HOW WE MET

Chapter 10:

Undeliverable



That night I endured a fitful sleep, tossing and turning, waking every hour. My mind was on fire. Even though Heather had brought me to a satisfying climax, I was haunted by some of the things she had said. Did she really play in that sandbox? She said that there were multiple variations on the activities practiced. Which variations did she enjoy? My mind went on and on, twisting reality into sometimes absurd fantasies.

I climbed out of bed before the sun rose, unable to sleep. With my coffee in hand, I sat in the cockpit to watch the day begin. I wondered when, or even if, I would see her again. She had challenged me to “bone up” on this new world and she had suggested that I have some rope handy for her next visit. When was that going to be? I had no clue and no way to reach out to her. No phone number, no email address. I guess I could go old school and send her a letter through the snail mail system. Or just hope to run into her at the pub.

In the interim, I started my research. I visited website after website, link after link, going down one rabbit hole after another. I learned tons about BDSM. More than I probably wanted or needed to know. There was a clandestine club in town that met sporadically to gather and share their experiences. Their website was reasonably complete, aimed at people such as myself – beginners. I toyed with the idea of attending one of their “open houses” but abandoned that idea upon second thought.

After a few hours of research, my stomach started rumbling. I realized that I had skipped breakfast, being engrossed in my investigation. I closed my laptop and made myself presentable to visit the pub for lunch. It was ahead of the usual lunch hour, but it was one of Zoey’s work days. I liked Zoey, even though she had blabbed at school and gotten Heather in trouble. Guess I should have anticipated that.

“Hey, Zoey! Got your land legs back again yet?”

She gave me a puzzled look, my question coming from left field. “Land legs? These are the same legs I’ve had my whole life.” She showed off her shapely legs, twisting to include a view of her tush. Her display was not my intended reaction, although it was a lovely, tempting sight.

“Ah, Zoey. Forgot you’re not a boater. When on a boat, your body adjusts to the motions of the boat leaning and rolling on the water. When you get back on solid ground, it sometimes takes a few hours for your body to re-adjust.”

“Oh, I guess it did feel a bit unusual as I left your boat walking to class. Yes, my land legs have returned. And I wanted to thank you for taking me and my friends out the other day. We all had fun. It was all we could talk about. Some of the other students wanted to know if they could go out on your boat. Would that be possible?”

“Sure, I guess so. It would have to be kept to a minimum, though. No more than, say, 4 or 5 at a time. Otherwise, people begin falling all over each other. It gets crowded and it’s not as much fun. Plus, there’s always the weather to contend with. Mother Nature has a habit of sneaking up and ruining fun times on the water.”

“Cool. I’ll start working on it.”

“Say, Zoey, has Professor Harmony been in lately? I had some questions for her about her program and possibly a lead for a project she may be interested in pursuing.”

“Honest, Sailor, I haven’t seen her in several days. Of course, I don’t work every day, and she might have come in on my day off. I’ll ask around.”

When she presented my check, she told me that nobody had seen her in nearly a week. I paid and approached the door to leave. I opened it just as Ms. Harmony was pushing it open from the outside to enter. I froze as she stepped inside. Looking up at me her expression changed from a furrowed brow frown, lost in thought, to a milder, more pleasant look. “Oh, excuse me, Mr. Sailor.”

“Greetings, Ms. Harmony. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Why don’t you join me for lunch? I surmise that you’ve just finished but maybe you can destroy another chunk of your liver and have a drink while I eat.”

We got settled in a booth and the waitress took our order. “Have you done your homework, Sailor?”

“Yes, teacher” I said in a childish, sing-song voice.

“Good. Have you discovered that the ‘horrifying’ scenes you’ve seen on those rancid porn sites are mostly manufactured or conducted between willing participants?”

“I didn’t really explore that as much as getting a fuller picture of the depth and breadth of the subject. Everything you said seems to be right. Many of the sites I visited emphasized the strong bond between participants and the need for a clear understanding of the boundaries. Being able to express what gives you pleasure, from both sides, and what’s off limits is important. But I have so, so many questions.”

“This might not be the time or place to discuss and answer your questions, Mr. Sailor. I hate to put you off like that, but I simply can’t risk having someone overhear. If word of this got out it would completely ruin everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve.”

“Totally understood and agreed. But you must understand that I’m still outside in the dark. I have no way of contacting you. And your random surprise visits to my boat come at odd times. Maybe you could give me a way to contact you or set up a time for you to visit?”

“That makes sense coming from a barrister. But it’s just not possible, Mr. Sailor. There are many reasons, many of which I can’t go into. I’m sorry but it’s just going to have to be catch as catch can. And when we leave here today, please do not walk me back to campus or follow me. I’m suddenly on the radar at the University, thanks to your stunt with the General Counsel. This may be the last time we’re seen together in public.”

With that, she placed a folded fifty dollar bill on the table, rose, and left. I hesitated just a moment, then stepped outside. I watched her backside as she swayed down the sidewalk. Her walk was two and a half blocks. At the first side street crossing, I saw her reach into her bag and answer her phone. She talked on it, gesticulating with her hands as she walked. When she got to the University entrance, she paused, turning to look my way. Just for good measure I waved, my hand held high above my head. She simply bowed her head and continued into the halls of academia.

Days passed, flowing into weeks without even a sighting of Heather Harmony. I was distraught to say the least. My goddess had vanished, disappeared from my life. As a last straw, I even went old school and sent her a hand written card. It was returned marked “Undeliverable. No Such Recipient.” The next time I accessed the University website, I saw in the “Announcements” section a blurb heralding the appointment of a new Director of The Research and Development Department. There was no mention of Ms. Heather Harmony.

I tried my best to abandon that dream, that fleeting brush with English royalty. I found the bottom of the scotch bottle an inordinate number of times. I wept uncontrollably.

Chapter 11:

ABANDONED

The thought of Heather Harmony echoed in my mind. She had disappeared, vanished, abandoned me. I had done my best to get beyond her, to erase her from my mind. I tried scotch, I tried drugs, I tried to fill the empty hole in my soul with one night stands with some of the University coeds. They were stunning, they had young, tight bodies and some of them even knew how to give a guy a decent fuck. But my life was empty without Heather. There was a void like the emptiness of space, the nothingness of gazing across the limitless ocean, nothing in sight. I was hollow and in despair. Nothing I tried even came close to what she had instilled in me. I had to do something.

Heather had been very successful in keeping herself insulated from me during our brief flirtation if you could call it that. I had no phone number, no email address, no nothing. All I had was her name and a mental image of her beauty etched in my brain plus a few fond memories. The closest I had gotten to her was through the sweet coed girls who tended bar at the local pub across the street from the marina.