Ah, a wonderful morning. Every time you wake up is a great day, I've made it again.
I only walked slowly for a half hour this morning, then cleaned up real quick and dressed before walking between trailers to get to Steve's. I had a quick cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich before Chuck drove up, ready to go.
Downtown, we parked in the Federal garage and went into a small office on the main floor. Inside was a guy in blue pants and shirt, a uniform with a Deputy Marshal logo on it. Chuck introduced me, "Mark, this is Hank, Hank, Mark. Hank, this is the guy whose car the agents failed to lock up that was stolen and salted. We owe him. When we talked yesterday, you were interested in an old bike, well, he's got one. You saw it while we were searching out there. Is it worth the difference between his Bronco and the SUV I don't know what to do with?"
"Probably," Hank said, and looked at me. "Are you still going to want to ride? Do you have something else to ride or are you going to be looking for something?"
"I have to look for something. I want to ride, but I need a car more than a bike."
"Come look at what we have and you decide. I might have something to throw in, but you can be the judge."
We went up in the elevator to the fourth floor where Hank led us to a beautiful carmine Escalade. He said, "Would you be willing to take this in lieu of your old Bronco? It would cost some extra and you could use your old Harley as a trade."
I said, "What in the world would I do with a Cadillac Escalade. That is so beyond me that it makes me laugh. Come on, this is for some fancy guy, not someone like me."
Chuck said, "Look, this is the easiest way to take care of you. Just think of it as an opportunity to have something special."
Shaking my head, "I'm just not a Cadillac kind of guy. That's a beautiful car, gorgeous even, but I could hardly change the oil in that thing, much less keep it running right. Who knows how to work on those things, I sure don't."
Hank said, "Come here, look at this and see what you say." He walked us down a ways and showed me what looked like a late model evolution Harley. The bike was an FLH sport with a windshield and hard cases. It was the right color, a dark sparkly blue over white. The bike was nice looking. Hank flipped the ignition on and pushed the button. The Harley started instantly and sounded good. I waved and he shut it down.
"I'll give you this bike and that car for your old bike and for the loss of your Bronco."
"You're not nice, Hank. I love the bike, but the car is not my kind of car."
Chuck said, "If you took the Escalade, I know a lady that will trade you out of it quickly. Just tell her what you want and she will get it for you and give you cash for any difference. Now how about it?"
"Only if you're sure I can unload that gaudy thing. I can't drive a car like that around my friends. That is just too much for a guy like me."
"Then we have a deal?" Chuck asked.
I took a big breath and nodded, "Deal."
Hank said, "I'll load the Harley up and come out and get your old bike. That one is for me. I'll pay the service for the difference and you get this jewel of a car and a real nice bike. Go with Chuck so they can do all the title transfer stuff. Jan should have everything ready in Wanda's office."
We walked across the street to the Federal building and took the elevator upstairs. There were two nice girls in Chuck's office. I recognized the little oriental dark girl. She was the girlfriend or wife of the airplane mechanic, Jimmy. I asked questioningly, "Angie, right?"
The little girl smiled real big and said, "Right. Nice to see you Mr. Robins, are you feeling okay since you were shot?"
"I'm fine now. I'm healing quickly, thank you for asking."
I met Wanda who was Chuck's office manager. She was a tall, really attractive, lady who seemed a little stuffy. I had to show them my driver's license and my insurance card. They even called my insurance agent to tell them what they were doing. Wanda handed me back my card and license, along with a stack of papers. She said, "You can go by the tax office on the way home. Make sure you give Hank the title to your old bike. I think the Marshal Service thanks you for getting that vehicle off our hands. Thank you, Mr. Robins."
Chuck followed me out of the office and walked me back over to the garage. Hank had the bike up on a small flatbed, tied down real well. He tossed me the keys and said, "After you drive that thing home, you may not want to get rid of it. If you do, the lady's name and phone number are in the glove box. I already called her and told her the car might be available. It will be up to you."
I followed Hank out of the city and he went straight to the title office. I told him that I might just pass on registering the Escalade today and let the possible new owner pay all those taxes. He said he didn't know how that would work, but it was up to me. I did register the Harley and picked up the tag.
Out at the trailer park, I pulled my truck cart out of the shed and let Hank push the old Harley out to put it on the flatbed. He said, "This is nice, I may be getting the best part of all of this. I hope you get a car that you want. Pick one out first and tell the lady. Let her attorney figure it all out and make your deal. She'll still get a good deal, because she really wants that Escalade."
We put the new Harley in the shed and I put the cart back in as well. I decided there was no time like the present to call this lady. The note said the lady's name was Bobby so I called her.
A man answered the phone and I identified myself and asked to speak to Bobby. He grumbled and grunted then called out for Bobby. A sweet voice said, "Are you the man who has the Escalade?"
"I am."
"Good, what kind of car do you want in trade?"
I said cautiously, "I want a Ford Escape. They're not too expensive and are about the same size as my old Bronco. It can be about any color with the necessary options. Have your lawyer make up the deal so I don't have to pay a lot of registration and taxes."
The sweet voice said, "And how much extra do you want?"
"Nothing, Ma'am. Get me an Escape and we have a deal."
After some conversation that I couldn't understand, the man got on the phone. "Are you working some kind of scam? You have to get some extra over the Escape, how much?"
Not knowing what to answer, I said, "Tell you what, get me the Escape, make sure I don't get stuck with any of the taxes, title fees, and license fees and then you give me what you think is fair. That will be the deal, period."
The gravely voice said, "I can live with that. Do you want autographs or pictures or anything?"
Who the heck was I talking to?
"No, just have your lawyer meet me with the Escape and I'll give him the Escalade."
Gravel voice asked, "Give me your number and I'll have my guy call you to set up the meet. No funny business now."
"Nope, no funny business. I just want a plain car, not some fancy Cadillac."
The man was laughing as he hung up on me.
I barely had time for a drink of water before the phone rang. A voice asked "Mark Robins?"
"That's me."
A formal sounding voice said, "I will go and purchase you a nice Ford Escape and meet you. Where would be a good place and what time."
"How about a place called Park Place. I'll meet you in the bar and billiard hall. You name the time."
The formal voice said, "It shouldn't take me more than a half hour to buy your car and get a cashier's check for you. The difference will be between the price I pay for your Escape and the book retail for the Escalade. Is that good with you?"
I was almost laughing, "Perfect. When?"
"My name is James Carrington and I will meet you in one and a half hours. Please be punctual."
"See you then, Mr. Carrington."
It was getting to be lunch time, so I drove the Escalade over to the patio for lunch. Martin began razing me about the fancy car I was driving. I had to tell everyone a little fib. I said I was driving it to swap for the car I was getting for the feds losing my car. I did say that it was a confusing deal and I thought everyone would be happy. We discussed the Ford Escape. None of us knew a lot about the Escape except that I knew it looked nice and was good on gas.
After lunch, I headed straight to Park Place. I went in and used a coin table to shoot some pool balls for a while. When it was time for the man to get there, I waited at a table, watching the parking lot. The Escalade was parked in front, so I knew it would be a magnet for the guy coming. What do you know; a carmine Escape was parking next to the Escalade. Son of a gun, it even had a sunroof. Oh well, who cares. This was probably the last car I would ever have or need.
The man came in and I waved at him. I had a stack of papers for him and he had some for me. The first thing he asked was, "Can we drive to the tax office and sort these two cars out? That way I can see how the car drives and we can take care of this all at one time."
"Good with me. You drive the Cadillac and I'll drive the Ford."
With a smile, we went out to the cars where I backed out and let him follow me to the tax office. It took an hour and a half of waiting and sorting out how much was owed and finally paid. We both had tags for the cars, so we went out where the man produced a screwdriver from his briefcase. He smiled, "I was a Boy Scout, I'm prepared."
We laughed as I mounted both tags. The attorney handed me a check for eight thousand, four hundred and sixteen dollars, then asked, "Does that seem fair? The auto dealer gave me the figures after I bought your Escape. The Ford has every option available and was the best on his lot. He did give me a great deal and that enables you to get that check. Are we square?"
"You bet. I'm very happy. Thank you and thank the Bobby lady. This makes my day."
The attorney said, "It makes mine and it will make my client's day as well. Thank you for your cooperation. Have a good day."
Mr. Carrington got in the Escalade and drove off. That was a hell of a deal. Too bad I don't have a garage to keep my new car in. I wonder if there is enough room between the tree and the fence. I could get one of those metal sheds that could house the Escape.
Driving home, I looked at all the options. It even had a GPS in it, as well as an Ipod dock and a cell phone connection to talk hands free. This thing had more power gadgets than the Cadillac. I think I got the better deal. At least my car looked like a common man's car. It was very close to being as big as the Bronco. I did feel a little guilty. I had a brand new car that probably cost a ton, a newer Harley, and eight grand in my pocket. I had to give up the old bike, but I got my money out of it. I looked at what I had as what the bike and the Bronco had been worth. I didn't feel guilty any more."
I parked next to the tree and pulled the cart out real quick. Inside, I changed into coveralls and brought my dirty ones with me. It was three o'clock by the time I was able to begin working on the transmission. I easily found the problem. The shift fork was bent and a lobe was busted from a gear. Nothing else seemed to be damaged, so I called the parts store to tell them what I needed. They said they would have the clutch, gear, fork, and rear seal for me by ten in the morning.
I checked with a couple of guys working on a big diesel engine. One guy said, "The blower isn't pushing enough air through, so the power is way off and the fuel mileage has gone to pot. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong anywhere. According to the meter, the drive sprocket on the belt is spinning at the right speed."
"Let's take off the shroud to see if we can spot anything," I suggested, so the two men quickly took the shroud off.
"Start it up and let's watch the belt and the fan gear." I stood back, and told the other guys to do the same, so that the belt wouldn't hit us if it came off.
We saw the problem as soon as the engine started. The shaft had become disconnected from the fan. The belt and the lower gear were turning, but the fan wasn't turning.
The guys took the drive apart and found that the shaft keeper had broken off between it and the fan. The fix wasn't going to be that expensive, about fifty cents for the little piece of metal. The two guys hollered thanks and I left to go get cleaned up for supper.
Tonight, Martin said, "I was down talking to Betty and saw your new Escape. That's a nice car, much better than that Cadillac."
"Thanks, Martin, I had to do some trading around, but it worked out."
Crystal came in and said, "Thanks, Mark, you helped my two goof offs figure out what was the matter with that blower. They were on that thing all day. I should use you to just wander around and help everybody that has a common sense problem. We'd save a ton of time if we did."
"I'll help whenever I can, Crystal. Just have Kevin tell me who needs help."
Crystal said, "You're doing what really needs to be done. Just taking care of the warranty carts is a big deal. I really appreciate it. Say, isn't that Samantha's old clunker on the lift in the shop?"
"Yes, Ma'am, I'm fixing the tranny, the clutch, and rear main seal. It'll be done tomorrow. I've already changed the timing belt, serviced it, and tuned it up."
Steve said, "That will be the first time that old sled has run right since she's owned it. She's never let anyone work on it and we have some world class motor mechanics living out here."
Samantha came up and said, "But Mark is paying me back, so that's fair. The others were my friends too, but I thought I would be taking advantage of them. Perhaps I can have Shawna paint it for me. I got a nice check from two of the TV stations for my story. They want some more, so I'm working on it. We have some great human interest stories out here. I've found several in the clothing factory that will be real good TV stuff."
It had been a great day. I celebrated with a small Beefeaters and a beer with supper. I hung around and listened to all of the various projects going on within the company, then went home. I was bushed.
I was barely able to wash up before bed. I was really tired.
I woke up at my usual time and got ready to walk. Rain was coming down like crazy. That's what the noise was. I opened the door and screwed the canopy out to shield the doorway from the rain. It actually covered the area all the way to the shed door. I didn't know whether to go over to the patio or just fix my own breakfast this morning.
Oh well, I guess I could get a little wet. I put on a pair of clean coveralls and a cap then pulled the cart out of the shed. This was probably the first time this cart had ever been rained on. It was sort of sad. My new Escape looked good waiting to go somewhere. I thought of what all I wanted to do today so I put one of my little notebooks and a pen in my pocket, along with both my old cell phone that was cut off and the one I had recently purchased.
Driving over to patio wasn't too bad. As long as the rain came straight down, I didn't get wet. I could get rained on if it was blowing, but I was still pretty dry by the time I arrived.
When I walked on to the patio, Sue was sitting on Steve's lap. They were kissing and hugging. I wanted to yell, "Get a room" but Shawna saw me and said, "Those two get like this every morning that it's raining heavy. They met one morning when it was coming down like this. The rain holds some significance for them."
After breakfast, I worked on several warranty problems and finished about ten-thirty. It was still raining, but not heavily, so I drove my cart over to the parts store. They had a box of parts for me, plus all the fluids I had forgotten to order. That's what a good parts store did.
Even though I broke for lunch, it only took me until four to finish putting everything back together on the little car. I had to push everything and not lift or pull anything, so that made the job take longer. I also had to quit several times to help the goof offs that Crystal described. They didn't have a lot of experience and even less common sense. I thought they were both trying hard and I figured I was teaching them. At least I hoped so.
I washed up at the shop and changed into a clean set of coveralls and took a couple pairs home with me. I drove Samantha's little car to the patio to see if she was there. She was sitting on one of the gliders, reading a book. I got her attention and said, "Drive me back to the truck shop to get my cart."
"You're done, really? Let me drive you. Oh, Mark, this is so good. I can do stuff, even earn a living again."
We drove to the truck store and I said, "Drive it and see if there's anything else that needs to be fixed. You can work with Steve and Sue on the parts. My work is a gift."
Samantha hugged me and said, "Thank you, Mark, this is wonderful."
I watched her drive off, grimacing as she missed a gear, ground it into place, and kept going. She needed some instruction too.
Cleaning up at home took only a few minutes. It had finally stopped raining, but it was very humid. Shirley came over and said, "Can I ride over to the patio with you? Betty is going out with her lady friends tonight, so I'm alone. I'll be your buddy tonight, okay?"
I smiled and nodded.
At the patio, Shirley and I had a couple of drinks before supper and joined in several discussions. As the night passed by, Maria came with her kids to tell me, "Remember, I cook for you tomorrow. It will be a great meal. Be hungry."
As the evening wore down, Shirley and I were tired at about the same time. I suggested we go home. She rode with me and watched as I put the cart in the shed. She was still standing there and I asked, "Can I walk you home?"
She smiled and said, "Only if you plan on staying. I think it's time for you and me to spend a night snuggled up together. I want to feel you up against me."
"Shirley, I've already told you. I'm not able to have that kind of fun without help from pills. You're inviting but,,,, "
"Mark, don't be so defensive. I didn't say one word about fooling around, or if you want me to be blunt, fucking. I said I wanted to snuggle, to feel us holding each other. I mean just that, Mark."
I was stumped for words. I offered, "Do you want me to walk you home to get a nightgown?"
"No, I want us to turn up the air and snuggle bare body. We can leave my panties and your shorts on, but I want to feel you up against me, please?"
I opened the door and let her in and I turned on the light so we could see where we were going. As I showed her down the hall, I said, "I have an extra toothbrush if you want one. Let me turn on the bedroom light and I'll lock up and shut the front down."
Shirley did use a toothbrush and when I had finished in the bathroom, the lights were all off except the light in the closet. Shirley said, "Come lay with me, I want to be cuddled."
We lay together for a long while and we both must have had a million thoughts running through our heads. Her body felt good against me. The feel of her older, soft, and saggy breasts against my chest had my thing wanting to get hard, but of course it didn't. It might have twitched once or twice, but that was wishful thinking.
Shirley and I were looking into each other's eyes. She said, "I think I'd like some kisses. That should put me right to sleep."
We did kiss. The kisses were so sweet, and so soft, it almost made me cry. I had missed that in a relationship. Sure enough, both of us went right to sleep."
Lips were kissing mine. How nice. More kisses, and I could feel someone lying up against me. My mind rocketed back to the loving embraces of my earlier marriage. It was Shirley's voice that brought me to reality, "You are so snuggly, Mark. I love the way we hugged all night long."
I opened my eyes and gazed upon Shirley mature face. She really didn't have that many wrinkles, but when she smiled, she had all those wonderful smile lines. I kissed her and was able to see the smile lines wink at me. I said, "I guess it's time to get this day underway."
"If we were twenty years younger, I'll bet I could talk you into staying in bed a little longer."
"I think you could do that twenty years later too, but for different reasons."
Shirley rose up over me and asked, "Would you consider getting some of those pills? I would like that, and I think Betty and Caroline would also. If I'm not mistaken, your little Mexican girlfriend would like that too. What I'm saying is, if you think they would work, get some and let's try them. If you try with me, I promise not to say anything to anyone. It will be our secret however it turns out."
"Oh, Shirley, that is so tempting. I'll ask the doc the next time that I go see him. In fact, I have to go Monday, so I'll ask."
"Good, I want you to try with me and Betty. Whoever else is up to you, but I know Betty wants to cuddle with you too. I just didn't want to wait any longer. So you see, we can enjoy touching without anything else. I'm not sure how long I want you to keep your hands off me, but I do like to snuggle."
"Me too, Shirley; that was the nicest night's sleep I've had in a long while."
There was a pounding at my door. I was startled but got up and slid my boxers on before going to the door. When I peeked out, Betty was standing on the steps, looking pissed. Oh boy.
I opened the door, waved her inside and asked, "What's up, Betty?"
"I hope you're not and that hussy didn't get any after all."
"Well good morning to you too, Betty. Come in, join the party."
Betty looked around and said, "Where is she, I know the little hussy is here."
"Yes she is, Betty, Shirley slept here last night. We snuggled all night and slept very well."
Tears were streaming down Betty's face, "I want that so bad. I want that and she got it. That's just not fair."
I held Betty and said, "How about you and I snuggle tonight. No sex, I can't do that, but we can cuddle and sleep in each other's arms."
Betty looked at me longingly, "Really, could we? I want that, I want to feel you against me. I guess I want to feel a good man against me."
Shirley came out of the bedroom, wearing her clothes, and said, "Tonight is your night, Betty. You and I will have to take turns or else we'll sometimes have to have a threesome when it comes to sleeping at night."
Betty perked up, "That would work too. There are sometimes that I'm so lonely. I thought that Mark might help me feel less lonely."
That was said so melancholy that it almost made me cry.
"Okay you two, how about some coffee? I need to either go for a short walk or get ready to go over to Steve's."
Shirley said, "We'll go over to Steve's with you. Let us get dressed for doing that. Come on Betty; let's get ready to go visit with the folks on the patio this morning."
The two ladies left, so I jumped into the shower and quickly dressed. I put a pair of coveralls in my cart toolbox in case I needed them later. I made the bed, straightened up real quick, and pulled the cart out of the shed. The two ladies came around the front of my trailer. Betty asked, "Are you locked up?"
"All but the shed."
Shirley asked, "Is that a different motorcycle than you had in there before? It looks newer."
"Yes it is, Shirley, it was part of the deal for the replacement of my Bronco. I got the new Escape and that bike for my Bronco and my antique motorcycle."
Shirley asked, "Was it a good deal?"
"I think so. I have a good vehicle again and I have a street bike I can go riding on."
Betty asked, "Would you give a couple of old ladies a ride?"
I teased, "Do you think Mrs. Henderson would want a ride?"
Shirley said, "Don't ask her, you'd be riding a ninety plus year old lady around on that motorcycle."
Betty said, "I haven't had a ride on a motorcycle in probably forty years. I think I would like that."
"How about giving us a ride Sunday, Mark? Tomorrow we have plenty of time after church to have some nice rides."
Betty said, "And I get to sleep with you tonight too, right?"
"You two," I said mockingly, "are you going to run my life for me now that I'm willing to share some body heat with you?"
Shirley said, "No, but you'll probably want your life run by us when you start getting some regular pussy."
"Oh, Shirley, you are so nasty," Betty said.
"Betty, don't be a prude. You want it as much as I do. Go ask Caroline, she's even more direct than I am."
We arrived at the patio and went in to enjoy the Saturday morning revelry and the astonishingly sexy gowns that gave everyone a view of what each of the women had to offer. Shirley said, "I wish I had known this was a contest. I have some sexy gowns."
Betty said, "I have one just like Glenda's. I could wear mine. Ruth should just go nude; you wouldn't see any more of her."
This morning was fun. Everyone was in a good mood with several planning boating and fishing trips. The guy named Charlie with the cute little redheaded wife was trying to get a group of bikers together to go up to Dade City for a bike show. I didn't think I could ride that far yet, so I didn't ask to join. I was planning on getting the new bike out and riding a little though, even if it was just around the park and the business park.
As people left to begin their weekend activities, I took the two ladies home, then rode my cart over to the cart factory. There were four mechanics working on warranty and other repairs in the warranty area. I asked them if I could help and one of them said, "The more the merrier. We have this session every other Saturday from eight until noon. It's a chance for those that work during the week to get minor repairs done and to bring carts in to drop off for major service."
The guys showed me how to write up the service order then what to do when the work was completed. I was fixing about two an hour until noon, when I finished writing up the last one I had. The three of us took care of a lady that had come late and had a minor warranty problem. We had her on her way in minutes.
We cleaned up the shop and one of the guys had me sweep the floor while he followed behind me and mopped. The place absolutely sparkled before we left. I really like the white floors with the big S&S logo on it. You felt a sense of pride working in a place like this.
The guys were all punching out and asked me why I wasn't ringing the clock. I said, "I haven't been given a card. I just help out wherever I'm needed and you guys needed me this morning."
The one guy who was obviously the senior guy in the group said, "I'll make sure Crystal gets you a time card. If Steve finds out you're working off the clock, he's going to be pissed. He's very touchy about stuff like that."
Even though it was Saturday, there were people at the patio putting out sandwich meats, cheeses, and bread. There wasn't any soup today, but there was a big pot of chili in the kitchen that you could get a bowl full on your own.
While I was eating, Bear and Crystal came and they were discussing how much packing remained. Crystal said, "We're shipping a big container full of everything and Steve and Sue are letting us fill up the G5 with a lot of the stuff we'll need right away."
Bear said, "Would you believe that we're going halfway around the world to start a new business for Steve? I think this is the most exciting thing I've ever done. Well actually, Crystal, the most exciting thing I've ever done was to meet you and marry you. Now that was and is exciting."
Crystal snuggled up to Bear and said, "Don't get all mushy on me right now. We have to get this finished. I want to go over everything with Kevin one more time today so we'll be ready to take off Monday. Do you know how many people are going with us?"
"Steve said that Tiny was coming to set us up with a local accounting group and Gerald is coming to make sure the building plans are in place," Bear explained. "The first six months to a year, we'll be working on building the flying school and getting the operations building expanded and hangars built. Steve is working on getting us some training aircraft. We'll both have to give lessons in the beginning, but you'll soon be too busy with the maintenance group to do that."
When Crystal pushed back from the table, she said, "I'm going to go find Kevin and get this last review done. I've got everything in a notebook so he should have it down."
Kevin and Susan walked into the patio right then with their daughter, Tina. As soon as they sat, Crystal was sitting next to Kevin, reviewing everything with him, for what must have been the twentieth time, and was now the last time before Crystal left. Kevin finally said, "Don't worry, Crystal, I've been following you around for over a year. You have the place so meticulously organized that all I have to do is wander around and snap your whip. You worry too much. There are several people to help me when things get too hectic. If I don't know how to do something, you are as close as a phone."
I decided that I had eavesdropped long enough and got up to leave. As I was approaching the door, Crystal hollered, "Hey, Mark, come here a second."
After going over to them and shaking hands with Bear and Kevin, Crystal said to me, "Steve decided to put you on salary. Since you will probably be spending fifty percent of your time fixing things and fifty percent of your time in engineering, we've set your scale between the two. Steve figures you're good for around thirty two hours a week so that's how we figured your salary. I argued about it and I think I'm right because I heard you were over at the cart shop this morning doing repairs. The guys said you were really fast and an asset to them. I changed your time calculation to forty hours. That doesn't mean you have to work forty hours because I think you'll help out all over. You've been working with Frick and Frack the two goof offs in the truck bay by the little lift. I appreciate that, as they turned in more work this past week than ever. Keep doing that from time to time. They might turn out to be a couple of good mechanics. They try, but they just don't have a lot of life experience yet. Anyway, check with Kevin to see if he needs any special help. Exchange cell numbers so he can get a hold of you during the day."
"Crystal, I'm really trying to retire. Some of the money pressure is off right now and should remain that way, now that I have this lady lawyer to help me. I'm willing to work with you guys and help out where you need someone, but I want to do some things I've been planning on doing in my retirement. I have a couple of things that I want to see if I can make work. One of them will even help out on some of the golf carts. Another is an energy conversion device that works with wind turbines. That's one thing I really want to work on."
Crystal smiled and said, "Listen to him, Kevin, is he one of the geeks from R&D or what?" She turned back to me, "Just go to R&D and work on your toys when you feel like it. Have Dennis and Dr. Rudd give you a room with a bench. If they don't have a free room, tell them to build you your own lab. We love new stuff, and we know guys like you need a balance in your life. Fix stuff and teach our people when you can, then go play with your toys."
She looked at Kevin and said, "Make sure Mark's taken care of. We need some more old coots like him to help Abe keep this place running."
I rode the cart home and dug out my riding helmet from a box in the shed. I know I don't have to wear one, but the insurance I bought required a helmet for the personal injury coverage to be in force. That was okay because the white police style helmet would keep some of the heat off my head.
That Hank character had cleaned this bike up very nice. It only had a couple of thousand miles so it was like brand new. I checked the oil and gas and everything seemed to be ready. I thought I might ride down to the Harley store to pick up a maintenance manual for the bike. That should be a scary enough ride for a first trip.
As soon as I started the bike, Shirley was standing in front of me. She said, "Isn't it time for our rides?"
"I thought I was going to give you a ride Sunday. Besides, I have to get another helmet, Shirley. My insurance won't cover me or a rider unless we wear helmets. The insurance is a lot cheaper that way."
Shirley frowned and said, "Go to that little motorcycle store just down the road and get a helmet there. Betty and I want a ride but she isn't here right now. Please, get a helmet for me."
"Okay, I'll go down there, but you have to get some sunglasses. Eye protection is required too."
She turned and ran to her trailer. I took that opportunity to put the bike in gear and use a little speed to get away from the trailer. These women could be pests.
The little shop down the road was not that small. The couple who owned it had obviously gone through many years in business. The lady, Jan, introduced herself, and pointing to a guy trying to sell a motorcycle, said that was Del, her husband and partner. Jan was talkative and presented some nice cleavage that I had to struggle to keep from talking directly to. She asked where I lived, how long I had been riding, how long I had my bike, etc, etc. I did buy a white police style half-helmet and the maintenance manual. She said, "For regular service, we are very inexpensive. If you don't do the service yourself, trust us with your bike."
When she finished ringing up the expensive white helmet, an extra pair of sunglasses, and the very expensive manual, she reached over and pulled out a neat Tampa V-Twin T-shirt saying, "Welcome to our little world out here. Come visit."
I left, stashing my purchases in the hard cases. The ride back to the trailer park was quick. Shirley came out in Jeans and a T-shirt, wearing sunglasses with her hair back in a ponytail. I pulled the tags off the helmet, got it on her and adjusted the straps. She was grinning when I said, "Sometimes the ride on a motorcycle isn't as smooth as you might think. If you get uncomfortable, tell me."
Shirley said, "My husband had a motorcycle the whole time he was alive. We rode a few times every week. I loved it back then."
I thought this was funny as when Judy and I had first gotten married, she loved to ride and she loved to fly in the little airplanes. As time went on, she didn't like it at all any longer and wouldn't go with me. That sort of takes the fun out of riding.
Shirley said, "We're supposed to go up to the end trailer and get Hap and Marge, his lady. I already told Hap you couldn't ride hard or far. He suggested we just take a ride down to a local biker bar everyone around here goes to, and see how you do."
When we pulled up to Hap's trailer, he and Marge came out, locking their door. Hap forked his bike with Marge behind him and button started it. We rode together, very casually, down to an older part of town to a bar called Jonah's. I've known about this bar for years. It used to be known as Big Jim's before Jim sold out to Jonah. Jonah has a wife that is huge. She's not only big, she's tall. I've seen her sister here once before, and she is as tall, but not quite as round as Jonah's lady.
The ride was very pleasant. We had a beer then Hap and I shot some pool while Shirley and Marge talked to a lot of the other ladies. When we finished our second beer, Hap asked, "Think you're up for one more bar? It's pretty close. Next time, we'll run down to St. Pete to see some friends of mine."
We rode over to a bar called the Vanishing Point where the remnants of an all day party were still hanging on. We sampled some of the roast pork that was left over and watched some folks do a weenie bite contest. A bike rides real slow under a hot dog hung on a string. The female rider stands on the pegs and tries to bite off a bigger piece than the other girls.
Shirley said, "I used to be really good at that. I'll bet if I practice, the next time we're at a party, I'll win."
Hap and Marge were egging Shirley on, but she said, "I've not had anyone to do any deep throatin' on for years. I'll get some hotdogs and practice."
That shut them up, but not before it had brought us all a great laugh. Shirley was a fun babe to go out with. After only a beer at the Vanishing point, I said, "It's time for me to head back. I've had as much exercise and excitement as I can stand for one day."
Hap said, "You're doin' pretty damn good considering it's been only a few days since you were shot. You're a pretty tough old bird."
All I could think of was 'Cluck, cluck.' Enough of getting shot.
I told Shirley and Betty, who had come out to meet us at home, "I promised Maria I would eat supper at her house. It's almost the appointed time so if you want, I'll drop you off at the patio and pick you up on the way home." The two ladies thought that was a great idea.
The three of us went over to the patio to see if anyone was there. Betty had a whiskey sour, Shirley had another beer, and I had iced tea, while they snacked on pizza and wings. Steve, Sue, the kids, along with Martin and Glenda, were out on a sailboat overnight but Ruth held everyone together by directing things to be done for food and fun.
I road up to Maria's and was greeted by the tiny Latin dynamo at the door. She gave me a delicious kiss and made sure that while she seated me and served me food, she displayed a deep valley of cleavage created from her small chest.
The kids were really on their good behavior. The older two did talk to me, but they mostly watched TV and played with their toys. Maria was so very attentive. The food was delicious and very spicy. The more I praised Maria, the more she glowed. She kept hinting, "I know you think you are old, but you would be a good esposo to me and papa to mis bebes. She did make an interesting invitation and when supper was over, I held her on my lap and gently told her in my broken Spanish, "Mi joven, eres muy atractiva, pero
soy muy viejo para ti." (My young one, you are very attractive, I am too old for you.)
Maria hugged me tighter and said softly, "I want you even more."
"Oh Maria, find someone to love you and your bebes, I will give you away as a father."
She looked at me and asked, "vas a ser el abuelo
de mis bebes??" (I think she asked, will you be my babies' grandfather?)
"Yes, Maria, they will be my nietos." (grandchildren)
This seemed to appease Maria and put our relationship in a better light. She smiled very sweetly and kissed me. As she got up, she pulled her top up to show less of an exaggerated valley. I thanked her again for such wonderful food and left saying good night, "Buenas noches."
Back under the patio, the two ladies were still enjoying their evening chatting with the other ladies. I joined them having an iced tea.
As it got late, I suggested to the two ladies, "Let's get home. I'm just about done for the day. I know it's still early so how about we watch a movie on TV. I even have some popcorn. I have beer for you, Shirley, and the makings of a whiskey sour for you, Betty. Sound good?"
We sat on the couch watching TV. Betty seemed pretty nervous, so I asked her, "Are you apprehensive about staying with me tonight?"
Betty nodded yes without saying anything. I told her, "If you're afraid to stay here, I can come home with you."
That seemed to make her more nervous. Shirley leaned over in front of me and said, "Come on, Betty, let's go get our gowns on while the commercials are on and come back to watch the rest of the movie."
They were gone five minutes or so and came back wearing robes. They both hung their robes over chairs and sat with me again. Both were leaning against me, requiring me to put my arms around them. Betty almost had her back to me with my arm around her. She was holding my hand in hers as she snuggled against me. Shirley was sitting about the same way, but took my hand and cupped one of her breasts with it. She knew I wouldn't say anything and was pretty forward in using my hand to explore her top.
Betty was hugging my arm, holding my hand, then ever so slowly she brought my palm up to cup the underside of her larger, soft, breast. She moaned and shuddered as I held her gently. Betty turned and looked at me in the eyes and said, "Thank you. I did need to feel your touch."
She looked to see Shirley manipulating her breasts with my hand and said, "Wouldn't you know, Shirley is being such a slut. My goodness, Shirley, you just can't wait can you?"
"We're both going to enjoy this man, Betty. He's not going to choose anyone right now so let's just share him and enjoy him."
Betty said, "I planned on that. It's a lot less scary if you're with me. If I get scared because he going too far, I have you to sic him on." Betty giggled as she said that.
When it was about eleven, I said, "It's time for me to go to bed. Are you both staying or is it Betty's turn tonight?"
Betty said, "We're both staying. I hope you can put up with our snoring. I know Shirley snores, and I wake myself up all the time snoring. Hope we get a good night's sleep."
We three washed a little and brushed our teeth. I had one last toothbrush for Betty. She said, "I have dentures, but this helps them taste good. They fit real well, so they don't get loose."
The three of us lay in bed with me having a lady on each of my shoulders. I was able to let Betty lay on the wound without it hurting, so I figured we would be okay. Both ladies wanted a couple of kisses and to be held. I did both. I could tell Shirley relaxed quickly and then felt Betty's body go limp as she went to sleep. As both of their breathing became regular, I relaxed, happy to have two ladies lying with me. My, oh my, how times had changed. I had spent the last so many years without anyone to snuggle at night and tonight I had two ladies, real ladies, both special in their own way. Just that thought put me to sleep.
Primary editing by Pepere
Proofing by Sagacious