To Walk A Mile free porn video

Chapter 1

Ed liked his new truck. It was shiny and big and had a heater that worked. It had lots of other toys too but he hadn’t really played with them yet. He’d discovered the air conditioner though.

The truck was a present from some of the ladies he loved. When his previous F-150 was destroyed in an accident he’d insisted that he could take the bus to work but they wouldn’t have it. Rachel, Angie, and Zoe had all pitched in to buy him a brand new Ford F-150 XLT. It was black with chrome accents in a sports package look, whatever that was. All he knew was that it drove really well and he liked it.

While the heater worked and he’d made good use of it over the winter months, he certainly didn’t need it these days. Spring had arrived early and it seemed like summer was in an even bigger hurry. Even though in two days it would only be the first of May the temperatures were higher than normal and he’d been able to go without a jacket for the past week. His work coverall was plenty warm enough on its own.

He rolled his shoulders, enjoying the lack of tightness the new coverall he’d just been given this morning now afforded him. Over the winter months he’d gotten back into his workout routine and discovered he’d increased his muscle mass to the point where his already form fitting coverall had become constrictive. Gwyneth was the new office’s dispatch / receptionist / human resources officer at Drakos Heating and Cooling. She’d ordered the new coverall to give his new larger, harder muscles some space to breathe.

While Gwyneth was a bubbly, smart, and plump bundle of energy who was fun to talk to, he missed Lydia. After a whirlwind romance she’d married a lawyer named Julian and no longer worked for her Dad. Ed had attended the wedding and Julian seemed like a really nice guy. Ed wished them both a long and happy marriage.

Ed pulled his mind back to the task at hand. Gwyneth had dispatched him to a job in his own neighborhood. Zoe’s new construction in fact. Her new house was coming along nicely. It was unlike any house Ed had ever seen before and had some rather challenging heating and cooling requirements. Ed enjoyed the challenge and had offered some innovated solutions for the unique build. Zoe had sworn him to secrecy so he couldn’t reveal any of the details to his family and friends. She wanted it to be a surprise when it was ready for ‘the big reveal’ as Zoe called it.

He pulled up to the gate and pressed the buzzer.

“Hi Ed, come on in!”

That was Zoe’s voice so she must be in the construction office trailer. The gate opened and Ed drove in and parked next to it. He walked inside and she rushed over to get a hug and a kiss.

At 5’ 3”, Zoe Sandoval may have been petite in stature but her curves were breathtaking. More the result of medical science than nature perhaps but eye catching in the extreme. Her breasts were large and round, larger than her small frame normally supported. She was diligent with her exercises to maintain the muscles required to prevent excess strain on her back so her core was hard and tight. He’d experienced first-hand how strong the petite powerhouse was.

Her ass was also plump and round though Ed was sure that was more nature than anything else. With her caramel skin, abundance of gold bangles, earrings, and necklaces, some of which were disappearing into her deep cleavage, she was pure sexiness in a compact package. It was all Ed could do to keep his hands out of her long ebony locks and off those curves as he greeted her with a kiss on her sensual mouth.

She purred as she pulled her lips back from his and took in his new coverall. “Dios! You’re looking good in that new uniform! I could eat you up!” Ed’s face blushed as they weren’t alone.

“Isn’t that sexual harassment?” came a voice from behind them.

Ed looked over Zoe’s head at the grinning man leaning back in his chair. Clint Masterson was the site foreman and had been difficult for Ed to deal with since day one. “I don’t think so. She’s my girlfriend so I think it’s… legal,” Ed replied with a note of concern in his voice. Clint’s grin got wider seeing Ed’s worry.

Zoe spun to glare at the man. “That’s right! He’s mine so I can say all kinds of nice things about him!” she growled. She didn’t like how the man was always picking on Ed’s naiveté. Ed was an innocent and didn’t understand when someone was just teasing or being sarcastic or worse, lying.

She looked back at Ed. “Why are you here today?”

“Final inspections of the systems we installed,” Ed replied.

“Well, get to it boy! Don’t waste my time standing around here all day swapping spit with your girlfriend!” Clint barked.

Ed jumped and quickly made his way out of the trailer. He heard Zoe’s raised voice as the door closed behind him. He put on his hard hat as he entered the construction zone and got to it as Clint had requested.

Several hours later Ed exited from the site. His new coverall was now covered in drywall dust, sawdust, mud, and he had a few grease smears on a sleeve from accidentally brushing it against… something, he couldn’t recall specifically when it happened. He’d been all over the building from the roof to the cellar and everything had passed his inspection with flying colors. Considering how meticulous he was during the installation and how critical he was of the work done during his inspections he was pleased with the result. He took a deep breath and entered the trailer one last time.

He was surprised to see Mr. Drakos leaning across Clint’s desk barking at the man. Clint did not look happy.

“Oh, sorry! Should I wait outside?” Ed said with a surprised expression.

“No Ed, why don’t you stay and see what crying to your boss resulted in,” Clint growled.

“Clint, you’re an idiot. Do you know that? He didn’t call in the complaint.” Mr. Drakos growled and turned. “Ed, what did you come in here to say?”

“Uh… I came in to say I finished the inspection. It took a long time as it’s such a complex installation but everything passed. I- I came in to do the sign off.” Ed said blinking at the two men. He had no idea why they were so angry with each other.

Drakos locked his eyes on Clint’s. “Ed was working since he arrived today because he’s a professional. He does his work and it’s second to none. Ed doesn’t call in complaints. The client did.”

Clint stood facing Mr. Drakos with a clenched jaw.

Mr. Drakos looked at the foreman and sighed. He’d never hire or recommend the man again. He was a bully and had a cruel streak. Ed wasn’t the only one Clint had given a hard time. “Sign the paperwork Ed. Then you’re done here.”

Ed moved forward and Clint stiffly slid the paperwork across the desk at him. Ed added his signature to the appropriate places and stood back. Clint picked up the document and added it to the docket.

“Bye Mr. Masterson,” Ed said with a cautious nod. The man nodded stiffly in return and turned away.

Mr. Drakos followed Ed out of the trailer. “Sorry you had to deal with that jerk,” the older man said.

Ed shrugged. “He wasn’t too bad. I know some of the other guys didn’t like him but I didn’t have to like him to work with him. I just ignored the other stuff.”

Drakos smiled self-consciously. “I guess I’ve just become a little over protective of you.”

Ed smiled at the man. “Then I should thank you for looking out for me.”

“You going back to the office now?” the older man asked.

Ed looked at the time. “I should check on Victoria’s place while I’m here, then I’ll head back.”

“You’re still doing that?” the man asked.

“Yes. She’s still away. I’m still not sure when she’ll be back. Or if she’ll be back at all,” Ed replied with a little shrug but his face looked sad.

Mr. Drakos just patted his shoulder and made his way to his car to drive back to the office.

Ed drove his truck up the hill to the top, not much of a distance from Zoe’s really, and let himself into the mansion with the key Victoria left him with. The large house was silent, accentuating its museum like ambiance. Ed made his way through his routine of inspecting the home for any sign of damage from water damage to broken glass. Once he was done he was in the master bedroom and his mind returned to the last time he’d been with the woman. He remembered her lovely blonde hair spread out over the mattress under her, the flush in her cheeks from their lovema- he struggled to push the memories away as he began to stiffen in his tight clothes. The coverall could use just a little more room in the groin region he realized.

Victoria Rutledge was the widow of Judge Nelson Rutledge, who Ed discovered was an evil little troll of a man. While Victoria was tall, svelte, and with her allure and class reminded Ed of a Hollywood actress of the 1940’s like Veronica Lake, the judge was small in stature and low in character. He was both physically and mentally abusive, controlling, and deeply corrupt. He’d killed a man Victoria had had an affair with and was going to kill Ed when he believed she’d bedded him as well. Ultimately Victoria had killed the judge with his own gun and spent some time in prison before her lawyer found evidence to prove her battered wife syndrome.

Now she was in England with her parents but more importantly with her two girls, reunited after their tumultuously emotional separation. Victoria was getting the psychiatric treatment she needed from years of abuse from her husband. The girls were seeing a counsellor. They were learning the truth about their family and how much they needed each other after the ordeal.

Ed recalled how desperate Victoria had been when he came to visit her two weeks after the Christmas Party. His leg had taken longer to heal than expected and she was upset that he’d postponed the previous week’s appointment. She’d had some harsh words for him.

“Is that the kind of man you are? Lead a woman on and leave her hanging?” she gasped, tears beginning to pool in her thick lashes.

“What? No! My leg hadn’t healed and I was restricted to office work. I did try calling you but you didn’t answer.

“I was angry!”

Ed blinked at her. He wasn’t following this conversation at all. “I’m sorry. How could I know if you wouldn’t speak with me?”

Suddenly she was crushed up against his chest, clinging to him with all her strength. Her hair was under his nose and the scent of melon and something tropical tickled his sense of smell. He felt her trembling so he wrapped his arms around her. He felt her relaxing within his embrace.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“For what?” he asked.

She pressed her face against his neck under his chin, taking comfort from his solidity. “For being so emotional. So… needy. The others… they don’t behave this way, do they?”

Ed tilted his head back and she looked up at him timidly.

“One of the things you can depend on me to be is discreet. This means I won’t tell anyone about our time together. That also means I won’t speak about theirs with you,” he said gently.

She searched his eyes but saw only honesty. She nodded and smiled faintly.

Ed was delighted she’d relaxed her need to have her make-up airbrushed on to perfection. She really was beautiful but now she looked human, not like a perfect porcelain doll. Lovely hazel eyes, a strong but slim nose above eminently kissable lips with her trademark bold red lipstick. Her yellow gold hair fell in relaxed waves around her face and over her shoulders. He couldn’t resist the impulse to finally slide his fingers into her hair. Victoria’s eyes closed in happiness at the feel of his touch and her gently smiling lips parted. Ed found his mouth on hers and he was kissing her deeply and sensually. She gasped and clung tighter as her tongue plunged into his mouth. He sucked on her tongue aggressively and moved one of his hands down her back to her ass as the other gripped her hair.

Victoria was gasping for breath as Ed’s hands and kiss made her so excited. She hadn’t felt this way since she’d taken a secret lover. Miguel. A pain went through her heart as she remembered how Nelson had him killed and disposed of. Then Ed’s hand squeezed her ass and she forgot all about Miguel and Nelson.

She pushed at Ed’s chest to break the kiss and he blinked at her in a lustful daze. She smiled at his need for her. “Could- could we go upstairs?” she asked. He was only able to nod. She took his hand and led him up the long curved staircase to the second floor and down the hall to the master bedroom. The huge bed, cold every night now that she was alone, stood waiting for them. She walked them over to the end of the bed and turned to face him.

Ed caressed her lips with his and she felt tingles rush down her spine. When his large hands slid under her sweater over her stomach she gasped aloud and her eyes flew open. He smiled at her as he gently moved his fingertips over her blouse from front to back gradually working her sweater up her torso. When his fingers passed over her breasts she moaned with need and looked deeply into his eyes. Before she could surge forward he lifted her sweater up and pulled her arms above her head.

He got the sweater off but held her wrists together above her head with one hand while his other hand explored her breasts through her blouse and bra. She squirmed, cooed, and panted as his touch triggered wave after wave of pleasure to course through her body. She felt helpless in his grip yet safe as well for he was only doing what she’d wanted him to do all along.

Ed’s clever fingers found the buttons on her blouse and quickly popped them open one at a time from the top. She was seriously aching for his touch against her bare skin. Once he had the top open his hand slid inside and caressed her stomach, her side and moved around to her back. Her breath was coming in gulps now and she pressed her knees together to calm the maddening tingle between her thighs as her juices ran down the tender skin there.

A quick flick of his fingers and the clasp on her bra parted. She squeaked in surprise then cooed as his large hand slid under the lace to cup a breast.

“Oh my god! Oooohh!” she breathed as his fingers found her stiff nipple and gently squeezed and tugged on it. Her knees wobbled and she might have fallen except for Ed’s undeniable grip on her wrists. His hand left her breast and moved to the zipper on her slacks. His fingers were just too nimble as he had the pants sliding down her legs in seconds and his hand sliding over the thin panties on her ass before she was aware he had her undressed.

Ed released her wrists and used both hands to push her blouse back over her shoulders. Before she could work her arms free he laid her back on the bed, effectively trapping her arms at her sides. He moved over her and kissed her hard. She mewled into his mouth as she couldn’t get enough of his kiss. While she was distracted he pushed her loose bra upwards and took her tits in his hands. He gave them both a firm squeeze.

“MMMMMmmmnnn!” she gasped into his kiss.

He moved his mouth to her neck and ran his lips down the creamy skin of her throat.

“Edward! Oh yes!”

When his lips met her nipples she cried out in bliss. He circled the stiff peak with the tip of his tongue making her arch her back then he sucked it into his mouth and strummed it with his tongue. He repeated the treatment to her other nipple and she cried out with the intensity of the pleasure.

Ed continued to kiss and caress his way down her torso and he felt her stomach muscles jump and twitch as he passed her belly button. He dipped his tongue into the small indent and she burst into giggles. He smiled up at her as she raised her head to look down her body at him.

When the tip of his tongue left her belly to draw a straight line downwards her eyes grew large as she realized what he was about to do. No one had ever done this for her, not her Latin lover Miguel and certainly Nelson hadn’t. But Ed was looking up at her with hunger in his eyes and her body shook with the surprise of her realization of what was about to happen. That’s when she noticed he’d tugged her slacks the rest of the way off her legs and was now sliding her panties past her knees. How? She’d been so dazed she hadn’t noticed his hands at work.

Victoria took a sudden deep breath as she’d been holding it. Ed began to press his lips against the tender flesh of her lower abdomen in slow sensual kisses.

“Oh Edward! Oh! Oh! Oh my god! I’ve never- OH!”

Ed ran his tongue over her glistening pussy lips and her body went into convulsions. She dropped her head back on the bed and made cute little mewling sounds as her body went through a gentle orgasm as he licked and sucked at her tender flesh.

She became too sensitive to touch so he stood up at the end of the bed and began to take his coverall off. He was stepping out of it when Victoria’s eyes focused once more. She looked down the bed towards him and watched him slowly lifting his white undershirt up his hard, muscular torso. As the muscles were exposed to her eyes she bit her lip and felt a throbbing begin between her legs. The shirt lifted up and over his head and she sighed as she saw his powerful pectoral muscles and thick arms hanging from his broad shoulders. Miguel had been slim and graceful like a heron. Nelson was thick and short like a fireplug. She pushed herself up on her elbows to be able to see him better and tugged herself free of the blouse and bra.

To Victoria, Ed was built like a god from Olympus!

She watched him run his hands down over his tight stomach muscles to hook his thumbs into the waistband of his boxers. The black silky material hid his dimensions from her eyes but she never looked away as he slowly worked the underwear down his hips. She realized he was teasing her and growled in frustration making him smile.

Ed wasn’t delaying just to tease her. He was genuinely nervous of her reaction to seeing him naked. He took a deep breath and pushed his boxers down as he watched her cautiously. He hoped she wouldn’t scream.

Victoria’s eyes got bigger and bigger as she watched Ed’s thick and long cock emerge from his boxers. When it finally bounced free from its confinement she sucked in her breath. She’d never seen one so… dauntingly big! She looked up at Ed with an expression that warred between nervous and awestruck.

He relaxed a little when she didn’t shriek in fear but he noticed she wasn’t looking exactly pleased with the result of his unveiling.

“Should- should I get dressed again?” he asked carefully.

“NO! I- I mean, no. I’m just… surprised. I wasn’t expecting… so much… of you,” Victoria stumbled through her words.

Ed smiled. “Yeah. I’ve heard that before and I’ve certainly heard worse.”

“Worse?” Victoria asked looking at him curiously.

Ed nodded and a pained look passed over his face. “I’ve been called monstrous. A freak. Mutant… and some other bad words.”

“No… how could they say that about you?!? They didn’t know you!” she gasped in shock as she looked in his eyes with compassion in hers. As if drawn there her eyes moved back to the thick appendage hanging down between his legs. She realized it wasn’t erect yet and her eyes widened once more with the shock.

“May- may I touch it?” she asked, her eyes never leaving the gently swaying flesh.

“Yes.”

Victoria pushed herself up onto her knees and made her way to the end of the bed. She sat on the end of the mattress and felt a tingle shoot through her pussy which was still coming down from her previous fun.

She was closer to Ed’s cock now and it looked even more intimidating. She reached out slowly and touched it with the fingertips of her right hand. She couldn’t stop herself from moaning as she felt the hot skin’s silky smooth texture. For just a second her mind flashed to an image of a powerful, dangerous snake and shivers ran down her spine. She wrapped her graceful fingers around his girth and was shocked to discover her fingers barely met. She felt him throbbing in her hand and soon she realized she couldn’t close her hand around it.

“Oh god Edward! You’re so big! How? How could this possibly fit?” she said breathlessly as she brought her left hand into play and stroked his length. She was mesmerized by what she was holding and fondling in her hands.

“Victoria, that feels very nice!” he sighed.

She looked up at his face in surprise and saw he really seemed to be enjoying her touch. Emboldened by his obvious approval she stroked him from the head to his heavy balls which she cupped in the fingers of her left hand.

“Oh, that’s good!” Ed groaned.

Victoria was beginning to tingle in her special place once more and feeling his heavy cock in her hands was making her feel so very wicked! She’d never handled a man like this before! She suddenly needed to have him inside her, but his size!

“Edward… I- I want you to make love to me… but I’m afraid.”

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. We can stop at any time,” Ed assured her. She nodded. “Do you have any personal lube?” he asked.

From the shocked look on her face Ed saw the answer was no.

“What- why would I need that?” she gasped then looked once more at what she was still holding. “Oh!”

“We’ll take it really slow. You can say stop at any time and I will,” he said gently and she smiled at him. He took her hands which released his member reluctantly and he pulled her to her feet.

They were standing before each other, naked. Ed pulled Victoria’s body against his and his cock slid between her thighs, pressing hard against her wet pussy. He felt her heat against him and from her gasp she felt his. He kneaded her ass in his hands and she moaned as she clung to him and shivered from the sparks shooting through her.

Ed moved his mouth to hers and she kissed him hungrily, her arms wrapping around his neck as she rubbed her pussy up and down his hard shaft.

Victoria’s mind felt like it was whirling away as she acted on instinct. She’d never been so bold before but Edward’s strength and calm freed her from her inhibitions. His hunger for her matched hers and she knew she had to have him, he would be hers and hers alone! She knew it would be difficult to separate him from the other women but she couldn’t share him! She needed him to be hers. She would find a way!

Passions overwhelming her, she thrust her tongue into his mouth and he sucked on it strongly.

He suddenly pulled back and laid her back against the mattress and knelt on the bed to pull her further up. Then he pushed her knees up to her chest which raised her ass off of the bed. She gasped as he ran his hot flesh up and down across her wetness.

“Oh! Oh! Edward! Yes! Take me! Oh yes!” she gasped.

Then she felt it.

The thick head pushed into her body and she stopped breathing. He was- he was so- big. He seemed to be waiting then he pushed in another inch. The breath she’d been holding rushed out and the intruder slid in another two. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. She was coming apart. She was turning inside out. She wanted to scream and push him away as he’d promised to take it slow. Then she needed him deep now as he was going too slow!

When he pulled his fat cock from her body she could no longer contain her cries.

“NO! NO! IN! DON’T TAKE IT OUT!” she wailed and wrapped her legs around him to pull him deeper.

She was able to get half of his cock buried inside her before he managed to grab her hips to stop himself from driving in deeper. Her legs tugged but his strength would not be denied. She shook and trembled under him as he struggled to keep from crushing her under his large body.

Ed gasped for breath as he balanced on his head and knees arching his body over hers. When Victoria had yanked him deeper with her legs he felt himself going too deep too fast and knew she’d be hurt so he had to quickly move his hands from bracing himself against the mattress to her hips to stop his descent. This meant balancing on his head next to her neck.

He pulled his hips back against her straining legs and she began to whine with need. He eased his pushing against her hips and his cock sunk an inch further inside. He stopped her once more.

“Edward! So big! You’re splitting me apart! Too full!” she muttered even as she tried to pull him deeper.

He pushed and drew himself out to the head.

“NO! NO! FUCK ME!” Victoria howled as she strained to pull him deeper. He drove forward once more and went an additional two inches deep as she wiggled her hips roughly and one of his hands slipped.

Victoria’s eyes flew wide as the sensation of fullness and the ache of him spreading her walls wide overwhelmed her. She knew she still didn’t have it all yet but she was sure she would tear in two if she tried to take more. She was panting shallowly as that seemed to ease the deep ache she was beginning to feel.

How did the other women take him? It wasn’t fair! She wanted him! She needed him! She would have all of him! She felt him bracing his hands on her hips to push himself free once more and she relaxed her legs to let him do it. God! The emptiness of her body when he pulled himself out made her want to cry but she bit her tongue to distract herself.

Once he was out to the head once more she trembled as it felt like such a tease. The vacuum he’d left behind needed to be filled and this time he was going all the way inside. She slid her hands down his powerful arms and caressed his hands. The skin on her hips was slick with a thin layer of perspiration. She waited until he relaxed then she tugged his hands outwards as she squeezed her heels against his ass with all her might.

Ed was caught off guard by her move and his pelvis dropped to slam against her rising one.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAIIIEEEEEEE!” Victoria screamed and clung to Ed to keep him from moving. It was too much! She was in heaven! His body was rocking against her clit as the head of his cock was pushing against her cervix. That wasn’t the most comfortable of sensations but her clit was doing its own screams of joy. She felt her body flush with heat and tremors began rushing through her. Something was building very rapidly and it was all she could do to hold still as her hips automatically began to roll and rock against Ed’s body, grinding her clit against him.

Ed was surprised by her move but there was little he could do as she held on to him so tight. He moved his hands up to lift himself up a bit to reduce the pressure on her chest. She clung tighter and rubbed her tits against his chest as her pelvis ground against his. Ed was getting close and the velvety smooth heat gripping his entire cock felt too good! Her gyrations were adding to his pleasure and he took her mouth in a fierce kiss.

“MMMMMmmmfffff!” she moaned into his mouth as her pleasure spiked.

His hips began to rock as well and soon he had a shallow thrust happening with a bump against her clit with every down stroke.

“Uhhh! Oh! Uhhh! Fahhh! Oh! Guhh!” She blurted sounds with every impact and her trembling grew stronger.

Ed’s hips sped up as his release reached the apex and the sound of wet skin slapping together filled the room.

“There! I’m there! Oh! EEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDD!!!” Victoria squealed as her body spasmed and shook through an almost violent orgasm.

Ed slammed his hips home one final time and he fired his cum deep inside in surge after surge.

The heat filling her up made her eyes roll back as her body was wracked with too much sensation.

The waves of bliss washed over her for what seemed like an eternity. When Victoria’s mind drifted back to her body she felt such a glow of inner peace tears came to her eyes and rolled slowly down her cheeks. A large finger gently caught one of the tears.

“Hey? Why are you crying? Did I make you unhappy? Did I hurt you?” Ed asked with concern.

She turned her face to look at him. Her beautiful yellow hair spread out in a halo around her head and her cheeks were pink with a flush. She smiled and shook her head.

“No Edward. I’m… so very happy! I can’t contain it so it leaks out. You’ve made me so happy,” she sighed and a smile came to his face. This was quickly replaced with another concerned look.

“You went too quickly. I’m too big to take that fast. You need to work your way up slowly. I didn’t want to hurt you!”

Beneath the incredible tingles she was floating in she noticed a deep, deep ache and realized this would probably be very uncomfortable later. So be it. She wouldn’t have changed anything. “I know. It was my fault, Edward. I was too impatient to have it all. It was… amazing!”

“It was pretty amazing for me too!” he said, his smile returning. “I-”

The phone next to the bed began to ring. Ed looked at the surprised look on Victoria’s blissed out face. He reached over and picked up the handset for her and she moved it to her ear. Ed was too close not to hear both sides of the conversation.

“Hello?”

“Victoria?” It was a man’s voice with a British accent.

“Daddy?” she gasped in surprise, reverting to her childhood responses instantly.

“Yes, darling. We- we spoke with your barrister today. She informed us of what that man did to you. Is it- is it true?”

A sob leaked out and Victoria held her hand over her mouth. When she could she spoke again. “Yes.”

There was a muffled gasp at the other end as emotions overflowed. Ed picked up the sound of a woman crying in the background. He was embarrassed to be listening in on this very personal call so he made to leave. Victoria quickly reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Daddy?”

The man’s voice came back but it was deeper now and trembling. “Darling, I’m booking a flight for you. It leaves at 9PM your time tonight. Pack your things and be on that flight. You’re coming home. We’ll take care of this. We’ll take care of you. Your daughters need their mother. We’re so sorry we treated you that way. We were bloody idiots! Please forgive us and come home!”

Victoria burst into tears and clung to Ed as her emotions imploded. It was all too much. She dropped the handset.

“Hello? Victoria dear?” came from the speaker.

Ed picked up the phone and held it to his ear as he looked at the weeping woman. She nodded to him and put her hands over her face as she cried.

“Hello?” he said.

“Who is this?” was the terse reply.

“My name is Ed Walters, sir. I’m a friend of Victoria’s. She’s crying too hard to speak right now but I’ll make sure she’s on that plane tonight.”

“You were listening?” the voice sounded indignant.

“Yes, I’m terribly sorry for my intrusion but Victoria went through some pretty awful treatment from Judge Rutledge. He hurt her pretty bad. She needs her mom and dad and she needs her daughters so I’ll get her packed and on that plane.”

“You- you know what that man did to her?” the voice was calmer now but shaky.

“Not the details, but I saw some pictures and I can see how hurt she is inside. It must have been awful for her,” Ed replied and Victoria clung to him tighter as her gasps got louder.

“Thank you for looking out for her. I- we were under the impression that she was alone,” the man said, his voice continuing to wobble.

“Yes, everyone she knew here abandoned her but the ladies in this neighborhood and I welcomed her into our family. Victoria’s good people. She didn’t deserve that,” Ed said with a frown.

He heard a choking sound from the other end of the phone and the sound was muffled. Ed looked at Victoria whose tears were finally slowing.

The speaker cleared and a woman’s voice came on. “Hello?”

“Hello. Is this Victoria’s mom?”

“Yes, who are you?” she returned.

“Ed Walters. A friend of Victoria.”

“Thank you for being there for our little girl. You will send her home to us?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Victoria desperately pulled the phone from Ed’s hand and held it to her ear. “Mommy?”

The two women burst into tears again and tried to speak but it was no good. Ed heard her father get back on the phone. “Edward?”

He took the phone from Victoria’s limp fingers. “Yes, sir.”

“Flight BA #356 departing at 9PM. Please make sure she’s on that flight.”

“I will, sir.”

“Good lad. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Ed’s cell buzzed, yanking him back from his memories of that day. He glanced at the screen and saw a text from Gwyneth asking him to get back to the office ASAP. He frowned. It was Friday afternoon. He was worried that she might tell him he had a big job to do which would threaten his weekend off. He tapped out he was on his way.

Ed looked at the tidy room. Like all of the other rooms in the house it was too neat. You’d never know someone actually lived in the house. But then, these days no one did.

Once he’d taken Victoria to the airport that night she’d left him with a key to her house and he promised to watch over the place until her return. That had been months ago and when last they’d spoken on the phone she’d told him that she was seeing a psychiatrist to get over her trauma. The family was knitting back together and she was healing. She had no idea when she would return but at least she sounded happy. The tension and desperation in her voice was fading.

Ed locked up the house and made his way back to the office. He sighed. Life goes on it seems.



Chapter 2

Sunday night found Ed at the top of a short ladder with the sound of laughing kids playing in the backyard behind him. He’d enjoyed his two days off, there hadn’t been a crisis at the office after all, and this was the only work he’d been faced with. He was at Stephanie’s home installing a new motion sensor spot light by the rear patio door. The old one had given up the ghost and installing a new one was a job of only a few minutes. With dusk approaching Ed just had enough light to get the job done without having to wear a headlight.

When Stephanie called to ask him if he could help her with it he’d gladly agreed. He’d picked up two of the units as Carolyn’s home was built at the same time Stephanie’s was and the two buildings were identical in all aspects, aside from décor.

Both homes were a reflection of the women who lived in them. Stephanie’s choice in furnishings was clean lines and contemporary design with playful accents. Delightful on the eyes, soothing to the soul plus the gift of laughter. Much like the woman, Ed thought.

Carolyn’s anthropologist background made her choice of décor lean towards a more Bohemian style. The artifacts and textiles she’d collected in her field days accented her more traditional and maybe a little ornate furniture. Always something interesting to look at to stimulate your mind no matter where you cast your eyes in her home. Which made sense to Ed because the woman was so smart!

Ed heard a loud crashing noise in the kitchen and he leapt down from the ladder to rush inside. He found Stephanie sitting on the floor of the kitchen with her back against the island and her face in her hands. She was crying hard in deep sobs. Scattered next to her on the floor was a tray and the sandwiches and salad she’d prepared for a light dinner on a hot night. The handset for the kitchen phone was also on the floor.

He knelt beside her as the kids gathered in the doorway.

“Stephanie? What happened? What’s wrong?” he asked with concern.

“They’re dead!” she managed to gasp through her tears.

Ed’s eyes widened. “Who’s dead?”

“M-m-momma and P-p-papa.” Her cries got louder. He glanced at the phone handset. She must have taken the call while preparing dinner.

Ed turned his face to her kids but they weren’t crying. Did they not know their grandparents? “Could you guys clean this up? I’ll order pizza in a minute,” he said to them. William, her oldest, nodded and got the three others to help him collect the spilled food and put it in the trash. They glanced at their mother as they worked.

While they took care of the mess, Ed lifted Stephanie in his arms and carried her to the living room. He set her down on the sofa and sat next to her. Her second oldest child brought her a box of tissues.

“Thank you Katey. Could you give us a minute alone?” Ed asked gently and the girl nodded. She collected her siblings and led them back into the kitchen.

Ed took Stephanie’s hands and gently pulled them away from her face leaving them clasped in her lap. He wasn’t able to read all the expressions on her face but sadness was definitely involved. He dabbed away her tears with a tissue as she looked at him. She had the loveliest blue eyes which were now glassy with tears.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

She nodded and took his hands in hers.

“I- I got a call. M-muh-my parent’s lawyer. He found me… to tell me they died. House fire,” she gasped out.

Ed looked into her eyes with compassion. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

She nodded jerkily and clung tighter to his hands. “He- he said I needed to come back. To hear the will. The reading of the will.” Her sniffles were starting up again.

“What do you need Stephanie? Tell me,” he said.

“Could- could you go with me?” she asked in a little girl voice as she looked at him, her eyes pleading.

“Of course,” he said without hesitation. He would speak with Mr. Drakos and arrange a few days off. “When do we leave? How much time will you need?”

“T-tomorrow.” She struggled to swallow. “No more than three, four days,” she sighed and he could see she was already beginning to relax, now that she knew she wouldn’t have to face this alone.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Kansas.”

-=-

Ed sat back in the passenger seat of the rental car and tried to distract himself from the seemingly endless flat expanse surrounding him.

“Are you ok Ed?” Stephanie asked as she drove. She’d insisted on driving as it calmed her nerves.

His head jerked over to look at her and he realized how wound up he was becoming.

“Sorry. It’s just… so empty,” he smiled weakly.

“Your stomach?” she asked misinterpreting him.

“No, out there. The land… it’s so empty and flat!” Ed struggled to keep his eyes off the window. He’d tried focusing on the horizon, the lines on the road ahead, and the surprisingly few other cars but the landscape changed so slowly he was finding it disorientating. He knew they were driving fast but the scenery seemed to be moving by in slow motion. It hadn’t been bad at all when they’d driven out of Kansas City then through Topeka and Junction City but with over two hours into the drive Ed’s hungry mind was starving for input.

Stephanie grinned at her passenger but her smile faded as she finally picked up on his distress. She’d heard of people with a phobia of open spaces and Kansas was certainly a good example of that. She looked at him again. He didn’t seem frightened.

“What is it? What can I do?” she asked. She had no idea what was wrong with the big man.

“I need something to distract me.”

She thought for a moment and squeaked when she got an idea. “OH! In the backseat, the bag. There’s a jumbo book of word puzzles. Word search, word jumbles, crosswords. I got it for the flight here but I fell asleep against your arm instead.” Stephanie explained and recalled how warm and comforting he’d felt as she leaned against him.

Ed leaned over the seat and grabbed the thick book of puzzles. He flipped through the pages and saw a series of different games.

“There’s a pencil in the bag as well,” she said.

Ed got the pencil and looked at the first page. It was a square box containing rows of letters. Next to this was a list of words. “It’s a search word. I’ve never done one of these. What do I do?”

Stephanie glanced at him. He’d never done a word search puzzle? “Inside the grid of letters are all of the words in the list. You have to circle them.”

“Oh! That’s it?” he asked, surprised.

She smiled. “Yes, that’s the challenge.”

Ed looked at the list of words to be found then looked at the rows. In a moment the words rose from the grid and he saw some of them were diagonal and some were backwards. He quickly circled all of the matches.

“What do you do with the leftover letters?” he asked.

Stephanie looked over and saw he’d finished the first one already. She glanced in surprise at his curious expression and shook her head. Those damned puzzles took her forever. “Uh, sometimes the letters are used to answer a question. The puzzle will tell you if that’s the case.”

Ed looked and this one didn’t have a question. He moved on to the next page.

It took another hour and a bit to finally reach the exit for her home town. Stephanie had a sudden desperate thought. Keep driving. Don’t stop until you reach the ocean. She gripped the wheel and gave her head a shake. No. She had to face this. She’d already run once. It was time to stop running.

She glanced at Ed and saw the look of concentration on his face as he worked on one of the crossword puzzles. He only had four of the words in place. She smiled. He found them a struggle too.

She set the turn signal and moved onto the exit ramp and Ed looked up with interest to see where they were.

“Are we here?”

“Yup. We are nowhere.”

Ed looked at her in confusion. She caught the expression and sighed.

“Sorry Ed. I used to think of this place as nowhere. As in there was nothing to do, no future for me here, no reason to stay, and plenty of reason to leave. Nowhere. I couldn’t escape fast enough.”

Ed looked back out the window at the inevitable signs of civilization you find at every interstate offramp. Gas station, a cluster of fast food restaurants, and maybe if you were lucky a local restaurant trying to squeeze in as well. A gift shop or two and a row of motels for weary travellers. This interchange was no different.

“What do we do first?” Ed asked.

“We get a room for the night. If you don’t mind Ed, we’ll share one. I don’t think I’m going to sleep well here otherwise,” she said, pleading with her eyes.

“Oh, sure that’s fine,” he said with a nod.

He looked up the road. “Which one?”

Stephanie’s expression was bleak as she took in their choices. She’d worked in a number of these motels as a chambermaid, changing sheets, cleaning other people’s messes, envious of those who were just passing through. She spotted a newer building, a two story motel which looked relatively… well cared for. It hadn’t existed when she was here so she aimed the car in that direction.

They parked, Ed collected their bags from the trunk, and he followed her inside. The lobby was clean and had a nice display of flowers on a table across from the reception desk by the window. Ed stopped to smell one of the orchids and smiled at Stephanie as she watched him.

She walked up to the counter and a young woman approached her with a smile.

“Welcome to Daystar Motel. How may I help you?” the girl said with a practiced smile.

Stephanie smiled at her recalling her own limited experience working the reception desk. “Hello, we’d like a room for the next two nights. Do you have a room with a king size bed?”

The girl nodded, her eyes going wide as she glanced between Stephanie and Ed, and handed her a form to fill in. Stephanie gave her a credit card and began filling out the form. The girl was repeatedly glancing at Ed from the corner of her eye.

He finally noticed her eyes on him and smiled at her. “I like your flowers! They’re very pretty and they smell lovely!” Ed said with a smile. Now the girl turned to him and her face lit up with a smile.

“Thank you!” she replied and there was definitely some pride involved.

“I’ve heard orchids are difficult to grow. These are really beautiful!” Ed remarked gesturing back towards the table.

“Thank you very much! Yes, they do require a delicate touch and a lot of care,” she said, glowing under his praise and appreciation.

Stephanie handed her the complete form and she jumped as she was drawn back to her job. The girl blushed at Ed and moved to program two keys for the room.

“Room 212. Second floor, North side of the building. Enjoy your stay,” she said but she was looking at Ed.

Stephanie smiled and headed outside and up the stairs, Ed following.

The room was pretty standard fare but it looked clean and better yet, smelled clean. Stephanie did a walk through. The shower was in a smallish tub so no shower play for them on this trip! The bed wasn’t too firm and the sheets were clean so she looked around and pronounced it acceptable.

It was almost dinner hour and Stephanie couldn’t stomach the idea of fast food. There was a Chinese food place in town or the local restaurant just across the street. She looked at Ed who was sitting in the room’s chair working on the crossword puzzle.

“Hungry?” she asked.

He grimaced and dropped the book on the table with a smack. “I don’t like crossword puzzles.”

She smiled at his frustration. “When we get back you can do another word search.”

He looked at her. “I did them all. The word jumbles too.”

Stephanie blinked at him. The book had one hundred and fifty pages. Three kinds of puzzles with two puzzles per page. Even if he didn’t do the crosswords that was, what, two hundred puzzles? “You did them all?”

He looked concerned. “I’m sorry. I should have left some for you! It just occupied my mind so well I got on a roll and we were here before I knew it.”

“No, it’s ok Ed. I- I’m just amazed you did so many so quickly,” she explained.

“Oh! Well the word search wasn’t hard at all. The jumbles were a little trickier but there are only so many combinations for the letters shown. Crosswords though, I don’t get some of these clues at all! Do you think there’s a place in town where I could pick up another book of puzzles for the drive back?”

She nodded and smiled at Ed. “We’ll keep our eyes open for one. For now though why don’t we go get some dinner.”

He nodded so they went back to the car and Stephanie drove them across the four lane road to the parking lot on the other side.

As they got out of the car Ed looked back across the street at their motel. “Couldn’t we have walked?”

She grinned as she saw his flustered look. “We’ll drive in town after dinner to look for the puzzle book. This will save us a little time.”

He held the door for her and she walked in. This restaurant was ‘new’ as well. It was by no means a new building but it wasn’t part of her memories so she felt safe for the moment. As they looked for a table she saw no familiar faces and allowed herself to relax. A harried waitress pointed them to the back and they made their way to the last empty table in the back corner. They took their seats and Ed looked around.

There was a long bar along the south wall with tall chairs arranged before the brass foot rail running along its length. The chairs were currently occupied by older men wearing denim, leather riding chaps, and worn black t-shirts advertising their favorite brand of motorcycle. Leather jackets hanging from the backs of their chairs had some kind of riding club emblem on them. These must be the gents who owned the choppers Ed spotted in the parking lot.

Five booths were arranged along the north wall across from the bar and were occupied by families and couples. Between booths and bar was a scattering of tables for four all occupied by people enjoying their meals and talking. There were just two tables for two on the back wall. Up front by the window there was a small stage for live entertainment. There was a dart board and a community bulletin board by the door. There was no cohesive design to the place but it looked comfortable enough and from the capacity crowd it was obviously popular.

The busy waitress dropped off menus, glasses of water and cutlery on her way to the kitchen. Ed had spotted someone eating a big steak so he was going to have one of those.

A group of three people entered the restaurant carrying large cases and immediately went to the small stage. The night’s live entertainment had arrived. They began to set up.

“What can I getcha?” the waitress said as she stopped by the table on her whirlwind tour of the place.

Stephanie glanced up then put her nose in the menu. “The quarter chicken dinner please with salad,” she said stiffly.

The woman nodded and looked to Ed. “The t-bone please. Medium with a baked potato. Just butter.”

With another nod the woman collected the menus and scurried on her way.

“What’s wrong?” Ed asked as Stephanie’s face was a little red.

She shook her head as the waitress was only one table away. Ed looked to see who Stephanie was discreetly watching.

“Do you know her?” Ed asked quietly and Stephanie nodded.

Two pretty young women rushed into the restaurant and apologized to the waitress who stared daggers at them. They rushed into the back looking very contrite. Moments later they came out wearing aprons identical to the waitress and delivered food to a couple of the tables.

Stephanie’s eyes were wide as she noted how similar the young ladies looked to the older waitress. Her kids? She’d had them young then.

“Do you want to say hello?” Ed asked.

Stephanie’s eyes shot to Ed’s and she shook her head. She wouldn’t know what to say to her friend from so long ago.

Ed saw the headshake and nodded in return. He wasn’t going to push. “What’s the plan for tomorrow?” he asked instead.

“We go to the lawyer’s office tomorrow at 11AM to hear the reading.” She frowned staring at the table surface. “I should let you know, I have a brother. He’s going to be there and it may get ugly. He- he didn’t like me very much before I left and his opinion has probably just gotten worse.”

“Younger or older brother?” Ed asked.

“Older. Two years older. Always the dependable one. Always pointing out my failings and ready to give me a good wallop when my parents weren’t looking. Beating some sense into me, he’d say.” Her eyes focused on nothing as her mind took her back.

Ed’s big hand enveloped her smaller one and she looked up into his compassionate eyes. “No one will be beating you on this visit,” he said firmly.

Stephanie flashed a brilliant smile at Ed.

There was a sudden clatter of dishes and the older waitress rushed into the kitchen clutching the tub of dirty dishes.

Ed noticed a nervous look on Stephanie’s face. “Do you want to make a break for it?” he said in his best gangster impression which, honestly, was poor at best. It was enough however to break through Stephanie’s flee response and she shook her head with a grin.

“Oh that was terrible!” she grinned across the table at him. He sat there smiling back at her. Solid, dependable Ed, who never ran from anything. She steeled herself and pulled her shoulders back. “No. I’m done running from this place and my past.”

One of the young waitresses arrived with their meals and set the plates down on the table in front of them. Ed smiled at her but she was staring at Stephanie. Finally she left and they began to eat.

“This is very good!” Ed gushed as he chewed the piece of steak.

Stephanie did her best to enjoy her meal as well. They ate and watched the band set up.

They were pushing back from their plates and the band had just begun to play their first tune when the second young waitress approached them tentatively. “Excuse me?”

Stephanie looked up into a face she hadn’t seen in twenty years. The girl bore a striking resemblance to someone she once called her best friend.

“Are you by any chance Stephanie Norris?” she asked quietly.

“This is Stephanie Matthews,” Ed offered helpfully before he felt a hand on his.

Stephanie nodded to the young woman. “I was Stephanie Norris a long time ago.” Ed blinked at her. “Norris is my maiden name.”

“I- I think you know my mama-”

“Nancy Dulane.”

“She’s Nancy McAllister now.” She looked over her shoulder at her sister who nodded. “Could you come talk to mama? She’s pretty shook up from seeing you.”

“Where is she?” Stephanie asked.

“Out back at the picnic table,” she replied then left to serve another customer.

“Ed, give me a minute?”

“Sure. I’ll be here,” he said and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

Stephanie left Ed listening to the band and followed one of Nancy’s daughters through the kitchen to the back door. She went through and walked across a gravel parking lot to a small grassy area with a picnic table on it. She could see Nancy sitting at the table smoking with her back to the restaurant. The woman’s head twitched as she heard Stephanie get closer.

“You promised me.”

Stephanie stopped walking and looked at the woman’s back.

“You promised me if you ever made it out you’d never come back.” There was a tremor in Nancy’s voice.

“They died. I had to come back-”

“YOU PROMISED!” Nancy yelled.

“It wasn’t a promise I could keep. I’m sorry.” Stephanie said quietly.

“Fuck.” As fast as it spiked the rage was gone. Stephanie felt it was safe to approach the table. That said, she moved to the other side and didn’t tuck her legs under the table when she sat down upwind from the cigarette smoke. She knew Nancy was a woman of strong emotions.

Nancy Dulane, now McAllister, was the same age as Stephanie but on her being close to forty looked more like being close to fifty. She was carrying an extra twenty pounds and her skin showed a weathering Stephanie’s had avoided. Aside from the defeated look in her eye she was a nice enough looking woman. Sandy blonde hair to her shoulders, now tied up in a loose bun, pale green eyes, freckles across a small nose with just a hint of an upturn. Naturally smiling lips with just a slight overbite on her otherwise healthy looking teeth. Some of that extra weight was being stored in her tits and ass so her figure definitely had curves under that apron.

She noticed Stephanie avoiding her cigarette smoke so with a scowl she stubbed it out.

“I heard about the fire. Hell of a thing. I’m sorry they went that way,” Nancy said gruffly.

Stephanie couldn’t put words to the emotions she was feeling yet so she just nodded.

“Did you- did you keep in touch with anyone?” the woman asked cautiously.

“No, I completely broke away. Began a fresh new life.” Stephanie said with a small smile as she remembered the fear and thrill she’d held in her heart as she boarded that Greyhound bus twenty years ago.

“Then how did-”

“My parent’s lawyer found me when he ran a search for references to ‘Stephanie Norris’ and found it on my divorce papers that went through the system recently. He tracked me down from that.”

“Huh. Fucking lawyers. So you were married?”

“Yes. Stephanie Matthews. He cheated on me. Multiple times so I divorced him. I have four kids. William’s eleven, Katie’s ten, and eight year old twins, Franklin and Gina.”

“Fuck off you have four kids! No one who looks as good as you has four kids!” Nancy growled.

“I have pictures,” she said and flashed a brilliant smile.

Nancy closed her eyes and turned away as she shivered. “Geezus.”

Stephanie looked at her friend from the past in concern. “How- how did you recognize me?”

“It was that smile.” She shook her head. “You were smiling at the big fella in the restaurant and it went through me like a knife. You used to smile at me that way,” Nancy said with pain in her eyes. “I’d finally forgotten it. Put all of that life behind me and built a new life for myself. Found a man from town I could tolerate. Got married. Had two kids. I’m still carrying the weight from that, damn your skinny bones. Kenneth is handy in the kitchen. We started up this restaurant and it’s a family affair. We do well enough. I thought I was happy enough.” She bounced the pack of smokes against her hand thinking about giving in but held firm and put the pack down.

“Then you come back with that smile of yours and I realize enough isn’t enough.”

Stephanie stared at Nancy in dismay. “What- what are you talking about? It sounds like you have a great life here!”

“Yes, from outside it does sound like that doesn’t it? The only ingredient that’s missing is love! I mean I love my daughters but my relationship with Kenneth? He’s a friend with benefits. I don’t love Kenneth. There’s no spark or passion. Deep down, he knows. He’s willing to settle as it’s enough for him.” She frowned at her cigarettes and pitched them across the parking lot. She turned that glare at Stephanie. “I want more.”

“Don’t throw away-”

“NO! You don’t get to tell me that! You followed your dream! You didn’t settle! Why should I?”

“Your kids-”

“Are adults now. It’s time their mother was honest with them. I’m gay. There I said it. It’s time they knew it as well.”

“You know I’m straight. We had our time when we were young and lonely but even then you knew I wasn’t gay. We talked about it. I thought you were just experimenting and searching for a little human compassion like I was. You never told me otherwise!” Stephanie said desperately.

“I knew you were straight the first night we were together. I also knew that maybe I wasn’t but I didn’t understand what that meant. It wasn’t until I heard you’d left on that bus that it hit me that I’d fallen in love with you and what it meant to be in love. Those were hard times for me. NO! I don’t hold you responsible for that. Like you said, you were honest with me. Just bad timing is all.”

Nancy took in the distraught look on Stephanie’s face and her expression softened. “Aww honey, please don’t look like that. This isn’t your doing. I’ve been restless for as long as I can remember. Seeing you again… it was just the wakeup call I needed. The kick in the ass to finally realize I’ve been denying who I really am for too long. I’m grateful, I really am. I should have been honest with myself a long time ago. I don’t think it’s too late to start. This may be the best time to do it.”

“What- what are you going to do?” Stephanie asked nervously.

“I’m going to go visit my cousin who lives in New York City. She’s been after me to visit for a long time. I’m going to go see what it means to live as a gay woman.”

“Mama?”

Nancy looked over her shoulder and saw her daughters standing by the back door. The big man stepped out the door and began walking towards them with a pleasant smile on his face.

“What’s his story?” Nancy asked.

“Ed? He’s a wonderful, gentle soul who loves me,” Stephanie said quietly with a smile. Nancy looked at her closely. “Yes, I love him too.”

“He’s young… not that I’m judging,” Nancy said with a twisted smile.

Ed walked up to them. “Sorry to intrude but your daughters are worried about you and asked me to see if everything was alright,” he finished looking at Nancy. “Ed Walters.” He held out his hand and Nancy shook it.

“Nancy McAllister. Take good care of this one. She’s very special to me.”

“I will,” Ed assured the woman.

Nancy and Stephanie stood and once she came around the table Stephanie gave Nancy a tight hug.

“Good luck Nancy.” She pulled a card and a pen from her purse and jotted down her phone number and address. “Please keep in touch.”

“I can’t make any promises,” Nancy said tucking the paper into her apron. “After all it’s my turn to begin a fresh new life.” She gave Stephanie a crooked grin and headed for the back door of the restaurant to presumably speak with her daughters.

“I settled the bill.” Ed said.

“Thanks. If you don’t mind I’d