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Amy Finds Her Muse

By: jake60



- Thursday, Jan. 31

John Anderson sat at his desk and wondered what he was going to do about Amy. Amy was his wife of six years and lately she had been behaving very strangely toward him. It seemed that she had her mind on something and he couldn't figure out what it could be. For over a month now, ever since Christmas, she seemed to be lost in thought almost every evening. Their conversations had deteriorated to simple sentences. 

They used to have long conversations over the supper table but these had become not much more than question and answer sessions. He would ask her what was bothering her but she always said "Nothing." He knew there was definitely something different about her and the way she was treating him. He made up his mind he was going to speak with her again tonight about it but this time he wasn't going to take "Nothing" as an answer.

As the gulf between them grew over the last several months he had noticed that it had begun to affect their sex life. They had always been active in that regard, enjoying each other almost every night. Lately though, it seemed that once a week had become the norm and for the last two weeks their sex life had been nonexistent. While he had tried to get Amy interested, she had given him several excuses, most recently last night when she complained of being too tired. Considering they were both only 30 years old and were both very fit, he found that hard to believe. 

For the last five months Amy had been taking an evening art course at the local University. These classes were held on Monday and Wednesday evenings and he had noticed that they seemed to be lasting longer lately. On several other evenings over the last month she had said she needed to work on her paintings and had been gone for several hours each time. Fortunately his work didn't conflict with her hours at the University and he'd been able to care for their one year old daughter Amanda while Amy was away at class.

John sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. He thought back over the years since he and Amy had graduated from the University, he with a degree in business and she with a general arts degree. He'd used a small inheritance to open his own printing shop, as he could see a need for such a business in Elmville. It was doing moderately well and for a while Amy had worked at it with him. It had not been her real interest though, as she preferred to paint or sketch. 

They had built her a studio in one of the spare bedrooms of their house and she had filled it with her work and equipment. When she felt she needed to expand her experience as an artist he had suggested she enroll in some of the evening courses at the University. It seemed to work out quite well for her, as he could see new subject matter and mediums in her work. She had begun using pastels recently and he knew her work had a new air about it. Her skills had markedly improved.

He could never really seriously discuss her art with her, as he really wasn't into it like she was. While he could appreciate her results, he couldn't carry on a conversation with her about techniques or styles of painting. As his business grew and her art developed they had less in common to talk about, although the arrival of Amanda had really helped in that regard. She was their pride and joy. At one-year-old, changes in Amanda's abilities and appearance were taking place frequently.

For the last month he had been wondering if Amy may be having an affair. A lot of the signs he'd read of were there but his two attempts in the last two weeks to catch her if she was going out to fool around on him had proven nothing. Both times he had dropped Amanda off with hiss, Fred and June Holmes, telling them he had work to do at the office but instead he had gone to the University to see if Amy really had a class. 

The first time had been for one of her regularly scheduled classes and he had been able to see her working at her easel with four other students in the classroom. Two of the students were women, one was an elderly man and the last a young teenage boy. Their instructor seemed to be about 40, bearded with rather drab clothing and plain in his personal appearance. 

The second time he checked up on her had been when she said she was going in to finish working on her latest painting. Again he had been able to look into the room through the partially opened classroom door and she had been there working on a painting just as she had said she was going to do. 

The art professor had been standing beside her pointing to her work and apparently discussing something with her. John had hung around and checked back on her several times but he saw absolutely nothing that was suspicious to him.

As he sat there wondering what he would be able to do to fix something he didn't even know for sure was actually broken, Mary called him on the intercom to tell him his wife was on line one. He had hired Mary Paige, a 50 year old widow, only two weeks earlier and already her worth was being proven. She had been able to take answering the phone away from his responsibilities and now was also handling the counter for customers. 

This let him concentrate on pricing orders and calculating estimates, working on the design of printed products for his customers and ordering the supplies and equipment their shop needed. Mary had proven to be very good with the public and caught on quickly when shown the huge variety of product choices this firm offered. Now that the post Christmas lull in business was almost over he would really be able to use her talents.

John reached for the phone and punched the flashing button and said "Hello dear, how are you? Is everything OK?"

"Everything is fine John; I just want to know if you'll be home at your regular time tonight."

"Oh, I should be honey; everything is under control here, especially now that I have Mary working the office for me."

"That's good, John. I need to talk to you. I'll see you at 5:15 then. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, dear, I'll see you at 5:15. Love you." he said, realizing that she had hung up too soon to have heard his last sentiments. He sat looking at the receiver in his hand, wondering how it could be that she would hang up so quickly and impersonally. It seemed as though this was just another example of how she had changed. 

Just a few short months ago they would've spent as much time as they could chatting and teasing each other over the phone. She just didn't seem to be the same woman she was such a short time ago.

John picked up one of the photos on his desk. It had been taken last year while they vacationed in Florida. They had been on the beach and had asked a lifeguard to take their picture. They had stood with arms around each other, Amy with her head on his shoulder. 

He marveled at how beautiful she was, her dark blond hair contrasting with his, which was dark brown. They were both fit, with no excess weight on either of them. You couldn't really tell from the photo that she was 4 inches shorter than his 5 foot 10. The photo wasn't large enough to clearly see her blue or his hazel eyes but both of them sported broad smiles no camera could miss.

He stared at the photo and thought again of how good things had been going for him and Amy during the first five years of their marriage. During those years they had taken two major trips, one to Cancun and the other to Fort Lauderdale. Although these trips had been taken up with days of fun in the sun, swimming, snorkeling and relaxing on the beach or at the pool, the nights had been filled with romantic dinners and dancing and completed with hours of joyous lovemaking.

Almost every night when they returned to their room they would follow the same basic script. The door would no sooner be closed and the deadbolt locked, than they would begin undressing each other. It was a race in which they were both winners. Whoever was stripped naked first would enjoy the oral pleasuring performed by the loser. Once the winner had achieved their orgasm, the loser became the winner, with the roles reversed. In truth, they both made sure that the first winner alternated each evening, so both of them were equally pleasured. 

Amy had perfected pleasuring him orally, holding the base of his cock with one hand while the other played with his balls. Her mouth would slowly slide over the swollen head of his penis, while her tongue tickled the underside. As she raised and lowered her head she would sometimes twist it as well, creating the most wonderful of sensations for him. 

She would make this process last, stopping her ministrations when she felt he would soon explode. It wouldn't be until he told her "Don't stop, don't stop!" that she would continue until he came in her mouth. She soon achieved the ability to swallow it all and he would see her throat flex two or three times as she did just that.

When it was John's turn to supply the pleasure for Amy, he always began with kisses, light and slow at first but developing quickly into tongue trading, passionate sessions. While they enjoyed the kisses he would begin caressing her breasts, teasing her nipples with his fingers, pinching them while twisting them gently. He would feel her nipples responding as they grew hard with his touch. He would move down, bringing his kisses to her nipples as his hands caressed her breasts and down her stomach. 

It wouldn't be long before she would begin pushing his head lower and he would kiss his way down to her navel and beyond. At that point he would position himself between her outstretched legs, lifting her knees and spreading her thighs. With one hand he would caress her breasts while the other lightly touched her inner thighs. He would bring his lips down to her neatly trimmed bush and begin lightly kissing and licking the juncture of her thighs and outer labia as well as the area of her clit. 

It never took long before she would be raising her hips to meet his mouth and her hands would be moving his head to direct his kisses and tongue to the places she wanted them to be. Once she began pushing his head he knew she would be wet and he would begin probing her vagina with first one and then two fingers, searching for her elusive G spot. Usually when he found it the combination of his tongue on her clit, fingers massaging the right area in her vagina and his other hand tweaking and pulling at her nipples would give her a loud and immensely satisfying orgasm.

These oral gratifications were rarely the end of their night. Usually they continued with one of the standard forms of intercourse. Since by this time he had already come once, their second session was always long, slow and tender. The usually managed to climax together, or very nearly so. The remaining time before they would go to sleep was spent cuddling and kissing, as they professed their love for each other.

When they were back home the lovemaking became a bit more restricted but at least once a week would mirror their nights while on vacation. John felt that their sex lives had been almost ideal and couldn't understand what seemed to be going wrong in this part of their relationship. For it to have dwindled from such joyful lovemaking to a nonexistent physical relationship was beyond his understanding. He could only wait until tonight to insist that she discuss their problems with him.

John was pulled from his thoughts by the ringing of the telephone. He sat up and put the photo back on his desk, answered the phone and got back to work. His problems with Amy were going to have to wait until he got home. Right now his business needed him.

Just before the end of the business day there was a knock at John's office door. He looked up to see Mary and Frank Worth, his only other employee, entering the office. Frank handled all of the actual printing work, running the various copiers, collators, cutters, laminating machines and the offset printing machine.

"John, we have a bit of a problem," said Mary.

"What's up?"

"We have a rush printing job that just came in and there won't be time to finish it before we close. The customer needs the order for first thing in the morning, so we wondered if you would be willing to stay over to finish the job."

"Gee, Mary, I simply can't stay tonight. I have some important things to do at home right after I get off work. Frank, is it possible you could stay for a couple of hours of overtime to finish this job?"

"Well, I guess so John. I don't really like to work extra but since it hasn't been needed very often this time should be OK," said Frank. "The kids really wear my wife out and she looks forward to me getting home to give her some relief."

"Thanks a lot, Frank, I appreciate it."

John cleared the remaining jobs from his desk, putting several files into his briefcase. It was 10 to 5 and if he left now he actually would be home a few minutes early. He was very anxious to talk to Amy and get their problems sorted out and as he rushed out the door called out a hurried "Goodbye," to Mary and Frank.

He pulled into his driveway at five o'clock, grabbed his briefcase and entered the door to the kitchen from the garage. As the entered the kitchen he saw that Amy was standing at the sink, staring out the kitchen window. She turned toward him as he set his briefcase down and walked toward her.

"Hi, honey, I managed to get away a little early."

As he reached Amy he put his arms around her and leaned forward to give her a kiss. As he did this she turned her head so that his lips found her cheek, instead of her lips. She pushed his arms away from her and said "Please John, don't do that. I need to talk to you."

Amy turned away from him and walked into the living room. John followed her with a puzzled look on his face, as her actions did not make any sense to him. She sat in the chair that faced their sofa and said, "Sit down John, I want to talk to you and it has to be now."

John sat on the sofa, the puzzled look still on his face and waited for Amy's next words. She had her hands in her lap and she was kneading one hand with the other. She turned her head to the floor and began to speak.

"John, I'm leaving you. No, that's not really right, I'm divorcing you."

John jumped to his feet and said, "What? You're divorcing me! Amy, how can you say that?"

"John, please sit down. What I'm going to explain to you is hard enough as it is. Please just sit there while I say what I have to say. For days now I've been trying to figure out how to tell you this and I have to do it now," Amy said.

"While I've been taking this art course I have come to realize that even though I love you, I love Peter more. Well, maybe it's not that I love him more but that we are so much more suited to each other. We have so much in common. Besides art, we have the same love of literature, music and even the performing arts. Anything I have ever mentioned to him in any of these areas has matched his feelings exactly. 

He is leaving for Paris at the end of the semester and he wants me to go with him as his wife. That will be in four months, at the end of May, so I want to be divorced from you by then, so we can be married before we leave for Paris."

"You're talking about Peter Bridges, your professor?" John said. "You want to leave me for him? How can you even say that, after all we've meant to each other? You want to throw away our marriage because he has the same opinions as you do? What makes you think I would ever go along with this?" John had stood again and was now pacing back and forth in front of the sofa. He turned back toward Amy, his eyes glistening with tears, as he waited for an answer.

"John, I'm sorry but I have to do this for myself. Don't think I haven't thought long and hard about all of this. Beside his love for me, he's my mentor, my muse. He has made me see that my art is who I am. I have to go to Paris, to find out just how good I could be." Amy raised her head to look at John and there were tears in her eyes as well.

John resumed his pacing, then walked behind the sofa and leaned with both arms against it. "Have you talked to anyone else about this? What about your parents, have you told them of your plans?"

Amy resumed kneading her hands together and then said "I just came from my parents' place. I explained all of this to them but they didn't take it well. Mom called me a 'foolish girl' and dad said if I went he wanted nothing more to do with me. Even Babs won't talk to me. She ran into her bedroom and locked the door. I would have hoped they could have understood."

"How do you expect anyone to understand this? It makes no sense at all." John returned to the front of the sofa and fell more than sat down again. "Damn it Amy, how can you do this to us," he shouted.

Amy flinched in her seat and lowered her head again. "John, I've made up my mind. Over the last three days I've packed up my studio and taken it all to Peter's apartment. Most of my clothes are there now and I have just these two suitcases by the door to take with me when I leave. I don't want to make you sell the house and I have no need for any of the furniture as Peter has a furnished apartment. 

I'm leaving you the car as well. His apartment is by the University and if necessary I can use his car. In exchange for leaving everything with you, I've taken $20,000 on our line of credit with the bank. I feel that's more than fair to you. I will need the cash to set up a studio in Paris."

"Oh my God, you're serious," John said. "How could you get an extra $20,000 on our line of credit? I maxxed it out last month for the new copiers."

"The account is in both of our names and I was able to get the limit raised after I spoke to the manager," Amy said.

John leaned forward and rested with his elbows on his knees, his head between his hands. He was silent for about half a minute. When you spoke it was quietly and without looking at Amy. "What about Amanda? If you think I am going to let you take her to Paris without fighting you every inch of the way, you're very sorely mistaken. I am not going to let my daughter be taken away and out of the country for such a foolish whim as this."

Amy too was silent for an extended period and was every bit as quiet when she spoke as John had been. "John, I won't be taking Amanda with me. I'm going to give you the primary custody of her. I would like to be able to spend time with her every week until we leave and then fly back to visit her here every few months. We can work out the details."

John's head snapped up to stare at Amy as she spoke. A look of incredulity was on his face and when he spoke his amazement was obvious. "You are giving me custody of Amanda? Why would you give up custody of your daughter so easily? What is going on here?"

"I love Amanda with all my heart and soul and not having her with me is going to be horrendous but Peter says that pursuing my destiny will not leave me with the time that Amanda deserves. As well, Peter is uncomfortable with children and I'm afraid Amanda doesn't fit with his plans," Amy said.

"I don't think you are the same Amy I knew just a couple of months ago. That Amy would have fought for Amanda until her dying breath," said John.

"Why do you think this has been so hard on me? I will be leaving a major piece of my heart with you and Amanda."

"I think it may be a major part of your soul that you will be leaving behind." John was crying now, leaning back on the sofa and allowing the tears to stream down his cheeks without shame.

Amy picked up her purse and took out her cell phone. She punched in a number and said "You can come by and pick me up now. I'm ready." They sat there in near silence now, with the only sounds coming from John as he cried. After about five minutes a car horn gave a short toot and Amy stood and then walked to the front door.


Amy Finds Her Muse



"I'm leaving now. I'll have my lawyer send the papers to you on Monday. Amanda is with my parents and I've asked them to bring her home to you at seven o'clock."

John wiped his eyes and stood up. He walked toward the front hall where Amy stood and then watched as she picked up two large suitcases and went out the door. As she walked down the front steps John walked to the open front door. 

Peter Bridges was walking up the front walk and met Amy near the foot of the stairs. He took one of the suitcases from Amy and then turned to John with a smirk as Amy walked to his car. In a moment he turned and followed her. They put the suitcases into the trunk, then got into the car and drove away. Amy did not look back.

John was crying again, as he slowly closed the front door. He walked back to the sofa, sat down and leaned back. He said to himself, "What has happened to my life?" His tears stopped after a few minutes and he simply stayed there with his eyes closed reliving everything that had happened since he had come home from work. 

He lost track of time and was still sitting there when the doorbell rang. For a moment he thought it was Amy, coming back to tell him it was all a very bad joke but as he opened his eyes his father opened the unlocked door and walked in.

"I see she has told you," said Fred Holmes when he saw John seated on the sofa. "I'm ashamed to call her my daughter. I don't understand how Amy could have come under the thrall of that guy."

As he reached the sofa, his wife June and daughter Barbara came in the front door. Barbara was carrying Amanda and June had the diaper bag and some of Amanda's favorite toys clutched in her arms. All three of them wore somber expressions and John could see by their red eyes that June and Barbara had been crying. Only Amanda was laughing and giggling but she did not know what was going on.

As John stood all three of them reached to give him a hug of encouragement. He greatly appreciated the support of the Holmes family, as he had no siblings and his parents had both passed away in the last two years. These people were all he had.

The four of them sat and discussed everything that had happened and all that Amy had said to each of them. None of them could believe the events of this afternoon. At separate points each of them shed more tears. It was almost 7:30 when June got up and said "I think we all need to have something to eat. I'll go into the kitchen and see what I can find for us."

Barbara came over to John with Amanda and let him hold his daughter. Amanda was squirming and wanted to pull at her father's hair. She didn't seem to notice that tears streaked his face. John sat on the sofa and let Amanda play in his lap. Barbara sat by his side, trying to help amuse her one-year-old niece while Fred joined his wife in the kitchen and helped her prepare sandwiches and soft drinks for the four of them.

In no more than 10 minutes they were all seated around the coffee table eating the quickly prepared meal. John did not really have an appetite but he ate anyway. As he sat there he looked around at the Holmes family. Fred and June were both in their late fifties with a bit of gray in their brown hair. Both had retired within the last year, Fred from a management job at the bank and June from teaching. Both were fit for their age and spent most of their time gardening and golfing, with a few weekend trips in their motor home when they could get away.

Barbara was 16 now, with a couple of years of high school left to complete. She had her light brown hair tied up in a ponytail and when she smiled it was obvious that she had been blessed with a full set of braces on her teeth. John knew that she was quite self-conscious of these braces and noticed that she rarely smiled so that her braces would show but instead gave small smiles with her lips closed. He knew she would become a beauty as she got older because she already possessed much of the natural good looks of the Holmes women.

After they ate the whole group sat quietly around the coffee table. Amanda was crawling around between John and Barbara but finally crawled to the edge of the coffee table and after two failed attempts managed to stand and hold the edge of it. She was giggling and cooing and looking around at all of them. When she tried to grab one of the plates, Barbara was quick to tell her 'No'. Amanda was quick to repeat the 'no' back at Barbara and soon was making a game of it.

Watching Amanda's antics soon had all of them in a slightly better frame of mind, although the day's events were in everyone's thoughts. Before they knew it, it was 8:30 and Barbara volunteered to get Amanda ready for bed. 

While she did that John, Fred and June sat in the living room and discussed what John would need to do to handle his job and caring for Amanda too. They decided he would have to find a good day care center but that June would watch Amanda until he did so. 

Since the next day was Friday and with everything that John would have to do, he decided to try to take most of the day off and handle whatever he could from home. June would come over in the morning to help him with Amanda and anything else that came up.

Barbara came back to join them in the living room and let them know that she had changed Amanda for the night and that she had already gone to sleep. John thanked her and commended her skills at childcare. After a few more minutes of talk the Holmes family decided it was time to leave and John thanked them for their kindness and help. He locked the door behind them after they left.

John checked on Amanda and after seeing that she was asleep decided he needed a stiff drink to calm his nerves and help him handle spending the night alone in his bed. He poured about an inch of Glenfiddich into a tumbler and sat at the kitchen table to drink it. The more he thought about everything that Amy had said the angrier he got. Since she had destroyed his world he wasn't going to make her choice easier for her. He was damned if he was going to cooperate.

He finished the first drink and poured himself another. By the time he finished the second he could finally feel some effect from the Scotch. He went upstairs to the master bedroom and flicked on the light. This was the first time he had been in this room since Amy left and only now did he see the open and empty closet where she had kept her clothes and shoes. 

Her makeup dresser was bare and as he walked across the room to check their attached bathroom he could see that it too held none of her things. He walked back to the doorway, shut off the light, then went over and fell across the bed.

As he lay there the tears returned and he began to notice the empty feeling inside his chest. Amy was gone and he doubted he would be able to get her back. He felt he had to try but lying there in the dark, alone, his confidence level was very low.

- Friday, Feb. 1

At some point the Scotch did its' job and he fell asleep. It was a fitful sleep and because he had not bothered to undress or even to brush his teeth before flopping across the bed, not a very comfortable one either. He awoke early, got up and undressed and went in and had a nice hot shower. 

When he had completed that and had shaved, brushed his teeth and combed his hair, he felt alive again. The whole time since he had awoken though had been spent wondering how he was going to live without Amy.

Once he was dressed he went in to check on Amanda and found her still asleep, her arm around her favorite teddy bear. God, he thought, if he were to be losing her as well as Amy he'd have had no reason to live. How Amy could consider cutting herself off from this precious child he couldn't for the life of him understand. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before heading downstairs to the kitchen to see what food there was on hand for Amanda.

John made himself coffee and while drinking a cup found infant cereal and some strained fruit for Amanda. He didn't feel hungry but knew he had to eat if he was going to be able to care for Amanda and himself. He poured himself a bowl of cold cereal and sliced a banana over it. 

As he ate and sipped at his coffee he thought of nothing but Amy and what he could possibly do to change her mind. He knew he had to get his mind off of this, so when he finished eating he grabbed his briefcase, took out some of the work he had brought home and sat at the kitchen table to get it done.

He managed to complete three of the jobs before he heard sounds from upstairs that let him know Amanda had awakened. He went upstairs and after changing her diaper had dressed her for the day and brought her down for breakfast. He sat her in her highchair, fed her the cereal and reached for her bowl of puréed apple. 

It was then that Amanda seemed to realize it was her father who was feeding her and she began looking around and crying. John knew she was looking for Amy and he didn't know what he could do to calm her. For the next few minutes they both shed a few tears until John was able to deflect her interest with one of her favorite toys.

Once Amanda was satisfied John let her sit in her chair and play. He phoned the office and left a message on the machine for Mary to call him as soon as she got into the office. For the next hour he played with Amanda until just before nine o'clock when Mary called him back. 

He explained to her that he would have to work most of the day from home but that he would be in to the office later for a few minutes. He told her to call him at home if any emergencies came up. He didn't explain to her what had happened.

A few minutes later June arrived and took over caring for Amanda while he finished the work he had brought home with him. By 10 o'clock he was finished all that he could do, so he went to join June and Amanda in the living room. As he flopped into the sofa June looked at him and said, "You don't look like you had a very good sleep last night. I know that we didn't so I can just imagine what your night was like."

"I was able to get some sleep but only because I had a couple of really stiff scotches. I was up early and after a lot of thinking I've decided I have to get through this for Amanda's sake," said John.

"I'd even take Amy back right now, for Amanda, although I'm sure she's already had sex with him. I'd willingly sacrifice my pride to put an end to all of this but I really doubt she'd even think of coming back. She's acted as though she jumped off a cliff without a parachute and has absolute faith it will all be ok."

June hesitated for a minute and then said, "She did tell me a few things that I didn't share with you last night. She said she had sex with him several times in the last 2 weeks. She said that was why she 'cut you off' from being with her. She didn't want to humiliate you by sharing herself with both of you."

After another delay June continued, "She had great difficulty telling me these things, so I believe her. She said you were a much more 'considerate lover' and that her reason for leaving you wasn't sexual or that he was a better lover. Do you understand what I'm saying John? Don't feel that this is a result of any failure by you to satisfy her."

"That question had occurred to me June, although it hadn't started eating at me yet. I'm sure it may have though so I appreciate your opinion. I think it makes it less likely she'll change her mind though."

"Look, June, I'm going down to the office for a while. It'll occupy my mind and I can't let my business fail or Amanda and I will really have a problem. Amanda has been good so far since you've arrived but I expect she'll have a bad time again at lunch when Amy isn't here to feed her."

John stood and took a long look at Amanda, who had crawled her way to the sofa and had managed to pull herself up to a standing position. Her pride in her accomplishment was evident in the big smile she cast back at the two adults. John picked her up for a hug and a kiss and then placed her back where she had been. 

After picking up his briefcase John paused at the door to say and wave goodbye to Amanda, just as he'd done many times before. She responded with her big grin and an arm that waved up and down vigorously. As he turned and left the house he thought to himself that he HAD to make sure Amanda came through this in good shape. 

When John entered the office Mary was busy on the phone so he went straight to his desk. He shut the door on his way into his office as he knew he needed a bit of time to get off the emotional roller coaster he was on again. During his drive to the office he'd had too much time to start thinking about Amy's bombshell from the night before. He was once again teary eyed.

After he regained control he called Mary in and gave her the files he had completed at home so that she and Frank could process them. She had given him an odd look when she came into the office so he figured she knew he was upset about something. After thinking about it for a while he decided to call her in and explain the situation to her.

When Mary came into his office he had her close the door and offered her a seat. It was difficult to do but he finally said "Mary, I'm afraid I'm not likely to be very dependable for the next while. I've got a real situation at home that I don't really know how to deal with. My wife announced last night that she was leaving but that she was not taking our daughter. I've become a single parent it seems."

"I know you have only been here for two weeks but you are obviously in good control of your job. I'd like to make a new arrangement with you. I'd like you to become, in addition to your other duties, my office manager. It would mean a $50 raise for now and we could discuss how things work out in a month or so."

"I don't know what to say. This is quite a surprise," Mary said. "I'm not scared of the job as I've been an office manager in the past; I just hope I can do it to your satisfaction. I can definitely use the extra money."

John smiled at her and said, "I'm sure you can handle it. I know it's going to be difficult for me to do the work I did before, with having to look after my daughter, Amanda, as well. I have to succeed at both jobs. I don't see failure as an option for me."

They shook hands on their new arrangement and John went out to explain the situation to Frank. Frank expressed his shock at the turn of events in John's life and offered to help out as much as he could.

John went back to his office and worked until mid-afternoon, at which time he took all of the files needing his input and went home for the day. Before leaving he asked Mary to call him on his cell if anything came up that she couldn't handle. He assured her that he trusted her judgment and would accept that her business decisions were made in good faith.

When he got home June told him that Amanda was having her afternoon nap and that he had been right about how she would fuss for Amy at lunch time. It had taken a half an hour to calm her down this time.

John had a small den just off of the living room so he took his briefcase full of work in there. He had a small desk with a computer in the room and by rearranging things was able to clear enough space to do the work he had brought home. He realized that if he was going to be doing much work from home he needed a larger desk, better computer and the ability to access his office computers from home.

The rest of the afternoon flew by for John but at 4:30 he decided to leave the work for the day. June had begun supper for him while she was watching Amanda. As he helped her complete the meal preparations June said, "I'm sort of obligated for a flower show this weekend John, so I'm wondering if it would be OK to have Barbara come over for the weekend to help you with Amanda."

"Oh, that's certainly no problem, June. You don't think she would mind?"

"She certainly won't mind. She loves Amanda and she thinks you're great," said June. "I'll ask her to come over around nine in the morning and to bring what she'll need to spend the night. That way we won't have to run her back and forth."

Once June left John fed Amanda and himself. Amanda's behavior was the same as it had been in the morning, crying and looking around for her mother. Again John was able to distract her.

Their evening was quiet and before putting Amanda to bed for the evening, John had given her a bath. Again she cried for her mother. Once she was asleep he poured himself a stiff Scotch and sat in the living room to drink it. The whole time he sat there his mind was on Amy and everything that had happened. It was midnight before he went to bed.

- Monday, February 4

John arose early on Monday morning and as he had his coffee he thought back to the events of the weekend. Barbara had arrived early Saturday morning with a small suitcase and he'd shown her the guest bedroom she could use. It was across the hall from Amanda's room and beside the bathroom. He told her she could have full use of that bathroom, as he had one for himself, accessible only from the master bedroom.

When Amanda awoke Barbara enthusiastically took over her care, dressing and feeding her. John decided he needed to improve his den for office use, so he spent most of the day acquiring a desk, top-of-the-line computer and other office necessities. He removed the old equipment from the den along with several chairs and other furniture, until it resembled an office. He arranged for the hardware and software necessary to connect to the office computer system to be installed on Tuesday.

By noon on Sunday he had done everything that needed doing for work, so he was able to spend the rest of the day with Amanda and Barbara. They went to the park and spent the afternoon walking along the pathways with Amanda in her stroller. It had been an enjoyable time that allowed John to forget his other problems. Twice on the weekend Amanda had a major tantrum over the absence of her mother. Barbara had been able to get her under control though and by keeping Amanda busy she kept the episodes to a minimum.

June had picked up Barbara on Sunday evening and said she'd be back Monday morning so that John could go back to work. She arrived at 8:30 while Amanda was still sleeping and John left for the office.

John was busy all morning but at 11 o'clock was interrupted by Mary, who brought a courier's envelope in to him. She had seen who the sender was and gave John a concerned look as she passed him the envelope. The name of a legal firm was in the upper left hand corner.

John looked at the envelope for almost a minute before opening it. Finally he ripped the envelope open and pulled out the pages inside. He read them over quickly and could see they reflected the terms Amy had agreed to. It also stipulated that she wished to spend the full day with Amanda on Wednesday each week, with a full week once every three months, dates to be decided later.

After rereading the pages carefully John placed them in his briefcase. He knew he should contact his lawyer but had no heart for doing that today. Already he dreaded Wednesday when he would again see Amy in person. Having been without her for a few days he missed her terribly and he knew that when she left the house on Wednesday it would be like she was leaving him all over again.

The rest of Monday and Tuesday sped by. On Wednesday morning John arose earlier than ever, as he wanted to be sure he could leave as soon as Amy arrived. At 8:30 the front doorbell rang and he braced himself as he answered the door. Amy was facing the street as he opened the door, so he simply said "Come in, Amanda is still asleep. I'll be going now." He turned and walked back to the kitchen, picked up his briefcase and went out the side door to the garage. He was relieved he hadn't had to have a conversation with Amy as he was sure he would have broken down in front of her.




Amy Finds Her Muse



Wednesday seemed like the slowest day of his life to John. All he could think of was that Amy was there and here he was, hiding in his office, trying to think of ways to avoid her when he returned home. The hole she had ripped in his heart had reopened this morning and he could hardly stand it. Twice the tears had started and he began to wonder if he should be considering counseling for what he was beginning to think was a serious state of depression. Finally it 4:30 he decided what to do and phoned the house.

When Amy answered he said, "I will be there right around five o'clock. I think it would be best if when I come in the side door, you just leave by the front. I don't think I really feel up to dealing with you in person today."

Amy's only reply was, "All right."

John's arrival at home played out exactly as he had asked. Amanda's playpen had been set up in the living room and she was in it when he got there. He had heard Amy closing the front door as he had closed the side door. Through the living room window he could see her walk to a car parked on the street and drive away.

Supper for John and Amanda did not go well. After cooking himself a meal he had been unable to eat. Amanda had eaten all that he had fed her but as her meal was completed she again began crying and looking for her mother. This was the most upsetting episode yet for John as nothing seemed to console Amanda. Her crying continued until she began having difficulty catching her breath. John had been holding her and rocking her the whole time and was quite upset by the effects on Amanda. When he finally got her calmed down he gave her a bath and got her to bed. He sat with her until she fell asleep.

His nightly ritual of a glass of Scotch combined with several hours of thought was repeated again this night. This time it was almost 1:30 before he headed for bed but he had decided what he had to do for both his and Amanda's sake. He would contact his lawyer in the morning.

Thursday morning he phoned his lawyer and was able to get an afternoon appointment. He took the envelope from Amy's lawyer with him and shortly after two o'clock handed the pages to his lawyer, Bob Taylor. Bob read them over and said "Well, it looks like this is pretty cut and dried. I don't believe there is anything here you need to argue about, as she has asked for nowhere near the 50% she would normally get. She's not asking for personal support and by leaving Amanda with you there is no child support issue."

"I realize that," said John. "I've decided though that there are changes I'm going to insist on if she wishes this divorce to proceed quickly. Yesterday was the first visit she had with our daughter and the emotional turmoil that visit caused Amanda and myself is something I don't want to repeat every week until she leaves. It will be even worse if she comes back every three months and wants to spend a full week with Amanda."

"Therefore, I'm asking you to send her lawyer a letter as follows: she is to give up all parental rights to Amanda; she is not to see her again before she leaves the country; she is not to return periodically expecting to see Amanda; she is not to contact me personally ever again; and she is to sign a legally enforceable agreement to stay at least 500 feet from Amanda or myself. I want it emphasized that I will fight her application for divorce for as long as I can if she fails to agree to my terms," said John.

Bob looked at John with incredulity. "You can't expect that she is going to sign off on those conditions do you?"

"She will if she wants a divorce within four months," said John with determination.

"Well, I'll prepare a letter this afternoon and have it delivered by courier in the morning but don't say I didn't warn you. With all of the favorable terms she has already given you I can't believe these demands will be accepted."

"You may be right but we'll see. I'm serious about this. If she wants to rip apart our family that's one thing but to keep on repeating it every week is unacceptable to me," said John.

John left his lawyer's office and headed back to his own business. He finished the day in a better frame of mind now that his thoughts were being put on paper. He heard nothing more that week and because the weekend arrangement with Barbara had worked so well the previous weekend he suggested it to June again, so long as Barbara was agreeable. She was and they spent another good weekend together. Barbara had brought her homework with her this time and John spent time helping her with it while Amanda napped. He had been able to get her over some hurdles in geometry and algebra and she said that was a fair trade for her babysitting services.

- Tuesday, February 12

The week had begun routinely for John. At least with respect to the new routine he had developed. He had been able to spend parts of the previous day working from home, using the new computer network from home to office. Mary was doing well as his office manager and had rarely been forced to call him at home. Some questions had been answered by email between the two of them and he had been able to send and receive estimates and orders. The pace of work in his business had picked up and all three of them were busy each day.

Just before noon John received a call from Bob Taylor, asking him to come in for a meeting at 2 p.m. When John walked into Bob's office his lawyer had a smile on his face and said "Well, I don't know quite how you managed this but she has agreed to all of your terms. I don't think in all of my years as a lawyer I've seen a party to a divorce agrees so quickly to such serious terms. Her lawyer has told me all of the signed documents will be here later today, so assuming that that takes place, I guess we should have you sign your agreement to everything."

"I will forward your signed copies to her lawyer when we receive everything from them. As I said, I'm shocked at her agreement but the reasons behind it are not for me to comment on."

John signed wherever Bob indicated and was able to get out of his office in only half an hour. He too felt shocked by Amy's agreement but at the same time he was greatly relieved. Maybe now he and Amanda could get on with their lives and get away from the emotional roller coaster. He left early from the office after telling Mary he would work from home for the rest of the day and would try to see how well he could work from home for the rest of the week.

Working from home for the remainder of Tuesday went smoothly. The next three days however, did not. He had told June that he would try to handle things on his own but he quickly found that the conflict between Amanda and his work was more than he expected. It seemed that whenever he got busy with a file Amanda had at that moment decided to fall and bump her head or needed changing or was hungry. Tasks requiring a lot of attention could not be easily left for later. He realized he would have to come up with another plan.

He made it through to Friday evening without losing any customers but after getting Amanda to bed, raiding the Glenfiddich bottle and making himself comfortable, he decided to turn his thoughts to how he could better handle the jobs of business owner and single parent. The answer came to him rather easily he felt. To make it all work he had to visit hiss on the weekend and see what they would think of his idea.

He went to bed in a better frame of mind than on previous days. On Saturday morning, after he and Amanda were fed, he phoned June to see if they would be busy in the afternoon. When told that they had nothing planned he told them that he and Amanda would be over around two o'clock. Since June had not seen Amanda for several days she invited them to stay for supper and John readily agreed.

When John arrived at two o'clock Barbara met them at the door and immediately took charge of Amanda. John smiled to himself when he saw that, as it fit well with what he was going to suggest to this family. He joined Fred and June in the living room and accepted the offer of a cold beer. When they were all comfortable he began to tell them what had transpired over the last few days.

Both Fred and June were shocked and upset to hear that Amy had relinquished all of her parental rights and would no longer attempt to see Amanda or John. Both of them felt that was very unlike Amy. John agreed but explained to them why he had felt he had to insist on these terms. In the end they understood his point and agreed it was for the best.

"Now," said John, "Comes the real reason for me wanting to talk with you this afternoon. I discovered on Thursday and Friday that there is no way I will be able to run a business and care for Amanda full-time as well. One or the other is going to suffer. I cannot afford to lose my business and Amanda deserves a good upbringing. I've considered day care and if what I am going to suggest to you is not of interest to you that is what I will pursue."

"For the last couple of years you have both been retired and have mentioned several times that as soon as Barbara is finished her education you want to travel in your motor home around the continent. What I'm proposing is that, if she is agreeable to it, Barbara move into my home and act as a nanny for Amanda. This would only be for the hours when Barbara is not in school or involved in activities after school."

John shifted in his seat, clearly enthused by his idea. "I would begin working from home during the day but only handling emergencies that required immediate attention. The rest of my time would be devoted to Amanda. I believe my staff can handle almost all of the normal workday situations. After Barbara finishes her school day she would care for Amanda and I would leave for my office, where I would work during the afternoon and evening doing the jobs that required my personal attention."

"My business has been picking up in the last two weeks to the point that I've had to have the printer I've hired work overtime on several evenings, something he really doesn't want to do. I would be able to handle those jobs as well and if my business should continue to grow, by working evenings myself, I could probably forestall the need to hire a second person to do the print work. The costs that I would save would easily allow me to pay Barbara as a nanny."

John continued, "Weekends might require some time from Barbara but I would pay for that over and above her weekly wage. Hopefully she would be able to handle her homework and her work as a nanny and in situations such as pending exams I would pay for a sitter for Amanda as necessary. While Barbara would be staying in my home you two would be able to begin to do the traveling you have been waiting for."

"Naturally you will have to think it over and discuss it, so don't answer me right now unless you can see it is of absolutely no interest to you. I don't like to put any pressure on you, though in truth, I will have to decide something quite soon. If you two feel it is feasible then discuss it with Barbara to see what she thinks of the idea."

June looked at Fred and said, "Well, it sounds pretty interesting. We have definitely been thinking about how we could get a chance to travel on an extended trip, so this has real possibilities. We'll have to let Barbara make up her own mind but I would be shocked if she said no to the idea. She loves Amanda and I know she gets along well with you. How about the three of us talk about it tonight after supper and we'll call you tomorrow."

They all agreed to this suggestion and didn't discuss it any further. They didn't mention it to Barbara, as John wanted just her and her parents to participate in that conversation. They had a pleasant supper and while Amanda fussed a couple of times during the afternoon, anxious for her mother, they were able to deflect her attention. John left at 7 p.m. and he and Amanda spent a quiet Saturday night.

On Sunday morning John received the expected call from June. She let him know that Barbara had been enthusiastic about the idea and that she and Fred could see no real reason it couldn't work out as John had described. Since there was a bit of time pressure for John, Fred decided to come over on Sunday afternoon and help set up Barbara's room. 

When Fred arrived John showed him the layout of the house. At the top of the stairs John's master bedroom and bath were on the right with Amy's former studio on the left. Second on the right was Amanda's room. Second on the left was the main bath room and at the end of the hall next to it was a guest bedroom. John and Fred first cleared the guest bedroom of all of the junk that had accumulated there. They also removed an extra chair, nightstand and lamp that were not needed.

Since the guest room was a bit small they decided to put Barbara's computer desk, bookshelf and study desk into what had been Amy's studio. Because John would be tied up with work and Amanda in the coming week, Fred would arrange to purchase a rug for Barbara's study room, as well as new blinds and curtains for both of her rooms. When everything was finished she would have half of the upper floor to herself.

The two men then went to the basement to see what changes they could make there. The basement had one large room with a sofa, TV, treadmill and a Bow Flex exercise machine. There was also a laundry room and a bath room with a large shower. They decided another rug would be appropriate and that childproof gates would be needed for the basement stairs and the top of the stairs to the upper floor. It was decided that Fred would purchase and install them.

- Monday, February 18

On Monday morning John phoned Mary and explained that she should call him on his cell for any emergencies that arose and to make a list of all accounts and files that he should work on when he came in later in the day. He explained as well that any printing jobs that he could do in the evening could be left for him as long as Frank had other work to do.

During that day Mary had called twice, neither call conflicting with his duties with Amanda. Both were easily resolved. At 3 p.m. Fred, June and Barbara arrived, along with enough of Barbara's clothes, accessories and necessities to cover a two week stay. They would arrange her room, help her get settled and watch Amanda. John thanked them, kissed Amanda goodbye, grabbed his briefcase and left for work.

When he arrived at the business he asked Frank and Mary to meet him in his office as soon as they had a few moments to spare. When they arrived he explained his new living arrangements and how it would affect his work with them. The new routine would see him arriving around 3 p.m., spending the next two hours making any phone calls or having meetings that had to be done during business hours.

After the business closed at 5 p.m. he would work on the accounts and files that Mary had set aside for him. If there was printing work to do he would do that as well, hopefully eliminating the need for Frank to work overtime. He asked them if either one of them could see a problem with that plan.

There were no objections so he asked them to carry on but to let him know if they saw any problems. John proceeded to work on the files as necessary, making required calls and appointments. Before he knew it, it was 5 p.m. and Mary came to the office to let him know she was leaving for the day.

John carried on with the work he had, stopping for a soft drink and to eat the sandwich he had prepared and brought with him. There were two small printing jobs for him to do but even so he was done by 9 p.m. He decided to make it an early night and get back to see how Barbara had made out.

When he arrived home the house was quiet. He took his briefcase to his den/office and then headed upstairs. The light was on in Barbara's study room and the door was open. He looked in and she was hard at work at her desk. A stack of school books and her binder were scattered on it and she was sitting there engrossed in her work. She had changed to her pajamas and was sitting with one leg tucked under her.

"Hello, Barbara," John said. "How is everything going?"

"Oh, hi John," she said. "Everything is great. We got all of my stuff moved in for now and my dad got the blinds and curtains all fixed up and the rugs are both down. He said he would do the child gates in the next day or two."

"How was Amanda for you, did she give you any trouble?"

Barbara hesitated and said "Well, she was fussy a couple of times. I think it was the same problem of missing her mother. Other than that everything was fine."

John looked at her stack of books and asked, "How's the homework going? Are you having any problems?"

"Just the usual problems with math. Maybe you could help me with a couple of these questions later."

"Ok, that's not a problem. Just let me get cleaned up and get rid of this jacket and tie," said John.

Later, as John helped Barbara with her algebra, he noticed she was more comfortable with him than 2 weeks ago. She smiled without concern that her braces would show. She was still easily embarrassed though as her cheeks flamed crimson when his hand accidentally covered hers when reaching for a pencil.

The remainder of the week went very well and Barbara and John were able to establish some routines around the house. Each morning John would be up first and would prepare the breakfast. Barbara would take care of making bag lunches for the two of them for later in the day and would feed Amanda while John did work in his home-office. Once Barbara left for school for the day, John would take over Amanda's care.

On two occasions John had insufficient work to do in the evening so he was able to come home at 6 p.m. to join Barbara for supper. She was proving to be a skilled hand in the kitchen, able to prepare a variety of meals. One night John remained at home until he put Amanda to bed, so that Barbara could study for a test the next day. Both of these evenings John returned to the office and worked until nearly midnight.

Their first weekend under the new arrangement went well. Barbara watched Amanda while John went in to the office Saturday afternoon and John was with Amanda Saturday evening while Barbara went out with some friends. On Sunday John invited Fred and June over for supper and the four of them discussed how the week had gone. They decided things had gone well enough to proceed with making it permanent.

Barbara's remaining clothes would be brought over this week and John would arrange for temporary guardianship papers to be drawn up so that he could legally speak for Barbara's parents should the school require it or an emergency arise. 

Two bank accounts would be set up, one of which John would deposit Barbara's wages to and the other would contain a balance supplied by her parents for clothing, incidentals and her normal allowance.

Fred and June were enthusiastic about being able to begin traveling around the country in their motor home and planned to start preparing it in the coming week. They decided to purchase a dolly so that they could tow their car behind the motor home and planned to leave in two weeks.

The next two weeks passed quickly with John and Barbara refining their routines. Things went well, with only one emergency arising. On that occasion a major client needed to meet with John unexpectedly, so John was forced to ask his neighbor, Vicki Pierce, a 60-year-old widow who had just moved next door, to babysit Amanda for him. Vicki, as she insisted he call her, thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to watch Amanda and insisted that John call her any time that it was necessary. He was pleased with her offer as it helped eliminate one concern that he had.

John's business continued at a steady pace and it was likely that had he not chosen to work evenings he would have had to hire another employee soon. Mary was continuing to improve in her job, to the point that John was rarely called at home. He found that the tremendous pressure he had been under to succeed at both his business and as a single parent was greatly reduced. He felt he could begin to enjoy life again.




Amy Finds Her Muse



Since Amy had left the emotional strains and pressures he had been under had almost completely submerged any thoughts he'd had of an erotic nature. On the two occasions he had attempted to relieve himself by hand while in the shower the mood had completely evaporated as soon as he thought of how he and Amy would shower together. 

These showers had always ended with some form of sexual release for both of them, sometimes orally but usually with Amy bent over, her hands against the shower wall while John entered her from behind. Thinking of her now in that way was the equivalent of turning the temperature control to an ice water setting. John would completely lose his erection.

As the one month anniversary of Amy's departure approached John discovered that if he restricted his erotic thoughts to images of its first girlfriend, with whom he'd had a mutually satisfying sexual relationship during his first year at University, he was able to maintain his erection and complete the act. It became a part of his morning ritual. While John still spent much time every day thinking of Amy, and always fell asleep with her image in his mind, he had begun to accept the painful emptiness in his heart and move on to life without her. 

He had also begun to wean himself from the nightly glass of Scotch he'd needed in order to sleep. He was afraid it would become a habit and he could ill afford the consequences if alcohol were to take over his life. He had too much to live for with Amanda.

-Sunday, March 10.

June and Fred joined John, Barbara and Amanda for supper and a pleasant evening together. On the next day the two of them were planning to leave in their motor home. After an enjoyable meal they all moved to the living room, where they talked and watched Amanda playing on the floor.

At one point in the conversation June said, "I'm really looking forward to this trip but I'm really upset that Amy hasn't called us once since she left. We don't even have a number to call her. It's like she's disappeared from the face of the earth."

"Well, I can't say I'd really want to talk to her but I'm surprised she hasn't called you," Fred replied.

"I'm certainly not expecting her to call me," John said. "I'm sure that since I've coerced her into cutting herself off from Amanda and me I'm at the top of the list of least popular people in her life."

Their conversation continued until John realized he had a question for June and Fred. "By the way, Barbara has her driver's license doesn't she? It seems to me I've seen her in your car."

Fred replied, "Yes she does as a matter of fact. She's actually quite a good driver but we're taking the car with us so we can shop and sightsee while we're away."

"Well, that's good to know," John said. "I have Amy's car here and I don't need it. What I'll do is insure Barbara to drive it and she can use it for school and anything else that comes up. So long as that's OK with you."

"That will be fine with us," Fred said. "In fact, it would be helpful to us, as Barbara could check the house periodically on her way home from school. She could pick up the mail and make sure everything is secure."

Barbara, who had been playing with Amanda, turned to the adults after this last exchange. She had obviously been listening to their conversation. "You mean I'd be able to use your car?" she asked. "That would be awesome! It would be easy for me to check the house every day if you want. And I could do some grocery shopping even."

"As long as your promise to drive carefully I have no problem with you using the car Barbara," John replied.

"Oh, thank you so much! I'll be very careful. My driving instructor told me I was a very good driver."

Barbara got up from where she was beside Amanda, rushed to John's side and gave him a big hug. She had a smile from ear to ear and her eyes were sparkling. She gave him a second hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. When she realized what she had just done, she blushed and returned to play with Amanda.

As it got later Barbara announced that she would be putting Amanda to bed and then would spend some time studying. June and Fred decided it would be a good idea to get to bed early if they were leaving in the morning so they said their goodbyes to their daughter. They made the usual parental admonitions to her that she do well at school and listen to John.

After promising to phone at least two or three times a week, they left. They seemed excited to be able to finally start their real retirement. John and Barbara waved goodbye to them from the front door.

-- Wednesday, March 27.

The last two and half weeks had flown by for John. He and Barbara continued to refine the details of their individual and collective responsibilities around the house. Now that she was able to use the car, besides checking on her parent's home, Barbara did most of the grocery shopping. She would generally do this on Saturdays while John tended to Amanda.

On this particular morning Barbara had slept in, as she knew her morning classes had been canceled for a teachers' meeting. She had asked John to get Amanda up, something she now normally did. He had done so and had just finished feeding Amanda when she began crying and looking around. John had hoped these instances of missing her mother would stop eventually. Amanda continued to fuss however.

It happened that at that point Barbara came downstairs, still in her pajamas, to have her breakfast. As soon as Amanda saw Barbara, her tears and crying had stopped. John noticed that immediately and said, "Barbara, she was fussing because you weren't here!"

"I guess both of us are on the way to being able to live without Amy. You had better not decide to move back home right away," John said, half in jest.

"Not a chance," Barbara said. "I'm enjoying caring for Amanda and living here with you two." She smiled at John, picked up Amanda and went upstairs.

-- Thursday, April 4.

It was just after 10 a.m. and John had just completed reading a picture book to Amanda. She was now seated in her high chair in the kitchen, scribbling on a piece of paper with a crayon. John was having a cup of coffee when the front doorbell rang.

John confirmed that Amanda was firmly belted into the seat before he headed to the door. He could see the side of a woman's head through the small window in the front door. He opened the door to see Lynn Cameron, a longtime friend of Amy standing there.

"Well, hi Lynn, I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Hello, John. I thought I'd stop and see if you have any coffee on. Your office told me you work from home during the day."

"Sure, come on in. I have a fresh pot just waiting for you," he laughed.

Lynn walked into the kitchen with John and seated herself at the table. Lynn was Amy's age and height with long black hair and dark eyes. She was employed as a real estate agent. As usual she was wearing a sweater, this time a white one that clung to every curve. She had taken off her jacket before sitting and was now leaning back in her chair as though to enhance her obvious attributes.

John poured her a cup of coffee and sat down opposite Lynn. "So, Lynn. What brings you by here today? I'm sure it's not just the coffee."

"Well, no, that wasn't the only thing. I've been speaking on the phone a lot with Amy and she asked me to drop in. She knows she's not to contact you but she hoped I could stand in her place."

"Well, I'm not really interested in talking about Amy with you. We've been doing our best to get over her and now that we're having some success I don't want to pull the scabs off those wounds."

"I understand, John," Lynn said. "Amy has told me that while the terms you insisted on really upset her at the time she has thought a lot about it and realizes now that it's for the best. She's not asking me to reopen that issue with you; what she would like is for me to take a few photos of Amanda for her. I hope that will be all right with you."

"Photos are not a problem, Lynn. I can understand she would want to see pictures of her. Isn't she afraid seeing them will bother her? Not that I should worry about her, I'm just curious."

"I asked her the same thing, John. She knows seeing Amanda and how she's changing will likely upset her but she says she just has to see her. I've brought my digital camera and will take a few pictures while I have my coffee."

She pulled out her camera and snapped a couple of photos of Amanda as she drew lines on the paper. After setting down the camera Lynn said, "I've had a lot of long conversations with Amy, both before she left you and since. I have to tell you that I told her I thought she was wrong in her decision. I told her she had the kind of family most women dream of. I know if my ex had been like you I would never have divorced him."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," John said. "She's made her choices now and all I can do is try to live with them. It has been terribly difficult for me and if it wasn't for Amanda and my business keeping me busy I don't know what I would've done." 

"That's something that has been bugging me," Lynn said. "How are you managing to run your business and raise Amanda too?"

"Well," John replied, "The first few days were difficult and I had Amy's mother babysitting for me. Now I have hired a nanny for Amanda and she takes care of her while I'm occupied."

"Oh, that sounds like a good idea. I hadn't thought of that," Lynn said. "Who did you get as a nanny?"

"Her name is Barbara and she's A..."

John was interrupted by the ringing of Lynn's cell phone and waited for her to answer it. From hearing her side of the conversation John realized Lynn had forgotten she had a hair appointment that she had made. It was 10:30 now and her hairdresser had called to find out where she was, as the appointment was for 10:15.

"I'm sorry, John, "Lynn said. "I'm going to have to go. I'll take a few more photos and head out for my appointment. How about you hold her for a couple of them, as I already have a few of her coloring."

John did as she asked and within a minute Lynn was heading for the door. As she left she said, "I'll let Amy know about you getting the nanny, as I'm sure she was a bit curious about how you were managing. If you don't mind I'll drop in from time to time and get more photos."

-- Wednesday, May 1.

Barbara's parents had returned from their first extended trip on the previous weekend. John and Barbara invited them over for supper and they had come over early enough that they had been able to share photos and stories of their trip. During their trip they had met another couple of a like mind to them and hoped to do more traveling with them.

Their new friends were already committed to a tour of the northeast states and the East Coast of Canada and planned on leaving on the 15th of May and Fred and June were hoping to leave then to meet them. They were quite anxious to hear how things had gone for John and Barbara while they were away. They were pleased to hear that everything was working out just fine.

John told them that, while his business was picking up, he still had at least two evenings a week when he was able to come home and have supper with Barbara and Amanda or help Barbara with school work. She had been doing well in school, as the tests she had shown her parents proved. 

Amanda was adapting very well to having Barbara in her life and had started taking a few tentative steps. She had started to speak and referred to her father as 'Dada' and to Barbara as 'Baba'. Her grandparents were thrilled by the news.

Barbara had an important announcement for her parents. As they sat in the living room she said, "Guess what! My orthodontist told me at my appointment last week that I can get these braces taken off in June. Isn't that wonderful news!"

They all congratulated her because she hadn't shared this news with John yet. She had been planning to surprise them all. She also told them that she had made up her mind on what type of career she wanted to pursue. She had decided to become a graphic designer. 

When her mother asked her what prompted that decision, she said she had heard John mention that there was a need for such people. He had been talking to a client but after hearing the term Barbara had checked into what type of career this would be. After having researched it Barbara had decided it sounded like something she would be interested in doing.

They congratulated her on having made a career choice but told her to keep her options open until she finished high school. She still had a year to go so other career possibilities had to be considered. She agreed to keep her mind open on the subject.

At that point John had spoken up and said, "You know, my business may someday need a graphic designer. Right now I contract out some of that work."

Barbara then said, "Maybe I could work for you someday," and smiled.

Later John told Barbara's parents that Amy had sent her friend over to get pictures of Amanda and they all agreed that was probably a good thing. He also told them that Amy had told her friend that John's decision to keep her away from Amanda was likely a good one. Fred and June still had not heard from Amy and now felt they probably would not hear from her at all. The beginning of the week had been routine but on Wednesday John received a phone call that put him into turmoil. Bob Taylor called to let him know that his divorce papers had returned from the court and everything would be final in three weeks.

This news upset John more than a thought it would. That afternoon while Amanda slept, instead of using the time to do office work, John lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, his thoughts on Amy. The pain in his chest was back.

Later in the afternoon, as he was getting ready to leave for the office, Lynn phoned to see if it would be all right to drop in the next afternoon to take some pictures. John asked her to hold off until the next week as he wasn't prepared to deal with anything associated with Amy right then. They agreed on the following Tuesday afternoon.

-- Monday, May 27.

This day proved to be the culmination of a bad month for John. The month had begun with notification that his divorce would soon be final and on Thursday of the previous week he'd actually received the documents proving his once ideal marriage to Amy was over.

He had gone to work that Thursday afternoon but only stayed a few hours, choosing to complete only the absolutely necessary work. He explained to Mary what was happening and she was worried enough about his mood to call him from her home twice after she left at 5 p.m. 

He came home early and poured himself a stiff Scotch and then shut himself in his office. He hadn't wanted to let Barbara see how upset he was. That didn't work as Barbara had knocked on his door and then walked in, just as his tears were at their worst. Once he told her the reason for his blue mood was that his marriage was officially over, she had hugged him and told him he still had her and Amanda.

Her encouragement helped him over this rough patch but it was the news she brought on this Monday that really upset him. On her way home from school Barbara made her usual stop at her parents' home to pick up the mail and check the house. This time there had been a message on the answering machine.

When she walked in the door at John's house she was not in her usual bubbly and happy mood. John was seated at the kitchen table, having a cup of coffee while Amanda was in her highchair, scribbling with crayons on a couple of pieces of paper.

"John," Barbara said, "I have some news to tell you. I'm not sure how you're going to like it but I have to tell you. When I got to my parents place today there was a message on the machine for them, from Amy."

"So what did she have to say," John replied. "I imagine she told them the divorce had gone through."

"She didn't mention that but from her message they would have known that. She left the message on Friday evening after I was there checking the house. She said she was phoning to tell them she was getting married to Peter Bridges on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the courthouse. She told him they were invited to come."

The effect on John was immediate, as his face went pale and his eyes teared up. "Oh God," he said.

"There's more," Barbara said. "She told them that she and Peter were leaving on Sunday at 6 p.m. for Paris. She has already left the country. I'm so sorry I have to tell you all this John."

A couple of tears escaped from John's eyes and he wiped them off with his handkerchief. "That's OK," he said. "We knew all along that that's what she wanted. It's just terribly hard to accept that she's gone."

John arose and gave Barbara a hug. "I'm really glad I have you here for Amanda tonight. The way I'm feeling I'd be terrible company for her. I'm going to go down to the office. I can close the door and get this out of my system."

Barbara watched as John walked out the door. After he left she said, "I wish I could help him get over her. He is such a nice guy. I would never have treated him like this." A minute later she walked to the telephone to call her parents on their cell to give them the news.

-- Tuesday, June 11.

John was waiting for Barbara when she got home. He knew she was going to be a little late because she had her final orthodontist appointment this afternoon. He hoped that finally getting rid of the braces would help Barbara become more social. She was entirely too withdrawn and too easily embarrassed for a girl her age.

When she got in the door he said, "Well Barbara, give me that big smile you've been hiding for so long."

She did just that and John said, "From now on I want to see that smile all the time. You're a beautiful girl and you don't have any excuses now for not showing it."

Barbara blushed a bit and said, "Thank you for saying that. That's the nicest thing anyone has told me for a long time."

Barbara walked over and hugged him and then kissed him on the cheek. She stepped back, gave him another big smile and then leaned forward to kiss his cheek again. This time it was John's turn to blush a little.

-- Monday, July 1.

John's work had been keeping him busier at the office lately and he was not able to join Barbara and Amanda for supper very often. He decided to make the holiday weekend a family weekend. He spent Saturday around the house doing minor chores but he told Barbara that he would be responsible for making the meals that day and that she was to make plans to go out with her friends on Saturday night.

He spent his Saturday evening playing with Amanda, reading to her and finally bathing her and putting her to bed. He sat with her and sang her lullabies until she fell asleep. When Barbara arrived home in 11:30 the two of them sat up watching Saturday Night Live. They both enjoyed the show.

On Sunday afternoon they went to the local zoo. Barbara brought along a friend, a girl from her former neighborhood. John pushed Amanda in a stroller, letting her see the animals and get a lot of fresh air and sunshine while they walked. The two teenagers entertained themselves like normal teenage girls.

They flirted with a teenage boy who sold ice cream to the visitors, engaged in a lot of conspiratorial whispering and spent a lot of time giggling about things that were not apparent to John. In short, they enjoyed themselves. This was the most outgoing he had ever seen Barbara.

For supper they all went to a nice family restaurant. They had brought along some of Amanda's food and her special spoon and the two girls took turns helping to keep her from making too big of a mess. They all enjoyed a nice meal and had a lot of fun doing it. There was a lot of laughing at the table and even Amanda joined in although she didn't really understand everything that had been said.




Amy Finds Her Muse



On Monday they went to the city Park, arriving early enough to stake their claim to a good spot under a tree, a place where they could enjoy a nice picnic with the food they had prepared that morning. Again Barbara brought a friend, a different girl this time.

While John and Amanda sat on a blanket under the tree and Amanda played with some of the toys they had brought for her amusement the two girls left to find out which other friends were at the Park as well. Again there was a lot of whispering and giggling.

Later in the afternoon they enjoyed the food they had brought along and then had ice cream they bought from a vendor. After their meal the two girls took Amanda to the playground area and amused her while John watched. The fresh air and exercise wore Amanda out and she was asleep on the blanket while the adults watched the fireworks that highlighted the evening.

That night, after Amanda was put in her bed, Barbara joined John in the living room and sat beside him on the sofa. She had showered and changed to her nightgown. Her hair wasn't in the ponytail she normally wore but was loose and freshly brushed. John noticed that she was looking less like a child and more like the adult she would soon become.

"Thank you so much for such a wonderful weekend, John," she said. "This was the most fun I've had in a long time and I really appreciate that you let me bring along a friend."

"Your very welcome, Barbara," John replied, "I've really enjoyed myself as well. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed myself that much."

"Well, let's do it again," Barbara said.

She got up, gave John a hug and said, "I'm going to get to bed now. Thanks again." As she left the room she turned and gave John a big smile and a small wave. John watched the doorway after she had disappeared for several long moments before he too got up and headed upstairs.

A week later June and Fred arrived back in town from their extended trip. Over the summer they spent most weekends and several evenings visiting with John, Barbara and Amanda. They had many stories from their trip and many photographs to share. The five of them spent a lot of enjoyable time together.

Over the course of the summer, once Barbara was finished school, John tried to work as much as he could during the day. He only worked evenings when there was printing to do or he got behind. This allowed Barbara extra time with her friends and he got to spend more evenings with his daughter.

About once every month Lynn Cameron would come by to take some photos of Amanda. She'd taken photos of Amanda feeding herself, walking and of her attempts at crawling up the stairway to the second-floor. There was usually at least one of her on her father's knee or of John holding her. Now that Amy was in Paris, Lynn was sending her the photos by e-mail.

During her July photo taking session Lynn had made her interest in John clear. After she had taken the photos she approached John, standing close enough that she could easily touch the buttons on his shirt, which she did. 

She looked up into his eyes and said, "You know, you're divorced now. You could ask me out if you like. You have your nanny here now so you could even stay out all night if you want."

John took her hand in his and said, "I might just take you up on that but I can't right now. I'm just not ready for that step yet. It might be a few more months."

"You remember that I'm first on the list for when you begin dating again."

She smiled at him, gently pulled her hand from his and walked over to the table where she picked up her cup of coffee. In a few minutes she left. John watched her walk to her car and get in. She waved to him as she drove away.

In early August John overheard Fred asking June what they should get Barbara for her birthday. John asked when her birthday was and they told him that it was on the 17th. He realized he would have to get a gift for her himself. He would have to give that some thought.

-- Saturday, August 17.

The morning of Barbara's birthday John got up a bit earlier than usual. He wanted to make a special breakfast for her and would need a few extra minutes. By the time she came downstairs he was ready.

"Good morning, birthday girl," he said.

As Barbara entered the kitchen her eyes widened in surprise. A banner was hung across the wall above the table, proclaiming in large multicolored letters 'Happy Birthday Barbara'. The table had a festive table cloth and was set with John's best china and silverware. There were candles burning on the table.

"You sit down and I'll serve you. I'm making blueberry pancakes because your mother told me they were your favorite. I'll give you a glass of orange juice first and you can sip that while I go get Amanda."

Barbara finally spoke her first words of the morning and said, "Wow, you didn't have to do all this for my birthday. Thanks a lot, this is great!"

She sat down in the chair John indicated and he poured her some orange juice. "I'll be right back," he said, then went upstairs. 

Barbara had a big smile on her face as she watched John walk up the stairs. She thought to herself, "I sure hope he'll keep me as Amanda's nanny until she is ready for school. Maybe by then he'll feel about me the way I feel about him."

John brought Amanda down and then served the pancakes for he and Barbara and prepared one for Amanda as well. After they had eaten John handed an envelope to Barbara and said, "Here's a gift from Amanda and I. I hope you'll like it. I wasn't too sure what to get you."

Barbara opened the envelope and took out a birthday card that she read over twice before saying, "How sweet. That's such a nice card. Thank you."

The card had contained another, slightly smaller envelope and Barbara opened that now. She took out a gift certificate and a brochure. They both were printed with the name Domenico's, a well-known local beauty shop.

John said, "You're getting older now, Barbara, and I thought you might like this. It's a gift certificate for a complete beauty and spa experience. You could go there and spend a whole day getting the works or you can use it up an item at a time. The brochure explains it all."

"Oh thank you John! This is wonderful. One of my friends has been to Domenico's and they said it was just fantastic. I'm so looking forward to using this."

Barbara got up from her seat and approached John who was standing by the sink. She threw her arms around him and held him tightly, her head on his chest. The hug continued long enough for John to begin to feel uncomfortable. He gave her a small hug, then gently took her arms and pushed her back a bit.

"Happy birthday," he said and then leaned forward to kiss her lightly on the forehead. "I hope you really enjoy your day. We're going to go over to your parents' place this afternoon for supper."

While John was clearing the breakfast dishes Barbara sat beside Amanda and watched. She thought to herself, "I will use this gift to make myself look as beautiful as possible for John. Maybe then he'll really notice me."

That evening after supper with her parents and after they had given her birthday gifts, she showed her mother the gift John had given her. As her mother read the brochure she said, "You realize this includes a bikini wax too, don't you?"

"Mother!" Barbara exclaimed. Her face was red and she turned away from John in embarrassment.

Her mother laughed and said, "Now Barbara, you're getting old enough you shouldn't be getting embarrassed. If you decide you don't want to use that part of the gift I'll use it for you. We're going to head to Texas and Florida this winter and who knows, I might even get myself a new bikini."

The subject was changed and Barbara eventually got over her embarrassment.

-- Tuesday, September 10.

Barbara started her senior year of high school the previous week. They had resumed their normal schedule again, with John working evenings. On this particular day Barbara's first class wasn't until 11 a.m. so she had taken the opportunity to sit around and read after she got up.

Just after nine she heard the doorbell ring and John greeting someone. In a few minutes she heard sounds from the kitchen and the murmur of conversation. Out of curiosity she went to the head of the stairs to see who was there.

A woman she didn't know was taking photos of Amanda as she walked around the kitchen. She noticed the woman was smartly dressed and very busty.

As Barbara watched, the woman approached John and began running her fingers up and down his chest. They were talking quietly and Barbara couldn't understand what was being said. She watched as John put his arms on the woman shoulders and spoke very quietly to her.

The woman laughed and poked John twice in the chest with her finger. Then she said, in a voice loud enough for Barbara to hear, "I'm going to hold you to that. Next month for sure." Then she laughed.

Barbara went back to her room with a lot of concern on her face. "Who is that woman and why was John letting her touch him like that," she asked herself. She put her book aside and sat there deep in thought.

At 10:30 Barbara went downstairs, on her way to school. John was sitting in the living room while Amanda walked around the room trying to grab something she could play with.

"Hi John," she said. "I was wondering who the woman was that was here this morning. I saw her from upstairs but I don't know her."

"That's Lynn Cameron, a friend of your sister. She comes over every month to take photos of Amanda and she emails them to her. She usually comes in the morning while you're at school."

"Oh, okay," said Barbara. She had a lot of concern on her face as she left for school. 

-- Wednesday, October 16.

It was a warm fall day and John had Amanda outside playing in the front yard. He and Barbara were trying to toilet train her and he had her dressed in normal clothing without a diaper. The front yard was fenced and the gate latched shut to keep her from getting out to the sidewalk.

John had brought out a ball and Amanda was trying to kick it. John's attention was taken up fully by his daughter so he didn't notice Lynn Cameron arrive. He realized she was there when he heard the camera shutter clicking.

John looked up and said, "Hello Lynn. I didn't see you drive up. How are you today?"

"I'm just fine, John. I'll be even better if you're ready to take me out for supper this weekend. What are the chances?"

John laughed and said, "Well, since you've been so patient with me, I guess the least I can do is take you out for that supper. How about Saturday night?"

"I'd love that. My Saturday night is open. What do you think; pick me up at six, then some dinner and dancing maybe?"

"Sounds like you have it all arranged," he laughed even harder. "So, I'll pick you up at six and then we can go for supper. It's been a long time since I've been dancing so I'll need you to suggest a good place for that."

Now it was Lynn's turn to laugh, as she said, "Well, if we can't find a place for dancing, I have a lot of good CDs at home."

The two of them spoke for a few more minutes and Lynn took a few more pictures. When she left she reminded John that he would have to make reservations for them.

That night John was able to come home for supper with Barbara and Amanda. As the three of them ate the meal she had prepared John asked Barbara if she had plans for Saturday night.

When Barbara indicated she was available Saturday night John asked her if she could babysit Amanda, as he had a date with Lynn Cameron. John noticed that Barbara's head had jerked up with his mention of a date and that the smile had left her face. It was a moment later that she answered him.

"You have a date? With Lynn? I guess I could babysit if you like."

John left to return to work a few minutes later. He thanked Barbara for the nice meal, gave Amanda a kiss and headed for the door. He didn't notice that Barbara seemed deep in thought and didn't return his 'goodbye' as he went out the door.

After John left, Barbara sat beside Amanda and there were tears forming in her eyes. She held Amanda's hand and said, "What am I going to do, Amanda? I think your dad really likes Lynn. What if he decides to marry her?"

Barbara spent a somber evening with Amanda and shed a few tears later in her room, after Amanda was asleep. She decided that if she was going to compete with Lynn she would have to use your gift certificate to change and improve her appearance. She also decided she was going to start working out on John's exercise equipment, to tone her body.

While Barbara was at home feeling upset about John's plans he was at the office whistling while he worked. He finally felt it was time to see if he could truly get over Amy. He had always thought Lynn was pretty sexy and she'd always been pretty obvious in her interest in him, even before he and Amy had fallen apart.

He phoned and made reservations at one of the better dining rooms in town and discovered they had a dance floor as well. He had a new energy and managed to finish his work before 10 p.m.

He noticed when he got home that Barbara's light was still on so he tapped on her door when he went upstairs. When she answered he asked if he could come in for a minute. She told him to come in so he opened her door and stepped inside. She was seated on her bed with her back to the headboard, a book on the pillow beside her. Her eyes were just a bit red and he realized she had been crying.

"What's wrong, Barbara? Is something bothering you? You look upset. Was there something you wanted to do on Saturday night, because I can always get Mrs. Pierce, next door, to babysit?"

"Oh no, I don't mind babysitting. I guess I'm just having a bad day."

John sat at the edge of her bed and patted her leg. "You know I'm your guardian while your parents are away. That means if you want to tell me what's bothering you, you can. Your mom and dad just left last week for the whole winter, so unless it's something you can talk to your mom about over the phone, don't forget I'm here."

"There's nothing I really need to talk about right now," Barbara said, "I'm just feeling a little blue I guess."

"Well, if there's ever anything you need to talk about, please come to me." John looked intently at her face and tried to see if he could read anything serious there. He decided she didn't look overly upset, so patted her leg once more and got up from the bed.

When he reached the door she said, "Oh, there is something I wanted to ask you. Is it okay if I start using the exercise equipment in the basement? I want to start getting into shape."

"For sure, go ahead and use it. Amy and I used to use it all time and I should get back to it myself. Just be careful if Amanda is there with you because there are lots of places she could poke a finger and get it pinched."

"Don't worry about that, I think I'll start getting up early to use the equipment and I may use it again after Amanda is asleep," Barbara said. She smiled at John before he turned and left the room.

John was still feeling better than he had in a while so he went downstairs and poured himself an ounce of Scotch and then sat in the living room to contemplate his date on the weekend. Since Lynn had begun trying to tempt him into taking her out her image was now the one used to arouse himself during his morning shower. He looked forward to seeing if any of his masturbation fantasies would come true.

The next morning John had just finished setting up the coffee pot when he heard a noise behind him and turned to see Barbara enter from the basement stairway. She was wearing a T-shirt and shorts and from the damp stains on the T-shirt she had a good workout.

"Boy, you are serious about getting at the exercise machines. You're putting me to shame," John said.

"There's no time like the present to get started," Barbara said, then ran up the stairs and stepped into her bathroom. In a few moments John could hear the shower running.

-- Saturday, October 19.

The day passed slowly for John but finally it was time for him to get ready for his date with Lynn. Several times during the day he had noticed that Barbara seemed unusually serious and once he had asked her if she was sure she didn't mind babysitting. She had assured him she didn't mind.

By 5:30 he had showered and dressed and was ready to leave. When he came downstairs Barbara commented that he looked very handsome. He smiled and thanked her for the compliment and handed her a piece of paper with the places he would be and the phone numbers. 

As he headed to the door both Barbara and Amanda waved goodbye to him. At the door he said, "I could be a bit late so don't wait up for me."

After he left tears once again found their way into Barbara's eyes. She was holding Amanda and said to her, "I hope your daddy doesn't fall in love with her."

Amanda replied with her usual, "Dada," and, "Baba," and brought a bit of a smile back to Barbara's face.

Lynn was ready when John got to her place and met him at the door, looking stunning in a figure hugging black dress. John took her hand, then stepped back, looked her up and down and whistled. Lynn laughed and then turned to lock the door.

Small talk occupied the trip to the Sheraton where the dining room was located. When they arrived they were quickly seated in an alcove not too far from the dance floor. John ordered them both a drink, Scotch for him and a white wine for Lynn. They talked and sipped their drinks until their meal arrived.

At one point Lynn said, "I can't believe you actually asked me on a date. I was afraid it would be a lot longer before you could get over Amy."

John looked down at his hands and thought for a few moments before he answered. "I can't really say I'm over Amy, I think I just have accepted she's gone. I have to be realistic. Even now it would be hard to turn her away if she showed up at the door and begged me to take her back."

"Since I know that isn't going to happen it's best I just stop thinking about her. The burning pain is gone but I still think of her all the time. Now, what else can we talk about that doesn't involve her?"

They had a fantastic meal and shared a dessert that involved a lot of whipped cream and chocolate syrup with homemade ice cream. Before they finished it they were laughing and feeding each other spoonfuls of whipped cream. As they enjoyed an after dinner liqueur the band arrived, set up and began to play.

The band was very good and it wasn't long before the two of them headed for the dance floor. A nice slow song was playing and John took Lynn into his arms. It had been a year since he had danced but it didn't take long for the rhythm to kick in. It didn't hurt that Lynn molded her body to his and he was very conscious of the pressure her ample chest placed on his. He knew he would soon have an erection that Lynn couldn't help but notice, considering how close they were dancing.

Before the first song ended his concern had become reality. They stayed out for two more slow songs and John sort of got used to the fact that she had to have noticed his erection but was choosing to ignore it. When the fourth song of the set started, John immediately recognized that it was the song that he and Amy had considered 'their song' and his erection immediately began to disappear.

Lynn chose this point to say, "What's the matter, tired of me already?" She laughed good-naturedly and John felt himself blush. 

"No, nothing like that. I guess I have issues. That song was a favorite for Amy and me."

They decided to sit after that song but over the next several hours enjoyed many songs that they danced to. Just after midnight they decided they would leave. John took Lynn by the arm to escort her back to the car and when they got there she turned in his arms and pulled his head down to kiss him hungrily.