17 comments/ 36250 views/ 15 favorites Entertained Enough by Love By: woodmanone There are no graphic sex scenes in this story, sorry. I want to thank my wife and others who have helped me in writing this story. We have discussed and debated about my work here for hours. I have made a few changes before posting so any screw ups are mine. Thanks for reading my story and please ENJOY. ***************** I have been entertained by love about as much as I care to, thank you. You see I'm a two time loser at the relatively young age of 26. That's right I've been married and divorced and had another marriage annulled in a period of time that most guys are still looking for "the one". I'm James William Kelly by the way. Alexi Dennis and I met in high school and dated for about a year before graduating. She was tall at 5 feet 9 with a mane of long auburn hair, green eyes and a body that caused men and young boys to fantasize and run around in circles. There was more than one guy that tried to get and keep her attention. Her face was like an angel's, but an angel with a devil sitting on her shoulder leading her into trouble. You could tell by the look in her eyes that "Lexi" was something of a wild child. The reason that I succeeded where others failed is that I never gave in to her womanly wiles. If a guy said no or refused to do what she wanted, Lexi would lower her head and look up at a guy with her soulful eyes and rub against him to get his attention. Then she would pout and use a little girl voice to get the young man to do what she wanted. On our second date she tried to control me in this way and I just ignored her when she went into her little act. It wasn't that I was immune but I had watched other guys get wrapped around her finger and decided that I'd rather be a free agent and alone than to be at her beck and call. To cite one example, on our fourth date we were on a picnic at the beautiful river just outside of our home town. The river was a clear spring fed stream flowing between some low hills. The water flowed up against a rock bluff and formed a swimming hole with a gravel beach that we used all summer. There were ten or twelve in the group, mostly couples but with a couple of single guys along too. The plan was to stay all day and have a cook out on the banks of the river that evening. We ran out of the type of soda that Lexi preferred and she wanted me to drive back to get her some while she stayed at the river with the rest of the group. The last thing I wanted to do was leave her alone, especially with those two single dudes around. "You want me to drive for 15 miles one way over a dirt road just to get you a soda?" Can't you drink something else this one time Lexi?" She started her little pouting routine on me and that's when I decided that I wasn't going to be her lap dog. I couldn't believe that she wanted me to waste an hour or more just to get her a soda. "I don't think so sugar. Don't take too long or you'll miss all the fun," I told her as I tossed her the keys to my truck. She dropped the keys and walked away. For the next couple of hours she made it a point to spend a lot of time with the two single guys in the group and with the others while ignoring me. Lexi didn't do anything wrong with either of the guys except she was supposed to be my date, not theirs. My day was spent playing in the river and hiking along the banks alone. I thought this looks like the end of a very brief romance. If she wants those guys, let her have them; I wasn't going to run after her and I wasn't going to be her boy toy to order around. As the day wore down to late afternoon, the couples began to set up the grills for the planned BBQ. Lexi came back to where I was starting my grill and sat down. I looked over at her and continue to set up the grill. "I decided to forgive you and eat dinner with you," she said with a bright smile as if bestowing a gift on me. "That's big of you; thanks, but no thanks Lexi. My food and my cooking are for me and my date; since you left me I guess I'll be cooking just for me. Go back to the two guys you spent the afternoon with and let them feed you." I had no intention of making her do without but I had to make a point. To say that she was shocked at my response was a gross understatement. I don't think she had ever had any one, especially a male, turn her down before. My rejection was something new to her and she didn't know how to react. "But they only came out for the day and aren't staying," she said with puppy dog eyes. "Then I guess you should go back with them. Don't forget your beach bag, it's in the front seat of my truck," I told her. I was purposely pushing her buttons to make my point. Lexi was stunned, she sat for a minute and then tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. She really was at a loss. I let her sit there for a minute as I continued to work on the grill and then turned to look her in the eye. "Look Lexi, I like you a lot. You are beautiful, intelligent, and fun to be with. But these games of yours make you just another girl. You're better than that and I won't settle for anything but your best. If we are going to continue dating you have to stop trying to play me. Just be yourself and we can have a good time. If not, I don't see much of a future for us. Okay?" It wasn't that I knew a lot about women or was a super stud, but I had seen other guys play her game and then be pushed aside by Lexi. I didn't plan on being dumped the same way. Apparently my idea worked because our relationship grew after this confrontation and we really began to enjoy our time together. I don't know, maybe she was smarter than me after all. We usually ended up doing what she wanted anyway. In hindsight, I guess I wasn't as much of a free agent as I thought. When Lexi flashed those startling green eyes at me, it was hard to turn her down. We fit well together both physically and mentally. At 6 feet 2 and 200 pounds, I was just the right height to be with Alexi; she could wear 3" heels when we went someplace nice and not tower over me. She was stunning and my looks wouldn't scare little children so we made a nice looking couple. The only fault that Alexi had was her lack of motivation. She knew what a hottie she was and had no intention of having to work for a living. Alexi's plan was to get married as soon as possible after school preferably to a well to do or rich guy and let her husband take care of her. I on the other hand had a plan; I maintained a solid 4.0 GPA and worked toward a future in the business world. Alexi knew that I wasn't ready to get married because I planned on going to college and she didn't want to wait for me to finish my education. She might have had to get a job if she waited. Alexi and I would have probably drifted apart anyway when I left to go to college. I really think that if things had been different that she would have dumped me that summer after our graduation. The little "blip" that kept her from kicking me to the curb was that we managed to get Alexi pregnant. Lexi and I weren't in love and didn't feel that we were "soul mates", but we really liked each other and had fun together. (Apparently a little too much fun, it turned out). But I'm sure we would have parted ways when I went to college if she hadn't have became pregnant. That's right; one month after graduation Alexi told me that she was two months along. We had taken precautions most of the times that we danced the horizontal tango. The one or two times that we didn't take precautions, Lexi said she was in the safe part of her cycle. Obviously she was mistaken at least about the safe part. I have heard about a sinking feeling in your stomach and always thought it was just a phrase. Now I knew that feeling myself; I felt emptiness in my gut that almost made me sick. I felt my heart begin to beat very fast and thought I might pass out for a second. Recovering I told Lexi that I wasn't going to run away and that I would help see her through our situation. A note here, the rhythm method of birth control is a crap shoot at best. It just doesn't work all that well. Of course if Lexi and I hadn't been in such a hurry at times we wouldn't have had to depend on a questionable means of birth control, now would we? Lexi and I discussed our problem and I asked her what she wanted to do. She said she wanted to keep the baby; abortion and putting the baby up for adoption were never considered a solution. I had been raised to believe that you're responsible for your actions and their consequences and that you faced your responsibilities. That left just one course of action; I asked her to marry me. I told her that if she didn't want to get married that I would still help her and wanted to be a part of the baby's life. Lexi agreed that we should get married and give the child a happy home. When we told my dad and mom, Raymond and Molly, about our plans to get married and why we needed to, my mom reacted in a typical manner. She started to cry a little and hugged both Alexi and me. My dad also gave Alexi a little hug, said welcome to the family and nodded his head for me to join him outside. Oh hell I thought, here comes the lecture about I should have been more careful, how could I have been so dumb, etc etc. Standing on the front porch my dad put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I'm proud of you for taking responsibility and doing the right thing. Your mother and I will help you as much as we can." Then he hugged me; it was one of the few times I ever saw tears in his eyes. Alexi lived alone with her father, John; her mother had passed away when Alexi was twelve. Her father was a lot nicer to me than I thought he would be. I actually thought he might beat the hell out of me for knocking up his little girl. He wasn't jumping up and down with joy, but did show a grudging respect to me for accepting my responsibilities. I had been offered a full academic scholarship to a very good university in my home town but with a baby on the way and a wife to support I planned to give up going to college. My folks and Alexi's dad got together and offered to pay our living expenses until I got a degree. They would pay for food, expenses and an apartment for us until I could finish my education. Between the scholarship and the help from our parents we would do okay. We were married within a month after our announcement to our parents. They even footed the bill for a four day weekend at a resort in our area. Alexia and I figured the damage had already been done so we made the most of the honeymoon suite. We used very few of the amenities of the resort except for the hot tub and the round bed in our room. Back to real life and in our apartment, to have money for the little extras necessary for a decent quality of life I worked part time on the loading dock of a UPS shipping center. Actually the schedule I followed wasn't too bad. I worked on the docks from midnight until 6 AM; then came home to eat, clean up, and go to my first class. I usually finished classes by 2 PM and was able to spend some time with Alexi before I had to get some sleep. On the weekends we would do the normal things that young couples do; go to the movies once in awhile, out to dinner once a month or so, or just spend time together planning for the baby and our future. Our spending money was limited but we had a pretty good life. Our relationship progressed from two kids forced into marriage to that of a couple learning to live together and beginning to love each other. About once a month I would work the weekends for extra money. The reason for this was that I wanted Alexi to be able to go have her hair done or get a spa treatment or some other girly type thing just for her. A mother to be needs to feel good about herself and her appearance. Alexi and I were fairly happy. I don't think we were in love but we did like each other very, very much and enjoyed living together. We both knew that if there was no baby on the way that we probably would have broken up, but we were looking forward to our life together. Possible names for the baby were discussed and we would make a decision as soon as we knew the sex of the child; we learned that we were going to have a son. We planned to paint and decorate the second bedroom in our apartment as a nursery and we made plans for a crib and all the other stuff needed for a baby. In other words we were planning the future for the three of us. MEN PLAN AND THE GODS LAUGH. Fate or the gods or bad luck decided that Alexi and I shouldn't be happy together. They decided that me doing the right thing and Alexi facing her responsibility wasn't good enough. We lost our son at the start of her sixth month. I came home from work at 6:30 like every morning to find Alexi lying on the kitchen floor. She had been fixing a meal for me like she always did and fainted. There was a little blood on her nightgown and she was unconscious. I called 911 and followed the EMTs to the hospital. I called my dad and mom as soon as I could; and they joined me at the hospital. John was out of town on a job and we couldn't contact him. Sitting in the waiting room, thinking and worrying about Lexi I realized that I would really miss her if this whole thing went south. I don't know that I was deeply in love with her but I had developed a more intense "like" that was beginning to turn into love since we got married. Lexis' attitude toward "us" had changed too. She told me that she believed we could have a good life together and thought that we could learn to love each other. I guess the pregnancy had made her more mature and Lexi wasn't the same flighty girl that she had been. She was a soon to be mother, a more serious person and a young woman that was more sure of herself. After what seemed to be a whole day but was actually only a couple of hours, a doctor came to see us. The look on his face made me think that everything had gone to hell. Once again I felt that sinking feeling in my stomach and my heart started racing. He started out by assuring me that Alexi was okay, however she had lost the baby. The doctor explained what had happened; something about hemorrhaging and the complications but all I heard was that we had lost the baby. The doctor saw my response and had me put my head between my knees before I could pass out. After I calmed down a little he gave me a little hope; Lexi would still be able to have kids in the future. We were allowed to see Lexi and as I came into her room, she started crying. She was very upset and kept apologizing to me for losing the baby. I held her and tried to comfort her until she fell asleep. The nurse suggested that I go home as with the sedative they had given her she would sleep until tomorrow morning. My folks tried to get me to leave but I sat at her bedside for another hour and then went their house. When I got to my parent's house, I broke down and started crying. Even though I was a married man I was really just a 19 year old kid put under a lot of stress. My mom was holding me and crying too and my dad put his arm around my shoulders and we all shared a group hug. John, Lexi's dad, called my parents that evening because he couldn't get hold of us at our place and assumed we would be with them. I had to tell him that Lexi was in the hospital and what had happened. As I got to the part about losing the baby, I broke down again. My dad took the phone and finished talking to John. Dad explained that Lexi was okay and would sleep until tomorrow morning. John said he was coming back right away and would be home in about a day and a half. Mom didn't pay any attention to what the nurse had told me because she told us that when Lexi woke up, she would need a woman to talk to and left to go sit with Lexi. Mom basically ordered me to stay with Dad, get some rest, and go back to the hospital the next morning. Lexi spent a couple of more days in the hospital and then I brought her home. She went to some meetings with a support group and after a month seemed like her old self. Well almost like her old self, she was a little more serious and seemed to have grown up a lot. To tell the truth I wasn't the same old carefree man either. I guess our ordeal had made both of us grow up a little. About six months after losing the baby, Lexi and I went out for a night on the town on a Saturday. I took her to a good steak house, then to a little jazz club, and we finished the "date" at a little coffee shop. Lexi was in good spirits and smiled and laughed a lot. We got back to our apartment and made slow, gentle love that night. It was the first time since Lexi had came home from the hospital that she had shown any real interest in being intimate and I hadn't wanted to push her. It was wonderful, tender, loving and we fell asleep in each other's arms. I thought we had finally turned the corner and could complete the healing process. Shows how much I knew. Sunday morning when I got up, Lexi was sitting at our kitchen table. I said good morning, got a cup of coffee, and sat down across from her. She was very quiet and didn't say anything for a few minutes and then she hit me with the zinger. "James, I'm leaving and want a divorce," she said. "What?" That was my shocked response. "Why?" "You're a good man James. You're kind, caring, and have treated me very well. I'm grateful and respect you for meeting your obligations and taking care of me. I even love you in some ways, but I don't love you the way a wife should love her husband." Lexi stopped to dry the tears running down her cheeks. "We only married because of our responsibility to the baby, but when we lost our son the reason for us being together was lost too. I've been thinking a lot about us since I got home from the hospital. And as much as I like and respect you, I don't want to settle for anything but real love in my marriage." "Lexi you know I care for you and I think we could be good together," I interrupted. Remember that sinking feeling? Well it was back; I didn't want her to go. "I know and I care for you too, but it's not enough for either of us. If the baby had lived we might have made a good life together. My dad is coming to pick me up and then I'm going to go live with my aunt in Washington State. Please don't hate me James." Those were her final words and she kissed me on the cheek as she went to answer her father's knock at the door. John helped her with two suitcases, gave me a little smile and said that he was sorry. I watched her walk out of my life. I could have argued and debated with Lexi, but I wasn't sure of my feelings for her. Was it losing her that bothered me or losing the idea of us as a family that caused the pain? Until I could decide the answer to that question, I didn't have the right to try and keep her from getting on with her life. We live in a no fault state so the divorce wasn't a hassle or much trouble actually. Lexi moved to Washington and I gave up the apartment and moved back in with my parents. I lived with them until I finished school. The money from my job went toward my college expenses so Mom and Dad didn't have to spend the money on my living expenses. I talked to John several times trying to get a phone number, address, or even email so I could get in touch with Lexi. Each time he said he was sorry but based on what Lexi had said he didn't think it would be a good idea for me to approach her. John really did seem to be sorry but he couldn't go against his daughter's wishes. I understood. I didn't like it but I understood. The rest of my college career was spent without much female companionship. It wasn't that I had turned into a monk or anything but I just didn't want to get involved with anyone right then. The pain or hurt or whatever of Lexi leaving was still eating at me. I certainly didn't want to go on hunting expeditions to the local hang outs for have a series of one night stands. Entertained Enough by Love I was a young, healthy, heterosexual male and the pressures started to build about three months after Lexi and I split up. An expedition to the local "body shop" was looking like my only course of action when the fickle gods decided to help me for a change and brought me Beth. Beth and I had met in high school and even dated a few times. Nothing serious came of it because we discovered we would be better as friends than as a couple. I even introduced her to Sam, the guy that she went steady with all through high school. We ran into each other at the student union one day; I had been so involved with Lexi, work, and my classes that I didn't even know she was in school. She and I sat and talked for two or three hours, sort of renewing our friendship. I told her about Lexi, the baby, and the break up and divorce. Beth told me that she had been engaged to Sam but she caught him in the back seat of his car with some skank from another school. Thus she wasn't engaged anymore and Sam lost one of his front teeth. We went out for pizza on Saturday night, just as friends. That soon developed into friends with benefits type of situation. Beth and I both wanted to concentrate on our education and didn't want to get into relationships or dating so we decided to help each other. Beth and I knew we could never be a loving couple but we were good friends and enjoyed our time together. For the next two and a half years we would help "release the pressure" for each other. A couple of times a month, sometimes more, we would get together to unwind. Most of the time we went to her place or if the weather was warm out to the quarry or down by the river for our little get togethers. I had a basement apartment with an outside entrance at my parent's house, but I was worried about trying to explain Beth to my mom. I know my dad would have understood. After graduation, Beth moved to Texas to start her career and I never saw her in person again. We talked a few times and emailed each other but those gradually came to an end. New careers and new friends didn't leave us much time to continue our friendship especially from long distance. I received an invitation to Beth's wedding. Due to time and work constraints I couldn't go but I sent her my best wishes. Beth was the best friend that I ever had; not because of the sex but because I could talk to her about anything. I hope she will be happy; she deserves it. I applied myself to my studies with a vengeance and graduated second in my class. One month after graduation I started a new job with XYZ Corporation. I was 22, a college graduate with a bright future and alone in the world except for my parents. ****************** A little over a year into my job, I received a promotion and got my own office. Until the company could find someone to be my secretary, one the girls (maybe I should say women) from the secretary pool was assigned to me. That was Bobbie Joe Sawyer. I hadn't been celibate for the year after graduation but I had purposely not gotten into a relationship with any of my dates. Well meaning friends would set me up with dates and some of them led to the bedroom but I didn't let any of them become serious. Maybe it was Bobbie Joe's Texas twang; she was from Big Springs, or her blond hair, brown eyed good looks that attracted me. She was tall at 5 feet 8 with a voluptuous body that could start a bar fight by her just walking in. It may have been a combination of all of this plus the fact that she acted like I was the reason that the sun came up in the morning. Her adoration of me would have been embarrassing except that my ego needed something like that. I hadn't felt loved or wanted or cared about since Lexi and I broke up. Bobbie Joe made it apparent that she thought I was the best thing since the invention of television. Our first date was for lunch where she informed me that her name was Bobbie Joe not Bobbie and on our second date we went for BBQ and to a movie. I think it was on our sixth date that I dressed in a coat and tie and planned to take Bobbie Joe to a fancy restaurant then dancing afterwards. We never made it. On Friday evening Bobbie Joe answered her door wearing black lace panties and bra, high heels and nothing else. She said something like "Hi cowboy want'a ride this filly?" Then she grabbed my tie, pulled me into her apartment and proceeded to screw my brains out. Later Bobbie Joe said she was tired of waiting for me to make a move so she took things into her own hands. And I mean that in every sense of the phrase. Now I've had experience with women but nothing like this. We did things to and for each other that I had only read about. I didn't leave her apartment until late Sunday evening and wouldn't have left then except I had to get home, get some rest and get ready for work on Monday. Needless to say, our relationship took a giant step forward after that weekend. We spent as much time together as possible and continued to try and break new free world records in sex and loving. From the minute that Bobbie Joe grabbed my tie and pulled me into her place, I was hooked or as Bobbie Joe would say, roped and hogtied. My first warning should have been when I took Bobbie Joe home to meet my folks. My mom, who could accept a room full of terrorists with guns, didn't like Bobbie Joe. Mom was polite but I could see that there was no real warmth there. That was strange; my mom liked everybody, at least until they proved they shouldn't be liked. I took Bobbie Joe home and when I got back to my house I saw Dad on the front porch and joined him. "Well what do you think of Bobbie Joe, Dad?" "Well, she is certainly a pretty thing and she brightens up a room don't she? It's more important what you think of her James," Dad said. He usually had a direct, less than tactful way of talking and he was dancing around my question. "Come on Dad, you're avoiding my question. What do you really think of her?" He hesitated for more than a minute, gave a big sign, and nodded his head. "Okay here goes; don't let the fact that you're lonely make you do something you may regret." "What the hell are you talking about?" I was a little upset about what he said. "Bobby Joe is very pretty and you can't help but like her, however when you look at her I don't see the love there. There's no doubt that you like her a lot, but will that be enough in the long run?" "Bullshit," I said and then stomped off the porch to go to my apartment. I guess I was upset because I'd wanted him to approve of my choice. Three months later Bobbie Joe and I "eloped" from St. Louis across the Mississippi River to Belleville, Illinois to get married. In the state of Illinois you can get a marriage license and be married on the same day as long as you are of legal age. I was almost 24 and Bobbie Joe was 19, so we got married on a Friday afternoon and spent our three day honeymoon in the best hotel in town. Bobbie Joe talked a lot about her folks during our relationship and mostly about her "Daddy". I thought it kind'a cute that a grown woman still called her father Daddy, at least for the first two months; I began to wonder if she had an obsession with her father because hardly a day went by that she didn't mention "Daddy". She had to transfer to a different department at work because company policy wouldn't allow spouses to work together. She said that I was her only real friend and didn't really like having to leave our department. To say that my folks were less than overjoyed would be a gross understatement. But being the kind of people they are they welcomed Bobbie Joe into the family. I moved into her apartment and we planned on getting a house later on. We had discussions about starting a family but neither of us seemed in too much of hurry to do so. I guess we both wanted to get a little more settled in our jobs before taking that step. We had been married about six months when she began to talk about going home to visit her folks and friends, which was a little strange. Bobbie Joe had always claimed that she couldn't wait to get out of the hick town of Big Springs and away from all the hayseeds that lived there; now she wanted to go back. I guess she missed her folks. I couldn't take the time off work right then but I told her to take a long weekend and go visit her parents. They hadn't been able to come to our wedding because we eloped and she hadn't seen them in quite a while. She arranged for a two days off work and flew to Midland and her folks picked her up at the airport for the fifty mile trip to their place. Bobbie Joe left on Wednesday evening and came back on Sunday afternoon. She was really happy to see me when she got back and we spent the entire evening making up for our time apart. For the next few days Bobbie Joe talked about her folks and what her friends back in Big Springs were doing. Bobbie Joe changed after her visit home; there were times that she seemed to be off in another world. She would sort of stare off into space and when I asked her if anything was wrong she would just smile, give me a hug, and say everything was fine. But she certainly had something on her mind. One month to the day after her trip home Bobbie Joe asked, "Have you ever thought about living somewhere else James?" I had a feeling where this question was leading but just answered, "No, I like this town. Why?" "Oh nothing really, I've been talking to my folks and they think we could do real good in Big Springs," she happily informed me. "All my friends seem to be making a good living there." "I thought you hated that "hick" town as you called it and didn't want to be around those "hayseed friends" anymore." I reminded her. "Well I thought I hated it too but after going back for a visit I realize that I want to go back; I think I belong there." Bobbie Joe had that far away look in her eyes again. "Maybe we could visit your folks five or six times a year. There's no reason you can't visit and I'll come with you when I can get off work. I just don't want to move to Big Springs. My job and my future are here," I said. I was hoping that the suggested visits would solve the problem because I had no intention of moving to Texas. A month later Bobbie Joe brought up the idea of moving to Texas again. "James, my daddy has set you up with a job at the Midland Oil Company as the business manager. He said that you would be making a little more than you do at here at XYZ." "I told you before Bobbie Joe that I didn't want to move to Texas, so just drop it." I was a little put out that her "daddy" would set up a job for me without even talking to me about it first. He could have saved himself a lot of trouble because I wasn't going to take the job. "But honey the cost of living in Big Springs is lower than here and we could afford a nice house there for what we spend for this apartment. Besides Daddy and Mommy have found us a nice place to rent with an option to buy and I think we should go take a look at it." Bobbie Joe apparently refused to believe me about not wanting to move. "If we moved we would be much closer to starting a family, you know." "I'm going to tell you this one more time Bobbie Joe, I have no intention of moving to Texas or anywhere else. I like it here and here is where I'm going to stay. And if you just have to go back to Big Springs, you'll have to do it without me. And that crack about starting a family is a low blow." I stomped out of the apartment and took a walk to cool down. The next week I got a surprising phone call at work. It was from Mr. Sawyer, Bobbie Joe's "daddy". "James I know we've never met in person but when you married my little girl you became part of our family," he said with the same Texas twang in his voice that Bobbie Joe had. "I appreciate that Mr. Sawyer. But if this call is about me moving to Texas, let me save us both some time. I have no desire, need, or intention of moving to Texas. Bobbie Joe and I have a future here and I'm stay'n put." "Now son, don't go off half cocked until you hear what the program is, okay? "Mr. Sawyer save your breath, I'm not moving and that's all there is to it. And if Bobbie Joe moves back to Big Springs or anywhere else, she will do it without me. Now is that plain enough for you? Y'all have a nice day, hear." I hung up on him because I had had enough of this bull shit about Texas. Let me explain a little about Tyler S. Sawyer, Bobbie Joe's dad. He put on the big Texan act, but he really wasn't that well off. He lived on his "ranch" as he called it; the ranch was about ten acres of Texas plains and not really worth anything. His only income was from social security, his pension, and a check from Midland Oil for the natural gas on his property. No he wasn't an oil man; the checks were for between fifteen hundred and two thousand dollars a month. This was hardly enough to make Mr. Sawyer an oil tycoon. There's a saying in Texas that describes Sawyer perfectly; "Big hat, no cattle". It simply means that there's a lot of big talk with nothing to back it up. That evening when Bobbie Joe and I got home, the temperature in the apartment was somewhere around freezing. After dinner I sat down in my chair to watch a little TV and Bobbie Joe came in and dropped onto the couch with a huge sigh. She kept glancing over at me and moving around on the couch waiting for my reaction to her sighs and her pouting. Might as well get it out in the open I thought. "Okay, Bobbie Joe stop the theatrics and tell me what's put a burr under your saddle." "How could you talk to Daddy like that and then hung up on him?" I didn't know if she was more upset that I hung up on her father or that I wouldn't go along with their plans for me. "Bobbie Joe, let me put this in terms a Texan can understand. I'm not some bronc that has to be broken and trained to do what you want." My voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I'm really pissed off that you and your "daddy" would try to run my life. You could have at least talked to me to see if I was interested in a new job or if I wanted a house. But then you already knew how I felt about moving." "But honey......" she started but I interrupted her. I'm going to say this one last time, I'M NOT MOVING, NOT TO TEXAS OR ANYPLACE ELSE. If you just have to go back to your "daddy" and Texas you can do it without me." I didn't give her a chance to say anymore, I stomped off to the guest room and went to bed. At this point, I begin to wonder if our marriage was a mistake. If Bobbie Joe was going to make important decisions for us without discussing them first, we were in serious trouble. I couldn't and wouldn't be a second class citizen in my marriage. In addition I wondered if I really loved Bobbie Joe. I hate to use an overworked line, but did I love her or was I in love with her? Maybe it was both or maybe it was neither. I loved being with her, she was vivacious, funny, and always in a good mood. I loved the way she looked; it boosted my ego to see other guys look at her knowing that they thought I was a very lucky man. Of course I loved the sex; she made it a point to keep me well satisfied in that arena. But did I love her or I was I in love with the idea of "us"? The problem about moving was just one of several things that needed to be thought about and solved if possible. I had to come to grips with how I really felt about Bobbie Joe. If things had been freezing around our place before, they were absolutely arctic for the next few days. Bobbie Joe had already planned to take off the next week to do some personal things and a few things around the apartment. So we didn't ride to work together as we normally do and we only saw each other in the evening; she wasn't awake before I left in the morning. There was no verbal interaction between us except for things like "pass the salt please". The evenings were spent watching TV or reading or anything that would keep us from talking to each other. We still slept in the same bed, but we never touched each other. As far sex, I would have gotten more action from a blow up doll. Friday on the drive home from work, I decided that the whole thing had gone on long enough. This situation demanded a solution because I couldn't face another weekend in the frozen atmosphere at home. I thought that I would ask Bobbie Joe if she wanted to go out to dinner and maybe we could talk and come up with some way to solve our problems. I walked into the house and felt the difference; Bobbie Joe was gone. I checked and all of her clothes and personal items were missing. On the kitchen table was a legal size manila envelope, a folded letter, and Bobbie Joe's wedding ring. The large envelope contained the papers for the annulment of our marriage; all they needed was my signature. Bobbie Joe had left everything we had with me. She hadn't claimed any of the bank accounts and didn't want alimony. If these papers hadn't told me what was going on, her wedding ring would have. I picked up the letter and unfolded it. The letter read: Dear James, I'm sorry but I have left you to go back home to Texas. When I came up here to work, I really hadn't intended to be here too long, certainly not for the rest of my life. The problem was that I met and fell in love with you. I thought that being with you and being loved by you would make it possible for me to stay here. I do love you but I want to live my life in Big Springs near my folks and friends. I know I'm being selfish but if I stay, I would probably begin to resent you for making me stay away from my home. We would eventually begin to hate each other. You haven't done anything wrong, but I can't be the equal partner that you need and want. I guess I'm spoiled but I need someone to take care of me and protect me from the world. You need someone to face life with you and dare it to bring you down. I'm not that person. So I've gone back home to Big Springs. You can see that I have had annulment papers drawn up and all you have to do is sign them, send them back to the attorney, and our marriage will be over. I thought that an annulment would be better than a divorce. But if you would rather have a divorce I will sign any papers necessary. My first choice would be that you would decide to join me here and let's stay married. Please think about doing that, I would love to continue to be Mrs. James Kelly. I guess I will know you answer soon. Our separation is on me; I have always been taken care of by Daddy and can't get use to being a stand on my own two feet type of woman. I know that you don't want to move but I hope you love me enough to become a Texan and let my daddy help you take care of me. Again I know that I'm not being logical asking you to love me enough to move when I won't stay there with you. I love you but I have to live here in Big Springs. I love you, Bobbie Joe Well that certainly puts a period to the marriage, I thought. I really didn't feel as bad as I thought I should. Maybe that was the answer to my question concerning how I felt about Bobbie Joe. If I wasn't all torn up about her leaving, maybe I wasn't in love with her after all. On Sunday I called Bobbie Joe at her parent's house and we had a long talk. I asked her to change her mind but she was tearfully adamant about her decision. After about forty five minutes of talking I agreed that an annulment would be the best way to go. I offered her half of the assets but she said she didn't want anything and told me to keep everything. Actually all we had was a few pieces of furniture and a moderate savings account. "James, please don't hate me. I believe that I'm doing the right thing for both of us," Bobbie Joe pleaded with me. "I don't hate you girl," I answered. "Take care of yourself and be happy, okay?" Entertained Enough by Love Her last words to me were, "I love you." That made me feel bad until I realized that love includes compromise and not arbitrarily changing our agreement as to where to live and why. She wanted out of Texas and now wanted to go back so her dad could offer her something I couldn't. Shaking my head I signed the papers then mailed them back to the attorney the next morning. Also, I sent her a check for half of our savings minus our outstanding bills. The lease was almost up on the apartment so I thought I would move back in with my parents. Hell of a thing, I wasn't even 25 yet and I had already had two failed marriages and was moving back in with my parents again. ******************** It's been a little over a year since Bobbie Joe left me and moved back to Texas. I stayed with my parents for two months and then found my own place. It would have been easier to live in my basement apartment again but I needed to be on my own. I would never grow up living at home. I now owned a house or maybe I should say the mortgage company owned it and let me live there. My dad had introduced me to an elderly couple that lived about three blocks from him. The elderly gentleman and my father were members of the same VFW lodge. The couple wanted to sell their house and move to the west coast to be closer to their kids, grandkids, plus two great grandkids and my dad thought I should talk to them about the house. The house needed a little TLC, nothing more major than paint, landscaping, and updating a little. It was perfect for me because I did nothing with my time but go to the gym or run anyway. I wasn't ready to get back into the dating scene and I might as well use all that energy to work on my own place. So I bought the house at a good price and became a home owner. My parents and I went to our favorite pizza place on a Saturday to celebrate. We were celebrating for two reasons actually. I had just had my 26th birthday and I had received another promotion at work. I had been made Vice President of Marketing and I didn't think that I would have the same problem with my secretary as I did with my last promotion. Mrs. Stamos was my new secretary and she was a no nonsense woman of 50. There would be no whirlwind romance with her like I had with Bobbie Joe. Normally Sunday was a family day with dinner at my parent's and lazy discussions after eating. Then I would usually troop back to my house and continue some project I had going on. I usually walked to my parent's for dinner because I lived so close. One evening as I was returning to my house a car pulled to the curb and honked at me. It was Kevin, a friend from my high school days. In fact Kevin and his girlfriend, now his wife, had been at the BBQ at the river the day that I refused to play Alexi's games. I remember that he had gotten a big kick out of me shutting her down. He asked me to join him for a drink or coffee to catch up on our lives and to help him kill some time. Apparently he was a refugee from a baby shower for his second child. We went to a local watering hole; coffee is for breakfast you know, so we talked as we had a couple of beers. Kevin and his wife Judy had just moved back to town from Washington; the state not DC. They had gotten married right out of high school and went to Bellevue to work for Boeing Aerospace. His uncle worked for Boeing and got him a job on the assembly line. Kevin said they got tired of all the rain and he got a transfer back here to St. Louis. We talk about people we had known and the good times we had. He brought up the time at the river and said he thought it was great that I put Alexi in her place. "What ever happened between you and "the little princess" anyway?" Kevin wanted to know. "I married her Kevin," I said. I couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face as he tried to get his foot out of his mouth. "Oh shit, I'm sorry James. I mean, I didn't know, I mean oh hell," Kevin didn't know what to say. "It's okay bud," I let him off the hook. Of course then I had to tell him the whole story of the pregnancy, the marriage, losing the baby, and the divorce. I was surprised at the feeling of sadness that overcame me talking about Lexi. "Last I knew she moved to Seattle to live with an aunt. I talked to her dad a couple of times trying to get in touch with her, but he thought it best that I not contact her, so I gave up. I don't know what happened to her or where she is now." "That explains it then," Kevin said. "Judy and I ran into her at a mall once, even went to a movie and dinner with her a few times. Funny but it was always just the three of us, but she never mentioned your wedding or anything. Anyway we called her to ask her to join us for a going away party but were told that she moved." I continued with the sage of my life including Bobbie Joe and that fiasco and told him that brought him up to date life. I had to admit to Kevin that I've been at loose ends ever since Lexi left me. After I finished he looked at me like he was the cat that ate the canary. "What's on your feeble little mind Kevin? I can tell you're just busting to tell me something. What is it?" "I know where Alexi moved to and where she is now," Kevin told me grinning like a fool. "Where is she Kevin?" He started laughing and I said, "Don't screw around here, where is she?" I couldn't believe the excited feeling I got when he said he knew where Lexi was. "She's back here in St. Louis and right now she is at my mothers house at the baby shower as we speak. Judy's mom knew Alexi had moved back and invited her to the shower because Alexi and Judy were classmates and friends." I couldn't believe it, Lexi was back home. "Why did she come back, where is she living?" Kevin told me that Lexi was living with her father. John had been hurt at his job, he's a heavy equipment operator, and she came home to take care of him. Kevin suggested that he take me home and that I follow him to the house. He said that I could at least say hello to Judy if nothing else. When we got to my place, I told Kevin to go on that I knew where Judy's mom lived and that I would be along in about an hour. I needed to talk to someone that I trusted about Lexi; there was no better person to talk to than my dad. He was putting the trash cans out to the curb when I drove up. Dad came over to the car with a questioning look and I asked him to get in. I told him that I needed some advice and went on to explain about Kevin and his news that Lexi was back home. My dad sat there and waited for me to continue. "What should I do? Should I go see her, should I call her first, or should I leave it alone? A little help here Dad." "Let me ask you a question James. How did you feel when you heard Alexi was back?" "I was excited that I might get to see and talk to her again," I admitted to him. "There you go then. I don't think I've seen you really happy since the two of you broke up. I didn't ask at the time because it wasn't really my business but why did you let her go? "I don't know. What with losing the baby, which was the reason we got married, I didn't want to argue with her if she wanted to leave. I guess that I was thinking that I had screwed up her life enough," I said. His question did make me start thinking more about my feelings for Lexi. "You're right though, I haven't been totally happy since she left. Even when I was married to Bobbie Joe, I still had thoughts about Lexi. Look how good that turned out. I guess I should have listened to you that night I brought Bobbie Joe home." "Maybe, but it hadn't have been her it would have been some other girl. At least Bobbie Joe was damn pretty," Dad said as he laughed. "So what are you going to do son?" "As soon as you get out of my car, I'm going to a baby shower," I answered with a big grin. My plan to see Lexi didn't work. When I knocked on the door, Kevin answered it and told me that Lexi had already gone home. She said that she didn't want to leave her dad alone too long or he would try to get up and move around. I said hello to Judy and spent a few minutes with her and left. I thanked Kevin and started home when I decided, what the hell. It was only 7:30 PM, still early so I drove to Lexi's. All she could do would be to refuse to talk to me and I already had that. I stopped in front of her house and she was sitting in a porch swing. She sort of sat up when she realized who I was. "Hello Lexi," I said as I stepped up onto the porch. "How are you?" "Hi James, I'm doing okay," she said with a guarded tone. "I just heard about your dad's accident and thought I would stop by, say hello, and see if he needed anything." I was grasping at straws here. "He's asleep right now, but I'll tell him you came by. He'll appreciate that." "How did he get hurt? I haven't heard anything about the accident itself, just that he had one." Lexi told me that her dad had been digging a foundation with a big back hoe and the ground gave way under the machine. He was thrown from the saddle and part of the back hoe landed on his leg. Fortunately, if you can call it that, his leg was broken in two places instead of crushed. She said, "He has to stay off his feet for several weeks but he keeps running off the nurses that come to take care of him. Daddy apparently likes to yell at them a lot and now no one wants to take care of him. I came home to take care of him so I'll be here at least until he's back on his feet." When she finished the story, I said, "Your dad only one of the reasons I came by and not even the most important one. I wanted to see you and I wanted to talk to you. I don't know I just wanted to be with you." "Please James don't, I......" Lexi said but I interrupted her. "I've missed you Lexi. I didn't realize it until you left how much I cared for you. Our marriage wasn't all about the baby." I stopped to let her absorb what I had said. "I don't want to cause you any problems or hurt you but I would like to have my best friend back so this is what I'm going to do. I'll come by tomorrow after work to see your dad and if you tell me to leave you alone, I won't bother you again. See you tomorrow." I gave her a kiss on the cheek and left. Tomorrow was a working day and I needed to get some sleep. Right, like that was going to happen; maybe I did get about an hour of sleep. I thought and worried all night about seeing Lexi and what her answer would be. My production at work wasn't up to my normal standards either. Several people asked me if I was okay. The next day after work I was very nervous as I walked to John's door. Lexi answered my knock, let me in, and led me into the living room. It had been turned into John's room because he couldn't get up and down the stairs to his own bedroom. He was glad to see me and I spent an hour with him talking and visiting. Lexi didn't stay in the room and I was worried that she wouldn't want to see me. Lexi was swinging back and forth in the porch swing when I came out. She smiled at me and patted the space next to her on the swing. I didn't think she would invite me to sit with her if she intended to tell me to leave her alone. I returned her smile and joined her and for a little while we just sat there. "I've missed my friend too James. I would like to talk to you and spend some time together, but let's take it easy okay?" I nodded at her to let her know that I understood. We spent the next hour talking about her dad and a lot of little things. It didn't matter what we talked about we were just enjoying our time together. So began a new schedule for me. I would come by and see John two, sometimes three times a week and also spend some time with Lexi while I was there. Talking to John one evening he complained about the "healthy" food that he was eating and that he had to give up cigars while he was convalescing. On my next visit I brought him a huge cheeseburger, a beer, and a very good cigar. I could tell that Lexi was going to object but when she saw how happy her father was she kept quiet. Lexi and I were on the porch swing that evening and she said, "Dad's supposed to be on a healthy diet and quit smoking, you know." She was smiling as she chastised me. "Two times a week John gets to eat something he really likes and not have to worry about being "healthy" and two cigars a week won't hurt him," I said. "Did you see the look of joy on his face as he bit into that burger?" She started to laugh out loud and put her hand on my arm and gave me a little squeeze. It was the first physical contact between us since I had kissed her cheek the night of the baby shower. I hoped it wouldn't be the last. For six weeks I followed my new schedule but it didn't cut into my social life because I didn't have one. Plus I enjoyed spending the time with Lexi and John. Every time I came to their house I would bring John his "happy meal" as he called it and a cigar. Lexi and I also were spending more time on the porch swing after I visited with John. I learned that Lexi had gone to school in Seattle and had obtained a degree in Computer Science; imagine that the little air head vamp from high school was now a computer nerd. Well she was the best looking nerd I have ever seen. As John progressed in his recovery, Lexi and I would run out for coffee or ice cream or to the movies for a couple of hours. John knew that if he overdid it or didn't behave that Lexi would make him stay in bed, so he took it easy. These weren't dates they were just two friends relaxing a little. At least that's what I told Lexi; I was beginning to have other ideas. I sat with Lexi one evening and apparently was a little withdrawn. She noticed that I wasn't talking as much as usual and asked me if there was anything wrong. "Lexi, I want to ask you something but I don't want to scare you off or hurt our new friendship but here goes." I hesitated for a little and continued. "My company is having an awards dinner and dance this weekend and I would like for you to go with me. I'm getting an award and want someone I care about to go with me." "Shouldn't you take one of the girls you usually date James?" "I haven't been dating very much and no one special. There's no one that I would rather have there than you Lexi. I don't mean like a regular date just a friend supporting another friend. Will you go with me? Please?" She thought for a moment and then agreed to go with me. John didn't need 24 hour supervision anymore but I arranged for my dad to come over and spend the evening with John to put Lexi's mind at ease about leaving her father alone for the whole evening. At 7:00 on Saturday night I came to get Lexi and when she opened the door I was stunned. Lexi had been a very pretty girl when we dated and then got married. In the last few years she had grown into a stunningly beautiful young woman. Lexi wore her auburn hair up leaving her neck and shoulders bare. The dark forest green dress brought out the red highlights in her hair and made her green eyes shine. I couldn't believe that this was the same young lady that I had been married to. The evening was a great success both because of my award for management skills and because Lexi and I had a great time. We danced several times and just enjoyed ourselves without getting into any heavy discussions. Since my dad was with her father we did leave a little early. My dad was sitting on the porch swing when I took Lexi home. He said that John was asleep and that they had a good time that evening. On my next visit a couple of days later after giving John his pizza and cigar, Lexi asked me to take her to a reading by one of her favorite authors. She said we could go to dinner after the event if I wanted to. It was another good time and I began to hope that we could progress past the friendship into something more. Kevin was going to take Judy to a big sale on baby things and they asked Lexi to go with them. Lexi didn't want to leave her father; John had bumped his leg and wasn't feeling very good. I told her I would come over and spend the evening with him so she could go with Judy and not worry about her father. I had to promise that I wouldn't let him have more than two beers and cigar. She said that he was like a little kid and sometimes he took advantage when she left him alone. John and I had a big pizza and a couple of beers and watched a baseball game. At the seventh inning stretch he pulled a bottle of bourbon from its' hiding place in his chair. He told me to bring two glasses and have a real drink with him. I started to get on him about the booze but he told me to leave him alone or he would hit me with one of his crutches. I agreed to have one drink with him and got the glasses. As I sat there with the three fingers of bourbon that he handed me John said, "Thanks for coming over to visit and talk while I've been laid up. I know it wasn't just me you were coming to see but thanks anyway. I would have had to eat all that healthy shit without you." John laughed out loud as he said that. Kevin, Judy, and Lexi got back around 9:00 PM. The extra drinks that night had made John sleepy and I had helped him to bed about a half an hour before they got home. Kevin and Judy stayed for a few minutes and left Lexi and I alone. The next day was Saturday and I invited Lexi for a picnic. I told her I would pick her up about 10:00 and said good night. Lexi did give me a hug and thanked me for staying with John. I arrived to get Lexi in my truck instead of my car and she was a little surprised but didn't say anything. When I turned off the main road onto the rutted dirt road she began to smile. Lexi knew that I was taking her to our picnic spot on the river. "Are we going where I think we're going?" Lexi asked with a tender little smile. "You'll just have to wait and see young lady," I answered with a big smile of my own. I had an ulterior motive for bringing Lexi to the river. This was the spot that where we really started our relationship over seven years ago. We spent a lot of the day wading in the water or hiking the river bank and just enjoying the beautiful area and our time together. I asked Lexi what she planned to do when her dad was back on his feet. She said she hadn't made up her mind but maybe she would go back to Seattle. About 1:00 we spread a blanket on the river bank and brought out the food and drinks. Lexi had put together some really great hoagies and I had brought the drinks in my cooler. I asked Lexi if she wanted a soda and produced her favorite from back in high school. She looked at the soda can and started to laugh and with moist eyes said, "You remembered." "I remember a lot of things Lexi. I remember how pretty you were on our wedding day. I remember how glad I was to see you every morning when I got back to our apartment after working all night. I remember how you would get up early to cook a meal for me." I had to stop for a few seconds and gather myself. "I remember how sad I was when we lost the baby and at the same time how happy I was that you were okay. And then I remember how empty and devastated I was when you left. I had come to love you and it almost knocked me out when you said you wanted a divorce. Why did you leave Lexi?" Lexi listened to my comments and had tears in her eyes. She shook her head as if she didn't want to answer but I pushed her. "Why Lexi?" "Because I didn't want ruin your life James. You married me because of the baby and when we lost that I didn't want you to have to stay in a marriage that didn't have a reason to be anymore. I loved you but I know you; you would have stayed with me because you felt that was the right thing to do. Even if it wasn't what you wanted; you would have stayed. I couldn't do that to you." Now Lexi was crying, tears running down her cheeks. I went to my truck and got a box of tissues and brought them to her. She blew her nose, wiped the tears off her face and continued. Entertained Enough by Love "I knew that when you didn't give me much of an argument that I was doing the right thing by leaving," she said. I gave a little self deprecating laugh and said, "How dumb can two people be? The reason I didn't put up a big fight was that I thought you didn't want to stay and I didn't want to try to force you to stay. I can't believe how stupid I was." "What?" Lexi wasn't sure if she understood me. "Lexi, I had grown to love you while living with you and waiting for our baby. Our marriage started out as the right thing for me to do but grew into what I wanted, a family. If I had told you that maybe you would have stayed. I loved you then Lexi and I love you now." This started Lexi crying all over again. "The reason my marriage to Bobbie Joe didn't work is you were still in my heart and in my mind. I couldn't commit to her the way I should have. It was a mistake to marry her and my only excuse is that I was lonely and wanted a family. Unfortunately I didn't realize that it was you I wanted to be with until it was too late." I admitted. "I guess that was the reason that I wasn't that broken up when she left. Lexi, I love you and want us to be together again. Please don't go back to Seattle, stay here with me." Now the water works really let loose. I thought that I had really blown it and hurt Lexi again. It wasn't until she crawled across the blanket, sat in my lap and put her arms around me that I realized that these were happy tears. I held her, stroked her back and kissed her neck. She finally calmed down. "If that's a proposal I accept," Lexi said with a big grin. I've never understood how a woman can be crying one minute and laughing and grinning the next. One of the many things men will never understand about women I guess. We spent the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening getting reacquainted on an intimate level. Let's just say that the blanket was put to good use. After all it's not like we were complete strangers you know. We wanted to wait to get married until John was healed up so he could walk Lexi down the aisle. The next evening I pulled up in front of John and Lexi's and they were both on the front porch. Lexi was surprised to see me because I told her I was busy that night. "I thought you had something to do tonight and couldn't see me," she said as I came up the walk way to the porch. "I'm not here to see you; I'm here to see John. Would you excuse us for a few minutes please?" Lexi looked confused but went into the house. I sat down, opened a couple of beers and gave one to John. "John, I love Lexi and want to marry her. I'm here to ask for your permission to marry her," I told him. "Will you give us your blessing?" He was cool, my question had to be a surprise but he didn't let it shake him at all. John took a couple of swigs of his beer and then finally looked at me. "James, I've never told you this but I think the world of you. You faced your responsibilities when Lexi got pregnant, then made a good home for her and took good care of her. Not a lot of youngsters would have had the sand to do that. I admire you for doing it. I would be proud to have you as my son, again," John said. Lexi must have been standing just inside the screen door because she came bouncing out. She hugged her father, and hugged and kissed me as I shook hands with John. Now there are three people with tears in their eyes. After an hour or so, Lexi and I went to my parent's house to give them the news. Mom did her usual thing and started crying as she hugged Lexi and I. My dad shook my hand and gave Lexi a big hug. I think I saw the glint of a tear in his eyes too. Mom and Lexi immediately begin to plan the wedding, when, where, who to invite, etc.etc. My dad motioned me outside and gave be a big hug. He said something like it's about time you got your head on straight or something like that. ******************* Three and a half months have passed and I'm standing at the front of the church in front of the altar. My best man Kevin is beside me making wise cracks trying to loosen me up a little. I'm a bundle of nerves. Lexi and I had planned to be married three months later than this but once again, "Men plan and the gods laugh". It seems that our becoming reacquainted at the river or the lack of taking precautions and the fact that the "rhythm method" of birth control doesn't work meant that we had to push the wedding up a few months. Lexi is pregnant, about three months along. Judy is Lexi's maid of honor and John has healed up enough to walk Lexi down the aisle, but he still walks with a limp. Here they come down the aisle and if I thought Lexi was stunning on the night of the awards dinner then she is absolutely drop dead gorgeous now. Sorry I have to go now, I'm going to be busy for awhile. **************** Show time. It's been five years since Lexi and I got married. I'm sitting in the hospital waiting room waiting for our son to be born. My dad and John are both here but Mom's at home with our two daughters, Rebecca and Molly, named after Lexi's and my mothers. Apparently John and Dad think that their mojo will keep anything bad from happening. They were here for the birth of both of our daughters and they say they're not taking any chances. I keep telling them that everything will be alright but they insist on waiting with me. The nurse is telling us that everything is okay, both mother and son are doing fine. She leads us to the nursery so we can see the baby. A nurse is holding up a little bundle wrapped in a blue blanket. I look at the boy and turn to John and Dad. "Guys let me introduce you to our son and your grandson, John Raymond Kelly," I tell them. It's embarrassing, three grown men standing there with tears in their eyes. As a very good English author says: Life goes on. * Thank you for reading my story, I hoped you enjoyed it. Constructive comments and critiques are always welcome. You can leave comments after the story or send them to my email. All will be appreciated.