21 comments/ 60947 views/ 16 favorites Back Up Buddy! By: DG Hear This is a combined story effort between Jake Rivers and me (DG Hear). Carl Smith has two great songs that are complete opposites in their story lines: "Hey, Joe" and "Back Up, Buddy" Hey, Joe! is the story of a guy that wants his buddy's girl. Back Up, Buddy is the story of a man telling his buddy to leave his girl alone. We thought it would be interesting for readers to see these stories at the same time by two different authors. We have no idea what the other is writing. * Back Up, Buddy Back up, buddy, don't you come any closer, I know you want her but the answer is no, sir Back up, buddy, don't you come any closer, she's mine all mine. Hey, Joe! Though we've been the best of friends This is where our friendship ends I gotta have that dolly for my own. It all began years ago when I was in my senior year of high school. There wasn't anything special about me. I was one of those 'one in a thousand' you see in a crowd. I wasn't an athlete, even though I played sports like most guys. I ran on a cross-country team and a couple of the relays on our track team. I wasn't one of those 'stand-out in a crowd' sort of guys. I was just an every day Joe, except my parents called me Joseph. Even that doesn't sound very macho. I really didn't date much but went out with groups of people. I enjoyed my life and my friends. I hated homework, I wasn't the smartest kid in the class, but I wasn't the dumbest either. As I said, I was one of those kids like most of us that was in the middle of the pack. Late in my senior year we had some new neighbors move in next door. They had a daughter, Gloria, who was a junior. They moved here from Kentucky. She looked like a southern doll and had the cutest accent. I later found out she had a married sister and two brothers who were in college. It was over a year before I met any of her siblings. Of course she was the baby of the family. Her family came over to meet my family and we had a cookout. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I remember my dad saying that maybe I could show Gloria around the school so she could get acquainted. Man, was I happy with that statement. I'd love to be able to show her around. On the next day of school we walked together; it was about a mile. I hated waiting around for the stupid bus. I preferred to walk. Gloria was so down to earth. My dad was born in Kentucky and told me that Kentuckians were some of the friendliest people. If they were all like Gloria, my dad was surely right. We got there a little early and I walked her through the building. I saw her schedule and we didn't have any classes together, probably because I was a year ahead of her. I showed her to her locker and headed to my own. Just before I left, I introduced her to Marie, one of the cheerleaders. We were friends but ran in different circles. I met Gloria after school at the front door and we walked home together. She said she had the most fun and met so many nice people. She was a cheerleader in Kentucky and said she was going to try out for our squad. We walked to school together for about a week. After her cheerleading try-out, she told me she made the squad. I knew she would make it with ease. I was happy for her but sad for me. It meant she would be hanging with a different group. A couple of the cheerleaders drove to school together and started picking her up in the mornings. Let's face it: why should she walk every day when a free ride was available. She asked me if I wanted to ride to school with them but I declined. As I mentioned before, they were classmates but we all ran in different circles. After school when she was finished with practice or I didn't have a race we actually hung together. We would sit around and do homework or we would shoot some hoops. I couldn't believe she wouldn't be out more with her friends. She told me that her parents were somewhat strict and besides she felt she wasn't ready for dating yet. She did go to group events like ball games and dances. I had a part-time job at the supermarket so I missed most of the games. I was putting money away to go to a trade school. I decided to become an electrician. All I needed was less than two years of trade school. I had taken some classes at the vocational school that would be credited to the trade school. I had a younger sister who was two years behind me in school. I hate to admit it but she was a heck of a lot smarter than me. She was a lot more popular than I was too. She had a boyfriend but they really didn't date so to speak. They hung out and of course went to group events. Sometimes when I came home from the market, Gloria would be sitting on the porch talking to my sister. There was nothing that could put a smile on my face faster then seeing Gloria sitting there. I remember one time seeing her sitting there in a pair of black shorts. She had her knees pulled up and her arms wrapped around her legs. She had a blond ponytail and when she saw me, she just smiled. I'll never forget how sexy and cute she looked all rolled up into one. I honestly didn't think she knew how beautiful she was. The junior/senior prom was coming up in a couple of weeks. I wasn't really planning on going until I met Gloria. "Gloria, would you like to go to the prom with me?" I asked. I couldn't believe I asked her. Girls like her didn't hang around with guys like me. It was like beautiful people and average people don't mix. I guess that was just the way I looked at it. I was about as happy as a guy could be. I started thinking how everyone would be jealous of me with a girl like Gloria on my arm. Especially the jocks - they always acted like they had exclusive rights to the popular girls, and believe me, Gloria was one of the most popular girls right now. She had it all, pretty, kind of tomboyish, smart, and friendly to everyone and a personality like no other gal I've ever met. I couldn't wait to get her on the dance floor. My daydream was quickly broken. "Joey, I can't go to the prom with you. I'm sorry. Maybe we can go next year when I'm a senior." "It's okay, I understand. Someone else probably has already asked you." "Well, to be honest with you, five guys asked me to go but the reason I can't go is because of my grandma's birthday. She's going to be seventy and our whole family will be going to Kentucky to surprise her. I'm so sorry; I would have loved to go with you." "Well, maybe we can do something else together sometime. Right now you're probably my best friend, you're definitely my prettiest friend," I smiled. "I like you too, Joey, and, yes, I consider you a really good friend too." I didn't end up going to the prom. I don't know exactly how to say it. I felt differently about Gloria than I have ever felt about any girl. It was like falling in love with a centerfold, only Gloria was real. I just couldn't tell her. I didn't want to put her on the spot. The last thing I wanted to do was alienate her. When I graduated she came to the party at my house. It was mostly family but I was just so happy to see her there. I couldn't believe it when she kissed me. Maybe I thought more of it than I should have but it nearly took my breath away. I remember a few of my cousins saying what a nice person she was. I knew my male cousins wanted to say knockout, but there was too much family around. My Mom and Dad said that we should all go to Cedar Point, the amusement park. It would probably be the last time we went as a family. Dad told me and my sister Cheri that we could bring one friend along. Cheri asked if she could bring her friend Jeff. Dad agreed since we would all be together. He asked me who I was going to bring and I told him I would let him know. I wanted to ask Gloria in the worst way but I was really afraid of being rejected. I was sitting on the front porch thinking about it when Cheri came out to talk to me. "Joey, I know what you're thinking. I don't have any idea why but she really likes you." "What, who, what are you talking about?" I asked Cheri. "Hey, Goofball, I know you really care for her and I also know that if you ask her she'll say, 'Yes,' so go over there and ask her." I replied, "Oh, yeah, what else do you know, 'Oh thou mind reader'?" I asked. "Quit being stupid! I talk to her all the time while you're at work. God knows why but she has been waiting for you to ask her out. Oh, just so you know that I'm a mind reader. She's a virgin, but you better not tell her I told you or I'll tell her you wank off thinking about her at night," replied a laughing Cheri. God, this was embarrassing. How did my sister know? Damn, I didn't know what to say. If I denied it she would just talk more about it. "How do you know she's never been with anyone?" I asked. "I told you we talk a lot to each other and that's one thing girls talk about. You know she's just one year older than me. What she sees in you I'll never know. I can't believe the dates she turned down waiting on you to ask her out." I couldn't believe what my sister had been telling me. I built up the courage and went next door and knocked on their door. Gloria's mother answered it. "Mrs. Jones, is Gloria home? There's something I'd like to ask her." It was odd. I really don't remembering going in their house even though they lived next door. We either sat on the porch or she was at our home. Her mom called for her and she came into the room. God, I don't think she would look bad in anything. She just had on black shorts and a white blouse but to me she looked gorgeous. "Joey, what brings you here?" asked Gloria. "Well, mom and dad are taking us all to Cedar Point and I'd like to know if you would go with me? Cheri is taken her friend Jeff and I would like for you to come with me." I know it came out really nervous but it was hard for me. "I'd love to go. I've never been there. I have to ask my mom if it's okay." My stomach dropped. I knew with my luck her parents would say no. I heard her mom talking from the kitchen. "Gloria, Dad and I heard Joey from the kitchen. It's okay with us as long as his parents are going." I couldn't believe my ears. I don't know what came over me but I leaned forward and took Gloria in my arms and kissed her. When I realized what I had done, I quickly backed up and apologized. "No apology necessary; I liked it," smiled Gloria. That was the start of our relationship. We held hands all day at Cedar Point. I held on to her as tight as possible on every roller coaster. Life didn't get much better than this for me. I bet I kissed her a hundred times that day. I think Mom and Dad knew I really cared for her. Now I had to wonder how our relationship would hold up. We went out a dozen times that summer. We went to the zoo and to a baseball game. It was bat day and I got one of those little bats that were mainly for kids but I asked for one anyway. I wanted to see her in a bathing suit in the worst way. I even told her so. I took her to Salt Fork, a beach not too far from us and when she came out in a skimpy two piece suit I swear I got a hard-on. I threw a towel over my lap so she didn't see but I think it was too late. "By the look of things, I guess you like my suit," she laughed. "You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." I might say at this point that when we went to the beach, zoo, etc. that Cheri and Jeff came with us. I guess our parents felt it was safer that way. I will say that Gloria and I did a lot of petting but we didn't have intercourse. She wanted to wait before having sex. I could say I felt the same but I didn't. It was her will power that kept us honest. I started at the trade school and between school and work I didn't get to see much of Gloria. She had cheerleading practice most everyday. I was lucky to see her for a few minutes a couple of times a week. Around the holidays things became more hectic. The Jones family went to Kentucky for Thanksgiving and again right after Christmas. I did see Gloria long enough to give her a present. I bought her a necklace and a matching bracelet with our names engraved on it. Cheri had told me I should try to attend a few of the games. A number of guys had their eye on Gloria. I started attending a few games and afterwards they had dances and I went to them with Gloria. She told me how glad she was that I was there with her. She mentioned that a few guys kind of bothered her. The one which she said bothered her the most was Buddy. A little about Buddy. I can't really say we were friends, but we weren't enemies either. You see, Buddy was a big guy on the football team. He stood about 6" 4" and weighed about 250 pounds. He pretty much muscled his way around. Everyone was kind of afraid of him and he usually got his way. Now I was only 5' 10" tall and weighed 150 pounds. A fight between me and Buddy would only lead to disaster for me. You know how guys always say, "I'm a lover, not a fighter." I was one of those. I didn't know how to fight and I was hoping I could talk to Buddy but it didn't work out. Gloria and I were dancing and I was holding her close when Buddy said he was going to take Gloria away from me. "Over my dead body," screamed Gloria at him. It was then that I recalled some of the words from that song about Buddy. Oh, buddy, I've seen you winking your eyes at the dolly I've got with me I'll whittle you down to a punier size if you don't let her be She's pretty and cute as a doll could be; she's a-loving and a-cuddling too But her cuddlesome charms are only for me and not for the likes of you Oh, buddy, I've seen you making your play for the baby doll on my arm You'd better back up and get out of my way; I'd hate to do you harm I'm crazy in love and maybe that's why I'm a little bit jealous too So back away, boy, don't give her the eye; don't make me mad at you I never have been the troublesome kind but it's never too late to start And trouble is what the joker will find that flirts with my sweetheart. Back up, buddy, don't you come any closer, I know you want her but the answer is no, sir Back up, buddy, don't you come any closer; she's mine all mine Buddy came over to where Gloria and I were dancing and grabbed her by the arm. I pushed him but it was like pushing a fat tree. He didn't budge. Buddy laughed and hit me on the left side of my face. I went down like a ton of bricks. I heard Gloria yell, "Leave him alone, you bastard!" Immediately the chaperons at the dance came over and asked Buddy to leave. He looked down at a crying Gloria and said, "Next week come without him because you'll be with me." Someone brought me an ice pack to put on the side of my swelling face. I looked up and really felt defeated. How can I keep my girl? This ape man said he was going to take her. I know she wouldn't go with him but I needed to do something to protect her. Gloria had to drive us home since I had trouble seeing out of my left eye. My sister and Jeff saw the whole thing. Cheri went to tell Dad about it while I went up to my room. Dad came up to talk to me. "Joseph, your sister told me what happened. Do you want me to call the police and file charges?" "Dad, the bastard said he's going to take my girl. Filing charges will just delay the inevitable. No, Dad, I need to stop him but I don't know what to do. If I had a gun, I'd shoot his sorry ass. Sorry about the cussing, Dad, but I'm really mad." "Joseph, if your mom asks, we never had this conversation. She'd kill me for telling you what I'm about to say. Back in Kentucky when there was a fight, we used an equalizer." "What's an equalizer, Dad?" "Anything you can get hold of to make the fight more equal. You don't want deadly weapons like guns or knives. You don't want to go to jail. You just need something to prove your point. Just make it an old Kentucky brawl. Even if you lose you'll be glad you tried. I know you, Joseph, you're no loser." "Thanks, Dad, I'll give it some thought. Mind getting me another ice pack?" --------------------- I sat on the porch the next day and Gloria came over. "I'm sorry for yesterday. Don't worry; I won't let that ape hurt you. You're my girl and I will be there to protect you," I said. Gloria hugged me. "Can you even see out of that eye? I want to tell you I'm proud of you for standing up to that lug even if it was only for fifteen seconds," she laughed. "Stop it! Laughing makes my face hurt," I replied. We talked about it and she said not to worry, everything would be all right. I had no idea why she said it. I guess to make me feel better and to let me know she was still my girl. As the week went by, I was able to gain some of my sight back but my face was still bruised. Cheri told me that Buddy was kicked out of school for two weeks for fighting on school property. It made me feel a little better. At least Gloria was safe at school. Cheri also said Gloria's friends were all behind her. A couple of Buddy's friends said Buddy was going to beat the shit out of me and then abuse Gloria. Cheri then said to me, "I asked Gloria if she was afraid and she said 'No, I'm not afraid of that ape. Everything will work out fine.' I hope she'll be okay, Joey." It got me to thinking again. I knew I had to show up for their game Friday. Buddy wasn't allowed to play in the game but I would bet a million bucks he would be there. I made it a point to go to the game. There was my girlfriend doing her cheering. Damn, she looked good in her cheerleaders outfit. She saw me and ran up to me. "Are you all right? Are you sure you should be here? Your old friend, Buddy, is sitting on the bench. They wouldn't let him dress for the game. He's a bit pissed. So far he's stayed away from me." "You're my girl and I'm here to be with you at any cost," I said" I was nervous as hell and shaking in my shoes. I really wanted this night to go away, hoping it was just a dream. I saw Buddy look in my direction. I decided to take the lead. I went over to where Buddy was sitting. I knew he couldn't do anything to me there since we were at the school and he would probably get expelled if he started something since he was on suspension for two weeks. "Buddy, stay away from my girl or I won't be responsible for what happens next." God, was I ever nervous. "You little shit, Joe. I'm going to beat the hell out of you and then do what I want with that cute little squeeze. You won't be able to do shit about it," he laughed. "I warned you but you're too stupid to listen. I'll be in the parking lot across the street after the game and after the crowd clears we'll settle this once and for all. It's not school property so you won't get expelled. Either leave my woman alone or be in the lot after the game," I tried to say in my meanest voice. "It will be a pleasure! I don't know which will be more fun, kicking your ass or taking your girlfriend," he said in a most haunting voice. His friends next to him heard everything we said. I walked back over to stand near where Gloria was. She looked very strangely at me. "What did you say to Buddy?" She looked a little scared now. I couldn't lie to her so I told her exactly what I had said to him. By halftime the word had gotten around. "Joe's getting his ass kicked again by Buddy after the game." Damn, maybe this was a mistake. After the game I walked over to the parking lot and got prepared. Most people had left but quite a few students were mingling around. I knew they were waiting for the fireworks. After the crowd cleared Gloria came up to me. "Joey, you don't have to do this. I love you, that's all that counts." She did look a bit scared. "Gloria, I don't want to do this; I have to do it. A big ape threatened my girl. As a man I have to protect you at any cost. I have to do it for me as well as for you. Regardless of the outcome, remember I love you." Back Up Buddy! I looked up and saw Buddy and three of his cronies walking up toward me. There were about twenty people waiting to see what was going to happen. I asked Gloria to stand back as Buddy approached me. I had my little bat that I got from the ball game that Gloria and I went to in my right hand. I had my left hand behind my left hip. "What the hell is that?" asked Buddy laughing. "It's what my dad calls an equalizer. When the odds aren't fair an equalizer is needed," I responded. "You're going to need more than that little bat to make this equal. I'm going to kick the shit out of you and then take care of your girl," he was laughing loudly. He took two steps toward me and I brought out my can of mace that I had in my left hand. My dad told me to use the element of surprise when I could. I sprayed it right in the eyes of Buddy. He screamed out and took a roundhouse swing at me, just missing me. I sprayed the mace in his face again and when he put his hands to his face, I took my little bat and hit him behind his knee as hard as I could. He fell like a ton of bricks onto the pavement. I quickly leaned over his body and kept striking him on his arms, one then the other. I was swinging my bat relentlessly. I didn't want to hit his head just in case I got arrested. He was screaming out as I maced him again. He yelled for his three friends to come and get me off of him but, as they approached me, two men -- no, make that giant men - approached his friends and suggested they return to where they were standing. I'm not kidding you, these two guys were every bit of 6' 5" tall and I would guess they weighed near 275 pounds or more. They had their heads shaved and looked like twins. Boy, they were a couple of mammoth men. Buddy's friends didn't want any part of these guys. I went to Buddy's legs and started swinging wildly at his thighs hitting one then the other. All this time Buddy was trying to protect himself and screaming out. I jabbed my little bat into his stomach and it made him raise his knees. I raised the bat as high as I could and was ready to come down on his crown jewels. From behind me I heard Gloria speak out. "Don't do it, Joey. You've won the fight. Don't do something that you might regret later." Buddy screamed out, "Please stop, please stop, Joey. I promise never to mess with Gloria again. Please don't hit me anymore," he said through red eye slits. His eyes were all red and puffed up from the mace. "Apologize to Gloria now or you will wish you had." I still had the bat raised above his jewels. "Gloria, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for the way I talked to you. I promise never to talk like that to you again. I promise," cried out Buddy. I lifted my bat all the way up and came down as hard as I could. I heard Buddy scream out but I never hit him. I intentionally hit the pavement between his legs. I broke my little bat on the pavement. I dropped it and walked over and hugged Gloria. The crowd kind of cheered for me and started breaking up. Buddy's friends came over and helped him up. It took two of them to help him walk. I know he could barely see. I walked over to the two big men and held out my hand and thanked them for not letting Buddy's friends interfere. About that time Gloria came over and hugged the two big men. "Joey, I want you to meet by two big twin brothers. This is Daniel and he's Donald," pointing to the other man. "I called them last week after what happened. They said they would come up this week to make sure no-one would try and hurt me. They have always been my protectors." "Well, sis, it looks like you have a new protector now," Dan said smiling at me. "You did good, Joe. Most guys wouldn't have taken on a guy that big." "He threatened my girlfriend. I couldn't let that happen at any cost," I replied. Don stopped the men walking with Buddy. "Hey, Buddy! There's something that you should remember. No matter how big and bad you think you are, there is always someone out there, that is bigger or badder than you." Buddy nodded his head and he and his friends headed into the stadium to get Buddy cleaned up. Dan spoke, "Well, little sister, we have a game tomorrow and have to head back to Kentucky. Joey, it was a pleasure to meet you and take care of our sister. If you ever need help, remember we are only a phone call away." Gloria kissed her brothers goodbye and the two of us headed over to the dance. My face was still bruised from the week before but when we walked in, most everyone cheered us. I felt kind of funny and took my girl by the hand and led her out to the dance floor. I held her tightly as we danced. -------------- Life went on and Gloria did her school stuff and I went to the trade school and got a job as an apprentice electrician. I was then making some serious money only it was part-time due to school. Gloria and I saw each other as often as we could but our schedules were pretty full. She caught up to me one day and asked me if I was going to keep a promise? "What promise is that, Honey?" I asked. "Are you taking me to my senior prom? It's in two weeks." "I wouldn't miss it for the world," I replied. The prom was great and Gloria looked like a super model only not so skinny. God, she was beautiful and I was her man. There really is a God. We were dancing and having a good time. I saw Buddy out of the corner of my eye. I hadn't talked to him since our fight. He kept his promise to leave Gloria alone so I was happy. While Gloria was talking to her friends Buddy approached me. "Joey, I want to apologize for being such a fool. I just want you to know that I learned my lesson." "Good, Buddy, thanks for the apology. I really do appreciate it." "Joey, would it be alright if I asked Gloria for one dance?" I knew Gloria overheard him as she walked back to me. I looked at Buddy and I looked at Gloria. "It's never going to happen, Buddy. Enjoy the prom." I took a smiling Gloria back onto the dance floor and wrapped my arms around her. ---------------------- Gloria graduated and I was afraid we would be apart more than ever. One day I was kind of sulking when she came over to see me. "What's the matter, Joey? Looks like you lost your best friend?" "You're my best friend and I'm afraid of losing you. You'll be off to nursing school and I'll be at the trade school. I may hardly ever see you." "You'll never lose me, Joey. What is that school next to the trade center you attend?" asked Gloria. "You mean the community college?" I asked. "Yes, that's where I'm going to nursing school. They have a great two year program and I'll be right there next to you, so we can see each other a lot more often." Life was good for us. We did see each other often. Our only problem now was that we were in love and it was getting harder and harder not to make love. Our petting was as far as we could go without actual intercourse. "Gloria, I want you so bad it hurts to be near you and not have you." "Joey, I want you just as bad as you want me, but we decided to wait till we get married." "Then let's get married. I will be done with my schooling in three months and I will have a full time job. You can continue to go to school and get your nursing degree. The best part is we can be together every evening and make love." "I don't know, Joey. Are you willing to ask my parents? I wouldn't want to go against their wishes." "Do you want to marry me, Gloria? Would you like to become my wife now and we can spend the rest of our life together?" I asked Gloria. "Of course I want to marry you. I liked you from the day we met and little by little I fell in love with you. Let's go right now and talk to my parents. I know I could do it without their blessing but I don't want to hurt them." We went to Gloria's parents' house and they were sitting in the living room. "Mom, Dad, Joey would like to ask you something." "What is it, Joey?" asked Mrs. Jones. "I'm in love with your daughter and we would like to have your blessing to get married?" "What? Married? Now? Gloria, you're not pregnant are you?" asked her mother. "No, Mom, I'm not pregnant. It's kind of the problem." "I don't understand. What's the problem?" her mom asked. "Mom, I'm still a virgin. It's not something you usually tell your parents. Joey and I are in love and we promised to abstain from making love till our wedding night. Mom, I love Joey and I know he loves me. We don't want to wait any longer so we want to get married." "Gloria, are you sure you're ready for marriage?" her mom asked. "Yes, Mom, I'm positive. You got married at sixteen, Maria got married when she was eighteen. I'm nineteen and soon to be twenty. Yes, Mom, you raised me to be a smart girl and I know I'm ready." Mr. Jones looked over at me. "Joey, what about you? I know you love her but are you prepared to support her?" "Mr. Jones, in three months I will be finished with my training. I will automatically be a full time electrician when I finish. I will make more than enough money to support us. With Gloria still going to nursing school we know we will have to make a lot of sacrifices but we're willing to do it. Gloria said she wouldn't marry me without your blessing and that's why we are here. I love your daughter, Mr. Jones, and I promise to be a good husband and provider for her." "You kids go take a walk or something while your dad and I discuss it. This is no small decision." Gloria and I figured we gave our best argument and went for a walk. When we returned we were standing there while Mrs. Jones spoke. "Gloria, your dad and I might have a possible solution for you two. If you are both willing to wait three months before getting married till Joey finishes his training and gets a full time job, we will pay for the wedding and you will have our blessing. You two have waited this long. Do you think you can wait three more months?" "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Jones, you've made us two of the happiest people alive. We have to go over and tell my parents now. Thank you again." We made it through the next three months by not spending much time alone together. Gloria, her mom and my mom planned a small wedding for us. It was held at the local church and we had a reception at our parents' joint houses. They had tents and tables set up in the backyard for our family and friends. When I saw Gloria coming down the aisle I had tears in my eyes. Now I knew what angels looked like. They had to look just like Gloria. After the service we went to the houses for our reception. We had gifts and presents of money to help up set up house. We didn't have time for a honeymoon so my parents got us a weekend reservation at the nicest hotel near us. We had the honeymoon suite. I wanted to mention something important to me. Different people were toasting us at the reception. Gloria got up and said she had a special present for me. I was totally surprised that she did this. She handed me this wrapped box which was about three feet long. I stood up and opened it in front of everyone. In it was the broken bat that I had used in the fight. It was still broken in half but was mounted on a plaque and it was engraved with the words, "To Joey, my protector and my love, I will love you forever, with love, Gloria." I started crying and leaned over and kissed my loving wife. It will be something that I will always remember. I had always wondered what had happen to my little bat. At our hotel we headed right up and into the hot tub. We had our bathing suits on but not for long. I remember as we got out of the hot tub, Gloria said she had a hot little negligee to put on for me. I remember telling her: "Honey, wait till later to put it on. You aren't going to have it on long enough for me to see." I lifted her up and carried her to the bed and we made love for the first time. Were we good at it? Who cares, we sure didn't. I can guarantee you that by the time our weekend was over we were great at it. I knew every inch of her beautiful body both by sight and by touch. Epilogue: All that happened ten years ago. We now have a nice house and four kids. Two girls, Jenny and Millie, and twin boys, Donald and Daniel. I felt I owed her brothers that much. Gloria is a nurse for one of the local doctors and I'm a professional electrician with a union card and all. We are as happy today as the day we got married. Over our mantle hangs my plaque. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of the decision I made that day. I'll always be thankful to my dad for that. If you're a man, you take care of your own. We recently got an invitation to our ten year reunion. Gloria wanted to go see some of her old friends. The funny thing is we still live in town and she sees them all the time. At the reunion while Gloria was talking to her friends, I turned and there was Buddy. I hadn't seen him in years. I heard he worked for a moving company in another town. "So Buddy, how's it going?" I asked. "I'm married to the woman over there and we have two kids. I guess life is okay." I looked over toward his wife. She was short and quite heavy. I saw Buddy look over at Gloria who looked just as good now as she did ten years ago. "Joey, can I ask a favor of you?" asked Buddy as Gloria was coming over to me. "Sure, Buddy, ask away. I won't say I'll do it but what is it you want?" "Can I have a dance with Gloria?" he asked. I looked at Buddy and I looked at Gloria who was staring at me. "No, Buddy, Gloria is my woman and I intend to dance every dance with her. Nice to see you again, Buddy, have a good life." I took Gloria out on the dance floor and kissed her as passionately as possible. I wanted everyone to know that Gloria was my woman, my wife. * Thank you for reading my story. I want to thank LadyCibelle and Techsan for their editing and suggestions. Comments are always welcome DG Hear