48 comments/ 77741 views/ 19 favorites Can People Change? By: Scorpio44a [This is a story, "based on actual events.' I put it in Romance because that's where I want the story to be. There were times, years, when it was not a romance. The wedding didn't happen where the story says it happened. Names have been changed to protect both the innocent and the guilty.] * We got married. I had been stationed overseas and had written Marie a letter asking her to marry me. We had both bought into the culture of our church that aimed all of us at being married and at having children. Trouble was, right from the beginning, her mother didn't like me. She was civil and even polite in public but made it clear that she thought her daughter deserved better. But Marie believed I was the only one who would ever ask her to get married, so she said yes. The day before the wedding her Mom and I happened to be alone in the house, her house, together. She said, "You know I don't much like the idea of Marie marrying you. I don't think you'll be a good husband." "I will be a good husband. Are you so sure your daughter will be a good wife?" "I'm sure. I raised her and taught her. She'll be a good wife. I'll be watching to see how good a husband you are." "You're welcome to watch." The wedding wasn't very big. Most of my friends from before I joined the military had moved away and we had lost touch. Marie was not the most popular girl in town. She was quiet, shy and seemed to blend in rather than stick out. Three days after the wedding we relocated to my new duty station, a thousand miles away from Momma. Momma didn't like that. I thought things went pretty well for us. I got promoted three times in the next four years. We moved to another duty station, an island in the Pacific, and we started a family. On the occasions when we went on leave we went home. Her parents, brother and sister lived five miles from my parents and sister. At each visit "home" our relationship hit a rocky time. When she spent time with her Mom she came away feeling like I wasn't a good enough husband. Her mother pointed out things that she said I should have been providing, but wasn't. I was making the military a career. That meant moving about every three years. Her Mom made sure Marie saw the house her brother bought for his wife. She mentioned often that giving a wife a stable home was the duty of a husband. She sent us pictures of the house Marie's sister's husband bought her. She pointed out that we lived in government housing, as if it were part of being on welfare. When I was sent to Viet Nam, Marie and our two young children were invited to live back home with Momma. Instead, I got them an apartment near our parents and I flew to Nam for a year. I didn't stay the year. With seventy-eight days left I caught a round in my leg and it sent me home. I spent three days in a hospital in Saigon, a week in a hospital in Hawaii and then was sent back to the mainland for further rehab and healing. In the time between being shot and getting home Marie's Momma continued to talk about how reckless and foolish I was to risk my life in the military. She advised Marie to get me to get out of the military and get a "real job." I came home to that conversation, that pressure. Marie and her Momma knew I was looking at the military as a career when we got married. Marie supported that, then. After two months at home, near home, in rehab I was cleared for duty again and we were stationed at a base less than three hours from home. Marie seemed happy again and the pressure lessened. A little. Near the end of 1969 I was sent back to Nam. Not for a full tour but just for thirty days. What I was doing was classified so I could tell Marie I was going, and how long I would be gone but not where I was going or what I would be doing once I got there. She was quite worried but tempered the worry with the knowledge that I'd only be gone a month. That trip ended my military career. I was shot again. The bullet went through my shoulder, doing enough damage that the doctors said I couldn't continue to function in the Air Force. I was medically retired. My one month trip turned into four months in the hospital, three surgeries, months of physical therapy and a return to civilian status. The scars were ugly. Marie cried every time she saw them for almost a year after I came back. We moved into a rental house four miles from our parents homes and I went looking for work. A friend from church found me a job. It was interesting, challenging work and it paid pretty well. I figured Momma would finally be happy. I was out, working, her daughter was near her and she got to be Grandma. I was wrong. She bitched about me often. I got to know Marie's brother and his family better and at some point I asked her brother if Momma was hard on him as well. He admitted that Momma had never liked me. He also admitted that he had heard her plotting to get Marie out of the marriage. She had said that Marie would be better off as a single Mom than being married to me. She had said it more than once. Marie's sister's husband, Aaron, and I became better friends as well. He didn't know why Momma disliked me, but he was aware of it. He was glad I caught the heat because he knew it spared him. When we were at ball games, picnics or other times when it was just our kids and the two of us we joked about the situation, a little. It all came to a head the year our son, Adam, graduated from high school. He graduated and within a month moved to college. He was a good student and a good soccer player. The soccer had landed him a scholarship. After he had been gone for four months Marie came to me and said she wanted a divorce. The church doctrine made it clear that divorce was not Ok. When you got married you were expected to tough it out, stay together and solve your problems. I wanted to know why she wanted a divorce. She agreed that I was a good husband. She agreed that I was a good father. Her reason for wanting the divorce was that she was tired of being a wife... and that she didn't love me. I recommended we go for counseling, therapy, some kind of intervention. The answer was "No." Marie and our daughter stayed in the house. I got a small apartment. Almost every time I called the house after I moved out Momma answered. Almost every time I called I was told that Marie and Krystn weren't home. They didn't call back. I had been isolated away from my family. I parked down the street from my old home and called the house. Momma said Marie wasn't there. Ten minutes later they walked out and got in Momma's car and left. She lied. It happened so often that I found a way to see Krystn on her way home from school for just a few minutes a few times a week. I told her what Grandma was doing and she didn't believe me. A month later I showed her my phone bill and the twenty-eight calls to her home that lasted less than a minute each. She went home and asked Grandma if I ever called and asked for her. Grandma said I didn't call. She said she hadn't spoken to me in months. Krystn asked her mother if she ever talked to me. Her mother responded that as long as the checks kept coming she didn't need or want to talk to me. Krystn and I had a relationship built on being honest with each other, and that we both knew would be best kept from Grandma and Marie. I spoke to my son once in a while, while he was at school. He made the mistake of mentioning that we had talked when he came home for Thanksgiving. The firestorm that erupted sent him two messages: he was not to talk to me and that he should never mention my name again. When he went back to school he changed his phone number and my letters came back as undeliverable. I attended two of his soccer games and he didn't spend any time with me, other than to thank me for coming to the games. No conversation about family, his life, my life, school or anything. From then on I attended games, made sure he saw me but I didn't approach him. If he wanted me, I was there and he knew it. One day when Krystn was twenty I got a call from her. She wanted me to meet the young man she had been dating. She was serious about him. On one of their dates I met them at a restaurant for dinner. I liked him. It was obvious he was in love with Krystn and that they were headed for marriage. I asked a lot of fatherly questions and he gave lots of very good answers. At the end of dinner I said, "You two probably shouldn't tell Grandma or your Mom that we had dinner. I don't think they would be happy about it." Krystn responded, "They better get used to you being in my life. When we get married I want you to walk me down the aisle!" I was touched and overwhelmed by hearing her say that. Her young man said, "I know about the conflict and we're ready for the heat. Will you walk her down the aisle?" "You name the time and place and I'll be there, rented tux and everything." They set a date and started planning a wedding. Krystn discovered how strong Grandma's influence was over her mother during the planning. Marie would agree with something when Krystn talked to her about it and the next day, after Marie spoke with her mother, everything changed. At a family dinner held at Grandma's house, Krystn and Matt sprang me on the family. The conversation had been about flowers and food and dancing when Mike said, "Krystn and I want her Dad to walk her down the aisle." The house went quiet for a long time and finally Grandma said, "If that man is going to be at the wedding then you can count me out! I will not be under the same roof with him." Krystn said, "He is my Dad. It is my wedding. If I want him there, he can be there. I will miss you if you choose not to be there, but he has already agreed to walk me down the aisle." She stood up, took Matt's hand and they left Grandma's house. The next day my phone rang at work. For the first time in ten years I heard Marie's voice on the phone. She didn't even say hello or identify herself. "I don't want you to come." "Who is this?" I asked. I knew who it was. "Marie. I mean it. I don't want you to come." "Marie? My ex-wife? It can't be. She hasn't made a phone call in ten years. Who is this really?" "It's Marie. I make phone calls, just not to you. But, this is important! If you come to the wedding, you'll ruin it!" "I'll ruin it? By doing what the bride and groom asked me to do? How can that be?" "Momma won't come if you'll be there. Momma helped raise Krystn. Momma has been there for her, her whole life. You haven't. I don't want you there." "Can you call me back after four? I need to think about your request and I want you to call me back. Can you do that?" "Four?" "Yes." There was a pause and she said, "Yes, I'll call you at four." I called Krystn. "Honey, I want you and Matt to take your Momma out for dinner. I'll pay for dinner. I want the four of us to talk. She shouldn't know I'll be there. This is important to me and I think important to the two of you, too." "How about we go to El Patio? Mom likes that restaurant." "Tonight about six thirty?" "Yes! We'll be there." "It would be best if Grandma doesn't even know where you're going." "Gotcha!" At four the phone rang. I answered and Marie said, "So what's your answer?" "Hello. My answer is that I'd like to meet with your Bishop before agreeing to not be at the wedding. I always liked Allan before he became Bishop and I want his advice. Will you meet with me and Allan?" "No! This is not something I want talked about all over the church! This is a private matter between us." "Don't you think someone will notice when the father of the bride isn't at her wedding? Won't that cause talk? And, aren't Bishop's supposed to keep conversations confidential?" "I won't meet with him. I don't want to see you, either." "I still want his advice. With you or without you I'm going to meet with him. If you decide you want to be there let me know. In fact, call me and give me two or three times when you could meet with us and I'll be sure to set the appointment for one of those times." "I won't call you back. I won't meet with you and Allan!" "Then when can I call you back to give you my answer?" "Can't you give me your answer now?" "My answer now is that I'll be there. I'll walk Krystn down the aisle. If you want me to look at your request seriously then I need time and we'll need to talk again." "Call me at home on Monday morning." "No. You call me here at work on Monday morning." "I will!" She hung up. I called Allan and we talked for almost an hour. He had known Marie and her Momma for just as long as I had. His advice was said in one sentence: "I look forward to seeing you at the wedding." When I walked into El Patio I saw that Krystn had made sure that Marie sat faced away from the entrance. I walked to their table and sat next to Matt, across from Marie and Krystn. "What are you doing here?" Marie asked. "Paying for dinner. Isn't it Ok for a man to buy his daughter, her fiance' and his ex dinner?" "I want to go home. I've lost my appetite." Krystn looked at her mother and said, "Eat or don't eat. That's up to you. It's eight miles home and you didn't drive. We want to talk to you and I thought this would be nice, sharing a meal together while we talk." "What is there to talk about?" Matt said, "How about the wedding?" At that moment the waitress came and we took a moment to order. It had been years since I had been in El Patio with Marie but I remembered that she always ordered the chicken tostada salad. She looked at the menu for half a minute and ordered the chicken tostada salad. I ordered chicken enchiladas. When the waitress had gone Matt repeated, "How about the wedding?" "Did you tell Krystn that you called me at work today?" I asked. Krystn turned to her mother and said, "You did?" "Yes. I called to ask him not to come to the wedding." "Isn't it my wedding?" Krystn asked. "Yes, but you're making a mistake. Nick shouldn't be a part of it! He left you years ago. He didn't raise you. Your Grandma and I raised you." "Why wasn't Dad a part of that?" "He never came by, never called." "Oh, but he did Mom. I've seen the phone records. Hundreds of less than a minute phone calls that I never got. Grandma said we weren't home and she never gave me the messages." "That's not true!" Marie protested. I pulled photocopies from my briefcase and handed them to Marie. Years of phone records. As she looked at them I said, "Out in my car I have photos of every birthday present, Christmas present and other gift I sent to the house and that were returned. I'll bet you would recognize the handwriting on the packages that says "Return to sender." It's your Mother's handwriting. I wasn't in Krystn's life because someone wanted me out. I found ways to get the presents to her, but it wasn't easy." Marie digested the overwhelming evidence in front of her and handed the copies back to me. Our dinners arrived. We ate in silence and finally Krystn asked, "You still want me to tell Daddy not to come to my wedding? You still think Grandma was so good to me, to us, that I should bend to what she wants?" "She's my mother!" I put my fork down, looked across at Marie. "Ok. She's your mother. What are you willing to give up so that I get something to compensate for missing Krystn's wedding?" "Give up?" She looked at me like she didn't understand. "Yes! You want me to give up something big. Something huge! Something every Dad wants to be a part of. What do I get?" "What do you want?" "Nothing! I want to be there. I want to be in a tux and proudly walk my daughter down the aisle to Matt. That's what I want. If you want me to give that up you have to compensate me well." "I don't know what I could give you." I sat quietly, waiting. Matt said, "Does Nick still send you a check every month?" Marie said, "Yes. Our divorce has him pay me alimony every month." "He's still paying?" Matt asked. We had never talked about it. He was walking into an area he knew nothing about. "Yes! He has to." "Would you be willing to change the court order and stop getting alimony?" I asked. "I need that money!" "So what are you willing to give up?" Matt asked. It was very quiet. The waitress came and I gave her a credit card for dinner. Marie looked at Krystn and said, "Having Nick there will ruin the day for Momma and for me. He ought to see that and not be there." "What would he need to give you to have you stay home?" Krystn asked. "I wouldn't stay home! You're my daughter! I want to be there when you get married." "I feel the same way. For twenty-seven years your Mother has disliked me. To my way of thinking she plotted and ended our marriage, not my time in the service or my injuries. It has come down to her deciding either she will be at Krystn's wedding or I will. Now, I put it on you. I'll tell you what I will accept. I will stay away on the day of the wedding if you show me an amended court order stopping the alimony forever and if you spend a weekend in bed with me, having sex with me." "I can't!" She said it loud enough that people all over El Patio turned and looked at her. "Why not? Are you a virgin? I don't think so. You have had sex with me before. I remember. I'll make reservations at The Blue Lantern Inn, down at Dana Point and no one except the four of us will ever know." Matt was working hard not to smile. Krystn had never heard me talk about my sex life with her mother before. She was a little shocked. She looked at me, not her mother. "I can't." She paused, adding, "What could I tell my mother?" "Tell her the price for me staying away was for you to give up alimony forever. You don't need to tell her about the Blue Lantern Inn. And, so you feel safer, I haven't had sex with anyone in three years. I had a complete physical two months ago and other than some minor problems with a bad shoulder, I'm healthy and have no diseases." "I need to think." "Ok. Matt, I think dinner is over. I'll know her answer when she calls me to say no or I get the court order in the mail and a note telling me what weekend, before the wedding, to make reservations at the Inn. As soon as I know, you'll know." I shook Matt's hand, hugged Krystn and kissed her good-bye. I stood with my arms open and waited a few seconds for Marie to decide what she was going to do. She stayed in her chair. I left. Ten days later I got a letter from the court letting me know that the court order for spousal support had been terminated and a copy of the new court order. I checked with my attorney and found out that the way it had been written alimony was over and could not be reinstated. Two days later my phone rang and Marie said, "I changed the court order." "Yes! Thanks. I have my calendar open. What dates?" "I want us to be clear about this. We go to this Inn and stay two days. During the stay I agree to have sex with you, once." "No. We will be served breakfast in the room both mornings. We will go out for lunch and dinner at nice sit-down restaurants and other than that you will be in the room with me, naked and willing for as much sex as I want." "I don't know if I can have a lot of sex! I haven't been in bed with anyone but you, ever." "I'll bring some lube. As you probably remember, I like you shaved. If you don't want to do it, that's Ok. I'll do it when we get to our room." "Sometimes you are so nasty." "Sometimes you believe babies start by spontaneous combustion. Look around at church this Sunday. All those children were started by a hard penis' going into a willing vagina. God made it feel good for a reason." "What if I can't do it?" "Then I rent a tux. I have it reserved. That's why we're going before the wedding." Can People Change? "Ok. The weekend of the twentieth." "Done! I'll make the reservations today. You can tell Krystn you have agreed." "Where shall I meet you?" "Send your mother to the store or something. I'll come to your front door and carry your suitcase to the car on Friday afternoon. I'll bring you back on Sunday while your mother is in church." "Ok." She did not sound happy. Krystn called me that evening. "Daddy, Mom tells me she gave up the alimony." "She did. I have the court order framed and hanging on the wall in my bathroom." "Did she agree to the other as well?" "Yes. She picked dates and everything. She doesn't want me at the wedding Sweetheart." "I'm glad she gave up the alimony but I want you at the wedding!" "I've been thinking about that. How important is the whole ceremony thing to you and Matt?" "Mike has no family out here to attend. He came out here for college and his parents and family can't afford to come for the wedding. It seems Mom and Grandma are all about the show. They worry about what people will think if I pick colors different from everyone else, or flowers or if I want a dress that isn't just white." "Call Matt, please. See if he'd be willing for us to fly back to his home and get married there. A simple ceremony, no frills, just love. If you two are up for it, I'll buy the tickets and we'll do it. If, that is, I still get to walk you down the aisle." "Oh Daddy! Great idea! I'll call you back." Half an hour later she called me back. The wedding would still happen on the same day, as scheduled, but instead of in Los Angeles it would be in Vermont. The next day Krystn called me at work and asked, "Are you still going to take Mom to that place in Dana Point?" "Honest answer? Yes. I always loved sex with your mother and I've missed that. She has promised me two days of willing sex. I promised not to be at the wedding here in L.A.." "I like sex with Matt, too." "Oh my God! I thought you were still a virgin!" I laughed a little as I said it. "Technically, I am. We play a lot, but he's never been inside me down there." "Get some lube. Go slow. His body is going to want him to go at warp speed, you need to restrain him and go slowly." "Yes, Daddy." On Friday the nineteenth, my phone rang at nine in the morning. Caller ID showed Marie's number. I answered, professionally. It was Grandma. "What are you up to?" She asked. "Excuse me, who is this, please?" I knew who it was. "Elaine. You are such a bastard! You cheated Marie out of her alimony and I think there's more. Marie has been acting strangely the last few days and today I looked at the phone bill and she's been calling you!" "Did you ask her about the calls?" "So, you don't deny them?" "What good would that do? You have the phone records in front of you. You think perhaps she bought me off to make you happy and a few phone calls were needed to get that to happen?" "It wouldn't take that many." "Not for someone like you, but perhaps your daughter isn't as astute as you about such matters. You called just to verify that we spoke?" "No. I want to make sure you are no where near the chapel on the twenty-seventh." "I have a plane ticket out of LAX on the twenty-fifth and returning on the thirtieth. I will be over a thousand miles away. You can come to LAX and see me leave if you'd like. Will that make you happy?" "It cost us thousands of dollars for you to go. You better go!" "Did anyone ever tell you how mean and controlling you attempt to be?" "Just you! And your opinion isn't worth much around here." "You have certainly made sure that's true. Well, I need to get back to work. Have a nice time at the wedding. Will you be walking Krystn down the aisle?" "No. Her Uncle Bill will be doing it." "Bye." I hung up. Thirty seconds later the phone rang. ID showed her number. I let it go to the answering machine. My suitcase was in my car. Marie called and said her mother had gone to a meeting at church and would be gone until five-thirty. I arrived on the front porch at four-thirty. Marie opened the door and handed me her small suitcase. She was looking good. She had on a dress, a shirtwaist dress in a flowered print made of silk. She wore two inch heels and stockings. Her hair was freshly done and she had her nails done as well. I opened the car door for her and said, "You look really nice, Marie." "Thank you." She sat and put her seatbelt on. I went to my door got in and drove away. I could have driven past the church to get to the freeway but didn't. I went a different way. Marie didn't talk until we were on the freeway. She seemed to relax a little the farther we got away from her home. "So, what can we talk about?" She asked. "Tell me about what you do that you really enjoy. My memories are old and what you used to like may have changed." "I still enjoy movies. Mostly I watch movies on cable but once in a while we go to a theater." Most of the drive to Dana Point we talked about movies we had seen. We also talked about food. I remembered that in the old days I liked to rest my hand on her thigh as I drove. I also remembered that if I just put my hand on her leg she jumped and yelped in surprise. "Marie, don't jump. I'm putting my hand on your leg." I didn't ask for permission. I hadn't asked when we were married. My hand felt right at home on her thigh. Peripherally I could see her looking at my hand. She didn't say anything. I told her there we some CD's in the glove box and she picked one and slid it into the stereo. After two songs her hand rested atop mine on her leg. We parked beside the Blue Lantern Inn and Marie looked around. It is a beautiful building that sits atop a bluff overlooking Dana Point harbor and the ocean. I had booked a room on the top floor, with a balcony. I checked us in and I carried both bags. Marie stood nearby looking embarrassed. In the elevator I said, "No one knows we aren't still married. They look at us and wonder how an old fart like me landed a babe like you." "You are so full of it!" She smiled. I opened the door to our room and she took in a breath. The room was beautiful. I had stayed in the same room a few years before with a woman I thought might become Mrs. Nick, but all that was left of that relationship was a nice memory and the room at the Blue Lantern. The suitcases went on the racks and I opened them. I hung her clothes in the closet and mine beside them. When I turned to look Marie was standing beside the bed with her hands at the top buttons of her dress. She was looking at the bed. I stepped to her and wrapped her in my arms. Softly I said, "Relax. We need to go have dinner. Will you be warm enough if we sit outside to eat?" She brought a sweater. We ate at a wonderful seafood restaurant right by the water. We watched the sun set and sea birds flying off to wherever birds go to spend the night. Before we went back to the Inn we walked. I held her hand. She was quiet for a long time. When we turned back towards the car she asked, "Why are you being nice to me?" "In 1965 I told you I loved you. I'm pretty sure I told you every so often until we got divorced. Just because you haven't heard me say it doesn't mean I stopped." "I've treated you terribly." "I made myself believe you were influenced by your mother. She hasn't liked me since 1964. I want to enjoy these two days. It's likely there are the last sex I'll ever have with a woman I love. I want all of it to be great, for both of us." "I don't want to have sex with you." "And, you will. You made a deal with me, with Matt and Krystn too. The deal was for me to get two days of willing sex from you." "I feel like a whore. I sold you my body." "Rented maybe, not sold. This is two days. Monday you are back at home and no one will know what we did here unless you tell them. Reality is that you have no idea what it feels like to be a whore. Your body has been yours, cared for and protected all your life. A whore opens her legs to strangers, flaunts her body, lets strangers hold her, touch her and invade her with no real regard for her at all." We went up in the elevator with another couple. They were about our age. She was in his arms and they kissed as the elevator rose. When the doors opened on the second floor she said, "I guess I'm in a hurry." We smiled and wished them a pleasant night. At our door I stopped and took Marie in my arms. I pressed her tits against my chest and felt her holding back. "Kiss me." I commanded. My voice was a whisper but I knew she heard it as a command. She tilted her head and kissed me, lips touching lips. When she ended the kiss I said, "When we step inside, take everything off. Go in and start the shower and I'll join you." I opened the door and we went inside. She took her time undressing. I watched. As I watched I undressed. She had not shaved. She hung up her dress and went into the bathroom. When I was naked except for my t-shirt I walked into the bathroom. She was facing the shower. I got close and said, "If you want I'll leave my t-shirt on so you don't have to see my scars." "Thank you." She stepped under the stream of water. I joined her. I washed her from head to toe, and when she was clean I knelt and picked up a razor. Then I put it back down. "It's too soon for that. Let me get clean and we'll get out." My hand began washing me and Marie turned me and washed my back. She reached up inside the t-shirt and washed me. When her hands touched the scar she moaned a soft moan. Then her hands lifted the t-shirt up and off me. She turned me and washed my front. She washed everything except my cock and balls. She watched me wash them and then she shut off the shower and we dried. I kissed her again and this time she used soft lips and her hands were on my arms. My cock rested against her belly. We kissed and she opened her mouth a little. My tongue touched her lips but didn't push inside her mouth. In the bedroom I backed her up to the bed, pressing the back of her legs and butt against the bed. I kept reminding myself to go slowly, to let her get used to the touch and feel the need in herself. After a while she lifted herself onto the bed and spread her legs for me. I dropped to my knees and began kissing her legs, massaging her, caressing her. "Are you going to lick me?" She whispered. "Yes! I have been looking forward to tasting you again." I moved closer to her bush and my fingers grazed in her hair, gently touching the tender skin beneath. She sighed. I moved closer, kissing her skin as I approached. Her hands held my head and helped me move closer and closer to her treasure. I knew she could feel my breath on her hair. By her statement it had been almost ten years since she had felt breath on her pussy. I licked, parting her hair and touching her inner sanctum. Her back arched and she moaned. Her legs opened wider and her hands held my head tightly to her as I licked inside her. "Oh Jesus! I forgot how good that feels!" The juices began to flow. The odor of lust and the taste of her were gifts to me. I savored them, and let my mouth and tongue ask for more. "Oh... make me cum! It's been sooo long!" My hands lifted her legs and I licked her spread pussy. When my tongue reached her clit I touched it gently and slowly. Her hips lifted, presenting me with her clit, begging for the release she knew was coming. I sucked on it and she moaned loudly. I put her feet on my back and reached for her breasts with my hands. "Hold me! Squeeze my tits, Nick. Oh Baby, I'm close!" In seconds she had her first orgasm. She twisted on the bed, arched her back, pressed on my back with her feet and moaned from somewhere deep inside. I slowed my assault and let her calm down. I still gathered her juices with my tongue but avoided her clit. She pulled my hair and helped me up on the bed. I lay next to her and held her in my arms. "Are you going to..." "Soon. I'm not in a hurry. I want you to be taken care of, first." "I just had a wonderful orgasm! I'm well taken care of." "Do you want me inside you?" "You want this to be difficult, don't you?" "What do you mean?" "You want me to ask you to be inside me. It isn't enough that I'll let you do it, you want me to say I want it." She looked at my face and waited. I didn't speak. "I wanted to resist the feelings of you making love to me. I didn't want to cum. But, I failed. Once you licked me, my body wanted to feel you taking me there again. Now, I want to be filled again. I want you to fill me! Please!" In seconds I moved from beside her to between her legs, my cock touching her pussy but not pressing inside. She wiggled and said, "Please!" My cock slid inside her, slowly. She was incredibly tight and very wet. I kept moving forward and she moaned often. I'm not the biggest guy in the gym. I knew that. I was pretty sure Marie didn't have anything or anyone o compare me to. The in and out motion began and she said, "Thank you! You feel so good. I've missed you." Eventually I changed positions. We snuggled with me behind her moving in and out as my hand played with her breast and nipple. She moved and took the rider above position. I lay on my back and watched as she took control and served herself while I enjoyed being ridden. She controlled the action and did whatever she wanted to stimulate herself. "Cum inside me, Nick." She rode harder and faster. I held her tits in my hands as she bounced on me. She made all the noises I remembered from years ago that told me she was about to cum again. "Cum Now! I'm cumming!" I flooded her as she came. She shuddered and almost fell off the bed as we came. When she could, she leaned forward and lay on my chest. We rested and I dozed. When I came back she was snuggled against me and sound asleep. We were covered. I kissed her forehead and went back to sleep. At nine in the morning I heard a knock at the door. I threw on a robe and opened the door. A woman pushed our breakfast cart into the room. Marie hid under the covers. The woman put our breakfast on the table on our balcony and left. "One of the best parts of having this room is that we cannot be seen when we're on our balcony. Get up and come have breakfast." She got out of bed and headed for her robe. I took mine off. She stopped. "You want me to sit outside naked and have breakfast?" "I do. If my scar bothers you, I'll wear a t-shirt, but I want to see you." "It doesn't seem right." "I honestly am willing for it to feel however it feels and have you do it anyway." "You've always been more comfortable being naked than I have." "I believe that might be because your Mom is very uncomfortable about her body." "How would you know how Mom feels about her body?" "Your Dad and I were friends, when we weren't with Elaine. He shared with me once that they had been married thirty years and he had never seen her naked. I've never known anyone else who was married thirty years and never saw their spouse naked. He told me she changed clothes in their closet. They never showered together." "She's just modest." "Modest is not letting the neighbors see you showering. Modest is wearing clothes that don't expose your underwear, your genitals or sexual activity. Have you ever seen your Mom kiss your Dad? Not a peck but a kiss?" "No. They wouldn't do that." "Your Dad would have. He told me. He never got a real kiss from her. I'm grateful you weren't that restrained." I led her out onto our balcony. She looked around and satisfied herself that no one could possibly see us. The sun was warm and the soft, gentle breeze felt good. We started eating and found the French toast, sausage, hash browns and juice were perfect. As she ate she forgot about being naked. I enjoyed the view. When we were done Marie looked at me and asked, "What's next?" "More sex! You'll continue to believe I'm obsessed with sex but consider this: I haven't been in bed with anyone in three years. Our agreement is just for this weekend. I may not get sex with you ever again. If you knew the odds were good that you couldn't have ice cream ever again, how much ice cream would you want between now and Sunday afternoon?" "You can invite someone else to have sex with you. I'm not the only woman in the world. Invite the woman you had sex with three years ago." "When you want lobster a turkey sandwich just won't satisfy. I wanted the sex with her to do for me what sex with you does for me. It didn't. Please, come inside." We went back inside and I put on some music. I danced with Marie in the tiny space between the bed and the fireplace. She relaxed and soon we were kissing as we danced. Things progressed and soon we were back in bed. I took my time and didn't rush us. We joined slowly and tenderly. I reminded myself that this really wasn't about getting laid, it was about reconnecting with Marie. Because I am who I am I kept count. She came four times that afternoon. We napped before going out for dinner. When we woke up Marie recommended we shower before we dressed for dinner. I got my kit and told her that the time had come for her to be shaved for me. I trimmed her with small scissors while she lay back feeling embarrassed. Then I lathered her and used a new razor to shave her smooth. I was very careful. I was also as hard as I'd been in years. When she was smooth I applied lotion and spread it around. I noticed that she was wet. Her head might be telling her I was a pervert or unnatural or whatever but her body was cheering me on. I pulled her close to the edge of the bed and buried my face into her newly smooth pussy. In seconds her body responded and she moaned in pleasure. Her legs spread wider and her hands held my face to her. I lapped up her nectar. I told her how great she tasted. When I stood tall my cock slid into her and I pumped a few times. She moaned and said, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" When I withdrew her eyes opened wide and she looked at me like I was crazy. I bent and started licking her again. She grabbed my head and rubbed my face into her open pussy. "Oh God! That's sooo good!" Again I stopped licking and stood, sliding my cock inside her. Three or four strokes and I returned to licking her. She was headed for a big orgasm. Her body started to shake and her breathing became rapid and panting. She started squeezing her own tits, pinching the nipples. Over and over I changed my assault on her. The squishing noises when I penetrated her were different from the wet noises we made when my face was rubbing against her pussy. Both turned me on like nothing else. Her finger nails bit into my triceps as my cock moved in and out of her. She was about to cum. Nothing else mattered. She wanted this orgasm. I slammed in and held there as my cock unloaded. "This is what I wanted!" Her back arched, her nectar flooded out of her and she screamed! She screamed a primal scream, took a huge gasping breath and screamed, "I love you, Nick!" I held myself deep inside her for as long as I could. I bent forward and kissed her chest, breasts and neck. When I slipped out of her I grabbed the wash cloth I had used while I shaved her and used it to catch the flow from her. I lay next to her and we held each other. When we noticed it getting dark we got up, showered again and dressed. As we walked to the car I asked her what she wanted for dinner. "Protein. This is an energetic weekend." We ate in the marina at the bottom of the bluff below the Inn. We laughed and talked like we had been together all the years that we hadn't. After dinner she wanted to walk so we did. Hand in hand at first then my arm around her and her arm around me. She began to talk. I understood that she wasn't talking to me as much as she was processing her own thoughts and memories. Can People Change? "I think the happiest I ever saw my Mom was the day you moved out. I cried almost all that day and she puttered around my house like she owned it and me." "Sometimes I'd come home from work and she would act like she had the biggest, best secret in the world. Until I saw the phone records I never knew what the secret was." "When Adam said he had seen you at a soccer game Mom told him she would stop sending him money if he kept seeing you. He didn't share that with me until last year." "When my Dad died I thought she would cry and mourn for a long time. About two months after he was gone she said, "I barely miss him at all. He doesn't pester me any more." I was missing you every day and every night and it had been over two years. How could she say that about my Dad?" I kept us walking. The processing was good for her. Eventually she turned us towards my car and said, "Can we go back to our room? I'd like to cuddle with you in bed." We went back to our room. The bed was freshly made, a plate with two big chocolate chip cookies sat on the bed. I started the fire in the fireplace and we undressed. We sat on the bed with me leaned against the headboard, Marie leaned against me and ate our cookies as we watched the fire. When the cookies were gone we still sat watching the fire. "Nick, I apologize." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. "For?" "For tossing you aside. For believing I didn't love you when Mom said I didn't. For not finding ways to include you in the lives of Adam and Krystn." "Before I can say I forgive you, I need to ask a question. What are you going to do about it?" She turned around to face me. She pushed my legs together and sat on top of them, straddling me. She kissed me and her tongue danced with mine in a welcome back dance of joy. When the kiss ended she said, "I want you to walk Krystn down the aisle. I want you to give up your apartment and move back home where you belong. I want to marry you again." "You sure about all that? You sure you don't just want a weekend at the beach once in a while?" I was smiling. "I'm sure. One of the reasons I didn't want to agree to this weekend was that I knew I loved you. I knew when you put your arms around me I was gonna melt. I'm afraid of Momma and what hell she'll put us through but having you back will be worth it!" "Where does she think you are?" "I left her a note saying I needed to get away and think things through. She probably thinks I'm with Bruce and Leslie up at Big Bear Lake. When I have run away to think in the past that's where I went." "By now she knows that's not where you are." "I know. While we were driving down here I realized, my car is in the garage at home. She knows I'm not alone. I need to talk with Matt and Krystn and with Adam too. My brother Bill thinks he's walking Krystn down the aisle. I'm going to be on the phone for days." "Stop, please. Our weekend isn't over. I want to pretend that the world, our world, is on hold until tomorrow afternoon. Right now there is Nick and there is Marie. The rest we'll work out, tomorrow." "There is something I'd like to do, before we go back. May I?" "What is it?" She got off my lap and bent her head into my lap. She took all my cock into her mouth and started sucking. In all the years we had shared she had never volunteered for that. She had said many times that she thought it was nasty and dirty. I watched as she gave me her very first voluntary blow job. It was wonderful! She bobbed up and down. She used her hands. She made noises and she tried to get all of me in even after I was fully hard. She kept it up until I was really close to cumming. I said, "If you keep it up you'll get a mouth full." She kept it up. She swallowed everything I gave her. She licked and kissed me clean and then she kissed me and snuggled against me. She held my hand against her breast. We got under the covers and held each other as we went to sleep. Sometime during the night we woke up and joined again. It was passionate, almost animal rutting as we came together in the darkness. We didn't clean up afterwards, we just fell asleep. At nine o'clock the knock came at the door. I found a robe and put it on, opened the door and let the woman with our breakfast in. Marie stayed under the covers until she was gone. She got up, brushed her hair and joined me on the balcony. "Think I can get used to being naked?" "Do you want to?" "I heard you started going to nudist places after our divorce. You must like it. I want to be with you. Do you think I can get used to it?" "If we go slowly, probably. Taking you to a big naturist event would not be a good idea right off. Let's start by going to a nude beach. There will be quite a few people but they spread out and they respect space." "What do you like about it? You like people looking at you?" "No. What I like is that they aren't looking for Mr. Body Beautiful. They see my scars and they might ask about them but not like something's wrong with me. There are big fat people, people with scars. limps and tattoos. They enjoy the feeling of air on their bodies, of the water without a swimsuit, of sunshine." "Do you get hard?" "You mean from being at the beach? I haven't yet. If I do, I won't parade around." We ate and watched boats, seagulls and people down at the marina. When she was ready Marie said, "Can we make love one more time before we go?" "Out here or inside?" "Inside! I'm not going to be an exhibitionist!" "If we do it here where no one can watch how is that an exhibit?" "Inside, please." I followed her inside. We went slow and we pounded against each other. We changed positions and we were noisy. When we were done the score was Marie four, Nick one. I thought that meant I won. We showered again and got dressed for the drive home. Marie asked if I would rather she wore a dress or shorts. I picked the dress. As she dressed I asked her to leave the panties in the suitcase. She looked at me like I was very strange then she smiled and put them back in the suitcase. We packed and left the room. Marie said, "We should leave the windows and the balcony door open. It smells like sex in here." "Be proud!" We left. I paid the bill and we loaded the car. The lady behind the desk followed us to our car and gave us two more big chocolate chip cookies, for the road. As we drove I could tell that Marie was getting psyched up to confront her Mom when we got home. When I turned onto the last freeway we would use on our way home, I pushed her dress up high enough that I could reach her bare pussy. She looked around to see if anyone was able to see. After a few minutes she put her hand on top of mine. I stroked her slowly and gently until we were off the freeway and almost to the house. "You know I've been thinking about what happens when we get home." I nodded. "Momma is going to be so angry!" "Let's do a run through. Pretend I'm your Mom. You walk in and she says, "Where have you been?" "I went away to think." "You didn't say where or when you'd be back." I said, playing Elaine. "I'm over twenty-one, Mom. Do I still have to check in with you for permission?" "It's just common courtesy to let me know where you are and when you'll be back." "Do you do that for me?" Marie asked. "What?" I responded, still playing Momma. "Do you always tell me where you're going and when you'll be back?" "Mostly." "I tell you, mostly. But, now that I'm back I'd like to talk to you about decisions I've made." "Decisions you've made or decisions you want to make?" "Decisions I've made. The first one is that I want you to move your things back to your house. You've been acting like you live in both houses. You don't live here. I do. And, I want my key back." "If I do that, you'll be all alone!" "My business, not yours. Can you be out by tomorrow night?" "No. I'll need help and Bill works every day." "I'll hire a mover to pack your things and move them back to your house. Or, maybe the Bishop can send a couple of men by who need to do some service." "What's the hurry?" "Someone else is moving in. I want them in as soon as possible. So, I won't be alone for more than a few hours." "Who?" I asked, still playing my role. "Nick." "Nick? We got rid of him once! We got him out of your life and I thought it was for good!" "Yes, you thought. You got him out of our lives. Mom, I know about all the phone calls you never told me about. I know about all the presents you sent back. I know how you sabotaged any chance we had of patching things up back then." "Lies! He's filled your head with lies!" "And he got the phone company to make fake phone records. He took pictures of fake packages with your handwriting on the boxes saying, "No such person at this address." No Mom. You did that." "I suppose you want him to walk Krystn down the aisle too." "Yes, I do." "Then none of us will be there. Bill won't attend or his family. Judy and her family won't be there. I certainly won't be there." "For all my life you have manipulated me into doing whatever you wanted. Not this time. If no one is there except Krystn, Matt, Nick and me it will be a wedding!" I stayed quiet. I pulled over and parked. "Marie, I want you to think about this. Matt's family can't come to the wedding. They can't afford it. They love him. How would it be if we flew to Vermont and had the wedding there?" "Oh Nick! That solves the whole problem! Anyone who wants to attend can fly to Vermont and be there. Momma can stay here and be all righteous if she wants to. Do you think Krystn will go along with it?" I handed her my cell phone, hitting the speed dial for Krystn's number. "Krystn, it's your Mom. Can you sit down and talk to me?" "Honey, the whole family here is about to be very angry with me and with you. Do you think Matt's family could arrange for a wedding in their town on short notice?" "Oh Honey! Call Matt and have him call his family. Call me back on Nick's cell phone." "Yes, we're back together." I spoke up, loud enough that I was sure Krystn could hear me. "Ask her to see if there could be a double wedding." I heard the squeal from Krystn through the phone. They hung up. We sat by the side of the road for a few minutes and my cell rang. Marie answered. They gushed at each other for ten minutes and then promised to talk in an hour, when Matt and Krystn were at the house. We drove to the house. I saw the curtain move as Elaine looked to see if Marie was home. She saw my car. She saw me get out of my car and open the door for Marie to get out. I got her suitcase and she said I should bring mine in too, so she could do my laundry and start moving me in. I followed her through the door. Elaine was standing in the middle of the living room her hands on her hips and her face red with anger. "Why is he here?" She was almost yelling. "Is this your house?" Marie asked. "It's your house." "Then I can have anyone I want in my house, mother. I want Nick here. If you want to talk you'll need to wait. I need to start the washing." She took both suitcases and went to the service porch. Elaine sat in her rocking chair. It was once the chair she had in her living room, but she had moved it to Marie's living room after I moved out. I sat on the couch. Marie came back and sat on the couch near me. "While I was gone I solved the wedding problem, mother. We moved the wedding. There was too much anger and upset over the wedding not being your way or being your way. Krystn wants Nick to walk her down the aisle. You threaten to boycott the wedding if he's there. Well, the wedding is still Saturday at one, but not here. We're flying to Vermont and they're getting married in Matt's home town. His Uncle is the Bishop and he will do the honors. That way the wedding won't have all the negative energy that would be here." "I won't be there!" "I know. I will let everyone we invited know of the change of venue. They can come to Vermont or not, either way, we are having a wedding!" "I won't be here when you get back!" Marie looked at her mother and said, "Can you be out by tomorrow afternoon?" "What?" "You have a house. Can you take all your things and get there by tomorrow afternoon?" "Are you throwing me out?" "In a kind way, yes. We need the room for Nick to move back in. When he gets off work tomorrow he can start bringing his stuff back. The question is, can you get your things out by then?" "He's moving back in? But, you aren't married any more!" "It isn't against the law for us to shack up for a week." "What do you mean, for a week?" "Right after Krystn and Matt get married on Saturday, the Bishop is marrying us." "This is just wrong!" "I agree. It has been wrong and for that, I apologize. I wanted to believe that my mother would never do anything that wasn't in my best interest. I believed that your love for me would motivate you to always be looking out for me. When you told me I didn't love Nick, I believed you. When you hid his attempts to stay in touch and stay involved I believed you when you said he hadn't called. I was wrong and I have apologized." Tears ran down Marie's face as she spoke. Elaine sat in her rocking chair looking very much like she had been slapped. "I have always loved you. Everything I have ever done has been for your benefit." "You decided before we were ever married that you didn't like Nick. I knew it. Nick knew it. Everyone in the family knew it. How is that being supportive? How is that helping my life to work?" "He's never been good enough for you. He still isn't." "The church says I should be married, have children, raise them to be good adults and stand by my man. My Mother says I should only marry a man she picks, only have children with him and stand by the man she picks. Did you let your mother pick your husband, mother?" "My Mother approved of Curt. She liked him. She thought we should wait until he got out of the Army before we got married, but she liked him." "Did you love him?" "Of course I loved him!" "Really? While I was away this weekend I thought a lot about what I saw of you and my Daddy. I never saw you walk holding hands with him. I never saw you kiss him. I saw you peck him on the cheek a few times but never saw a kiss between you. I saw you tell him what to buy you for Christmas and then tell him he got the wrong thing when you got exactly what you told him to get. How did you show him you loved him? What was the example you gave Bill, Judy and me for how to show a spouse love?" "I took good care of him! I cooked and cleaned and raised his children. I'm not good at being outgoing with affection. I loved him!" "You told me that Nick was too open with his affection. You made me feel like Nick was doing something wrong when he kissed me in front of the kids. You told me I shouldn't like sex with him. You said sex wasn't for enjoyment, it was for making babies. Well, you were wrong, Mother. Sex is one way Nick and I show each other affection. It helps bond us together. One of the reasons I want you to move out is so Nick and I can have more sex without wondering if you're listening. I want to walk around the house naked, because Nick likes looking at me naked." "I don't want to listen to this! He has corrupted your thinking." "You don't need to listen to this. You can pack you things and go home, Mother. If it's too big a job for you we can call the Bishop and he'll send a few men from the congregation to help pack your things and move them to your house. I don't want you to sleep here tonight. I want Nick to sleep here tonight and tomorrow night and every night from now on." "If you do this you will lose your Mother!" "Remember in the Bible where it talks about when you get married you trade the bonds with your parents for the bond with a spouse, and you should cleave to the spouse? That's what I'm doing. If you want to be in my life, in our lives, you need to be supportive, loving and allow us to love each other as we see fit. If you can't do that, then we'll miss you. If I have to choose married to Nick or having you in my life, I choose Nick." "You'll regret this! You shouldn't treat your Mother like this. I brought you into this world. Now you're throwing me out!" "No! You are choosing to leave. I want a loving, supportive Mother. You say you can't be loving and supportive. Your choice. I choose to be Nick's wife. He is the father of my children. He loves me. I love him. We are willing to love you and have you be in our lives, but only if you can be loving and supportive. You wouldn't even be supportive of Krystn's choices about her wedding! So, she gets married almost three thousand miles away from you. That is your doing." The washing machine dinged, announcing that the load was ready to transfer to the drier. Marie got up and went to handle the transfer. Elaine sat quietly for a few moments then stood and picked up her purse. She said, "I'll have someone come to get my things tomorrow." "Will you be here to show them what to take?" I asked. "Marie knows what things are mine." "I'm sure she does. However, your things are your responsibility. If you are involved we eliminate the possibility of you not getting all your things and then blaming either Marie or me for what's missing. Please, be here with whoever you send and then you will be sure you get everything that's yours." "God! Ok, I'll be here!" "I'll be off work at five and here by six-thirty. Does that give you enough time?" "I'm sure it does." Marie came back into the room and saw her mother holding her purse and standing. "Leaving? What time will you be back in the morning?" "I'll call before we come for my things. I would guess we'll be here at about nine or ten." Marie went to the front door, opened it and opened her arms to offer her Mother a hug. I had never seen them hug, ever.'' Elaine walked past Marie's open arms and said, "I don't hug." "I know. I've wanted a hug from you since I was a little girl." Elaine went out the door and we watched her get in her car and drive away. Marie stood next to me and I held her as we watched her mom drive away. We drove to my apartment and I packed enough things so I had clothes for work the next day. We stopped at a store and I bought some boxes for my things and some boxes for Elaine to use as she moved out of Marie's house. We went home and for the first time in almost ten years Marie made dinner for us. We sat at the table and ate, did the dishes afterwards together and we talked. At eight or a little after, the phone rang. I felt the urge to answer it, but I didn't. It couldn't be for me. Only two people knew I was back and Elaine wouldn't be calling to talk to me. It was Adam. He had been called by Elaine and he was angry. Marie talked to him for almost half an hour. For the first fifteen minutes of that time I sat on the couch and she sat in the chair by the front door. Then she moved and sat in my lap with my arms wrapped around her. Tears dropped on my chest. Adam told her how wrong she was to love me. Adam told her all the lies that Elaine had willingly told him over the years. At the end of the half hour he was clear that he was invited to the wedding, that we were back together, and that we loved him. Marie was sure he wasn't coming to the wedding and that he said he wasn't coming home for even a visit as long as I was living in the house. At a little after nine the phone rang again. It was Marie's brother Bill. She was still in my lap from the call from Adam. I heard Bill as he spoke to Marie. He told her about the call he got from Elaine and his reaction. He talked about how he felt lucky that Momma hadn't decided he was her target and how bad he felt for what happened to us. Can People Change? Bill and his wife would fly to Vermont and be at the wedding. They had already booked their flight. Bill would be coming to help Elaine pack in the morning. He said some supportive things to Marie and asked her to tell me, "Welcome back." By ten we were getting ready for bed. Marie did her normal ritual for getting ready, right up to the part of the ritual where she donned her nightgown. She held it in her hands and then hung it on the back of the door. She faced me and opened her arms. "Like what you see?" I smiled and said, "Yes! Let's go to bed." We were noisy on purpose, even though no one else was in the house. The alarm woke me, us, at six. I got up and headed for the shower. Marie didn't need to get up that early. When I was in the shower she joined me. We played as we got clean and we laughed. As I dressed she made me breakfast. She made French toast and put a jar of peanut butter on the table by my plate. I sat to eat fully dressed. She sat with me and stayed naked. It was nice being home again, and it was nice that home was changing. Marie spent the day making phone calls and sending emails to all the people who had been invited to the wedding. She greeted Bill and Momma when they came for Momma's things. Momma didn't even speak to Marie. It took Bill less than ninety minutes to get all of Momma's things. Marie made a pitcher of lemonade and Bill drank some. While Marie was making calls she heard Momma huff and grunt a few times. She assumed they were editorial noises and didn't react to them. A few of the invited guests to the wedding made reservations for flying to Vermont, many did not. The ones who asked, Marie told the truth about why the wedding was moved. Our flight to Vermont left at four on Friday afternoon. It was after midnight when we got to Vermont and after three by the time we got into our hotel room and bed. We were still a little tired when we got to the church at noon. I was in a small room helping get things ready for the ceremony when Bill burst in and said, "You are not going to believe who's here!" "Ok. Who is it?" He grabbed my arm and led me to the door leading into the front of the chapel. I peeked through the small opening and almost gasped. Sitting in the front row, bride's side, was Elaine. She was in a nice lavender dress and was all smiles. "Does Krystn or Marie know she's here?" Bill said, "Since you and I are the only ones out here who know who she is, I don't think so." We went back to the room where Marie and Krystn were getting ready. I knocked and Marie opened the door a little. "I need to talk to both of you, right now. It's urgent!" "Ok, come in." Marie opened the door and I saw Krystn as bride for the first time. She was radiant and beautiful. Marie was as beautiful to me but her dress was more subdued. "Marie please sit for a moment." She sat next to Krystn. "Sitting in the chapel, front row, bride's side, is Elaine." Marie jumped up and said, "No!" "Yes. Bill saw her come in. Neither of us has spoken to her, but we both saw her." "I'll be right back!" Marie said as she left the room. Krystn looked at me and said, "What does it mean?" "I think it means your Grandmother decided she loves you and your Mom more than she loves being right. Marie is finding the answer to that question right now." "Do I look good enough to marry, Daddy?" "You are the second most beautiful bride I've ever seen." We hugged. A knock came at the door. I opened it a crack and saw Adam standing there. "Dad, I came to apologize to Krystn but since you're here may I apologize to both of you?" I opened the door and they were each other's arms. Scott apologized for being an ass and for not believing what Marie and Krystn knew. Marie came back and she was included in the hugs, tears and apology. I asked, "Adam, what happened? Less than a week ago you were never going to see your Mom again." "Grandma called me and told me what she had done. She asked me to forgive her and forgive you. She asked me to help her get here." A man I had known for less than a day stood in the doorway and said, "I've got a chapel full of people waiting for a wedding. Can we start the music?" The women scurried for thirty seconds and then said, "Start the music!" An hour later Krystn and Matt were married. Marie and I were married as well. I had the honor of walking Krystn down the aisle. I had the honor of marrying Marie. During the reception I got to dance with Krystn, then with Marie. A little later Elaine came to me and said, "I think it's customary for the groom to dance with the mother of the bride. I missed out on that some years ago because I was foolish. If you're willing to let me apologize for being an ass, I'd like to rectify that now." At the end of the dance Elaine kissed me on the cheek. Tears ran down her cheeks. "Thank God for waterproof mascara." "Oh, are you going to get some?" I asked. The look on her face was horrified. I smiled and she understood that I was joking. We both laughed. She put her arm around me and put my arm around her as we walked off the dance floor. If this were a fairy tale it would end with, "They lived happily ever after." This isn't a fairy tale. There have been times when sixty-plus years of being a controlling bitch still motivate Elaine to attempt to run everything according to her way. There have been times when Marie has felt the urge to be her mother in the lives of Adam and Krystn. I have stepped into it a few times as well and I'm sure I will again. All that said, "They did live happily ever after, so far."