Copyright© 2008 by Quantum Mechanic

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Chapter 7.

Even running as fast as she could, Terry couldn�t catch up with Carl before he went around a corner and out of sight. Afraid that he might do something rash, she abandoned caution and took the corner at full speed in an effort to head him off.

Big mistake.

After turning the corner, Carl stopped to compose himself and collect his thoughts. Having done so, he became an unexpected obstacle to Terry, as she came barreling around the corner. Since he had stopped short, she had no alternative but to collide with his backside.

Now, Terry was not a tiny woman, and she had developed a good head of steam - enough, in fact, that the collision sent Carl sprawling, and Terry, having completely lost control of herself, landed on his back, knocking the breath out of him. Hearing him gasping, she quickly rolled to one side and tried to get him on his back so he could resume breathing.

It took several minutes before all his systems returned to normal. When they did, he was understandably irate. In his pique, he momentarily forgot the reason for his sudden abandonment of his companions.

�What? Are you trying to kill me?� he demanded, angrily.

�No, damn it!� she retorted. �I was trying to catch you, and keep you from doing something stupid!� Her face softened briefly, before her glare returned and she added, �I was worried about you��

They glared at each other for a long moment, then, almost simultaneously, burst out laughing. When Carl regained enough decorum to speak, he told her, �When you get worried about me, it�s hazardous to my health! Next time, send someone else��

Saying that, however, reminded him of the reason for his rapid withdrawal from the tour, and that ended their brief moment of hilarity. Terry saw it on his face.

�You can�t escape your past, you know, and you abandoned your new girlfriend back there,� she observed.

He looked at the floor and said, �Yeah, I know. I just never expected to see her again. Anne, that is.� He looked up at Terry and added, �It just took me by surprise. I guess I�m still nursing a lot of anger.�

�Duh! Hell, what�s it been? Twenty years?�

�At least,� he responded. �I guess I should�ve taken that counseling. Oh well. I need to get back to Amanda and apologize. Maybe Anne�ll be gone��

He hoisted himself off the floor and offered Terry a hand, which she accepted, then together, they headed back toward Amanda. Neither of them paid any attention to the crowd, that had been observing them with amusement.

Carl was relieved to see Amanda waiting alone. He hadn�t expected Anne to leave her there, and considered it a stroke of good fortune. He had to reconsider that, though, when he saw her expression. It wasn�t that she appeared to be angry or hurt at being left there � she seemed to have no expression at all. Uh-oh! I guess I�m in trouble now�

Amanda spoke first. �Why don�t we cut this short and go back to Pixel? I think we need to talk,� she said neutrally.

He nodded his agreement, and the three headed for the marina. On arrival, she said, �Carl, why don�t you get us each a glass of that wonderful wine. We can sit in the cockpit and sip on it while we talk.�

He was confused, but he complied with her request. She didn�t seem angry, just shielded. As if she were unwilling to expose her feelings to him. Returning to the cockpit, he gave each lady a glass of merlot, and then turned to Amanda. �I�m sorry�� he started.

�I know why you left,� she cut him off. �Anne told me, and I understand. On the other hand we have to talk about several things relative to her. I need some answers.�

�Okay,� he responded, guardedly. �What do you want to know?�

�It seems obvious that you still have feelings about Anne. If you didn�t, you wouldn�t have had such a strong reaction. Tell me about those feelings.�

�I don�t know what to say,� he responded. �I guess Anne told you about what happened. She and my supposed best friend hurt me in the worst possible way. I�ve spent the last twenty � plus years trying not to think about her at all.�

�What do you know about her life since that time?�

�Nothing at all,� he said bitterly. �The last time I saw or spoke to her, or to him for that matter, was the evening of the day before our wedding was to be held. They didn�t even have the decency to tell me in person.

�When my best man was still missing at the point the service was supposed to have begun, I was worried. When, at the point where my bride would�ve been coming down the aisle, and one of her girlfriends brought a note to the priest, I began to panic. When, along with 200-plus invited guests and both sets of parents, I found out that they had eloped, I was devastated.

�Yes, I have feelings for her, strong feelings. Feelings of betrayal and anger! After she did that to me, the only remotely sensible reason I can think of for trying to find her would have been vengeance. I couldn�t see myself doing that, so I didn�t try, and I have neither any knowledge, nor any desire for such knowledge of her life since that day.�

Amanda seemed to consider his response for some time before she spoke again.

�If she were suddenly available again, would you want her back?�

Carl started to approach her, intending to take her in his arms. Amanda, however, moved away, keeping him at arms length. He stopped, and looking her squarely in the eye, he bitterly growled, �Maybe if Hell froze over!�

Terry sat quietly, sipping her wine, and kept her own counsel.

---

Who knows why people do the things they do? Even if someone tells you the why, if you didn�t work through the reasoning the same way, you never understand how anyone can come to a different decision. The fact is, though, that in any given situation requiring that someone select a particular action from a range of choices, every single option will have its advocate; that�s why neither Carl nor Terry could understand why Amanda did what she did next.

�Well, you need to get over your hostility,� she said flatly. �She needs your help now.�

�What?!!� Carl exploded. �Why would I want to help her? And why would she even need my help?�

She stood and looked at him angrily. �Carl. Should I get out of your life and go home now?�

That brought him up short. �NO!� he almost shouted. �I just��

�I think I know what you�re feeling,� she interrupted, �but I won�t pretend to know how it feels.; however, you will either listen calmly to what I want tell you, or you aren�t the man I thought you were, and I�ll cut my losses and leave.�

�I�ll listen,� he grumped.

�Okay,� she said. �The gist of it is, she�s being stalked by her ex-husband, and she�s on the run from him.�

�Why doesn�t she call the police?�

�He is the police, where she lives. He wants her back, and has apparently made threats against her. Not only that, he�s made threats against her son. She believes he�ll make good on them if she doesn�t give in.�

�Now that I don�t believe. Jeff would never stoop so low as to threaten his own son, even if he is a slime bag who ran off with his best friend�s fiancée.�

�Who�s Jeff?� she asked.

�Her husband, of course!� he snapped back.

�She didn�t mention any Jeff,� she retorted. �She said his name was Mike.� She paused and they looked at each other in confusion. �Anyway,� she continued, �he has apparently followed her here to Charleston, and she needs help getting away from him.�

�This is getting confusing.�

�Well, maybe you should talk to her and clear up the confusion. I have her telephone number at the hotel where she�s staying.�

�Why are you making this my problem? You know what she did to me� �

�A couple of reasons. First, she�s a human being in trouble, and you have an opportunity to do something good for her, at the cost of very little effort on your part.� Amanda took a deep breath before going on. �Second, I don�t think you�re ever going to be able to have a lasting relationship until you get over her. I�ve had quite a few long conversations with Terry and your Mom about it, and I�m scared to death of becoming another one of your statistics.�

Carl�s immediate response to that was shock. He recovered quickly enough though, and before she had time to protest, he crossed the distance between them and took her in his arms.

�If there�s one person in the world who doesn�t need to worry about that,� he said, �it�s you. I�ve never felt the kind of yearning for anyone else, that I feel for you. I�ve never felt as empty as I feel when you aren�t around, even on the day that Anne abandoned me. I want you in my life forever; and if it takes helping her, to make that happen, I�ll do it.�

---

Carl stood before the door to Anne�s hotel room, pondering whether he should knock, or run like hell. He�d promised that he would listen to her story, though, and she was expecting him. His future with Amanda was on the line, as well.

He knocked and waited, and shortly the door opened to reveal the tow-headed boy he�d seen with Anne at the museum. One look at his face, and it was easy to tell he was Jeff�s son.

No need to frighten the boy. He has no blame, here.. Carl drew a deep breath and said blandly, �Hello son. I�m Carl Schroedinger, and I believe your mother is expecting me.� The boy nodded and stepped back to allow him to enter. His expression was inscrutable.

As Carl stepped through the entry, he took a moment to evaluate his surroundings. The room was one of the smaller ones in the hotel, but it contained two full-sized beds. There was a small table, along with two chairs, in what passed for a sitting area. Closer quarters, actually, than he had available on the Pixel. Anne occupied one of the chairs, and waved him into the other one.

�Thanks for coming, Carl,� she greeted him. �I know you�d really rather be almost anywhere else, and in a way, so would I. Your lady-friend is very persuasive, however.�

�She is at that,� he agreed. Looking around himself again, he added, �Do you really want to do this in this� dungeon? I haven�t had dinner yet. Perhaps you and� your son would join me? My treat, of course.�

�Forgive me, I should have introduced you. Carl, this is my son, Jeffery. Jeffery, this is Carl Schroedinger.� The boy extended his hand and Carl shook it as solemnly as he would have for an adult.

�I�d rather be called Jeff,� he said.

Carl nodded and replied, �Glad to meet you, Jeff.�

Turning back to Carl, Anne continued, �Dinner would be nice, but with a pre-teen boy in tow, any ambience would be wasted. Could we just go to a mall and eat at the food court?�

Carl nodded. �That sounds good. I haven�t had any mall food in quite awhile, and my arteries miss the extra fat. I�ll get directions at the desk and meet you in the lobby.� At the hotel desk, he not only got directions but had the desk clerk call a cab, and by the time Anne and Jeffery arrived in the lobby, their taxi was already waiting.

�We could have taken my car,� Anne protested. �You don�t have to pay for a cab.�

�I do now,� he said, almost smiling. �He�s already here, and if I don�t pay now, he�ll be� uh.. angry.�

�Well, okay,� she yielded, �at least we won�t have to spend time looking for a parking space��

�Right,� he replied, opening the door, �Now if the lady and gentleman will please enter the chariot, we can be on our way.�

Anne and Jeff took the back seat, and Carl sat up front with the driver. He told the driver where to take them, and asked him for a business card.

It took only minutes to get to the mall, and the driver, having been told of their intentions, let them out at the entrance nearest the food court. That got him a pretty good tip, and a promise that they would call for him by name.

Once inside the mall, Carl and Anne settled on Chinese, but Jeffery, of course wanted pizza. Anne commandeered a table, and the two men went off to find the food. Carl left Jeff at the pizza counter with enough money to pay for his order, while he found the Chinese food and ordered for himself and Anne. A few minutes later, they met again at the table.

By unspoken agreement, the three ate in silence. Jeff finished first, of course, and asked his mother if he could go into the video arcade. She nodded her agreement, and he vanished, leaving the two adults alone for the first time.

�So, I understand that you�re in some kind of trouble,� Carl said, his expression expectant. Anne nodded and continued picking at her food.

�Do you want to tell me about it?� he queried. She took a deep breath and let go a sigh.

�It�s a pretty short story,� she replied. �I got in a hurry and picked the wrong guy. Turns out he�s an abuser. Now I�m trying to make it without a husband, and he�s causing me problems. Mike always felt that the marriage license was equivalent to a car title, and even though we are now divorced, he wants to act as if he owns me.�

�Who is this Mike? And where is Jeff?� Carl asked in consternation.

�Jeff? Jeff died before our son was born! Didn�t you hear?�

�No, but I can see that I need to, in order to understand what�s going on. I take it that Mike is the second husband?�

�Yes,� Anne answered, shamefaced. �He is a police officer. At the time, he�d been on the force for about two years. He was in the right place at the right time. I�m not proud of it, but I was alone, and trying to raise an infant son. I needed help, and at the time, he seemed to be a very nice man.�

�Tell me about him.�

�When we were first married, he treated me well, and, it seemed that he doted on Jeffery. I was grateful, and tried to love him, but it didn�t work for me. The best I could do was to be a dutiful wife. He was very disappointed, I know, that I couldn�t show him the passion that he expected.

�As well as he and Jeffery seemed to get along, he wanted a child of his own. I understood that, and was willing to do that for him, but it just wasn�t happening. I went to several doctors, and kept getting the same story: there was no reason why I couldn�t conceive. Every one of them recommended that he be checked for fertility. He refused to believe that the problem might be with him, and blamed me for our lack of success.

�That aside, we got through the first few years without too much strife, but then he started having problems at work. He was passed over for promotion at least five times, probably for failing to schmooze the brass. It affected his attitude and his self-confidence.

�He hadn�t been a drinker, but after the second missed promotion, at the end of his shift, he stopped at a bar with some friends, after work. That almost got him fired, for two reasons: first, he was still in uniform, which was a big no-no; then he had to leave the patrol car parked in the bar�s parking lot overnight, because he was too intoxicated to drive it home! He only got a slap on the wrist for that, because some of his friends realized that he shouldn�t be driving.

�The next day, I found out that it was somehow all my fault. He made that point with a backhand to my face. I grabbed up Jeffery and left the house. I stayed with another officer�s family overnight, afraid that he might seriously hurt one of us.

�He came to talk to me the next day, begging me to come home. Being struck that way hurt me, both physically and emotionally, but I knew that he hadn�t hit me hard enough to do any permanent damage. Just a few bruises that would show up later. I decided to forgive him and go home.

�If that had been the end of the abuse, I wouldn�t be here now, but over the course of the next four months, it became a pattern of behavior with him. He would get depressed at the way his life was going, then head for the bar at the end of his shift. He�d come home too drunk to walk, but when he woke up with a hangover, I would be the source of all his woes, and he would strike me.

�All of my friends were his friends first, or their wives. They all knew what was going on, but refused to interfere. I finally got fed up enough that I did something about it. The battered women�s shelter in our town had been documenting my case, with pictures and everything.

�I filed for divorce on grounds of abuse, and was granted an immediate separation. That was two years ago. I don�t understand why, but my case dragged on for an entire year before I got the final decree.

�He has refused to acknowledge the divorce, however, and has been more or less stalking me ever since. He�s also made some serious threats against me, and against Jeffery, trying to scare me into accepting him back again. I�ve filed complaint after complaint with the police department, but nothing ever seems to happen with them.

�Because of all that, I decided to take my son and go back to Annapolis. As a way of breaking up the trip, I told Jeffery that we would visit every maritime museum we could reasonably get to, on the way. That�s how we came to be here in Charleston.

�I�d hoped that Mike would let us leave in peace, but he�s been following us three days running, now. He was watching us, as we came and went from the hotel. You don�t know him, so you haven�t noticed, but he�s here in the mall, watching as we speak. He frightens me.�

---

Carl was feeling pretty good about his progress. He�d managed to move Pixel nearly two hundred nautical miles, in just over three days, without having to say more than a few words to Anne. It helped that she was an experienced sailor, and he could arrange the watches so as to avoid all but absolutely necessary contact with her. If the weather had cooperated, the trip would have been somewhat shorter.

Nearing the end of this leg of the journey, Pixel was approaching Saint Augustine Inlet in the daylight. From a safety perspective, this was a good thing, especially if the maintenance dredges were operating.

Young Jeff, having not been assigned a watch, had been much more in evidence during the voyage. As a nascent professional seaman, the boy took seriously every opportunity to help sail Pixel. He was actually a lot of fun to teach, and Anne didn�t seem to mind that her son preferred Carl�s company.

Carl had intended to put Anne and her son on a plane to Annapolis, once Pixel was docked at the city marina. Too late, he remembered that there were no common carrier lines serving Saint Augustine, so Fort Lauderdale would likely be the next opportunity.

Far enough south now, that the approach of winter didn�t seem as threatening, he decided to spend a couple of nights at the marina, replenishing ships stores, and recuperating. Dockage was reasonable, and the marina had a lot of amenities; not to mention the city�s status as a premier tourist trap.

It was mid-afternoon before Pixel was secured in her berth, and the captain and crew were more than ready for long, luxurious sojourns in the marina�s showers: the women more than the men. It�s a Mars/Venus thing. Men tend to look at activities like bathing as having a specific objective, like getting clean. Once you are clean, the shower is over, so you dry off and go on to the next activity or task. Women, however, tend to view social interaction as the main objective of any activity. Achieving the nominal purpose of the activity is less important than participating in the activity itself, or the social interaction that goes along with it.

Carl and Jeff, of course, finished first, and realizing that they would have a good deal of time on their hands, made good use of it by preparing for the evening meal. By the time the ladies returned from their ablutions, the salads were made, the wine chilled, the baking potatoes were nearly cooked, and the steaks had been marinating for a half-hour.

Carl took orders from the ladies for their steaks, and fired up the gas grill while they got into fresh deck clothes. He and Jeff were alone on deck for an appreciable time, during which he gave the boy a serious look, and said:

�You might want to wipe that grin off your face, and for heaven�s sake don�t say anything about how long they took in the showers. You�ll get along a lot easier with women if you pretend that everything they do is normal - even when it isn�t!�

Jeff gulped, and answered, �Okay��

Dinner was a quiet affair, with everyone seeming to appreciate companionship, but lost in their own thoughts. Carl, for instance, was thinking about the next several tasks he would have to complete, before they could move on to Fort Lauderdale. Terry, on the other hand, was thinking about how long it had been since he had made love with her. She had been pretty happy with their arrangements, before Anne came aboard, but since then, he�d spent all of his off-watch time with Amanda.

Anne, for her part, felt like an extra wheel, and was wondering how long it would take to get to Annapolis. She also had anxieties about the kind of reception she would get when she arrived. She hadn�t spoken to her parents at all since she eloped with Jeff, until she decided to leave Mike. Over the telephone, they had seemed sympathetic to her plight, but they had been hurt almost as much as Carl.

From Amanda�s perspective, Carl had been very attentive when they were off-watch. So much so that she might almost have welcomed a little neglect. She had already made up her mind to send him to Terry�s bed� but not tonight. Maybe tomorrow�

---

Rising with the sun, Carl was ready to meet what he knew would be a busy day. There were repairs to make, stores to replenish, weather data and navigational charts to review and analyze, all to make ready for the final leg of their voyage. He planned to spend one more night in Saint Augustine before making for Fort Lauderdale.

Saint Augustine is an important destination for those who are interested in the early history of colonial America. It also has a reputation as being a �sailor friendly� town, with numerous services and berths available for the itinerant mariner. It was those services that most interested Carl at the moment, and his single-minded approach to getting them, put the ladies in his crew off, somewhat.

In retaliation, they conferred among themselves, and decided to go on a shopping trip and tour of the town. Unknown to them, however, Carl had been about to suggest that they do exactly that, so they were somewhat disappointed with his reaction to their announcement. Nonetheless, they spent most of the morning on through lunch in the town, and Carl managed to get most of his self-assigned tasks completed before they returned to Pixel.

When they did return, however, he had a surprise for them. Amanda had never before been to Saint Augustine, and neither had Jeff, so Carl had decided that a tour of the Castillo de San Marcos was in order. He had obtained day passes for everyone, and insisted that they all accompany him as he walked over every square inch of the structure.

The fort is the principal tourist attraction in the area, and the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. Those who are attuned to it can feel the pulses and hear the footsteps of the soldiers who manned the battlements. Looking out over the water, one can almost envision sailing ships, coming and going as the fort and its cannons stood watch. One might also imagine standing behind the thick coquina walls as British cannons noisily but ineffectually pounded the friable stone.

Following the tour of the fort, Carl treated everyone to dinner at the Villa Santa Monica Ristorante. The crew was appreciative of the break from the usual shore side menu of seafood and steak. On their return to Pixel, everyone was in good spirits, although nearly exhausted. After a glass of wine and some quiet conversation, there wasn�t a single person aboard who thought an early bedtime was a bad idea - including Jeff.

---

Terry walked out of the shower drying her hair, and blindly turned into the doorway to her stateroom. As she closed the door to prepare for bed, she felt that something was out of place. Dropping the towel, she glanced around and found that Carl lay on her bed, naked.

With a huge grin splitting her face, she asked �What happened? Amanda kick you out again?�

He grinned back and replied �Yep. She says she�s too tired to play tonight. She suggested that you might like some company.�

Terry shrugged out of the light robe that she wore to avoid embarrassing - or perhaps titillating, Jeff.

�Well at least I�m dressed for the dance,� she said, spreading her hands to display her nude body.

�Indeed you are,� he leered. �And that�s a mighty pretty outfit, I must say��

�Oh, sir!� she exclaimed, feigning shock �You flatter me so! Do you intend to debauch me?�

�Only as much as possible,� he replied, reaching for her. She threw her arm over her eyes as he gathered her in.

�My virtue is under attack! I�ll be ruined!� she declared, continuing the melodrama.

�Your virtue, dear girl, was history twenty years ago. Come now, let me comfort you and help get you over the loss.�

�You cad! I shall make you pay for that!� she said fiercely, attempting to tickle his ribs. Unfortunately - or not - he was too strong for her, and subdued her easily, covering her body with his own. Having her at his mercy, he began nibbling her ears and kissing her neck.

Moving lower, he found her breasts, and rather than suckle them, he licked her areolas until her nipples stood as stiff points, then he gently bit them in turn. The rough play had her a bit turned on, and the kisses and nibbles had only added to the fire. The slight pain in her nipples from his bite was almost enough - but not quite - to send her over the edge.

They both enjoyed the verbal and physical play, and it continued until his need was upon him. From his superior position, holding her hands above her head, he looked deeply into her eyes and saw a need as great as his own.

�Please,� she breathed.

�Please what?� he queried with a faint smile.

�Please take me� use me� fuck me!�

�No, baby,� he replied softly, and much to her consternation. �I know we�ve played at it before, but I�ll never fuck you again. Instead, let me make love to you.�

As tears began to fill her eyes, she asked, �What about Amanda?�

�I�ll make love to her too,� he replied. �I already do. I want to marry her, and it�s clear she wants you in our lives too. You know I�ve always loved you. It was just never in the cards for us to marry.�

Terry nodded her sadness, closing her eyes.

�You know,� she said quietly, �I just realized a little while back that it was you I was looking for, all those years, with all those guys. I just couldn�t bring myself to admit it. You were like my younger brother, and all I could see us doing together was playing.�

�I know,� he agreed. �And I don�t know how long this will last, but it�s good, and it�s happy, and it�s something I don�t want to pass up, just because of our history. Now kiss me!�

Kiss him she did, and as she did, she tried her best to merge mind, body, and soul with his. It was so intense that he felt himself growing faint. In self-defense, he plunged into her willing body, hitting bottom in one long stroke.

Terry was so ready that when she felt him filling her up, she came instantly, and she didn�t stop the entire time he pounded into her. Carl didn�t last long either, and all too quickly they were both spent. Cuddling close after the final climax, neither one said anything� they each simply enjoyed being held by the other, as they drifted off to sleep. Of course, through the night, every few hours, one or the other would awaken, and tease the other into sleepy horniness. The one being teased would then teach the teaser the pleasant consequences.

---

Carl stood at the helm, looking back the way they had come. Rattlesnake Island was still visible, if only barely. A long-time lover of historical fortifications, he wished there had been time to stop at Fort Matanzas. As it was, they didn�t even get to see it in passing, since they needed to stay in the Intracoastal Waterway. Maybe when it comes time to go back North�

Fort Lauderdale lay as much as two weeks ahead, motoring slowly down the Waterway. It probably wouldn�t take that long, though, and he was ready to finish the trip. In some ways, he viewed that destination with relief, because Anne and her son would be debarking to take a plane back to Annapolis. On the other hand, he expected that Amanda and Terry would also be leaving him at that point, in order to resume their normal lives, and that thought made him unhappy. Life goes on. Maybe they�ll want to travel with me again�

---