With a Little Help from My Wife

"Dad! You promised me!"

I was under attack. Yesterday it had been daughter #1 and today it was daughter #2. They were ganging up on me and I was beginning to wilt under the pressure.

"It's been 12 months Dad! A whole year since Gloria passed away and you promised me that you would get out and start meeting people!"

I sighed, "I know ... I know I did my dear but I've been busy ..."

"Dad! You're retired! Retired people who stay at home are never busy! Enough with the excuses! It's six months to Christmas, if you haven't got a friend to bring to Christmas lunch Renata and I are going to come up there and make you meet people!"

"Yes dear, I'll get out and meet people."

"You had better do that Dad because you know what Renata is like when she's on the warpath!"

Oh god, I did know what Renata was like when she was on the warpath. I would do just about anything to avoid facing a determined daughter like Renata when she was on a mission ... but go out and meet people?

I wasn't sure I could do that. I wasn't sure I wanted to let anyone else into my life. My first wife had left me after 20 years, my second wife had died suddenly after 19 years ... did I really want or need another person in my life?

I had survived the last 12 months since I had found Gloria dead on the floor when I got back from getting a haircut. The paramedics couldn't do anything other than suggest that it must have been very sudden and I wouldn't have been able to do anything even if I had been there.

The post-mortem showed that it had been a pulmonary embolism and the paramedics had been right, it would have been all over in less than 60 seconds, but I was sure that I could have saved her if I had been there. I don't know what I would have done but I just knew that I could have made a difference.

Instead, my life had ended with Gloria's and I had withdrawn into my shell. I didn't have much of a social life of my own before, Gloria was the bubbly outgoing person who dragged me along to parties and dinners.

I had been happy to go because I could stand back and admire the way my beautiful wife brought happiness and laughter to others but, once she was gone, I was gone too.

Oh, I didn't fade away; I ate, I exercised, I still bought and sold shares, but I lived alone in a grey world that I didn't want to escape from. I was content to wait out my allotted time and go when my body told me that it was time give up totally, but my two adult daughters had other ideas.

They fired the opening salvo of Operation Get Dad a Life, about nine months after Gloria passed. It almost went unnoticed by me but at ten months the second salvo arrived and I knew that both of them were on a mission.

The rate of fire increased at 11 months and the all-out assault had begun the day before with Renata's call and I knew that if I didn't hoist the white flag and do what they demanded then it would become an unrelenting barrage of phone calls, Facebook posts and private messages.

So, after ending the call from my second daughter, I knew I had to do something, but I really didn't want to. I was comfortable in my lonely misery and, yes, I knew how unhappy I was, but I had always been shy and had never made friends easily.

Finding a wife had been even harder for me. My first wife had found me when we were just in our early 20's because she marched into the hospital ward where I was recovering from knee surgery and made it plain that we were about to become an item.

And we were an item for 20 years until she decided that there was someone better and she went after him with the same determination that she used on me.

I found my second wife when the team I was leading smashed down her front door and charged in expecting to find a dangerous criminal. Instead, we found that he had moved out three days before and Gloria had moved in and she was not someone who was intimidated by armed police.

Fortunately, the neighbours didn't see a squad of heavily armed police get chased out of the house by a woman wielding a broom. But, if they were looking, they might have seen a rather shy man in jeans and a t-shirt arrive that afternoon and repair her smashed front door.

What they wouldn't have seen was that shy man stammer through four attempts to ask Gloria out for dinner, or her soft smile when she accepted.

Now I was retired, the PTSD that grew with every encounter had taken its toll and I had taken early retirement, which meant that I didn't have a uniform to make me feel bulletproof. Now, the real me had to face and interact with people and I wasn't very good at doing that at all, but the real me could hide behind Gloria ... until she wasn't there anymore.

So there I was, facing an ultimatum from my daughters, find someone or they would do the job for me. Of course, I did what any man in my position would do, I tried not to think about it in the hope that my problem would just go away.

Chapter 2

Not long after taking early retirement Gloria and I moved north to live the dream in a tourist town on the Queensland coast and it was a move we never regretted. Whalers Bay was nothing like the Gold Coast with wall to wall resorts and tourist attractions, it was more suited to people who just wanted to kick back and take some time out, and that suited the locals too.

For us it was like living in Paradise and Gloria and I quickly established a daily routine of coffee by the beach at 5.30am followed by a drive along the beachfront ... about 17km of it ... and then home for breakfast and whatever else we were planning to do that day.

We would have walked, or maybe even run along the beachfront, as lots of the locals did as part of their exercise regime, but Gloria had injured her knee years before and even walking could be very painful for her, so we drove.

I guess that we became a familiar sight for many of those who walked or ran and there were a number of regulars who exchanged waves and smiles with us as we drove by. I had always been a bit of a fitness fanatic but I wouldn't walk or run without Gloria so I saved my exercise for when we were at home.

I had converted part of our garage into a small home gym that could cater for my needs and provide some light exercise for Gloria as well and we would work out in our home gym every day.

When Gloria passed I didn't even think of running or walking with the other locals. I had a pattern for every day and I stuck to it, even down to going for a drive after coffee every morning.

That's why, at 6am, three days after the ultimatum from my daughters, I was driving along a section of the beachfront that ran through a residential area. That meant that there was the water, the beach or rocks, a running and bicycle track, the road and then houses.

There was no one on the beach that morning, two people were running separately but in the same direction along the bike track, the only vehicle on the road was mine heading in the opposite direction to the runners, and there was no sign of life coming from any of the houses.

I didn't recognise the first runner and they paid no attention to me but, when I got closer to the second runner, I realised that it was a woman that Gloria and I had waved to for several years. She waved and I was about to return the wave when I saw her trip and fall heavily.

I immediately swung my vehicle around and went back to where she was sitting on the ground. I was out of the car in a flash and went straight to her because there were obvious signs that she was in a lot of pain.

She had a few grazes on her knees but the main problem appeared to be her right ankle. Her foot was at a strange angle to her leg, and I could see the pain etched on her face.

"Hi, I'm Steve Carter, may I have a look at your ankle please?"

I think that she wanted to argue but the pain was too much and she reluctantly let me get closer to her damaged ankle.

"Are you a doctor?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"No, I'm not a doctor and I'm not a nurse but I am a qualified first aider and I think you've broken your ankle."

"How can you be so sure of that? You haven't even touched it?"

"I'm not going to touch it either because the pain could be so intense that you could pass out. But I know that it's broken because I've never seen you walk or run like a penguin before."

"Huh? Oh god it hurts!"

"Your foot is pointing outwards by about 45 degrees. Why don't I help you lay down on the grass and then I'll call an ambulance?"

She agreed to let me help her to lay back on the grass and then I called the Ambulance ... or tried to.

The operator gave me the wonderful news that all units were busy and it could be as long as 45 minutes before they could get one to my location. The operator and I discussed the situation for a minute or two and then she rang the Emergency Room at the local hospital to let them know that I was bringing a patient in who had a broken ankle.

It wasn't ideal but taking her in my vehicle was a lot better than keeping her on her back by the side of the road till an Ambulance could reach her.

Once I had finished with the Operator I turned to my patient, "Can you tell me your name please?"

I could tell that she was becoming a little wary of me and she didn't want to tell me who she was, "OK, I told you that I'm Steve Carter, what I didn't tell you was that I'm a retired Police Sergeant and, you might recall that my wife and I have waved to you as we've passed for several years."

"I do recall seeing the car and waving to you, but where is your wife?"

"She passed away 12 months ago," I said softly.

"Oh ... oh shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to give you a hard time. My name is Heather ... Heather Baker."

"Heather, you might have heard that phone call I just had with the Triple Zero operator. They told me that there are no Ambulances available right now, so I want to take you to hospital in my vehicle.

"Your injury isn't life-threatening but we should get you to hospital as soon as possible so that they can deal with the pain. It's going to hurt putting you into the vehicle but it is the only way to get you to where someone can help you.

"So will you let me do that Heather?"

Two things made doing a dead lift straight from the ground far easier than it sounded. The first was that weights were a part of my daily exercise routine and while I wasn't exactly the Hulk, I was packing a fair amount of muscle in all the right places.

The second thing was that Heather was short and slim so picking her up and getting her into the passenger seat wouldn't be so hard, but it would be painful for her.

"I won't lie to you Heather, it is going to hurt but it's a case of short term pain for long-term gain."

She looked up at me and I could see the pain in her eyes but she hardly hesitated, "OK, just do it!"

I opened the passenger side door on my vehicle and then went back and helped Heather get herself up into a seated position.

"I'm going to put one arm across your back and the other under your knees Heather. Then I'm going to pick you up and carry you over to my old Landcruiser and put you in the passenger seat. Please don't try and do anything, let me do all the work for you.

"OH YOU DIRTY MOTHERFUCKING BASTARD!"

So I didn't exactly tell her how much it was going to hurt when I moved her and she didn't tell me that she could swear like a wharfie either.

On the way to the hospital I asked her if there was anyone I could call to let them know what had happened to her.

"I'm on my own ... my husband and I split years ago but I have a daughter in Brisbane. Could you ring her for me please?"

Six hours later Heather was making her way to my vehicle on a pair of crutches. Her ankle was firmly encased in plaster and would stay that way for weeks before she graduated to a Moon Boot and then a long period of physiotherapy.

"Thank you so much for helping me, Steve, and I can't believe that you've stayed with me through all that, and you're still helping me." I knew that she would need some help getting home and getting settled once she got home and there was nowhere else I needed to be.

"Heather, I'm only too glad that I was in a position to help you and I'll stay with you till your daughter arrives. I've got nothing urgent to do at home ... and if your daughter can't make it till tomorrow I can camp on your couch."

"Steve you don't have to do that ... I'm not totally helpless you know."

She was right, she could do things for herself but there had been some hesitation at the hospital, about sending her home, when the doctor learned that she lived alone. He was much happier when I volunteered to stay with her till her daughter arrived from Brisbane.

Heather also seemed surprised that I would volunteer to stay and I remembered her suspicions about my motives when I first went to her aid.

"Heather, I'm retired so I have all the time in the world to look after you till your family arrives."

Things got a little awkward when we got back to her place. She wanted to have a shower but then discovered that she needed help to put something on her foot and lower leg to keep the plaster dry. She knew that a plastic garbage bag sealed at the top and bottom would work but it needed to go on after she had taken her running shorts and panties off and she couldn't put it on by herself.

I helped her into the bathroom and then left her to it, but I didn't go far, "Oh bugger!" I heard her curse and I chuckled. I knew what the problem would be, but I wasn't about to mention it to her until she had discovered it for herself.

"Got a problem Heather?" I called through the bathroom door.

She flung the bathroom door open and stood there on her crutches with her running shorts snagged around her knees. I tried hard not to look at her cute little cotton panties and I tried hard not to laugh, and somehow I succeeded although I think that I may have smirked a little.

"So you can't get your shorts and underwear off while the garbage bag is tapped around your leg and so you need someone help you?"

"That's right!"

"OK, well, we're both adults I've seen plenty of naked women before so what if I help you take the garbage bag off your leg, help you remove your shorts and underwear and then put the garbage bag back on so you can have that shower you want so badly."

She looked at her ankle, she fumed and huffed about it, I'm sure she would have stamped her good foot in frustration but she couldn't take it off the ground.

"Steve, I hardly know you and you want me to stand naked in front of you?"

"I guess you could hold off having your shower till your daughter gets here." I was sure that suggestion was never going to fly, she was hot a sweaty six hours ago and now she was much worse

"Aaghh, I could but she won't be here till the morning and I can't go that long without a shower!"

"Could I call one of your neighbours to come and help?"

"No, I don't know them that well," she sighed, "can I trust you?"

"Heather, that's not a question you should be asking me. That's like the three little pigs asking the big band wolf if he's going to eat them. Of course he is going to say what they want to hear.

"But look at you, you're standing there topless with your underwear down around your knees and we're busy talking about trust. What does that tell you about me?"

"Oh shit ... just take the bloody bag off my leg, get my shorts off and the put the bag back on please."

I did as she asked and once I had made the bag as watertight as I could found a plastic stool that she could sit on in then shower. I asked her to call me when she needed to get out of the shower so that I could come back and help her, and then left her to it.

Ten minutes later she called and I went back thinking that we would be facing another dilemma, but she had already worked out that she couldn't really dry her own legs.

She threw her towel at me and said, "No inappropriate touching while you dry my legs please."

I wasn't sure whether she was joking or not, but I had no intention of doing anything like that as I knelt down and slowly dried her good leg and removed the garbage bag from around her plaster caste before helping her into some fresh panties.

I must admit that being within a few centimetres of her neatly trimmed pubic hair and her pussy was far from unpleasant. There was a hint of sex in her pleasant aroma but I was a good boy and stayed away from anything that looked tempting.

She led me into the master bedroom so that I could help her into a short denim skirt and then she shooed me out while she found a bra and top to wear. When she hobbled out into the living room, I had to admit that she was a good looking woman and remembering how close I had been to her was giving me the beginnings of an erection.

She had even taken the time to add some makeup and I was flattered. I hadn't expected anything like that and, when I saw what she had done, I changed my mind about dinner.

"It's almost dinner time so what if I take you out to dinner?" I had thought of raiding her kitchen to prepare dinner but the thought of taking a pretty lady out was hard to resist

Heather gave me that suspicious look for a moment and then smiled, "OK ... but I had a call from my daughter while I was getting dressed and we'll have to be back by 8.30. She changed her mind about not coming up till tomorrow and she is already on her way,"

I guess that I should have been pleased about that, but I was little disappointed that my time as Heather's nurse would be cut short.

I gave her several options to choose from and she chose an Asian restaurant down on the tourist strip. That was a pleasant surprise for me because that was my favourite Asian restaurant in town and after comparing notes I discovered that it was one of Heather's favourites too.

Over dinner we talked about families, life alone, dating and many other things. I discovered that she had three adult children but only Karen, the daughter who was on her way to Whaler's Bay, lived in Queensland, The other two lived interstate and she Heather rarely saw them

Heather had moved to the Bay with her husband who had promptly run off with a woman he had met online and left Heather to fend for herself. At least he had left her the house and she was making ends meet by doing some editing for a publishing house in Sydney.

Once her divorce was finalised she had tried online dating with little success and one very scary encounter with a guy who still occasionally turned up on her doorstep. She described him as 'weird' and I suggested that she obtain a court order that would keep him away from her but she was reluctant to do that because she thought that it might only make matters worse.

I asked if I could call her occasionally just to make sure she was OK, and we exchanged phone numbers and then it was time to go back to her place. As we turned into her street we could see a car in her driveway and she identified that as her daughter's.

I pulled in behind her daughter's car with every intention of helping Heather into the house but before we had even stopped a young woman burst out of the house and almost dragged Heather out of the car and hustled her into the house.

I wandered up to the front door but before I could reach it the young woman was back, blocking my way.

"My mother doesn't need your help anymore, I'm here so you can go. Don't try and call her, she doesn't want to see you anymore. She doesn't need any more leeches in her life."

I started to protest but she gave me a two-handed shove, "Just go away or I will call the police!"

I almost laughed at that as I turned away but then a wave of disappointment flooded over me, and I climbed into my vehicle and slowly drove home.

I had really liked Heather. I had begun to feel verycomfortable with her and I found it hard to believe that the friendly woman whose company I really enjoyed at dinner could possibly turn into someone who didn't want to see me anymore.