Jacob’s Retirement

Jacob’s Retirement
By Allison Bodiford

Three years ago Jacob had made Chief Master Sergeant. He was First Sergeant of the 509th Missile Squadron now. He was at the heart of the command structure on base. That had meant that I was on my P’s and Q’s for the past three years, mostly.

We were part of the political structure on base. Betty has remained a good friend, though with the lesson of Sharon I had learned to take her judgments in stride, though not to heart. Perception so often becomes reality even when it isn’t. So she was a good pulse of what other’s perceived. I used that to let Jacob know what was going around base. He used the information to his advantage. We were quite the “power couple” really.

Jake was attending UNC in North Carolina, so I only got to see him on holidays and visits back to the Old North State of my youth. Melissa was at Duke on an academic scholarship, now in her third year there. She was working on a degree in Microbiology. Katy had graduated at University of Munich and elected to work in Germany for a few years. We had been lucky enough for us all to meet at my mother’s house in Raleigh for Christmas last year. (1984)

The boys, Monty and Robert both were in second and first grade respectively. Sheila had stayed with us after her parents break up until this past summer when she finally went on to college, at my cajoling, and our expense. She stayed close and was at University of Missouri. She was home most weekends. She had become a daughter de facto. (Yes, we still managed to share a bed from time to time.)

Jacob and I were settled in with all the older kids and Sheila gone. The boys kept me busy. Jacob was moving toward his retirement. I was still a little non plussed at being middle aged. I still turned heads, but I missed Jake and was glad for the stolen moments with Shelia.

I wasn’t a lesbian at heart but I did love fucking Shelia. She had turned into quite the dynamo in bed. But this past month she had brought home a girlfriend and I knew our time together was winding down. (Jacob was clueless about the situation with her. But the noise coming from the bedroom at night was unmistakable to my ear.)

Jacob was as always an attentive lover. In my heart and my body I could feel the sexual peak of my days slipping away. It scared me. Sex is not only romance for a woman. It is part of her power and I could feel mine slipping away.

Melissa wrote that she had met a boy in school. That was nice. He sounded like a good fellow. She wanted to move in with him, but she knew how her father and I felt about that. Still, with her so far away I didn’t harbor any illusions. Jacob did. I didn’t.

Jake would write me letters and in them he would slip me a coded message of love and lust from time to time. But he was dating a girl named Kara and wanted to bring her home this summer to meet us. I knew what that meant. I have to admit that while my head was always telling me it would happen one day, my heart was broken at the prospect.

I was no fool. I nursed my heartache on my own. Jacob and no one else for that matter ever knew of my feelings in this.

Summer was upon us and Jake with his new girlfriend Kara was due here in a week. I cleaned the house furiously. Soon it looked like it could pass military inspection. I prepared the two rooms that had been Melissa’s then Shelia’s, and Jake’s old room for guests. The boys remained in bunk beds across from mine and Jacob’s room. Thank the Lord that a CMSGT was allotted a four bedroom billet.

The day arrived and we drove to Kansas City to pick Jake and Kara up. I had let Sheila know Jake was coming and she was planning on coming down for the weekend to see him.

When he stepped into the concourse my heart leapt. He ran to us and hugged both me and Jacob to him. A beautiful young blond girl about 5’6’’ came up behind him. I could see at once why Jake was taken with her. Blond, brown eyes, a quick smile, and a curvy shape with at least C cup breasts, maybe a 34 C. She smelled like Gardenias. I liked her at once.

“Mom, Dad, this is Kara Richards.” Jake introduced her.

“Welcome to Missouri darling.” I said, my southern roots showing in the “darling.” I hugged her, the girl hug, and her breasts rubbed against mine. I thought of Sheila and how she liked to play with my breasts.

“Thank you for letting us come out, ma’am.” She was perfect for him.

Always the reserved senior NCO Jacob smiled warmly at her and offered a handshake. “Welcome to our home Kara.” He said kindly.

Jake took her by the hand and guided her through the air port to the baggage claim area. We collected the luggage. Jacob went ahead to retrieve the car and pick us all up at the curb out front.
The boys hung on Jake and laughed with him as he played. He really does love his boys. For a moment I was in the zone where only he and I exist. It was only for a moment.

“Mrs. Bodiford, I am looking forward to staying with ya’ll.” I do love our southern accent. It is so civilized and refined. Yankees have no idea. They have their own charms, don’t get me wrong. But to hear a southern accent and think the speaker is uneducated is to underestimate a person at your own peril. There is a lot that goes into teaching a southerner about society. Racism was on its way out thank the Lord. But not all things southern were bad.

Kara’s genteel way spoke well of her upbringing. Her easy manner was comforting.