The Boston Bubble: Lora's Story. Conclusion free porn video

The Boston Buble: Lora's Story Chapter Nine: Tan Lines "Are you sure it's OK Jess?" "I wouldn't be able to sleep if you went alone." I stared into her eyes, looking for any sign that she was just telling me what I wanted to hear. "Jess, you're the best. Do you mind if I tell them?" She grinned. "Of course not, it's your news. I'll send them back, OK?" "Thanks." Smiling, I walked up and gave her the best one-armed hug I could. While Jess went out to the dining room to round up her daughters, I went over to the office and plunked my butt down on the edge of the desk. For the last six hours, the phone call from the west coast was all I could think about. I had been walking around the restaurant in a daze, functioning on autopilot. Looking down at myself, I giggled. I was actually surprised to notice that my legs were sticking out of a skirt. Brenda and Terry appeared at the door. "Mom said you wanted to see us?" I felt giddy knowing the excitement I was about to stir up. It was a struggle, but I did manage to keep a straight face. "How would you like to miss school for three days?" Brenda popped out with, "Are you sure you're OK? Because that's one of the stupidest questions I've ever heard... Of course we would!" Terry was a little more cautious. She turned her head, squinted and asked, "Why?" I decided to play it coy. "I need help with a legal matter." That left them speechless, so I went on. "I need to catch a plane out of Logan on Monday, and all my ID is for a thirty-eight year old guy named Leonard Williams. The only way they'll let me get on the plane is if I have someone there with valid ID who can vouch for me." Terry asked the obvious. "Why would that take three days?" "Because, silly, I'm going to need someone with me on Wednesday so I can get on a plane to come home." Now the excitement started to build. Brenda jumped in first. "I'll go." Terry looked scared. "Just one of us?" I tried to play with them. "Well, I don't know. Which one of you loves me the most?" Brenda smiled... she saw right through me. "Cut the tease, new girl. Where are we going?" I held my breath for half a heart-beat, then just popped out with it. "L.A." The squeals that burst out of the both of them only confirmed my decision to wait until the end of the night to share this with them. I doubt either one of them would have been able to serve someone a glass of water without spilling it. I let them erupt for a minute before hitting them with the biggie. "Nobody interested in why were going there?" They stopped bubbling and looked at me. "I've been invited to be on Jimmy Kimmel Live." What I wouldn't give to have a picture of them at that moment. I've never seen two faces open so wide in my life. It was comical. I just smiled and nodded while they gaped at me. When the dam finally burst, it was overwhelming. Thirty seconds into the revelry, Terry got a serious look on her face "Wait, Mom won't let..." Neither one of them had noticed that Jessie was standing right behind them. "Yes she will." Startled, they both turned and then attacked her in a crushing bear hug. People say that they always remember where they were and what they were doing the moment something really big happens; things like President Kennedy getting shot or the Challenger shuttle disaster. Sitting on the edge of that desk in that office was one of those moments for me. I know that looking at Brenda and Terry hugging my sister was what brought it on. It had taken five days of being a woman before the thought suddenly occurred to me; I can be a mother. That one little idea triggered a surge of emotions in me. A warmth that started as a flutter in my chest raced through my entire body. By the time the girls opened their hug to bring me into it, I knew my cheeks were beet red because I could feel the blood rushing to them. ----- All it took was one look, and I knew she was going to be all right. Oh, she looked like she'd seen better days. The bandages wrapped around her head like a toque were quite dramatic. But the sparkle in her eye was still there. She gave me one of those big-eyed smiles as soon as she saw me. A laugh popped out of me when her eyebrows disappeared up under the bandages. "Lenny!" "I thought about bringing you a frappe, but they don't travel very well." "I think you're right about that. I guess I'm just going to have to drop by the restaurant next time I'm in Belmont." "Any time." I pulled up a chair and sat down. "How are you feeling? Donna tells me you're going to be fine." "I'm not so sure." She suddenly had a serious look on her face. "I think that knock on the head scrambled my senses pretty bad." "What do you mean?" No one had given me any idea that George was having any problems. "Well, it's a bunch of little things. Like this morning, I was filling out the card to tell them what I wanted for lunch and dinner today, and my mind just kept wandering... it was hard to focus." She looked away from me. "Lenny, it was awful. When I was done, I looked at the card and my hands started shaking. I couldn't remember doing it, but all of the I's were dotted with little hearts." I started laughing out loud. George just went on. "You gotta help me, Lenny. I'm so scared... my mind is turning to mush." She just lay there with a faux-terrified look on her face while I laughed. Then she made a kissy face. As tears of laughter rolled down my cheeks, I got up and made a dash for the washroom. Through the bathroom door, I heard George call out, "Hey Lenny, I think we're even." Once I managed to straighten myself out and come back into the room, George was sitting up in a chair, smiling at me. "From what everyone tells me, I think I owe you a big thank you." I sat on the edge of the bed. "It's kind of embarrassing, George. I think everyone is making a bigger deal out of it than it really is." "Donna brought my grand daughters in to see me yesterday. They went on and on about you as if you could fly." "And that's why it's embarrassing. I feel like an impostor, and any minute now, someone's going to stand up, point a finger at me and yell out 'hey, she's a phony!'" "Len, you saved my life. That's real." I nodded my head in agreement, then went on. "I got a phone call last night. I've been invited to be on one of the late night talk shows." "That's fantastic." She saw the ambiguity on my face. "You're going to do it, right?" I didn't answer quick enough for her, so she asked again. "Right?" "I said I would, but it doesn't feel right. I just want to make sure you're OK with it." "What the hell do I have to do with it?" "George, you're one of the most honest, level-headed people I've ever met... I need your take on this. To me, everything that's gone on the last couple of days makes me feel like I'm just milking your misfortune... I feel bad feeling good about all of this. Am I wrong?" "Yeah, you're wrong." I felt a rush of relief. "Really?" "Lenny, this bubble shit is probably screwing up a lot of people's lives right now. Think about it... fifty year old guys suddenly finding themselves married to kids, women whose husbands are girls now, kids with a parent younger than they are... a lot of sad stories. So if everyone wants to latch on to you... if they want to point at you and say 'hey, there's a happy ending', then let them have that." She lit up with a smile. "And if letting them have that means you get to have a good time for a while, then so what. Enjoy it." Like I said... I'm so glad I met George on that bus. ----- "Mom wants you to come in for a minute." Terry was shivering, standing beside my car in their driveway. "She knows we have to be at the airport by eight, right?" "Yeah, she knows. C'mon, it's freezing out here." I gave my head a little shake, got out of the car and followed her inside. The door wasn't finished closing behind me when it started. "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Lora, Happy birthday to you." Jessie and the twins started clapping as Kelly walked up to me carrying a cup cake with one little birthday candle in it. "With everything that's been happening, we didn't get the chance to plan anything for you yesterday." The twins came up and hugged me while Jessie added, "Right, and this one was too special to miss. After all, this is Lora's first birthday." Kelly jumped back in with, "Oh, I just had a thought. This would have been your thirty-ninth, right?" I nodded. "Yup." "You don't look anywhere near thirty-nine now. How's that going to work?" "A woman came to the hospital and filled out some forms with me to register my new age and name. She said I could pick anything I wanted to, so I thought it would be easiest to remember if I kept the same birthday. Yesterday, I officially turned twenty-one." Jessie nodded. "That was pretty smart. If you picked anything younger, you never know when some bureaucrat at city hall might decide to revoke the restaurant's liquor licence." Terry piped up. "I can't see that happening. All the bureaucrats at city hall are in the same boat as Aunt Lora." While everyone chuckled at that, Brenda asked, "Please tell me you're sticking with Lora Williams. I love that name." What the heck, now was as good a time as any to tell them. "No, I decided that Lora Williams wasn't good enough." That brought out a chorus of aw-why-not's. I let it die down before I explained. "I needed a middle name and couldn't choose one, so I chose two. Drum roll..." I turned and tapped on the table for a second. "Ladies you're looking at the brand new Miss Lora Brenda Teresa Williams." That brought out a round of huge smiles. The moment was broken when Brenda grinned at her sister and said, "Nya nya... she put my name first." Without missing a beat, Terry shot back, "Aunt Lora's a smart girl. She saved the best for last." Everyone got a kick out of their jousting, but I got the best laugh with my explanation. "I just didn't want the initials T. B. in the middle of my name. It sounded too much like tuberculosis." ----- I was glad that I'd done the shopping trip with the girls on Saturday. That, plus interacting with all of the customers at the restaurant on Saturday night gave me the confidence I needed to wade through the crowds at Logan. But having the twins with me made it easy. They had had a life time to get used to having people doing double takes around them, and their ability to ignore it was my safety line. The crowds at LAX were different. Back in Boston, we were three good looking girls wading through hundreds of people, some of whom obviously recognized me. But when we got off the plane in Los Angeles, we were three good looking girls wading through a crowd of thousands. But it was a crowd that was more accustomed to seeing faces that they might recognize. So even though it was a lot more hectic in LA, I felt much more comfortable; more anonymous. That is until we saw Rachel. I'd seen this sort of thing in movies, but I didn't think it ever actually happened in the real world. When we came out of the baggage retrieval area, she was standing there with a sign that said "Lora Williams". I could feel my cheeks turning red the moment I saw it. For a second, I considered just ignoring her and walking on by. But neither of the twins had a shy bone in their body. As soon as they saw the sign, they made sure I saw it too. As the girls tugged me in her general direction, she saw us coming. She dropped the sign and smiled. "Miss Williams. I'm Rachel Bextor... we spoke on the phone? Welcome to L.A. How was your flight?" "Fine. Call me Lora." "All right, Lora. We have a car waiting over this way." She started moving through the crowd. "And who are these two lovely ladies?" "Oh, I'm sorry. These are my nieces Terry and Brenda." Brenda joked, "I'm Brenda, the pretty one." Terry shot back with, "Beauty fades, brains are forever." Rachel didn't know how to take them until she looked back and saw them both smiling. With Rachel's expert guidance, within minutes we found ourselves climbing into a waiting limousine. As the car pulled away from the curb, Rachel pulled out a cell phone, found a number and called it. "Good afternoon. Rachel Bextor here. Could you have the Williams suite set up for three, please... yes... yes, that will be fine. Thank you." When she closed her phone, I commented, "That's a lovely accent. Birmingham?" She looked surprised. "You have a good ear. Just south of Birmingham... Redditch actually. Have you spent time there?" "No... my grandmother was from there. A place called Great Barr, I think. Ever heard of it?" "Absolutely. Lovely part of town. Small world, isn't it?" She seemed genuinely pleased that I'd pegged her accent. She went on. "OK, ladies, I need to explain a few things. This car and a driver are yours as long as you're in L.A. Tomorrow, Lora, you need to be at the El Capitan by four o'clock so we can go over a few things before we tape the show at seven. From now until then, your time is your own. Any questions, ladies?" Terry couldn't help herself. "Have you met a lot of famous people?" "Well, I suppose I have. But for the most part, they're just regular people like you and me." The rest of the drive was taken up by small talk. The girls were quite impressed with the fact that, just a couple of days ago, Cee-lo Green had been sitting in this exact same car. I'd never heard of him. Personally, I was much more impressed by the way that Rachel was greeted like an old friend by the staff at the Beverly Wilshire. ----- "Oh, come on Lora. Nobody knows you out here." My mind was racing, trying to think of a reason why I couldn't do it. But the girls just wouldn't let up. I swear, if these two ever decided to start their own cult... "A bikini? Really?" Brenda was just getting started. "California... February... what did you think we were going to do, sit in the room and watch TV?" Her sister backed her up with, " Think about where you are... if you showed up beside the pool in shorts and a T-shirt, you'd stick out like a sore thumb. Every girl there is going to be in a bathing suit. Believe me, you'll look fine. No one will bat an eye." "But why a bikini?" "I don't own any one-pieces, and I knew you wouldn't bring anything. So, you're stuck with this." I knew there was no getting out of this. I pursed my lips and held out my hand. As Brenda put the suit in my hand, I looked at the two of them and said, "No pictures. Deal?" She crossed her arms. "Lora Brenda Teresa, this is not a negotiation. Now you just march your pretty little but into that room and put on that suit. Do I make myself clear?" I stared icicles back at her. Terry snickered first, then we all broke into a laugh. "OK, just promise me you two won't make me regret this. Please?" Terry tried to soothe things. "You're a pretty girl in a bikini beside a pool in Beverly Hills. We might even see a few movie stars. I don't know about you, but this is one of my dreams come true." A week ago, that would have been one of my fantasies too. But now that it was a reality, I was terrified. The old adage 'be careful what you wish for, you might get it' came to mind. ----- Other than a woman with a couple of kids, there was no one around the pool. We picked out a table on the far side of the pool and claimed it as our own. As I was about to sit down, Terry stopped me. "Ah, ah, ah... the cover-up?" Brenda swooped in for the kill. "We're out here to get some sun, remember? You want to blend in, don't you?" I gave them a defiant look. I was on the verge of losing it... it was a struggle to not blow up. The only thing that stopped me was the fear of causing a scene. So, just like that, I found myself lying back on a chaise lounge, covered only by about twelve square inches of pink. A waiter dropped off the three fruity somethings we had ordered and walked away. Professional that he was, he didn't make me feel the slightest bit uncomfortable about how I was dressed. I started to think that maybe I was going to get through this. With the sun warming me and the breeze keeping me comfortable, I started to drift off to sleep. Something bumped into one of my chair legs, bringing me around. When I opened my eyes, there was a little girl reaching under me. Retrieving her ball, she stood up and looked at me. "Hi." "Hello." "My name's Luisa. What's yours?" "Hello Luisa. I'm Lora." "I like your hair. You're really pretty." "Thank you." "What's that on your arm?" "It's a cast." "What's it for?" "The bone in my arm is broken. This keeps it straight while it gets better." "Does it hurt?" "A little bit." "Do your sisters help you get dressed?" I smiled at her assumption. "They help me when I need help." "You're lucky. I wish I could have two sisters to help me. Bye." Out of the mouths of babes. Yes, I am lucky to have these two in my life. They were right... swimming pool, bathing suit... no big deal. I was so glad I didn't spoil the day by shooting my mouth off, and it took the wisdom of a six year old child to make me realize it. ======================================== Chapter Ten: Blades, Babes and a Boob Have you ever noticed how a fourteen dollar burger really doesn't taste any better than a four dollar burger? I suppose the old real estate rule of thumb must hold true for meals... location, location, location. Maybe I should think about relocating the restaurant. Hmmm, let's see... Lenny's on Wilshire? Nope... How about Lenny's on Rodeo Drive? Uhhh no. Oh, I got it. Lenny's in LaLaLand! Yeah, that's it. As I smiled at that thought, Brenda brought me back to the real world. "Can we do something fun tomorrow?" "What did you have in mind?" I took a bite of my over-priced burger. She looked at her sister, then back at me. "We want to go roller blading on Santa Monica beach." They must have assumed that I would instinctively say no, because she timed it so that I had a mouth full of food. "Now I know you want to say no, but if you were still Uncle Lenny, you would probably be the one suggesting this." I picked up my napkin and dabbed at the corner of my mouth. Terry took over the attack. "You know... you were always the fun uncle, don't you want to be the...?" "Sure, why not?" That stunned them into silence. These were the moments that made life worth living. I love the affect I have on them when they expect me to say no, but I don't. They just sat there gaping at me, open-mouthed. "Close your mouths, girls. Your gonna let the flies in." The waiter picked that moment to walk up to our table. "How is everything, ladies?" I put my burger down and looked at the girls. "He'd like to know how everything is, ladies." Terry was the first to come around. "Huh." She slowly turned to look up at him. "Oh, ah... everything's fine." She spun her gaze back to me. "You do know that girls go blading there in their bathing suits, right?" "Mm hmm." I just went on casually searching for the best fry on my plate as the waiter silently slipped away. "And there'll be lots of boys there looking at us." "Of course silly, it is a beach." "And you're gonna do this with us, right?" "You're mother would hang me if I let you go without me." "So what's the catch?" "No catch." Brenda took over the cross-examination. "I don't get it. Why are you being so cool about this." "Because this afternoon, you two were right." I stopped fiddling around with my food and looked straight at them. "That bikini terrified me. In fact, when we first got to the pool and you pushed me to take off the robe, I was on the verge of blowing up. But I bit my tongue, took it off and laid down. And you know what happened? Nothing. No one laughed, no one pointed... the world did not come to a crashing halt." Their faces slowly changed from disbelief to smiles as they began to realize that I was serious. "Don't get me wrong... I'm still not comfortable with it. Actually, it damn well scares the shit out of me. But what the hell. I might just look like this for the rest of my life, so I might as well start getting used to it, right?" Brenda looked at me and nodded. "Welcome back." I shook my head a bit. "What do you mean?" Terry knew what she meant. "Our favorite uncle-slash-aunt hasn't been around since we left home... it's nice to see you finally managed to show up." They were both beaming at me. "OK, I owe you two a big thank you. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be hiding in the room right now." I paused to suck in a deep breath. "So, you might have to drag me kicking-and-screaming, but we will go to the beach tomorrow and have some fun. I'm just not so sure about the whole blading-in-a-bathing-suit thing, OK? You two can wear what ever you want, but I'm going to have to figure something else out, OK?" I felt a nervous tickle in my chest when they just smiled and looked at each other. "OK, what are you two cooking up?" In unison, they sang, "Oh, nothing." They must stay awake at night and practice that. ----- I'm so glad it was like this for the twin's first visit here. Warm but not hot, gentle breeze, clear skies. I'd been in L.A. before, so I knew how the air could turn brown and hide the sky. But this had been a beautiful day, and now it was a beautiful evening. As it cooled off a little, the three of us snuggled in and sauntered along arm-in-arm. Brenda and terry were almost giddy, going over their plans for tomorrow. They had already checked out a place to rent blades, and they knew exactly where they wanted to skate. I wasn't sure if I was making a mistake by changing the subject, but what the heck. "I don't get it. Here we are, strolling down Rodeo Drive, and neither of you has even hinted about shopping. All you've talked about is going to the beach." We strolled past a couple going the other way, then Terry stepped ahead of us, stopped and turned around. "You know, Lora, just because we're young doesn't mean we're stupid." I didn't see that coming. "You lost me." Brenda explained. "This place is a money pit." I showed my naivety. "Oh come on. It can't be that bad, can it?" She shook her head at me. "Honestly, Lora... you really are a guy inside that hot chick disguise, aren't you?" That brought a laugh out of me. "OK wise guru, please enlighten me." "Have you got seventeen hundred bucks to blow on a pair of shoes, because I know I don't." That wiped the smile off my face. "You have gotta be kidding me." Terry backed her up. "Right over there. And, you'd probably feel silly just asking how much something is." "All right, all right... this place is out of our league. But you haven't even suggested doing a little window shopping. Not one peep out of either of you." Brenda huffed. "Gimme a minute here. I need to think of a good way to explain this." Terry jumped in. "Oh, I got it." She turned to look directly at me. "Lora, do you think an alcoholic would have a good time spending an afternoon sitting in a bar just looking at all the booze?" Brenda smiled at that and gave her sister a high five. "Exactly. Anyway, I'd rather spend the day at the beach watching you trying to get used to being a hot chick." Here come those butterflies again. "You know, I can always change my mind about that." Brenda took this as her cue to play the humiliation card. As an older couple approached, she got down on her knees at my feet, hugged my thighs and started wailing up at me. "Oh please Aunt Lora... Please! You're right... I don't need to learn how to read. Just don't leave me on the street again! I'm begging you..." She drifted off into a rather convincing string of sobs. The elderly couple were grinning as they stopped to watch the impromptu street show. When Brenda's theatrics calmed down a bit, the old guy winked at me and said, "Hey Cinderella. Get a job." Brenda stopped sobbing, looked over her shoulder and asked, "Not buying it, huh?" "Not for a minute." They both laughed as they walked away. As Brenda got up and wiped of her knees, her sister observed, "Tough crowd in this town." ----- I suppose it was just one more thing I was going to have to get used to. I had been almost drooling when I called room service. It used to be my favorite breakfast; eggs benedict and french toast with a side of bacon. Now, after one egg and a nibble of bacon, I was stuffed. As I sat there missing my old appetite, Terry snuck up behind me and put her hands over my eyes. "We have a surprise for our favorite aunt." When she pulled her hands away, Brenda was standing in front of me with a small white box in her hands, grinning from ear to ear. "Ta da. Happy late birthday, Aunt Lora." "Aw, when did you two find time to do this?" "We bought it at home, but we were waiting for just the right moment to give it to you." What ever it was, the two of them were bubbling to see me open it. Brenda handed it to me and I moved over to the couch to open it. A breath got caught in my chest when I pulled off the lid. I was literally stunned. I looked up at the two of them with a stupid look on my face, just as Terry flashed off a picture. Looking back down at the box, all I could think to say was, "Oh shit." That brought a squeal of laughter out of the both of them. Terry explained their choice. "It started out as a joke. We didn't have time to give it to you at home, so I just threw it in my suitcase. But now, since you're being so cool about everything... well, they're the perfect gift." Brenda took over. "You said you didn't want to go blading in just a bathing suit, remember?" "Really?" I pulled the pink spandex skirt out of the box, holding it up so Terry could clearly see the word babe as she took another picture. She goaded me on. "Be a doll and let me get a shot of the matching tube top, OK Babe?" I turned and looked at myself in the mirror on the wall. They're right, she is a babe. "Santa Monica beach, huh? Oh, what the hell." That flipped a switch in the room. Suddenly, their teasing was forgotten. Brenda, who normally wouldn't say shit if she had a mouth full, just couldn't help herself. "You gotta be fucking kidding me... you're actually gonna wear it?!" The look on her face was worth what ever embarrassment this was going to cost me later. I don't think she even noticed when Terry took her picture. ----- "Miss, I don't know how else I can say it. I will be here when you come back, I'm not going anywhere. Period." I turned and looked around the parking lot. I felt like I was a streaker about to run away from my clothes. The girls had already done a few laps around the car as I hesitated. "Here. If it'll make you feel better..." He held out the car keys. "... you can take these with you." Terry was getting tired of my stalling. "Oh, come on Lora. He said he's gonna be here. Let's go already." I looked back at the driver. "I'll be here. Go have fun." He smiled and nodded. "Aw, shit, I must be out of my mind..." I did a single lap around the car and in a flash of spandex and flesh, I was off. The twins were hot on my trail with a chorus of "Woo Hoo Lora! Go get em, girl!" It only took about twenty seconds before the two of them rumbled past me. If I didn't want to be out here alone, I was going to have to pick up the pace. When I finally caught up to them, it was only because they had slowed down. I passed them, stuck out my arms and slowed down to little more than a stroll. Once I had them under control, I came to a stop. Seeing the look on my face, Brenda came up and put her hand on my shoulder. "Are you OK? Are you sure you want to do this?" I smiled at her concern. "I'm fine... so far." "You don't look fine. A minute ago, you looked like you were gonna throw up." Terry offered, "Do you want to go back to the car and get something else to wear?" "No, it's not that. It's just that I haven't been on blades since last summer, and since then, well, I've kinda changed a little, ya know?" I looked back and forth between them for a sign that they understood. Sometimes, they could by a little dense. "New blades, new body, broken arm... hello?" That got through to them. "I just don't want to hit a patch of sand and end up landing on this cast, OK?" Terry decided to play the dumb blond. "Like, why not? You can't break a broken arm, can you?" Brenda added her own punch line. "You ditz. She's not worried about her arm, she's worried about the cast." She turned to look at me, head bobbing from side to side. "Lucky she's pretty, cause she ain't never gonna get rich with what's between those ears." That set all three of us off. I swear, if these two had been on the Titanic, everyone would have enjoyed the sinking. We rolled along at a comfortable pace for a few miles; soaking up the sun, chatting, joking and just plain laughing out loud when something dawned on me. I was closer to these two girls than anyone else in the world, yet here we were connecting on a level like never before. I was actually seeing the world through their eyes; they weren't my nieces any more; they were my friends. Every guy and a lot of the girls turned to look at us as we went by. After a while, I realized that I didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed by my outfit. In fact, it had totally slipped my mind... until I had the dubious pleasure of meeting Jordan. As good as it felt to be out in the sun getting some exercise, we were only human. As we ran out of gas, we rolled to a stop and claimed a table at a snack shack. "Anyone thirsty?" "I could use a water." "That, or a bottle of iced tea if they have it." I sat down to pull a few dollars out of my sock. "Be right back." As soon as I rolled up to the window, the forty-ish guy behind the counter started flirting with me. "Ew, that looks like it hurt. You break that arm blading?" "Nope. Sumo wrestling." He pretended to laugh too hard at that. Did I use to be this lame around women? "Do you have any iced tea in bottles?" "Well, yes we do." "OK, could I have one of those, and two waters please?" "Of course you can." He turned around, pulled them out of the fridge and put them on the counter. "Six dollars for the pretty lady." As I paid him, I heard from behind me, "Have you ever seen one of those useless warning labels that you know just doesn't need to be there?" I scooped up my drinks and turned around. One of the most well-built, well-tanned, twenty-something guys I had ever seen was standing there smiling at me. "Useless labels... like what?" "You know, like on a coffee cup, it says Danger, Hot." I had no idea where he was going with this. "OK... and?" "And like the nicest body I ever seen, with the word babe written across her butt. You'd have to be blind to not know you're a babe." I couldn't help myself. I had to smile and roll my eyes at the incredible corniness of the guy. And of course, he took my smile the wrong way. "Hi, I'm Jordan." "I'm sure you are." "And you are?" "A guy in drag." While he broke out in a riot of laughter over that, I looked over to the twins for an escape. No help there... they were both paying all their attention to what looked like a smaller version of Jordan. Going with the 'safety in numbers' theory, I left Mr. Kansas catching his breath and headed over to the girls. Jordan didn't take the hint; when I rolled up to Brenda and Terry, he was right there beside me. "One water, one iced tea." "Oh, thanks. Lora, this is Kyle. I see you've already met Jordan." Kyle smiled and stuck out his hand. "Pleased to meet you." That surprised me. I was expecting another silly line. I smiled and shook his hand. "Brenda tells me you ladies are from Boston. Great sports town." Terry piped up with, "Hey, I told you we're from Boston. I'm Terry." He smiled, then pointed at them one at a time. "OK, Brenda, water and Terry, tea. Got it." Jordan decided to blunder into the conversation. "So what brings you three hotties out to L.A.?" Before I could think of a way to deflect the question, Brenda pointed at me. "She's going to be on the Jimmy Kimmel show tonight." Well that cat managed to get out of its bag awful fast. "Wow, hot and famous. You an actress?" I had to shut down this line of questioning before one of the girls let the truth slip out. "No, world karate champion." "Wow, you can pin my ass to a mattress any time you want to. Ever fight naked?" I noticed Kyle shaking his head and rolling his eyes at his friend's stupidity. As if there was any doubt as to Jordan's status as a complete fool, fate gave him a chance to prove it. A couple of unlucky guys chose that moment to blade past holding hands. Neanderthal-boy yelled at them. "Hey, this ain't Frisco, you fuckin' faggots!" He tried to fling some water at them from his bottle, but all he managed to do was get Brenda soaking wet. Kyle put him in his place. "You idiot." Jordan had no idea what he'd done. Kyle pointed at Brenda. "Go get her a towel, fool." He tossed his car keys at him. "Get one of the clean ones out of the trunk." Jordan looked down at Brenda. "Sorry about that. There oughta be a law against queers on the beach... and fat chicks, too." Kyle was getting pissed. "Will you just shut up and go get that towel." Once he was out of earshot, Kyle went on. "I'm really sorry about my cousin. You can't pick your family, and I'm stuck with him." I liked Kyle's attitude. "Oh, I don't know. He does have one good use." Kyle was curious. "What's that?" "Every time he opens his mouth, he makes you look so damn good." He genuinely smiled at that. "Thanks. It's Lora, right?" "Mm hmm." "I'm pretty sure I know why you're going to be on Kimmel tonight. I thought I'd seen you somewhere before, and as soon as Brenda here said your name was Lora, I put it together with the broken arm." Brenda couldn't resist. "Yeah, that's her. Isn't that a frickin' amazing video?" "Yes, it is." Kyle stuck out his hand again. As I shook it, he went on. "That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. So you were in that bubble thing, huh?" "Yeah. I was there." I really didn't want to have this conversation right now, but he went on. "So were you changed a lot?" Terry spilled the beans. "She used to be our uncle." Kyle was stunned. "Whoa." I wanted to get this subject changed fast, especially before caveman Jordan got back. "Your neanderthal cousin doesn't need to know about this, right?" "Not right now. But I'm going to love telling him later. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I tell him you used to be a dude. It'll freakin' kill him." I had a sudden flash of evil genius. I had to hurry though... I could see Jordan coming back with the towel. "Kyle, do you have a camera with you?" He nodded and pulled out his phone. "Want to set up Jordan?" He grinned. "What have you got in mind?" "Just follow my lead, OK?" He smiled and nodded. Kyle walked up and handed the towel to Brenda. It was a useless gesture; she was almost dry already. But I used it to open the door for my little scheme. I sidled up toward Jordan. "That was awful nice of you to go get that towel for Brenda. And I know just how to thank you. Anyone have a camera?" Kyle played his part. "I've got one, why?" "Why don't you get a shot of me and Jordan?" He looked at Jordan. "OK. Move in close, cuz." Jordan stepped up beside me. I got in tight, draped my arms around his neck and pulled one knee up in front of his groin. He was really getting into it. One of his arms went down to pull up on my knee, and the other went around my waist, pulling me in tight. Kyle stepped back, held up his phone and said, "Say sexy!" I laid my head on his shoulder and showed all of my perfect teeth. Taking the picture, Kyle was grinning brighter than I was. "Got it." I let go of Jordan and stepped back. "OK, Jordan, here's the deal. If I see that picture on your facebook page before one o'clock this afternoon, I'll say hi to you on the Kimmel show tonight. Deal?" It was incredible how one hug could turn a bigoted asshole into a goofy puppy. "Sure thing Babe." Terry was having a hard time keeping a straight face. She gave us the exit line. "Hey Lora, I think we're running a little late. Don't you think we better get going?" Brenda took her cue. "Oh shit yeah. We gotta go." I looked at Jordan and put the last nail in his coffin. "Call all your friends and tell them to watch Kimmel tonight. I'm gonna make you famous." I turned and looked at Kyle. "You'll make sure that picture gets posted, right?" He had a knowing, devious grin on his face. "Lora, posting this picture is the most important thing in the world right now." I really liked this kid. "I'm glad I met you, Kyle. See you around some day." The twins said their good byes and we skated off. We only made it a few hundred yards down the beach before we had to stop to laugh. Terry managed to say, "I wish I could see his face when he finds out who you used to be." Brenda really got us going by pointing out, "He didn't even ask how you were going to find his facebook to check if he posted the picture." ================================================ Chapter Eleven: Have we had fun with this girl or what? Backstage, El Capitan Theater "Oh, I'm afraid so, honey. We've got a lot to do and a short time to do it. So let's just get on with it, all right?" "Ok, listen, Miss Bender... it's Jackie, right?" "Mm hmm." "OK, Jackie, I know you're just trying to do your job. And I really don't mean to be difficult here. But I don't need my nails done, I don't need my brows thinned out, and I most certainly do not want my hair done." "Honey, if you think you can't look any better than you do now, then you're not qualified to make that call." I shook my head. "Jackie, that's not the point. I have no doubt you can make me look better. I'm just not comfortable with the whole idea. I think I look good enough already." "Girl, we don't do 'good enough' here." She stepped back and peered at me. The look on my face made it clear she wasn't making an ally out of me. She shrugged her shoulders, turned and picked up a telephone. "Hey, it's me again.... Yeah.... Could let Rachel know? OK, thanks." Jackie hung up the phone, crossed her arms and gave me a you're-in- trouble-now look. Within thirty seconds, I could hear the clicking of heels echoing down the hallway. I looked over at the twins for some support, but both of them seemed to have found something fascinating to stare at on the other wall. Rachel walked in with a smile on her face. "Hi Jackie, could we have the room for a minute please?" "No problem." Leaving, she not-so-quietly muttered, "she's all yours." Rachel took a seat beside Brenda, facing me. "OK, Lora, I understand. I really do. We're asking you to step out of your comfort zone, and you can't see any reason why this should be so important to us." She paused for a second, but didn't take her gaze off of me. "Does that sound about right." She was good. That was exactly what was going through my mind. I just nodded my agreement. "Right then. Here's why it's so important to us that you look your best. We're making a television show, and if nobody watches, we're all out of a job. So we want to do every little thing we can to grow our audience. We try to make the show as funny and as interesting as we can, but there are other little hooks we use to get people's attention. One of those hooks is trying to make sure that everyone appearing on our show looks as good as possible. Especially the women. Because when a chap sees a beautiful woman on our show tonight, it might just make him want to tune in again tomorrow night. That might seem a tad sexist, and it probably is. But we didn't make the world, we're just trying to do business in it. Are you with me so far?" Again, I nodded. "All right. So that's why you looking beautiful is important to us. Now I know you're wondering how this could possibly be important to you. Well, I'd like to offer you a business proposal. If you let Jackie come back in here and do whatever she thinks is necessary to make you into a goddess, and then you let Erica take you over to wardrobe and put you into a spectacular outfit, then I can guarantee that Mr. Kimmel will personally interrupt his busy evening to encourage his national audience to pay a visit to your lovely restaurant." She paused, letting her offer sink in. "A nationally televised plug for your restaurant, and all you have to do is let us make you beautiful. Do we have a deal, Miss Williams?" I struggled with the decision for all of two seconds. Looking at Rachel looking at me, I tilted my head, raised my eyebrows and nodded. The stress that had been obvious in her smile disappeared. "Brilliant." She got up to leave. "Oh, and Lora, in spite of any reservations you may still have, I'm sure that this evening will be a very pleasant experience for you. I'll let Jackie know she can get started." As soon as she was out of the room, Terry huffed. "Wow, you told her." ----- El Capitan Theater "Ladies and gentlemen, we all know that last Tuesday, something absolutely inexplicable happened in downtown Boston. Thousands of people who were just going about their daily routines suddenly had their worlds turned upside down. Each one of these thousands of people have an unbelievable tale to tell, but the story of one of these people has managed to capture the minds and the hearts of everyone around the world." "Of course, I'm talking about the incredible internet video showing one person's selfless act of courage for a friend. And I'm sure that everyone here tonight has already seen it, right? The audience started clapping and whistling. Jimmy waited a few moments for it to die down. "Is there anyone in the audience tonight who'd like to see it again anyway?" The crowd roared their approval. Jimmy smiled and let them go on for a while, then he played them with. "I'll take that as a no." When the laughing and hollering calmed down again, he went on. "All right then, ladies and gentlemen, here it is. I give you the viral video that has amazed people around the world... Bubble Babe to the Rescue." There was a hush in the theater as the video played for the audience on a twenty foot wide screen. As the final scene of George laying on top of a passed out Lora ended, the silence broke. The audience wasn't just applauding, they were on their feet, cheering. ----- Boston City Hall As was often the case, when there was a glitch in one of his client's security systems, they wanted it fixed and they wanted it fixed now. Being in a highly competitive service industry, Mike knew that I'll- be-there-in-the-morning was the kind of answer that would have him out of business lickety-split. So it wasn't all that unusual that he found himself walking up to the main security station in Boston city hall at 12:20 in the morning. The guard on duty, having made his scheduled midnight rounds, was somewhat annoyed at Mike's arrival just as he had gotten comfortable. The guard's routine included a half hour lunch break, which he regularly scheduled to coincide with his favorite late night show; Jimmy Kimmel Live. While Mike got busy installing the replacement monitor he'd brought along, the guard went back to watching his TV. Mike wasn't really paying any attention to the guard's show until something extremely familiar caught his eye. Mike was so amazed to be seeing his video on national television, he stopped what he was doing and watched it with the guard. As the video ended, the guard asked, "I wonder how she managed to get that video of herself doing that." Without thinking, Mike corrected him. "Oh, she didn't make that video, I did." The guard looked at him. "Yeah, right." "No, really. I've got a hidden camera mounted on the outside of the building right over there." Mike mistook the guard's stare for skepticism. "It's true. I record the images from a lot of my systems. You wouldn't believe some of the shit I've seen people doing when they don't know I'm watching them. Like just yesterday, this idiot was..." The guard's stony expression finally woke Mike up to what he was saying. When he stopped talking, the guard took over. "Please, go on... Tell me more about the people who don't know you're watching them. I'd love to hear all about it." ----- El Capitan Theater Jimmy let the audience go on for a full twenty seconds before motioning for them to calm down. "Tonight, we have a surprise for you. I'd like to introduce you to Boston's newest favorite daughter; the bubble babe that everyone loves to love... Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Miss Lora Williams." I looked at Rachel. She smiled and nodded at me. That was my cue. After one final adjustment to straighten the hem of my dress, Erica stood and gave my shoulders a gentle push to get me moving. When I stepped out onto the stage, the audience erupted. There's no other word for it... they simply erupted. Smiling and waving at the crowd, I walked out on shaky legs. I had no idea that three hundred people could make that much noise; it was deafening. ----- Natick Massachusetts "Oh, hey, I think you're right Natasha." "I told you. As soon as she got off the escalator, I knew it was her." "How could you tell?" "There was something a little bit off about the way she was walking, and then I saw the cast on her arm." "What was she like?" "Sweet as can be, but she had a weird sense of humor. I didn't get it at all." "Really?" "Mm hmm. When I told her my name, she asked me where Boris was." "Maybe she knows another Natasha..." "Well then she asked me if I ever did catch that moose and squirrel, and then she just cracked up. It took a while for her to calm down enough for me to do her ears. Even the girls with her didn't know what she was laughing about." ----- El Capitan Theater Jimmy was waiting for me with open arms out in the middle of the stage. As I reached him, he smiled and pulled me in close enough so I could hear him over the din. "I think they like you." All I could think to do was smile back at him and turn to wave at the audience again. Jimmy took a step back from me and made a ta-da motion toward me with his hands. The clamor continued as the crowd's excitement seemed to be feeding off of itself. Jimmy escorted me back to the chair next to his desk, then went around and took his seat. We both just sat there smiling at the crowd and each other as the roar continued. Jimmy shook his head and gave me a what-are-you-gonna-do look. ----- Medford Massachusetts "Oh look honey, isn't that the girl that you put on the front page last week?" "Yeah, that's her mom." "Well, isn't she lovely." "She's a real sweetie." "Why don't you ask her home for dinner one night, Kenny?" "I don't think that's a good idea, mom." "Oh, honey, why do you say that? Is it because she used to be a man?" "No, mom. That's not it." "Because nowadays, young people don't seem to care about little things like that. She certainly looks like a lovely girl now, doesn't she?" "She's lovely, mom." "Then why wouldn't you want to ask her here for dinner?" "I don't think you'd like her, mom." "Why in the world would you say that, Kenny?" "She's not Catholic, mom." "Look at how low cut that cheap dress is... she looks like a street walker." Ken had seen it coming. From long experience, he knew it was best to just roll with it. "Sure mom, a regular working girl..." ----- El Capitan Theater Jimmy decided it was time to get on with the show, so he stood up and mimed as if he was begging the audience to calm down. The hooting turned to mild laughter, and then died down to the buzz of an excited crowd. Jimmy sat down and turned to me. "So Lora, do you get this kind of reaction everywhere?" I'd been prepped to say whatever I wanted to... so I did. "Well, only when I show up naked." That set the audience off again. Even Jimmy was laughing. Standing off in the wings, Erica nudged Rachel in the ribs. "See, I told you. She's a natural." ----- Belmont Massachusetts "Emma, you've gotta be kidding me. That's Brenda's Uncle Lenny?" "I swear to god." "That's un-believable. Well, at least she got some good looks. I've seen some of those girls that turned out ugly as sin." "Oh, Bruce... really?" "No Mom, he's right. I saw this one girl who looked so bad ..." "Emma, stop right there. You know that looks aren't everything. At least Brenda's uncle came through it healthy." "She might be healthy, but I think that bubble might have messed up her head a bit." "What makes you say that?" "Well... Lenny always seemed like a pretty normal guy. And he's given me a ride home plenty of times, so I know he knows where we live. But last Saturday morning..." She tried to think of a way to put it gently, but then just blurted it out. "Mom, she asked me if we live in Scotland." ----- El Capitan Theater Jimmy decided to try and ask some serious questions. "I gotta tell you Lora, you surprise me. You don't seem to be having any trouble at all adjusting to your new situation. Was it really that easy for you?" The look on his face told me that in spite of trying to be serious, he was on the edge of cracking up... so I pushed him a little closer to the edge. "It's getting a little better every day. But the first time I looked at myself, I think I went into shock. It was overwhelming... I was just a puddle of sweaty flesh, lying there trembling in the middle of my bed." I sat there with an innocent cat-that-ate-the-canary look on my face. And like the professional he is, Jimmy played it perfectly. Leaning forward, he just stared at me with a gaping, blank expression on his face. The hooting and laughing from the audience built into a crescendo. I let a grin form on my face, then I turned to look at the crowd, raised my eyebrows and shrugged. The crowd exploded. Still smiling, I looked back at Jimmy to see him lean back in his chair, shake his head and throw his pen back over his shoulder. It took a good twenty seconds before the audience started to calm down. With perfect timing, he looked directly at the camera and said, "Right now, all over America, girl friends are smacking their boy friends." ----- Santa Monica California All five guys in the room were howling. When they calmed down a bit, Jordan popped out with, "She's fuckin' hilarious, but I still don't get why she's famous." That did it. Two of them had to get up and run out of the room to try and catch their breath. Kyle actually had tears running down his cheeks. Jordan just grinned and looked from face to face, waiting for someone to explain it to him. ----- El Capitan Theater When the hoots ended, Jimmy went on with his questions. "I can imagine that the world must seem completely different to you now. How have people been accepting you?" "Well, I don't really go around telling people about me, so most people just look at me, see a person, and treat me like anyone else." "So no one's given you a hard time?" I tilted my head down and looked at him through my brows. "Is that a trick question?" I could hear the snickering in the crowd.. "No, really, has anyone tried to make you feel uncomfortable about what's happened... about who you are now?" "To tell you the truth, in the beginning, I was really worried about that. But it just didn't happen." "I guess sometimes we don't give people enough credit. So, you were a single guy, right?" "Yeah, that's right. I can only imagine the grief that some people must be going through right now over this... the folks with husbands, wives and kids. I really feel for them." "What about your family? How did they take all of this?" "Jimmy, I don't know what I would have done without them. They've been absolutely amazing. I think the biggest thing that's made it so easy for me is the way they've accepted all of this. Especially my nieces Brenda and Terry." I waved at them in the front row of the audience. "Is it OK if they stand up and take a bow?" "Sure... girls, where are you?" ----- Belmont Massachusetts Jessie was beaming at the television. "Oh, look, there they are. It looks like they got some sun." Ben offered, "I was thinking that about Lenny, too." He felt his wife's glare. "Whoops, sorry. Lora. It looks like Lora got some sun, too." Kelly turned to look at her sister. "I wonder what the twin tornadoes have been dragging her through out there." "That's the whole reason we said they could go with her. I knew they wouldn't put up with her trying to hide in a hotel room." Jessie smiled and tilted her head. "You know, Brenda took an extra bikini with her. I wouldn't be surprised if Lora came back with some itty- bitty teeny-weeny tan lines." Ben changed the direction of the conversation. "I wish I could see the look on her face when they tell her. I hope one of the girls has a camera with them." ----- El Capitan Theater "So it's obvious that the bubble did a total make-over on the outside. Have you noticed any other changes?" "Well, I used to enjoy really spicy foods, but not any more. Things I used to find bland taste amazing now." "What about the way you think.... ?" I wrinkled my brow at that one. "I'm not quite sure what you mean. Like, I still have all my memories... growing up, people I know, what I do for a living... that's all still there." "I guess what I'm getting at is this. Up until last Tuesday, you were a heterosexual guy, right?" "Mm hmm." "Has that changed?" I saw an opportunity to play with him. I just looked at him for a few seconds, then I looked down at my breasts. I glanced back at him and then turned to face the audience. Raising my eyebrows, I bobbed my head toward Jimmy in a get-a-load-of-this-guy motion. Once the crowd was giggling, I cupped one of my breasts in my right hand. The light laughter grew into a howl of woo-hoos and wolf whistles. Once the room calmed down, I answered, "Jimmy, I don't think I'm any kind of a guy now." ----- Santa Monica California "I don't get it." Everyone in the room erupted at Jordan's stupidity. Kyle couldn't take it any more. He threw his cigarettes at his cousin. "You fuckin' idiot... she used to be a guy!" "Get the fuck out of here." "Last week, she was a dude, and this week, you're humpin' his leg like a horny dog." Jordan tried to think of something to say, but he was never very good at come-backs. One of the other guys in the room added, "Hey, yeah, you were snuggling in real close with him in that picture. Did you get his phone number?" "Yeah, Jordie-boy, what's next? You gonna move up to Frisco and get a job packin' fudge?" ----- El Capitan Theater I think Jimmy was enjoying the banter more than the audience was. When the laughter died down, he went on. "What I mean is, do you find yourself attracted to men now?" I gave him a stern look. "Are you having problems with your girlfriend, Jimmy? Because I'm not going to be your rebound, OK." It was his turn to look out at the crowd for a laugh. I just sat there smiling. "You really don't want to answer that question, do you?" "The truth is that I can't answer that. Not yet, anyway. It's the one part of all this that I haven't let my mind go to yet. I don't really feel like there's any reason to rush it. After all, I'm about twenty years younger than I was a week ago." He looked at me, smiled and nodded. "Fair enough." He reached out to shake my hand. I took it. "Lora, you have been one of the biggest surprises we've ever had on this stage. I wish we could keep talking for hours, but unfortunately, we're just about out of time." I smiled and tried not to blush, but it was no use. "Thank you Jimmy. Rachel, your producer... she said I was going to enjoy myself here, and she was right." He turned to look out at the audience. "Folks, have we had fun with this girl or what?" The crowd started applauding. Terry and Brenda stood up while they clapped. Being in the front row, that triggered the rest of the crowd to rise to their feet as well. Jimmy came around from behind his desk and took my hand as I stood up. He put his head to my ear and offered, "You did great Lora. We don't get a lot of ovations in here." Again, not knowing what to do, I just smiled and waved. Jimmy took a couple of steps away from me and stood in front of one of the cameras. As the applause died down, he started his speech for the television audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you ever find yourself in the Greater Boston area, you can drop in and visit Lora at her restaurant in Belmont, Massachusetts. For a great meal, a cold beer or the best frappe in Boston, do yourself a favor and stop in at Lora's on Leonard. That's it folks, thanks for watching. Tomorrow night, we have..." Did I just hear him right. Did he just call my restaurant Lora's on Leonard? I started to panic. I looked toward Rachel as she came walking out on stage. She was just smiling at the concern on my face. "He said the wrong name." She just continued smiling at me. "My restaurant... he said the wrong name." "No, he didn't." She motioned to the twins to join us on the stage. "But he said Lora's on Leonard... it's Lenny's... Lenny's on Leonard." As Brenda and Terry walked up, Rachel just pointed and said, "Talk to them", then turned and walked away. They were giddy. Brenda started. "You were fantastic, Lora. It was like you've done this a hundred times already." Terry backed her up. "Really. You should think about getting into this kind of thing. You're a natural." "OK you two. Spill it." They both just stood there with looks of innocence on their faces. Dammit, they were good at this. "You both know what I'm talking about. Rachel said to ask you why Jimmy called the restaurant Lora's on Leonard." Terry cracked first. "Happy birthday." I felt like I was missing something. "What?" Brenda couldn't keep it in any more. "Your friend George called Mom last weekend. She said she wanted to do something nice for you while you were out here. Mom, Dad and Aunt Kelly talked it over and decided to split it with her." "Split what?" "They put a new sign on the front of the restaurant yesterday." I was stunned. I almost didn't notice the flash as Terry took my picture. Epilogue Carla stuck her head through the office door. "Lora, there's a group out in the dining room asking to see you." I looked up. "Problem?" "I'm not sure. A woman and three girls. They just sat down and then asked to see the owner." "OK." I smiled, stood up and followed her out. Even before I was all the way through the door, I knew who it was. I walked over to their table and sat down. "Hello Donna. It's good to see you again." I turned to the girl on my right. "You know, in some cultures, it's not polite to wear a hat indoors." She just gave me one of her big-eyed smiles. "It's so good to see you up and around." I leaned in and gave her a warm hug. "I guess the sign out front makes it official... I'm Lora now. But I'm not quite sure what to call you." "Well, I think I'm too old to try changing that. I think I'm just going to stick with George for now." She looked at the two other girls at the table. "Lora, I'd like to introduce you to my pride and joy. This is Ingrid..." "Hi Lora." "...and this is Amber." "Hi." "Welcome back, ladies. Let's see if I can get this right... It's Thursday, so you must want two strawberry frappes, right?" They both nodded. I turned to look at George. "And a black cherry for you?" "No, I'm not really in the mood for ice cream. But I could use something cold, though." "Well George, I've just put something new on the menu." "What's that?" I smiled at her. "Lemonade, George... I've been making lemonade." ==================================== Well, that's it folks. I've always wanted to write something, and now I have. One less thing on my bucket list ;-)) I would like to thank each and every one of you who have left (or are about to leave) a comment. Oh, and I know I'm going to be asked, so here it is: The aliens in the prologue were attacked because they started it, two thousand years earlier. Bye for now... Lora