She looked pleased at the prospect (of resting some more, or breakfast in bed, I'm not sure), and told me "Sounds wonderful – thank you."
As promised, I was back in short order with a large cup of coffee for her; she seemed to perk up some after her first sip. Satisfied that her immediate needs were taken care of, I left her alone to take care of anything that she needed to do while I got things going in the kitchen.
When I got back to the bedroom with our breakfast, she was sitting up against the headboard with her coffeecup in her hand. Setting our breakfast tray on the table, I quickly topped off her cup before moving to sit next to her and then setting the tray on my lap. I hadn't had any interest (or the energy, to tell the truth) in making anything too elaborate for breakfast, so what we had was a dish each of scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and Southern-style hashbrowns (the small, cubed kind). Off to the side was a stack of warm flour tortillas, and smaller dishes with some shredded cheddar and American cheese, and some salsa. She followed my example of taking a tortilla and filling it with her preferred proportions of eggs, bacon, and potato, garnished with cheese and salsa. I'd made plenty, and both of us went through a couple of breakfast burritos each. Along the way, my cat Demosthenes showed up to sit and watch us. He'd learned not to get too close to any food people had, but that didn't stop him from sitting there as though telling us "I'm not begging, you understand, but I certainly wouldn't object if you wanted to share some of that delicious smelling food…"
Demosthenes and Jenny had taken to each other easily enough that first day, so Jenny was perfectly willing – after I told her I didn't mind – to give him an occasional nibble: scrambled egg was acceptable, potato was a no-go, and bits of bacon as the preferred treat. The act he put on was even enough to convince me to give him a little bit.
When we'd finished demolishing the food, I set the tray aside while Jenny and I kept our coffee cups. I topped off both, and we sat there simply content to BE with each other.
Jenny finished her coffee before I did, and after setting the empty cup on the tray, moved to sit on my lap. Discovering that my cup was nearly empty, too, she took it and set it next to hers before leaning forward to rest against my chest. I happily put my arms around her, and held her. Several minutes went by before I heard her say "Jim, I've had one hell of a time, being here with you. I came here with the idea that I could, well, use you to help me get over my boyfriend dumping me for that strip club bimbo. But what happened was that I got a whole lot more than I bargained for. I don't know if you were trying to do it on purpose or not, and I really don't care; but while I've been here with you, I've learned a lot more than I ever expected I would – or could, for that matter. You've shown me what it's like to really care for somebody, and what it's like to have someone care that much for me. As much as you've made me happy here in bed – and boy, have you ever made me happy! – it's how happy you've made me feel out of bed that matters to me the most, now. While we were talking last night, I realized what kind of person I've been, and how I could, and should, be living my life better. Until I met you, I never really thought much about other people; I mean, as far as trying to look at things from their perspective. And until last night, when I was on your lap, I never really thought about what I wanted to do with my life: where I wanted to go, and what I wanted to do with it, and all that. But this morning, while you were fixing breakfast for us, I did start thinking about it; and now I'm starting to get an idea of what it is that I really want."
I gave her a hug, but before I could say anything, she went on "Thanks to what you've said to me, and done for me, while I've been here, I know that there are things that I need to change – about myself, and my life. It's not that I think I was really a bad person, either; it's just that I know now that I could be a lot better person. And because of the example you've set for me while I've been here, I know that I can and will be that better person. I don't think it's going to happen quickly or easily, but I'm determined that it will happen. I'm going to change my life, and change it for the better. So what I'm trying to tell you is that the self-centered spoiled little girl that came here is staying here; the person that's going back to San Francisco today is an adult woman with her head on straight – and I know that I have YOU to thank for it."
I thought about what I wanted to say for a few moments before telling her "I wasn't trying to do anything to change you" – she interrupted to tell me "I know that" – "or make you feel like there was anything 'wrong' with you. All I was really trying to do was help you have a good time and enjoy our time together; and maybe, maybe, let you see that there was another way of thinking about things so that you could decide if there was anything about yourself that YOU wanted to be different. Maybe I held up a mirror so you could really see yourself, but it's still your choice as to how much of what you want to be different about yourself – if anything. I don't think I've given you anything; at best, all I did was help you find what was already inside you."
"Whether you think you've given me anything, or not, I know that you did. And I want you to know that I respect you, and love you, for it. I don't mean that I love you like I want to stay here with you forever, or anything like that; I've still got my family and home and job back in San Francisco. What I do mean is that I love you as someone that has given me a tremendous gift because you care about me – and that I care about you in the same way."
There wasn't anything I figured I needed to say to that, so I contented myself with giving her a kiss on top of her head, hugging her, and continuing to hold her in my arms.
We stayed like that for quite some time before I heard her say "As nice as this is" – "Yup!", I interjected – "I really do have to get back home today." She pulled away from me slightly so that she could look up into my face as she said "IF you think you can behave yourself, I'm willing to let you take a shower with me before I have to pack", with a smile.
I smiled back and answered "If I have to behave myself, is there really any point to taking a shower together? How about if I promise to mostly behave, instead?"
Her smile got even wider before she replied "Okay, I can live with that!"
Before she could move, I slid my hands down to hold the firm globes of her ass, and give them a little squeeze while looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She responded to the implied question by telling me "Okay, that's mostly behaving!" before easing herself off of me. I quickly followed her, and once both of us were standing, she led the way into the bathroom.
As she got the shower started and adjusted, and then as we we cleaning each other up, I behaved myself. Mostly.
Afterward, as she got her things packed, got the bedroom and kitchen straightened out. When she was done packing, we 'helped' each other get dressed, and I took her to the airport. Once I'd gotten her luggage unloaded and under the care of a skycap, she turned to face me and say "Thank you again, Jim, for everything" before pulling my head down and giving me a kiss that left no doubt in my mind just how much she cared for me. I could see a small tear in her eye before she turned and headed into the terminal to get her ticket and catch her flight.
Back in my cab, I took a few moments to think back over the previous few days, and marvel at all that had happened.
As I was making my way out of the airport, I got flagged down by a couple of women that had obviously just gotten into town. I stopped to take the fare, and after getting their luggage and them loaded into the cab, headed back into town. In the back, I could hear as the two of them exchanged stories about their respective husbands shortcomings – particularly in the bedroom. I couldn't help but smile to myself the rest of the ride in…