Someone was sleeping on top of me. It wasn't Tiani either, as whoever it was, was bigger. Opening my eyes, I could see the auburn hair of Brandy. It was so brown, it was a little reddish. You would think it was dyed, but her mom's hair was like that, only with some gray intermingled. I was surprised her weight wasn't hurting my ribs as I only felt the restriction from the extra weight.
I was still between the large breasted redhead, Frieda, and the small blonde, Judy. The group was very diverse, all very different in size and shape. The only common things were their short hair and their single mindedness. I should get them to tell me how they all got together. I'm sure it would be a good story.
I turned my head to look toward the bathroom, trying to figure how to get out of bed. It was coming up on six fifteen, so it was time to be up. Judy's blue eyes were smiling at me. She spoke quietly, "Good morning, Chuck, did you sleep well? Brandy does that at home sometimes. Tiani and her end up trying to sleep on top of someone all the time. Weird, huh?"
"I am not weird, Judy, I just wanted to feel his heartbeat. I wanted to soak him into me." Brandy squirmed a little and asked, "Are you going to do that dance this morning? I want to do it with you and Wanda again. You have to try, Judy, it is so smooth and sensual. Chuck calls it forming and stretching. It's teak something."
"Tae Chi, my sweet. Yes, I do need to get up and I'm going to stretch this morning and swim. Any or all are welcome."
Frieda said, "Another early riser, just what I need. At least Nancy and Tiani like to sleep."
Judy got up and Brandy followed. I slipped out of bed and hopped to the bathroom. I was standing, letting out the built up overnight water and noticed that Brandy and Judy were watching intently. Judy said, "You've got good aim. My little brothers were always peeing on the floor."
I hopped into the closet to get a pair of shorts and slipped on my peg leg. We were on the way out the door when we realized it was raining pretty heavily. Turning, I said, "Come on, we'll use the gym for a few minutes and then swim."
Brandy and Judy got on the two treadmills while I used the bike. I finished and used the four stations of the big machine to stretch my muscles. As we headed out the back door, Frieda, Nancy, and Tiani were all waiting for us. They said, "We like to swim, so we'll go with you. Isn't it weird to swim in the rain?"
I said, "We swim for the exercise and the rain sure can't hurt. If it were storming, that would be different."
While we were swimming, first Wanda swam beside me, then Jan dove in, followed by Marie, and finally Angie. We were having a pool party at six forty-five in the morning. We got out and I sent some of the girls into the bathroom to begin their showers, as there were a lot of us. Brandy, Tiani, and I washed under the outdoor shower. They had even put some of their shampoo out there. Everyone was dressed, had a little breakfast, and was ready to go to work by seven forty. All of us needed to get up earlier so we could have a more leisurely morning.
Before the girls all left, I passed out keys and instructed them on how to use the alarm, telling them it was important to set it when they left. I rode in with Wanda this morning as I had asked Hank to bring my Mustang in. I wanted to use it a little. He said he was glad to get rid of it as he had too many people coming to look at it all the time.
There was a slug of incident reports, mostly related to some West Coast peoples' smuggling operations. The Bureau, Homeland Security, and the Marshal Service worked together on some busts. Several became messy, but none of our people were injured.
I called the San Francisco and Portland stations to make sure they were okay and didn't need any help. They were happy to report that with their new methods of cooperating between agencies, they were doing very well.
I had the time to go downstairs to do some shooting. Wanda came down with me and even did a decision course with me. I fired some extra rounds, as I had not been practicing as often as I normally did. I did an extra three magazines with my left hand. It felt good to be able to get my groupings tight. The range officer said, "I loved the video. We're incorporating it into our training videos so the men can see how real incidents happen, how fast they develop and how quickly they're over. I love the one video where you can be seen getting back up to get your gun from the seat of the tow motor. It was awesome the way you picked up your piece and immediately began capping those guys. You did them in pairs by hitting both pairs with body shots then both heads and immediately turned and did the body shot followed by a really gruesome head shot on the guy kneeling. All of your rounds were right in the paint."
"Sometimes you get lucky."
"You didn't get lucky shooting. You got lucky wearing the vest. I heard it was a borrowed vest the team leader made you put on. Aren't you glad you did?"
"Yep," I said. "That was careless of me. I should have put mine on before leaving the office but I'm used to having my car with one in the trunk. The team leader did his job though. He protected the men under him and ensured we were following procedures."
Wanda and I cleaned our weapons, reloaded, and went back upstairs. Frank, the Bureau Chief asked me if I wanted to go to lunch with him. I said, "Sure, sounds good. Let me take you to a special restaurant that's close by. It's quit raining so we can walk."
He said, "That's great, I have a guest with us today. You'll enjoy the man."
I went downstairs to get Frank when it was noon. Jan, and a man I had never met before but knew from his pictures, were with him. Frank said, "Chuck, you know the Director, don't you?"
We shook hands and the Director said, "The way everyone builds you up, I would have thought you were a mountain of a man. Hell, I'm bigger than you are. Where are you taking us to eat? Do you Marshal types get better bennies than we do?"
The restaurant is a very nice upscale place to go for a midday meal. I'm sure most of the diners are there for business and were able to easily write something like this off.
As soon as we were seated, it became old home week. Tom and Zena were there with Burt. I introduced them and they were impressed to have the Director the Federal Bureau of Investigation in their little corner of the world. The next surprise was Ben and Beth Phillips. Ben was his usually very polished self, and Beth was as always very warm, very nice to have as a friend. Just as we were served some ice tea and coffee, Reggie and Metarie came in. Metarie is so elegant and I think it impressed the Director that Reggie just smiled and Metarie gave me a warm hug and happily joined us at our table.
The Director said, "It's seems you know a lot of people."
"I've been fortunate to meet many great people. Metarie was my boss at the employment office. I wasn't there very long but it was significant in my life here in Tampa. Metarie is how I met Howard who was responsible for deputizing me."
"That's what I want to talk to you about today. I want to convince you to come join our team in D.C. The Bureau really needs organizers that get it done, people such as you. D.C. is full of people that are just being pulled along. I need leaders, innovators, men to motivate others."
"Director, I'm a Deputy. I enjoy being a deputy and as you know I'm working with all branches of our law enforcement group. I think I'm in the perfect place and the perfect position to help all the agencies to help everyone."
"I was afraid you would say that. John even said you would. He says you're on some kind of semi-vacation, half days, for at least a month. What's that about?"
Jan said, "He was wounded, you know that. I sent you the video. It's mandatory convalescent leave. He should be on thirty days in a row, but he's at least doing half days to keep his office current."
The Director asked, "Are you sweet on this guy?"
"No Sir, I rent a room from him. He has a large house and rents to several people. He has a nice place with a gym, a media room, big garage and a pool. I have a boyfriend, and Chuck is a great landlord."
"I see," the Director said to me, "you're smart, you get someone else to pay for your nice home."
"The rent doesn't take care of everything, but it does take care of most of it. I've built on and will be renting out two more suites."
The Director asked, "What kind of suites do you rent?"
"They are simple; each unit has a bedroom, sitting room area, and a private bathroom."
"That sounds nice, no wonder you have a full house."
On the way back from lunch, the Director said, "If you ever have a thought about leaving the Marshal Service, please call me. I don't want to lose you."
We shook hands amiably and went our separate ways. I checked with Wanda to make sure everything was as it should be, then headed out to the airpark.
I walked over to the garage and found Hank, wiping down the Mustang. He said, "This is a really nice car, far too nice for a fuck up like you. Be good to it and don't abuse it. Don't drive crazy in it either. Let me know if you want to sell it."
As I rolled out of the garage, the little Mustang felt like it wanted to get up and go. I resisted and drove sanely out to the airfield.
As soon as I parked, I could tell I wasn't welcome over by my new airplane. There were huge curtains surrounding the Beechcraft so you couldn't see the plane. I went into the charter office where Lisa attacked me. "Can you ride to Atlanta and back with me? I have a charter in the Lear and we should have a second. Please, can you? I've even brought you a present. You can have the present, but I really need help on this. If you don't go, I'll have to pull Jimmy and he's snowed under."
"Okay, sure, I'll go. I was coming out to try to get a couple of hours in anyway. This will be cheaper."
"Cheaper, my butt. You get paid for this one. Just like the weekend charter you have going to France. You're going this weekend and next right?"
"So far," I said, amazed at how crazy this place was with charters.
"Come on, let's go, we have to go down to Peter O'Knight airport to pick up the people. It's one-way to Atlanta; we're dumping them up there and dead heading back. Put on a shirt, the tie, and your nametag. We'll forgive the black slacks today. You'll have to start keeping navy pants and black shoes out here."
We were off the ground in twenty minutes. I was still tying my tie when we set down at Peter O'Knight on Davis Island. As soon as we landed and were parked at the small operations building, I opened the door and put down the stairs. Lisa had not shut the engines down and had them at idle while two couples came out from the building and I helped them board.
As soon as they were buckled up, I pulled up the steps, closed the door, and climbed into the co-pilot's seat. I went through the checklist with Lisa and we were off the ground on our way.
Once we were at altitude, I had to act as host and serve the passengers some soft drinks and one coffee. I did get Lisa a cup of coffee, but didn't get anything for myself. At junior rocket speed, we were on the ground in Atlanta in less than two hours, helping the passenger off the plane and into a limo. One of the guys handed me two bills and said, "Split that with your partner. Thanks for the quick service."
I was going to refuse the tip, but smiled and said, "Thank you."
He smiled as he got into the limo.
I climbed back on the plane and asked Lisa, "Are we going right back or do we need to refuel before returning?"
"Let's go home. Jet-A is cheaper at home. Lock it up and come read to me."
I stuffed the two bills into my pocket and climbed into the cockpit. We did the get off the ground stuff and were on our way back in an under twenty minute turnaround.
Pulling out the bills, I said, "The high-roller gave us a tip. Wow, have a hundred Lisa. That guy must be loaded."
"Oh he is, Chuck. That's one of Ted Turner's key men. They have more money than sense. They use us all the time and have said they hoped we could respond when they needed us real quick. I guess we showed them."
When we landed, we pulled the Lear up to the hangar so it could be refueled. I took off the borrowed clothes and put mine on. Lisa came out in a pair of shorts and said, let me get your present. It's in my locker.
Lisa came out carrying a guitar case and a medium size amp. She put them down and opened the case. She pulled out an older Fender Stratocaster that was amazingly clean and unmarked, with a wide shoulder strap. She plugged in the amp and turned it on then went through the strings with a tuner. She strummed it a few times then let it out a little to give some very neat sounds.
She took it off and handed it to me and said, "See how it feels. I have something else, but try this first."
I was able to make the guitar sound like a guitar. I was picking a few Eric Clapton riffs that I liked and remembered. "Nice, Lisa. This is a very nice guitar. Don't you have a junk one that isn't worth so much?"
"I only have all the guitars my dad had. He had a bunch of Gibsons, several of which are Les Pauls. He has, or had, and I still have, all kinds of Fenders. He even has an early Jap Ibanez. I don't like it, but it's becoming worth something. Anyway, Chuck, play with this. Bring it with you Friday but let me get you this other."
She had another guitar case, and this time I instantly recognized what it was. It was a real classic sixties Fender rosewood fretless bass. My only expression was, "Holy shit, that is a real classic."
Lisa had a suitcase that had an assortment of effects and pedals. She said, "My dad got this from a guy that owed him money. The guy was going to get it back but died. No one has played this for at least twenty-five years or so. The big amp is in my car, but needs a new cone by now. The strings are probably no good anymore, but you can try. Fix it up and see how you like it."
We went out to Lisa's Wrangler and I hefted the monster amp from the back. We plugged it in and let the tubes warm up. I tuned the strings on the bass then plugged it in. I kept the volume way down and checked the tuning again. The sound was clean and mellow. I pulled out a sustain pedal and plugged it through the amp and tested it. It worked too. I couldn't hear any crackling a bad cone would have, but kept it low for safety. I cranked up the sensitivity, gave it a little more volume, and began running just my fret fingers in a scale, then playing correctly, I played a few scales with my right fingers just tapping the strings for a low, growling bass beat. It does your heart good to hear that sometimes.
I said to Lisa, "I'm going to have the amp checked out and have a new speaker put it both amps. That Sundowner for the guitar is a classic. I thought you were going to let me use a gorilla?"
"Nope, I have four of these Sundowners, so you get one. You'll have to come play for my mom. She'll want to adopt you when she hears you play these old guitars. Practice some of the blues stuff. That's what she really likes."
She was taking stuff apart and putting the guitars back in their cases. "Let's load this stuff up so you can take it home. Let's stop out at Steve's to see how they're doing on getting ready to leave. They are sailing Friday when school lets out.
I didn't do what I had intended for the day, but I did get a few more pointers on the Lear and logged some more hours.
We drove to the trailer park where the ladies had just returned from the boat. They said they were satisfied that they were ready, and everything from this point until they left would just be odds and ends and last minute groceries. They were going to fill the fresh water tanks tomorrow with filtered water and had been testing the desalination system thoroughly.
You could feel the tension, the excitement that was building. Even the people being left behind were anxious, since Steve was going to be gone and he was the anchor, the stabilizing influence, of the huge enterprise. Sue was as important, but had spread her responsibilities around better so the business could continue manufacturing products indefinitely.
I shook hands with everyone and decided I would be a better friend by leaving them alone. I drove home and found a new place for the Mustang. I took the instruments into my office area, along with the amps. I wanted to buy new strings and search out someone to check out and rebuild the amps.
I was in the gym when the girls began arriving. Jan was full of stories about the Director offering me a job in D.C. Wanda said she was glad I didn't want to do that. She said she wouldn't be able to work with just anyone.
After exercising and swimming, we had some pork chops with all the trimmings. When we had finished eating, the girls said they needed to go home to do some housework and laundry. After they left, Jan wanted me to come look at how Wanda and she had furnished the new apartment. I didn't know we had done that.
Upstairs, I was surprised to find the apartment now looked lived in and very comfortable. The kitchen bar/counter had four tall chairs. There was a nice table and chairs just beyond and the living room area was set up so traffic could flow easily from the kitchen out the door to the enclosed porch. The living room had a couple of big chairs, probably recliners, a nice couch, and a loveseat that were arranged to be able to watch a flat TV hung on the wall.
The bedrooms each had a queen size bed, a round table with a couple of chairs, a sofa with end tables, and a single recliner type of chair arranged with a lamp for reading. Since the bedrooms were so long, they didn't seem cluttered at all and the way everything was arranged, you had the feeling of openness. Jan showed me how she had purchased another TV to have in her suite and had brought a bunch of kitchenware from Goodwill for when she wanted to cook up here.
When Wanda and I were in the kitchen having a cup of coffee, I asked, "Do you have any prospects for someone to fill Jan's former suite in the house?"
She said, "There are a few, but they will need to be the right person. There is a student for next fall that talked to me, but we'll have to see. I really like her, but she may present a problem. We'll talk about her when the time comes."
Marie came in the kitchen with Dennis and wanted to discuss the possibility of moving into the second suite in the apartment. Dennis said, "Marie and I are very committed to each other, and although I would prefer to stay out where I work and where the whole family is, I think I like the privacy this home gives us. Chuck, you are so laid back that it's always relaxing to be around you. I wish you lived out at the park. You and Uncle Steve would be great together. You two would be real buddies. He would probably try to get you to work for the company just so you two could work together."
I was smiling, "I really enjoy everyone out at the trailer park. I don't think we'll be less of friends because we have separate homes. While Steve is on vacation, it will give me the opportunity to become better acquainted with the other people out there."
Marie wanted to see what it would take to rent the upstairs suite and asked about it. Wanda, the person with the numbers said, "The size of the upstairs suites are twice the size of the ones in the main house. You already know you can live and get along with Jan. Your two men will have to see if they are compatible. You two are both still in school at night, so you are both busy. Do you think you can afford what Jan is paying now?"
Dennis said, "I make good money working in the R&D center. Marie makes good money at her job. We don't have a lot of expenses, so between the two of us we should have more than enough. This is a lot cheaper than if we rented an apartment. It's also a lot nicer. I want to continue to have it like they do out at the park, where we just contribute toward food, eat together, and share the preparation. Marie and I will eat out at the park a lot, but we'll be here in the mornings most of the time and a lot of evenings."
I had to ask, "What do your mom and dad think of you two moving in together?"
"They really like Marie and have thought I would have moved out a long time ago. The way the family is and all the kids out there are, it's hard to leave the place. I think this will be the best of both worlds. I was having trouble studying and it was difficult to find a quiet place a lot of the time. My sister is having the same trouble and I want to bring her by to maybe think about moving into Marie's suite. She's going to be in med school and all the related things for a long time to come. She doesn't have a boyfriend, but does have some female cronies she hangs out with. Um, they aren't militant, but they are a, ah, a, they don't necessarily like men."
Marie was almost laughing, "Tell it like it is, Denny, they're lezzies. Tina's not really like real close pals with those girls, but has just fallen in with them because she's been so picky with guys."
Wanda said, "Have her come by, we're all open minded here. With Chuck's group, she may be very happy here. She might also learn a little more about men."
"Oh, she knows about men," Marie said, "She just doesn't like how so many are predatory. She says some of the women are just as bad, but she doesn't have time in her life for games right now."
Dennis said, "We will bring her by to see the place. I know Marie, Angie, and I have plenty of room and a quiet place to study. So can Marie and I move upstairs? That would be perfect for us."
"Sure. I'm happy that you guys feel comfortable here. Dennis, you are very good about the way the girls parade around most mornings. I'm glad it doesn't upset you."
"It's no worse than at home. You should see what those women wear on Saturday or Sunday mornings. You don't miss a thing as they are all trying to be sexier than the other. It's really a treat for us young guys to get an eyeful. You guys are open about it and the only time I really see the girls is when we're swimming. You don't hold big wild orgies or anything. I've heard about the naturist place. Marie said it's a lot of fun. We might go out there one of these days. Oh yeah, Tina does like to wander around nude. She's really good looking and a little bit of an exhibitionist, when she's not around her buddies, that is. They are such prudes around other men. They will rarely go swimming out at the trailer park."
Marie said to Dennis, "Let's move my stuff upstairs real quick. You can start moving your stuff out tomorrow. I'll talk to your mom about it. She'll think it's a great idea. I'll talk to Tina, too."
When they were gone, Wanda said, "See, no problem, the upstairs is full and we have a possibility for an empty suite."
"That was easy wasn't it? It's also nice to have a couple of guys here when I'm traveling."
"Are you kidding," Wanda said, "Think about it. Jan and Marie are crack shots. Both are combat proven now. I'm no slouch now that you've convinced me that shooting is fun. I think you have three women here that are deadlier than a lot of men."
"You're probably right, Wanda. What do you think about the master plan these girls have come up with? This whole thing went from Tiani to Brandy, to Brandy with Tiani, and then she hits me with all five."
Wanda gave me a hug, "I think you should see how it works out. They are a funny bunch and will probably attack Dennis' sister considering they are so obviously bi. Isn't it funny how you've mostly attracted girls that enjoy girls as much or more than guys? Jan got into guys after she met you and from what I hear from them, Frieda, Judy, and Nancy were pretty much into women only. Brandy even told me she hasn't had hardly any experience with men except from her fumbling high school days and you. Tiani is the experienced one I think. She just doesn't talk about it. She is a little cutie, isn't she?"
"When we first met, Tiani and I had an instant attraction. I thought she would be put off at first because I was white, but she hasn't let that make a difference. Because of Tiani, Nancy has felt comfortable with me."
"Well, I like your girlfriends and as far as I'm concerned, they offer me some choices to have fun. If I could clone you and have you for a partner every day, and twice on Sunday, I would be totally satisfied. You're man enough to handle me and perhaps one other. You're man enough to probably handle the five and me occasionally, but I don't think you can handle what I want and them at the same time."
"I'm sure you're right, Wanda. To think it wasn't that long ago that I wouldn't have ever considered doing some of the things the crew in this house has done. I'm not ashamed of it, but I am surprised that I've been a part of it. So far, we've been very closed and safe. I haven't played with Jan or Marie since they found their new guys. You haven't found any new toys, but you might want to practice some safe sex to make sure. That stuff out there is scary."
"It sure is. I can't believe you were always such a goody two shoes. You're not the jealous kind and have been one hell of a lover when you have time."
"Thanks, Wanda, you are a pleasure to make love with."
When the phone rang, I looked at the clock to see it was still only quarter to eight. Hank, the painter from out at the air park, who also lived at the trailer park said, "Shawna and I thought you might want to come out to look at your airplane. We finished this afternoon and just shot it with the second coat of clear. We're out here with a bunch of people from the park. Come on out, and bring some more beer as we're running out. Get out here so we can show it off."
I said, "Let's go out to the air park. They want to show off their work on the airplane. I'll call the girls to see if they want to come."
I called Brandy's cell and she said she would be right there with whoever else wanted to come. Angie wasn't home, and Marie and Jan didn't want to come. All five girls showed up with some hanging clothes and some other stuff that would go in drawers. They said, "Let's go see it."
We crammed seven into the Impala. It was a good thing that the girls are all small. Only Wanda and Frieda are both fairly tall, but slim. I'm sure it looked like one of those circus cars when we all piled out.
I had stopped and picked up two cases of ice cold beer from the ABC that was on the way. When I was carrying the two cases of plastic bottles into the big brightly lit hangar, a cheer went up. "Yeah, more beer, Chuck's the man," and all that stuff.
The plane was under some bright lights, showcasing the two-tone blue with white base. The logos stood out and there was no mistaking that the plane had S&S roots. The closer you got, the more the cartoons jumped out at you. The first thing I saw was a caricature of me dressed in pirate's clothes, showing my peg leg. A caricature of Tiani was on my shoulder but Brandy was sexily dressed, also as a pirate, with more cleavage than she could have waving a sword. Behind and around us were the other girls. Below the cartoon in a small box it said, U.S. Deputy Marshal Chuck to the rescue."
Another cartoon had Steve and me appearing as if we were behind something with our guns blazing. Behind us with their hands on their hips were caricatures of Mercy and a very large topped Sue. There was a separate cartoon of Mercy and me with electric symbols between our two heads and our hands held out in surprise. There was even a picture of Steve and me lying back, with beer bottles in our hands, grinning at all the girls, including Kathy and Juanita, clustered around us. Even little Shawna was perched on one of my knees.
There was a chase scene where I'm being chased by the five, and another when Sue and Mercy are pushing me, tripping me over Kathy who is on her hands and knees behind me. Another picture underneath the cockpit window had John, the instructor, standing over me as I was looking at books. It looked like a teacher and student. Surrounding John and me were dozens of little faces that were the kids from the park. There was even one picture of me with a dozen or so kids on my lap, including some older looking ones. Kathy said to me, "My kids really like you too. They had to be in at least one cartoon with you." There were so many, in different sizes and shapes, that it would take me days to describe all of them.
"Wow, Shawna and Hank, this is really awesome. I can't believe how good it looks. Thank you for painting a real masterpiece for me."
Jimmy was there and also on one of the cartoons. He said, "You have to fly me up to see my dad. He'll have a fit over this. The plane looks so good, I don't even believe it."
Lisa was there and gave Brandy and Tiani a hug before giving me a very nice kiss. "This is a hell of a plane, Chuck. You have one hell of future around here with us. I'm sure I'm part of it. You should be standing next to the plane with the Strat or the 335 and be wailing some really good blues.
Mercy looked at Lisa and said, "You'll have to tell me about this. I missed something."
John told me, "Yep, you're a real owner now. Two airplanes, flying charters, just about to get your commercial certificate. You know you'll be finished with the hours requirement when you get back from France this weekend. I'll work out anything else you have to do. You'll be an official commercial pilot when you go to Spain. I'll get the information together so you can study the airplane you are going over with these next two weeks so you can be truly checked out in the aircraft."
Steve came up to me and put his arm on my shoulder, "Now you're a part of us. This is how these two see you. Can you believe they can do this with you and your people and only know you the short time they have?"
Sue was on the other side of me and hugged me to her. I looked down to see massive cleavage and smiled as she was smiling so happily. "We really wanted you to like this. Steve says your plane will give us what we need for fast short hops. We needed another plane and now we have it. I think we should charge more for it as it is so beautiful inside."
The two moved away, but I was instantly surrounded by Mercy and Wanda. Mercy said, "Are we that obvious? Do we really have sparks going between us? I know you and I have something special between us, but I didn't think it showed."
Wanda said, "It's easy to see you two have some magic, Mercy. It is something special. It's very pure, but very intimate at the same time. It's like everyone wants to be close to you two when you are near each other to soak up that special something you two have and are generating."
Brandy came and hugged Mercy, "Isn't it exciting? Can you believe that Chuck has an airplane like this? I can't wait for him to take us for a ride. I want him to have all his women with him when we go the first time. Mercy, can you go? You're not his woman, but you are special. Can we get us five, Wanda, and Mercy all in the plane, Chuck?"
"I think that fills it up, Brandy. I think Mercy has enough to do right now rather than to go flying."
Mercy was still standing beside me and said, "There's no way I'm going to miss flying with you on your inaugural flight in your new plane. Let's do it tomorrow evening after supper. Either that or we have to go right now."
It was planned that we would fly tomorrow after supper, which additionally meant we would be eating at the trailer park with Steve and Sue on the family's last night there before they left on their sailing trip.
The crowd was beginning to dissipate, going back to the trailer park. My girls were still going over each area of the plane, finding another hidden cartoon. All of them were depicted three or four times. I liked the way Shawna had put Steve and me together so much and how she had displayed the two families intermingled.
Shawna handed me a large binder and said, "Here are photos of all the cartoons. There are some bigger pictures of just the airplane and we'll get one in the air soon. Hank and I are proud of this job. It seems like we're pulling you into our family more. You'll find we are some very nice people."
I nodded, agreeing.
"I'm sure we all have to be up to go to work in the morning. Let's head home. This is a real red letter day for me."
The crowd vanished quickly. I had to gaze one last time at the brightly painted airplane under the bright lights. I was very proud.
At home, the girls all vanished into the bedroom while Wanda gave me a kiss and said goodnight. I made myself a tall scotch and sat in the family room watching the news. Frieda came out in a gown, gave me a kiss, and asked, "Show me where the booze is so I can make you drinks, but right now I want to join you."
We were sitting together when Nancy came out in a gown and sat on the other side of me. She hugged my arm and said, "Thank you for liking Tiani and me so much. I'm always surprised how whites and blacks dance around being with each other. I'm so glad it doesn't bother you that I'm black."
"You're not very black, Nancy. You're kind of a milk chocolate. Tiani's even lighter. I don't think it should make a difference because it's what's between your ears that I'm more interested in. You know, you're a good looking lady, and I like that we're special to each other. If you have some cultural things you want to teach me, you and Tiani should spend the time to show me and teach me. I have a lot to learn about all of you. I really don't know you girls all that well, but I want to."
Frieda gave me a kiss on the cheek, "We are five crazy ladies that found each other, and now want to remain with each other with you. You're going to be a little upset when you learn all of our plans. You know we're not going to get married because we can't legally all be married. We've agreed that it wouldn't be fair to the others if one of us married you and the rest of us were only living with you. We're all going to live with you."
"Uh, that's different. That doesn't show much of a commitment from me toward you girls."
"It will, Chuck," Frieda said. "We all can commit to each other without all that legal stuff. This way you won't be considered a gold digger toward us and we won't appear to be leeches toward you."
The other three girls came in, also wearing nice gowns, and Brandy sat on my lap to be hugged. "So you're telling him all our plans." She kissed my cheek then laid her head on my chest.
"Chuck, we're all trying to figure this out. We're trying to figure out all our feelings and why we feel the way we do. Some things have happened to us together that make us bound together even more than you could imagine."
Judy, the little blonde, said, "Since we've been together, we've had good things happen to us, no men, just between us. I think that we all wanted men, but it didn't happen. I always wanted a man of my own and now I have one. I just get to share him with my closest friends, that's all."
Frieda said, "I'm the only one who was hardcore, I'm the 'I hate men' type within the group. I'm probably responsible for leading the four down the pussy eating path too. Our relationship just blossomed. When you came along, Tiani went nuts over you and Brandy was lying in bed playing with herself constantly. That one night you went out with us was really a benchmark. You showed us all respect. You loved, and I mean loved, each of us. We ended up after Saturday and Sunday totally mesmerized by having been with you. We confided with Brandy's mom who wasn't much help. She said if we liked you to go get you, collectively. Well, you know the story. Everything that happened after that seemed to be taking you from us. We were happy when we found you here, on the next block from us, but not as happy as when Bobby moved out."
Brandy said, "We really all do care for you. I really love you and I'm not using the word in the wrong context. Look at Tiani with the tears in her eyes. She's so nuts over you, none of us can believe it. You're ours, Chuck. We all know we have to learn whether we can make it together, but we are yours."
I smiled, "The only problem is how do I hold you all at once and kiss all of you together?"
The five piled on top of me hugging and kissing me. They were killing my ribs, but what a nice pain it was. They all got up and Nancy said, "Time for bed. You still don't get any tonight. Maybe we'll figure out a rotation when you get back from Paris. We're all jealous that Brandy and Tiani get to go and we don't."
I shut down everything and checked the locks, and turned on the alarm. When I joined the five, they had a spot sort of in the middle between Nancy and Tiani. I lay down on my back and the two put their heads on my shoulders. Nancy said, "My folks are going to love you. Daddy is going to be a little strange at first, but I know Mom will love you. Daddy will come around when I let him hold our first little one. Everything will be fine then."
Oh man, now we're talking babies and no marriage. Oh, woe is me. Tiani kissed me and whispered in my ear, "I want my own little baby doll too. I think I want a bunch of them, though."
We did settle down and go to sleep, but I was having dreams that I had kids everywhere like Steve has.
Primary editing by Pepere
Proofing by Sagacious