as a new argument ensued, this one about where to put me. Again, the old dame wanted me out of sight -- carried upstairs into one of the two vacant rooms at the very least. After all, she couldn't have the other boarders coming down to breakfast in the morning to find me there.
The doctor knew how to handle the old dame; I'd give him credit for that. He promised to be back to take care of me first thing in the morning. Then she whispered something with worry written all over her wrinkled face. He just smiled, reached into his little black bag, and produced one hell of a big needle.
* * * * *
The next thing I knew it was morning. Sunlight was beginning to stream through the window and the half-open drapes.
"Good morning," Alice greeted as she emerged from what appeared to be an adjacent dining room holding a plate of food and a glass of orange juice. "Are you feeling any better?"
Still waking up, I rubbed my eyes as she patiently waited. Under the blanket someone had thoughtfully covered me with, I tried using the bad leg. It was stiff, along with the rest of me, and it protested my attempted use of it with pain. When I winced and gasped she had her answer.
"Just like new," I reported with a note of sarcasm.
When Alice smiled it seemed to brighten the whole room. It was radiant and went along nicely with her cute face. This dame was a real looker, and kind to go along with it; made the whole incident of the previous night seem so much less traumatic.
"I hope you're hungry." Again with that smile that warmed my heart as she leaned over to hand me the plate.
My gaze fixed on a large plate filled with three fried eggs, toast, bacon and sausage, and grits. "I am. This looks delicious, thanks so much."
"Made it myself," she said with a hint of pride, probably hoping to help repay me in some small way for the accident. "You enjoy it. The doctor will be here soon to check up on you."
I couldn't help but be drawn to her big brown eyes with flecks of gold, which were filled with such care and compassion. "Thank you so much, Alice. And please stop worrying, I'll be fine."
After eating she returned to pick up the dirty plate and utensils, which was just about the time when the doctor showed up. He cautiously lifted the blanket so as not to expose my bare legs to casual observers and gave the bad one the once-over.
He gave me another shot to "take the edge off", or so he told me, and said by the time he'd finished breakfast I should be ready for him to change the dressing and get me up and around for a walk to test things out. I didn't bother telling him that I hated tests, figured it wouldn't do me much good anyway.
I watched as the boarders descended the stairs, working-class people, a dame in a dress and a guy in a sports jacket, but not together. They gave me a curious glance before passing through the living room and into the dining room. I had little doubt that Mrs. Kingsley would quickly explain away my presence at the breakfast table.
There was a knock a few minutes later. Alice passed by, giving me a quick wink and a smile, and then opened the front door. She told whoever it was that breakfast was in progress, offering them the option of returning later or waiting on the porch. They chose the latter.
"Who was that?" I inquired as she returned to the dining room.
"Dan Nichols, he owns the bank," she briefly responded.
Fate, karma, call it what you will, somebody somewhere was pulling the strings in order to have me resting where I was and the visitors just outside occupying the swinging bench killing time. Rochelle was making a believer out of me after all.
"Are you sure she'll sell?" one man asked, his voice uncertain.
"Whether she likes it or not Mrs. K has to," the second one, more confident, assured the first. "She's up to her ears in debt. She's been trying, but once she lost her husband and the added income he was bringing in, she's been getting further and further behind."
They fell silent for a few moments. "My old man sells insurance. Too bad her husband didn't have any."
"Actually he did," the second one announced. "But there was a suicide clause. Maybe he didn't know, or at the bitter end he didn't care, who knows."
"Suicide? What happened?"
This was when my ears perked up. Again, I wasn't exactly sure why I was here or who needed the help, but clearly this conversation was intended to be overheard, and I was the one intended to overhear it.
"Fred retired from the wood mill a few years back, but when money got tight he went back to work," the second one began. "What with the war going on and the need for raw materials, it seemed like the best choice. And for a spell it was, got them through for as long as it lasted. But Fred, he's an older guy and that was hard work, his body couldn't take the abuse for long and he was let go.
"That wasn't the only thing. That was part of it I'm sure, along with their debt to the bank, his failing health, it all added up to more than he could handle. After he was let go he drove home, walked downstairs into the basement, and shot himself in the right temple. End of story."
"I feel sorry for his wife," the first one offered, a note of sincerity in his voice. "If he'd gone out a different way she wouldn't be in this trouble."
"The house would be paid for and I wouldn't be foreclosing on it," the second one agreed, his voice sounding cold and greedy. "Hey, not my fault, just doing my job."
But something told me there was more behind this story than he was telling, and it was suddenly my job to find out what it was. At least now I knew why I'd ended up here.
* * * * *
I was feeling pretty damned good by the time the doctor finished eating. Once the other boarders left for work he changed the dressing and, with Alice's help, got me up and onto my feet. We walked around the room a couple of times to get the blood flowing, after which I met with Mrs. Kingsley and agreed to rent an upstairs room for the week.
My two helpers got me up the stairs and into bed. I was ready for a rest after that workout and drifted off to sleep.
* * * * *
I was awakened mid-morning by a soft tapping sound. I told the visitor to enter and wasn't surprised to see that it was Alice, who was checking up on my welfare and brought along a glass of juice.
"Mind if I stay for a spell?" she asked, dazzling me once more with that radiant smile of hers.
"I'd appreciate the company."
"Why are you here?" she wondered, and it was a fair question.
Because this dame I've been shacking up with has this niece with a special talent, she can see people in trouble, and so this eight year-old kid sent me here to find that person. And in order for me to find that person I had to get run over and half-killed by you, thank you very much. That's why I'm here. But of course I couldn't tell her the truth, who'd believe it? I'd be carted off in a strait jacket to that "other" kind of hospital.
"Just passing through, figured I'd lay over for a day or two. Hadn't counted on it being for a week, though."
Her smile faded, replaced by a look of distress. "I know, I feel so badly about what happened."
I chuckled and told her, "I was just kidding, really. I know you said your mom worked here, and now it's just you and that grouchy old dame."
Alice was quick to defend her. "She's been understandably upset since the loss of her husband, Fred. He died only two weeks ago. I'm surprised she's holding up as well as she has been. They were so close. I feel so sorry for what she's been put through. Would you mind if I lay down beside you for a little while?"
Wow, I sure as hell hadn't seen that one coming. Was this why she had come up to my room, to lie beside me? What business did a young dame have with a guy twice her age? I must have missed something.
"I'm not sure Mrs. K would look fondly on the two of us getting cozy, if you catch my drift... but I'm not at all opposed to the idea."
That earned me another one of her heartwarming smiles. "She drives into the city three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with the church women to raise money for the war effort and won't be back until shortly before supper."
Today was Monday, I thought.
And so her body aligned with mine, my dressed wound facing up as I lay on my right side, her facing me but the covers providing a modest barrier. Alice wasn't looking at me as her head was facing down, my face pressing into her dark, scented tight curls of hair.
"Why aren't you snuggling up with a boyfriend?" I wondered aloud, not that I minded the attention.
That innocent comment must have hit a nerve because I felt her body stiffen. When Alice didn't answer I didn't press the issue, instead keeping my trap shut for fear of saying something else unintentionally hurtful that I'd regret.
"I was so proud of Trent," the dame finally spoke up, struggling to find her voice. "He was hand selected for a position in a new, all-black flying unit and two weeks later shipped off to Alabama. He was so excited, and I was excited for him, for us. We wanted to marry beforehand but it all happened so quick that we really didn't have time. He promised me we would after he finished flight training, before he shipped out overseas, but..."
There was no need to say anything more. The tone of her trembling voice answered the lingering question before it was asked. So many fine young men, so many lives being tragically lost -- sometimes before they even had a chance to start the fight.
"I've missed being in the arms of a man," she admitted in a soft whisper, speaking from the heart. I could tell she was crying despite her best efforts to hide it from me. But I didn't rat her out, instead pretending not to take notice.
We lay there like that for a time, the dame spilling tears of sadness that unburdened the heaviness in her soul. Then her head turned up, those big brown eyes with flecks of gold peering into mine, searching for something... kindness maybe? Fortitude?
Whatever it was Alice must have found it because a wide smile returned to her lips and her gaze lowered to look at my mouth. I wasn't positive but I sensed the young dame was sending me a signal. Hey, I'm a guy, right? So I took my shot.
Our first kiss was a gentle brushing of lips upon lips, warm breaths rushing over one another's face. Having made the initial move I waited for her to make the next, her eyes closing as her mouth pressed harder upon mine. What started as tentative slowly became more passionate, waning confidence being inspired to greater heights.
Her mouth opened to welcome my tongue inside. It entwined with hers in an erotic embrace that had a sense of desperation to it. My hands cupped her face, pulling her more tightly against me, fingers caressing the silky smooth cheeks. Her lips kissed mine harder, faster, tongues hungrily devouring one another in a frenzy.
Hearts beating faster, our breathing heavier, I was aware of my growing desire for her, wondering if she was happy with sharing what we were... or was her physical need also mounting? The sexual tension was present between two unlikely strangers in a most unlikely place during the most tumultuous of times.
I didn't make a move, instead allowing her to establish how far things between us would progress. I didn't have to wait too long before I had my answer.
"Have you ever made love to a woman of color before?" she asked in a husky tone, her lips kissing my neck as she waited for an answer.
Alice suddenly looked up at my face to see me grinning. "What? What is it?"
And then I belted out what was fast becoming my trademark answer. "All dames are one color or another."
"That wasn't -"
I silenced her with a kiss. When I pulled away I looked deeply into her eyes and revealed, "Yes, I have, and it was a beautiful experience."
She smiled warmly. "Make me feel beautiful, Gerry, make me feel wanted," she requested. "Remind me what it feels like to be a real woman again."
Alice got up and stood facing me, removing her dress and undergarments neither slowly nor quickly but with a sense of purpose. I watched as she revealed more and more of the ebony body beneath, no longer hidden by garments. It was slender, shapely, her upright breasts smaller than Daisy's but no less gorgeous to my eyes.
When she was ready I lifted the sheet and blanket and she moved underneath, finding my body to be just as nude as hers. I savored the luxuriant soft heat of her against the rugged, injured warmth of mine.
She settled on her left side facing me, trembling slightly, I guessed with nervousness. Sure couldn't blame a dame as young as her for feeling this way under these unusual circumstances. I was a complete stranger to her and to me, well, she was my... my savior, of sorts.
We had plenty of time. With several hours at our disposal we took things slow. I'm not sure I'd ever spent so much time caressing a woman's body as I did Alice's. My right arm under her neck, my left hand rubbed the back of her head, down her smooth back to her fine ass, exploring the firm cheeks and tracking a finger along the crack.
I did this over and over while listening to her steady breathing, relishing her companionship. Our kissing was intermittent, sometimes growing frantic before our mouths backed away, lips kissing faces and necks. I eventually reached down to lift her right leg over my waist, fingers gently tracing along the quivering labia of her sex.
I could hear the change in her breathing pattern as it became faster and heavier. Her upper torso leaned away from me, onto the back, showing me her smaller but perky breasts. I could see the large brown nipples were all big, stiff, and throbbing. Talking about stiff, I was starting to get that way too.
After gazing down at her chest my eyes trailed up to her brilliantly smiling face. Damn, this dame was gorgeous when she was being treated like a woman! The final wrinkles of the best part of me disappeared at the mere sight. Her coy smile, the blaze of passion in her big brown eyes made it clear that she was ready for more.
Alice felt what I had to offer bulging against her flat lower belly. Shifting her body slightly higher she positioned my rigid manhood until it was throbbing against the length of her sex. I leaned my head down, lips kissing a path from a shoulder down to the closest breast, licking the entire surface until finally tending to the pulsing nipple with lips, tongue, and front teeth.
Her back arched, arms coiling around my neck, pressing her chest harder against my mouth. I heard her moans of ecstasy, felt her shudders of arousal, and smelled a hint of her growing desire as it hung in the air around us. That was when the dame gently guided me onto my back and took control of the situation.
"I'll take it easy, try not to hurt you," she promised in a whisper. Then the dame added, as a playful afterthought, "At least not too much."
A hand was around my cock, stroking its length, getting me as rigid as possible. Then, holding it at the base, her crotch lowered. Going by feel the dame rubbed the sensitized head up and down the outer folds before working it into the hot, wet slit. I could feel wetness glazing the tip. Moments later it was throbbing at the opening.
I reached my hands down to grasp her slender, shapely waist. Gingerly at first I pulled down as she lowered, my cock spearing partially into the awaiting canal. She was tight, resisting my penetrations. Oh yeah, I'd be enjoying this, opening her up after a lapse of activity.
Initially I felt a natural inclination to thrust upward, but this desire was thwarted by a jolt of pain that began at my left hip and charged down my leg like a herd of wild horses. Twitching noticeably and softly groaning from the surge of discomfort, I quickly stopped while deciding to let her do the bulk of the work.
Alice, hips wiggling and pelvis rotating forward and back, descended lower. To say that she felt nice would've been a huge understatement. I loved the way her canal widened to accept me, closing around the best part of me, surrounding my cock with wet heat and delightful pressure.
With half my length embedded inside, the cautiously slow, rhythmic ride began. With my hands holding her waist, following her movements, we loved one another. Soon her body accepted all of me. The dame may have been young, but she knew what she was doing at the same time. Not like Daisy, not quite at her level, but she was doing great as it was.
It wasn't long before we fell into a nice rhythm with her tight pussy rising and falling, compressing before tugging on the skin surrounding the shaft. We were both moaning our pleasure as we let go of our worries and focused instead on the merging of our eager, needy flesh.
In my condition I couldn't do the things to her I wanted, but enjoyed it all just the same. It was probably about lunchtime because my stomach grumbled several times, and light was filling the room, illuminating her active form. I took several opportunities to gaze up at her, admiring her jiggling breasts and her face making its ever-changing expressions of delight.
As Alice neared climax her movements turned frenzied. It hurt my leg but I let the dame have her fun, not stopping her or indicating my distress. After a few moments her breathing became very heavy as she got closer to the sexual release she was craving.
When she gasped and her body clenched hard, I knew the moment had arrived. The spasms of ecstasy commenced and violently shook her form, sort of like a backwards rodeo, where the rider was giving the bull the ride instead of the other way around. I grimaced when the pain intensified, and was grateful when her orgasm finished and her body relaxed.
The dame fell forward against my chest, delivering fast, hard kisses of appreciation upon my mouth. At the same time my hands went for her chest, cupping her tits and giving them a good squeeze to remind myself how great they felt as the rigid nipples pulsated in my palms.
"Oh Gerry, that felt wonderful, baby," she breathlessly whispered, almost too softly to be heard.
Afterwards she straightened up, this time to get me off. After asking me how I liked it I told her to keep it slow, more out of concern for my injuries than any other reason, and so she did. I was good for another couple of minutes, the relaxed pace extending my usual duration.
At the end my balls drew tightly against the base of my cock and I grunted aloud, body twitching with each ejaculation. Needing to pound into her I ignored the pain, pulling her down as I managed to drive upward, cock squirting the contents of my balls at the end of each stroke. Sweating as much from pain as from pleasure I rode the wave of ecstasy for as long as it lasted.
It seemed that was enough for Alice, too. As I was finishing up she enjoyed a second orgasm, her weak cries filling the room as she stiffened and shook. When we were both finished she lay down alongside me, lips lightly kissing my face, our hands continuing the curious explorations.
"Please tell me this won't be the only time," she pleaded with a hint of desperation in her sweet voice.
I flashed her a grin. "Don't worry, sweetheart, you're already a habit I can't quit."
A muffled downstairs clock began to chime. I hadn't heard it earlier, but there was no mistaking it now. The familiar sound indicated it was two in the afternoon. Damn, time sure flies when a guy's having fun.
"I should get busy," Alice announced. "After I get cleaned up, before I get supper going, is there anything I can bring you?"
"Got anything around here to read?"
"Mrs. K has a stack of weekly Tribune newspapers in the basement, some magazines too," the dame enlightened me.
"Bring me up the last few weeks' worth of the local paper." I wanted to read if there had been anything in there about Fred's death, and any possible clues that could help me out. "Thanks, Alice."
The dame smiled that smile again before getting up, grabbing her discarded clothes, and leaving the room naked. Luckily I was already spent.
A thought suddenly occurred to me. "Hey, Alice?"
She hesitated at the door. "Yes?"
"I don't mean to frighten you, but I tucked a holster and pistol in the cushions of the couch," I mentioned. "A guy can't be too careful."
"I know, I found it when I was tidying up after you came up here. Don't worry, it's safe. I have it in a drawer in my room in the basement. It'll be there until you can move around again."
I flashed her a thankful smile. "I owe you one."
Again with that smile. "I will be collecting."


