The Class Reunion

By Ed Carlson

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This story is purely fictitious. The names used herein are for character

identification and should not be construed as real people, alive or dead.

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I had been driving all day when I pulled into the hotel—a rather upscale hotel and a lot better than I used to stay in. My income had improved greatly after the divorce, and I’d thought I’d splurge a bit. We had no children, and I no longer had to support my ex-wife’s relatively expensive habits—habits like heavy gambling and drugs.

I was on my way to my class reunion and had taken a little detour down by the ocean. It was the first one that I had been to in thirty years. I liked most of my class members. There were a couple of people that I just couldn’t stomach and a few who I always dreamed of getting to know better. It was a small high school and therefore a small graduating class. That is, if you call thirty-five a small class.

I pulled my new SUV in under the hotel portico and got out of my vehicle. A valet was there to meet me. He told me they were busy because of the convention. I gave him my key and walked into the lobby where I waited while a tall blond checked in ahead of me. She had her back to me and was wearing a short black skirt. Her legs went all the way up, if you know what I mean, and her black high heels enhanced her striking calf muscles. She was wearing a bright red blazer. The thing that I noticed most though was that her right sleeve appeared to be empty as it hung limply by her side.

I couldn’t hear the conversation between Miss Legs and the desk clerk other than he said he was sorry. She was angry when the desk clerk shrugged his shoulders. She turned and gave me a quick, almost unseeing smile, then started toward the door. She turned and walked back to me.

“Frank, Frank Fisher, is that you?” she quizzed excitedly.

“Yes it is, Colleen. Good to see you,” I replied.

I verified that the right sleeve of her bright red blazer was indeed empty. Also, her left hand looked strangely puffy, and the fingers seemed a little distorted. Her arm was cocked at what I thought to be a strange angle—an angle that held her hand about waist high. Colleen’s looks had not deteriorated over the years; in fact, she looked more beautiful than before. She was still an impeccable dresser, but that empty sleeve instantly made me wonder what had happened to her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’m on my way to the class reunion. I just decided to do a little sightseeing on the way,” I replied. “What about you?”

“Me too. I live inland, and I thought it would be fun to spend a night along the ocean, but they’ve misplaced my reservation, and now I don’t have a room,” she said with a frown; then the smile on her face began to broaden. “Gosh, it’s good to see you.”

“Hold on,” I said. “Let me see what I can do.”

She stood there as I turned to the desk clerk. I gave him my name and reservation number.

“Yes sir Mr. Fisher, we have your suite,” he said.

“That is a two-bedroom suite isn’t it?” I asked.

“Why yes sir, it is,” he replied.

I turned to Colleen and said: “I have a two-bedroom suite. Would you like to share?”

“Oh Frank, I couldn’t put you out like that,” she said.

“Where else are you going to stay with the convention in town?” I asked. “I’ve stayed in that room before; believe me, there’s plenty of room.”

“I don’t know,” she replied sheepishly. “I guess I could stay with you, if you don’t mind terribly.”

“It’s a done deal,” I said before I turned back to the desk clerk. “She will be staying in my suite. Have all of our luggage taken up there please.”

“I’m glad we could accommodate you Miss Tucker,” he said.

‘Tucker?’ I thought; she’s still using her maiden name.

The desk clerk took my credit card and made entries in his reservation computer. He printed out some paperwork and had me sign it. He called the bellboy who had gathered all the luggage and gave him my key. We walked to the elevator, and he pushed the button marked ‘P.’ The elevator took us quickly to the penthouse. We walked into a short hallway with only two doors in it. The bellboy swiped the key card in the door and opened it. It was definitely the room that I had requested, a penthouse suite that had two bedrooms with king size beds and a huge deck with a hot tub, a killer view of the ocean and, on the other end, a view of the mountains.

The bellboy put my suitcase in the huge walk-in closet and Colleen’s luggage in the other. I tipped him and he left.

I wondered what had happened to her arm. I hoped it was not something too painful or traumatic. She had been the one classmate who I always wanted to get close to but could never muster up the courage to ask out for a date. I was going to change into a sport shirt and slacks, but decided to stay in my comfortable T-shirt and old blue jeans.

“This is perfect,” I said as I walked out onto the deck where she was standing. “I don’t get to see the ocean too much.”

“I don’t either,” she replied wistfully.

Colleen was just as beautiful as I remembered. She was still slim with a very nice figure. Her brilliant blue eyes still seemed to light up her face, which was framed by her beautifully done hair—kind of a Farrah Fawcett hairdo, but not quite as much. Her smile was as radiant as I remembered, with lipstick that complemented her complexion and still perfect teeth. Her red blazer was now gone, and she wore a white blouse with long sleeves. Well, one long sleeve on her left side. Her right one had been tucked in at the shoulder. Except for a small bulge, it was obvious that her right arm was completely nonexistent. She was standing with her left hand with the perfectly done nails on the rail.

“So what have you been doing since graduation? You went into the service, didn’t you?” Colleen asked.

 “You have a good memory. I did spend some time in the military, and they made me a photographer. They also paid my college tuition when I got out, so I became a structural engineer. Then I started building what we were designing, and I’m still doing it,” I replied. “I haven’t led what you’d call a real glamorous life.”

“That sounds pretty glamorous to me,” she replied. “It must take a lot of skill to design and build bridges and buildings.”

“Naw, it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it. You kind of do the same thing over and over. Now I just run my firm and let the kids do the grunt work,” I replied. “What about you?”

“I went to nursing school and worked in a hospital for a little while, then I got married. I managed to stay married until the accident,” she replied. “Now I do counseling.”

“I’m sorry about your husband,” I said.

“My husband divorced me mostly because I lost my right arm in the accident,” Colleen replied. “He had been driving and felt guilty; also I was no longer the perfect person that he demanded.”

“Wow, that must have been pretty rough,” I said. “How long ago did all this happen?”

“The accident was twenty-one years ago last month. It took him six months to file for divorce,” she said. “I adjusted. I was almost glad to be rid of him and the pressure he put on me. The judge took good care of me financially. I thought I was doing all right until the bone cancer a little over ten years ago.”

“You’re still here and look healthy,” I said. “They took care of the cancer, didn’t they?”

“Oh yes. They took care of it all right, and I’m now completely free of cancer,” she said. “It cost me all of my left arm in the process. I don’t even have any arm stumps at all now, but my armless shoulders do match pretty much. My right shoulder has a heavy scar though.”

“Oh wow. I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t told me,” I stammered. “Your artificial hand looks so real.”

“Thanks,” she said. “It’s myoelectric and has a good skin-like covering. The harness that holds it on my shoulder picks up electrical impulses from my back muscles and makes the arm and shoulder work. I burned out the motors in my right arm doing some heavy lifting, and they’re rebuilding it now. They gave me a temporary counterweight so that I wouldn’t be too lopsided. They also gave me a cosmetic right arm, which I was planning on wearing to the reunion.”

“I noticed the empty sleeve of your jacket when you had your back to me, but I was more surprised to see you,” I said. “Pleasantly surprised, I may add. You’re still as beautiful and charming as I remember.”

“Stop it. You’re making me blush,” she said.

“Losing both arms must have been pretty traumatic,” I observed. “How did you cope with the tragedies like you’ve been through?”

“I got by,” she lamented. “At first I was devastated when I lost my right arm. I had been pretty right-handed. I had a hell of a time learning to write again left-handed. My ex was no help at all. I was really glad when he wanted the divorce. I was alone when I lost my left arm. Because it was cancer and an elective operation, that is, if losing your only arm or dying is an elective choice, the shrinks at the hospital prepared me the best they could. But when I woke up and realized how completely helpless I suddenly was, the fact that I was completely armless for life sunk in. Even with their preparation, the first time that I reached for the glass of water sitting on the tray table, it hit me that I was now really limited in what I was going to be able to do. Luckily because they knew the operation was inevitable, the rehab team started me on rehab even before the operation.”

“Not to change the subject, but what were you going to do for dinner?” I asked.

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” she said. “I hate eating in restaurants, especially when everything is as crowded as it is because of the convention. I can make a real mess sometimes with this contraption they call an arm and the way I eat. I really wanted to have a quiet dinner in my room where people don’t stare.”

“We could have dinner here in the room,” I offered.

“Sure, that would be fine. I’d like that,” she said. “Would you like me to fix you a drink?”

“Only if you want one,” I replied. “I’m really not that much of a drinker.”

“Me either,” she said. “I used to drink quite a bit, but since the cancer therapy, it doesn’t taste as good as it did.”

“I’d like to get a little more comfortable like you,” she said. “Do you mind if I wear a little top and cutoffs?”

“No, not at all,” I replied. “I want you to be as comfortable as possible.”

I followed her as we walked over to the door. Her long slim legs still turned me on just like they had in high school.

We walked in. She used her artificial hand to turn on the light switch and walked over to the bed.

“Thank you for the room, I didn’t know about the convention,” she said as she stepped out of her high heels. “I need your help for something if you don’t mind.”

“No problem. What do you have in mind?” I replied.

“The battery in my arm is about dead. I need to recharge it,” she said. “We can switch batteries, but I’d really like to take my arm off completely, if you don’t mind me running around armless.”

“No problem. What do we do?” I replied.

“We need to take off the blouse first,” she said. “Just pull it out of my skirt and unbutton it.”

My hands were on the verge of trembling as I began to unbutton her blouse. When I finished with the front, she held out her arm, and I unbuttoned the sleeve button. I removed the blouse from her shoulders and slid the blouse down over her arm as she turned her back to me. I hung the blouse on a hanger in the closet and turned back to her. The harness stared me right in the face. It was flesh colored and completely encircled her body and both shoulders but was cut out to expose her now bare breasts. I could see the top of the artificial skin just below the elbow. The arm was completely motorized, including the shoulder. A small counterweight was attached to her right shoulder.

“Undo the straps on the front of the harness; then you can just lift the whole thing off,” she said nonchalantly.

I did as she instructed and unfastened the straps above and below her breasts. She turned her back to me, and I lifted the harness and her arm off.

“Oh boy, it feels good to get that hot and heavy thing off,” she said. “Just lay it on the bed by the pillow. There’s an outlet close by. The charger is in the little case over there. There’s a socket for the charger on the upper arm.”

I laid the arm and harness on the bed as she had instructed. I could see the pickup sensors on the harness. When I turned around, she was standing there facing me. I guess I was a little shocked at what I saw. She was just as she had described. She was indeed completely armless, just like she said. Her right shoulder had a deep scar right where her arm would have attached to her shoulder. Her left shoulder closely resembled the right one, except no readily visible scar was present. Her grapefruit sized breasts were also staring at me unsupported without sagging. Her headlights were turned on.

“Well, now you know,” she said. “I no longer have arms at all. Just empty sockets where they once were.”

“You’re just the way you described yourself, but somehow not what I expected,” I stammered.

“Well, we’ve made it over the first hurdle, and you didn’t run screaming out of the room,” she said with an infectious smile. “Go ahead and set up the charger, and then if you want, you can help me some more.”

I opened the case and took out the charger with its cords. I noticed a spare battery in the case too. I set up the charger as she had told me, and when I plugged it in, the ‘CHARGING’ light came on.

“Good,” she said, looking over at the charger. “My cutoff jeans and a sleeveless top are in that bag.”

I opened the bag and took out the short sleeveless top. I slipped the top over her head and pulled it down as far as it would go; her navel was still showing. Then I pulled part of her hair that was caught out of the neck hole. Nothing stuck out the arm-holes, but I could see the scar on her right shoulder through the hole.

“All right. So far so good,” she said. “Next, the skirt and panty hose. Just pull the skirt down. It has an elastic waist.”

Again, I did as I was told and pulled her skirt down—something I had dreamed of doing for years. With her skirt around her ankles and her black panties and panty hose now showing, she stepped out of the circle of the skirt on the floor. I picked it up and hung it alongside the blouse.

“Panty hose next,” she said. “Just start at the top and work them down.”

I started at the waistband and began working them down. When I had them down around her knees, she sat down on the bed and lay back with her feet up. I continued to work them down until they were off both feet. She sat up, then stood up. Using her toes, she removed the cutoff blue jeans from her bag and put them on the floor. She sat down on the bed and put her feet through the leg holes. Next, she lay back on the bed and worked them up to her knees by slightly wiggling her feet back and forth. She stood back up and I pulled them up the rest of the way. I zipped up the cutoffs and fastened the top button.

“We make a pretty good team,” I said.

“You do that well Frank,” she said with a smile. “I think I’ll keep you around for a while.”

Her bag contained some penny loafers. Using her toes, she lifted them out and slipped into them.

“How do I look?” she asked as she spun around in a tight little circle.

“How about comfortable and ravishing,” I replied.

“Good,” she said. “I’m ready then.”

“How are you going to eat without your arm?” I asked.

“Oh ya, I’ll show you a little trick,” she said with a wink.

“You said that you do counseling,” I asked while we walked into the living room. “What kind of counseling do you do?”

“Troubled girls,” Colleen replied. “Usually suicidal.”

“Wow, that must be tricky,” I said.

“It can be,” she said. “A lot of times, they’re feeling sorry for themselves. Then my task is easy. I usually have two sessions with them, one in the morning and another right after lunch. The first one I wear my arms, and the second one I don’t. All I have to do is show them how much better off they are than I am. They all have arms, and I just wear a top like this to really show mine are completely missing. They usually are so shocked that I have about a ninety percent save rate.”

“It sounds like you’re good,” I said. “Are you ready to eat?”

“Let’s not order quite yet,” she said, walking over to the window. “I’ve always liked a room with a view.”

“It’s only a room,” I replied as I walked up beside her.

“This trip is special for me,” she said. “My ex was such a controller that he would never take me anywhere. When we did go somewhere, we stayed at the cheapest motel he could find. After I lost my arms, I’ve never traveled at all. I guess I was scared of getting out of my rut. Can you understand?”

“I think I do,” I replied.

She said, tuning toward me with her eyes glistening, “Frank, you know you are one of the nicest guys I have ever known.”

“Thanks,” I replied. “Really, is there a real reason you haven’t traveled?”

“Like I said, I have a hard time climbing out of my rut,” Colleen replied. “I try not to let it get me down, but not having arms does have its limitations. Tonight for example, without you if I would have taken my arm off, I wouldn’t be able to get it back on by myself. Hell, I’ve gotten locked in the bathroom because I couldn’t turn the knob. I need a traveling companion, and I don’t have one. I’m going to need help in the morning getting that damn arm back on.”

“I can see how that could happen,” I lamented. “I tend to follow my own path around in circles too.”

“Frank, why didn’t we ever get together before?” she asked.

“To be honest, I always wanted to ask you out, but I could never muster up the courage,” I said. “You were so popular, a cheerleader and all. I considered myself a nerd and not one of the ‘in’ crowd. We lived so far out of town in that little shack, and you lived in that big house in town, that I was intimidated. I wanted to ask you out a lot of times, but you were out of my league.”

“Really,” she said as she walked over to me, “I always wanted you to ask me out in the worst way. I had a crush on you all during my freshman and sophomore year. I’d go to a dance and look for you there, but you usually weren’t there.”

“I know. I wanted to go, but my parents were strict and didn’t want me going, so I stayed home,” I said. “We were poor, and I couldn’t afford even a decent pair of slacks.”

“Remember that time over at Sally’s when we played spin-the-bottle and I got to kiss you?” she asked as we walked out onto the deck.

“Oh yes,” I said. “I remember very clearly. I was walking on cloud nine for a month.”

She walked over to me and said a very seductive voice, “If I had arms, I’d put them around your neck and kiss you right now.”

“Really,” I said as put my arms around her slim waist. “I have arms. Let me hold you.”

“Frank. Quit talking and just kiss me,” she whispered as our lips just touched.

I held her tight and kissed her. The longer the kiss lasted, the more passionate it became. She was like a woman possessed, and I loved it.

Eventually our lip lock loosened. It was so wonderful that my knees felt weak. I had never held passion in my arms like that before.

“Wow Frank, I think I need some air,” she whispered. “I’ve never felt like this before.”

“I know what you mean,” I said softly as I continued to hold her to me.

She put her head on my shoulder and said softly: “Please just keep holding me. I feel so safe in your arms.”

I held her for a long while as we stood on the deck overlooking the ocean. Finally she said, “This may sound silly, but I’d like to go for a walk on the beach with you.”

“I’d like that too,” I said before I gave her a quick kiss and released the embrace.

“Before we go, I need to use the bathroom,” Colleen said softly. “I can do it by myself, but it would be faster if you undid my shorts.”

I performed the task, and she gave me a quick kiss before she turned and walked away. The bathroom door clicked shut. I stood there looking out at the ocean and thinking about what had just happened. Soon I heard the toilet flush and the bathroom door open. When she reappeared, her cutoffs were up and zipped, but the button was open. I walked over to her and fastened the button.

“How did you get them zipped up?” I asked.

“My little secret,” she teased. “When you’re armless, you learn to do things a little different. Are you ready?”

I put my key card in my pocket and opened the door. We took the elevator to the ground floor, then walked down to the beach and sat on some driftwood while I removed my shoes and socks. Colleen stepped out of hers, and we walked away on the beach leaving our shoes at the base of the stairs.

We walked at the water’s edge for at least an hour. It was almost sunset by the time we got back to the log where we had left our shoes. We decided to sit there and watch the sunset. As the bright orange orb began to drop into the sea, I put my arm around Colleen’s armless shoulder. She responded by snuggling closer and putting her head on my shoulder. I loved the smell of her hair. We kissed a protracted kiss again and then went back to my room. She turned to me and said, “Thank you for a wonderful walk on the beach.”

“It doesn’t have to be the last one you know,” I replied almost reflexively.

“I know. I would like to have a lot more walks with you,” she said as she came close to me again. “I think I need another kiss.”

I felt the need for the kiss as well—another long, protracted kiss. When it was over, we looked at the room service menu. We made our choices, and I made the call. I joined her on the couch that faced the now darkening ocean. She was sitting with her bare feet on the coffee table. I kicked my shoes off and put my feet up too.

“A penny for your thoughts,” I asked.

“I was just thinking how comfortable I feel around you,” she said. “When you hold me, I almost want to melt.”

“I enjoy being with you too,” I replied. “I don’t know when I’ve had a more enjoyable afternoon. Besides, the evening is still young.”

“What did you have in mind?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe a movie. Maybe we could get dressed up and go dancing.”

“We could do that,” she said. “Just remember, we still have a long drive ahead of us both, and a party tomorrow. Maybe we should just catch a good movie on TV.”

There was a knock on the door; I got up and answered it. It was room service. He brought in the cart and set it up on the table for us, including a candle. I signed for it and tipped him. When he was gone, I helped Colleen to her chair.

“What do I do to help you?” I asked.

“Nothing. I’ll be fine,” she replied. “You just sit down.”

I sat down as she had instructed. I was wondering how she was going to eat. I almost fell off my chair when I saw her put her foot on the table and pick up her fork. She had ordered the ravioli that were bite size. She deftly maneuvered the fork under one ravioli and raised it slightly above her plate with the heel of her foot still resting on the table. She bent forward and took the ravioli off the fork with her mouth.

“That’s the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen,” I blurted out.

“How do you expect to see an armless girl eat?” she said. “You don’t want me to starve, do you?”

“I didn’t know what to expect,” I stammered.

“I usually take off my arms as soon as I get home,” she said. “This is the way I usually eat. Now you know why I didn’t want to go to a restaurant. People always stare at me; you’re bad enough.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just that I’ve never seen anything like that before,” I said apologetically.

“Apology accepted,” she said, getting another ravioli with her fork. “I can do it, but if we would have had steak, I would have asked you to cut it. You know being armless, I’ve had to take up alternate ways of doing things.”

“I guess I had not given much thought to you eating. I thought maybe I’d have to feed you,” I said.

“Thanks for the offer, but I can handle what we have here,” she said, putting down her fork and picking up the long stem of the wine glass with her toes and bringing it to her lips.

We continued to eat, and I was surprised that she finished before I did.

“Have you given any more thought to the rest of the evening?” I asked as I cleared the dishes and put them in the kitchenette area.

“I have,” she said. “What I’d really like to do, is to get you naked in that big hot tub on the deck and let me ravish your body the best a poor armless girl can.”

“Do I get to ravish you back?” I asked.

“You’d better, or you’re in trouble,” she replied. “Let’s get naked in the hot tub.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked. “You know what could happen in there.”

“The answer is yes,” she said. “I’m very much aware of what could happen, especially if I make it happen.”

We walked into my bedroom. I took my T-shirt off. When I got my head out of mine, she had her top off already. I undid her cutoff blue jeans, then unfastened mine. I pulled mine down along with my shorts. She had used a corner of the king size bed to slide her cutoffs and panties down. I sat on the bed and took off my shoes and socks while Colleen stood there in her lovely nothingness and watched me.

“I like what I see,” she said with a big smile.

“The view from here isn’t that bad either,” I replied.

“Even if I don’t have arms?” she quizzed, suddenly becoming very serious.

“You can’t slap my face that way,” I joked. “Besides, you still have great legs.”

I got up and patted her on the bottom as we started out onto the deck and toward the hot tub. We both got in. The water was warm and wonderfully refreshing. Colleen was sitting facing me.

“Seriously Frank, does it bother you that I don’t have arms, any arms at all, not even a stump?” she asked.

“Not at all,” I replied. “It certainly makes you a very unique woman. You are still the wonderful person on the inside who I knew growing up.”

“I hoped you would say that,” she said as she moved over and straddled my upper thighs. “I’d like you to touch me now.”

I was not one who needed to be told twice. I almost reflexively reached out and touched those lovely firm breasts. The moment that I did she began to come to life. I continued to explore her upper body with my hands. I could tell by the way that she was moving that she was enjoying it too. All the time, I could feel my manhood swell.

“Frank. I want you to try something,” she said. “I’ve been told that my scars might be a very sensual spot for me. Try touching my left shoulder scar lightly and see if it’s true, even though I don’t know how I could get turned on much more.”

I followed her instructions and lightly touched her scar with my finger. Instantly she began to writhe and turn. Her breathing became labored and erratic. Her eyes closed, and her head fell backwards as her face pointed skyward. I stopped for a minute, then continued lightly with my tongue on the scar.

“Oh Frank. Oh Frank. Oh, that feels so good,” she whispered in a hoarse voice. “It’s been so long, and it feels so good. Oh God, Frank, YES!”

I held her close and continued to use my tongue to touch the heavy scar on her right disarticulated shoulder. Soon she began to have an orgasm. I was almost as excited as she was. Her warm body felt wonderful as I held her to me. When her orgasm subsided, we engaged in a serious lip lock that lasted for a long while. It was filled with passion and emotion.

“Oh Frank, that was wonderful,” she whispered in my ear when the kiss subsided. “Please just hold me tight.”

“Would you like to be in a more comfortable position?” I asked softly.

“No,” she replied. “I love the feel of you holding me. I don’t want that feeling to go away.”

I held her tight to me for a long while. It was a wonderful feeling having her in my arms. I felt her starting to cry.

“What’s the matter?” I asked, letting her up a little so that I could see the tears running down her cheeks.

“To be honest, I’m scared. Scared to death,” she sniffled as she stood. “I’m scared of a relationship. I’ve had such lousy luck, compounded by facing the future without arms; it’s just plain frightening. Frank, I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do.”

“It would be wonderful if we had a crystal ball that showed us what life was going to bring, but we don’t,” I said. “We always have to make tomorrow’s decisions based on yesterday’s news and our gut instincts.”

“I know,” she said. “But I’d just like a little assurance that I’m doing the right thing.”

“I think you are. How about this?” I said as we started a long and passionate kiss.

Eventually, we got out of the hot tub. I dried her off and covered her with one of the white terry cloth robes that was provided by the hotel. I put on the other one. We went into the living room and sat on the couch again. I put my feet on the coffee table. She snuggled up close to me with her wonderfully long legs curled up on the couch.

“Comfy?” I asked.

“Absolutely. I feel like it’s your arms that should have been holding me all along,” she said.

We sat there and talked for a long while, thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. We decided to try out the king-sized bed. I took her travel case into the bathroom for her. She used the bathroom first and declined my offer of help. I was next. I noticed that her toothbrush was wet and the toothpaste was on top of her open case.

She was still up when I finished, and we went out onto the balcony. The hotel had lighted the beach, and we watched the breakers for a while. The sound of the surf was very soothing but powerful at the same time.

We walked into the bedroom, and I untied her robe belt. Colleen shook her armless shoulders, and the robe fell to the floor. Using her well-practiced toes, she picked up the robe and hung it on the wall hook. I hung mine beside hers. I pulled back the covers, and she slid in bed first. I followed close behind her. I pulled up the covers, and she was almost instantly in my arms.

We began slowly with a series of light kisses—followed by more serious kissing. We both began exploring each other’s bodies—I with my hands, and she with her lips and tongue. I explored her disarticulated left shoulder. Because it had not been involved in as severe a trauma, it was well rounded and only had a faint scar. That scar did not seem as sensitive as her disarticulated right shoulder scar.

I could retell all of the unabridged details of the sex that followed, but I won’t. It must suffice to say that it was the best that either of us had enjoyed, and when we were finished, we were both completely exhausted.

When I awakened in the morning, I was in bed alone. When I got up and reached for my robe, I noticed that hers was not there. I used the bathroom, then went into the living room. I could smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, and I could see her sitting in the morning sun on the deck. I walked out to her, then bent down and kissed her.

“Good morning,” I said.

“Good morning sleepy head,” she replied. “I made us a small pot of coffee after I did my exercises.”

“That’s great. Thanks,” I asked. “Did you sleep well?”

“Oh yes,” she said with a huge smile. “I loved going to sleep in your arms. I was sitting here thinking how much I wanted to be able to hug you when we were making love last night. Sometimes my armlessness just plain scares the hell out of me. Like right now.”

“What scares you the most right now?” I asked as I sat down facing her.

“What this evening will bring,” she said. “We had a fun night of rolling in the hay, but what are you going to do now? Just say, ‘Well that was fun, see you later.’ What are the people at the class reunion going to say when I come waltzing in there with no arms? ‘Wasn’t she the one who was voted most popular and most likely to succeed? Look at her; that poor girl doesn’t have any arms—no wonder she doesn’t have a husband. Is that the reason that she hasn’t been back for thirty years?’ ”

“You haven’t been back either?” I asked.

“No. For the ten-year reunion, I had just lost my right arm, and the controller I was married to wouldn’t go or allow me to go. He even slapped me around when I pressed him for permission to go. For the twenty-year, I had just lost my other arm and was taking chemotherapy. All my hair had fallen out, and I was bald as billiard ball,” she said. “Why haven’t you been back?”

“Oh, something or some excuse prevented me from going,” I replied. “Besides, there are only a very few classmates I ever wanted to see again anyway—even fewer now that we’ve gotten together. I really was hoping you’d be there you know.”

“Thanks. I was really hoping that you’d be there too,” she said. “Do you really want to go now?”

“I don’t know anymore,” I said. “Our chance meeting like this and last night has changed a lot for me.”

“Oh Frank, last night was wonderful. It has changed me too,” she said. “If we do go, I’d want to be right by your side.”

“I’d want you there. I wouldn’t have it any other way now,” I replied. “You know, other than you, the only other two classmates I really wanted to see were Mike and Dennis.”

“I remember them,” she said. “Wasn’t Dennis killed in a car accident a couple of years ago?”

“Gosh, you’re right; he was. I remember the article in the paper,” I replied. “That just leaves Mike. If we didn’t go, we could look him up on our own sometime.”

“You said ‘WE’ like you expected us to be together for a while,” she said cautiously.

“I know. Just wishful thinking,” I said. “If you don’t want to go to the reunion, maybe we could stay together and make a weekend out of it.”

“I hope it’s more than just wishful thinking. I honestly would like to try it with you for a while and see what happens. I feel so very comfortable around you,” she replied. “Whatever we do, let’s stick together.”

“I can extend my reservations here if you want. We can hang out for a couple of days,” I offered.

“Great. I love this room,” she said. “Hopefully, we can take a little time to talk about our future together.”

“That sounds good. I’d like that,” I said. “Before we do anything, I’d like to take a shower.”

“Do you mind if I join you?” she asked. “I have a hard time reaching all my body parts. Bathing is one of the things I do need help with.”

You can say a lot with a smile and a wink. She followed me into the bathroom. I took her robe from her and hung it on the hook. I removed mine, and we were standing there naked facing each other. I still loved the looks of her perfectly proportioned tall figure—the same great figure I had admired years ago in high school. Her missing arms did not detract from her beauty, but instead tended to add an air of mystique to her.

“What are we going to do with your hair?” I asked.

“If I can get you to wash it, I can comb and blow dry it myself,” she replied.

“I’m curious. How do you normally get help with a shower or bath?” I asked as I started the shower.

“Sandra, my live-in caregiver, helps me,” she replied as we got in the shower. “She helps me with bathing and things I can’t do for myself, like putting on my arms. In exchange, I give her free room and board. She’s been good company, and it works out well for both of us.”

She wet her hair, and I lathered it up with shampoo. She rinsed, and we did it again. I took some soap and a washcloth and thoroughly scrubbed her body. She responded positively to my touch by interspersing my scrubbing with some kisses. While I was washing her, I took the opportunity to closely examine the site of the disarticulation on her left shoulder. The scar was nearly invisible now, but there was an indentation at the socket where the upper arm bone had once attached to her shoulder. There was also a small hole below the site. When I questioned her, she said it had been the surgical drain. The scar on her right side was much more pronounced, but other than that, both shoulders were identical, and even without any trace of arms, her beautiful body was still symmetrical.

When we finished, I started by thoroughly drying her first and wrapped her in a towel. I put a second towel around her head in turban fashion to absorb more water. When I was dry and wrapped in a towel, I did as she requested and plugged in her hair dryer. I used the turban towel to dry her hair a little more, and then as she requested, I brushed it a little. She said that was fine, and I put down the brush. She sat on the vanity and used the toes of her right foot to grasp the handle of the blow dryer. Next, she used the toes of her left foot to turn on the switch. I just stood there with my mouth open as I watched in amazement as she dried her hair, running the blow dryer with her foot and holding it with her toes. She only had assistance from her left knee, which was slightly bent to give support to her right foot.

I watched, totally at a loss for words, as she combed her hair, then put on her makeup including lipstick and eyeliner.

“Aren’t you going to get dressed or something?” she teased.

“I probably should,” I said. “I just can’t tear myself away. You are absolutely fascinating.”

“Thanks. I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said.

I got dressed and went into the living room. I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch. I thought I should deal with getting the room extended. I called the front desk and was greeted with news that the room had already been booked for the rest of the weekend by the convention. I walked into the bedroom where Colleen was putting on her cutoffs.

“I have some bad news,” I said. “We can’t extend the room.”

“Damn it,” she said. “I really wanted to stay along the ocean again tonight. So now what do we do?”

“We could go to the reunion, or we could find another place out here on the coast,” I replied.

“Well, I sure don’t want to go to the reunion now that we’ve gotten together. I don’t want to share you with any of those piranhas from our class,” she said. “Any ideas for along the coast?”

“I’m glad you don’t want to share me, because I don’t want to share you either. I don’t think I want some of those creeps that we went to school with eyeing you,” I said. “I do know of a place a little up the road away. I stayed there once a long time ago. It was just a rustic cabin. Nothing like this.”

“As long as I’m with you, rustic is fine,” she said. “We could get some breakfast on the road, and we would have more time on the beach.”

“I’m not so sure the place is still there,” I said.

“If not, we can buy a double sleeping bag and sleep under the stars if we need to,” she replied.

“Sleeping out under the stars along the ocean is probably not the brightest thing to do,” I said.“There’s a better than even chance that it’ll rain.”

“So are you going to melt?” she joked. “Hell, we should be able to find a motel or cabin some place.”

We decided to try to find a place further up the coast. I got dressed, and by the time I looked in on Colleen, all that I needed to do was button her jeans. She told me that she had decided not to take her arm with us. I packed my things and helped her pack hers. I called for a bellboy, and then called the parking valet. He had remembered the tip that I had given him and had no problem keeping Colleen’s parked car for a few days.

Colleen was wearing blue jeans and a sleeveless white top when the bellboy arrived. I slipped her lightweight windbreaker over her armless shoulders. The bellboy carried all but her prosthetic arm and harness, which I carried. We went down to the parking garage and found her car, a newer Lincoln. She slipped out of one of her shoes and used her toes to hold the key and open the trunk.

“Are you sure you won’t be needing this arm?” I quizzed before I put it in her trunk.

“No,” she replied. “I only wear it, or them, to make people more comfortable. I can manage almost as well without it. Besides, I have you to wait on me.”

I closed the trunk, and we all walked over to my SUV. I beeped the electronic locks and opened the tailgate. The bellboy put our bags in the back, and I closed the tailgate. I tipped the bellboy and looked around for Colleen. She had the rear passenger door open and was laying her windbreaker across the rear seat using her toes. I opened the passenger door for her. She slipped her shoe back on and slid in. I shut both doors and walked around to my side. I opened my door and slid in. She had her seatbelt in her mouth and was trying to get it in the catch. I nonchalantly clicked it in the catch.

“Thanks,” she said as I fastened mine and started the SUV. “I almost had it.”

“I know,” I replied as I backed out. “Just trying to be helpful.”

I pulled around and slipped the valet a twenty, then I walked in and checked out. I got back in, and we headed up the ocean highway. The views were spectacular, and we pulled out every chance we had.

We stopped and picked up some lunch and drove to a picnic spot on a cliff overlooking the ocean churning below. I continued to be amazed at the way she used her toes to do almost everything. Watching her eat was especially fascinating.

We continued our drive up the coast. I pulled into the oceanfront cabin complex that I had visited once before. They had just the cabin I wanted available. I took Colleen over to check it out before we checked in.

“This is wonderful,” she exclaimed as we walked inside. “Can we really stay here?”

“How about two days,” I said.

“Could we?” she said excitedly as she came over for a kiss.

“I’m glad you like it,” I said. “I’ll go check in.”

“Unlock the tailgate, and I’ll unload the SUV,” she said.

I didn’t say anything, but I thought to myself: ‘Sure she will. Hell, she doesn’t have arms.’ We walked out, and I unlocked the tailgate. I walked over to the office to register. I looked back one time to see her hopping on one leg while she had a small suitcase in her other foot. I registered and started back for the cabin. As I rounded a corner in the path, I noticed that the tailgate was closed. I looked in the back, and it was empty. I walked into the cabin to see her hanging up her clothes on hangers with her feet.

“How did you do that?” I asked.

“You’ll just have to stick around to see,” she quipped. “You’ve been gone too long. I need a kiss.”

I held her in my arms, and kiss me she did. The kiss was powerful and passionate. I knew then for sure how this was all going to turn out.

I could go on and on about our courtship and wedding—that was five years ago now. She sold her place, and we moved into my place for a while. We sold it and bought the small ranch she always wanted. I’m amazed every day at the way my wife does things. She never ceases to amaze me. Our love seems to grow deeper every day. My only regret is that I never worked up the courage to ask her out in high school. I wonder how different our lives would have been if we had not missed those thirty years.

E N D