EroticReverie

Dove Delilah Windsor

"This is where you live?" I ask the fifty five year old stranger that shares my dna as we finally reach the end of a long private drive, to a home, no mansion, no, there has to be a word other than mansion for what I'm looking at. I knew my grandfather was rich, but I guess I underestimated what my father meant when he told me he came from money. 

"It is." Graham says, his voice deep with a soft rasp to it. I flick my eyes to him, then quickly look away. In all seventeen years of my life, I'd never met the man, never even seen a picture of him. My father got my mother pregnant when they were both sixteen, I was born when they were both seventeen, and from what little I know, when my father didn't want to work for my father or take over his company, they became estranged. I'm sure maybe there is more to it. But I never asked, because I simply hadn't cared. 

A week ago, while I stood over my parents fresh graves, weeping silently, the last one standing and looking down at my parents, a tall older man had walked up standing across the fresh mounds of dirt. When I looked up, even though he was unfamiliar to me, I knew who he was. He had the same height my father had, had the same nose and same light blue, nearly silver eyes. He said hello, I said nothing. He told me he was my grandfather. I said nothing. He told me I would be coming to live with him. I wasnt sure if I had a choice or not, but I had nobody else and two months before I was eighteen. I'd be inheriting a small fortune from my parents passing. Though not till I turned eighteen. Even I had the money, I wasn't sure I wanted to be alone, and even a stranger claiming me was better than being alone. So I'd just nodded in agreement, and we stood there silently. He offered no comfort, didn't attempt to hug me or wipe any of my tears. Though I didn't want him to anyways, it would have been strange. 

Now, here we are, just a two hour drive from the life of mine that no longer exists. Just two hours from where I lived. It was a bit sad to me that we lived so close to him, yet my father never attempted to reconcile with him, or him with my father. Or maybe they had, and I was just never told. 

Justin, the driver opens the back of the car on my side and takes my hand and helps me out of the car. I stand there, looking up at the massive home. My head turning to the left, to the right. The fact I needed to actually turn my head in both direction to take in the entire house and property was insane to me. Who needed a home this big for one person? 

Justin opens my grandfathers door for him, I dont turn to look, but I hear the door, hear his expensive shoes on the tiny bits of gravel in the driveway. Then I hear the trunk pop and can hear Justin unloading the two small suitcases I brought with me. Most of my clothes and belongings were already here. Something my grandfather had taken care within the past week while making arrangements for me to come here.  

I'd asked my grandfather who else lived with him a few days ago on the telephone, when he told me what time he was going to pick me up today. Nobody. Just him. I knew my grandmother passed when my father was just a boy. But I would have assumed someone would remarry , find another woman to keep him company, or something. I guess not. 

"I could show you around a bit later if you'd like." Graham says. He shifts his arm and pushes back the arm of his suit jacket and looks at his watch.  "I don't have the time this moment, but I can make time later." he says. 

I shake my head. "It's alright." I say. I didn't need him to stick around. It was too awkward the past two hours, when we spent nearly the entire drive in utter silence. I'd slept for a good portion of it, my head against the window. 

"Esme is the head house keeper, she will show you to your room." He says, and I just nod, still looking side to side, taking in the place, taking in the perfectly manicure bushes and hedges, and the massive garage to the side with a few of the doors rolled up, giving me a peek at several different colored expensive looking sports cars. 

"Do you have a license?" He asks. 

I look at him now. I nod once. "yeah." 

"We can look at a car for you soon." He says as if he's just buying me something simple like a bike. 

I shrug. "Okay." I say and look back to the house.

"Right, well." He says and I turn and watch his hand reach for my shoulder, it hesitates, and then he gives it an awkward pat. I almost smile. It's the warmest gesture he's made since showing up at my parents my grave. It's nice, I guess. For him to try to grandfatherly. 

"I'll see you later, for dinner. Make yourself at home." He says with a nod and clears his throat and then Justin is back down the stairs and opening the door for my grandfather who gets back in the car. 

An older skinny woman with a tight grey bun of hair walks out the front door with a smile. 

"Hello Dove." she says, her smile warm, and kind. It's nice. I just lift my hand and wave with a soft hello that she probably doesnt even hear. She waves her arm in a rolling gesture. 

"Come on, let's get you settled in dear." she says. 

I follow her into the too big, too empty home. Filled with things. But filled with nothing that makes it feel like a home. Everything is too neat, too tidy, too unlived in to seem like anyone actually LIVES here. 

She shows me the kitchens. Yes. Plural. Shows me the bathrooms. Shows me the "back yard". To the left is the indoor pool, with all glass windows, and plants, and trees, and a patio and loungers, like they brought the outside, right inside. There's a small waterfall, a hot tub.  Then in the actual backyard, is an outdoor pool, twice the size of the indoor one, and the waterfall on this one is four times as high, and spalshes down disrupting the cleanest looking pool water I've ever seen. The waterfall has some kind of cove behind it, which I assume must be a jacuzzi. Then beyond the immediate backyard, the ground declines on a small hill and into a wide spread garden with tall hedges, there are rainbows of colors of flowers planted , all sorts of trees with different flowers, it's gorgeous and looks like a fairytale. 

There's a pond further out, which looks too perfect to be natural, so I assume it's man made, with large fountains at either end. 

Then Esme shows me to "my wing", and to my bedroom. It, like everything else, is massive. The bed itself looks like it could fit ten of me. It's funished well, but again, like the rest of the house , feels TOO tidy and TOO perfect. She shows me the walk in closet, and tells me she hung up all of my clothes. 

"Oh, these, aren't mine?" I say as I notice far more clothes than I came with. Some of them are mine, but there are others that aren't. 

"oh, your grandfather had a personal shopper pick up a few things you might like, you know, till out the closet a little bit." She smiles. 

A few things? The closet is packed. Each hanger is spaced on the rails they hang from. All of them looking like they were measure exactly the same space apart, so none of them touch too much or too close to one another. There's a wall of shoes. I had plenty of shoes, but now I apparently had at least fifty more pairs. I never wanted for anything with my parents, they had both done well for themselves. They were rich. My grandfather....was more than rich I guess. 

"Then your bathroom is right over dear" she says and walks out of the closet and across the large bedroom and opens two door bathroom to every girls dream. Some of my things sit on the large bathroom counter. I wonder is Esme unpacked them. I don't imagine my grandfather would have. But I look to the large standup shower, with a built in bench, a small wooden door to what appear to be a small sauna in the corner. She walks over to the large clawfoot tub, and then scoots behind it, and draws back the curtains. Revealing a tall and wide window that looks out on the backyard perfectly. I imagine myself sitting in that tub, looking outside, just sitting there all day and forever. 

"This...place is a lot." I say and she smiles. 

"Beautiful , isn't it?" she says with a sigh and then looks at me. I nod and look back out the window. 

"It is." I say, because why would I argue with that? Was it all a bit excessive, a bit too much? Yes. But, it was indeed beautiful. And i think i'd be able escape reality just fine while living here. 

"Would you like me to show you around, or would you rather your Grandfather do that?" She asks and smooths the front of her black dress, which looks like it must be a uniform. 

"I...I'm fine...I think...I might just, take a nap?" I ask. 

"Of course dear. I'll be in the east kitchen if you need me." she nods and I almost laugh at the fact she has to specify which kitchen she'll be in. 

"Oh, i almost forgot." She says and waves me back into the bedroom and I follow. She goes to the phone by my bed. 

"If you need anything at all, just pick up the phone. When you pick up , just press this button." She says pointing to a button at the bottom of the phones base. "It will ring to my phone." She pats her hips, to a phone that must be in her pocket. I nod. 

"I went ahead and labeled the kitchen for you as well." She says pointing to another number. "So if you're every hungry, just call Nancy, and she will make whatever you'd like." She says. I nod, even though I definitely wouldnt be utilizing that phone. I understood it was their job, but it didnt seem right to have people at my beckon call. But I just smile and nod again. 

"Sure thank you Esme, is, that what I call you?" I ask. She gives me her warm smile.

"Of course dear. And would you prefer Dove? Or Miss Windsor?" She asks. 

"Dove , please." I say and she nods.

"Very well, get some rest dear." She says softly and then leaves me in the room. 

I walk back into the bathroom, contemplating taking a shower , or a bath. Theres a mountain of different bathbombs, oils, bubble bath, a tray of fresh lavender and eucalytpus and I just shake my head. But I was too tired and while I've had trouble sleeping, I have to admit, I think the massive bed might just do the trick in getting me to submit to a good rest. 

I walk back into the closet, finding the drawers where my sleep things are. I undress, leaving on only my panties, and I pull out one of my dads t shirts, and pull it on , comforted by the smell of it that still smells like him. I leave my clothes on the floor, just for the sake of making this place feel less sterile and more real. Then I go to the bed, and I was right. Within minutes. I'm out like a light.