While aiding Branek with editing his own story, Melvin a Whateley Tale.
We came up with the idea to join forces so to speak and collaborate with
each other to create two stories that take place with some of the same
characters during the same time lines. So here is the first part of my
side of the collaboration.
Chapter 1
Jake and Mark accompanied Kelly down the sidewalk as they left the small
pub. Kelly only lived a few blocks away so he always walked. Both Jake
and Mark had begun parking in the same general direction many years ago,
not long after they had started their monthly ritual of meeting up at
the small pub. Doing so gave them a bit more time to talk about their
past and how each other were doing in the present.
Their pace was slow and lazy, mostly for the comfort of Jake, who had
over the years let himself go quite a bit. While being the oldest of the
group, he looked younger than either Mark or Kelly, had it not been for
how obese he had become he would easily be the best looking of the
group, with his dark hair and silver sideburns. His desk job had not
been kind to him although it had made him and his family quite well off
financially.
Mark, two years younger, looked ten years older than Jake. As Mark's
hair diminished he began parting it lower on the side while his barber
left that part long enough to go across his bare scalp to provide a thin
covering of hair. Kelly had joked that I Mark continued to part his hair
lower and lower, he would eventually be parting it at his ass. Mark had
not stayed in great shape, but he wasn't that far out of shape either.
Kelly, the youngest of the group, almost five years younger than Mark,
was almost as fit now at 48 years old as he was when the three were in
the military. Standing exactly six feet tall, he was no body builder,
but his muscles were like steel cables and his body had no fat. One room
of Kelly's three bedroom bungalow was devoted to his exercise equipment.
While he did not have allot of different machines, he had three that he
could use in various combinations that could provide him with a daily
work out that rivaled what he could have done at a gym.
"So you're gonna come over tomorrow for dinner, right?" Jake looked over
at Kelly.
Kelly sighed. "Marie is gonna set me up with another one of her friends
isn't she?"
Jake and Mark chuckled, Jake's wife, Marie had been trying to play
matchmaker for Kelly for several years now. She told Kelly constantly
that he needed a good Greek wife to cook for him and put some meat on
his bones. From the way she talked one would swear Kelly would never eat
anything unless she forced him over to their home for dinner. Marie had
a heart of gold and treated Kelly like one of the family even
introducing him as her adopted younger brother. Kelly thought about the
possibility of not showing up. He knew Marie meant well and only wished
him happiness in life, but he knew what would happen if he failed to
show up tomorrow.
"I know that look on your face," Jake grinned. "You know if you try to
skip out on us tomorrow Marie will send the kids on a snatch and grab
mission."
All three men laughed, Kelly remembered the first time he tried to skip
out on one of Marie's invitations. Their daughter Kelly, who they had
named after him, had knocked on Kelly's door. Little Kelly was only
fifteen at the time and her bicycle tire had gone flat and needed a ride
home. Later he had found out that Marie had dropped her daughter off
around the corner from his house with the bicycle and its pre-flattened
tire. For him at least, an invitation from Marie was an order that he
knew better to refuse.
"Yea I'll be there," Kelly smiled. "Any idea who she's trying to set me
up with this time?"
Jake gave Kelly an inquisitive look. "Since when has that woman ever
leaked that kind of information to me?"
Arriving at the street corner, even though there was not much traffic,
Jake pressed the button that would eventually turn the red, 'Don't
walk,' sign that faced them from the opposite side of the street to
green, 'Walk.'
Mark was watching the few cars pass and was considering going ahead and
walking across, while Kelly stood patiently beside Jake, looking around.
"What's going on over there?" Kelly saw a group of young men grouped up
around the bus stop not one hundred feet away on the same side of the
street they were on. By the clothing they wore and their haircuts the
group did not appear to be the type you would want to meet on a dark
street.
"Please, take what you want." They could barely hear the cry of a girl
come from the group. "Just don't hurt me!"
Kelly immediately began walking quickly in that direction, followed by
Mark with Jake in the rear trying to keep up with his friends.
"HEY!" Kelly yelled after closing half the distance to the group.
One of the young men, dressed in a black leather jacket, jeans and
boots, all of which were adorned with several chains of various lengths
and sizes turned to face Kelly. The punks head shaved except for his
long orange Mohawk. "What do you want grandpa?" the punk spat at the
approaching men. Why is it the old fucks think they can fuck him me!, He
thought to himself as he watched the old man walk toward him and his
gang, Fucking old bastards! Anyone else would have looked the other way
and walked away, but not this old fuck! We're gonna have to kill the
fucking fucks too! Can't leave somebody around that knows they grabbed
the girl. Fucking old timers, He could be getting his dick wet by now if
they hadn't come along!
"I want to know what is going on here, that's what I want," Kelly said
forcefully as he continued to close the distance to the group.
"What's with you old farts, you think because your old we won't kick
your ass?" The punk's yellow teeth showed through his grin. "Walk way
now and we won't have to hurt you gramps!"
Kelly could see the girl being held up against the Plexiglas wall of the
bus stop by two of the punks and recognized her as one of the waitresses
form the bar they had been in for the past couple hours. She had not
waited on their table, but waited on tables nearby so he had seen her
walking around often. His eyes met hers and he could see the abject fear
in her eyes. "Give the girl back her things and let her go."
"You didn't say please," Mohawk taunted.
"Please." Kelly smiled at him.
"Fuck you!" Mohawk shouted as the gang of street thugs began laughing.
Kelly stopped five feet away from Mohawk. "I have asked you politely to
let her go."
"Yea?" Mohawk chuckled. "What you gonna do if we don't? There is only
three of you old fucks and seven of us!"
"Ahh hell boy." Mark chuckled, the motioned at himself and Jake. "We're
just going to watch." Knowing that a snowball stood a better chance in
hell then this gang of punks stood against Kelly.
"No way I'm getting in the way," Jake chuckled, thinking that this would
be very educational to the street thugs. "That would piss Kelly off."
"Man I am tired of this shit." Mohawk pulled a butterfly knife from his
back pocket then spun it around in a flashy way of opening it, then
pointed it at Kelly. "Get outta here or get cut old man!"
"Oh no, He's got a knife!" Jake said in a terrible impersonation of a
frightened girl putting the palms of his hands on each side of his face.
Mark shook his head at Jake's display, what is Jake thinking! That is
only going to egg that stupid kid on more! The idiot with the bad
haircut is going to have to attack Kelly or lose face in front of his
friends. Peering over at Jake seeing the smirk on his face, You slick
jackass, that is exactly what you want. "Kelly go easy on the kid!"
"Yea he can't help it that he's that stupid." Jake continued to taunt
Mohawk.
Pointing the knife at Jake. "Shut up old man, I ain't stupid!"
"Okay but I was afraid if I called you a buffoon you would think I was
calling you a monkey." Jake laughed.
"And I ain't no fucking monkey!" shaking the knife at Jake.
Ignoring the punk and his knife Jake turned his head to Mark. "See what
I mean, today's education system is terrible!"
"You'll never cut anyone holding that itty bitty pig sticker that way!"
Kelly got the punk's attention back to himself.
"Please help me!" the girl screamed. A taller punk with dreadlocks
backhanded her.
"Crap!" Mark muttered.
"Strike one!" Jake grinned evilly and turned to Mark. "Or was that
strike two since dumb-ass already pulled a knife on Kelly?"
"I told you to shut up!" Mohawk yelled.
"I told you to let the girl go!" Anger was beginning to show in Kelly's
voice. Kelly turned his head behind him where Jake and Mark stood. "And
that's enough from the peanut gallery!"
What a fucking moron! Mohawk thought as he saw the old man turn away
from him. An opportunity like this almost never happens to me! This
mother fucker is dead meat! What a night this is turning out to be, we
sold all the drugs at a really cool profit, found us a slut that is
gonna give us all a good fucking and I'm gonna gut this old fuck! Mohawk
thought as he lunged with his knife at Kelly. Cool the other two are
stepping back, they are afraid of me!
Mark and Jake watched the punk lunge at Kelly with the knife and took a
few steps back to give Kelly some room, neither wanting to be in the way
of whatever Kelly had planned. They knew Kelly had planned something or
else he would not have giving the punk such an open invitation to
attack. Their best bet was to get out of the way and pray Kelly didn't
kill any of them.
Mohawk saw the old man's hand move and wrap around the wrist he held the
knife in, suddenly Mohawk could not feel his hand. "Argggh!" He screamed
as searing pain ran up his arm to his shoulder. He never felt his knife
fall out of his hand into Kelly's other hand, as the old man pulled him
around in a circle around the old man until he was let go and stumbled
back several steps before regaining his balance. Mohawk stood there for
a moment shaking his hand trying to get the feeling back into it.
"Like I said-" Kelly spun the knife around in his hand in the same
practiced maneuver that Mohawk had opened it with, this time closing the
butterfly knife. "You will never cut anyone holding a knife like that."
Spinning the knife in his hand once again causing it to open with the
knife blade pointing out of the bottom of his hand. Pulling the knife's
blade close to his forearm Kelly made a few slashing strokes with his
arm. "Like this!" He demonstrated. "And you can stab with more power
like this," Kelly allowed the knife blade to move away from his forearm
as his arm moved in a downward thrust. Spinning the butterfly knife once
against closed Kelly tossed it back to Mohawk.
Several of Mohawk's gang has come up while Kelly was demonstrating the
proper way to hold a knife in a fight, leaving only two of the gang
holding the girl from running away. Another was holding a bowie style
knife and yet another had a length of chain in his hand that draped
close to the ground. "GET 'EM!" Mohawk shouted.
Mark watched from what he thought would be a safe distance, leaning up
against a car that was parked along the street behind him. Kelly's stood
his ground, not in any fighting stance but almost as if he was bored as
he group of street punks began to from a circle around him, gathering up
their courage to attack. Leaning over to Jake. "Think we should warn
them?"
"Naw," Jake shook his head, then pointed to the gang surrounding Kelly.
"Look how those two are holding their pig stickers."
Noticing that Mohawk and the other punk that had a knife were still
holding their knifes the way Kelly had showed them not to. "Guess you're
right. Think we should help?"
Jake smiled then looked over at the group of punks circling their
friend. "If you coordinate your attack, you may get lucky!"
"Yea!" Mark yelled at the punks. "Everyone should attack at once!"
"Who's side are you two on?" Kelly laughed.
"You're of course." Jake grinned. "but it looked like you were getting
bored standing there, we thought giving them some tips may make it more
interesting for you!"
"I told you to shut the fuck up old man!" Mohawk screamed, pointing the
knife at Jake.
"Yep really stupid," Mark leaned over and said quietly to Jake,
"threatening a man with a knife that obviously has a gun on him."
"Oh?" one corner of Jakes mouth curled upward. "How is it obvious?"
"Oh please!" Mark chuckled. "The old fat guy is not afraid of the punk
with a knife. Give me a break!" Mark smiled at Jake. "By the way, great
job whoever does your tailoring, you almost cannot see that little extra
bulge under your left arm."
"His name is Alexander." Jake smiled, completely ignoring the impeding
fight that was taking place in front of them. "He does do great work
doesn't he? I've been getting all my suits from him for a bit over three
years now." Reaching into his inside jacket pocket Jake produced his
wallet. "I have his card here somewhere." He began digging through his
wallet looking for the card. "He's a little light in the loafers, if you
catch my drift, but an excellent tailor.?
Mark nodded toward Kelly and the street gang. ?Shows starting.?
?Ah crap.? Jake closed his wallet and put it away. ?I?ll find it later.?
The punk with the bowie knife stepped in toward Kelly from behind. The
one swinging the length of chain saw this as his opportunity and stepped
closer while bringing the chain up over his head at Kelly. Kelly spun,
grabbing the knife hand of the first attacker pulling the knife wielder
into the path of the oncoming chain. The chain connected with knife
wielders shoulder with a loud crack as the force of the impact broke his
collar bone. Releasing the punk as he dropped the knife, Kelly continued
to spin bringing up his foot to catch the chain swinging punk in the
knee of the leg he had his weight on. The steel toe of Kelly?s boot made
contact with a loud popping noise as the punk?s knee bent at an unusual
angle. The chain swinging punk went down screaming in pain. Another loud
crunching sound followed by yet another of the attackers falling down
screaming in pain as Kelly changed his stance and brought his other foot
up to connect with yet another attacker?s jaw.
That?s not like Kelly at all? Jake thought to himself as he saw the high
placed kick connect with the attackers jaw. How many times has he told
the rest of us that kicks above the waist are not only showy, but take
more energy and time than lower placed kicks that are more debilitating
not to mention using them telegraphs your intentions. ?Show off!? Jake
chuckled at the melee that was taking place in front of him.
Mohawk stepped in pointing the knife at Kelly?s gut. Kelly sun out of
the way while deflecting the knife arm to his side, at the same time
grabbing Mohawk?s wrist and twisting his arm so that the back of his
elbow was pointing straight up. Kelly?s free arm came down in Mohawk?s
elbow at the same time that Kelly dropped to one knee. Another loud
crack was heard as Mohawk?s arm bent back in a way the human body was
not meant to bend.
The last one of the punks stepped and attempted to kick Kelly in the
face while he was down on the one knee. Ducking his head out of the way
of the incoming foot, Kelly grabbed the punk by the heel of the boot her
was wearing, while Kelly stood up quickly causing the punk to lose his
balance. Holding on to the punk?s foot Kelly raised his hand up over his
head as he stood, causing the punk to rise up off the ground and swing
like a pendulum, head down past Kelly with the punks pivot point being
his foot in Kelly?s hand. The energy of movement transferring to the
punks swing, Kelly let go and the punk sailed toward Jake and Mark.
?Hey!? Mark yelled as he jumped out of the way. ?You asshole! You did
that on purpose!? The punk hit head first in the fender of the car Mark
had been leaning against, putting a large dent in the fender and
knocking the punk out cold. Kelly grinned evilly at Mark, then turned
toward the last of the attackers.
One of the two punks still holding the girl let go and took a few steps
toward Kelly before taking a martial arts style fighting stance. This
punk ran through a few katas while slowly advancing toward Kelly.
Raising his hands in a classic boxing pose, Kelly kicked the punk in the
crotch.
?Think we should have warned Bruce Lee that Kelly had a black belt in
steel toe boot?? Jake chuckled.
?Ain?t no such thing as black belt in steel toe!? Mark teased.
?Kelly?s got one!? Jake laughed.
?Mmmm.? Mark spoke in a bad oriental accent. ?My steel toe is greater
than your kung Fu!? and began laughing along with Jake.
Kelly walked over to where the last street punk held the girl, a knife
to her throat. ?Come any closer man and I?ll Cut her throat!?
Kelly reached behind his back under his jacket producing a very long
knife with a blade that had to be over a foot long. Shaped almost like
an elongated spear tip, wide at the base it?s straight sides tapering
down to a point at the end, the knife glistened as the light reflected
off it from the street lights above. ?Apparently you have not been
paying attention to tonight?s lesson son.?
The punk looked at the knife the old man was holding, then over at his
friends lying on the ground, those that were not unconscious moaning in
pain. And the man did all that before pulling the knife! Dropping the
knife, he let go of the girl and ran in the opposite direction.
Chapter 2
Bizsnatch, or Biz and the gang called him, for once was glad that they
had left him to hold the bitch as he watched the old man rip through the
guys like they were nothing. Sufu will take care of the old fuck, Biz
thought as he watched his buddy go through his warm up before facing off
with the old fuck. Everyone was afraid of Sufu, he had moves that would
make Bruce Lee run home. Biz watched as the old man put up his fists
like boxers did in those old movies Biz sometimes watched and kicked
Sufu so hard in the balls he lifted Sufu off the ground. The old man
then turned to Biz and said something, but Biz was so close to pissing
himself he did not hear a word the old man said. Dropping the knife Biz
turned and ran as fast as he could, not stopping until he had darted
into an alley down the street.
From the cover of the alley Biz watched as the three old guys helped the
girl to sit down. He continued watching as the cops arrived and then the
ambulances that came and carted off his friends, hiding in a dumpster
nearby in the alley as the cops searched for him before leaving the old
guys and the girl. The old men waited with the girl until the bus
arrived that she got on to go home, then they crossed the street and
continued walking. Biz made his way across the street without being seen
by the old guys and followed them down the street where both the men who
had watched the fighting got into two different cars and drove off. The
last old guy walked half a block further before going up to a house
unlocking the door and going inside. Biz made a note of the address then
left to go find Bossman. Biz had no idea what the man?s real name was,
as Jason, their leader always called him Bossman. Bossman would want to
know about this old fuck and what he did to the crew. Bossman would not
be happy since Jason was grabbed with all the money, but it would be
better for Biz to be the one to tell Bossman the news, rather than him
hearing it from someone else. He?d have to snatch a phone from somewhere
but snatching things was what he was best at. A phone at this time of
night was another story, not allot of people out in the area, but he
wasn?t far from the district, the bars didn?t close there until three in
the morning. And it being a Friday night there was sure to be allot of
people, half-drunk people that would not realize their phone missing
till sometime tomorrow and then probably think they left it at the bar.
Chapter 3
Kelly finished lacing up and tying his boots, checked the front door to
make sure it was locked and was heading toward the back door when the
doorbell rang. Turning around retracing his steps he opened the front
door to find Jake?s daughter Kelly standing there. Kelly Anne Kontos was
Jake and Marie?s oldest child at twenty-two years old. Kelly Anne had
been named in honor of Kelly. ?Hi Kay,? Kelly said when he saw the young
woman standing on his front stoop. ?Shouldn?t you be at college??
?It?s the weekend Uncle Kel!? She grinned up at Kelly after looking down
and seeing that he was wearing his old combat boots. ?And mom asked me
to stop by and make sure you didn?t forget and wear combat boots to
dinner tonight.?
Looking down at the worn boots on his feet. ?These are comfortable.?
?And those pants with that shirt?? The girl looked up at him.
?What?? Kelly held out his arms looking down at how he was dressed.
?I think if it wasn?t for women you men would still be hanging from
trees. Let?s go find some decent clothes for you to wear.? The girl
stepped under Kelly?s arm entering the house and proceeded down the
short hall into Kelly?s room, not bothering to see if Kelly followed
her.
?This is the way I always dress!? Kelly protested, then sighed before
closing the door and following the girl.
Biz put down the binoculars he has snatched from the store earlier and
wrote down the license plate number of the car that the hot girl had
drove to the old guy?s house. Wouldn?t mind getting into her pants, Biz
thought, then realized the old guy was probably her dad, After the
Bossman gets done with him, she won?t have his ass around to protect
her.
Biz wondered what Bossman had planned for the old fart. He had been very
pissed at his crew until he realized that this old guy was someone he
had been looking for. Bossman then got all excited and ordered Biz to
watch his house, which is why Biz was sitting on a bench in the park
just up the street from the guy?s house watching it. And he would sit
watching the old dude as long as Bossman told him to because he knew too
well what crossing the Bossman would mean. Even the police outside his
crew?s hospital rooms had not stopped the Bosman?s men from making sure
they would never talk to the cops. Biz missed the guys, but he knew they
had fucked up big time. The Bossman could be your best friend or your
worst night mare, right now he was happy with Biz at finding this old
guy and even told Biz that once the old guy was taken care of Biz could
have his own crew. About fifteen minutes after the girl went in, the old
guy and the girl came out and got in the girl?s car and left. Writing
down the time the two left, Biz picked up the book Bossman had given him
to read. Looking at the cover. ?Sun Tzu: The Art of War.?
Biz was curious why Bossman would give him such a book, but had told him
that if he wanted to work continue working for him, he would read it.
And that the book would also explain how the old man had beaten his crew
so easily. Biz wasn?t a big fan of reading, but if this book could tell
him how to fight like that old man did he would read it as many times as
it took. Biz shuddered at the memory of that fight then opened the book.
Several days later Biz was standing in front of a large desk in an
office of a warehouse owned by Bossman. ?So, son can you tell me what
your old crew did wrong against the old man?? A slightly pudgy man
sitting behind the cluttered desk asked.
?We, we underestimated him sir.? Biz was shaking in fear knowing the
Bossman was testing him to find out if he had read the book.
?Can you explain how that happened?? The man leaned back in his chair.
?He, he appeared like any other old man.? Biz tried to remember
specifics of what he had read. ?He acted weak when he was really
strong.? Biz sighed in relief knowing he may not have gotten the words
from the book exactly right but he was close.
?That?s right!? Bossman?s face showed no emotion. ?Appear weak when you
are strong, and appear strong when you are weak! He did not appear to be
a threat to the group of you. What else did he do??
?He got Jason really mad, then acted like he wasn?t paying attention.?
?Correct, he deceived you, he lied by acting like he was not paying
attention after making everyone mad enough to attack him. To the cops
and anyone else watching, he was defending himself against a much larger
number of attackers. He had won the fight before it began!? Bossman
leaned forward placing his arms on the heavy desk. ?Do you understand
what that means?? Biz shook his head. ?Son that means that win or lose
your crew would have gone to jail. Had you been able to take him down,
the cops would be hot on your ass for attacking the old man. This guy
knows what he?s doing and fights too damn well to be some Joe Blow off
the street,? Bossman stated. ?I want you to continue watching his place
for now.? Reaching for a book on his desk Bossman tossed it across where
it landed on the other side of the large desk. ?Read this while you do
that. I?ve got some people working on just who this fucker is.?
Biz picked up the book looking at the title. ?Private Investigation
101.? Before placing it in his messenger bag.
Chapter 4
As Kelly became more and more of an unofficial family member at Jake?s
house and their little girl grew older Everyone had taken to using
shortened names to distinguish between the two. Kay for their daughter
and Kel for Kelly. Following Kay into the house Kelly saw Jake and their
son Mike sitting on the couch watching a soccer game on TV. From the
kitchen they heard the familiar voice of Marie, Jake?s wife. ?Kelly is
that you? Get in here I have someone I want you to meet.?
Crap, she?s using my whole name. Kelly sighed, That means she does have
some woman she is trying to set me up with. Wonder who it is this time?
She has got to be running out of cousins by now! Giving Kay a gently
shove Kelly said in a low voice, ?Your mom wants you.?
Kay giggled. ?Not going to work Uncle Kel, we both know she?s talking to
you.? Stepping behind Kelly she began pushing him across the living room
through the arched doorway into the kitchen.
?Hello Kelly.? Marie cocked her head looking behind him at her eldest
daughter. ?I?m glad you could make it tonight, This is Helen.? Marie
motioned to the only other person in the kitchen. ?Helen is my aunt?s
husband?s brother?s daughter.?
I swear Marie must be related to the entire state of Florida! Kelly
thought. The woman was standing at the counter preparing some food. The
first thing Kelly noticed was that Helen had long black hair cascading
down her back past her waist. Unlike many of the women that Marie tried
to set Kelly up with, Helen was a true beauty, standing there in a
flowered green dress that complimented her well maintained hour glass
figure. Her facial features were soft but indisputably Mediterranean.
?Uh, hello Helen,? Kelly
?Geia sas Kelly,? Helen smiled.
?Helen recently moved to Tarpon Springs with her parents, She?s
originally from Chicago.? Marie continued spinning her web. ?She could
use a good honest man to show her around.? Looking over at Helen. ?Kelly
is like a little brother to me, he owns his own auto repair shop in St.
Petersburg. He?s very good with fixing things, without him around I
don?t think anything around this house would work.?
?You are good with your hands?? Helen looked timidly over at Kelly.
?He can fix almost anything,? Marie replied before Kelly could say
anything. ?Although he is a terrible cook. He would never get a decent
meal if not for his visits to our home.? Helen?s eyes seemed to light up
hearing this statement.
?Marie is a great cook, I have found it impossible to refuse her
invitations.? Kelly grinned at Marie.
?Maybe I could cook for you one day?? Helen blushed, her voice not much
more than a whisper. I can?t believe I just said that! He is going to
think me too bold or pushy. Why am I so worried about what he thinks, I
have made my life fine up till now without a man? Mamma and Poppa don?t
like the fact that I am over forty without a husband, but that is
because they think I need a man to take care of me, I can take care of
myself. But this man is very handsome and there is something about him
that makes me feel like a little school girl around him.
Did she just offer to cook a private meal for me? Kelly was slightly
shaken at what Helen had said, In the American Greek culture a woman
offering to cook privately for a man meant allot more than it did in
normal circles in America. It meant that she wanted to show him her
skills at taking care of the household, preparing dinner. Kelly loved
Greek food, but would she be insulted if I did what I thought the right
thing to do and ask her out to lunch first? Damn! being around women is
worse than trying to walk through a mine field blindfolded! Crap I need
to say something before she thinks I?m insulted or something! ?I think I
would like that.? Kelly smiled over at Helen. Both Marie and Helen
smiled back.
?Maybe you could take Helen on a drive tomorrow.? Marie led the
conversation. ?Show Helen around Tampa and St. Petersburg.? Looking
again at Helen. ?And take her to the beach, the beaches they have in
Chicago are nothing compared to the ones we have here!?
Excitement was evident in Helen?s eyes at hearing Marie say this. ?I
could make a lunch to bring with us.? Helen smiled warmly at Kelly. ?Do
you like gyros??
?Helen makes a wonderful Tzatziki sauce!? Marie quickly added. ?She has
made the Tzatziki that we will be using on the Souvlaki tonight.?
?There isn?t much Greek food I don?t like.? Kelly smiled. ?And gyros are
one of my favorite sandwiches.? Thinking about what they could do
tomorrow, Kelly asked Helen. ?Do you like to swim??
?I love the water!? Helen perked up. ?It?s one of the reasons I agreed
to move down here with my parents.?
?We could hit Clearwater beach,? Kelly suggested. ?It?s a great place to
swim and there is live bands in the evening.?
Later with everyone in the back yard, while Jake manned the grill
cooking the skewered Souvlaki for everyone. The women set out the sides
they had prepared on the wooden picnic table that sat in the yard. Helen
saw the boat dock at the end of their property and two rather large
boats tied to it along with a couple smaller boats and several jet skis.
?Those are very nice boats you have Marie.?
?Thank you, we really enjoy getting away on the yacht when we have
time.?
?It must be really nice to have a sail boat that you can take off on
whenever you wish.?
?Oh the sailboat is Kelly?s, the other one is ours,? Marie informed. ?We
talked Kelly into docking it here since it seemed he never went out on
it without stopping by here first anyway.? Seeing how Helen continued
looking at the sailboat. ?Do you like to sail??
?I?ve only done it a couple times and it was on a much smaller boat,?
Helen replied.
?I?ve got an idea.? Marie grinned at Helen before turning to where Kelly
stood with Jake at the grill. ?Kelly, Helen tells me she loves sailing.?
?You best get over there,? Jake said low enough so that only Kelly could
hear him. ?She?s got one of her arrows aimed right at your heart now.?
Jake chuckled knowing how much Kelly loved sailing himself.
As Kelly walked over to the two women Marie continued. ?I thought since
the both of you love sailing so much, instead of driving around in
Sunday traffic you should take Helen sailing. You could see all the
great beaches and get some swimming in too.?
As much as Kelly liked sailing, he worried that Marie was pushing the
two of them together way too fast. ?I?m sure Sarah would love to go
too.?
Marie began shaking her head. ?No Sarah has homework she had to finish
tomorrow.? Sarah, heard her name mentioned and looked over at her
mother. Marie gave her teen daughter a look that told Sarah not to say a
word. ?And you two don?t need to be stuck babysitting.?
Sarah glared at her mother for even thinking she needed a babysitter,
but knew better than to say a word. Her mother was trying once again to
find Uncle Kel a wife, something her mother had been trying to do for as
long as Sarah could remember and something Sarah knew from experience it
was best to stay out of.
Realizing he was fighting a losing battle Kelly turned to Helen. ?You
don?t happen to like fishing do you??
?Poppa used to take me fishing with him all the time on Lake Michigan.?
Helen smiled genuinely.
?Well then, why don?t I pick you up in the morning, we can drive over
here and take the boat out.?
?That sounds wonderful!? Helen smiled.
Chapter 5
Kelly decided on driving the Camaro to pick up Helen. The forecast was
for a beautiful sunny day and it was the only convertible he currently
owned. It being a fully restored 1968 SS Camaro and his pride and joy
may have also had some bearing on his choice of transportation. Kelly
had planned on stopping and picking up some bait fish and shrimp to do a
little fishing on the trip, but that morning Marie had called to tell
him that she had their son Mike stock the boat with everything they
would need for their day trip, with plenty of ice, drinks, bait for
fishing, everything Kelly and Helen would need for an enjoyable day.
Kelly knew that Marie probably had something up her sleeve but decided
whatever it was couldn?t be that bad. Hell he actually liked Helen and
she seemed to have allot of similar interests with Kelly. Maybe Marie
had actually introduced him to a woman he was compatible with?
Helen was watching out the front window as the Jade green convertible
with two wide white stripes on the hood pulled into their driveway.
?Helen get away from that window!? her elderly mother scolded. ?You
don?t want him to think you are too anxious!?
?Yes mama.? Helen retreated from the window.
?Do you have your things packed for the boat ride dear?? the elderly
woman asked.
?Yes mama.?
?Then go up to your room and wait for me to call you.? Helen?s mother
motioned with both hands to get Helen out of the room.
?You should leave the poor girl alone mama!? an elderly man said from
where he sat reclined in an easy chair watching the television. ?I think
she likes him.?
?Likes him or not, I?ll not have her throwing herself at a man I have
not yet met!? the elderly woman snapped at her husband. ?It isn?t
proper.?
?Like you threw yourself at me??
?I did no such thing you old geezer, You chased me!?
?Yea sure you ran,? the old man chuckled. ?You ran straight at me!?
?Quite, papa he?s here.? The old woman had a thought. ?I do hope he?s
Greek Orthodox.?
?Mama if he isn?t I?m sure he will be by the time you are done with
him.? The doorbell rang halting their playful bickering. ?Go answer that
poppa.?
?But you?re already up!? the old man said right before receiving the
evil eye from his wife. ?Alright, I?m going,? he said putting the foot
rest down on his chair and climbing out of its comfort.
?Hello Mr. Poulos?? Kelly asked once he saw the older man as the door
opened.
?Yes, you must be Kelly.? Mr. Poulos reached out his hand in greeting.
Kelly took his hand firmly giving it a shake. ?Yes sir, Kelly Lekka. I?m
here to pick up Helen.?
Standing aside Mr. Poulos motioned for Kelly to come in the house.
?Please come in, and please call me Ed.? Kelly nodded and entered the
house. Ed closed the door and followed Kelly in offering him a seat.
Kelly sat down on the couch, while Ed walked back over to his easy
chair. ?So Helen told us you have a sail boat??
?Yes sir, I mean Ed. I?ve had it for a couple years now, traded in one
that I had for almost ten years for the larger one I have now.?
?Oh so it?s large enough to have a cabin and a bathroom onboard??
?Yes, only one bathroom but three staterooms, although one of them I
normally just use for storage. It also has a small galley, fridge,
stove, sink, you know.?
Ed realizing this boat was allot larger than he first presumed. ?How
large is this boat of yours??
?It has a 38 foot waterline and a 54 foot mast.? Kelly saw from the look
on Ed?s face that Ed was impressed.
?You do any fishing?? Ed asked, leaning forward toward Kelly in his
chair.
?As much as I can get away with.? Kelly grinned.
?What do you do for a living Kelly?? Mrs. Poulos interrupted as she sat
down in another chair.
Looking over at who Kelly presumed was Helen?s mother. ?I own an
automotive shop in Tampa. Mostly repair work but we do some
customization work also.?
?So this garage of yours, you work it alone?? Mrs. Poulos quizzed.
?Unfortunately I don?t get to do much of the hands on work anymore,?
Kelly confessed. ?Too much paperwork to do. I have several mechanics, a
few guys that specialize in body repair and paint, some that detail cars
and a handful that do custom work. All total around 30 guys working in
the shop although in the summer there is more as I try to give as many
summer jobs as I can to the local high school kids taking automotive
classes.?
Mrs. Poulos nodded, what Kelly told her apparently meeting her approval.
?I should go see what?s keeping Helen.? Standing up from the chair she
walked out of the room.
Ed chuckled after she had left. ?Son, I think that was the shortest
inquisition that woman has ever given a guy before.?
?I take it that is a good thing?? Kelly asked.
?I?d say she was impressed.? Ed grinned. ?Hell you got me with fishing,
I love to fish. One of the reason I moved down here. You can fish round
and in the winter without having to dress up like an Eskimo and drill a
hole in the ice! Just don?t tell the old woman that, she?d skin me
alive.?
Kelly carried his duffel bag, along with a large beach bag and picnic
basket that Helen had brought, out to the boat. Helping Helen onto the
boat he carried their things down into the cabin. ?Which cabin would you
prefer Helen?? Kelly turned toward her as she came down the steps. ?The
forward cabin has windows and the skylight, the aft cabin only has a
small window.?
?Which one do you usually use??
?Normally the aft cabin,? Kelly answered. ?I see in the dark really
well, and Jake and Marie?s girls love the odd shape and windows of the
forward cabin.?
?I?ll take the one up front then,? Helen stated. ?I don?t want you to
have to move anything on my account.? Kelly sat the picnic basket down
on the galley table and led Helen to the forward cabin, where he sat her
bag down on the bed. ?This is really nice.? Helen complimented Kelly on
the interior of his boat.
Back in the main area of the cabin, Kelly gave her a short tour, The
fridge is there, by the sink, the door beside that is the head, the next
door is the cabin I?ll use. The one on the other side of the steps I use
for storage, but it?s also a bedroom.?
?What?s a head?? Helen looked confused.
?Sorry,? Kelly apologized. ?It?s a naval term for bathroom.?
?Why is it called a head??
?I think it has to do with the bathrooms were always behind the
figurehead, you know on those old sailing ships where they had figures
of women or birds and such carved on the bow. Instead of saying some of
the rather colorful words to describe where the sailor was going he
would just say he was going to the head.?
?Oh, I guess that kind of makes sense.?
Kelly grinned. ?Not sure how true that story may be, but it was the one
I was told.?
?I should put some of the things I brought into the refrigerator so they
stay cold,? Helen turned to the picnic basket on the table, opening it
and pulling a handful of wrapped items out before turning to the fridge.
?Okay,? Kelly said. ?I?ll go get things ready to cast off while you do
that.?
Jake, Marie and their whole family was there to wave them off as Mike
helped cast off the last of the boats mooring lines when Helen came up
the steps from below deck with a bottle in her hand. ?What?s this??
Helen held out the bottle of Metaxa Grand Reserve.
The small engine was just beginning to pull the boat away from the dock.
Jake saw the bottle in Helen?s hand and shouted. ?A gift! Grand Reserve
to ensure you both have a grand time!?
Shrugging her shoulders Helen asked Kelly. ?I didn?t know you could buy
anything better than twelve star??
?Jake has it sent over from Greece.? Kelly grinned sheepishly.
?Well this we?ll save for later,? Helen turned to go back below deck to
put the bottle back in the fridge beside the bottle of seven star she
had stashed inside the picnic basket.
Once out in the channel Kelly killed the engine and brought up the
mainsail. The boat lurched forward as the sail caught wind two miles
later they cleared the inland waterway and Kelly pointed the boat north
then raised the jib. The boat leaned to the side as the forward sail
caught wind propelling them even faster forward. Less than ten minutes
later Kelly turned the boat due south as they passed the northern end of
Anclote Key. Trimming the sails as the boat began to straighten out of
its lean then lean in the opposite direction, Kelly motioned for Helen
to sit beside him. ?Take the wheel, he grinned. Helen grabbed the large
wheel in front of them smiling. ?Hold her steady to the south,? Kelly
pointed at the compass in front of them. ?and stay about this far away
from the islands. We can get closer but I like to give the morons in
powerboats plenty of room. Too many of them like to show off when they
see pretty girls on the beaches.
?This is wonderful!? Helen smiled wide. ?I?ve never driven a boat this
big before!?
?This is the largest one I?ve had, My last one was only 27 ft. and had a
single cabin,? Kelly said proudly. ?It had a draft of five feet, As big
as this one is it only has a draft of six feet and the mast is only
fifteen feet higher. So it can go almost anywhere I used to take the old
one, plus it?s equipped better for deep water.?
?How far have you taken it??
?Jake and I have taken his family down to Key West a couple of times
that?s about 250 miles,? Kelly confessed.
?250 miles by boat?? Helen gasped.
Kelly grinned. ?It?s actually a pretty nice two day trip. We usually
anchor for the night around Fort Myers or Naples, then head on south to
Key West at first light. For long trips like that I?ll use the
spinnaker,? pointing at the front sail. Seeing the look of confusion in
Helen?s face Kelly explained further. ?It?s those big colorful sails you
see ballooning out in front of a sailboat. A spinnaker gives you more
speed, but you give up maneuverability.?
?So you said we could fish while we are out?? Helen asked. ?I?ve never
been deep sea fishing, do we have to go out too far to do that??
?Not really.? Kelly looked over at the computer screen on the console.
?We?re already in sixty feet of water.? Reaching over he moved the wheel
slightly turning them so the islands that were off to their left were
now behind to the left. Trimming the sails to the change in the winds
direction. ?If you want to hold us steady in this direction I?ll go get
the rods ready.?
Smiling at Kelly. ?Could you take the wheel while I go change? I brought
something much more fitting to wear out here.?
Slightly over ten minutes later Helen came up from below deck in a dark
blue bikini that left no question to her natural beauty. Stopping a few
feet away from Kelly, Helen smiled over at him. ?I take it from that
expression, you approve?? she held her arms out to her sides and did a
slow spin around, giving him a good look.
?You look amazing!? Kelly gasped.
?Why thank you,? Helen said, walking over and sitting close beside him.
?You wanted me to take the wheel while you got the fishing poles ready??
?Um, yea.? Kelly had a difficult time taking his eyes off the gorgeous
woman beside him. Walking ahead of the steering console, Kelly opened a
hatch in the floor and retrieved a deep sea rod, which he sat and
readied then baited before securing it in a special holder on the far
corner of the boat?s transom. Going back and repeating the process with
a second rod that he placed in a similar rod holder in the opposite rear
corner near where they sat.
Over twenty minutes later, with no action on their fishing rods, Kelly
spotted the signs of birds feeding on a school of fish. Turning the boat
in that direction Kelly could see the school of bait fish jumping like
crazy. Maneuvering the boat so that he came at the school of bait fish
at an angle that would bring their fishing lines into the feeding frenzy
without the boats hull chasing off whatever fish were feeding on the
bait fish, Kelly told Helen to watch the lines as he prepared to furl
the sails to stop the boat.
Kelly hit the button and held it down as the electric wench rolled up
the jib sail. He was reaching for the one that would furl the main sail
back into the mast when the reel on the rod furthest from them began
screaming as line was peeled off it as something took the bait and ran.
?Go ahead, that one is all yours!? Kelly grinned at Helen, who jumped
down off the bench and went over to pick up the rod to begin fighting
the fish they had caught. Kelly had already hit the button that powered
the electric wench that would reel in the main sail.
Helen began trying to reel but the reel was still screaming as whatever
she had hooked pulled more line off the reel. ?Take up some of the
drag,? Kelly instructed. ?The star wheel by the crank handle, turn it
forward a half turn.? Kelly began reeling in the second pole as fast as
he could, so that the fish Helen was fighting would not tangle the two
lines together.
Turning the star wheel like Kelly said seemed to slow down how fast the
line was being pulled off the reel. Helen quickly realized that whatever
was on the other end of her line was the biggest fish she had ever
caught as she felt how strongly it pulled against the pole in her hands.
?Turn it another quarter turn.? Helen followed his directions and the
pull became heavier but less line was being pulled off the reel. ?Don?t
reel, just hang on until it wears its self down some.? It felt like an
eternity to Helen but in less than ten minutes the line stopped being
pulled off the reel in her hands. Helen began reeling in as she let the
end of the rod dip down toward the water, then pull the rod up again,
reeling in the line as she let the rod drop down. Whenever the fish
began pulling line off the reel again Helen would stop reeling until the
fish tired then begin reeling again.
Twenty minutes in the fight against the fish Kelly asked Helen again if
she wanted him to take over and give her a break, but once again she
refused. ?I want to be able to tell Poppa that I caught this. Whatever
it turns out to be!? The grin on her face was evidence that she was not
kidding. Helen looked as happy right now as a small child on Christmas
morning. Kelly started up the boats small diesel engine so that he could
maneuver the boat keeping the fish to the rear of the boat so it would
not run under the boat and foul the line causing Helen to lose the fish.
Another fifteen minutes went by and the fish broke the surface. Kelly
grinned at Helen. ?I hope you like Tuna.?
?I caught a tuna??
?Well it?s not in the boat yet, but that is what it looked like.?
A few minutes later the fish made one last ditch effort to get away,
stripping some line off the reel but eventually tired out, Helen brought
it up along the side of the boat where Kelly used a gaff to pull it up
on the stern of the boat. ?It?s a blackfin.? Kelly announced after
making sure Helen?s catch wasn?t going anywhere but on ice for the trip
home.
?I thought you said it was a tuna??
?Yes.? Kelly grinned. ?A blackfin tuna, and a very nice size one at
that!? Kelly hefted the tuna up while carrying it to the center of the
cockpit area. ?It must go at least twenty five pounds!?
?Can we take a picture?? Helen asked.
?I?ll do better than that.? Kelly smiled opening a hatch and pulling out
some small rope and a very large fish scale that he attached to the
arch, then tying a length of rope around the tail of the fish with a
loop in it, Kelly hoisted it up onto a hook on the bottom of the scale
that he had suspended from the arch. The large scale was easy to read
and the needle stopped at twenty seven and a half pounds. ?Helen this is
a very nice one. Does your phone do pictures??
?Of course.? Helen walked around the hanging fish to go get her phone.
Coming back up from below deck while looking at her phone. ?I don?t have
a signal though.?
?We?re a bit far out for one, but you should get one on our way back in.
You can send the picture to your folks then.?
Helen handed over her phone after making sure Kelly knew how to use its
built in camera. After taking several with her phone, Kelly pulled his
from his own pocket and took a few for himself of Helen posing with the
fish she caught. After packing the fish in an ice cooler built in the
deck Kelly used some sea water to wash the fish blood off the deck so
neither would slip on it and so that it would not begin smelling later.
Unfurling both sails they began their trip back toward the coastline.
The two had a late lunch of gyros that Helen had made for them along
with a glass of Metaxa while anchored in about twelve feet of water just
off the coast of Clearwater beach. The shadows were becoming quite long
when Kelly pulled the boat up to the dock behind Jake?s home. Tying the
boat off, Kelly and Helen saw a crowd of not only Jake?s family but also
Helen?s parents coming across the lawn toward them.
?Did you have a good time dear?? Helen?s mother was first to speak.
?Mama you have got to see the size of the fish I caught!? Helen was
grinning from ear to ear. Kelly lowered the swim platform to make it
easier for them to get off the boat onto the dock. Mike jumped over with
a large garbage bag to help Kelly offload the tuna without dragging it
across the deck or the lawn.
?Girl, I think you?ve made a great catch!? Helen?s father grinned, then
added, ?The fish is nice too.?
He grunted as his wife?s elbow dug forcefully into his ribs. ?Poppa!?
she scolded. Both he and Jake chuckled. Marie stood straight faced
barely able to contain her amusement and joy that Helen and Kelly were
hitting it off so well.
The evening ended after a large party where the Tuna was butchered and
served in a variety of ways on the grill along with many side dishes
Helen?s mother and Marie had prepared earlier. The bottle of Metaxa came
out at some point which the adults all shared.
Chapter 6
?Well look what the cat dragged in!? A pretty blond girl sitting on a
stool behind the counter said when she saw Kelly walk in. The girl
looked to be in her mid-twenties wore a blue tee shirt with a large
company logo on it. Although most men would not notice the logo as they
would be staring at her D cupped breasts that stretched the fabric of
the shirt. Her shoulder length blond hair was pulled back into a pony
tail that used the hole in the back of a ball cap, that also carried the
same logo, to hold it in the pony tail.
Lucky for Kelly that he had a dark tan or the girl would have seen him
blush. ?Went fishing yesterday and made a great catch, twenty seven and
a half pound tuna. Everyone decided to have a cookout and grill the tuna
we caught when we got back. It was so late when we were done, I spent
the night at Jake?s.?
Holding out her hand. ?Hand it over.?
Kelly knew what she wanted without asking. Ever since Kelly brought in a
picture he had framed of a blue marlin he had caught, Gwen had ran off
any pictures of fish he had taken and put them on the wall behind the
counter along with the picture of the marlin. ?I?m not sure this one
should go on the wall.?
?Why is that boss?? Gwen, the blond girl questioned.
?I?m not sure Helen would be okay with it.?
?Who?s Helen?? Gwen asked.
Figuring it was easier to show her than explain, Kelly pulled out his
cell phone and brought up a picture of Helen posing with the fish.
?That?s Helen, she was the one who brought in the tuna.?
?Wow nice catch boss!? Gwen grinned evilly at him.
?Helen caught it.?
?I wasn?t talking about the fish,? Gwen laughed. ?So the two of you, all
alone on that big boat of yours, sounds pretty romantic??
?Um yea, I guess it kinda was,? Kelly stammered.
?I think this one we?ll hang in your office.? Gwen giggled. ?Don?t need
the guys drooling over the boss?s girlfriend.?
?She?s not my girlfriend,? Kelly stated.
?Are you seeing any other women?? Gwen knew the answer to this without
asking.
?No.?
?Is she seeing any other men??
?She said she wasn?t.?
?Okay,? Gwen continued. ?Do you both plan on continuing to see each
other??
?Um yes,? Kelly realized where Gwen was leading.
?Then she is your girlfriend.? Gwen grinned.
The rest of the day went very quickly as Kelly dove into the paperwork
that seemed to grow larger no matter how much he sifted through. Several
times during the day Kelly thought about calling Helen, but stopped
himself. Kelly had heard most of his life that he should never call a
girl the very day after a date, always wait until at least the second
day following the date to call. Every time Kelly noticed the phone on
his desk, he found himself reaching for it before he even realized what
he was doing.
Helen sat in the kitchen with her mother helping to prepare lunch. Her
mind wandered into her memories of yesterday. The look on Kelly?s face,
when she came up from the boat?s cabin in her bikini, told her that she
still had it where it counts, even at forty three years old she could
turn heads. Helen had not been enthusiastic about meeting Kelly at first
but between her mother and Marie they had talked her into going and
meeting the man. I am so glad now they would not take no for an answer!
Helen thought to herself. The moment she saw him she could feel the
connection deep within herself to him. Not that he was male model
material or anything, but he was very pleasing on the eyes. It was
something else about him that made her want to do anything in her power
to please that man. It was quite unnerving at first, to feel that way
about someone she had only just met, but he was so kind and gentle. He
seemed to worry about everyone but himself.
Marie had warned her about Kelly?s scars and how self-conscious he was
about them, although she was still a bit shocked at the amount of them
on his body when he took off his shirt on the boat. Still she did as
Marie had advised and tried not to ask about them. Marie had explained
that the scars had come from his military days and were due to Kelly
trying to save the lives of his friends. Marie had also shown Helen the
medals that Kelly did not know Jake had kept. Kelly had tried to lose
each one soon after he received them. Mark and Jake had seen to it that
they were put away for safe keeping should Kelly ever want them back or
if nothing else give them to his children one day if he ever has any.
Helen?s mother saw her daughter looking over at the phone that hung on
the wall in their kitchen for what seemed like the twentieth time in the
last half hour. ?He?ll not call today child,? Her mother cautioned. ?He
needs time to think about how he feels toward you, and you need to do
the same.?
Looking over at her mother. ?Mama how soon after you met poppa did you
know that he was the man for you??
?I think I knew the same day I met him,? Her mother grinned. ?But it
took him much longer to realize it.?
?What should I do??
?Pay attention to what you?re doing before you cut yourself.? Helen?s
mother motioned at the knife in Helen?s hand. ?He will call tomorrow and
Wednesday, we?ll prepare a very nice lunch that you can take down to him
at work. How?s that sound??
?How do you know he?ll call tomorrow?? Helen blushed.
?Because men believe they need to wait or they will look desperate.?
?That?s stupid!?
?No matter how you feel about him, he is still a man,? Helen?s mother
chuckled. ?They all do stupid things.?
?How long have you been staring at that phone?? Gwen asked after poking
her head into Kelly?s office. Kelly sat there as if deep in thought
staring at the phone on his desk. ?Boss?? Gwen attempted to get his
attention again. ?Kelly your Camaro is on fire!?
?Huh? What?? Kelly looked over at Gwen.
?I wanted to know how long you?ve been sitting there staring at the
phone??
Kelly looked back at the phone then to Gwen. ?Um, I was thinking about
something.?
?More like someone.? Gwen grinned. ?I?m betting that someone was Helen.?
?Am I that obvious?? Kelly asked.
?To a woman, yep I can see that you?ve got it bad.? Gwen?s grin widened.
?You should call her.?
?I, I want to but,? Kelly paused. ?It, it would make me look like,
like??
?It would show her that you are interested!? Gwen corrected. ?And that
you enjoy being with her.? Grabbing Kelly by the arm and pulling. ?Come
on.?
?What??
?I?m driving you home!? Gwen pulled until he rose from the chair. ?The
way your heads twisted right now, you?ll end up running a light or
something and end up in the hospital or worse.?
Chapter 7
Helen arrived at Kelly?s shop just before noon with a large picnic
basket in hand. She had worn a light gray chiffon halter dress, cinched
at the waist by a thin white belt and three inch wedge sandals. Gwen
looked up from the computer she was working on behind the counter. ?Hi
Helen, I?m glad to finally meet you!? Gwen beamed a wide smile.
?You must be Gwen?? Gwen nodded at Helen?s question. Walking across the
room Helen sat the basket down on the counter, opened it and pulled a
dish covered with aluminum foil out that she held out to Gwen. ?This is
for you.?
Taking the covered plate raising it to her nose she took a whiff of the
hidden contents. ?Thank you, It smells wonderful??
?There is Spanakopita, Fashoulakia, Moussaka and Baklava.? Helen reached
in and retrieved a small covered bowl. ?and a salad.?
Gwen?s eyes lit up hearing the great lunch treat Helen had given her.
?Bribery will get you everywhere!? Gwen laughed. ?He?s in his office, if
you want to go on back?? Gwen pointed to the door behind the counter.
Helen was looking at all the framed photos of Kelly with various fish
that apparently he had caught hanging on the wall behind the counter.
?Kelly catch all those??
?Yes ma?am!? Gwen grinned.
?Hmmm, I would think he would have put up the photo of the tuna we
caught last week too??
?I?m the one that puts them up,? Gwen stated. ?I did make a copy of that
from his phone, but put that one in his office.?
?Whys that?? Helen quizzed.
?Kelly was afraid of putting up a picture of you in your bathing suit
out here in the waiting room.? Gwen explained.
Helen grinned evilly while picking up the basket and walking around the
counter to Kelly?s office. Knocking on the door she waited until she
heard him say enter before going in. Kelly looked up and grew the widest
smile possible when he saw Helen enter his office before jumping up and
rounding the desk to take the basket and giving her a warm hug.
?I can get used to greeting like this,? Helen whispered into his ear.
?I?m so glad to see you.? Kelly pulled back to look into her eyes.
?I have missed you too.? Helen smiled back. ?Although there is something
I need to fix real fast.? Helen looked around until she found the
picture of her and the tuna she caught. Releasing Kelly she walked over
and took the picture off the wall and walked out where she handed it to
Gwen. ?You should put this with all Kelly?s other catches.?
Kelly had followed her to the doorway. ?But you caught that Tuna,? Kelly
stated.
?Who?s talking about the fish?? Helen laughed.
Gwen snorted trying to hold back laughter while taking the picture from
Helen. ?I?ll make sure it gets put up.?
Helen and Kelly went back into his office to eat, while Gwen sat at the
counter and ate the wonderful meal that Helen had given her. After Helen
had left Gwen slipped inside Kelly?s office. ?Boss can I say something??
?You know you can Gwen.?
?Helen is a keeper!? Gwen grinned. ?If you even think of throwing her
back, your insane!?
?I wasn?t planning on it.? Kelly smiled.
?Good, so can I ask a favor??
?What??
?When you marry her will you two adopt me? That was the best meal I have
ever had in my life!?
Kelly began laughing while he crumpled up a piece of paper into a ball
and threw it at Gwen. ?Get back to work!?
Gwen dodge the paper laughing then closed the door behind her as she
left his office.
Chapter 8
Kelly and Helen were married on the third of June in Helen?s church. The
wedding was small consisting of family and friends and Jake insisted
that the reception was held in his very large backyard. Jake and Marie
threw a huge party including roasting a lamb over the fire pit in the
back yard. It was a grand affair that everyone would remember for years
to come.
The two spent their honeymoon on a two week trip on his boat down into
the Florida Keys eventually stopping in Key West before returning home.
Both had discussed such a short courtship and engagement but neither
could imagine life without the other now that they were together. Helen
also wanted to give herself to him, something she could not do before
they were married, something she had never considered giving to any man
until she met Kelly. Her love for Kelly was boundless and she wanted to
give him a child. Something that a long engagement could reduce the
chance of her being able to do if she waited much longer. Even at her
current age there would be risks, risks that she was willing to take to
bring Her and Kelly?s child into the world.
Three weeks after they returned from the honeymoon trip thing had begun
to settle down in their life. Helen had also began helping Kelly at the
shop, freeing him from much of the paperwork he dug through every day,
allowing him to get out in the shop doing what he loved. One thing
Kelly?s shop had begun branching out into was custom grills and smokers.
Building grills was something that the shop came into quite by accident
when a customer saw one of the mechanics working on one that he was
building in his down time and said how he had been looking for someone
to custom build one for him. When Helen found out about this side of the
business she talked with Kelly about having one for everyone to use
around lunch at the shop. The new grill was a big hit, and it seemed
someone always found time just before lunch to get it fired up and begin
grilling hot dogs, sausages, chicken and burgers that Helen now kept
stocked in in a fridge in the shop.
It was late evening, Kelly and Helen sat together on the couch in their
living room sharing a glass of wine, enjoying the peace and quiet before
heading upstairs to bed. Kelly saw the headlight of a car careening into
their yard right before the large picture window shattered in a hail of
gunfire. Holding Helen tighter, Kelly kicked off the floor with his
feet, tipping the couch over backwards as they sat in it. Just as they
landed behind the overturned couch Kelly heard something large hit the
floor and a large orange flash blinded him momentarily as the explosion
threw the couch with them behind it up against the far wall. When his
vision returned Kelly saw that everything in their living room was
shattered and ablaze. Even the walls were burning. A sticky substance
covered everything that was in direct line of the blast, the only place
not on fire was the small area behind the couch where the two lay, and
that substance burned with intensity. Even if Kelly had not realized
what the burning substance was, the smell was a dead giveaway for
someone that had seen it used in the military, napalm. He had to get
them out of there before the smoke and fumes killed them. Reaching over
to the unconscious Helen, Kelly saw blood. OH FUCK! NO! NOT HELEN! His
thoughts went wild at the sight. Giving her a fast once over, she was
bleeding from her left breast. Oh shit, NO! Kelly?s mind screamed, the
wound would be close to her heart, Please God, don?t let her die! His
mind screamed again. No time for this Kelly, won?t make any difference
if you both die in the fire, you got to get her out of this house NOW!
His mind raced, time seemed to slow as he looked at his options. There
was an unknown number of men in a car outside shooting at them. Helen
was shot in the chest and the house was on fire!
Reaching into the burning couch Kelly du