Those Days of...Ch. 41-45

Chapter 45

Serious Planning

During the following day I rang the agent and asked him to make arrangements for us to meet the architects and when he called back to see if the next Friday was convenient I rang Barbara to check if she could get time off from her work and once she had got the O.K. from her boss the meeting was set.

I felt a real buzz of excitement all afternoon, somehow just fixing a time for the meeting brought the reality of the house a little closer and though I knew there would be a lot of work and no doubt even more frustration during the coming weeks and months, I felt sure it would all be more than worthwhile in the long run. So, as I'd wanted to share that feeling with Helen, I was a bit disappointed when I got home that evening to find that I was the first in. I didn't have to wait too long before I heard the sound of the front door opening but when I peered down over the stairs I saw it was Barbara, not Helen.

She joined me in the kitchen, where I was getting dinner started.

'Hi Barbara! Your boss didn't have too many objections to your having time off?'

'No, as you know, I've been working late a fair bit lately, I guess he's still in front at this stage.'

'Do you have much more to do to get everything ready by Friday?'

'Some, not too much. I'll get most of it finished after dinner tonight, then the three of us can spend tomorrow evening going over it, if there's anything you want changed that still gives me a couple of evenings to get everything finished.'

'How's the attic area coming along? Any ideas yet?'

'Well for one thing it'll need to be sound-proofed.'

'What?' I said, looking across at her questioningly.

'Sound-proofed, you know, protect the rest of the house from whatever noise is generated up there. Last night made me realise just how noisy you two can be when you get going.' she answered with a cheeky grin.

So I had been right, she hadn't been asleep and she had heard the sounds of our enthusiastic love-making.

'I thought we were a bit noisier than usual. Sorry if we disturbed you.'

'I was already disturbed Roger, I'd been that way since the afternoon, when we were at the house. Hearing you at it just made the way I was feeling all the more frustrating - and although I got myself off it wasn't really what I wanted right then. If you know what I mean.'

'I understand Barbara, it's not an easy time for you right now - but someone else will come along, someone that's really right for you.'

I know, I know - but until then, I may need your help from time to time.' she replied as she came around and stood beside me, her eyes staring deep into mine.

If just then we hadn't heard the front door opening I'm sure we would have done something about her problem straight away but hearing the sound of Helen's foot-steps coming up the stairs, we went back to getting the meal ready.

After dinner, Barbara disappeared into her room to finish what still had to be done to her plans and as Helen and I cleared away I told her that something Barbara had said to me had made it clear she had heard us the previous night.

'I suppose she's feeling a bit deprived at the moment, after all, from what she told us she and Mike were even more active than you and I are darling - we all get used to having sex regularly, don't we. Did, she say anything else?'

'She did say she might need my help sometime, if that's what you mean.'

'Mmm, I thought so.' Helen replied quietly, then went silent for a while, obviously thinking hard.

It was some time later, when we were sitting watching TV together that she let me in on her thoughts.

'I've been thinking about my parents. It's been a while since we went up to see them.' She began.

What she said was true enough, we had driven up to the country town where the elderly couple lived just once since we'd been together and that had been for a week-end very early in our relationship. I had taken an instant liking to them and I think they felt the same way about me. Helen's mother was a typical country-woman, bustling around, cooking, heavily involved in community activities. Her father was a few years older, not in the best of health and less energetic - but his mind was still sharp and I'd had several pleasant hours just sitting talking with him.

'We are going to get much busier, once the house gets under way, aren't we? I mean there'll be furniture and things to choose, curtains to make, all those things.'

'True.' I said. 'Are you thinking we should pay them a visit before then?'

'Actually I was thinking perhaps I should.'

'Alone? Why?'

'Well, you're going to be tied up with the planning things, with the lawyers, the architects - and Barbara...'

As her voice trailed off I suddenly thought I realised what she was driving at.

'You want to give Barbara and I a week-end together?'

'Well - what do you think?'

'I'm honestly not sure darling.' I answered, playing for time as I tried to settle the thoughts that her suggestion had sent spinning through my head. Thoughts of Barbara and I, a whole week-end together, time to do some of the things she had intimated she would like to - and some of those I had dreamed of doing with her.

'Don't you think you're rushing things a bit, after all it's only been a few days since her split from Mike - it's not as if she's been sex-starved for weeks or months.'

'It's not just the sex itself darling, though I'm sure she's noticing the difference already, I would - and I think if you're honest, you would too, as I said, it's amazing how quickly we get used to a certain regularity. Even you and I started to get a bit scratchy with each other towards the end of those few weeks when we were both working all those extra hours.

But forgetting that for a minute. I'm concerned that having been so disappointed by the first younger man she's allowed herself to get involved with in a long, long time, she might just slip back into her old state of depression. And we both put too much effort into getting her out of that to risk seeing her go backwards again.

You can understand that, can't you?'

'Of course I can. I just don't want to risk her taking what we might see as being the easy way out - getting a fixation on me instead of meeting a variety of men, some good, some not so good - that's the way it is for all of us isn't it.

Although she's a beautiful and very, very sexy young woman - and I don't have to tell you that she has no trouble turning me on any time at all, I love you, and there's no way in the world I'm going to put what we've got at risk, no matter how marvellous the sex might be - no matter what the reason for it is, or who it is I'm having it with.'

'I understand that Roger - and I love you all the more for saying it. But Barbara is different, she's been through very, very bad times - and really we are the only people who can help her right now. What I'm suggesting is only a stop-gap, I'm sure she'll meet someone new soon and I agree with what you said, about her having to go through a few rough spots before she finds the right man.

But I honestly think that right now she's at risk of hitting rock bottom - and of course seeing us together and then hearing us, as you said she did last night. By the way, how did that come up?'

'It was a bit of a joke I think, I'm not really sure now, she said something about being kept awake for a while.' I answered vaguely, hoping Helen wouldn't probe any further, the last thing I wanted to do was to have to tell her about the sound-proofing Barbara had suggested might be necessary for the attic.

'She probably lay there listening to us, imagining being made love to herself. That's what I'm worried about - if we go on as we're used to, she'll feel deprived, if we don't, then you and I suffer.

On the other hand, if I get out of the way sometimes, go and see my parents, work late occasionally, that would give her the opportunity of letting off a bit of steam, with you.

That's not too much to ask, is it?'

'If you put it like that, of course not.'

'O.K., I'll give them a ring tomorrow, see when would be a good time for them for me to go up. I can tell them all about the house and how Barbara's helping us, they'll get a kick out of that.'

Later, after Helen had fallen asleep beside me, I lay there, my thoughts automatically turning to Barbara and what might come from Helen's idea and although we had made love, much less noisily than the previous night, just those thoughts were enough to revive my appetite and the dreams that followed during the night were filled with images of Barbara - and what we might do to each other when the time came.

After dinner the following evening the three of us settled down in the lounge-room, the architects' plans and Barbara's notes and sketches spread on the floor around us and I was relieved to see that there were no drawings relating to the attic amongst them. As Barbara explained what she had done we began to realise how much work she had put in and just how good her ideas were - and she could tell that our praise and congratulations were completely genuine. She explained that she still had a few minor details to sort out but that she would have everything finished well before our meeting on the following Friday.

After we had added a few small ideas of our own Barbara rolled up the papers and said she'd go and do a little more work before going to bed.

'Oh, by the way.' Helen said as Barbara finished gathering up her papers. 'I was talking to Gran and Pop today and of course they asked when they were going to see us, as they always do. I said I could go up there this week-end.'

'Oh Mum, not this week-end. We've got the meeting on Friday and I'm sure that will raise a number of things that have to be changed - and we want to be able to get the plans finished quickly so they can go to the council.'

'I know darling, I understand that - but it's been weeks and weeks since Roger and I went. I know you two will have a lot to do, that's why I said I would go.'

'On your own?'

'Yes, I've often done that before.'

I carefully avoided looking at Barbara, though I noticed her glancing at me and hoped that what was going through her mind right then was similar to the thoughts that I'd had the previous night.

TO BE CONTINUED

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