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Cobblestone Streets

By: blackrandl1958



As always, I need to give credit where it is due. My editor is Papakilo14. Hal gives us a second edit and they are both awesome. My beta readers are Pixel the Cat, Olddave1951 and GeorgeAnderson. You make all the difference in the world. I owe you guys and I love you all. Without my team, I'd stumble around and make a mess of things. I supply the story; you give it the shine. A special shout out to Harddaysknight. You helped me when I was stuck. It's like having Babe Ruth come in and give you batting advice in the sixth inning. Love you, and thanks. 

*****

Jack watched his tee shot sail exactly down the middle of the fairway. He always hits the same shot. It isn't long; it's just straight down the middle of the fairway. The other two guys had already teed off and it was my turn. I got it set up and took a little practice swing. This was a par five, pretty long and pretty wide open. I would just take a rip at it and see what happened.

I'm a big guy and I power lift four days a week. My bench is better than it was in college. I can do reps with 225 pounds that make the steroid freaks at the gym jealous. I had a new driver, one of those graphite composite ones that I felt pretty good about. I got the sweet spot and Jack's jaw dropped.

"Jesus Christ, Eric, you hammered that. That's three hundred and fifty fucking yards if it's an inch. It's farther than that. You get up and down and you've got an eagle."

I've had two eagles in my life. I felt pretty good about this one. We started down the fairway and Jack hit his second shot. It still wasn't to my first one. I heard his phone buzzing in his bag. He's a little hard of hearing so I told him he had a text. He got his phone out and his face went white.

"Eric, I've got to go," he said.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Something back at the office," he said. "Take me back, Eric. I'm sorry but I can't tell you about it yet. You can have the rest of the afternoon off after you take me back."

Jack is my boss. He also owns Whitman Enterprises. I've worked there since I graduated from college. They recruited me from the time I was a sophomore and I'm the number two guy there. It's a family business. We make pumps, all kinds of pumps. They're one of a kind, designed for specific applications. We have a foundry, a machine shop and we make them from the blueprint to the finished product. I'm the VP of production and I pretty much run the place. Jack's daughter, Allison, is my counterpart in sales. I knew there had been some noise about us being bought out by a Swiss company and I figured it was about that.

I took him back to the office and started home. I was sitting at a traffic light. The street downtown is one of those old cobblestone streets and there was an elderly lady crossing the street in front of me. I watched, horrified, as her toe caught on one of the cobblestones and she tripped. She tried to keep her balance but she was staggering forward now. She dropped her grocery bag, tripped again and she went down. I heard her cry out as her arms hit the street, trying to save herself. I slammed the shifter into park and jumped out, running around the truck and kneeling beside her. She was crying and I felt awful for her. Her hands were bleeding and her arm was clearly broken.

I gathered her up in my arms. "I'm so sorry," I told her. "I'm going to help you. It's going to be okay. I'll take you to the hospital. Are you hurt anywhere besides your hands and arm?"

"No," she sobbed, "but I think my arm is broken. I dropped my groceries and I'm afraid my eggs are broken, too. Well, my knees are bleeding too, honey. My arm hurts so bad!"

She was breaking my heart. I had tears in my own eyes. This sweet little lady didn't deserve this! "I'll get you some more eggs," I told her. "Let me help you get in the truck. I'll take you to the hospital."

That made her cry even more. "Thank you, but I can't go to the hospital." Her breath was coming in gasps. "I don't have any insurance. I can't afford to go to the hospital."

I felt like shit now. She was a tiny little black woman, probably seventy or so, and you could tell she had been a stunner. She was still very pretty and I felt really bad for her. I thought about my mother. She had passed away from a stroke two years ago. If she had fallen like this I would have wanted someone to take care of her.

"I'm taking you to the hospital," I told her. "I'll take care of it. My wife works there and we'll work something out. You look like someone's mother and I would want someone to help my mother. I'm taking you now. Let me help you up, I'll get your groceries and we'll go, okay?"

"It hurts really bad," she said. "Thank you, young man. I'll never forget this."

I got her up and into the front seat of the truck. It was higher than she could comfortably get into so I lifted her. I gathered up her groceries and put them in the back seat.

On the way to the hospital she told me her name was Samantha Groves and that she was a widow. It was only about a mile and I pulled up at the emergency room door. Cindy, my wife, was on shift, and I helped Samantha inside. I took her to the desk and Kirsten was working. I told her what was going on and that I would be taking care of any bills. She took Samantha right back to a bed and Rachael, the RN, cleaned up her hands and knees while we waited for the doctor.

They tried to shoo me out, but Samantha wasn't having it. She wanted me to stay and that was that. I asked her if she wanted to call someone. She said her phone was in her purse so I went back to the truck and got it. She needed her ID anyway, and when I got back, I gave it to Kirsten. She got her phone out and it was one of those cheap flip phones that you buy minutes for. She dialed and then started crying again.

"What's wrong, Samantha?" I asked.

"I'm out of minutes," she sobbed. "This is just a terrible day!"

"Here, use my phone," I handed her my Android. I had to show her how to use it and she talked to someone female on the other end.

"Cecilia, I fell and hurt myself," she said. "I'm at the hospital. No, a really nice white man is helping me. Please, Honey, would you? Okay, please don't worry."

I wondered where Cindy was. She worked the emergency room. She's a physician's Assistant and she should be handling this. I poked my head out and saw Rachael.

"Where the hell is Cindy?" I asked her. "This lady is hurting and she needs attended to."

Rachael flushed. "She went to lunch. I called her and she'll be here any minute."

"What do you mean, 'she went to lunch'? She just got here!" Cindy works three to eleven. Her lunch hour is at seven.

Rachael stammered around for a minute and finally she just left. What the hell was going on? I went back to Samantha and she was still crying. I sat down by her and hugged her.

"It's okay, Samantha," I told her. "Who did you call?"

"My granddaughter," she said. "She's going to college. She just got out of class and she'll be here after a bit. You can go then. I know you don't want to be here."

"Nonsense," I told her. "I'm off work. This isn't going to be such a bad day, Samantha. You made a new friend today, you're going to be fine, your granddaughter is on the way and you won't have to do a lick of work for a while because you'll have a cast on your arm."

She chuckled and hugged me back. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and I heard a voice behind us. It was low and husky and sounded like smoky jazz. "Who's your new lover, Grandma?"

I looked back and there was a vision framed in the hospital curtain. She was little, brown and as cute as a newborn kitten. She stepped around to the other side of the bed and kissed Samantha.

"I don't know his name," Samantha said. "I've been so flustered I forgot to ask. I think he's the Good Samaritan. He's been taking care of me. I don't know where he came from but he's a gift from heaven."

"My name is Eric Hollister," I told them. "You must be Cecilia. I was sitting in my car at the crosswalk and I saw Samantha fall. I couldn't do anything but bring her here where the doctor should have been here by now!" I raised my voice. I knew I was being passive/aggressive, but I was starting to get pissed off.

I poked my head out of the curtain and saw Rachael avoiding my eyes. "Go get Pierce," I told her. "If someone isn't here to take care of this lady in five minutes I'm going to raise hell at the next board meeting! Where the hell is Cindy?"

"Dr. Pierce went to lunch with her," she said.

"Well, that's just freaking great," I was disgusted. "Call Olivia."

"Your daughter is just an intern," Rachael said.

"Can she prescribe medicine and order a cast for this lady?" I asked.

"Yes, she can do that," Rachael admitted.

"Then page her," I told her.

I went back to sit in the chair by Samantha. "My daughter is an intern here," I told her. "She'll be here in a minute."

I thought about Cindy and that creep Pierce being out to lunch together. What the hell was going on? Cindy knew very well I wouldn't like that. I had made that perfectly plain on a couple of occasions.

We had been dating about six months the first time. I had met Cindy when we were assigned as lab partners in biology. She was drop dead gorgeous. She's a tall, plush woman with dark hair, fair skin and the bluest eyes you've ever seen. I asked her out after our second lab on a Thursday and she accepted. We went to dinner and a movie, I know, not the most imaginative date in the world, but I was nineteen years old. She kissed me good night at the door of her room and I asked her out again. It took about four dates before she let me feel her breasts and they were amazing. She had very large breasts and they were very sensitive. I think she came twice just from me playing with them. She had been raised by very religious parents and I think I was the first guy to ever get his hands on those luscious mounds. It took me three months to talk her into my bed and she never left it.

We had been going out for six months and I was coming out of the electronics store with a new video game when I saw her and George Cooper going into Chili's next door. I walked in and they were sitting together in a booth in the back. He had his arm around her and she was laughing up into his face. I turned around and went home. I had an apartment across the street from the school and I just picked her stuff up, put it in a box outside the door and went to class. I didn't go home for two days or talk to her. She called me about a dozen times and sent me a bunch of e-mails, but I never read them or responded. Twice, she was waiting outside class when it was over, but I went back in and told the professor I needed to talk to him in his office. We were talking when we came out the door and she had no opportunity to say anything. I skipped biology lab.

When I got up Saturday morning, she was curled up, sleeping in the hall outside the door. I stepped over her and started down the hall. I must have made some sound. I was trying to be quiet but she jumped up and ran down the hall after me, throwing her arms around me from behind. She spun me around and her eyes were blazing.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Eric?" she yelled. "Why did you put my stuff out in the hall? Why won't you talk to me? Why are you avoiding me? Have you met someone else?"

"No, you have," I told her. "I heard Cooper has an opening, maybe you should give him a call. I know third string running backs have busy schedules."

"Is that what this is about?" she was incredulous. "You know I went to school with him, right? We dated for a while, but we're just friends now. What did you think, we were lovers?"

"I didn't think anything," I told her. "I was coming out of the store and I saw you go into Chili's with him."

"We're just two old friends having lunch," she shouted. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"My girlfriends don't have lunch with other men by themselves," I told her.

"You jealous prick," she started crying and walked away. It was two more days before I saw her again. She knocked on the door and I looked out and saw her in the hall.

"I don't want any," I yelled through the door.

"It's me," she said. "Can I talk to you?"

"I don't think so," I said. "I'm a jealous prick, remember?"

"I'm sorry I said that," she said. "Please let me come in and talk to you for a minute."

I opened the door. She just stood there for a minute. She wouldn't meet my eyes. "I'm sorry, Eric. I didn't know you would care. I know now and it won't happen again."

"You didn't know that people that are in relationships shouldn't have dates alone with members of the opposite sex?" I asked her. "You read the wrong relationship books, Cindy. That one is out of the cheater's manual, not the relationship manual."

"I'm not a cheater," she said. "It was lunch. I've known him since I was in the fourth grade."

"All the more reason not to be alone with him," I told her. "Why didn't you tell me you were having lunch with him? If you never have lunch, you never cheat. That's my rule. I don't do it and no one I'm in a relationship with does it."

"Okay, I get it. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Okay, I forgive you," I told her. I started to walk away and she ran after me.

"That's it?" she was incredulous. "You're going to just walk away from me?"

"I'm a jealous prick," I told her. "I don't think we're on the same page, Cindy. The fact that you didn't see anything wrong with going to lunch with that asswipe and not telling me about it says that this is not going to work out."

"Jesus Christ, Eric," she burst out. "Okay, I'm sorry I said that. I'm sorry I did it. Don't I mean any more to you than that? God damn it, I've been sleeping with you for months. Don't you know I love you? Are you just going to throw me away for having lunch with a guy I've known all my life?"

I thought about that for a minute. "No, I guess that would be an overreaction. I'm still as mad as hell about it, but we'll see if we can work it out. If you're going to have lunch with a man besides me, you should tell me about it in advance. I'll do the same for you."

We eventually did work it out and it was just a blip on the radar until our senior year. I wasn't much into the campus life thing. I went to school to get an education and most of the students were just assholes with whom I would never voluntarily associate. I did have a few buddies with whom I hung out. Patrick Kelly was one of them. He was a big football fan and we had a pretty good team that year. He kept after me to go to a game until I finally gave in and went. We didn't sit in the student section. His dad had season tickets and we used them to get a seat on the fifty-yard line. After the game, we were getting ready to leave and I saw Cindy in the student section. I didn't know she was going to the game or I'd have asked her to join us.

She was talking and laughing with a group of friends and I started to go over. Then she started walking down the steps and there was a guy with her. She was holding on to his arm and laughing up at him. I froze in place. It was George Cooper. He had an injury and they redshirted him that year. I was just standing there and she glanced my way. Our eyes locked and she froze in place. I turned and walked away and I heard her calling my name. I left Patrick there and kept walking.

She caught up to me in the parking lot and grabbed hold of my arm. "Eric, oh my God, Eric! That wasn't what it looked like. I wasn't... "

I cut her off. "I don't care, Cindy. Let go of my arm."

"Talk to me, Eric," she started crying. "Let me... "

"I asked you nicely to let go of my arm," I told her. She dropped her hand and I started walking. She ran around and stood in front of me. "You're not leaving until you give me a chance to explain," she wept.

"Goodbye, Cindy," I walked around her and left her there crying. She called me about ten times a day until the semester was over and I never answered or listened to any of her messages. She did her camping out thing in the hall outside my apartment but I just packed some things, crawled out the window and stayed with Patrick until the semester was over. I went and stayed with my parents over the Christmas break and she came by a couple of times. I told Mom and Dad not to let her in and I refused to go to the door. I transferred out at semester and went to school fifty miles away. Mom and Dad were pissed at me. I didn't give a damn.

When I graduated, I got a job near Austin and moved into an apartment. I heard about her sometimes when one of my friends would mention her but I never saw her. I'd been back in Central Texas for about six months when her Dad showed up at work one day when I got off. I saw him standing by my car and started to go back in. I thought about it and just decided to bite the bullet. This was going to suck.

I walked up to my car and he looked up when he heard me. "Eric, I know I'm the last guy you want to see, but I'm a father and I don't have a choice. I love my daughter. I know she did something really stupid. I know she did it twice. The problem is, she really loves you, Eric, and she's miserable. She's lost twenty pounds. The first five didn't hurt, but she doesn't sleep, she hardly eats and she never leaves the house except when she hears you're back home and thinks she might see you somewhere. Put us out of our misery, Eric. At least talk to her. Maybe we can put this behind us and she can move on. Please, our whole family is suffering."

Well, this sucked as much as I thought it would. I felt really sorry for him. None of this was his fault and he had been my little league baseball coach in the sixth grade. I always liked him and his wife a lot.

"Okay, Mr. Peterson," I told him. "I don't know what good it will do. Cindy did this to me once and I thought I made myself very clear. I never dreamed it would come up again. She doesn't think like me. I don't know how to get around that."

"I understand," he nodded. "I even agree with you, but please, just talk to her. Listen to what she has to say. That's all I'm asking. Thank you, Eric. I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything, Mr. Peterson," I told him. "You taught me how to play first base. I'm the one that owes you. Tell her I'll be back home and pick her up at six on Friday, okay?"

We went to Cheddar's and I bought her dinner. I'd heard it before, several times, I didn't want to hear it again. I knew I was going to hear it whether I wanted to or not.

"George is a really nice guy," she said.

"Cindy, were you going out with me or not?" I asked.

"You know I was, honey," she tried to sweet talk me.

"There seems to have been some doubt in your mind," I told her. "I saw you together at Chili's. You were sitting together in the same booth and he had his arm around you."

"We're very good friends," she said. "If you'd get to know him you'd like him. I want the two of you to be friends. We talked about that and I didn't do it again. I want you and him to be friends."

"We're not going to be friends," I told her. "We're not going out because of your 'friend'."

"What? What do you mean?" she stammered.

"I'm not getting back together with you," I told her. "The first time it happened I told you that if you were ever alone with him again we were done. I guess you didn't believe me."

"Why are you being such an asshole?" she snapped. "It was just lunch and a ride home from the football game. He's a nice guy."

"No, he's the asshole," I told her. "You're an asshole, too. I don't know what I ever saw in you. This was a bad idea."

I got up and threw money on the table. I didn't need the change. I walked out the door and to my car. I didn't realize she was following me until I hit the remote. Luckily, I only hit it once and the passenger door stayed locked. She tried to open it but I just got in and started the car. She ran around and opened my door.


Cobblestone Streets



"Are you just going to leave me here?" she yelled.

"I'll call you a cab," I said.

"We need to talk," she said.

"No, we don't," I told her. "Maybe you can talk to Cooper. He's such a nice guy."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't realize you were going to be such a prick about it. I won't be alone with him anymore."

"Too late," I told her. "That should have happened last time. You have no respect for me or anyone else but the 'nice guy'. I'll just take my prick self and find someone that likes my kind of prick, not his. Have a nice life, Cindy."

I did call her a cab. See, I'm a nice guy, too, for a prick. I didn't see or hear from her for three weeks. When I finally went back to my parents to spend the weekend I got ambushed. I think they had seen too much "Intervention" or Dr. Phool. Mom had called me on the way home and asked me what time she should plan dinner. I was totally ignorant of any nefarious plans and like a dummy, I told her. They even had the sneakiness to park their cars on the next block.

When I got home, I got my suitcase and my laptop and headed inside. Dad met me in the entry and took my suitcase. We went upstairs and put my stuff down and he said Mom and my sister were in the den. They were in the den all right, so were Cindy and her parents and Mom's pastor.

I guess I must have looked like a total idiot, standing there with my mouth hanging open. They had the furniture arranged around in a cute little circle with an empty chair at which everyone could stare. My little sister jumped up and ran over. She hugged me, kissed me and touched me all over as she always does. I love Chris. She was fifteen and the cutest thing you've ever seen. She took me and led me by the hand over to my throne. It was either that or an electric chair.

Pastor Robbins was evidently the spokesman. I always thought he was a pretentious creep that stood too close to you when he talked.

"Eric, we all have something we want to say to you and we're here to listen to you, too. We know you're upset and we understand, but we think you're being unreasonable."

I looked around and they were all smiling and nodding at me.

"I love you, honey and I want us to be together for the rest of our lives," Cindy gave me her softest, sexiest voice. "Just listen to what we have to say and then we'll listen to you."

It was Dad's turn. I wondered if they had planned who spoke in which order. "Son, do you know that your Mother has friends that are men and I have friends that are women?"

There was a silence. "Do you want me to speak?" I asked.

They all smiled and nodded. "I wasn't aware you had an open marriage," I said. "You concealed that from me so carefully all my life that I was in total ignorance." The smiles faded a little. I think I got off the script. "Are you hanging the horns on Dad, Mom? I never suspected a thing."

She had the grace to blush. "Why are you talking like that?" she asked. "There's no need to be crude. That's not what your father meant. We have friends of the opposite sex. Everyone does."

"Okay, well, this has been enlightening. Is it my turn now?" I asked.

Cindy's Dad spoke up. "Robin and I care about you very much, Eric," he got the smile back. "Cindy loves you with all her heart. She's devoted to you and for you to ask her to give up her friends is just unreasonable. You aren't really going to break up with her because Cindy has friends, are you?"

There was another small silence. "Is it my turn?" I asked.

They all smiled and nodded. "Okay, this has been real fun," I said. "I appreciate you all being here to explain things to me. I can see how unreasonable I've been. I just need to go up to my room and think for a few minutes. You all wait right here. I should be back in about ten minutes." Oh, the bliss on their faces was excruciating. I got up and Cindy came and kissed my cheek.

Chris was looking at me funny. I stood up and climbed the three stairs out of the den and then the seven upstairs to my bedroom. I got my suitcase and Chris got my computer. She had followed me.

We went outside and put them in the trunk. "You aren't coming back, are you?" she asked.

"No, baby," I hugged her. "I love you, but I'm done with this bullshit. Call me and I'll come pick you up. We'll go somewhere, just you and me."

"Okay, Eric," she kissed me. "I love you, too. I'm sorry they embarrassed you like that."

"Not your fault, sweetheart," I told her. "See you." I gave her one last squeeze and backed out of the driveway. I rolled the window down. "Take a walk, honey," I told her. "Give me a chance to get out of town."

She nodded and started off down the street. Twenty minutes later, my car told me I had a call. It was Mom.

"Hi, Mom," I said.

"Where are you?" she asked. "Where is Chris? Is she with you?"

"She's taking a walk," I said. "I'm just passing through Hillsborough."

She sputtered for a few seconds. "But... you said you would be right back."

"Well, yeah, but I decided not to," I said. "Please, feel free to carry on without me. Oh, Mom, from now on, Chris is the only one of you from whom I'll be taking calls. Don't write, don't come to visit, don't use your telepathic abilities you evidently have that tell you how unreasonable I am. Bye, Mom."

"Eric, wait," she said. "I love you, honey. I'm sorry; I only want what's best for you. Just let me talk to you."

"Don't you think I'm the one to decide what's best for me?" I asked. "Bye Mom, maybe you can talk to some of your friends that are men." I ended the call.

In a minute, I had another call. I didn't answer. I had five more calls in the next five minutes and I didn't answer. The sixth one was from Chris.

"Hi, Kitten, you in trouble?" I asked.

"Kind of," she said. "They made me call you, Eric."

There was a noise and Dad's voice came on. "You should be ashamed..." I cut him off. Maybe my family would be interested in marrying Cindy. They were all so reasonable; maybe they could all have a big group marriage, except for Chris, of course.

I must have got a hundred calls over the next three days. My secretary at work left stacks of messages on my desk every day in the morning, after lunch and at night. I listened to all the voice mails, read all the messages and all the e-mails. There were very entertaining.

Cindy's family was pissed off and so was she. My parents were, too, at first. I didn't hear much from Dad but Mom wasn't pissed off after the first five messages or so. She was crying on the voice mails and her messages and e-mails were taking on a note of desperation. She was apologetic after the first hour or two. Cindy also became increasingly weepy and apologetic. She pleaded with me to talk to her, see her, meet with her, call her, anything. She was going to change; she was going to make it up to me. Everything was going to be different. If I didn't like someone that was her friend, she'd never see them again. All I needed to do was give her another chance and all this magic was going to happen.

She just didn't get it. I guess none of them did. I have a code. I have friends that are women, too. Since I had been in a relationship with Cindy, I didn't spend time alone with them. That's just asking for trouble. Sure, there were business and social interactions with women besides Cindy, but I sure wasn't taking them to lunch or dinner and I didn't put my arms around them. If they had significant others, we hung out together. If they didn't, we didn't hang out. Why put yourself in a compromising situation?

Dad had told me this all my life. You date the people you know. You marry the people you date. You have sex with people you are alone with and with whom you make relationships. It's a conscious choice. All this bullshit about "I didn't mean for it to happen," or "it just happened," makes me want to puke. It's a matter of a conscious choice. I chose to be a one-woman man and I chose for my partner to be a one-man woman. If it sounds like I'm inflexible, you're damn right I am. Sue me.

I went on a couple of dates over the next week and had a good time. It was kind of a relief not having Cindy around. It was especially liberating not to have to wonder where she was or with whom she was having lunch. I drove back up to McKinney and stayed in a hotel that weekend. I picked Chris up to take her to Six Flags. She came running out and jumped in the car when I pulled up.

"You should go quick," she said.

It was too late. Mom came running down the sidewalk as I started backing out. She jumped on the hood of the car and I just couldn't drive off. I rolled down the window.

"What do you want, Mom?" I asked.

"Promise me you won't drive off till I tell you," she said.

I sighed. "Okay, I promise. What do you want?"

She got down and came to the window. She leaned in, hugged me and kissed me.

"I wanted to tell you I'm very sorry," she said. There were tears in her soft brown eyes. "I should have respected you more, Eric. I love you so much and you're killing me not talking to me. You're my only son and I'm asking you to forgive me. Don't shut me out of your life."

I petted her soft cheek. "What are you doing next Saturday?" I asked her.

She looked hopefully at me. "Nothing," she said. "Do you want me to do something?"

"Why don't I come and pick you and Chris up?" I said. "I'll take you to IKEA in Round Rock." Mom loves that place. "Then we'll take Chris to the outlet stores and have dinner."

Her smile was bright and happy. "Ten sounds like a good time," she said. "We'll be ready, right, Chris?"

Chris was very excited about the outlet stores, much less so about IKEA, but she wanted to go. We had a blast at Six Flags and I was looking forward to the next weekend. Work went well that week. I had just started and I had a pretty steep learning curve. I got some problems in the foundry sorted out and Jack had given me a huge pat on the back. That was also the week I met his daughter, Allison.

I drove up to McKinney and pulled up in the driveway. Mom and Chris came out all happy and bubbly and jumped in. "Eric, I want to apologize to you again," Mom started.

"Let's just forget about all this," I said. "Let's go shopping. All the clothes are on me. Mom, if you buy any of that crappy furniture, I'm not hauling it home."

She laughed and we drove away. We stopped for a burger and it was a good day. I did haul home some crappy furniture. It was just lamps, but I told her she was on her own putting them together. The instructions that came with them were written by professional obfuscators.

I stopped by my favorite bar for a beer on the way home Monday and when I climbed the stairs to my apartment, Cindy was sitting on the top step. I almost turned around and left. Then I got mad. This was my home and I wasn't going to let her chase me off. I sighed and kept climbing. I wondered what she was doing there in the middle of the week. She was in her last year of school to be a Physician's Assistant.

"Can I come in and talk to you?" she asked.

"What do you want, Cindy?" I asked. "I thought everything was pretty clear."

"It is," she said. "I want to muddy it up."

I had to smile at that. "I kind of like clear," I told her. I sighed. She was here so I might as well get it over with. I opened the door and stood aside so she could walk past.

I sat on the sofa and she pulled a chair up in front of me. "I want another chance," she said.

"Well, that's not going to happen," I said.

"Why does everyone but me get one?" she said.

"I wasn't going out with anyone else," I told her. "They felt bad about what they did and apologized."

"So do I," she said. "I've apologized a million times. I'm sorry, Eric. I had no idea you felt like you do. How can I fix this? I'll do anything."

"What the hell do you mean, 'I had no idea you felt like you do'?" I asked. "I told you exactly how I felt."

"I was stupid," she said. "I couldn't believe you really meant it. It sounded so unreasonable to me that I couldn't believe you were serious."

I threw up my hands. "Do you have any idea how sick I am of the word 'unreasonable'? Maybe I am unreasonable. That's just the way I am. I don't think it's unreasonable of me to expect my girl to not be having meals with other men alone or going to games with them. It seems like good sense to me."

"I understand now," she said. "What can I do to make it up to you? What can I do so we can be together?" Cindy didn't look good. Her normally vibrant hair was kind of dull and lifeless and she was gaunt looking. She looked like she was going to cry. Her eyes were all full of tears.

"I swear to God, if you start crying I'm going to get up and throw you out of here," I told her.

She sniffed a few times and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "Eric, I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't plan for that to happen. I didn't go to the game with him. I went with some of my girlfriends and he was just there. We all talked and we were having a good time. He was going to give me a ride back to the dorms. That's all that happened."

"Okay, I believe you," I said.

"So why won't you talk to me, then?" she seemed puzzled.

"I'll talk to you about anything but me and you," I told her. "I didn't think you wanted to talk about anything else."

"I don't understand," she faltered. "I do want to talk about you and me. If you don't believe I went there to meet him, what's wrong?"

"You were leaving with him," I told her. "My girlfriends don't ride in cars by themselves with other men. I thought I made that very clear. I don't spend time alone with other women and I don't allow my girlfriends to spend time alone with other men. You've been reading that cheater's handbook again, Cindy."

"It was just a ride," she protested.

"How did you get to the game?" I asked her.

"With Julia," she said.

"Why weren't you riding back with Julia?" I asked.

She sat there stunned for a minute. "I don't know," she said.

"I do," I told her. "He was cutting you out of the herd and getting you alone. That's how it starts. You let him do it. You knew if you thought about it at all, I wouldn't like it."

"Okay, I see that now," she said. "I was stupid. I can learn though, Eric. I see what you're getting at now. I didn't understand. Do guys really do that?"

"How did we get together?" I asked her.

"You asked me if I wanted to get something to eat after lab," she said.

"Who were you with?" I asked her.

"Julia and Robin... you cut me out of the herd, didn't you?"

"Exactly. That's how it works. I got you by yourself, just the two of us, and that's how it works. That's how romances begin. That's what Cooper was trying to do."

"I let him, didn't I?"

"Yes, Cindy, you did. I can't live with that. I can't always be around to make sure you aren't going off alone with some man. That's your job and you suck at it."

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't realize what was going on. It all makes sense now. He's been calling me ever since. Eric, if you give me another chance, it will never happen again."

"I gave you another chance," I said. "You fucked it up."

"Yes, but I didn't understand," she said. "I couldn't figure out why you would react that way. I understand now. I won't allow that to happen anymore."

"Okay, let's say I believe you; what now?" I asked.

"Will you go out with me Friday?" she asked. She wouldn't look up at me.

"Okay, what time?" I asked. I still didn't trust her and that didn't change until I accidentally overheard a conversation.

I was on my way home from work and I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a couple of bottles of wine. The liquor section had tall racks you couldn't see over. I saw a couple of guys on the other aisle when I turned into the section I wanted. One of them was George Cooper. They were talking louder than they should have.

"Whatever happened to that hot babe you had on the line?" the guy I didn't know asked.

"You mean Cindy?" Cooper asked.

"Yeah, she was smokin," the other guy said.

"She has this prick boyfriend," Cooper said. "I was just about to seal the deal and he saw us together. He threw a fit and she won't even talk to me now. It won't last. I'll keep calling her and I'll eventually wear her down. I'm going to get some of that yet. She says she'll never talk to me again, but I'm not giving up."

That surprised me. Cindy was keeping her word and I was impressed. She'd had the chance and she passed the test. I felt a lot better about moving forward. I dealt with Cooper, too. It's hard to call women when you have your right arm in a cast. He had another red shirt year and lost his scholarship.

That was 27 years ago, and until about five years ago, she was as good as her word. Then, someone gave her a book. It was something about "Her needs, His needs," and Cindy was all gaga about it. All of a sudden, there was all this psychobabble coming out of her mouth about "getting in touch with our feelings." She explained it all to me. Men and women are different. I was shocked! Who knew? Who buys that shit? Do I need to pay $29.99 for someone to point out the obvious?

I was pretty sure I had known that since the first time I saw a girl. There was all this bullshit about how men didn't understand women, how they often lived lives of deprivation because their men didn't understand or care about their "needs" and how they could take charge of their lives by making us aware of their need for emotional fulfillment.

She had all these great ideas about what we should do. We talked about a lot of bullshit for hours on end in carefully "arranged" and set "bonding" meetings. We acquired a bookshelf that was loaded with the most inane and stupid books imaginable. We watched boring and stupid movies designed to make me aware of my callousness and insensitivity. She would highlight passages in the stupid books for me to read. The insanity got more and more extreme. Most of the sage wisdom she received and dispensed seemed to have one aim: Women need emotional fulfillment and their husband is incapable of providing it. However, if he truly loves her he will support and encourage her in her journey to discover her emotional security and only then, can she find true happiness. That had been her quest for the last five years. Her behavior hadn't changed, as far as I knew. She went out with groups without me, and spent a lot of time with her circle of other sympathetic women, but she was never alone with other men. I lived by the same rule. We both understood emergencies, work and family, but we never went anywhere alone with members of the opposite sex for entertainment. Until today, apparently. I really had no idea how long this had been going on.

"Dad, earth to Dad," Olivia was pulling on my arm. I hugged her.

"Hi, baby. Sorry, I was a little distracted there. Olivia, these ladies are Samantha and Cecilia. Samantha is hurt. Can you help them?"

"Where's Mom?" she asked.

"That's a good question," I said. "I'm going to want to talk to you about that later. Can you get Samantha fixed up?"

"Sure," she said, turning and looking Samantha over. "So how come you're here with clueless there," she nodded in my direction.

"He's been helping me and you should be more respectful to your father," Samantha told her.

Olivia snorted. "Well, he's not at all respectable, so that's out. I do love him with all my heart, though. Is that good enough?"

Samantha's eyes twinkled. "I can tell, honey. He's been so nice to me. He carried me here in his truck, got me in this nice room with these nice nurses and I'm ever so grateful. You don't have to stay anymore, Mr. Hollister. Dr. Olivia and Cecelia will take care of me now."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Samantha, but if you call me Mr. Hollister one more time I'm going to take you back," I smiled. "My name is Eric. I'm going to be checking on you. I have your groceries in my truck. What do you want me to do with them?"




Cobblestone Streets



"Can you... no I can't ask you."

"Can't ask me what?" I asked.

Cecelia spoke up. "Could you please take them to our house? We can't afford for them to spoil. Her grandson is there and he'll let you in." She walked me out into the hall and gave me the address. I turned to leave and she spoke softly. "Eric, I'm so grateful to you for helping Grandma." She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek, put her arms around me and hugged me. "You're a really nice man."

I patted her shoulder and walked outside. When I went out the emergency room doors, I saw Cindy and Pierce hurrying toward the entrance. I kept a big concrete column between me and them and I heard them talking.

"This is very bad, Elliot," Cindy was saying. "This is very bad. God, I hope he's still there. We've got to fix this. We'll tell him we were planning the board meeting. He can't find out about us. I'm not ready yet."

"He's too stupid to figure it out," Pierce said. "He doesn't have a clue."

"You're wrong," she said. "He's smarter than either one of us. Our only hope was that he didn't suspect anything. Remember, we were planning the board meeting. I'll get Julia to say she was there."

Talk about shocked. I guess I was really stupid. I never suspected a thing. I walked to the truck in a daze. I was two blocks away before I thought to check the address Cecelia had given me. I was going the wrong way. I went around the block and my phone rang. It was Cindy. I didn't answer.

I found the address. It was a little, white, frame house with a nice vinyl fence around it. I got the groceries and carried them up to the door. When I rang the bell, a slender black guy answered.

"Are you Samantha Groves' grandson?" I asked him.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" he asked.

His voice was kind of high and breathy and my gaydar went off right away. "She had an accident and I brought her groceries home for her," I told him. "She isn't hurt bad, but she broke her arm and she's scraped up a little. Your sister asked me to bring these over."

"I don't have a sister," he said. "If you mean Cecelia, she's my cousin."

"Sorry, my bad," I said. "Can you put the groceries away for her?"

"Yes, I can," he looked me up and down. "Would you like to come in?"

"No, got to run," I told him uneasily. "Wait, are the eggs broken?"

They were and I had promised her more eggs. That gave me a reason to come back when Samantha was there. Now I had some business to attend to. I drove to Julia's and she was home. She looked shocked when she saw me at the door.

"Paul isn't here," she said nervously.

"I wanted to talk to you anyway," I told her. Paul pulled into the driveway just then. "Well I guess he's here now," I said.

He jumped out and grabbed his briefcase out of the back seat. "Hey, buddy," he called. "Let's grab a beer and sit on the porch. It's a nice evening. Julia, honey, would you grab Eric and me a couple of beers?"

We sat down on the porch and Julia came out and handed us a couple of bottles of Paul's home brew. He makes very good beer. This was a nice pale ale. She started to go back inside and I caught her hand. "Julia, I told you I wanted to talk to you," I told her.

She looked nervously at Paul. "I've got dinner cooking," she said. "Could I talk to you later?"

"I think now is good," I told her. "I don't want to give you time to make up a story."

She burst into tears. "Don't make me tell, Eric," she begged. "She's been my friend since the second grade. I don't want to get involved."

Paul was pissed at me or her; I couldn't tell which. "What the hell is going on around here?" he asked. "Somebody better tell me something quick."

"Cindy is having an affair with Pierce," I told him. "She has Julia covering for her. There's more to it than that, but I don't know what yet."

"Julia, is that true?" he asked.

"Yes, no... I'm not covering for her. I told her I wouldn't," Julia sobbed. "This doesn't have anything to do with me! I'm so sorry, Eric. I wanted to tell you, but you were so happy and I love you so much. I didn't know how. I didn't have time to figure out what I needed to do! I never had a chance to figure anything out. I didn't want you to be hurt."

I stood up and hugged her. "I know, Julia. I don't blame you. I would have been very upset with you if you had lied for her. I'm very sorry you got dragged into this. You don't deserve any of this. I'll make it up to you somehow. It may take me a while."

She sobbed into my chest. "I'm so sorry, Eric. I don't know what's wrong with her. She's acting crazy. Maybe she'll come to her senses."

"Do you know how long this has been going on?" I asked her.

"No, the first I heard about it was when she called me an hour ago," she said. "She acted like it was going on for a while, though."

"Well, I apologize again, Julia. Paul, I didn't mean to drag you guys into this. I just knew she was trying to get Julia to lie for her. I had to see it for myself."

"If there's anything we can do, just ask us, Eric," he said. "You know we'll be here for you."

"Know any good divorce lawyers?" I chuckled.

"Actually, I do," he said. "My partner is a family law specialist. You should talk to her if you decide to go that route."

I thanked them and apologized again. I drove home, hating the thought of going in. Cindy wouldn't be there but Olivia would. What was I going to say? I wondered if she knew and was covering for her mother. I would have to find out. That would just kill me. I was hurting enough the way it was.

I called her on the way home and told her I would pick up chicken for dinner. Popeye's was happy to supply that and we sat down at the table and ate. She caught me up on Samantha. She got some pain medication and a cast and Cecelia had taken her home. We chatted for a while and I just couldn't get started. I wasn't even sure I wanted to know. She finished putting the leftovers away and I just picked her up and carried her to the sofa, holding her on my lap and hugging her.

She looked up at me and saw the tears streaming down my cheeks. "Daddy, what's wrong with you?" she asked. "Why are you acting so weird?"

"Livy," I always called her that when she was little, "you know I love you very much, don't you?"

"Yes, I love you, too," she said. "You're starting to freak me out, Daddy. You're not sick or anything, are you?"

I had to laugh. "No, baby, I'm not sick. Do you have anything you want to tell me about your mother? I know you work together."

She looked up into my face with those bottomless blue pools that were her eyes. "You know, don't you, Daddy?" she said softly.

"Yes, I found out today," I said. "Why didn't you tell me, baby?"

She began to cry. "Because I didn't have any proof," she said. "I suspected it. I confronted her about it and she just laughed at me. She said I was being ridiculous and she didn't want ever to hear anything like that again. I couldn't prove anything other than that they disappeared at odd times and acted weird around each other. What are you going to do, Daddy?"

"I guess that depends on her," I said. "I'm going to confront her, too. I won't listen to lies. If she lies, we're done. We may be done anyway. I don't know how to get over this, honey. Will you help me?"

"I'd die for you, Daddy," she held me tightly. "I'm on your side here. She's lying and cheating; I won't stand for that. The idea of my mother lying to me just kills me. The idea of her doing that to you, it makes me madder than hell. I want to bitch slap her."

"Yeah, me, too," I chuckled. "I don't want to go to jail and I don't want you to get violent either. We need to be cool, okay?"

"Yes, I know, but I'm still very angry," she said. "We should change the locks on the door or something."

"That does sound tempting," I laughed. "I'm afraid that would only be temporary. She can get the law to let her back in. Let's just see what happens when I confront her."

"I want to be there," she said. "This is my family, too."

"Okay, we'll just sit here and I'll hold you until she gets home, okay?"

We cried together for a long time. I felt like my life had crumbled around me and I don't know what I would have done if my baby hadn't been there for me. It still hurt worse than anything I had ever experienced, but I knew that Olivia and I would be together. We finally just cried ourselves out. We made a few adjustments to our living arrangements and waited.

She got up and got us a bowl of ice cream and we watched a movie until we saw Cindy's car lights turn into the driveway. She looked very nervous when she came in and saw us sitting there. Olivia was still on my lap with her arms around my neck. Cindy tried to bluster it out.

"Hey, you waited up," she said. She walked over and tried to kiss Olivia but she put a hand up.

"Save it, Mom," she practically spat at her. "We know all about it. Don't try to pretend everything is okay."

"Eric, could I speak with you alone for a few minutes?" Cindy started to walk toward the bedroom. When she noticed that I hadn't moved she stopped. "Just a few minutes," she said.

"No, we're good," I told her. "What do you think you're doing, Cindy?"

She came back and sat in the club chair across from us. I saw her square her shoulders and take a deep breath. "I have a relationship with Elliot Pierce," she said. "This doesn't have anything to do with us, Eric. We're fine. This is something entirely separate from our marriage. I'm not leaving you or anything. This is just something I need. I can talk to Elliot and we have an emotional connection. We've talked it over. You won't be able to tell any difference in our lives. I won't neglect you. This is just between me and him. I need something different. I've been very happy with you, but I just need something different than what you give me."

Olivia laughed. "Yeah, like that's going to happen. Get real, Mom!"

"Olivia, this doesn't have anything to do with you," Cindy said. "This is between your Father and me."

"So when will you be moving out?" I asked Cindy.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "I'm not moving out. Why would I move out?"

"Well, you need a new place to live," I told her. "After the divorce, we'll have to sell this house. Olivia and I need to find another place."

"What divorce?" she said. "We aren't getting a divorce. I don't want a divorce."

"Well, I don't give a flying fuck what you want," I told her. "The total lack of respect you just showed me and your daughter just got you one. What in the hell have I ever said or done over the last 27 years that would make you think I would accept this? No, we're getting a divorce, Cindy. I predict it's going to be a long, nasty one. Then you're going to have a long, nasty, lonely life after the divorce, too."

"Why are you being like this? Why can't you just accept that I have needs that aren't being met?" she complained. "It doesn't have to affect us at all. We're not getting a divorce. I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of our lives."

"Well, too bad you don't always get what YOU want," I said. "I want to have a wife that isn't sleeping with that creep Pierce. Did I get what I wanted? Did anyone ask me if I wanted to get sloppy seconds from that douche bag? I don't remember that conversation. 'Eric, I want to be a slut, you don't mind do you?' When did we have that conversation? Did you hear that conversation, Livy?"

"No, I didn't hear it," she said. "Did you really tell Daddy you wanted to be a slut, Mom?"

"This is ridiculous," Cindy stood up. "I can see neither one of you is an adult. When you grow up, we can talk. If you're just going to insult me, we can just not speak."

"Good, I don't like to listen to sluts anyway," Olivia said. "When are you leaving anyway, Mom? I've always wanted to have Daddy all to myself. He's adorable."

"I'm not going anywhere," Cindy screamed. "Stop saying that."

"Oh, you're going somewhere," I told her. "Hell, I hope. Maybe they have a cheater's wing. I predict you'll be gone in a week. You have this idea that you're a virtuous, nice person and you're being so reasonable and so loving, but you're not. Now that we all know what you are you won't be able to stand being around us. You're just a pretty rotten person, Cindy. You have no concept of right and wrong. Now we all know it. I'll be telling all our friends, our family, the people you work with, everyone! I'm going to enjoy this. Just how long do you think you can put up with that?"

"You're not going to tell anyone," she said. "It would be too embarrassing for you. You just need time to get used to the idea that you're going to be very happy. You won't be affected at all, I promise. I love you, Eric, and I'm going to make sure you're happy."

Olivia burst out laughing. "You really are a stupid bitch, aren't you, Mom? You don't have a clue how evil you are. You haven't done anything but shit all over our family, your husband and your marriage. No, you're not going to make him anything but miserable. His happiness is now my project."

I couldn't help giving her a thankful squeeze. I had to let out a little spleen. "Cindy, do you remember George Cooper?" Her face went pale. "This is George Cooper, but permanent. Good luck with the rest of your life. You might even hook up with him again. You don't seem too picky about the people you sleep with."

"You bastard," she said. "How can you bring that up? This isn't like that at all and you're the only man I've ever slept with. I haven't slept with Elliot."

Olivia and I looked at each other. I was kind of shocked. The question was, did I believe her? Then there was another question. Did it matter? I decided it didn't.

"Well, what's holding you back?" I asked her.

"You are," she said. "I need for you to accept this. Elliot and I talked about it. If you really love me, you'll be happy for me that I've found this emotional outlet. He doesn't mind that I love you and that I'll never leave you. This is just about me meeting my emotional needs."

Olivia was hysterical. "Oh, my God!" she gasped. She couldn't stop laughing. "Mom, I never knew you were so stupid. Where did you come up with that bullshit? Did that evil creeper 'Elliot' fill your head with that nonsense? You're too stupid to live. God, I hope I didn't get any genes from you."

Cindy went red in the face and I thought she was going to explode with rage. "Olivia, you can go to your room," she said. "I won't have you disrespecting me like that."

"Are you nuts, bitch?" Olivia asked. "I'm twenty-five years old. You can't send me to my room. I make the house payment here every three months just like you do. I have my own wing. Why don't you go to your room? Oh, wait, that's Daddy's room. Maybe we'll let you stay in one of the guest bedrooms until the divorce. Maybe, since you haven't fucked him yet, it's not too late for you to save your skanky ass. Maybe if you beg and crawl long enough, Daddy will forgive you. He's a really nice guy. I'm not so nice. I hate a cheater and you're one. I hope the creeper was worth it. Do you know he's hit on all the females at the hospital, your daughter included?"

"That's just a lie!" Cindy shouted. "He loves me! You're just making that up to hurt me. Why are you guys being such assholes about this? Don't you want me to be fulfilled and happy?"

I needed to get a handle on this before it escalated out of control. "Cindy, you're digging your own grave every time you open your mouth," I told her. "You should stop talking. I accept that you need to be fulfilled and happy. There's the door, chase your dreams. You need to give up this idea that you can have your cake and eat it, too. You broke the deal, Cindy. If being with me was part of your fulfillment, you just tossed that away. Maybe you can be 'fulfilled' with Pierce. I don't know, though. He looks like he would have trouble 'filling' anything. He's an anemic little turd. He's getting ready to be unemployed. Maybe he'll have a pot to piss in after his divorce, but I doubt it. I think his wife is smart enough to have a prenuptial agreement. I'm sure her father is. I'd be surprised if you keep your job, too. Her father is the AMA president for this state. When they find out what the two of you are up to it may get ugly."

"We haven't done anything," she protested. "There's no reason for all this."

"You lied to me, tried to get Julia to lie for you, planned to hang the horns on me with that pathetic fuck and displayed professional misconduct. Neither one of you was on duty when an emergency showed up you were supposed to be covering. I think the board will frown on that. You may both lose your license."

"We didn't do anything wrong," she began to panic. I guess the script they had worked out was going off the rails.

"Besides, I don't believe you haven't fucked him," Olivia said. "You've lied about everything else."

"I haven't... haven't... had sex with him. I'm not lying," she said.

"Why should we believe anything you say?" I asked her. "You were at least planning to. That's just as bad. Do you see the problem here? We don't believe you. That's what happens when you start lying. No one believes anything you say. Worse, you tried to get Julia to lie for you. I heard you planning that lie, Cindy. I think you should go and see if Pierce has any more good ideas."

"I'm not going anywhere," she said. "You'd probably change the locks while I was gone."

Olivia and I looked at each other and nearly choked laughing. Cindy had no idea what we were laughing about but she didn't like it one bit.

"I don't know what you think is funny about this situation but I find nothing humorous about it," she fumed.

"No, it's an inside joke," I said. "The situation isn't funny, it's pathetic. You're pathetic, Cindy. Now, fuck off, Olivia and I were doing something."

She yelled, wept and had a hissy cow, but Olivia just kept turning the volume of the TV up. We have a killer sound system and we just ignored her. She finally stomped off to the kitchen and warmed up some of the chicken. She came back and tried to sit on the sofa with us but we moved to my big recliner. She finally had enough.

"Fine," she screamed over the TV. "Just act like a couple of spoiled brats. I'm going to bed!"

When she got to the bedroom door, she discovered it was locked. Olivia turned the TV down for a minute. "Your stuff is in the blue room," she said sweetly. "That's Daddy's room."

She turned the volume back up and Cindy just stood there glaring at us before stomping off down the hall. When she closed the door, I kissed Livy and we went to bed. I left for work in the morning before they were up but there was nothing going on. Jack was in a meeting and had left instructions for me to take the day off. That was good because I had an appointment with Paul's partner.

Her name was Jasmine Albright and she was one hell of an impressive lady. She was probably forty or so and she just oozed class. She was tall, slender and dark with this mane of auburn hair and she was just gorgeous. She was as smart as a whip too and she got me squared away pretty quickly. I was running around the rest of the day doing all the weird shit she wanted me to do. I visited the bank, the insurance agency, HR at work and our investment advisor. I spent 100 years on the phone, talking to people that didn't understand English and got credit cards changed, policies amended and a million other things. I was exhausted. I had one more stop to make.

I went to the grocery store and bought three dozen eggs. I took them to Samantha's house and Cecelia opened the door. I was amazed again at how beautiful she was. She was just so tiny and cute. She looked like she was about fourteen but I knew she was a second semester sophomore in college. The slender fellow was missing and I was pleased with that. Cecelia hugged me and invited me in. I had stopped by Starbucks and bought three coffees and three poppy seed muffins.




Cobblestone Streets



Samantha was reading a magazine in a comfortable chair in the living room and her face just lit up when she saw me. She started trying to get up but I hurried over and knelt by her chair. I hugged her and she gave me a kiss on the cheek. The three of us sat around, drank our coffee and ate muffins while we talked. Samantha was feeling a lot better and she couldn't stop telling me how much she loved Olivia. We talked about Cecelia's schoolwork. She wanted to be an education administrator. She was going to transfer to a four-year school after she graduated from the local junior college and she was working hard to get a scholarship. I admired her surreptitiously. She had huge brown eyes in a little pixie face. Her hair was just a curly mop about a foot long and it covered her right eye most of the time. One tiny ear was showing and it was kind of pointed like an elf. In fact, she looked like someone's fantasy drawing of a magical creature. She caught me looking a couple of times but she just smiled and winked.

I stayed half an hour and kissed them both goodbye. I promised to visit again soon and when I left I felt like I had made two good friends. I thought I'd check on them often and see if they needed anything. They hadn't mentioned any men in their lives and the slender young man didn't seem like he would be very handy.

Livy was home when I got there and I took her out for barbecue. I told her about my day and she said Pierce took Cindy out somewhere for a long time. I guess they were planning their strategy. Well, I was executing mine and it was going well. We both went to bed before Cindy came home. She knocked on the bedroom door but I put in my earplugs and just went back to sleep. I left in the morning and there was a note for me on the table. She thought we needed to talk and asked me to wait up for her that night.

Work was back to normal but I wasn't on my groove. Allison came in to discuss some sales stuff and I just couldn't get focused. The third time she had to shake me she asked me what was going on with me.

"I'm sorry, Allie. I'm not at my best today," I told her.

"Well, you better get that way," she said. "What's your problem?"

"I'm getting a divorce," I told her.

Her jaw dropped. "What the hell, Eric? What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," I said. "Well, I probably did lots of stuff, but Cindy came home and announced that she was having a relationship with that prick Pierce. It isn't going to affect our marriage at all. She's going to make sure I'm not unhappy, but she has to 'fulfill her needs."

"Jesus Christ!" she exploded. "Does the guy have a foot long cock or something? What the hell does that even mean?"

"I have no idea," I told her. "She was spouting some drivel about emotional fulfillment. She insists she hasn't slept with him, but she's going to and if I love her, I'm supposed to let her 'be happy.'"

She stood up and went to the bar. She poured us a couple of fingers of her good bourbon, came back and sat down. Allison is one of the most beautiful women I've ever met. She just screams sensuality every time you look at her. It's almost impossible to put your finger on it. Her body is just perfect, big, high breasts, tiny waist, a very firm round ass and the longest legs on earth. Her face puts that body to shame. She's a tiger, though. She chews through men like a shark in a school of baitfish. I've always been about half-afraid of her. She had quite a crush on me when she was a teenager and it was kind of touch and go there for a while. She wasn't used to anyone telling her no and I was afraid she would hate me for keeping her at arm's length. She didn't, and she's become probably my best friend. There was always this undercurrent of sexual tension between us, but we handled it. She was Olivia's best friend, too.

"What are you going to do?" she asked. "You aren't planning any stupid revenge plots or anything, are you?"

I laughed. "No, I just want to get this over with and move on. I've wasted way too much time already. I just don't care, Allie. I'm just tired. I'm too old and too numb to plot. I am going to take Pierce down, but I'm not going to kick his ass or anything. I won't do anything illegal. His ass is in a sling, but he doesn't know it. I don't care enough about him to kick his ass."

I was wrong about that, but I didn't know it at the time. I really believe that if they had just left me alone we would have been fine.

Allison hung out with me the rest of the day and it was very good for my ego. She made me promise to take her out to dinner Friday night and I went home. When I opened the door, there was a lot of yelling going on inside.

Cindy and Pierce were sitting on the sofa and Olivia was standing in front of them reading them the riot act. She was poking her finger in his chest and he made the mistake of slapping her hand away. Before he knew what hit him she grabbed his hair and pulled his nose down to meet her rising knee. The nose didn't win that encounter and I dragged him by his hair out the door. When we got out on the porch, Olivia kicked him in the ribs and I body pressed him up level with my face and threw him off the porch into a Barberry shrub. He screeched like he was being clawed to death by house cats and thrashed his way to the ground. Those thorns scratched the hell out of him and he crawled out to the curb and got in a car that was parked there. He burnt the tires getting out of there and I looked at Olivia. She burst out laughing and we split our sides out there on the porch. Cindy wasn't amused.

"I can't believe you did that!" she screamed. "We came over here to have a civilized conversation and you just acted like savages! I can't believe you did that to that nice man. You aren't even giving him a chance. You'd like him if you'd just give him a chance."

"I did give him a chance," I told her. "I didn't kill him, so he has a chance to start running when he sees me. Fuck off, Cindy. Baby, you want to go to a movie?" I asked Olivia.

We cleaned up, changed with Cindy standing in the hall raving at us and went out. We saw a really bad movie that Olivia loved and I hated and went out to eat wings. Cindy was gone by the time we got home. Maybe there was an emergency at the hospital involving thorn removal.

I took Allison out to eat Friday night and we went to a club. My conscience was clear. My marriage was over. She was an amazing dancer and she gave me all I could handle. Guys kept asking her to dance and she said she didn't dare come without an escort. I volunteered to escort her any time.

"My social calendar isn't exactly packed with smoking hot women," I told her.

She grinned up at me. "Well, I'll take you up on that. I've been in love with you since I was fifteen, you know."

"Yeah, I've noticed how you've been pining away," I laughed. "I've been scared to death of you since you were fifteen."

"I know," she said. "I would never hurt you; you know that, don't you, Eric?"

"I know, Sweetheart," I told her. "I'm not really that afraid of you. You're very loyal to the people you love."

"If I ever found the right guy, I would be very loyal to him, too," she buried her face in my chest as we danced. "That man could be you, Eric."

"I'm honored, Allie," I told her. "I'm pretty messed up right now. I don't know if I'll ever get over this. Remind me again when you think I'm healthy, okay?"

"Count on it," she said. "Take me home, Eric, before I attack you. I hope my batteries are in good shape tonight."

We laughed and I took her home. She did attack me at the door and it was the hottest kiss I've ever had. She didn't try to follow up on it and I was grateful. My bruised ego did feel a lot better after that.

Cindy was still up when I got home and she tried to start something but I was feeling too good to listen to her bullshit. I went to bed, locking the door behind me.

Getting up Saturday morning wasn't something I wanted to do. I lay in bed and tried to make plans for the day. I finally got up and Cindy had made coffee. I ate a pastry and drank a cup. She came in and told me we needed to talk.

"No we don't need to talk," I told her. "Every word you say just pisses me off more. You need to stop talking. Where do you want to be served? My attorney tells me that the papers will be ready Monday. Do you want to be served at work or here?"

"I'm going to tear those papers up," she said. "Why can't you understand I don't want a divorce?"

"Yes, you do want a divorce," I told her. "Everything you've done since you started fucking around with Pierce was headed to this inevitable end. If you didn't want a divorce you wouldn't have started this shit."

"Maybe I made a mistake," she said. "I've been thinking a lot. I don't want to lose you, Eric. I didn't think you'd react this way."

"You knew damned well I'd react this way," I told her. "What made you think any differently? Remember the last time you pulled something like this?"

"We were just immature children then," she said. "I thought you were more mature now."

"I am," I told her. "You aren't. Mature people don't act like you. Hell, Olivia is more mature than you. Everyone is more mature than you. You act like you're in high school. This is hopeless. You're hopeless. Why don't you go hang out with Pierce? You seem to be two of a kind."

I went out and started the lawn mower. She sat on the deck and glowered down at me while I mowed the back yard. When I opened the gate and mowed the front, she sat on the porch and watched. I got out the weed eater and trimmed everything up and Olivia came out and went swimming. She sunned herself for a while and I went in and took a shower. I put on my trunks, picked up a couple of beers and went out to hang with her. We had some water fights and sat on the edge of the pool, drinking our beer and doing a little father/daughter bonding. She had a date that night and I thought about what I could do to get me away from Cindy. I called Cecelia and asked her if I could bring dinner over for her and Samantha. She seemed excited at the idea so I cooked most of the afternoon. I'm a pretty good cook and I went all out. Cindy asked me what I was cooking twice and I just ignored her.

I packed up the cooler and a basket and drove over to their house. Cecelia helped me and we warmed some stuff up and opened one of the bottles of wine I had brought. They were very impressed with my culinary skills. I had even baked a chocolate cake and it was one of my best efforts. They seemed like old friends to me. I was very comfortable with them and we talked about nothing and everything. Cecelia asked me if I wanted to go for a walk and as much as I had eaten, that sounded like a good idea. We strolled along and she quickly tucked her tiny little brown hand into my big one. It felt like I was walking with a little girl. She bounced and chattered like one, too. She was utterly charming and totally cute. I put my arm around her and squeezed her. She slipped her arm around my waist and bumped my thigh with her hip while we walked.

It made me very sad. I remembered all the walks with Cindy just like this. I think Cecelia must have sensed something wrong because she peeked up at me. "Are you okay, Eric?" she asked.

"It doesn't have anything to do with my present company," I told her. "It's something else. I don't want to spoil the mood. I really like spending time with you and Samantha."

"I'm a pretty good listener," she volunteered.

"My wife told me last week she's having an affair with another man," I said. "She says she hasn't slept with him, yet. I don't believe her, but the idea that I'm supposed to be okay with it because it's something she 'needs' is just mind boggling to me. That's what she told me. 'It doesn't have anything to do with us. I just need to be emotionally fulfilled and happy.'"

"Oh, my God!" Cecelia exclaimed. "Eric, I'm so sorry, but she sounds like an idiot. How long have you been married?"

"Twenty seven years," I told her. "I don't know if I've just been blind and stupid all this time or she's suddenly lost her mind. I needed to get away from her and I imposed on you. I'm sorry."

"Nonsense," she said. "You can impose on me any time. I really, really like you, Eric. What are you going to do?"

"The way things stand now, I'm going to divorce her," I said. "She can't see anything wrong with what she's doing and I can't see being married to someone who doesn't see anything wrong with it."

"No, me either. I'm so sorry, Eric. I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now."

"It's not right now that bothers me," I admitted. "I'm with you and you make me forget about my problems for a while. Getting to hang out with you and Samantha makes me feel like there's a normal place in the world I can just look at and feel as if I belong. I know I've got friends and people that care about me. Thanks, Cecelia."

She looked up at me and swung around, wrapping her arms around and hugging me, pressing her tiny body against me and burying her face in my chest. "I'm here any time you need me," she said. "I'll never forget what you did for Grandma. She asks me every day if I've seen a hospital bill. You didn't need to pay for her, but you did. You'll always be special to us. Eric, I know you're all mixed up right now. Just let me know when you get it straightened out, okay? I'll have something to tell you then."

We walked and talked for two hours, sitting on benches sometimes with her snuggled up against me or her tiny little hand tucked into mine. I found out that her mother was a drug addict and she sold her body to get drugs. She died from hepatitis five years earlier and Cecelia had been living with Samantha since her mother's death. The slender young man I had met was her cousin. Her mother's brother had pursued a similar path except he had died from a gunshot wound. Her cousin's name was Ty and, as I suspected, he was gay. He had his own place but they saw quite a bit of him.

I loved talking to her. She was smart and funny and she was someone I could get really close to. It wasn't going to happen for a while. I was too upset and too on edge to even consider becoming interested in any romantic way. We walked back and Samantha offered me another cup of coffee. I took it and we talked a while before I left for home.

Olivia was home by then and we sat together on the sofa while she told me all about her date. Cindy came and sat down. I guess she wanted to listen but Olivia stopped talking and just stared at her.

"What?" Cindy asked. "I'm interested in my daughter's life."

"Well, don't get too interested," Olivia said. "You aren't going to be in it very long. Don't you have somewhere to be? I'll bet Pierce would like for you to be interested in talking to his children. He's probably lonely, the poor, nice man. Maybe you should go and console him. Daddy and I will just console ourselves with talking about our family that you did your best to destroy."

Of course, that made her angry, she yelled for a while about how selfish we were being and how no one cared about her and what she needed.

"Cindy, you seem to have caring about yourself and what you need on lockdown," I told her. "You don't need any help. We're going out for dinner."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Well, the 'we' is me and Olivia," I told her. "You can go out with Pierce."

She yelled some more until we left. It was interesting to me that she just kept blundering on. After we got home, Livy and I played Trivial Pursuit and she tried to play with us. She made popcorn and asked us if we wanted any and just made a nuisance of herself until we went to bed.

When I went to work Monday, I was normal enough that I actually got some work done. When I got home, Cindy was waiting. She's off Monday and she had evidently been busy. When Olivia came in dinner was on the table. She had gone all out and it was very good; she could always cook. She tried to make normal conversation but we just ignored her mostly. I went and met Allison at the bar and we talked and shot pool for a while. She's a pool shark, too, and she took me to the cleaners.

Olivia called me about eight and told me to meet her at the Riverside Inn. She said it was important, but she wouldn't tell me why; just that it was important and I should hurry. Allison wanted to come and when we pulled up, I saw Olivia's Dart across the street. She came over and scooted Allison over next to me when she got in the truck.

"Hey, Allie," she said. "Daddy, Mom left right after you did. She had been on the phone and I think she was talking to Pierce. I followed her and they came here. They checked into a room and they've been in there about twenty minutes. I think we should pay them a visit. I've got our video camera and I think they're doing the dirty. This will be evidence."

We argued about it for a while. Allison thought it was stupid and dangerous and I really didn't want to know. Olivia carried the argument when she said if Cindy tried to fight the divorce, I could threaten her with the video. That made sense to me and Allison came around, too. I went to the desk and asked the guy what room my wife was in. I told him I was supposed to meet her and he checked my ID and gave me a key card. We stopped outside the door and Olivia got the camera ready. When we opened the door, Cindy was on her knees by the bed and Pierce's cock was in her mouth.

She jumped up and screamed while Olivia caught the action. "What the hell are you doing here?" she screamed. "This is a private room!"

"We were just leaving," I told her. "Well, so much for 'I haven't had sex with him'."

"You made me do this," she yelled. "You forced me into this! If you hadn't been such an asshole, this would all have been so loving and good. No, you had to be a hard ass."

"Hi, Cindy," Allison said. "That's a tiny little pecker you were working on there. You'd get more smoking a cigar. Well, there's no accounting for tastes. Some women go for the pathetic wimp type." She took my arm. "I kind of like tall, dark and handsome."

"Get your hands off of my husband!" Cindy screamed.

We turned and left and I closed the door. We walked back to the truck and I was kind of in a daze. Allison drove the truck and Olivia followed us to Freddy's. We got shakes and they talked. They noticed that I was quiet and they scooted over against me.

"Eric, I know this is bad, but it's not the end of the world," Allison said. "You're going to be fine. You've got people that love you. I love you. Olivia loves you. It's going to be okay. I know it looks bad but I've got some news for you that is going to change things some. I'll tell you at work tomorrow. You have a meeting with Dad at ten. This is going to shake things up a bit, but it's just what you need right now. Take me back to my car."

I walked out between two of the most beautiful girls on the planet and it felt good. Not good like everything was right with the world, but still good. I took Allie back to the bar and went home. Olivia was waiting up and we talked for a while. Cindy came in about an hour later.

"I stopped for gas on the way home and my credit cards wouldn't work," she said. "What have you done, Eric?"

"Well, since we're getting divorced we can't have joint cards anymore," I told her. "We also now have separate bank accounts. I have one, you have one and there's a third one that Olivia is on too for household expenses. I put half our savings and half our investment accounts in your checking account. You'll have to get your own credit cards if you want them. The server said you tore up the papers too. I suggest you get new ones and sign them. If you don't, I'm going to send your new porn video to your parents. I don't know if they're into porn, but since you're the star they might like it."

"You bastard!" she shouted. "I should have known. How am I supposed to get new papers?"




Cobblestone Streets



"That's your problem," I told her. "I got you the first set. I've made an appointment with a realtor. She's going to tell us how much the house is worth. You have two choices. You can buy me out or I'll buy you out. I have to tell you though; you can't make the payments in case you decide to buy me out."

"I'm not doing anything," she said. "It's going to take a long time to get divorced. I don't see any reason to do anything until the divorce is final."

"It's going to take about a month," Olivia told her.

"No it isn't," Cindy said. "I know it takes longer than that."

"We're going to file for a simplified divorce," I told her. "There are no children to have custody disputes about, I'm not paying you any alimony and we're going to agree on the division of property. I'm giving you half of our assets. We could have our final hearing twenty days after the filing."

"You make three times as much as me," she said. "I think you should pay me alimony."

"Well, I have a video that says I shouldn't," I pointed out. "There's also the fact that if you fuck with me you'll be unemployed and I predict you'll lose your license to practice."

She cursed and ranted until Olivia and I went and locked ourselves in our bedrooms. Somehow, she got the papers signed and we got the hearing scheduled. I drew up all the paperwork about our division of assets and she signed those too. Every day for 27 days, she told me she didn't want a divorce. She loved me and this was all just a misunderstanding on my part. As the hearing approached, she became increasingly desperate. Three days before the hearing she left me a note that she needed to speak with Olivia and me and asked us to please wait up for her to get home from work.

She ran up and took a quick shower and then she came back down and got us all a beer. She asked us to sit around the bar in the kitchen and she would talk to us while she got something to eat. I could tell she was very nervous and didn't quite know how to start. She took a couple of bites of her dinner and just looked at us for a minute. It was surreal. We had been here so many times and it was over. I had no idea what she wanted.

Finally, she sighed and began. "Eric, Olivia, I want to apologize to both of you," she said. "I've made some terrible mistakes. I never dreamed that any of this would happen. I never thought it would come to this. I totally misjudged you, Eric. I expected you to understand me and support me. I know now that it was a mistake. I get it."

"No, you don't," I told her. "This wasn't a mistake. You still don't see anything wrong with what you did. The problem, in your mind, isn't what you did; the problem is that I didn't understand and support you."

"It was just an emotional need I had. Why can't you understand that? I love you, Eric, I always have and I always will. Why are you so jealous and immature?"

"Well, I remember something about standing in front of a hundred people and promising each other to 'forsake all others'," I told her. "Before that, you told me you understood me and that what you did then would never happen again. It did, only it's worse this time. This isn't about me not 'understanding and supporting' you, Cindy; it's about you lying and cheating and being unfaithful. You did this, not me."

"Oh please!" She was disgusted now. "What about all the time you spend with Allison? I know about you and her."

"You don't know shit," I told her. "I've never so much as laid a finger on that girl. Don't imagine I didn't think about it, though. Do you know what kept me from ever doing anything about it? I was married to you! I loved you with every fiber of my being and the thought of betraying you, hurting you, kept me from ever, ever starting a relationship, let alone having sex with anyone else. I've never been with any other woman, sexually or any other way in all the time since I was exclusive with you. This is all on you."

"I don't believe you," she said.

"I do," Olivia said. "It's you I don't believe."

"Of course, Daddy's little angel!" Cindy shouted. "You've always hated me and taken his side."

"Bullshit," Olivia said. "You're just lashing out at everyone around you because you fucked up. Now you say you're apologizing. For what? For getting caught? What's the matter, did old needle dick not turn out to be such a great deal after all?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Cindy yelled.

"Sure I do," Olivia chuckled. "I've seen the video. It's pathetic, Mom. That is what you threw Daddy away for?"

"I didn't throw anything away," she started crying. "I never intended for any of this to happen! I don't want a divorce! I love you, Eric; can't you see that?"

"No, I just see a supremely selfish woman that has to get her 'needs' met no matter the damage she does to anyone else," I said. "Are we done here?"

"No," Cindy sobbed. "What do I have to do to fix this? I'll do anything you want me to. Please don't divorce me, Eric."

"I don't think these eggs can be unscrambled," Olivia spoke up. "I'll let Daddy speak for himself, though."

"Eric?" she looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Okay, don't sneak around behind my back, don't date other men, don't lie to me and don't suck other men's cocks," I said. "Oh, wait, you already did all of that. The train has left the station, Cindy. We had some happy years. I'm not out to burn your house down. I'm willing to give you half of everything we have except Olivia. Thank God she's an adult. I'm keeping her."

"I don't want half of anything, I just want you, Eric," she turned and went up the stairs, looking like she was a zombie. I felt bad for her until I remembered Pierce's prick in her mouth.

Three days later, the divorce was final and Olivia and I moved into our new place. We found a nice three-bedroom condo close to the hospital where she worked and not too far from my work either. We went furniture shopping and finally got the place looking like home.

I put the house up on the market and Cindy came unglued. When I came out from work, she was leaning against my truck.

"What do you want, Cindy," I asked.

"Where am I supposed to live?" she asked. "Don't you think this has gone on long enough, Eric? How long are you going to stay mad at me? Can't we just move on before it's too late? You're actually going to sell the house, or is this just teaching me a lesson? If it's a lesson, I've got it, okay? Now, just stop this and come home. I understand now. I made a mistake. Can't you just forgive me?"

"I forgive you," I said. "Now, could you get off my door so I can go home?"

She moved away to her car and I went home, not the old home, the new one.

I had been there about an hour when my phone rang. It was Jack.

"Eric, we have a meeting at ten in the morning," he said. "This is the one that we were supposed to have a while back. We hit some snags but it's all on now. It's important and I want you to be on your game. Allison has told me about the shit going on in your life. I want to know that you've got a handle on that."

I told him that I was fine and that I'd be ready. I really was fine. I surprised myself. As I reflected on things, I guess I realized that this was nearly inevitable. The surprising thing was that it had lasted as long as it did. There was something seriously fucked up with Cindy's moral compass. It had always been like that. The only thing that kept her pointed in the right direction was her fear of losing me. I had made such an impression on her with the George Cooper thing that she hadn't forgotten it for 27 years. Her idea that her needs needed to be "fulfilled" had finally overcome her fear and she had acted on it. I had wasted a lot of time. I was forty-six years old and I needed to start planning the rest of my life.

I called Allison to see if she wanted to hang out. She was on a date. I called Samantha and asked her and Cecilia to dinner. They were available, so I made reservations at Gino's. It was a nice Italian place that I'd been to before. It was a little pricy but the tetrazzini was second to none. I got the car out to take them. I didn't want to pull up in a truck at a nice restaurant.

They drove to my place and I let them in when they rang the doorbell. They oohed and ahhed around about the new place and I gave them a glass of wine and the grand tour. When we were ready, I took them out to the garage.

Cecilia started jumping up and down. "Oh my God," she shrieked. "What is that?"

I looked around for a spider or something. "What is it, Cecilia?"

"That car! I love it; what is it?"

"It's a 1951 Mercury," I said. "You want to drive it?"

"Hell yes," she was practically drooling. "What's in it?" she asked. "Please don't tell me it's one of those lame ass 302s."

"No, I don't care for that engine much," I told her. "They put them in the Mustangs, but they would break in half over 500 horsepower. This was a Windsor 351. It's a stroker and it's a 408 making about 540 horsepower and 575 ft/lbs. of torque. Tell me you aren't a gear head?"

"I love hot rods." She snatched the keys out of my hand. She took a minute to figure out that there were no door handles but she hit the remote and the doors popped open. We jumped in and she fired it up. The rumble filled the garage and she was like a kid in a candy store. Her eyes were flashing and all that hair flew around and she was adorable. She saw the nitrous switch and squealed, "I've got to try that." She could hardly wait.

She backed out and smoked the tires heading down the street. Samantha screeched and I buckled her seat belt and put mine on, too. Cecilia laughed. "Nervous, Eric?"

"Terrified," I told her. She was really a very good driver. She stayed in the fast lane and cruised about six or seven miles an hour over the speed limit. We hit an empty patch of interstate and she looked at me and raised one eyebrow.

I looked back at Samantha and she was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Hang on," I told her.

Cecilia punched it and we were pinned back in our seats. She hit the switch and the nitrous kicked in. We were flying when she killed the switch and coasted back down. Her teeth were flashing and she was just vibrant with excitement.

"Thank you, Eric," she flashed me a look. "I've always dreamed I'd get to do that."

"Anything to make my girl happy," I said. She shot me another look that made my clothes smoke.

We had a great dinner and I kissed them both goodbye and put them in Cecelia's car. Samantha hugged me and whispered in my ear. "She likes you, Eric. Be good to her."

I winked at her and she got in. I went around and asked Cecilia if she would go to the lake with me on Saturday. She was a little hesitant, but she agreed and I set a time to pick her up.

Olivia pulled up just then and said hi. She remembered them from the hospital and they talked a minute. She held my arm and we waved as they drove away.

"She's the cutest thing I've ever seen," she confided. "The age thing worries me a little, Dad."

"I'm still in good shape," I told her.

"Yeah, but she's got a broken arm," she looked at me impishly.

I burst out laughing. "I think Samantha is too much woman for me." I gave Olivia a squeeze. "God, I love you, baby," I told her.

"Me, too," she said. We went in and she told me about her date. We talked a bit and went to bed.

I was totally unprepared for the meeting the next morning. I don't know how you get ready for something like that. When I got there, a Nordic looking gentleman was sitting in the office. There were three men that looked like lawyer types inside, our company attorney, Jack and Allison, all looking very serious.

Jack introduced me and his name was some unpronounceable thing.

"Eric, we're selling the business," Jack told me. "I'm ready to retire. Allison doesn't want the company but she wants to work. The only way I would agree to sell and the only condition they had for buying is that you become president of the company and regional VP in the parent company. I've got the package laid out for you to take a look at. I think you're going to like it." He handed me a file.

I didn't look at it. "What about Allie?" I asked.

She smiled happily at me. "I move into your old job," she said. "I promote my Assistant and I get a big compensation package myself. Thanks for thinking about me, Eric."

I squeezed her arm. "Okay, I'll take a look," I said. "When do I need to decide?"

I had two weeks. I took Allison out to dinner that night. She wanted to go dancing afterward and we were having a wonderful time. We had just sat down after a hot number and I saw Allison's eyes narrow. She was looking over my shoulder. I turned to look and it was Cindy and Asswipe. She was dragging him by the hand and it was evident he wanted no part of it. Cindy plopped down in the booth across from us and pulled him down beside her.

Allison nodded. "Cindy, Needledick, how lovely to see you."

Cindy went livid. "Allison, I hardly think you are in any position to be calling anyone names. I know your life. It sure didn't take you long to move in on my husband, did it?"

"I believe we got a divorce, Cindy," I remarked. "That would make me not your husband. That may have slipped your mind."

"I don't date married men," Allison said. "I wonder if you can say the same. Is Needledick here divorced? I know his wife filed, but I hadn't heard it had come through."

"Yes, and we all know who's responsible for his wife kicking him out and not letting him see his children," Cindy snapped. "Did you really have to send her that video, Eric? You destroyed a good man's marriage. I think you also had something to do with getting us both fired, too. I hope you're happy with yourself."

"Well, I almost think I am," I told her. "I'm no longer married to a cheating slut, the shit bag that destroyed two marriages is in a world of hurt and I think it's actually you two that are responsible for everything that happened to you. I hear the state is going to revoke his license, too. Something about not being in the emergency room when an emergency came in? I hope your needs are being met. Emotions doing okay? Now, it's been wonderful, but I think you should take Dipshit there and go."

"Olivia hasn't spoken to me since you moved out," she said. "Did you have to poison her against me, too?"

"That's all on you," I told her. "I haven't said one bad word about you. The thing is, we don't talk about you at all, Cindy. You hurt us, but we're moving on. Give her a call if you want to talk to her."

"She doesn't take my calls!" she snarled. "She has me blocked."

"This is my problem how?" I asked. "Maybe she's meeting her needs. Now it's time for you to go. I didn't invite you to sit down and I'm about to see if Dickwad's nose there is healed."

He fled unceremoniously and Cindy went off in a huff. I just didn't give a damn, as long as she went. I stood up and pulled Allison up for another dance. The song changed to a slow number and she molded herself against me. "I'm sorry, Eric," she said into my shoulder.

"Not your fault, babe," I stroked that mane of glorious hair. "I'm sorry she spoiled the celebration."

She looked up at me and those amber colored eyes were full of smoke. "Who says it's spoiled?" she asked. I looked down at this vision in my arms. I remembered that fifteen-year-old girl in white stockings and a school uniform sliding onto my desk, flashing me a glimpse of white lace panties and all the cleavage she had. The girl in my arms wasn't fifteen; her hair was a reddish, blonde mane and it matched those eyes. She had a deep tan and there was a sprinkling of freckles on her nose and down her neck, disappearing into the valley between spectacular breasts. Her high cheekbones and full, puffy lips along with that cute little nose just made her irresistible to every man that saw her. I was a man and I had to taste those lips.

They were incredibly soft and full, tasting like the margarita she had been drinking. There was a faint hint of salt and lime and she smelled delicious. We kissed for a long time, just swaying to the music and I felt a stirring as my cock started to rise. She felt it too and pushed against me.

"I wasn't kidding when I told you I've loved you since I was fifteen," she said as she broke the kiss. "I never thought I'd have a chance."

"I love you, too," I said. "You're my best friend."

"You wouldn't even go to dinner with me unless it was business," she laughed.

"Yeah, well, I didn't trust myself with you," I laughed. "Didn't trust you either, for that matter. I know you, Allison. You would eat me up and spit out the bones."

"You're so wrong," she said. "I've been looking for someone like you all my life. You just set the bar so high that I could never find that guy. I would never hurt you, Eric."

"I think you've built this image of me up in your mind that doesn't match reality," I told her. "I'm ten years older than you, although you look like you're in your early twenties. I'm careless, kind of a hard ass and I'm a little broken."

"Yes, I know all about that," she said. "I've been working with you for years. Sometimes you piss me off. You're stubborn as hell when you think you're right, but you'd die for the people you love. You have no idea how appealing you are to me. You're still a little boy at heart, Eric. You've had to grow up a lot lately. You don't seem to mind the age thing with Cecilia."

I looked at her sharply and she burst out laughing. "Your daughter is my best friend," she said. Her eyes flashed and she pulled me down for another kiss and that lush body against mine drove me wild.

"Take me home, Eric," she said.

We pulled out onto the street and stopped at the light. She leaned over toward me and we kissed, just tasting each other and exploring. I heard her seatbelt click open and she slid over a little, leaning down. Her fingers opened my belt and zipper and before I could gather my thoughts, her cool little hand was inside my boxers and I could feel the cool air on my cock. It didn't stay cool because she bent farther down and enveloped me in liquid heat. I groaned and she looked up.

"I've wondered for so long," she whispered. "It's beautiful, Eric. Long, but not too long, and fat! I like fat!"

She slid back down and had me ready to explode in minutes. I whipped into an empty parking lot just in time. I warned her I was about to cum and that inspired her. She tried to suck the head off my cock while pumping the shaft with her slender fingers. I went off like a rocket and she gagged once before she caught up and gulped rapidly and audibly. When she finished she looked up at me, her eyes shining and pale in the light from the streetlight. God, those eyes! Who has amber eyes? I pulled her tightly against me.

"Take me home and make love to me, Eric," she said. "No strings, just two people who love each other. If it turns into something else, I'm good with that, too."

"Are you sure, Kitten?" I asked.

"God, yes," she said. "I've waited years for this chance."

She pulled me inside and into the elevator. There was a camera in there but she pushed me into a corner away from it and dry fucked me all the way to her floor. She shed her shoes in the entry and there was the usual trail of clothes all the way to her bedroom. She lost the dress at the doorway and I nearly lost my mind. God, she was gorgeous! She still had that air of innocence, even though I knew she was anything but. This was the girl I had known and loved since she was a young teen. She had on a matching red lace panty and bra set. They were barely there and the bra was obviously overwhelmed by its job. She was tanned all over and all that golden flesh was spilling over the little bra. She pulled down the straps, pulled her breasts out, turned it around and unhooked it. It fell to the floor and she was in just the panties.




Cobblestone Streets



I've seen a lot of beautiful women. I enjoy looking at them and I have an internet connection. I had never seen anything like Allison. Her breasts were large, firm and high. She had brown nipples and brown areolae. The areolae were about the size of a half dollar and her nipples were surprisingly small. They were like little bullets, obviously erect and waiting to be loved. She had broad shoulders, square and very feminine. She arched her back and her breasts thrust proudly forward. If they weren't as perky as they had been at fifteen, they were nearly so and they had become full and womanly. She cupped them in her hands and squeezed them into points. "You like?" she asked.

"God, yes," I breathed. "Come here, gorgeous."

Her hips tilted up and down as she walked across the room and I found myself holding my breath. She had a tiny waist and her belly was flat and ridged with muscle. Her legs were long and finely muscled, golden and beautiful. She slid into my arms and I held all that firm flesh, nearly naked in my arms. I slid my hands down the silken muscles of her back and inside the tiny little panties to cup the cheeks of her ass. It felt like satin and down over steel. I turned her, lowering her gently to the bed and drinking in the sight of her absolute beauty. I climbed over her, straddling her hips on hands and knees, slowly lowering myself until we had full body contact. I claimed her lips, lush and pillowy, and her breath was hot and moist as her tongue dueled with mine.

Her eyes were half closed and I wanted to see them. "Allie," I whispered. She looked at me and those amazing orbs flashed orange fire. It is really almost impossible to describe those eyes. They refused to conform to the standard colors. I suppose hazel would come closest, but it didn't do them justice. There was a sunburst of golden orange, fading in clouds to pure gold on the outer ring. Amber is the only standard color that fits. 

"What?" she whispered.

"I just had to see your eyes," I told her.

Her cute little nose wrinkled and she giggled. "I was hoping that you might be interested in something a little lower."

"Oh, I am," I assured her, "but I've always been in love with your eyes." I kissed them closed and nibbled on her ear lobe. She shivered and I moved down her slender, graceful neck, nibbling and letting her feel my teeth. When I reached the little hollow between her collarbone and her neck, she moaned and shivered again. Her fingers were running through my hair and as I nibbled my way across her upper chest, she tried to push my head toward her breast. I resisted, kissing between those mountains and around underneath. I nibbled on the full bottoms and her fingers grew strong, forcing me toward her nipple. I licked it and she quivered. When I closed my lips around the hard little bullet and sucked it inside, her breathing stopped for a second and she moaned louder.

I played with them to my heart's content until she grew impatient. I could feel a faint trembling in her exquisite body and I worked my way down across the drop from her rib cage to the flat plain of her belly. She had a little diamond in her belly button and her stomach pushed in and out, as I tongued that little cleft. As I kissed and nibbled my way down to her mons, I worked my fingers under the waistband of her panties, pulling them down and following them with my lips down her long, beautiful legs. She had tiny feet and I kissed her little toes. Her legs parted and I worked my way back up, biting her inner thigh gently and feeling the resilience of her silken skin. As I approached her pussy, her trembling grew more pronounced.

It was smooth and bare. There was a small strip of red gold curls above and I pulled on them with my lips. She was thrusting toward me now and I could smell her intoxicating aroma. It was a heady mix of soap, clean girl and that musky scent of aroused woman. I had to taste her.

There was a tiny trickle, just beginning to run down, and I lapped it up. She was delicious. I've always loved bringing a woman off with my mouth. Allison had the most beautiful pussy! Her inner lips formed nearly a perfect line, spreading just a bit near the bottom and sweeping gracefully up to a little v shape, culminating at a little pink hood over her clitoris. I traced the line with my tongue, opening them and tasting her honey inside. She gasped and shivered until I reached the top and teased her clit out of its hiding place. She made thrusting motions, seeking more contact and I could feel the tension building in her body as I flipped her clit back and forth and up and down with my tongue. That trembling became stronger and she arched toward me. I moved back to her lips, fluttering my tongue and probing her opening. She slowly lost the arch and as her ass settled back down, I slipped my hands under it, cradling her cheeks and massaging them.

I licked my way back up to her clit and the trembling returned. I could feel her cheeks clenching in need and again I eased her back down. She groaned in frustration.

"Please, Eric," she gasped.

"What do you need?" I asked, returning to her clit again.

"I... I... I need to cum!" she gasped. "Don't tease me!"

I did tease her. I took her to the brink half a dozen times until she was quivering and begging. She tried to put her hands down to bring herself off, but I caught her wrists and continued to torment her. She began to sob and I took pity on her. I attacked her clit with a vengeance, thrusting two fingers inside her tightness and allowing my pinky to slip inside her tight ass, lubricated by her honey dripping down.

She screamed my name and thrust herself up off the bed as the tension built to a peak. The quivering became frozen at her peak and she exploded, writhing uncontrollably and sobbing out her ecstasy as she came. I eased my tongue off of her clit, allowing her to gradually begin to relax before curling my finger inside her tight little pussy up to find that bundle of nerve endings on her upper wall. As I massaged it, she exploded into action again, powerful spasms wracking her frame as she came. When her contractions began to lessen, I sucked her clit back inside my mouth and worked it with my tongue, causing her to cry out, almost a painful sound as she again went into orbit.

She babbled incoherently, her voice rising to a shriek and falling to a pleading tone. She began to push at my head frantically, twisting her hips in an effort to escape my tongue and invading fingers.

"Stop, Eric!" she gasped. "Please! I... I... I'm going to pass out! I can't... I can't, stop!"

I allowed her to pull me up and I slid up over her firm softness until I could reclaim her lips. She kissed me savagely for a few seconds before pushing me away so she could pant. I could feel her moist heat against the head of my cock and I pushed into her, sliding into her depths in one long, slow push. She threw her head back and groaned. "Wait, Eric! I'm not... I can't... I need to rest!"

I held still, embedded deeply in her tightness. I could just feel the tip of my cock touching the back of her pussy. I kissed her again and her eyelids fluttered, giving me glimpses of that orange fire. She kissed me all over the face, licking her own juices off my lips. I could still feel contractions, the aftershocks of her orgasms, pulsing around my embedded cock. As she began to recover, I could feel her start to make little circular motions with her hips.

"God, you feel so good," she groaned. "I'm stuffed full! I'm okay now, let me feel it."

I drew back and returned as she spread her legs, her thighs grasping my hips, and I could feel her heels on my ass. She groaned as I ground into her, trying to get even deeper inside. We found a rhythm and I thrust into her, just slow, sweet lovemaking. I felt no urgency, thanks to that mind-blowing orgasm in the car and I knew this was going to be special.

We rocked together and she quickly climbed the peak to another sobbing climax. I worked my arms behind her knees and began to thrust, long strokes into her dripping pussy until she came again. When she relaxed, I withdrew and flipped her over, pulling her to her knees and mounting her from behind.

"Oh, God," she groaned. "Oh my God, Eric! Oh my God, Oh, fuck!" She groaned as I pounded into her, gradually sliding forward until she was prone under me. I could look down and see my cock disappearing under the cheeks of that amazing ass. I pushed fully into her, holding at the very deepest and I could feel the end of her tight tunnel firmly against the head of my cock. She groaned. "Fuck, Eric! Jesus Christ, oh my God!"

I began to thrust into her again and her cry turned into weeping sobs as another massive orgasm ripped through her. "I'm cumming again!" she sobbed and the sound and feel of that amazing woman, throbbing under me sent me over the edge again. My groan joined hers, as I held at the deepest penetration possible and filled her little pussy with what felt like my soul pouring into her. I slid my hands under her, clasping her tight against me and she turned her head toward me. She was a glorious mess! Her makeup was destroyed and streaks from her tears were on her cheeks. Her hair was disheveled and wild and her face held that slack look of prolonged sexual excitement.

I rolled off and pulled her half over me, her cheek resting on my chest while I stroked the silk of her back, down to cup one firm ass cheek. We rested together as our breathing slowed. I think we drifted into sleep for a few minutes. I felt her stir, and when I opened my eyes, her amber orbs were blazing into mine, our noses nearly touching.

"Eric, do you remember when I told you 'no strings attached'?" she asked.

"Yes, Kitten, I remember," I said.

"I lied," she whispered. "I'm going to put every string I have on you. I'm going to find ropes, straps and zip ties and try my dead level best to keep you. I'll have babies with you, suck your cock three times a day, never wear a stitch of clothes and run around the house naked. I'll do anything to keep you. I'm in love with you, Eric. I always have been. I know you like Cecilia. All I'm asking for is a chance. I want to be on your list. I know it's too soon, but if you let me, I'll make you so deliriously happy you'll forget you were ever married to that cheating slut."

I silenced her with a kiss. "I love you, Allie. I always have. You were like something that you see, way off in the distance. You think it's amazing and beautiful and you wish it was yours, but you know it never can be so you just push the dream away. Are you sure about this, Kitten? You've never seemed like the 'having babies' type. God, you're like this amazing jungle cat. You admire it behind the fence but you know it would rip you to shreds if you ever got close."

She started to cry. I was shocked. I'd never seen her cry in all the years I'd known her. "I know that's the way I seem," she choked out. "I had to be that way. The one man I ever wanted was the one I couldn't have. I could be anything for you. I could be that jungle cat, but you'll never see my claws. You'll just see love, trust and loyalty. I'll be your jungle cat. I swear, Eric; if you give me a chance you'll never regret it."

I believe you, baby," I told her. "I've never seen you hurt anyone you love. I do trust you. Let's go along and see what happens, okay? Will you go out with me, like on dates? I've forgotten how this is supposed to go. I never thought I'd need to know again."

"I know," she whispered. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of you. I have an out of town meeting tomorrow afternoon, but I'm available, really available, as soon as I get back."

I thought I was totally exhausted, completely wrung out, but she proved me wrong at five-thirty in the morning. I woke up to the incredible sensation of those luscious lips moving up and down over a cock that was very surprised to find itself as hard as an iron bar and she showed me just how athletic she was by riding me through two of her own orgasms and into one of my own. We showered together and I dashed off home to change clothes.

Olivia came in as I was dashing off and gave me a look. "Daddy, I need to talk to you this evening," she said.

"Okay, baby," I gave her a peck on the cheek. I grabbed my bagel and hit the road. Work was a little surreal when Allison came in and I had flashbacks of that hard, tight ass pumping up and down on my cock as she talked. She was bending over, getting a cup of coffee, and she must have read my mind. She looked back over her shoulder, grinned at me and gave that ass a sexy little wiggle.

"Keep thinking like that, big boy, and when I get back we'll lock the door and you can fuck me over your desk," she said.

"Jesus, Allie," I peeked out the door. "Marla is going to hear you!"

Fortunately, my PA wasn't at her desk. After Allison left, work was pretty humdrum and I left at four-thirty. I was worn and looking forward to a quick nap. Olivia was just getting home when I came in and she went off to change out of her scrubs. The doorbell rang and when I opened it, Cecilia was standing there. She breezed in and gave me a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Want something to drink?" I asked her.

She wanted a beer and I got one, too. We sat on the sofa and she cuddled up to me. "Eric, I want to talk to you about something," she said.

"Uh oh," I thought to myself. "Life is getting complicated." I looked down at her. There was no doubt that she was as cute as a month old kitten. The thing was, she was younger than Olivia. I liked being around her, hell, I liked everything about her, but I just saw insurmountable difficulties, even if I left Allison out of the equation. I waited for her to speak.

"I don't know how to tell you this," she finally said. "I'm very grateful for what you did for Grandma, and you've been so kind to us ever since. I know you like me, Eric. I know what I look like and most guys think I'm cute. You're a very nice looking man. When we met, I felt something there and I'm attracted to you. I just don't think we could work, long term, and I don't want to get hurt. I don't want to hurt you either."

I gave her a squeeze. "I know," I said. "It's flattering as hell that you even think about me like that. I do want to be your friend. I want us to be pals for the rest of my life. The thing is, there is an amazing woman in my life. Well, there are three of them, but there's only one I really want to be with like that."

She stretched up and kissed my cheek. "I'm very happy about that," she said. "That makes it a lot easier. I think I'm going to be in your life for a long time, Eric. I've kind of got someone, too."

"Anyone I know?" I asked.

"Kind of," Olivia spoke from the doorway. "Daddy, would you mind if I went to the lake with you and Cecilia Saturday?"

I must have looked like a total fool. My eyes shifted back and forth between them and Olivia burst out laughing. She came and cuddled up against me on the other side. I finally managed to pull myself together.

"I didn't know you girls rolled like that," I croaked.

They both thought that was hilarious. "We both like men, too," Cecilia said. "It was just kind of love at first sight when we met at the hospital. Olivia called me and asked me out. We've had two dates and I think I found the other half of my soul with her. She feels the same way about me. Do you hate it, Eric?"

I pulled them both into a big hug. "Not at all," I assured them. "Two girls I love love each other. What's to hate? I'm very happy for both of you. Now I get to have two gorgeous girls with me at the lake Saturday."

"I'm pretty sure there are going to be three," Olivia said. "I invited Allison."

"I'm ruled by domineering women," I lamented.

"Yes, isn't it wonderful?" my daughter said. "You're going to be very happy."

Allison came home and I spent Thursday and Friday nights with her. I was a walking zombie at work, but Olivia was right. I was very happy, ecstatic, as a matter of fact. When I was home, Olivia and Cecilia spoiled me rotten and when I was with Allison, she tried to fuck me to death.

There was a bit of a snake in the garden because Cindy kept intruding in our lives. She called me three times a week and bugged the hell out of Olivia. They finally got together and I don't know what Olivia said or did, but she stopped calling. Olivia said she moved to Oklahoma City and was working at a private practice. I didn't care as long as she stayed there.

It took about three months, but Allison kept the pressure on until I relented and moved in with her. She was my dream girl. I took her, Olivia and Cecilia out to eat on a Friday about eight months later. I had made up my mind and I had a little something planned. After dinner, I gave the waiter the signal and he went into the kitchen. He came back with four pieces of cake. He gave us all a piece, saving Allison's until last. It had a little figurine of a swan on top. It was holding a ribbon in its beak and there was a ring tied to the ribbon. I find diamonds a bit insipid. There were three of them, surrounding a big square emerald.

She put her hand over her mouth and looked at me. Those amber eyes were wet and glistening. "Allison, will you marry me?" I asked.

"Oh my God, yes!" She practically jumped into my lap. She gave me a kiss that nearly set my ears on fire. There were squeals and kisses all around and they dragged me off to a club. I felt like the king of the world. Three gorgeous women escorted me to a booth and every eye in the place was on us. I knew the rest of my life was going to be the best part.

I was playing golf on Monday with Jack. I had actually beaten him on the previous hole and I teed off first. It was a beauty. I had a little power draw and I was about 60-yards from the pin. "Nice shot!" He was stunned. "Christ, Eric, I'm going to have to up my game, or start bribing Allie to wear you out."

I chuckled. "I'm just like a fine wine, Jack. I get better the older I get."

He hooked his tee shot into the trees. "I think you can kiss that birdie goodbye," I taunted him.

"Yeah," he smiled. "I think you've got all the luck."