Chapter 40: Warming The Father Christmas

Helen poured the tea. I think she must have made some sort of signal to the others. They stopped kissing me and moved my head to look at Helen.

“Paul? What are you doing tomorrow, Christmas Day?” Helen asked as she handed me a cup of tea.

“Nothing much,” I replied. “The grandchildren are coming on Boxing Day. I might go for a walk to a pub if it’s not too cold.”

“Then we three have a suggestion.” I could see Ruth and Jane nodding.

“You could spend Christmas Day with us. We will do the full Christmas lunch and in the afternoon you could watch the Queen’s Speech on that settee before…”

“Other party games,” Ruth added.

“Party games?” I queried.

“Adult party games,” Jane said.

“Paul. We three are very grateful for what you did this evening. We are the organisers of the Father Christmas float and without you we would have been in real trouble. We had a young substitute for Jack but his wife went into labour this morning. They now have a son, their first child, born about five days early. Like you, Jack has a full white beard. The other substitute is bearded but ginger. He was going to spray it white for this evening but…”

“…but we are very grateful to you, Paul,” Jane said. “Apart from this cup of tea we were going to have our evening meal here with Helen. We’d like you to stay for that too.”

“Please?” Helen added.

“I would be delighted,” I replied.

I meant it. I would have micro waved a frozen TV dinner at home.

I looked at the three of them almost with fresh eyes. Two widows and a divorcée who worked as a team on community projects like tonight’s Father Christmas float. I had held each one of them when dancing this year, sometimes dancing with all three in one evening. They seemed to think of me as an occasional fourth member of their team. If they needed me they knew I would help.

I knew that all three of them would offer me more. They had given me enough hints over the last few years. I was kissed far more than was necessary for just a friend, and much more effectively. They had been patient with me and a great help while I recovered after my wife Penelope’s death. They were my friends and I knew they would be my lovers too, if that’s what I wanted.

Why hadn’t I accepted what they were offering? As I sat between two of them with the third in front of me I thought seriously about that question. The answer was obvious. I didn’t want to choose one and lose the other two.

The meal was a casserole with jacket potatoes followed by a steamed pudding and custard. It was much better than anything I cooked for myself although I might have prepared the meal for the family on Boxing Day. I wouldn’t have to. My daughter in law would cook the meal from the preparations I have already completed.

We had a reasonable red wine with the meal. At the end I was comfortably full, warm and delighted to have the company of the three women instead of a lonely evening at home. We were discussing this evening’s events when Jane asked me a question.

“Paul? How serious do you have to be about avoiding getting cold? For example can you walk back to your house from here?”

“Yes, Jane. It’s only fifty yards. If I wrap up warmly again I could just about do that safely. I couldn’t walk much further because the frost is already settling.”

“Why are you susceptible to cold?” Jane continued.

“It’s a side-effect of the medication I’m on to reduce my blood pressure. My fingers and toes get very cold too quickly. My doctor thinks I will be able to stop using those tablets in a month or so if my blood pressure remains reasonable but until then? He tells me to stay inside in the warm as much as I can particularly after dark. It’s a nuisance.”

“What about walking from Helen’s house to your house and back?” Ruth asked.

“That would be too much this evening, particularly now I’ve drunk some wine. Alcohol makes the sensation worse.”

“Okay, Paul. We get the message. We want you to stay here tonight.” Helen said abruptly.

“We?” I queried.

“Yes, we.” Jane said. “We want to warm Father Christmas up again.”

The three of them were looking expectantly at me. I didn’t really know what they meant. If they did mean what I thought they meant I couldn’t refuse and I wouldn’t want to.

“I would be honoured,” I replied cautiously, but…”

“No buts,” Helen said firmly. “If you lend me your keys I’ll go to get your pyjamas and toothbrush. Do you need anything else, Paul?”

“No, that will be enough,” I said thinking rapidly. Was there anything in my house Helen shouldn’t see? No. My pyjamas would be neatly folded in my bed. My toothbrush was in the en-suite bathroom. I could survive without clean pairs of boxers and socks if I went home to change after breakfast.

“Thank you, Paul. Keys? I’ll go now while the other two get you ready.”

I handed my keys over. Get me ready? What did Helen mean? How were they going to warm up Father Christmas?

§

‘Get me ready’ seemed to be trying to get me aroused. Ruth and Jane’s hands were all over me and their kissing was deeper and more passionate than before.

Helen was back within a few minutes with a carrier bag for my pyjamas and toothbrush. She handed me my toothbrush and toothpaste.

“Brush your teeth in the downstairs cloakroom before joining us upstairs, Paul,” she said.

A few minutes later I walked into Helen’s bedroom. I had never been in it before. I knew it had been the cause of the final rift with her ex-husband. He had spent more than they could afford on a massive bed and a large wet room that had been the fourth bedroom in their house.

The bed was massive. Helen had to make sheets for it because she couldn’t buy any large enough. The three women were standing by it waiting for me.

They advanced on me and the three of them undressed themselves and me. Although we are all old, our bodies weren’t decrepit. I was looking at some very attractive flesh and they seemed to appreciate mine if their stroking hands were an indication. All four of us went into the wet room. The giggling almost drowned the noise of the showers as we soaped, washed and rinsed each other. They dried me with warm towels before pulling me on to the bed. I didn’t wear the pyjamas.