MATTHEW RETURNS
© Copyright 2001 by Terry Aspinall
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means – electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopying) recording, or otherwise – without prior permission in writing from the author.
ISBN : 9781301721092
Published by Terry Aspinall
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Introduction
Matthew has been discharged from the British Army after serving 22 years. He returns to Suffolk and the small country side town of Stowmarket, in which he grew up. At first he finds it hard to settle back into the life he once knew. Finding it hard to obtain employment with skills he had picked up while in the Army. However, a shock awaits him when it comes to finding himself a girl friend.
Short Love Story
This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locals or events is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1. Returning Home.
Chapter 2. Born Again Worker.
Chapter 3. Haunted By A Moment.
Chapter 4. Fighting A Losing Battle.
Chapter 5. Double Sided Trouble.
Chapter 6. Chaos And Mayhem.
Chapter 7. Picking Through The Pieces.
A Different Ending
Further Publications from This Author
Chapter 1
Returning Home
As Matthew approached the small Suffolk country town of Stowmarket, he was greeted by a large green reflective road sign, informed him that he was about to enter the towns boundary. This would be the first time he had returned to the town after an absence of twenty two years. He had finally returned to his birthplace, to his roots, as he often referred to it. Stowmarket was the town he had grown up in, where he’d enjoyed all of the exciting things that children get up to during their younger years. However, many of the parents preferred to label it as a miss spent youth. This was a little hypocritical when you consider that they had probably gone through the very same experience during their growing up. Matthew believed it to be a case of what he called sour grapes, with them not wanting others to enjoy the same experience they had. He remembered the older generation of the time had a saying for the youngsters, 'Don’t do what I do, do what I say', and we did, otherwise we received what they called a good hiding.
Just before he reached Combs Ford on the southern end of the town he found himself opposite the entrance to the ICI paints factory. It had changed a little in appearance, but that did not stop the memories starting to flood back to him. As a schoolboy he had undertaken a newspaper round to earn a little pocket money. The ICI gatehouse had been the furthest point that this paper round had taken him from the paper shop based in the Ford, as it was known by the locals. He chuckled to himself as he remembered all those cold frosty and sometimes very wet early mornings. Just to give the owners of the houses something of interest to read in the warm comfort of their houses over breakfast, while he was wet, cold and shivering, all for the handsome sum of eight shillings a week. He shook his head as he muttered to himself, that he would never forget those four years of cold morning misery. Although on the bright side it had been an apprenticeship in learning to get up early in the morning that would help once he entered the work force.
Across the slip road that led to the ICI factory main entrance was what Matthew remembered as the Cedars Country Club, a large stately looking building dating back many years. During some of which had been used as a gentleman's club where members could drink outside of the well policed drinking hours and enjoy the comforts of lady friends. This building had been the second from last port of call on while on his so called Needham Road newspaper run.
After arriving in the Combs Ford square, he parked his car in front of the Magpie public house and got out to stretch his legs and have a look around. There had not been many changes since he had left, it was pretty much as he remembered it. The Magpie looked as if it had recently been given a fresh coat of paint and there was a new sign hanging on the corner of the building high above the street. Next to it stood the newspaper shop from where Matthew had sorted his newspapers in to some resemblance of order, so that they came out of his paper bag in the correct order that he visited the houses on his round.
While directly across the road from the Magpie stood a second pub, the Gladstone Arms. With these two pubs being so close together one would have thought that they were in direct competition with each other for the local people's patronage. However, this had not been the case, because each Pub sold its own brand of beer that tasted so totally different from each other. Over the years the locals had acquired a taste for one or the other and knew which brand they preferred. Therefore when heading down the Ford for a drink as it was known, they would only visit the pub that sold the brand they preferred.
Continuing his glance around the square, his eyes next stopped at the old bridge positioned over the local stream that had twisted its way down through the county side from the Combs leather tannery factory, while on its way to join up with the river Gipping a few hundred meters away. Matthew used to tightrope walk across its rounded arched brick parapets, thinking himself good if he managed to balance himself right across the full length of the bridge. Failure to do so usually spelt disaster, ending with him having to jump down on to the road, hopefully missing any oncoming traffic that might have been crossing the bridge at the time. Or on the odd occasion when he had completely lost his balance and had fallen down the other side of the brickwork and ended up in the shallow smelly waters of the stream below.
Next his eyes settled on what used to be old man Chambers Bicycle Shop, this was where the children of the area purchased all the parts they constantly required to repair their bicycles. This was the main form of transport for most children at that time. They were also the days when he was into dirt bike racing and bicycle speedway. However, now the bike shop had gone and in its place was a fish and chip shop, oh well Matthew thought time moves on. Although thinking to himself that at some time it might become a Chinese Takeaway. Anyway everybody have cars these days so there can't be a market for bicycle parts, but fish and chips, well everybody eats them, probably while they sit in their cars. During Matthews time there had been two fishing chip shops within a couple of hundred yards of each other around the square.
Matthew got back into his car and proceeded to drive up Poplar Hill towards Combs. Much was still as he had remembered it, there was a tree missing here and the new house had gone up there, but basically it still remained pretty much as he remembered it. That was until he reached the area he was expecting to find the Prefab houses that used to stand on the Thorny View estate. They had all gone without a trace, and in their place now stood a selection of large detached four bedroom houses. This came as a big shock to him, he had once lived in one of the houses that had been hastily erected just after the end of the Second World War, to house the people in the town displaced by the ravages of war. He had intended stopping just to have a look at them and maybe take a walk round to suck in the atmosphere and scenery that he had once enjoyed. However, the sight of the large monstrosities that were scattered around the site where he had spent his childhood put him off. He drove straight passed heading further up the hill to where his Aunt Betty was now living. Matthew had earlier made arrangements to stay with her until he could found himself a job and hopefully some accommodation.
Aunt Betty met him at the front door and they spent a few moments hugging each other an
d savouring the moment of their first meeting in just over twenty years. Aunt Betty had been his favourite aunt, the only member of the family who had kept in touch with him during all those years, since Matthew had run away to join the Army. It had been Aunt Betty who had informed him off the tragic news that his Mother had passed away tragically in a car accident, only just a year after he left home. He had not even been able to return to her funeral as at that time he was serving in Northern Ireland. However, Aunt Betty had kept him informed and placed a solitary rose on the grave just for him, as she had each year since.
The rest of that day they spent together just talking and drinking cups of tea, catching up on all of the gossip that both of them had missed out on over the years. Although the conversation kept coming back to what Matthew was intending to do with himself now that he was back in Stowmarket. Firstly he made it plain that he was hoping to settle back into the town that he was brought up in. He would find himself a job, but he wasn’t too sure what he would do. Money was not really a problem after all he had served his full twenty-two years in the service, so he had a full pension to supplement any wage that he might be able to earn. It was going to be hard for him to settle into a new job, especially when interested parties learnt that his skills only incorporated unarmed combat, setting up bobby traps, disarming mines or bombs, and shooting rifles. Saboteur’s skills are not widely required in a small country town and even less in its manufacturing industries. Matthew accepted that there was not going to be many vacancies for those types of skills in a sleepy little town like Stowmarket. Accommodation well that could come later as long as Aunt Betty did not mind him being around and under her feet for a couple of weeks. He was intending to have a bit of a holiday before he even started looking for a job.
Next day Matthew took a bus ride up to the town's market place to have a look around and to get a feel for the town he had chosen to settle back into and make it his new home. However, a big shock awaited him as the town had almost trebled in size, from what he remembered all those years earlier. Stowmarket had now become one of the London overspill towns and had steadily grown with a large influx of cockneys. Here in Suffolk the new comers were offered space, a job, a house and a new way of country side living. However, in their haste, the large numbers that took up the governments offer to escape the cramped housing conditions of the London suburbs, had helped destroyed the unique way of country life that Matthew remembered and had enjoyed as a youngster.
Everywhere he went he could not get away from that unforgettable cockney twang in the peoples voices, as they walked and swirled all around him as he slowly window shopped his way through the town. His most unforgettable memory that first day was that he did not see one person that he remembered from way back. There were no old Teddy Boy mates, no old school chums, no work mates, no nothing. Surely there must be one person still around from his teenage years, they can’t all have moved away and disappeared.
Being Thursday it was Market day and a lot of people from out of town were swelling the ranks of the locals. Matthew began wondering that maybe this was the reason why he was not able to find anybody that he could connect with his past. However, he was also aware that being the daytime most of his old friends if they were still around would probably be working. Although some of them could be on holiday or perish the thought, they might even have died.
The pub that’s where they’ll all be, he thought, I’m bound to find somebody there. So he made his way to the Greyhound, situated by the main traffic lights very close to the market square. The bar was full, but once again he did not recognise one of the happy smiling faces. They were mainly market folk, here for either the selling or buying of live stock or in some other way were connected to the animal sale yards that drew these people to Stowmarket on a Thursday. After downing a small glass of beer, he headed off across the road to the Queens Head Hotel, another well-known haunt for young people all those years before.
This was more like it he thought, as sat around the bar on high stools were a few faces he did recognise from the past. However, there was nobody that he could walk up to and immediately start up a conversation with, but none the less he did know them as people who had grown up in his era. Then as he looked towards the corner he noticed a group of people playing darts and amongst them was the first face he immediately recognised from the past.
It was Brian Lawrence, they both recognised each other at the same time, and walking towards each other with hands out stretch they met up, and shook hands for almost a full minute. Both were smiling and a flood of questions came from each of them. Brian got the drinks in and they settled down at a table by the dartboard, for what turned out to be a long question and answer session that greets most people who have not met for over twenty years.
Brian had been a class mate throughout their entire time at the local secondary modern school. It was Brian who had eventually talked Matthew into joining the Army, so they had a lot in common and a lot to talk about. He had been home on leave after serving abroad for eighteen months and had lots of stories to tell of all his escapades. He had caught Matthew at a time when he had been down in the dumps and at a cross roads in his life. He had big problems to solve, and according to Brian the only way he was going to solve them was to run away and start afresh somewhere. Brian was just offering him an easy way out, somewhere to go, and anyway it did sound interesting and fun, the whole proposition sounded like it was an answer to his prayer. Matthew had pumped Brian for as much detail as possible, mind you he was only hearing the good things the rosy side of service life and what he had gotten up to. Most people tend to gloss over the bad, as if it never happened or even make up a few things to cover it up, the bad is never talked about. He had since learnt that the bad is just accepted as a way of life, get on with it, do it and enjoy the good that will surely come your way in the end.
The following day Matthew had taken a bus trip to Ipswich and visited the Army recruitment office at the bottom of Lloyds Avenue, and before he left the building he had signed along the dotted line and joined the Army for nine years. He then kept it quiet from everybody not daring to tell a soul, not even his mother. It was a full month before he was due to report to Aldershot for his basic training, one of the longest months of his life. A month which just seemed to drag on and on, he was scared to confide in anybody and to tell them of his plans. When the big day finally arrived Matthew had just told his Mother that he had taken a job and was going away for a few months.
The most amazing thing was that he had enjoyed the service life and over the years he had worked his way up to the rank Sergeant. Even his active service tours of duty and there were a few of them had been to his liking. He’d visited a few exotic places around the world, and he’d enjoyed the travel and the places. For a guy who had joined up on the spur of the moment it had all turned out good for him. Once his nine years were up he had signed along the dotted line for a further 13 years. However, once his full 22 years was completed he had been very disappointed at the prospect of having to return to civilian street, as it was known. He would have been more than happy to stay in the service for the rest of his life. Therefore, he found it hard to believe that all of a sudden after all of those years he was not wanted, he was on the scrap heap as they say. He was too old, or at least that’s what they told him, he had to move on and make way for the youngsters that were coming up through the ranks, and anyway he’d been told that they were much fitter than he was. This had hit a raw nerve with Matthew as he had always kept himself very fit and in good condition, he could run rings around most of the other guys. However, rules are rules, he had completed his full term and he had to move on, so this was why he now found himself back in Stowmarket. Not having visited the town for the past twenty years, many memories soon came flooding back to him. Surely it had not been such a bad place after all he thought, so why not make a triumphant return.
Brian had insisted on buying most of the beer and by the time they parted company they were both
a little merry and a bit worse for wear by its affect. Matthew suddenly remembered to ask if he knew of any work in the area. Brian laughed as he explained that there was nothing for ex Army guys in this town and that he would more than likely end up like him. As far as the Military cared it was a case of out of sight and out of mind. They had taken the best years of your life, and now you had to make the best of what they have left you.
"That’s why you found me here, with nothing else to do, no work just drinking and playing darts".
"You must be joking, there must be something I can do," Matthew replied.
"Well yes there is, but it's not the sort of thing that I’m going to lower myself to do, I’m just going to limp along on my service pension the best way that I can. However, if you're interested there is the lawn mower factory, they’re always looking for vegetables to work on their assembly lines. But that’s not for me mate, it would drive me crazy" said Brian.
"But surely it keeps you occupied and gives you a chance to meet people, stops you ending up talking to yourself and going insane". Matthew continued.
"Christ after all we are only in our early forties mate, we are not ready for the box just yet, are we," said Matthew.
They parted company the best of friends promising to meet again for another drink, and anyway Matthew knew where to find him he wasn’t going anywhere. With an attitude like that, he probably slept behind the bar at nights as well, so he wouldn’t miss opening time the following morning, or that maybe he was scared that somebody might pinch his favourite bar stool. It went through his head about the lawn mower factory, it had always been a job of last resort even when he had left school, although at that time it had been called the Suffolk Iron factory. At least it was a job and if he found something better well then he could change it later. He decided not to rush in to it after all he had time on his side and at least he had some money in his pocket to get him by for a time being.
He spent a week visiting places that he remembered from his past and a couple of old family relatives. Once he had seen the first of his old friends it became easier to spot more and more of them as they seemed to come out of the woodwork, it was just a case of knowing where to look. A bit like when he was overseas in the Army and first ended up in the Jungle expecting to find a snake hanging from every tree just like in the Tarzan movies. However, it had been almost three months before he saw his very first snake. After that and knowing where to look, he saw them more frequently. Much the same as with his old friends he thought, the trick is knowing where to look.
It soon became very boring for him. He had managed to find a few of his old friends. However, just like he had thought during the daytime they were all at work, and at night’s well they were married and now had families, so not many of them ventured out, Matthews first response was that they were under the thumb. It became a little lonely for him and he soon started thinking about the lawn mower. At least it would stop the boredom and give him some thing to do, the last thing he wanted right now was to end up playing darts every day of his life just like Brian. Maybe he would find a few new friends especially one of the female types and that was what he needed right now female company. Matthew had never married mainly because of his travelling around the world in the service. He did not think it right to expect a wife to spend all of that time on her own and to be faithful as well, that would be hard on the both of them. However, he had not been a saint in the courting stakes either, having had several long-term affairs, but nothing that had blossomed in to a permanent relationship. Twice he had come close to marriage but just the thought of proposal had put him off, no he was quite happy to play the field, and he had been successfully at it over the years.
One morning as he went into the Ford newspaper shop for the East Anglian Daily Times, just on the off chance that the situations vacant column contained an offer that he thought too good to resist. He spied a small card in the window, which read, 'Room to rent apply within'. So he did, getting all of the details and where to go from the good looking young girl behind the counter, who just happened to be the daughter of the person advertising the room. It was more of a case that she liked the look of Matthew otherwise she would not have given him the address. He thanked her very much and said that he hoped to see her later if he was lucky that is with the room.
Within the hour Matthew was knocking on the door of a house in Temple Road, up along side of the Regal Cinema. A very nice looking woman who Matthew guessed as being around his own age answered the door. Matthew introduced himself and started to explain that he had seen her advert in the paper shop window advertising a room for let. However, he was cut off short as the woman told him that her daughter had rang and told her that there was a nice looking guy coming to see her.
"My names Janice, Janice Burns you had better come inside and we can have a chat" she said trying to sound sexy.
Matthew was lead into a very large, what must have been the lounge room and offered a seat on the settee and Janice sat down beside him. Matthew felt a little crowded as there seemed to be plenty of other chairs in the room, but she had chosen to squeeze into the same settee as him. He could not help but notice once again that she was a very attractive woman with what looked like very soft natural short blonde hair. She was a neat slim looking woman, and was quite large in the chest area and more that once he found himself staring at them, and feeling a little embarrassed when she caught him in the act. However, it did not seem to bother her, to the contrary she seemed to enjoy the attention they were getting. The male’s sexual preferences drop into two categories, boobs or bum and in these stakes Matthew was boobs man, so immediately she had something that caught his eye. His first reaction to the site that greeted him was that you do not get many of them to the pound. Her makeup was not plastered on like some women he had met in the past. No it had only been applied very lightly just enough to bring out the best of her looks.
Janice went on to explain the house, and how it was too big for her since her husband had run off with a younger girl a couple of years earlier. She also explained how she needed the extra money that it might bring in for her to pay for its up keep. It had been handed down from her parents who had both been doctors and had used it as a surgery, and that there was no way that she was going to part with it. She also added that it would be nice if the person who took up her offer were a man. She continued to tell him that she was constantly worrying about crime in the area and that she would feel safer with a man's presents in the house.
She then showed him around the house, his bedroom was very large and over looked the well kept back gardens. That’s my only hobby she added as she pointed out of the window, gardening and I do it all on my own. They would be sharing the bathroom upstairs and that he would be able to use any of the down stair rooms and was invited to eat with them whenever possible. She then pointed out that her pet hate was the toilet seat and that she did not like it left up after use. She went out of her way to ask him to raise it before he used it but to then cover up the scene of the crime at all times. My daughter lives here, as well her name is Dawn, as you already know.
"By the way do you like music Matthew," she asked.
"Yes pretty much everything, oh except this rap thing, can’t seem to make head nor tail of that boom boom boom thing," he said, with a laugh.
"Well I named my daughter Dawn after the hit song of the same name, by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, can you remember it," she asked.
"Yes I can," he replied with a smile.
"I wanted to name her Debbie after Debbie Reynolds the American singer, but after watching the video Debbie does Dallas a few years later. I was glad that I choose Dawn, saving her a lot of embarrassment," She continued. "I thought it might give people the wrong impression of her."
Matthew wondered where the conversation was leading and of what she might say next.
However, at least it established that they had both grown up in the same era, and the video reference also pointed out that she w
as interested in sex. This information had also proved to him that his earlier guess, that she was around his age, was also correct.
She then went on to ask how long he intended to stay and was he working, trying to find out as much as possible about him. They both seemed to like each other and the house was just what he was looking for. Positioned near the town centre and all of the amenities that it had to offer was quite pleasing. Poplar Hill was just that little bit too far out of town, plus Aunt Betty was a lot older than he was, so she did not like change too much. She would go to bed early in the evening and did not like being awakened by Matthew coming in late at night, especially if he was drunk. There had not been words about it, but Matthew was just being cautious not wanting to upset the only true family friend that he still had. Aunt Betty was something special to him and he wanted it to remain that way, she had helped him get a foothold in the town and now it was time to move on to something more permanent.
Matthew moved in that afternoon, as it was very easy for him and after all it was not a big drama. He was travelling light, very light, in fact he only had a couple of small suite cases and his car. His car also fitted in nicely into the three-car garage that was positioned alongside the house. He carted both his suite cases upstairs to his room being closely followed by Janice all the way up the stairs. It felt like her eyes were piercing his back and watching every move that he made. If he hadn’t known better he would have thought that she was watching his bum wobble with every step that he took up the stairs. Once in the room it started to get a little crowded, as he laid the cases on the bed and opened them up, and Janice started to help him with his unpacking. He couldn’t believe it, she was arranging his under clothes and socks in the draws beside his bed and talking to him just like he was her husband. He started to wonder what was going on, after all he had only known the woman for a couple of hours and already she was into his underpants, and he started to wonder whatever may lay ahead for him. On the odd couple of occasions that they had to brush past each other as they walked about the room Matthew could smell the soft fragrance of a very expensive perfume that she was wearing. It was so strong that Matthew had to admit that it was doing its job correctly, by turning him on and into an animal of the jungle, every time she glided past him. He subconsciously told himself to ignore her advances, knowing that he was correct in his assumptions, because the scent was so strong it was a good bet that it had only just been splashed onto her body just before he had arrived. While all the time she was talking to him and asking questions, some very intimate.
Then suddenly and out of the blue "Do you sleep in the nude Matthew," she said.
"Err why do you ask," he managed to croak back in a quiet reply, while still trying to hold back his true feelings.
"Well there are no pyjamas," she said and followed it with a giggle,
"I hope you don’t sleep walk, if you do I bet it's a pretty sight to see," she continued.
"More like it would frighten you off," said Matthew in a low voice.
However, she heard him and jumped straight back saying, "Not me I’d love it".
That was the final straw for Matthew in an attempt to get out of the bedroom he asked Janice if he could have a drink of water.
"How about a cup of tea," she asked again with a sexy sound voice.
"Love one," he said and under his breath gave a huge sigh of relieve that he could get out of her web in one piece. Gee if this is the first day what the hell are the next few days going to be like, he thought. Matthew suddenly had the feeling that he may have made a mistake and should have asked a few more questions about Janice before he moved in.
Janice left Matthew in the lounge while she went into the kitchen to make a cup tea for them. While she was out of the room he walked around not wanting to sit down. His attention was drawn towards to matching goblets that were standing on the sideboard both very highly decorated. He was about to pick one of them up as Janice reappeared back in the room carrying a tray upon which were two cups of tea.
"Oh I see you have found my parents," she joked.
Matthew was taken aback by her comment wondering what she was talking about. He found himself standing with a blank look on his face and a little speechless, by the remark.
"The left one is Mum and the right one is Dad," she said. "It's their ashes," she continued.
"Oh I see," Matthew, said with a little astonishment, "I wasn’t sure what you meant".
He picked up the left one that had been pointed out as her Mother to look at the decorative markings on its side, but not daring to remove the lid for a sneak peep in side. As he placed the urn back on the sideboard he failed to replace it in the exact spot that he had picked it up from, instead placing it a little nearer to the other one. Janice walked over and repositioned the urn to its original position.
"Mustn’t put them to close together you don’t know what they might get up to while we are out," she turned and laughed at Matthew, who was bewildered by her remark.
After drinking his tea he made an excuse that he had to go out for a few hours just so he could get out of the house and away from Janice. He needed time to think the situation over and where he went from here. His intentions were to return after the shops had shut up and closed for the day. Then Janice’s daughter would be home so he would feel a little safer, best not to be alone in that house with the sexy seductress that he named her, he chuckled to himself. Although he had had second thoughts about the place after only just managing to escape from Janice’s clutches, it was still a good area to live and it was very close to town and a possible job if he had the luck to find one.
Matthew headed straight to the Queens head and a few drinks with Brian. However, he left with none of his questions being answered about the sexy seductress back at his digs. Brian claimed he had never heard of her or at least that’s what he told Matthew. However, he did notice that there was a wide grin on his face as they parted company. He timed his arrival back at the house perfectly. Dawn was home and the table was laid for dinner, fine he thought nothing much can happen at the dinner table, or at least that’s what he thought. The meal was very enjoyable and the three of them joked and got to know each other between each mouthful. The atmosphere was very friendly and they all seem to get on like a house on fire. With Janice there was no sign of her behaving like she had done earlier. Maybe she had realised that he had not wanted to take her up on her advances, so now maybe she would leave him alone. Of course there was also the chance that she did not want to look like she was after him in front of her daughter.
Dawn was a very pretty young looking nineteen-year-old girl with blue eyes and long light brown hair. She was of medium height and slim, with nice small rounded breasts, a nice well curved bum and long slender legs. A few times during the meal their eyes had met as they were offering each other plates of food across the table. Matthew would immediately try and shift his glance away from her, but occasionally he was caught staring at her. The last thing he wanted now was for the daughter to start coming on strong like the mother had earlier, just the thought was enough to send the shivers down his spine.
Most of the conversation between them had been around Matthews past history and what he had got up to while overseas in the Army. Unfortunately for Matthew the macho type world that he portrayed to them, had both woman even more excited and interested in him. Here he was trying to douse down their obvious sexual feelings towards him and all he was doing was inflaming the situation even further.
After dinner they sat around watching a little television, but the conversation still flowed between them. As the hours past and it was obvious that soon one of them would have to make the first move and head for their bed. Matthew started to get a little nervous of what could possibly happen next. However, his worry was all for nothing, because nothing did happen. They all retired at about the same time saying their good nights to each other as they headed for the stairs. Once in his bedroom Matthew was a little shocked to find that there was
no lock on his bedroom door, come to think of it there had been none on the bathroom either. Well there was nothing he could do about it now, he had to accept the situation as it was, and get a good night's sleep. However, it took him a couple of hours before he dropped off, after thinking about his hosts and of wondering what they really thought of him.
Matthew was awoken by Janice who was standing by the side of his bed with a hot cup of tea in her hand. As his sleep filled eyes adjusted to the situation he could not help noticing that she was only wearing the most scant of night dresses and very short as well. As his eye regained more of their focus it became very obvious to him that it was almost see through as well. He could just see the outline of Tasmania roughly where the tops of her legs should be. Realising that he was staring he found it hard to find words to strike up a conversation, but it was Janice who broke the ice.
"Thought you would like a cup of tea on your first morning in a new house," she whispered.
Matthew thanked her and told her that she should not have bothered, as he was about to get up.
"Oh no trouble," she continued, "I had to get up and make one for myself, been dry all night. I don’t usually get up this early".
"Just thought I’d give you a nice surprise," she continued with a smile.
"Well you sure did that," replied Matthew.
"Well there you are," she said “This morning everybody got a surprise didn’t they. Maybe another day you will be able to surprise me." Janice grinned and placed the cup by the side of the bed and left the room.
The bathroom turned out to be like some sort of tunnel as Matthew made his way to the sink bopping and weaving under the under wear and nylons that hung from the make shift string clothes line from one corner of the room to the other. He had been scared to enter tapping on the door several times before he slowly pushed the door open, expecting at any moment to find one of them standing naked in front of the mirror. However, this time he was lucky, or unlucky he thought, depending on which way you wanted to look at the situation he now found himself in. He had to be careful after all he could be reading the situation completely wrong, and if he made a wrongly interpreted move it could turn out to haunt him forever. However, he was only human and a male at that. Most males who found themselves in a situation like this would not be able to control themselves and that was to be accepted it was called being normal, for a male that is. If these women were only trying to tease him or dread the thought play games with him. Well then he had better be careful how he responded. Mind you he had heard of women who were just the same as the average male, and whatever they wanted they just took, sexually that is. However, so far in his lifetime of experience he had never come across one of them.
After breakfast and it being Sunday Matthew offered to take the women out for a picnic if they were interested. The idea was greeted with plenty of enthusiasm and so a hastily prepared hamper was packed and they set off into the county side in Matthews’s car. Not being sure of the area, Janice was elected to be the navigator and she steered them towards Haughley and its famous duck pond. This was a great spot and Matthew remembered it from his childhood days when his parents brought him to the very same duck pond.
They found a grassy spot and spread a blanket and laid out all of the food and goodies that they had brought with them. Janice seemed to get her fun from just feeding everything to the ducks. While Matthew and Dawn lay together soaking up the rare appearance of the sun, and talking about each other, although at times a little too intimate Matthew thought. To any passer-by they looked like a normal family out for the day and to some extent they were. There was plenty of fun and laughter had by all and the day turned out to be a big success.
That night in his room as Matthew was trying to get some sleep, he heard his bedroom door open, and in the semi darkness he picked out the silhouette of Dawn as she made her way over to his bed. She suddenly whispered to him asking if he was awake. It was no good pretending that he was not and anyway he was a full-blooded male, he had a very good idea of what she wanted and his sexual feelings had been put to the test long enough, he was only responding just like any normal male would, so he decided to just let nature take its course.
"What do you want," he asked all the time knowing the answer.
He knew that their conversation during the day had been a little intimate, but not this intimate, he had not sensed that it would lead to this.
"I’m lonely and scared of the dark," she replied, "Just thought we could talk for a while".
With that she quietly kicked her pants off on to the floor and climbed under the sheets and snuggled up close to him.
When Matthew finally awoke the next morning she had already left his bed, but at what time in the night she had returned to her own bed he had no idea. What they had gotten up to under the sheets had left him tired out, and he had slept like a babe for the remainder of the night.
As Matthew entered the kitchen for breakfast both the ladies of the house were already seated and eating. With a quick good morning to them he settled on to his chair, while trying not to make eye contact with either of them. However, it was useless and impossible after all he had to look up some time so it might as well be now he thought. Dawn had a nice bright smile on her face and even managed a sly little wink towards him, while Janice was the first to speak and chirped up with.
"I thought I might have had a cup of tea in bed this morning".
Matthew answered replying that, "He’d had a long night, so he had slept in a little late".
Dawn joined in sarcastically with, "Oh we had a long night did we".
Matthew did not know where to look, what to say, or what to do next, so he jumped up saying, "That he would make some fresh toast for them".
Later while back in his room Matthew laid back on his bed and picked up a book to read, he felt it best that he lay low for a time, just in case something was said that would lead to embarrassment. His big worry was what if Janice finds out, not many mothers would let some stranger sleep with their daughter. What if she kicked him out, then he would have to go home to Aunt Betty with cap in hand to stay with her once again, if she would have him that is. She would want to know why he had only lasted a couple of days in the doctor’s house.
Janice came into the room carrying a duster and said that as Dawn had gone to work she would like to undertake a little housework. So if he took himself out for a couple of hours she would have it all finished by the time that he got back. As she turned to leave the room she bent down and picked up the scant pair of Dawn’s pants that lay on top of some of his clothes by the bed. Quick as a flash Matthew blurted out.
"Oh I must have left them there by mistake, yesterday when I got the washing in, you know it was raining a little, must have got some of hers mixed up with mine". Trying to justify as to why they were there.
"Or something like that," Janice said with a sly grin on her face as she left the room with the pants still being twirled around on her index finger.
Matthew could not get out of the room fast enough feeling very embarrassed by the pants episode with Janice. He took a walk up the town and to the labour exchange thinking that maybe it was time he started looking for a job, or at least trying to sound out the waters as they say. He was not lucky whatever they had on offer it just did not appeal to him, so rather than go home he decided to spend the lunch hour in the Queens Head Hotel. At least he knew that he would be able to find Brian there, so he would be able to talk to a friendly face and maybe have a game of darts.
Sure enough Brian was propping up the bar with a pint of beer in his hand, Matthew joined him and offered him a game of darts.
"Was you up the crack of Dawn this morning," Brian asked.
"Certainly was, can't beat it can you," answered Matthew.
"Lucky for some," Laughed Brian.
This caught Matthew off guard realising that there must be a hidden joke in there somewhere, and that he was missing it.
"What’s funny," Matthew
asked.
"Dawn, Crack of Dawn," Brian laughed again.
The penny finally dropped, Brian was refereeing to Dawn, the daughter. From the way that he was referring he must have known that she was a little hot in the sex department. Funny but on their earlier meetings Brian had made out that he did not know of Dawn or her mother.
"You bugger, you knew of them all along didn’t you," said Matthew.
Brian Laughed once again and went on to say that he had heard that she was a bit of hot stuff, mind you he had not been lucky with her himself. He continued to grill Matthew on what he had gotten up to with her. Matthew did his best to deny that he had been lucky and that he had scored with her.
The usual jokes took place about men and how they go about picking up a girl. However, it was Brian who was forever pushing and asking Matthew what it was like living with two women at the same time. Matthew always trying to evade the questions said that it was like nagging in stereo, but unfortunately there was no volume control so he could not turn it down. The last thing Matthew wanted was for rumours to spread around the town of his escapades in Temple Road.
He arrived back at Temple road a little the worse for wear as they say, in fact he was a lot the worse for wear, at times finding it hard to walk a straight line. Janice greeted him as he walked in and guessed what he had been up to, and offered him a black coffee. Matthew accepted and slumped back on the settee in front of the television. Not realising what was happening his eyes started to close. Suddenly he was woken up by Janice who was shaking him and placing the coffee on a small table in front of him, where he had plonked his feet.
"Mind you don’t knock it over," she said.
Seeing the state he was in she lifted each leg up in turn and removed his shoes. Matthew could not believe what was happening to him and felt a little embarrassed. However, he could not help himself either and anyway he was enjoying the attention. Janice was on her knees and after removing the second shoe she lowered his leg gently back on the table. It was always a nice feeling having female hands touching his body and he did not stop her as she slowly moved her hand up the inside of his leg. In fact the alcohol that he had consumed earlier had actually had the effect of sexually arousing him. Janice cuddled up very closely to him still keeping her hand on his inner thigh, she leaned towards him and kissed him on the side of his neck. Matthew could not stop himself he just laid back and enjoyed the situation as it unfolded. As Janice slowly started to unbutton his shirt the sexual desire within him started to take over and suddenly the drunkenness of his situation was forgotten by him taking over in the fore play that developed between then. Matthew swung his legs up on to the settee and he pulled Janice up and on top of him. There then followed what seemed like an hour of torrid lovemaking that was only halted by the sound of Dawn’s car being driven in to the garage. That was the fastest that a semi drunken Matthew had ever moved in his entire life as he tried to run out of the room and the up the stairs with his trousers still caught around his ankles. Janice had more speed plus she wasn’t drunk and anyway her pants lay on the floor. She just picked them up walked in to the kitchen and threw them into the dirty laundry basket and walked to the front door where she greeted her daughter with a large smile on her face, possibly thinking that if my daughter can do it so can I, and maybe even better.