A Second Chance

[Poganin]

Daniel

Daniel crossed to the shed and swung it open and nodded, seeing a mowing machine and a few canisters of fuel next to it. Putting his cup on a shelf inside he pulled the mower outside and killed the cigarette before opening the fuel tank and refilling it. He set in on and coughed as fumes enveloped him. It was in working condition, alright! Dan killed the engine and flipped it over on the side and checked the blades, they were in satisfactory sharpness.

Dan returned to the front and leaning over the railing he set his cup on the table and helped Melissa haul the flower boxes. She looked as if she could break under their weight and although he it to be impossible, she looked somewhat fragile to him and not only because of her state of mind.

Smiling a bit he scratched his head. "Well, I guess I'll get down to it before it gets too hot."

It was warm already and knowing that his work will tire him Daniel took his jumper off, staying in olive t-shirt and worn cargo pants. He approached the mower and taking a deep breath started it, quickly moving away from the cloud of deadly fumes. Slowly and methodically Danny started cutting the grass.

 

[Guest]

Mel smiled, watching him begin his end of the work load and began dumping out dirt. She then went and dragged a big bag of new soil and fertilizer and began refilling the containers. As she worked, the weather got a bit warmer and a slight sweat broke out over her brow. She bent over, working with each box until they were set and ready for new plants and glanced at Daniel from time to time. The yard wasn't overly big, but big enough and he was making good progress. She watched him move methodically over the lawn and admired the way he moved.

Smiling she went back to work, looking through her assortment of seeds and wondering if she should use them or go out later in the week and buy plants.

Standing, she dusted the dirst off her hands and walked slowly around the house, looking at dead flower beds and sighed softly. Rubbing her forehead, she didn't notice the smears of soil she left behind as she studied the yard.

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

Mowing the grass took him longer than he had thought it would. First because he had to go around some of the flower-beds and be carefeul not to destroy them. And second, because when he was passing the front wall of the house his eyes were inadvertently drawn to Melissa going around her part of the works.

Daniel scolded himself many times to pay attention to the grass and not Mel's legs or bottom when she bent over or crouched but each time he was passing behind her, his head turned in her direction causing him even more embarrassment. He would have it if she noticed he was staring at her like this.

Finally he was done with mowing and turned the machine off, sighing contentedly as silence rang in his ears instead of that nasty sound of the small engine. Danny removed his t-shirt and wiped his forehead and arms with it. Throwing the damp t-shirt over his shoulder he approached Melissa who seemed to be studying the yard intently.

"Phew, I think I'm done with that. How about you?" He asked and as Mel turned and her eyes were drawn to his chest, his own eyes were glued to dark smears on her face. Then he realised she was staring at him and he was caught between putting his shirt back on and mentioning that she had dirt on her face.

 

[Guest]

She couldn't have helped herself if she had wanted to. She hadn't been expecting him to take his shirt off and now there he was, bare chested, sweaty and standing right in front of her. Her eyes were instantly drawn to his bare flesh, admiring the definition of his muscles. He was trim and fit, but not overly bulky. Realizing she was staring, she blushed and quickly met his gaze. "Oh...I...uh...I, that is..." She stammered and then laughed nervously, "I'm done, except I was trying to decide wether or not to use seeds or buy new plants to put in these boxes. Plants would be an instant fix and pretty. What do you think?"

It took some work to keep her eyes up on his face as she waited on his answer and nervously rubbed her cheek, smearing more dirt of her flesh without even thinking. She saw his slightly puzzled look turn to amusement. "What?" She asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

"Well, for one I can't help it, you're too pretty to try and stop gazing at you," Daniel said jokingly but realised he was being quite serious and blushed at being so straighforward. "And moreover you've dirtied your face with earth, Melissa, just like a kid in a sandbox," he sighed in mock-scolding tone and moved to hand her his shirt to wipe her face.

He realised it was damp with sweat and patted his pockets instead. He always carried a handkerchief in every pants. The eternal problem was to find it. He found it in his thigh pocket.

"Don't move, Mel," he muttered and closed the distance between them and began delicately wiping dirt off her face. After a few strokes he realised how close they were and the he was holding her shoulder to steady himself.

 

[Guest]

The tough of his hand on her shoulder made her warm and tingly all over. It took her by surprise and she was too stunned to move. Such a simple touch shouldn't have made her instantly aware of him like that...she was pretty sure if she looked down her nipples would be hard, straining against the soft tank she wore. She could feel herself blushing as he wiped away the dirt and self consciously crossed her arms.

"Thank you..." She murmured softly, unsure of how to take in these new feelings. Everything was rushing at her...there were too many sudden changes. "I hadn't noticed. So..." She began, gently pushing his hand away, "Flowers or seeds?"

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

Even though Mel shook his hand away, Daniel could still feel the softness of her skin and absentmindedly rubbed his fingers against his palm. She was warm and nice to the touch and very soft. Dan coughed uncomfortably, blushing, and shifted his feet in confusion. He put his damp shirt back on and frowned.

"Flowers or seeds?" Mel's voice got to him, drawing his from his contemplation.

"Wha... Oh... Sorry. Seeds I think... It will be nice to see them sprout. New hope and all that... I... I guess"

Daniel was confused and there was a little tornado inside him.

"Umm... how about lunch?" he asked and as if to make his point, his stomach rumbled.

 

[Guest]

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah...that's fine with me. I'll go and clean up and we can whip something up. Grilled cheese and soup sounds about good to me, I don't know about you." She said a bit too cheerfully and spun around to walk treps along to the house.

She could hear Daniel following and left the door open as she made her way to the bathroom. Inside, she leaned against the door with a deep sigh and then moved to the sink to splash water and soap on her skin, scrubbing the dirt off. Patting her skin dry, she took a look at herself in the mirror and shook her head. What was she thinking!? She had no room in her life to be attracted to Daniel and she was fairly sure Michael hadn't intended for that to happen or had he? Confused, she brushed out her hair and pulled it back up again before returning to the kitchen where she found Daniel.

"Hey..." She said softly, "So...grilled cheese? I don't know if I want you setting fire to the place." She tried teasing lightly.

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

Daniel followed Mel inside and quickly washed his hands in the kitchen sink. Letting cool water flow over his skin he recalled how Mel's shoulder felt under his palm. He was actually shocked by his own boldness, this was a woman after all, the kind of human being he was always shy around and tended to keep to himself. And yet he had cleaned Melissa's face so naturally he had had to realise what he had been doing. Crazy!

He turned the water off just as Mel uttered her remark. He faced her with a sheepish grin.

"You know, I'm not that clumsy in a kitchen. It's just that pots and pans are giving me trouble. I'm only good at peeling potatoes but then again it involves knives... Shall I help you somehow?"

 

[Guest]

She giggled, feeling her cheeks flush again and mentally slapping herself for reacting that way. OK - what was the deal here?! "Well, why don't you get the bread, butter and cheese and I'll start warming up the stove and pan. Maybe you can manage to crack open a can of soup too."

She smothered her laughter back, trying not to tease him too much, but it was sort of fun. She liked making him smile and blush a little from time to time...it was most unlike the Daniel she had gotten used to, who was a bit withdrawn, shy and quiet. So quiet. It was nice to have someone to talk to again.

Mel bent down and found herself a frying pan and pot for the soup and placed them on the stove, waiting for Daniel to fetch what she had asked.

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

"Bread, butter and cheese. Check!" he said taking the stuff out from box and fridge. From a drawer he took a large knife and smiled after trying the cutting edge with his thumb. Perfect, sharp and made of good steel.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Mel bend over to get something and gasped and quickly turned his eyes away, blushing. He sliced the bread and cheese and assembled nice, even sandwiches. Then, trying not to look at Mel too much, he took a can of soup and opened it and presented everything to the woman who smiled at him and continued the work.

Daniel smiled back shyly and turned to the window, looking outside. What the hell was he doing? This wasn't right. He shouldn't be checking her up! Nevermind that Mel was an attractive woman, she was Michael's wife and he still felt a bit uneasy about all this. Such new situation and so much confusion already.

 

[Guest]

Mel begins to brown the sandwiches in the frying pan, making the cheese melt and the bread a golden brown. She presses them down, thinning them slightly and lets the soup warm, stirring it on occasionally. It didn’t take but a couple of minutes for everything to get set, not long enough for her to even ponder the strange new feelings she was dealing with. Between Michaels death, to grief, sadness and loneliness and now to this new connection and attraction she was feeling for his brother. A man she was pretty sure…not positive, but fairly sure wasn’t all that interested in her or most women for that matter. He seemed more open and friendly, but they were trying to make the best of things.

She barely contained the soft sigh that escaped her lips as she turned to him, “Ready when you are.”

Serving up the grilled cheese and soup, she sat at the kitchen table and smiled up at him before he sat. “I hope you don’t mind it being simple…I figured with us working outside, we probably don’t want to be overly full. The heat itself will probably make us sick.”

Carefully she dipped her spoon into the soup and sipped at it, blowing the steam away and cooling each spoon full enough to swallow.

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

“I hope you don’t mind it being simple…I figured with us working outside, we probably don’t want to be overly full. The heat itself will probably make us sick,” Melissa said.

Daniel smiled and nodded, waving his fork with a piece of bread impaled around and mumbling something until he swallowed. "I don't mind at all, Mel, it's alright really. It's great to taste home cooking..." his eyes fell on the soup they were eating and his smile widened. "Yeeeessss... Well, anyway, it's really really ok. At least I can taste it. Seems that a good night's sleep cured my mouth..."

Dan wanted to say that he had been running around fully equipped, with a bursting backpack and a machine gun to boot in heat that was twice as nasty as today. But he decided not to, it would seem as if he were boasting.

"Well, now that afternoon has kicked in you are right, the heat might become unbearable... Anyway I think now we ought to weed the kerbs bordering the plot and around the house. Or do you want me to do something else now?"

 

[Guest]

"Nah" She said lightly as she polished off her soup and sat back with a happy sigh, licking her lips. "We can weed together if you'd like. I like getting my hands all dirty." She wiggled her fingers and laughed a little.

"I haven't done gardening since we moved into this place...it was kept up pretty good and I added the flowers...well, then you know. I'm looking forward to digging in with the worms."

She stood and cleared off her place at the table, setting dirty dishes into the sink. "I'll be right back...restroom break and then back to work. Will you grab some drinks for us when you're done? We'll need them."

Turning, she made her exit, rushing to the bathroom to releave her full bladder.

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

Daniel wiped his plate with the last piece of bread and put their dishes into the dishwasher. From the fridge he took a sixpack of coke and carried it to the porch. On his way out he took his cigarettes with him and put them on the table outside. Then he returned to his room and relieved himself as well.

Back on the porch he found Mel sipping coke and looking at the garden. He opened himself a can as well and lighting a cigarette sat on the front steps as it was becoming habitual. It was a good place for smoking and thinking and the smoke did not drift into the house. This work was good, it helped him not to think about Michael and Mel's loss.

But found it strange that he was beginning to find her attractive. Sure, he always considered Mel a very pretty woman with her green eyes and dark hair but was never attracted to her. She as Michael's wife and he felt intimidated around her. But now that they spent a little time together he was getting to know her better. She had great legs, he thought and blushed realising what he had just admitted. Stop thinking like that!

 

[Guest]

Mel took a long sip of coke and sighed softly after swallowing. She glanced at Daniel and smiled a small smile, almost shy like, unsure. “Well, I’ll meet you by the flower beds when you’re done.” She said lightly and walked off the porch towards the front part of the house to tackle that area first. What could be seen first is what she seemed to want to concentrate on. Her neighbors would thank her later.

Carefully setting her soda down, she haled a big bag of fertilizer to that point and got down again on her hands and knees to work. On knees and bent at the hips, leaning on one palm for support, she began to dig. Each little jerk made her body sway and breasts jiggle lightly. Not that Daniel could see from his point of view and she wasn’t purposefully trying to show off her assets. Her moves were unconscious as she let herself drift into other thoughts concerning her new roommate. Would or could this work? What about his dating life? She didn’t want him to give up his life for her…social or otherwise.

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

Daniel finished his drink and smoke and went to the shed to fetch two pairs of protective gloves and a set of gardening tools. He tapped Mel on the shoulder and handed her one pair and nodded in the direction of the soil. "Tetanus, be careful," he said trying hard not to look at Mel's bottom as she kneeled.

Putting his own pair on he looked around where and what to begin his work with. Putting the tools temporarily away, Daniel took the mower back to the shed and picking up a rake started gathering the mown grass into neat little hills he then carried into one corner of the plot.

"Mel! Where are the trash bags?!" he called.

"In the kitchen, under the sink!" Melissa called back at him and waved.

Daniel trotted inside and took a few big bags made of black plastic. Outside he stared packing and pushing grass into those bags and then raked what remained and packed again. He filled five bags before he finished. Mown grass must have had a tendency to swell, he thought, it didn't seem there was so much of it before. Danny carried the rake into the shed and put the bags next to trash bins.

 

[Guest]

Slipping on the gloves that Daniel had given her, Mel set back to work at digging and turning the soil. She weeded out everything, saving a plant here and there, but for the most part, everything that had been once pretty and flowery had to bet dug out and tossed.

She watched her brother in law out of the corner of her eye from time to time, but forced herself to concentrate on her work. She moved from the first flower bed, satisfied with the results and moved on to the next. Sweat glistened on her skin and she wiped at her forehead and neck, feeling grimy and nasty. She hated sweat.

Half way through the next bed, she stretched and sighed, rolling her shoulders. Perhaps this was going to take a few more days. The sun was high and her skin was beginning to turn pink. Tomorrow she would have to remember to put on some sun block on.

Turning at the hip, she tried to spot Daniel to see how far along he was and if he looked like he was ready to quit...

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

Finished with the mown grass Daniel returned to pick up the tools he had left before and set down to clean the strip of grass next to the kerb off weeds and cut the grass where the mower wasn't able to reach. He used a hoe, a spatula and a pair of shears to do the work but it was progressing slower than he had expected and the sun beating down was tiring him.

Dan removed his shirt again and tied it around his head to prevent a sunstroke. His body was tanned after long days spent in the sun digging holes for the glory of the US Army and then filling them back with earth again so he wasn't very afraid of burning himself.

Halfway through the afternoon he wasn't even half done with the work. It would be taking much longer than predicted to go all round the plot doing this and them doing the same around the house. Daniel whistled -- it seemed as if he had his work cut out for him. Oh well.

He looked around himself to see how Mel had been doing so far and noticed that she was done with one flower-bed and was ready to tackle another. She looked at him and he thought she seemed tired. Leaving his tools on the ground he stood up rubbing sweat off his face with his forearm.

"Are you tired, Melissa? Do you want to call it quits for today? Just sit in the shadow if you're tired. I will gather the tools and close the shed so you just rest now..."

 

[Guest]

The sound of her full name on his lips was somehow sweet. It made her stomach quiver slightly, an unfamiliar flutter of nerves or anticipation, she wasn't sure. Sitting up, she dusted the dirt off her gloves and pealed her gloves off before standing. "Yeah...I haven't done this much yard work in a long while...I haven't even been outside in months. I don't want to over do it on the first day...we have all the time in the world anyway. Thank you Daniel, I appreciate it." She smiled at him softly and moved to a nearby tree to sit down. Facing the house, she watched him pick up tools and move to put them away. His body glistened with sweat, his muslces tensing and relaxing as he moved, fluid and beautiful.

She sighed to herself and blushed at her own reaction, trying to pry her eyes away from the site of him. She was slightly confused and angry with herself, her brow wrinkling in thought. She was still grieving...she owed Michael so much more, or so she believed. She had never expected to find anyone attractive after his death...he had been her first real love...their love was supposed to be forever, but now he was gone. A pang of pain his her again, making her feel sick. This wasn't right...she couldn't feel anything for Daniel. It would be wrong...or would it? And even if she did, what would he think? He'd probably want to run.

She sighed again and rubbed her eyes, stretching out her shoulders and neck and leaning back against the tree, closing her eyes to try and relax.

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

Daniel watched Mel go away a bit and sit next to a tree. Then he turned and gathered the tools she had been using and took them to the shed and placed them where they belonged. Then he took the bag of fertiliser and closing it with a piece of string took it to the shed as well. Finally he collected the tools he had been using and put them away. Dan closed the shed and returned to the porch.

Melissa was still in the same position, her eyes closed, she was resting. Danny noticed slight burns on her skin and hoped tomorrow wouldn't be as hot and sunny. It was no good for her to pass out from exertion. He removed the shirt form his head and wiped his face and torso and stuct it under the belt behind his back.

Raching over the railing Daniel took two cans of coke that surprisingly still remained cold in this heat and crossing over to Mel, he put the cool metal to her shoulder. She gasped, opened her eyes and leaned to the left almost falling over. Dan smiled and she giggled.

"Here, drink this and let's go inside. Enough work for today. We could both use a shower I guess..." he said and tried hard to chase away the picture of Melissa naked standing under the cascading water. He shouldn't be thinking like this. It just wasn't alright!

 

[Guest]

Mel took the drink and popped the top, taking a long swig and then sighed. “Thanx…I really needed that.” Standing, she brushed off her shorts and yawned. “Goodness…I guess a little work has worn me down. Maybe it’ll be an early night for me.”

She slanted him a smile and began walking to the house with Daniel at her side. It felt strangely comfortable…they were close, but not touching. She could almost feel his body heat radiating to hers and shivered. She felt the now family flutter in her belly again and tried ignoring it. Tomorrow there would be more work to do…hopefully she would get her mind off of things.

“Once they reached the house, she kicked the dirt off her shoes and slipped them off before entering the house. “Have you spoken to Lance or your family since you moved, Daniel? They are sure to wonder what you’re up to. What are we going to tell them?”

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

"I called them after my discharge," Daniel spoke kicking his shoes off on the porch and statching the two remaining cans of coke from the table. "I told them I wouldn't be coming back yet because I had to take care of Mike's last will. I bet it made all of them wonder," he chukled softly patting the pockets of his jacket hanging in the corridor, looking for cigarettes. He took them out, looked at them critically and put them away. "Besides, if I told mom I would be living with you she would start imagining some crazy things... not to mention Lance's lewd comments. Besides, you know for yourself how our family can be. You'd be getting all sorts of visitations if they got to know you let someone in."

Daniel sneered and imagined how everyone would pester Mel relentlessly, all in good faith of course but tiring and incessant nevertheless.

"I'll go and have a shower and then will have some icecream. Will you join in?" Dan asked with a smile.

 

[Guest]

"I'll go and have a shower and then will have some icecream. Will you join in?" Dan asked with a smile.

It was a completely innocent question and yet it could have been taken a different way and that's just how Mel imagined it. Her and Daniel sharing a shower, slick wet bodies brushing up against each other. Naked and open to each other, free to touch and explore. She blushed and cleared her throat, "Yes...ice cream would be great. I'll just in the shower after you're finished...get all this sweat and dirt off."

She turned and began making her way to her bedroom, but paused a moment, "You're right about Lance and the others, but we have to face them sometime. Maybe not so soon, but later. If it doesn't come from us, they'll still eventually find out." She gave a little shrug and sighed, "Well, just tap on my door when you're done and I'll take it as my turn to clean off, OK?"

Her eyes held his for a moment and then she turned and walked down the hall and quietly shut her bedroom door behind her.

 

[Poganin]

Daniel

Daniel watched Melissa go to her room, observing the gentle sway of her hips as she walked and her smooth legs as they moved. He shook his head trying to stop his galloping imagination and quickly put the two remaining an of coke away in the fridge.

From his room he took a change of underwear, a fresh t-shirt and an old pair of worn put jeans with ragged holes on knees and in several other places. Dan took a shower, washing sweat and dirt from his body as well as leaves of grass that stuck to his chest. He also washed his hair and quickly towelled himself and put new clothes, feeling like a new person, clean and neat.

"I'm done, Mel," he called softly and knocked on her door.

Hearing a muffled "Thanks!" he returned to his room and put the dirty clothes away in a basket. Refreshed he walked to the kitchen and put two small bowls on the table and busied himself with filling them with pieces of differently flavoured icecream.