Screw Too Old

Sergio couldn’t see the housing units here as anything but fancy trailers. Once inside Phil’s unit, though, he could see that it was as solid looking as any stick-built home. But if you looked carefully you could see that the walls weren’t wood or brick but some other man-made board covered in vinyl wallpaper. The interior was commodious enough, for one person, with the hub of the building being a kitchen-dining area-family room section, with a large master bedroom and bath and a smaller guest room and main bathroom off the family room. To the right, beyond the kitchen and dining areas was a large living room, which looked like it was used mainly as a transit room to a screened porch, facing the lake. Phil had managed to snarf up one of the premium lots right on the water.

Phil himself looked in better spirits today than yesterday. And to Sergio he looked good—trim, but well muscled, still causing Sergio to disbelieve that the man was seventy. He still had a full head of hair, which always helped to keep a man looking younger, even though it had gone fully to gray. He was wearing a close-fitting white T-shirt over white shorts today, which contrasted nicely with the tan he was developing. He might have lost steam on the tennis court yesterday, Sergio thought, and left dejected for some reason, but exercising out in the sun was benefiting him—and making him look hot to someone like Sergio in more ways than temperature.

The computer desk was set in the corner of what was a pretty large bedroom, dominated by a queen-sized bed. All the modules needed were there, but Sergio could tell from the tangle of wires that Phil had made a half-hearted effort to hook it up himself but had stopped quickly in frustration. Computer support was key to Sergio’s recreation services job, though, so he had no trouble seeing what needed to be done and getting down to doing it.

There was a shelf above the computer desk. A few books laying on their backs and stacked on top of each other, but there were photographs too—of Phil, some younger, some recent—and also of who must be Lynn. Sergio did a double take at seeing the photos and began to readjust his thinking about Phil—and his own attitude toward Phil.