The Deal

I'm Norman 53 widower of 5 years and have 3 grown children, who have their own families and rarely visit. I live on the outskirts of of town on 2 acres my closest neighbor is some 2 hundred yards closer to town than I am. I fairly well off due to my investments, so I don't need to work to get by. My closest neighbor is Maureen 39 widow 2 children 9 and 7 her loser husband Donald rolled his car when he was drunk and uninsured and he died almost 2 years ago. Left with the children and nothing to fall back on, Maureen worked low paid jobs to just get by, her old car was the only transport she had. There isn't any public transport available locally and no taxi's either. Her old car kept breaking down and I took to to her work a few times and would check over her car while she was at work. But keeping it running wasn't viable long term and she would need to either get another or move closer to her work. I own the house she lives in and not worried if she is late with the rent, as she always pays it sooner or later. Luckily there's a school bus to pick up her children and drop them home. Maureen calls me if she is going to be late and I make sure the children have something to eat and also let them use my computer for their school work. I rarely go away and stay close to home mostly and if I'm away on school days, I make sure to be home when the children get home from school. In November last year her old car broke down and it wasn't worthwhile fixing as there was too many problems to fix. Maureen was okay for a time as I took her too and from work. But she didn't like imposing on me, especially as I watched her children also. It didn't bother me at all and I was happy to help. She a very hard working person and she takes good care of her children. But in January there was a bad storm and it done a great deal of damage to the town. Luckily it was the other side of town from my place and Maureen's workplaces took heavy damage and closed up for repairs. Also I got a good offer for the house Maureen rented from me, I had listed it 4 years before for sale and removal. No takers at the time and after a year I started to rent it to Maureen and Donald almost a year later. When Donald died I was friendly with Maureen at the time and help her as best I could. Anyway Maureen was with me when the offer was made and she told I should take it while it was offered. I told her she could move in with me and I would help find another place, but there wasn't any hurry. She accepted and spend a great deal of time looking for work and a new place to live. Jobs were available but she would need a car, the day the house was removed to its new location. She was a bit dejected and I drove her and the children to the local supermarket and there was a old pickup with a for sale sign on it. The pickup was old, but I knew the owner and it was in perfect condition. As he had maintain it in almost new condition, but he was retiring and wouldn't need it anymore. But it would do Maureen as transport and would be very reliable for her. Even she thought so, but it was way out of her price range if she had one. On our return I stopped and had a look at the pickup and I offered to buy it for Maureen. She would've accepted except she said she couldn't afford to pay me back. So we all headed home and as the children played with their dog. Maureen sat deject at the table peeling potatoes for dinner. I offered to buy the pickup saying you get that job and can pay me back as is when you can. She smiled and didn't answer at the time, after she had finished putting on the dinner. She said she couldn't accept because she already owed me for living with me with her children. I answered you don't owe me anything for staying here you keep my house and cook all the meals and even do my washing, also I invited you to stay with me and it wasn't to make money from you. She accepted that and later on after the children had gone to bed. She said I'm almost like a wife to you and if you want I will I'll sleep with you also and give the full wife service. That way I will be providing you everything you would get if you were married. I was a little shocked, but not for very long. It came to me like flash of lightning, marrying Maureen would be the best answer for the both of us. I really liked having Maureen and the children living with me and the thought of them moving away was distressing for me to think about. So I asked her straight out to marry me shocking her also, I said it was the perfect deal for us both and it would make me very happy and I hope you also. Still quiet for a time she sat thinking it over and then said lets sleep on it and see how it goes. She slept with that night and every night since. We Married in May as it was the earliest my children and their families could all attend. They all like Maureen and in July Maureen got pregnant. I bought her the pickup the day after our first night together. She didn't get that job but got another job closer to home, teachers aid at the school. Best deal I've ever made.