Seaside Enchantment
Chapter 2
By nine O’clock Algie was getting ready to see Penny Brown for the first time in almost seventeen years. He wished he could explain the truth to her, but knew that she would have a hard time accepting it. When Penny arrived they hugged and he took a step back to look at her. While she was still recognizable to him, it appeared that either the years had been unkind to her or she was sick. Her face, while still showing some of the features that made her so lovely, was also quite gaunt and pale. She also looked terribly thin and malnourished. He thought back to that fateful day and remembered the energy and passion which she hugged him with. She apparently did not have that vigor anymore. What there was, as it had always been, was a sense of affection. As Penny had hugged him, he could not see the huge smile that broke out on her face. That smile not only belayed her appearance, but more importantly her condition.
“Algie, dearest it is so wonderful to see you again! You look wonderful!” said Penny.
“Penny, I have missed you so much,” said Algie, as a tear came to his eye.
“Don’t cry, love,” smiled Penny, as she knew that there would be crying when she told him her news.
After they had walked to the library, Penny smiled. It was her favourite room in the whole house. It was there that she fell in love with Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Turner and Manet. Lady Whit’s collection of art books was second to none and helped inspire the course she was on. As they walked in, she looked up on the wall and saw one of her works that she had painted when she was about seventeen. She cringed, but broke out in a smile. While technically it was a lovely view of a cliff near the Channel and it was beautiful from a technical standpoint, it was before she had discovered her passion for painting and was quite inferior to her recent works. She giggled. “You still have that awful thing up?”
“It’s not awful. It reminds me of the halcyon days of our carefree youth.”
“Yes, there are times when I wished that I could go back,” said Penny before pausing. “This is one of these times,” she paused again before continuing. “I think I need you to sit down, as I have some sad news,” she said, as her smile disappeared.
Algie sat down and Penny sat next to him.
“I guess there is no better way than to just come out with it. Algie, I’m dying,” she said.
“Penny, dearest, are they sure?”
“Yes. I have stage four breast cancer. They tried to operate, but even after doing a complete mastectomy, the cancer had spread. At this point, I probably only have a bit more than a month left at best; probably less. I have made peace with it, but I thought I needed to tell you face to face.”
Algie felt his emotions begin to flood his brain, as a few tears began to trickle down his cheek, despite his best effort to hold back. “I wish you had told me a lot of other things face to face over the years. Mum died and so did Dad, but you never came. Why didn’t you come back?” asked Algie.
“Algie dear, I felt awful and was heartbroken when I had to turn you down. As I explained in my letter, I had hoped and prayed for you to propose to me, but then...” she paused, unable to continue.
“Merrial and the kiss,” said Algie wistfully.
“Yes.” She said quietly.
“Love, that could not be helped on any of our part, not even hers.”
“I know. The life I’ve led has been quite a solitary one. Aside from my painting, it has been devoid of pleasure, except for two or three days a year when Merrial would come.”
“I am sorry that you have suffered so,” said Algie with sincerity.
God, dearest Algie, it is you who have suffered. First believing I was dead and then being thrown over, for a once a year relationship with a Mermaid,” she cried.
“Other than your news, I’m fine love. About a couple of years ago, I married.”
“You never told me that in your letters.”
“I never thought that I would see you then.”
“Tell me all about her.”
“By coincidence, her name is Penny too.”
“How odd?”
“I know. It is a fantastic coincidence,” agreed Algie.
“And she makes you happy?”
“Quite.”
“Is she here? I would love to meet her.”
“Alas, her mother was ill and she’s gone back to Warwick to take care of her,” lied Algie.
“How long has she been gone?”
“About a week, but I’m muddling along,” he smiled.
“Well, I guess that changes what I was going to ask you.”
“What dear?”
“Well I was hoping that you would consider me staying with you for a while, but as you are married I would not want to inconvenience your wife…” started Penny.
“As I said, my wife is away. Her mother appears to be lingering on, so I’m not sure when I will see her next. Things are more complicated because of the row we had.”
“You did not want her to leave?”
“Something like that. Of course I was fine for a visit, but not indefinitely, as it may turn out. Still we always find our footing, so I’m not too worried.”
“Well, that should be further reason for me not to stay,” said Penny as she stood up.
Algie stood up, blocked her path and hugged her, before helping her back into her seat. “Old girl, you and I grew up together. Before I fell in love with you, I thought of you as the sister I never had. If Penny can stay with her sick mother, than she should have no problem with me being with my ill sister.”
Penny cried. “Algie dear, I’ve missed you so.”
“Me too, dearest.”
Algie was indeed speaking the truth. He never got to see Penny grow older, to change into her beautiful prime and then her late prime as she would be in now if it weren’t for the illness. Part of him had and always would be sad at this truth. While the blush of youth was right at hand, he had no idea what Penny would be like, both emotionally and physically had she aged as he had.
Penny marveled at how handsome Algie had become. He had matured quite nicely and looked to be younger than thirty, though he would have had to be close to thirty-eight. He had been so understanding about everything. Penny’s main reason for coming to the house of her youth was to spend the last days of her life with Algie. Still, she needed to hang on for at least another two weeks. The 360th moon would come and she could say goodbye to her other love then. She hoped against hope that Algie’s Penny would not be upset with him when she returned.
Algie had Penny’s things brought up to her old room, and told her that once she had settled in, to meet him back in the library. When she was done, she and Algie sat in the library and reminisced about their childhood together. They teased each other fiercely. Algie, about how prim and unemotional she was, while Penny teased Algie, about showing her all his crazy inventions. All of a sudden they both got quiet. Penny cried.
“Penny, I so wish I had never put that blasted helmet on your head,” said Algie.
“A large part of me feels the same way.”
“You do?”
“While I love Merrial and I don’t begrudge a moment of time we have spent together, or my love for her, there will always be a part of me that asked: What if?”
Algie began to cry; partly from her admission and partly out of guilt.
“That’s OK love,” she soothingly stroked his shoulder in a familiar gesture.
Algie did his best to stop, but what she was doing was only making it harder. Still, he managed to compose himself.
“That’s my brave boy.” She grinned at him in a way that reminded him of seventeen years ago.
She had always teased and goaded him into doing things by either calling him brave or by saying he wasn’t. He guessed in some respects, she hadn’t changed so much. “We’re not going on about that again?” laughed Algie.
Now it was Penny’s turn to laugh. In some ways it seemed like it was when they were children. He would do anything to impress her and she would eat it up. Now years later, despite the sad news, Algie was making her laugh. That was just one of the things she loved about Algie and part of why she wanted to come here, she thought. Then Penny got serious. “Are you sure that it’s OK for me to be here?”
“While this is my home, in many ways it is your home too. Like me, it has been cheated out of seeing the wonderful Penny Brown grow up. Like me, it needs you to be here.”
Penny started to cry again. Algie pulled her out of her seat and hugged her. Then he looked into her eyes and wiped away the tears. His look lingered long past it being comfortable. Part of Penny was indeed beginning to feel uncomfortable, but part of her longed for him to kiss her. Instead of giving her a passionate kiss, he gave her a quick peck on the lips and squeezed her tight. Penny did her best not to audibly sigh, but she wasn’t sure if her sigh would have been from relief or a wistful one.
They shared a wonderful tea followed by more talk. They continued to catch up with each other at supper and eventually hugged and went to their respective beds.
“I’m sorry that you have to stay in the room, my love,” said Algie to the lovely woman in his bed.
“Not half as sorry as I am,” grinned his lover. “Seriously, I understand,” she said before pausing a beat. “I couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of her when she came into the house. She’s sick, right?”
“Yes,” said Algie.
“I can tell. I also know when you’re worried.”
“You always could.”
“And still can,” she stuck her tongue out at him in a very unladylike gesture.
Algie laughed. While his wife was perfect in so many ways (including making him laugh), her youth made it hard to appreciate what Penny Brown was going through; therefore, it made it hard to understand what he was going through.”
“What’s the matter, love?” asked his wife.
“Aside from the obvious.”
“You were just laughing and then you stopped mid-laugh and got very quiet.”
“I’m just sad, love,” said Algie.
“Can I cheer you up?” she grinned.
Algie remembered the first day he made love to his Penny a few years ago. He had been her first lover. She seemed a bit afraid at first, but once they got into it, she responded with the new unbridled passion that defined her nature.
“Maybe in a little while, sweet,” Algie smiled.
“Was she the way you remembered her?”
“In some ways. There was a side of her that was quite serious and thoughtful too. Almost the way she was when she was a child. It was as if she almost had regressed in some ways.”
His wife sat down on the bed next to him and stroked his arm. “Don’t worry, love. That will never happen to me.”
“I know, dearest. I know.”
After lying in bed having problems sleeping, Penny began to think of Merrial. Merrial was devastated when Penny had been diagnosed with the cancer. Such disease was unknown in Merrial’s world, now it was destroying the person she loved. Penny had made up her mind to visit Algie in order to spend her last days with him, but also to make love to Merrial in the place they had made love their first time.
Penny thought about how inexperienced they were that first time and giggled to herself. Neither of them particularly knew what they were doing. Penny had been a virgin and Merrial had never allowed a human male between her legs (let alone a woman). She remembered the first time they engaged in oral sex. Penny instinctively kissed Merrial’s sex and it felt so good that Merrial held Penny’s head between her legs. Soon the kiss became a French one for Penny as her tongue entered her folds for the first time. Merrial immediately climaxed and then she did what was just done to her to Penny. Within time, they learned about their clitorises and the additional pleasure they could provide each other by stimulating them. Over the next seventeen years they learned how to bring each other off quite adeptly and then snuggle into each other’s arms as they slept.
With all that pleasure, they were only together roughly fifty days over the span of those seventeen years. As wonderful as those times were, Penny had yearned for more, but Merrial always reminded her of the potential danger. Only during the “Time of Enchantment” could they be safe.
While she loved Merrial, she had always wistfully thought of the love she had felt for Algie. He had been such a romantic and she had been such a wet blanket. Then like many who go to Paris, she became transformed by the “City of Light”. She remembered walking in the plaza near the Eiffel Tower and seeing all the couples walking hand in hand, and occasionally hugging and kissing. At first it made her feel uncomfortable, then she remembered what Professor Legrande told her. He said that while she was technically brilliant, she could never achieve greatness until she learned how to open her heart and to feel.
Soon those kissing couple images flooded her brain, but in those images, it became her and Algie. She always believed that they would end up together, but now her pragmatic side had faded and her heart began to yearn for the boy who would do anything for her, as his heart had yearned for her. When she returned from Paris, they had just a few hours that they felt the same way about each other. A mere few hours, she thought sadly. They had been cheated of their love by a strange quirk of fate, which had turned their lives upside down. Penny began to cry. As terrible as losing her love for Algie, it was perhaps more horrible to have been pining for his affection, but out of her mistaken belief that he did not want her in his life, she had shortchanged them both out of their dear friendship. She eventually fell into a fitful sleep.
In contrast, Algie and his wife had engaged in a passionate love making session. Algie smiled at his lovely young bride and her nude Junoesque body. He thought of the day that had gone so terribly wrong. He remembered seeing the lovely Penny Brown in her birthday suit. She had been perfection to Algie. Through Algie’s eyes she always would be.
“Dearest, you seem like you are far away,” said his Penny.
“No, just seventeen years,” he murmured.
“That day at the train?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Do you love me, Algie?”
“Of course, love.”
“Do you love her?”
“I do. How could I not?” he replied.
“Then what will you do?”
“I will love you the way I love you and I will love her the way I love her,” he smiled.
“Do you love me the way that you love her, too?”
“Yes, pet. How could I not?”