The TV was playing with a cheery female newscaster telling about the overnight news on a local cable channel. Another lady came on to give traffic information, followed by the weather person.
I had a headache and I had to pee really bad. Probably too much booze, but I usually don't have hangovers. It must be a combination of the wound and the booze.
I was still in my pants, so I stripped and headed to the bathroom where they had a mini coffeepot. The first thing after a big drink of water was to make coffee. I did the toilet stuff and shaved. I was considering what to do about the bandages when the coffee was ready. I took a mug into the room and sat on the couch, enjoying the coffee while I watched the news.
I suddenly remembered the airplane. I wonder what was wrong with the gear. I used my cell phone and called out to the maintenance people I had talked to yesterday. The man told me that a nut was loose on the strut and wore down one of the hydraulic hoses. They had replaced the bolt, the nut, and the hose. The aircraft owners had already paid the bill, as well as for the fuel and airport fees. The man wanted to know if they needed to prepare the airplane for takeoff. I told them to hold off as it didn't take much to get it ready. I had to do a preflight inspection anyway.
Deciding to look at the wound, I opened the bandages to look at the area. It was a little bruised, but not too ugly. There didn't appear to be any seepage around the stitches, so I left the bandages off and took a shower. It sure was sore, as were my ribs. I couldn't make any quick movements either, as every time I did, the ribs would hurt. I put the same bandage back on after applying some of the goop the nurse had given me.
I put on my last shirt, thinking I would have to either buy another, get the only other one I brought washed, or go home.
It was still before seven, so I went downstairs for a big steak and eggs breakfast, along with some biscuits and gravy. If I couldn't exercise I was going to have to watch my intake, but right now I needed the strength.
After eating, I went to the station so I could use their printer and make my calls. I had a donut and some coffee while I listened to the briefing. When the men had gone, the Chief called me to his office. He put a disc in his video machine and pushed the buttons. There was no sound, but the camera showed me on the bottom left, the seven men walking out from the hangar, and three deputies coming out from the side of the hangar at the top. The airplane was on the right of the screen.
You could see the two guys that I had supposed were bodyguards, pulling their guns and looking around. The one didn't turn completely and while he was pulling his gun, he looked back at me as I was reaching to pick up my Glock. The guy was fast as you saw his muzzle flash and me flying backward off the tow motor. Both turned and fired at the deputies, then turned back to me. I had made it back up, reached my gun, and fired at each of them, and as they were going down, I fired a second time at each of them. Both head shots. Not bad on a moving target.
The second pair had looked confused, and when I had shot the first pair, they were pulling their guns. It showed me smoothly going from the first two to the second two, just like a firing range course.
The other man, a convicted and sentenced man that we came to arrest, had pulled a gun, and when you saw my muzzle flash, he fell and rolled. When he got back to his knees and brought up his gun, you saw another muzzle flash from my gun, and you actually saw the top of his head come off, messy, not a center shot. You could see several sets of legs on the other side of airplane and several deputies running up to the downed men. One of the deputies who looked at the dead prisoner, tossed his cookies right there. At least he didn't get any on the dead guy, so the cleanup crew didn't have to smell it.
The rest of that video was our vans driving up to do the cleanup and reports.
Just as the ambulance pulled up, the video shut off.
Another video started and was from a reverse angle. The same thing, but it was clear that I had no choice but to shoot. The third was a video by a deputy with a good handheld. It showed everything and included sound. I had let out an audible "oof" when I was hit. From his angle you could see me come right up, reaching for my gun. When the video went black, it shut off.
The Chief said, "That evidence is as good as anyone will ever need. Did you hear my idiots trying to yell a warning while the bad guys are shooting? Christ, the goody two shoes in the organization are going to get us killed. You heard me this morning, reminding them to read and catch up on SOPs and your past memos on when to shoot. You made it easy, see a threatening weapon, shoot."
The clerk came to the door and said, "Deputy Johnson, John Scott is on the phone for you, he said for you to pick up now, and he emphasized now."
I smiled knowing he had just seen the video.
"Yes Sir, how may I help you?"
"You dumb shit; you didn't tell me you were the casualty. Are you all right? You took a direct hit. Did you break a rib since you obviously had a vest on, thank goodness?"
"I'm fine, John, a couple of cracked ribs."
"What about the bullet wound, how bad?"
"Who told you about that?"
"The Director of the FBI did when he handed me my set of the videos. We watched it together. I had to listen to him laughing at my deputy who didn't know enough to stay down when he was hit. I had to tell him that you were a Marine and wouldn't stay down unless you couldn't get up. He just said that he knew, he had read your file. So what about your wound, where is it?"
"The arm, the fleshy part above the elbow. The round came off the vest and went through. An old military doc and his wartime nurse repaired their first bullet wound in thirty-five years yesterday. They did a hell of a job."
"You're going home, you're wounded, injured, and should be home in bed."
"I'm not going anywhere until we have this problem under control. Let me give you my idea. Get the Director back in your office or go see him and tell him we need his help. Wherever we have a problem, assign a dual force. If we need more men, we ship some in. If we get on this immediately, we can have dual units in the field today, hunting down people. We know how to do it, let's put it in play."
"Probably better than you and me trying to handle everything. That's why you're the field boss now. I'll go talk to the Director. I'll call you back as soon as I can."
I walked back into the Chief's office and asked, "When you guys list that plane, give me a call. If I can, I'd like to have it. It's a real rat now, but it wouldn't take that much to fix it up. Those are really nice airplanes. As a matter of fact, it's what I flew up here yesterday."
"You flew yourself up here? No charter, no D.C. jet?"
"The D.C. jet is too expensive and the charter service was out of people, so I flew. It's paid off so far, as I've been able to move around really fast."
"You want that bird, you got it. I'll get a buddy of mine out at the airport to declare that thing as salvage. Get a flying mechanic to get it home and you can have it for salvage."
"Is that legal? Shouldn't it go out for bid?"
"Not this one, there are no keys, and they can't get the cabin open so they had to tow it to the salvage yard until someone tears the lock off the door, then the plane isn't airworthy."
I pulled the keys from my pocket. "I have the keys. I forgot to give them back. I took them in the first place to slow the pilot down."
"You did slow the pilot down, but I'll check with D.C. and see if I can just dump it. I'll let you know."
I went for more coffee and another of the endless supply of law enforcement donuts. The clerk said that John was on the phone.
I answered by asking, "Did he go along with you?"
"He wants you as an agent and said he'll fight me for you. Yes, he'll be sending a special secure message right now to all branches and will call the eleven branches that need special attention. Can you imagine how they will feel? The Director of FBI calling your agency. I'd shit if I didn't know him. I hope he calls the Regional offices first."
"Okay then, let's split up the offices and call them so we get the word out."
"It's already done. I had the staff here start calling them before I saw the Director. I even have two Marshals calling. You've earned another star, my man. Keep coming up with the good ideas."
"What else, is there another hot spot not related to this?"
"There is, but you can't go, I'm going and even taking my wife."
"You son-of-a-gun, what do you have, a station change in Hawaii?"
"You are sharp, aren't you? Besides, you need to get home and get to bed. You're wounded and you're injured. Tell your pilot to hurry and get you home."
"I flew myself, the charter service was short of pilots."
"You flew yourself, in that slow thing you have?"
"I used one of their turboprops. The thing will do over three hundred. Almost as fast as some of the new business jets."
John sighed, "I should have known, you're becoming too much for us. Now you're flying fast planes, pretty soon you'll be flying jets."
"I'm already taking lessons. It will be a while, but one of these days."
"Okay then, Chuck, this thing is in the works. Check with your office then get home. I've forwarded a copy of the video so you'll have your own. Pretty cool, don't you think?"
"I wish you wouldn't have. That's pretty gory stuff. It would make me worry about a person like me."
John said, "It would make me want you to be with me all the time, now go home."
"John, one more thing, the plane that was in the video we confiscated is pretty ratty. The airport towed it to their salvage area, I'd like to buy it and fix it up. Can I have it for salvage?"
"Sure, have the Station Chief fax me the numbers and I'll release it to you. Can you get it back to Florida?"
"I'll get a mechanic pilot to fly it there. The guy was going to fly it to Canada, so it should reach Florida."
"Do that now and I'll turn it around for you and get it released. You did good to ask, a lot less hassle and no questions."
I was smiling when I talked to the Station Chief. He typed up the information and e-mailed and faxed it to John. I was talking to the clerk about the turnaround of the Bureau chief when John's fax came in with the airport federal salvage yard's telephone number.
I said goodbye to everyone and caught a ride to the airport. First thing was to put my stuff in the airplane and walk over to the salvage yard. I called the phone number John had given me and I actually heard the phone ring. A man answered and I told him who I was. "Oh yeah, you're the buyer for this junk we got in yesterday. I think the plane's in better shape than it looks. It has good rubber and the skin all looks good. It really needs a paint job. I'll bet the inside is original and is terrible."
"If you'll let me in, we'll look, I have the keys."
The man came right out. He reminded me of Hank. All business, but he loved airplanes like Hank does cars. The inside of the plane was smelly and did look nasty. I said picking up the plane's log book, "See what you can find and let's see how it starts."
There was no checklist, but I remembered it item by item. Both engines started easily and came up to power quickly. I flipped on the pressure units and air conditioner to see if it worked. Everything came on fine. The radios seemed to be working and the old instrumentation seemed to be working. All the interior lights worked and even the little fridge that you could reach from the cockpit worked. Not bad.
The salvage guy said, "He's had both engines rebuilt in the last three hundred hours. That would be your biggest expense. It looks like he's kept the plane up mechanically, but has never touched the inside. The guy was obviously a smoker, you can see ashes everywhere, that's another reason the planes so ratty. The smoke deteriorates the upholstery really fast. What are you going to do with it?"
"I'm going to get it back to Florida and fix it up. I'll order the interior and replace it myself. I'll have the folks where I'm at paint it for me. Maybe they'll paint it like the crazy plane I flew up here."
"Is that your Beech B200 King Air over there in the government slot? That plane's a hoot. I spent over an hour looking at it."
"That's the one. Perhaps they will do something for me."
"You need a certified flight mechanic?"
I nodded, "I do."
"My kid just happens to be one and is even checked out on one of these. He'll work cheap as he's saving up for his own plane. I promised him I would keep an eye out when he gets about twenty in the bank. He's not working right now because the charter service he was working for went out of business. You know where he can get a job?"
"I might, let me call."
I called the charter office and spoke to John. "Thanks for paying for the fuel, the repairs, and the fees."
"That's part of the service. Always tell us and we'll take care of you. When are you coming home?"
I'm going to leave in a while but I have some news and a question."
John said, "Question first."
"How is the company set for mechanics? I know of a young flying mechanic that's looking for a job."
"What school did he go to?"
I turned from the phone and asked, "What school did your son go to?"
"Wichita, then took the two year Cessna school and graduated in the top ten."
I repeated that to John. He said, "Bring him in and let us talk to him. We do need another man right now. We are really busy and have taken in a couple of more planes to keep. Any more and we're going to kick the helicopter boys over to the new building behind us. Steve built two more hangars and is talking another two."
"He really is big isn't he?"
"More than you would ever believe. So what's the news?"
"I bought a ratty B200 or at least I think it's a 200. It has the same engines yours does. It appears nice, sounds good, the inside stuff all works and the rubber looks new."
"How much?"
"I'll tell you about it later okay?"
"I see, okay, later."
"I'm bringing the plane along with the flight mechanic. We should be there this afternoon depending on how fast this kid can get rolling."
John asked, "How's the instrumentation?"
"It's all fairly old. I think it's all King."
"The old instrumentation isn't that bad. What else does it need?"
"It needs a paint job and an interior."
"A patch job or whole interior."
I answered, "John, I think it would be better to change it all. There were heavy smokers in it. Even some cigar butts in the back."
"If the interior is bad, you're right, replace it all. That won't be cheap, but we can order it in at cost and you can do the work."
"I can do that."
"Well, get it here and get it fixed up. We need the plane. We'll be paying you instead of the feds paying us pretty soon."
"Not hardly, not the way I'm moving around."
"See you this afternoon."
I turned to the salvage yard operator and he was smiling. "I called my kid and told him to pack everything he needed to move to Florida and could fit in a 200. He said he would be here in thirty minutes. We live just across that runway in the houses by the airport. My wife doesn't like the noise sometimes, but I love airplanes. She says I'm always a better lover if the planes are making a lot of racket, so she said she can put up with it."
Too much information, but it did make me smile.
Sure enough, a young guy came roaring up in a Jeep Wrangler. He hopped out, zipped up the top and handed his dad the keys. "I'll be up to get it as soon as I can if the job works out."
His dad said, "Check to see if you can replace it cheaper down there. If you can, I'll sell this one and you can get one without a lot of salt damage."
"Good idea, Dad."
"You got any cash?"
"You know I do. I've saved every dime I get for how long now to buy a plane. I've paid off all my student loans and I've paid you back, but I'll never be able to pay you back for what you and mom have done for me though. Let me get to Florida, get a good job and I'll bring you down for a Florida vacation."
"Not necessary, Son, but if you do, wait till January when I'm freezing my butt off. Your mom will love it. You know how she loves to parade around in her swimsuit and getting a tan."
The two shook hands and hugged. We stuffed his few belongings into the ratty plane. He stuck his nose up a little and said, "Is there any paperwork to go with this?"
I said, "There a log book but run over to that fancy 200 and get the checklists, copy them, and put mine back. Your dad and I will do the paperwork and I'll bring you the papers for the logbook. I'll register the plane down in Florida when we get home. I'll call and get some insurance on it before we leave."
The boy took off and the salvage guy and I went to his office. He was filling in information on a PC when the son came in, copied all the checklists and left. I called my insurance agent and insured the new plane, telling her the original insurance was for ferrying the plane to Florida. She said she would put a binder on it for me. I was going to worry about the money but then remembered I did have some extra now.
The salvage guy printed out a dozen sheets of paper and had me start signing. When I was done he said, "Can you write me a check or do I send it through the Marshal Service?"
"I have a check, how much should I write it for. The guy looked up a chart for the price of aluminum and said, "Since you have to haul it, make it for seven fifty."
"Huh?"
"Seven hundred and fifty dollars. That's what it's worth for scrap, unless someone wants to tear the engines out. That's more work than they are worth."
"Is that legal?"
"Damn right. I was told to get salvage out of it and I'm doing it. Just because my kid is going to fly this thing out of here, doesn't mean shit. He's flying the salvage out to be salvaged. Sounds fair to me."
I wrote the check, feeling guilty. My lucky horseshoe was lodged deep up my ass lately. After yesterday, I was feeling really lucky. Wait till the Florida Department of Revenue saw this. They would have to let me pay tax on only what I paid for it as salvage, even though it was an airplane.
Outside, I kept a copy of the paperwork and gave the kid a copy of the transfer papers for the log. He said, "I know these instruments. We'll file IFR all the way through. This thing is full of fuel and we won't need to stop. Ready?"
I walked away as he was firing up the plane. The door was shut and he was off for his new adventure. His dad was standing by his gate watching, probably proud of his son's accomplishments."
I pulled the chocks and was doing my inspection when a ramp attendant came up. He loaded up the chocks and gave me the receipts for the work that was done. He said the entries were in the plane's log.
I was soon turned toward the taxiway calling in my flight plan and requesting permission to taxi. My new old 200 came on the air requesting taxi information and we were lined up one, two, off the end of the runway.
I was cleared for twenty-five thousand and he was cleared for twenty-three. We had agreed on an intercom frequency so when we were both at altitude, I let him get to his cruise speed and I settled in just about two-ninety ground speed to stay close to him.
When we were getting close to Atlanta, I suggested we land for lunch, as I was starving since we forgot to bring sandwiches. He was all for it so we called to change the flight plan and land at a small airport south of Atlanta. They asked if we needed services, and I responded, bathroom and food. The tower answered, "Food is cheap, the john is ten bucks each."
I watched as my new friend landed very nicely ahead of me. We parked next to each other by the small operations building that was very busy. They had a Blimpie's, so I bought some subs and four bottles of water. I asked, "Want to eat in the air or do you want to stretch your legs some more?"
"Hell no, let's fly. Let's get to my new home. I just know this is going to work out."
We were back up in just a few minutes at our previous altitudes on our way home.
Two hours later we were in the pattern for our home strip. He wanted me to land first so he would know where to taxi so I set down and turned off the runway quickly. He was close behind and followed to where I spun the 200 ready to be pushed back into the hangar. The new old plane spun around too and shut down.
John and Steve came out of the office to see me, along with Sue.
The two looked at the airplane over then Sue went inside. She came back out. "Ugh, cigars, terrible, you'll have to tear the whole insides out."
"I already plan on it, Sue. That and a good paint job, perhaps one like yours."
Steve asked, "Did you buy it cheap enough to spend some money?"
"I did, a real good number."
Steve nodded, knowing not to press. "Looks like you're a multi-aircraft owner now. Your hangar and insurance money just went up. I think if you get this in shape, we'll be able to rent it out the same. So where's this mechanic at, I want to meet him."
Jim Thomas, the young man I brought with me was quietly standing right there. I introduced him to Steve and Sue Sharp, and to John Truant. They all shook hands and Jim handed Steve his school paperwork and all of his certifications. Steve flipped through them and gave them to John.
"Jim," Steve asked, "Is there a reference we can call?"
Jim handed Steve a three by five card and said, "The top name and number is for the charter service owner that went out of business. The second number is the head mechanic for them and the third is for the Cessna dealership that used me when they could. I have just been rated on skis and pontoons and should receive the certification notice shortly. My dad will send it to me as soon as it comes."
Steve said, "Here, John, call a couple of these and come back. Say, how about all of us getting a Coke or something."
We headed into the charter office and to the break room in back. A couple of mechanics were sitting there with a manual out, looking at it. Jim asked, "Having a problem? I might be of help."
The two mechanics began showing Jim what their problem was. He said he had that before and made a suggestion. He said it was difficult to thread it back in but it would save a couple of hours.
The three of them left to go back across the tarmac to the maintenance hangar. Steve said, "I like him already, willing to help whether he's working or not."
John came back and said, "We want the kid. His bosses said he never missed a day, was always on time and tried to get more overtime than allowed. He's rated all the way through G-5s and is certified in almost all instrumentation. Where's this kid been looking? I know of dozens of places that would hire him. I hope he's satisfied with what we pay."
"Pay him what he's worth, John. If someone is worth more, pay them more, you know that's what my philosophy is."
Jim came back in with a smile and said, "It was exactly the same. I slipped it right in for them. They'll save four hours on the tear down."
John said, "How about coming to work for us? We need your knowledge and certifications. You can get some of the ones you're missing right here. The field has a good school here."
"Thank you, this is great. Now I can save again for my own airplane. It won't be long, I'll have my own. It's a dream of mine and I know it will happen."
Steve said, "When people come to be with us down here, dreams do seem to come true."
Sue asked, "Do you have a place to stay yet?"
"Not yet," Jim said. "But Chuck said he had room at his place."
Sue said, "We live close and there is a little trailer just down the street that's available. It's in decent shape and you could eat your meals with us if you want. We have lots of people eat with us every morning and every evening. Another mouth wouldn't even be noticed. You'll love all the folks out there too."
Jim looked at me. I said, "If I didn't own my place I'd move out there and join these people. They have a great place and are really nice. If you want, I can put your stuff in my car and haul it for you."
Steve said, "I've got the pickup. We can do it for him. I'm just happy to have another mechanic. We've been really busy. We're picking up a lot of work from the air park, as they have been loaded down. I've heard some places are starving, but we sure aren't. Chuck, register your plane and get with the Beechcraft guy and order your interior. He'll steer you right. Tell him it's one of our planes so you get a decent price."
Sue came over and gave me a hug. When I winced she backed off. I said, "I got hurt up in Minneapolis yesterday and cracked a couple ribs."
Jim said, "He got shot. His arm is all bandaged too."
"Blabbermouth, don't tell everything to everyone."
Steve and Sue were laughing. Steve said, "We're laughing because you sound like me. Several years ago I was in a bunch of little battles and I've constantly had to tell people to hush. You shot bad, must not be, you're up and around?"
"Naw, just a through wound on the fleshy part of the arm. Some stitches on both sides."
"Good, I'm glad you're all right. At least you were fine to fly our plane back. Come on, Jim, let's get your stuff out of Chuck's plane and get it to your new home. It's getting toward beer thirty and I'm ready."
I took my bags from the good plane then walked over to the maintenance hangar. I told the maintenance super that their 200 needed fuel and they should look at the repair job that was done. I also asked if they could start stripping the guts from my 200, and when they had a chance, I wanted the teardown confirmed and any new modification that I could get, I wanted. I mentioned that I was going to order new electronics and that gave them a smile.
Now it was time to face the music. I had to go home. I called Wanda to tell her I was in and going straight home.
She said to me, "You've got some explaining to do, Bubba. I have a video I downloaded that is pretty damning. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, just some scratches."
"Sure, scratches huh? I can read, two cracked ribs, a through wound on your arm. Some scratches, I saw how you flew off that tractor."
"It was a forty-five, what do you want? Those things kick."
"Why didn't you tell us, tell me?"
"No reason for you to worry. You and Brandy would have chartered a plane to come get me. I'm back and I'm fine. I have a surprise too. Don't know how much you'll like it, but I have a surprise."
"I already know, your insurance agent called me for a check number for a binder. You bought another plane, some Beechcraft 200 something. Can you afford that?"
"I'll tell you and show you the receipt later. You'll love the price. Anyway, I'm going home. Stop for some steaks okay? Some red wine would be good too."
"Lost some blood, huh? Brandy and I rode in together this morning, we'll stop. See you soon."
At home, it looked like the addition was done. There was a note in the garage that said the contractor would be by in the morning to get acceptance and money, unless there were gigs.
I put my bags in the house and opened a beer. I got out of my clothes and put on some shorts and a T-shirt. I went through the garage and through the door into the new garage area. It looked nice. There was a stairway in the old garage that led up to a common entry and into an open utility room with a new washer and dryer. You walked into the apartment through the back of the kitchen, next to a pantry, and were able to look past a counter through the living room and right outside to the enclosed, screened deck. The kitchen was very large and had a nice bar/counter and a tiled area on the other side for a table and chairs. The kitchen had a decent sized fridge and stove. There were plenty of very nice cabinets. On both sides of the living room were two doors. When I opened the one nearest to the kitchen, I found a nice bathroom. I went through the bathroom into a large bedroom with windows on the far end. There was a door near the outside wall that led to a very large walk-in closet. It was really large as it was the extension of the utility room.
I walked across to the other bedroom and it was the same, but reversed, so I checked out that closet to find it just as large. Very nice.
I walked out to the covered patio and discovered the other stairway outside. Each side had an entry door that had been hidden behind curtains. The living room door was one of those multiple sliding jobs where all the sections slid into pockets in the bedrooms, and were all glass so they could still be seen through.
I think I got my money's worth, and then some. I walked over to the counter and there were some garage remotes on them. There was a note that said he could install the radio telephone devices like we had on our main garage. I would have to think about that. It was good because you didn't have to haul a remote around. We could get different codes for the different doors. You wouldn't want all five doors to be going up at the same time.
I shut everything up and noticed the alarm panel. I went back into the bedrooms and each had a remote panel as well. The alarm could be set from any of the three doors. Very nice.
I went downstairs and back into our kitchen to stash the empty. I went into the bathroom, took off the bandage, and took a shower after the long flight and my sweating over the new plane. I had just finished dressing, with the bandage back on, wearing my peg, when the garage door opened. Wanda pulled in and four girls jumped out of the car and were in the door faster than you could blink.
All five girls wanted to hug me, but it was just too painful. "Please, cracked ribs, take it easy, gentle hugs only."
The tiniest, Tiani, pulled my head down and kissed me. She turned and said, "Lips ain't cracked." Brandy, Wanda, Marie, and Angie all gave me kisses.
Jan's car came in the garage and she was in the house before the garage door was closed. She did the same thing and killed me with a hug then backed off, "Oh yeah, cracked ribs." She gave me a kiss and said, "I saw that video. The Bureau Chief from up there sent us a copy on the internet. I have a copy right here. You have some explaining to do, Buster."
Wanda corrected her, "It's Bubba until he can show us how it was that he got shot so easily."
"Ladies, ladies, it's easy to explain. It happened faster than anyone would have expected and the guy made a lucky shot. He didn't hit anything else after he shot me, so it was lucky."
Brandy said, "Can I see it? Is it bad? Will I be okay if I see it?"
Wanda said, "Probably, if you're squeamish you might not want to look too close, but you need to see what your man does."
Tiani said, "I know and it scares me. You can have him, Brandy, but I'll love him just the same."
Bloodthirsty Marie said, "Put it on the big TV and let's watch it."
Wanda pulled her copy out and they put it in the big TV. I said, "Hey guys, what about the steaks and food? Can we get that out first so it doesn't spoil?"
They all ran for the car. Wanda was smiling, "Always thinking of your belly, always hungry. You're going to have to temper your intake while you can't exercise."
"I can still walk and probably ride the bike. I'll just use the dreaded treadmill more."
The food was inside, in the fridge, and they all had some form of drink while sitting in front of the TV. I opened another beer and a bag of chips. The big TV showed it all in glorious living color. When we were down to the video with the sound, they were oohing and aahing over the noises. Brandy came over and sat by me. She put her arm around me and hugged me gently. "Don't do that stuff. You shoot them first. That's scary. And don't ever go anywhere without your vest. Kiss me, make me know you're still with me."
Tiani came over and sat beside me on the other side, "Maybe I shouldn't have given you up. I can almost take comfort in how crazed you were for those few seconds, so methodical, so accurate. That was something."
"That's why he practices on the range," Jan said. "That's why the fast decision courses. Chuck's really good at them and now you know why he is and why he insists his men practice."
Marie said, "That was some good shooting, especially after getting knocked on your ass. I have to show this to my dad, he'll go nuts."
Brandy said, "I need to show this to my dad too. He needs to see you in action. As a matter of fact, I'm taking it over right now. Save supper for me, okay?"
Brandy and Tiani were out the door in a flash with Wanda's video. Wanda said, "Well, I guess it's a good thing I have copies."
We all had some drinks and went to the gym so I could see how the bike was going to be. It wasn't bad, so I did a half hour on it and a half on the treadmill. I sent everyone out to the pool, but they didn't swim hard. Marie said, "It's more fun when we have your rudder to follow."
We were just fixing the salad when Brandy and Tiani came back. Brandy handed the video to Wanda and said, "I hope it was okay to copy it. My dad wanted one."
Wanda asked, "What did he think? Is he apprehensive about you getting serious with Chuck?"
"No way," Brandy said. "His comment was, 'when you gonna marry this guy?' My mom wet her panties over it. She said that was the scariest thing she's ever seen, also the goriest. That guy's head just popped its top."
"Let's forget the video and all that it represents and have some supper. I'm cooking steaks in a few minutes. Let's eat some salad first."
Supper was great. We all cleaned up the kitchen, then Jan said she was going to pick up her friend. Marie said she was going to see Dennis and Angie was going to the library where she was going to meet her friend. Marie was dropping Angie off. Soon it was Wanda, Brandy and me. Wanda was serious and asked if she could talk openly.
"Sure, Wanda, I guess Brandy should hear everything too. We're all very close."
Wanda began, "Brandy and I had some very nice times while you were gone and last night was wild. We had a sleepover with all her girl friends. Those other four are something else. It was very enjoyable."
She paused then continued, "You know I'm prone to be very sexual and am probably near to a nympho. I do want sex almost all the time and when I don't get my almost daily dose, I go nuts. So far, Chuck, you or someone in the household has been available constantly, but I want more dick. Before you came along, Brandy, I thought I might get Chuck all to my own. I was almost going to ask him for some exclusive rights, you know the marrying thing?"
"Brandy you came along and you're good for Chuck and just wild enough to keep him open. That you'll have to watch, he can get conservative on you. What I'm proposing is for me to branch out a little for some extra lovers. I already know a few who are willing and I'm interested in some discovery missions. I'm going to be a regular visitor out at the nature park too. I love their openness."
"Since I'm going to be mixing it up with some strange stuff, I'm going to be off limits to you and the household unless I can make sure all my conquests are tested. Can you live with this?"
I went around the table and pulled Wanda up, "I'll hate to lose some of the best pussy I've ever had. You're absolutely luscious to play with. Yes, I can live with it, and yes, I understand." I kissed Wanda passionately and held my hand out to Brandy to join us. "You two have been my rocks. Brandy, you're a breath of fresh air that makes all of our hearts sing."
"Come on, let's go to bed. Brandy, you and I need to give this lady her daily dose."
I had to operate from my right side as I couldn't lay on my left. Brandy and I did an excellent job in satisfying our soon to be butterfly. I left a nice deposit within her after she had been thrashing around a long time. Brandy went down for seconds and that fired me up so I was able to thoroughly love Brandy right through another deposit. It was wonderful and enough. We fell asleep, me with a beauty on each shoulder.
Primary editing by Pepere
Proofing by Sagacious