Nandita To Nandini
- 4 years ago
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The Fleet Auxiliary rating entered Tribune Whitefeather's office, bearing blessed gifts from ground-side. "One double-double ... whatever that is ... one black no sugar ... one tea, bag in ... and one sour cream glazed, one toasted whole-wheat bagel with butter, and one maple cream glazed."
As they thanked the woman, Major MacAllistor observed with a jaundiced eye the sugary delights his fellow officers were enjoying. "Healthy breakfast," he remarked sarcastically, biting into his bagel.
"This coming from a man from the land of the deep-fried Mars bar," countered Chan as he popped a piece of doughnut into his mouth.
"Alright, everyone," the Tribune announced, trying to get the meeting on track as he sipped his coffee-with-two-creme-two-sugar, "are we clear then? Anthony, you get to talk to any interested District Attorney. Jim, if I could have you talk to some of your contacts with the Royal Navy, and I'll hit up the North American side."
The other two officers nodded.
"As soon as we've finished our coffee, of course," Whitefeather added.
Tribune Whitefeather found himself being ushered into an otherwise anonymous office in the Pentagon, talking to an old friend, Admiral Richard Benson. The tall, handsome black man (CAP score 8.4) was in charge of the Bureau of Personnel.
"So, what do you want this time? Remember, active U.S. military are strictly off limits without permission."
"But retirees are not. And I need you to sort through your retiree list for the following: at least one, preferably four former carrier skippers, and at least one, preferably four, former submarine skippers. We'll also need four each with experience as ships' senior NCO. They'll have to have a CAP of at least 6.5, and for the submariners, instructor experience in the sub school at New London. We'd prefer it if they had a pre-pack ready to go. We need a list in 48 hours, and we need the chosen skippers and chiefs to be ready to go with their concubines on a moment's notice after that."
"I'll have to order them here ... oh hell, that's not a lot of time, is it? Don't worry. You'll have the lot by Friday morning." The Admiral was intensely curious. "Why those particular skills? Is there some advantage when out in space?"
"Sa'arm don't like water. Note that, as it's possibly the best hint I can give you for your operations when they get here. You can take that to the Director of Naval Operations, and his opposite numbers around the planet." He made a face. "We still haven't delayed their expected arrival date by much, let alone persuaded them to go elsewhere."
Admiral Benson grimaced. "And how is the Diaspora Project going?"
Tribune Whitefeather was grim in his assessment. "Slow, and with the 'help' of the Earth Firsters and the religious nutters, getting slower. We keep losing perfectly suitable candidates for Confederacy Marines and Navy, and candidates to lead the troops here when the Sa'arm arrive, to their fellow humans. It's like the low-CAP idiots don't want the human race to survive."
"Anything you can do to help us mount our desperate last stand?"
"As far as equipment goes, I don't know so I can't say. But any tactics or techniques that these guys work out for my watery colony will be passed along to the navies of Earth. Just do me a favour: share and share alike. Don't hold any good or not so good ideas back from each other or from these admirals, and I'll keep the pipeline open back this way for what works for the Confederacy."
"How are you going to handle extraction?" the Admiral demanded.
Tribune Whitefeather considered for a moment. "We can always use the clinic ruse. Have them and their next of kin show up at a common clinic, and extract them as they show up. Doesn't even have to be the same clinic at the same time, although that would be easier. I guess we'll take it case-by-case."
"We'll see what we can do," Admiral Benson promised.
After seeing the Admiral, Whitefeather decided to see another old friend, retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel and amateur historian Henry "Howlin' Mad" Hollister. Henry was, as usual, delighted to see a visitor at his humble apartment. He pumped Tribune Whitefeather's arm enthusiastically. "Bill, it's been too long! What are you here for this time?"
"Do I always need a reason?" protested the tall Tribune, looking down on his old mentor fondly.
"These days, you do. I know, I know," the grey-haired old man assured him as he led his guest into the comfortably overstuffed living room, "you have a real job on your hands what with the Sa'arm and all, which means you don't have much time to chat usually."
"I don't, you're right about that, but today I did have some business down at the Puzzle Palace and that means I'm in town for lunch."
"And that bullshit means you need to pick my brains." Henry regarded the younger man shrewdly.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I could use your advice and counsel." Tribune Whitefeather confessed, a trifle embarrassed at the Colonel's gentle teasing.
"All right, let me put the kettle on, you can tell me your horrible troubles over a nice steaming mug of tea."
As they sat and drank Henry's tea and ate Henry's homemade ginger snap cookies, William Whitefeather laid out his predicament.
"I've got a request for carrier captains, submarine skippers, and at least one officer experienced with amphibious landings."
"Hmmm, that last one would be difficult. The last amphibious assault was in the first Gulf War, and most of those officers are still unavailable under your current rules. You'd have to get permission to extract any of them..." Henry stood up and walked over to his battered old desk. He pulled out a PDA.
"Here's the man you want. He's long retired, they were actually prepared to remove him by force I suspect. Thinks outside the box, and you know how much the Marines hate mavericks during peacetime!"
Whitefeather transferred the contact information to his AI interface. "Think he'll volunteer?"
"If you can guarantee his daughter's family an exit. He dotes on his two grandkids."
"How many are we talking about here?"
"Eight year old twin boys, no husband — he bought it about three years back, when his F-18 ate a bird. Don't know her CAP score."
I slid the report into the proper file just as he walked into the room. Dennis Butz stood there wearing his three-piece suit, looking as handsome and charming as any man could. But I was not to be tamed by his charm. "Hello, Linda," he said with a friendly grin. "Judge Herns isn't in today," I replied back in a frosty tone. "I'm not here to see her." "My plane leaves in less then an hour Dennis, what do you want?" I slammed the file drawer shut and walked past him to my desk...
By Gail Holmes & Nemasis Enforcer “Time and tide awaits no man, that’s what my father constantly told me, For God’s sake what’s a matter with you, here you are twenty one, and still a bloody virgin. Christ, William I’d lost my virginity years before I was your age. I can tell you, once you’ve tried sex there’ll be no looking back” At 50, William knew that old Bruce had had a few; and still he could pull, mind you he was a handsome man for his age, but then he didn’t look it. “I...
William was sulking. The problem was that his mum wouldn’t perform Artistic Striptease in school assembly and he was being teased by his friends. “Your mum’s a coward,” they cried, repeating the words over and over until their chorus resembled a monastic chant. “She’s a coward ... Hey! William! Your mum’s a coward...” Each of them took a pristine envelope containing a white feather and in a ceremony that resembled a monastic ritual they presented their feathers to William demanding that he...
They waited. They waited and they waited. At the far end of the living room sitting on the brand new cream leather couches, William and Cecile stare at their glass door foyer, keenly anticipating some beautiful silhouettes at their doorstep. These two gentlemen try to represent success in the most ostentatious ways possible. Saying they splurged on this property would be an understatement. Even by the living room you can distinguish this; from the terrazzo-marble flooring, to the glass railings...
InterracialWilliam had a lot on his mind. First, there was football. Their season opener was in a week and training camp was going full speed. College football was taken seriously in this city and their team was favored to win their division. There was a lot of pressure riding on his performance. Second, classes were beginning. He was a senior poised to graduate hopefully with honors. He wanted to study law and it was important to do well in his classes and when he took his LSATs. ...
The Denver Aquarium is owned by a restaurant chain. The Carters had reserved the entire place for two parties, one held at lunch time and the other held at dinner time. The lunch time party was to allow employees of the Fusion Foundation, fellow students, and neighbors a chance to interact with the newlyweds. The dinner time party was for executives, business types, and elected officials. Perhaps it was because of the years spent living in the desert, but the entire family looked forward to...
Seated in the student center, William drank a glass of iced tea while waiting for Lucy to get out of her class. She was taking her mid-terms and had been feeling the pressures of late. This afternoon was particularly rough since she had two exams one after the other. He had come along to provide emotional support fully confident that she would ace each exam. An angry young man carrying a tray of food approached the table next to his. The young man threw his tray down on the table and then...
A shiver went through William when he woke in a nice soft bed. The last thing he remembered was lying on the hard ground. Even before he had a chance to open his eyes, he heard Lucy say, "He's waking up." "I'm awake," he said opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was Lucy. She was looking down at him with an expression of concern on her face. She immediately hugged him and then stood back to give him some space. He was comforted by her hug and reached up for her hand. "I was so...
William walked out the front door of his house to await his visitor. His daytime bodyguard, Colt, walked behind him wondering why they had come outside. For all he knew, they had left the house just to stand around all day in the sunshine. His eyes automatically checked the surroundings for any threats. The two men headed over to the driveway with William leading the way. A minute later, a rental car pulled up in the driveway. Colt glared at it as if it were a direct threat. He relaxed when...
Used to being sent to answer the door despite the fact that no one had knocked, Ken headed towards the door as soon as William had told him to answer it. He shook his head in puzzlement the entire trip. Although he knew from experience that there would be a person at the door, he hadn't given up wondering how William did it. Colt looked from William to Ken wondering what was happening since he hadn't heard anyone knock. The door opened to reveal a very tired looking green robed Druid while...
William looked across the table at Patrick and asked, "So how are things going?" "They are going well. Once I got over the initial shock, I found that I can deal with the nudity," Patrick answered although he wasn't going to mention the unease he felt when talking with Lucy. "Good. After two years here you'll be able to handle most things that life throws at you. You'll need that when you become a Chief," William said choosing his words with great care. It was time to plant a seed...
"Congratulations, Dr. Carter," Oliver Brown said with a grin. He was seated in a large chair in one of the emptier rooms of the mansion sipping on an iced tea. He was wearing a pair of silvered sunglasses. Despite years of living with his gift, it still hurt him to be around too many people. William took a seat across from the Grand Druid and said, "Thank you. What are you doing in here?" "I'm hiding from the President of the University. He wants me to send some of our graduating...
Cupping a match in his curled fingers to protect it from a light wind, William lit a cigarette. He shook his hand putting out the match and dropped the extinguished stick into a bucket. Holding up a hand, he said, "The screen door will slam in a minute." Despite the warning, Dale jumped when the screen door slammed shut making a noise like a rifle shot. He said, "I'm glad you warned me." "The cook takes out the trash every night about this time. It used to startle me every time I...
The months passed without much of anything too remarkable occurring. William spent most of his time working with the candidates running for office. Lucy worked on the program trying to find ways to represent the quality of the society graphically. Construction on the facility for holding the computers was progressing nicely. The young couple kept the staff very busy as well. With the ever increasing need for data, Victoria spent nearly every hour of the day searching for new sources of data...
Wearing western garb, William sat on a bench soaking up the sun in front of the Morgenstern building housing the Department of Economics within the School of Business. Classes would be starting in three days and the current crop of undergraduates were busy moving into their dorms. He watched the parents and their children wandering around the campus with a frown. The sons and daughters wanted to declare their independence despite fears of the great unknown. The parents wanted to keep their...
"You're lonely." Shrugging his shoulders, William answered, "My girlfriend is hundreds of miles away." "I don't mean that way," Joe said. "What do you mean?" "You don't have any friends. There may be a lot of people around you, but you don't really have any friends." Joe cut a piece out of the steak and put it in his mouth while watching William to judge his reaction. He knew that William was going to be leaving in a week and wondered what was going to happen to his...
Spreading margarine on the slice of toast with long smooth motions, William was getting ready to enjoy breakfast. Lucy watched him, waiting for him to cut his slice of toast along the diagonal. Rich enough to afford butter, it always amazed her that he actually enjoyed margarine more. William looked up from his toast and winked at her. Rock, the nighttime bodyguard, was watching him with narrowed eyes. The other three bodyguards were seated at the far end of the table eating their eggs....
William stared at Lucy in shock. Unable to believe what he thought he had heard her say, he asked, "Excuse me?" Pointing to the woman at the front of the conference room of the Carter House, Lucy said, "I asked her to remove her clothes." "I thought I misunderstood you," William said. He glanced over at Mary Gold. The woman had her head down and was hiding her mouth behind her hands. The twinkle in her eye suggested that she was trying not to laugh. The twenty-four year old woman...
The Catholic religious wedding ceremony for Cathy Black Thorn and David Light Wind started at noon. It was a traditional Catholic service and lasted for almost an hour before they exchanged their vows. The Catholic priest provided a nice service in which he blessed their marriage. To tell the truth, Lucy had found it rather boring. She also felt that the bride wasn't given the kind of attention that most women sought in the wedding ceremony. At two, the bride and groom met at their future...
"Is it working?" Lucy asked watching the array of monitors at William's desk. Shaking his head, William answered, "I don't know. We've only progressed ten years in the simulation. We've got another ninety to go." "It's been running for twenty hours," Lucy said looking over at the clock. They had started the program the previous day at noon and it was now just a little after eight in the morning. "That's right," William said woodenly. His eyes examined the curves of the...
William shook his head in amazement while going through the stack of papers Barbara had handed him. She had all of their expenditures typed up for the accountant complete with receipts. The confirmations for chartered jets were in a neat little stack. The agenda for the meetings had been typed up with copies for everyone. Looking up at Barbara, he said, "You are amazing. I don't know how you keep up with everything." Upon hearing more praise from William, Barbara squirmed in her chair. It...
William stepped out the front door of the hotel and froze. Rather than facing a run down street in San Diego, he was in a meadow. There in front of him was a contrived scene of life and death. To his right, a man was facing death as a giant wrecking ball swung towards him from behind. To his left, a different man faced an identical death. He shouted, "Duck." Both men stared at William as the wrecking balls swung through them. William stared in horror at the result. Two broken bodies lay on...
The activities being performed by the occupants of the house would never be the subject of a Norman Rockwell type of picture. The scene just wasn't cute enough. Lucy, seated at her desk, was busy writing up her solution to the math problem that William had given her. At his desk, William was busy changing his program for predicting economic and social trends. Over at the dining room table, Jan was writing on a pad of paper; capturing another chapter of her book. At the other end of the...
William sat back and stared at the stack of papers. He had spent the past four weeks going over the first draft of his dissertation and fixing the small errors that had crept into it. Sections had been changed to be more precise. The language had been improved to be more readable. References had been checked and the original sources double checked for accuracy. This pass through the dissertation was at a less strenuous pace than the first pass. He had worked eighteen to twenty hours a day on...
The gymnasium of the activity center was empty except for a long table at which the tribal elders of all the local tribes were seated. All eyes were watching the door at the far end of the room for their visitor. The tension in the room was high. Most of them expected their visitor to argue with them about their conservative stance and they were not looking forward to it. They were sure that they would lose this argument with this particular visitor. Looking around the room, Robert White...
Talking quietly with each other, Lucy and William waited in the theater for Eddie to arrive. The theater room had four rows of ten seats each facing a large screen. Each chair was large and comfortable with a holder for a soda built into the armrest. Beth had ordered the chairs from a real theater supply company. Like a real movie theater, the floor slanted down towards the front of the room. At the entrance to the room, there was a snack bar complete with a typical theater-style popcorn...
Greetings had been exchanged and the guests shown their rooms in the Carter home. The next order of business was to relax. William stripped off his clothes and headed towards the pool. He jumped in feet first, reveling in the feel of cool water against his bare skin. Lucy and Ann, naked as well, slipped into the pool right behind him. Before they had even moved a dozen feet from the edge, Betsy charged into the poolroom throwing off her clothes even as she ran. Without pause, she jumped into...
William and Ed returned to the hotel refreshed from their little swim at the Mayor's house. William felt confident that another candidate had been found with a good chance of winning. They entered the suite laughing about the mayor's reaction on discovering them swimming in the pool. The laughter turned to surprise when William spotted his mother relaxing in the living room of the suite. She was seated next to Lucy. He said, "Momma Kelly! What are you doing here?" Seeing that William...
William looked over at the patio of the hotel where Debbie and Georgia were seated. The two women were talking with each other oblivious of their surroundings. It was obvious to him that they had left their depression behind. Kim and Nancy joined William at the table. The pair of Druids did not look happy. Nancy said, "I feel like we failed." "What do you mean?" William asked. Kim said, "We're supposed to be the grief counselors, not you." "We were useless," Nancy said running a...
Lucy watched the screen through red eyes that saw the world through a blur. She hadn't sleep for the past thirty hours. The programmers were asleep on the floor having exhausted the last of their stamina under the nearly constant pressure from Lucy. Even if she hadn't been so tired, it would have been hard to interpret the results. There were a hundred curves all overlaid one upon another. After running twenty four hours, the model had projected ahead only twelve years. Considering the...
Amused by what he was doing, Derrick led the little horse using the reigns. Lucy was seated on its back holding onto the saddle horn with white knuckles. She was nervous; feeling like the horse was huge and ready to run away at any moment. She looked over at William and, voice tight with tension, said, "I've never ridden a horse before." "You don't say. I would never have guessed," William replied with a grin from atop the horse that Derrick had given him. It was a nice quarter-horse...
It was nearly midnight when William and Colt entered the house. William tried to be quiet expecting everyone to be in bed, but Colt just walked in without worrying about the noise he made. At the irritated glance from William, he said, "I'm up all night and no one notices. If I tried sneaking around here all the time, I'd wake the whole house the first time I made a noise. Everyone is used to me walking around." "Oh, I guess I didn't think about that," William said uneasy about the...
Representative Sidney Smith walked to his office pleased that he had an entire afternoon without a single appointment. Between public speeches, committee meetings, time spent on the floor of the House of Representatives, and smooching with businessmen for funding, he felt that he never had time to think through the issues. It was his standing order that no appointments were to be scheduled Friday afternoons. That was his time to catch up on the issues of the day. Entering his office, Sidney...
Introduction: The sibling teens go out on a date William and Ann Chapter 6 Saturday morning arrived and the kids were eager to get started on their official first date. Larry gave Ann $200 in cash and William $30. He told them to spend it wisely and enjoy their outing. Hed be waiting at home anxious to see what she got. Ann gave him a hug and kiss on his mouth. Larry, not wanting to waste the moment, returned the hug and gave her a little more than a fatherly kiss in return as his lips opened...
"Your mother and I watched your meeting with the White Buffalo on the news. That's how we knew to go to the ranch," said Lucy. "Pardon?" William was not aware that there had been a television camera at the ranch. "Someone filmed the whole thing with their video camera. It was on the television within half an hour of it happening." "So what did you think?" "Strange. It was like you weren't there. Your face was blank. Your voice was strange with an odd echoing quality to it. When...
Eddie stood with his legs spread shoulder wide and his fists on his hips. Glaring at the man standing in front of him, he said, "My brother is the smartest person alive." "There are a lot of very smart people in this world, young man," the distinguished looking man said with amusement in his voice. He added, "As Provost of this University, I can tell you that many of them are here on this campus." "I don't care who you are. My brother is the smartest person alive. He's going to win...
Following behind Rock and Natalie, Lucy and William entered their home with a sigh of relief. They had both been very busy since their graduation. The summer had started with locating, hiring, and delivering Dante to Harry for the purpose of creating a statue of the elderly Druid. That had been followed by their wedding with a week of parties, their honeymoon, visits to a number of tribal councils, and a few visits to Homeless Hotels around the country. Exhausted, they planned to stay at home...
Ling and Betsy stopped the car at the front gate leading to William's place. Over the past year, the front of the property had changed to where it looked more like the entrance to a military base than a ranch. There was a little guard shack that sat beside a closed metal barrier. Ling's trained eye recognized the retractable barrier was capable of stopping a charging dump truck. Worried about the kind of reception they would receive, Betsy asked, "Are you sure that he'll see us?" "It...
Wearing nothing but a loincloth and a small leather bag around his neck, William walked to the edge of the stream. Once there, he paused and looked down at the ground. At the border between water and land was a stone that caught his attention. Kneeling, he picked it up. The stone was the diameter of a quarter with a thickness of a quarter of an inch. The edges were worn smooth. There was nothing remarkable about the stone except for one feature -- the center of the stone had been worn away...
"Uh oh," William said as he pulled into the driveway. Rock, Colt, Natalie, and Nicole were standing in the driveway with their arms crossed and a frown on their faces. They didn't look too happy to see him. "I forgot about them." He turned off the motor and stepped out of the car. Looking at the four body guards, he asked, "How did you enjoy your vacation?" "You dumped us in the middle of nowhere," Colt said. "Sorry about that," William said. He glanced over at the front door to...
"Do you think I should open a publishing house?" William asked. "No," Linda answered putting the manuscript on the table. She had just finished reading it and had been very impressed. She knew Happy Harry, but not many of the other homeless. She had noticed that the manuscript had Forest Shadow crying like a baby by the time she had finished it. "Okay, so who do we take the manuscript to?" "Al Maloney would probably be the best person. His publishing house has handled a lot of best...
John Carter, William's older brother, squatted down by the campfire and picked up the coffee pot. While pouring a cup, he asked, "So what do you think of Betsy's legal problems?" Shrugging his shoulders, William answered, "I don't know what to think. I keep hoping that the father will drop the charges. It would be a disaster for the prison system if she were to go to jail. The thought of that sends shivers down my spine." John laughed and asked, "What do you think the chances are of...
The last test, marked with an A+, joined the rest of the tests stacked on the left hand corner of William's desk. Looking over at Lucy, he said, "That's the last one." "So how were the grades?" Lucy asked looking up from her work. "Not bad," William answered patting the stack of test papers. The first eight weeks of teaching had been hard on William. He didn't have any real experience of dealing with high school students. Getting his early education at the Druid College had not...
William rushed into the hotel and looked around the lobby. The elevator door opened and Lucy stepped out looking around the lobby. They met halfway with a hug that was just on the tasteful side of being publicly acceptable. William said, "I've missed you." "I missed you," Lucy said burying her face into his chest and enjoying his scent. It felt good to feel his arms around her. "I'm so glad that you could make it here," William said running a hand across her back. It felt so right...
It was the day after Thanksgiving and William sat in his hunting stand watching the area in front of him for an older buck to appear. Several does and a young buck had passed in front of him a little after sunrise, but they were young animals that would strengthen the herd. He was waiting for an older deer to come through. There was a nip of cold in the air that was usual for that time of year. He could actually see his breath. Frost had covered the few grasses that grew along the banks of...
Chapter 6 Saturday morning arrived and the kids were eager to get started on their official first date. Larry gave Ann $200 in cash and William $30. He told them to spend it wisely and enjoy their outing. He’d be waiting at home anxious to see what she got. Ann gave him a hug and kiss on his mouth. Larry, not wanting to waste the moment, returned the hug and gave her a little more than a “fatherly” kiss in return as his lips opened up and attempted to taste his daughter’s bottom lip in...
The squick of a white board marker flying across the white board filled the air. William looked up and watched Lucy work through the equations on the board; her hand moving at almost a blur. She stepped back for a second and then dived in for another round of simplifications. Her hips swung from side to side as she worked her magic on the mathematics. With her entire body participating, her long hair started swaying in a most seductive manner. William was entranced. Frowning, Lucy stepped...
William Potts was a freshman at college. It was his first time away from his parents, and he was trying to adapt to college life. William's roommate was a basketball player who was quite popular. His name was Fred, but everybody called him Freddie.William was shy and introverted, where his roommate was loud and boisterous. William was not tall and was relatively thin. He looked like a girl and was quite pretty.William had fair skin and blonde hair that was curly. He was blue-eyed, but for...
Gay MaleLucy stepped out of the truck and went around to the back to get her suitcase. Before she had a chance to pick it up, Ken had grabbed it while looking at her as if she should have known he'd carry it. The van with Linda and Ed pulled up beside the car. Looking around the parking lot in front of the country hotel, William said, "We'll get checked in and then I need to get on down the road." "Are you sure that you don't want me to come?" "Lucy, I'd love for you to come, but you...
"So you're going to become Dr. Carter?" Eddie asked while watching his brother pack up his books. William looked over at his little brother. The boy was turning into a good looking young man. His short black hair, piercing grey eyes, and subdued Native American features gave him an exotic look. William knew that it wouldn't be long before the girls started following his brother around town. Pulling the roll of tape over the top of the box, he answered, "Yes, if I ever manage to get out...
"Son, you know I have to tell the truth," Ed said looking William in the eye. He had finally caught up with William before his son had entered his office. "Yes, I know that," William said with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He looked away from his father breaking eye contact. "You know that it isn't always an easy thing for me to do, don't you?" "Yes, I know that." Shaking his head, Ed said, "You can't hide away from the world forever. Your little brother has asked you...
Ken removed his clothes and placed them on the patio table. The past four weeks had wrought major changes in his physique. He had lost fifteen pounds, with even more fat having been turned into muscle. His shirts were too large around the waist and too small at the shoulders. He glanced over at his wife to see how she was reacting to stripping outdoors. Lisa's body was a soft red color, flushed as a result of embarrassment. After a month of morning exercises with William, Ling, and Tim...
"I'm sure Tim enjoys the holidays and would like to celebrate them according to your family traditions. You can set up a Christmas Tree in the living room if you want," said William. He reminded himself that the needed to purchase presents for the family before he left for the winter holidays. "Thanks," Ken said as he turned onto the street to the house. Upon turning the corner, he slowed the car and came to a stop. He ran a hand over the pistol he carried under his jacket. Pointing...
"Where's Betsy?" "She's grounded," Eddie answered. He shrugged his shoulders and, looking over at his mother, said, "All she did was have a little swim." "Naked, in a public aquarium, and with sharks," Ling said filling in a few details that Eddie tended to forget. Putting an arm around his little brother, William pulled Eddie against his side and said, "At least she didn't get threatened with a spanking." "True," Eddie said. He was tired and wished that he had been able to...
Seated at his desk, William listened to the sound of a twelve-string guitar emanating from the guest room. He liked the music Greg Banner created. Lucy loved the music and could listen to it all day. Turning to Ken, he snapped his fingers to get the man's attention. Once he was sure that Ken was looking at him, he said, "Doug is here." Ken reached the intercom in time to hear the signal from the guard. Pushing the button, Ken said, "Let Doug in." "Sure," came the answer. It sounded...
William looked up at the stars overhead. The sight of the summer sky was always special to him, particularly on nights without a moon. The stars seemed so low that you could reach out and touch them. Turning to the dark shape seated next to him, he said, "I love looking at the stars out here." "I do too," Eddie said with a smile. In the dark, his white teeth seemed to stand out. William pulled out his pack of cigarettes and took one out. He handed the pack to his brother and said,...
"Vera." "What?" she answered without even looking away from her computer screen. Her fingers did not slow down in the least bit. William frowned at the tone of voice that she used in answering him. It seemed to him as if she was upset about something. Dismissing his concerns, he said, "I need you to research the sex industry." "Excuse me," Vera said drawing out each word twice as long as would be normal. She saved the file she was working on before turning to face William. The...
"You're going to be heading off to college soon," William said looking across the fire at Eddie. He added another small log to the fire and sat back to watch it catch. "I've got another two years of high school," Eddie said poking a stick into the fire and watching the end start to burn. He pulled the stick out of the fire. The weak flame flickered and died. The small glowing bud at the end of the stick slowly faded. "Enjoy them while you can," William said. Everyone was telling...