Second Chances Chapter 23 La Vie en Rose
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"I'm sorry, but you're wrong this time," Tim growled, clearly frustrated.
Trisha gave him a knowing smile, "Haven't you learned by now, I'm never wrong."
"I can vouch for that," Pete enthusiastically agreed. "It's been eleven years and I'm still waiting to win my first fight."
They shared a laugh as the couple tried to raise his spirits. In contrast to the previous week, the last three days had been anything but wonderful for Tim. Although he had seen Donna every day, the feeling of optimism and joy seemed to be gone. He had come to the conclusion that Saturday was as far as this thing between them was going. Trisha disagreed and, as usual, wasn't shy to share her opinion.
"If you ask me, you're both scared shitless." He gave her an annoyed look, which she promptly ignored. "You both know she's leaving, but neither of you wants to be the one to step up and do anything about it."
Tim could feel his level of irritation rising, but knew better than to let it show. "So what's with the looks she gave me or how secretive she's been about her errands? I'm sure she's hiding something."
They both looked at him sympathetically. Finally Pete spoke. "What if she isn't hiding something? Maybe she's just scared like Trisha said. If you knew that she did like you, what would you do about it?"
"What are you suggesting? Asking her out for what, three days? She's going back home Sunday, a thousand miles away."
Pete looked at Tim with a Cheshire grin. "You've never learned how to think out of the box, have you?"
Thursday night Tim had to work overtime to finish the diagnostics on a new piece of test gear that was supposed to be ready for production the following Monday. It was incredibly important and forced him to call Donna and cancel their plans. Pete and Trisha invited her to their house so that she wouldn't be sitting alone in her motel room.
Tim appreciated the gesture, plus hoped his friends would be able to get a little bit of a read on her mood. Although he asked them not to pry, if Donna volunteered something that he should know about before making a fool of himself, that seemed like fair game.
Friday night he took her out to a new restaurant that Pete had claimed was the most romantic in town. Considering how awkward things had been all week, Tim knew there would be a lot of work to do to get her in the right mood to at least consider his proposal. He knew it was too soon, but there seemed to be no other options.
When he arrived at the motel, Pete's advice began appearing more astute. Donna was dressed in a stunning red evening gown with a matching shawl. The dress reached just below her knees and the top showed enough cleavage that it eliminated any doubt that friendship was the only thing on her mind. He suddenly felt remarkably under dressed.
"Wow," was all Tim could manage to say.
She smiled at the sincere reaction and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "I just wanted to dress up a little for you, I hope you don't mind."
Tim struggled to find the words to adequately express his admiration of her. Donna had always been a very attractive woman. Even tiny imperfections seemed to add a charming element to her appearance. She had a girl next door quality that, to him, made her incredibly beautiful. Tonight was different because she looked gorgeous by any standard.
They headed out to the restaurant without further delay. To Tim's delight, the conversation was much more relaxed and fun than it had been that week. He found himself forgetting about anything other than enjoying her. Donna seemed to be happy to do the same.
Afterward, he took her dancing. They had a great time and he began to feel more at ease with his decision. It actually appeared that she might be inclined to say yes, as his friends had insisted. He hoped so. For the first time in as long as he could remember, Tim could see himself in a real relationship. It still felt dangerous to him with their history and her sudden reappearance, but every instinct he had was screaming it was worth the risk.
At around eleven, they left the club and shared a quiet drive. When they reached the hotel, she invited him in to her room. Tim followed her inside, then immediately wished he had gone to his house where he could soothe his nerves with a couple of stiff drinks.
"Donna, the last couple of weeks have been very unexpected for me," he started. "When you got here, I still was still really angry about what happened in college. Since then, I've started to feel differently."
She held up her hand. "Stop Tim, please don't say any more." Before he had a chance to react, she stood up. "Before you say anything else, I need to tell you something."
"What?" he groaned, wondering if Trisha really had been wrong after all.
She looked into his eyes, appearing incredibly conflicted. "I never believed you'd be so kind to me after everything that happened." She stopped and began rubbing her hands together furiously. "This is so complicated," she moaned.
"I didn't think you'd be able to treat me like a friend again and I don't want to do anything to ruin that. There's something that I have to tell you, and I'm afraid it might change things." Dropping her gaze to the floor again, she continued. "I didn't just show up at your house on a whim."
The discomfort in his gut quickly built as Tim began to imagine all kinds of unsettling scenarios. "Why did you show up then?"
"I was invited," she said quietly.
"By who?" he demanded, his anger flaring.
She answered quietly, her eyes returning to his, "Your mother."
It took a second for the comment to sink in, then Tim reached for the bed as knees gave out. "Why ... how ... what the hell is going on?" he finally sputtered.
"I can't tell you." She saw his intense reaction and quickly added, "I promised that I would let her talk to you about it. I'm sorry, but I won't break that promise for anything." Her voice was wavering and he could tell she was on the verge of tears.
Taking a long look at her to gauge her sincerity, Tim couldn't see anything but the woman he had begun to care about again in a lot of pain, caught between betraying a trust or risking his outrage. His initial instinct was anger, but the more he tried to focus on her revelation, the more the absurdity of the situation became clear.
Donna lowered her eyes, preparing herself for some kind of outburst. When it finally came, it was nothing like what she expected.
Her head snapped up at the unexpected sound of Tim trying to control his laughter, his breath slipping from between his lips in a half spitting, half hissing sound. He saw her eyes go wide before the tears in his made it impossible to see. That's when he gave up and erupted into a loud, full, gut-wrenching laugh that prevented him from thinking about anything except the fact that he was having trouble breathing.
"This isn't funny," she protested in vain. Donna stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips in an outraged pose, then repeated, "Tim, this is not funny!" A few seconds later, he wiped the tears from his eyes and saw her struggling to maintain her composure.
A grin began creeping across her face, then he heard her sniff, trying to clear her nose. Finally, the sound of her soft laughter joined his as he fell back on the bed, hands over his face, trying to find a way to stop.
After a minute, he managed to gain control of himself enough to start making sense of the situation. Donna was now sitting on the bed beside him, laughing openly and holding her sides. It seemed to be a release from the tension she had been feeling about her secret and what his reaction might be.
"This is my mother's doing, huh? So, how the hell did you convince her to talk to you? Last I heard, she wasn't exactly your biggest fan."
Donna dried her eyes with the back of her hand, his statement finally breaking the spell they seemed to be under. "I already said, I can't tell you. Please don't ask me, I feel badly enough about this." She made a sound like she was clearing her throat, then fell back into laughter, the irony of her statement causing them both to lose control again.
When they calmed down, Tim leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, trying to assure her that he wasn't angry. "So is this why you've been acting different for the last few days?"
She nodded, contritely. "Things were starting to move too fast and I didn't want to go any further with there being secrets between us. You've been so generous with the way you've treated me. I won't do anything to risk hurting you again. I didn't think you'd take it this way," she finished, a perplexed, but relieved look on her face.
"I'll talk to her tomorrow, then you and I are going to finish this discussion, do you understand me?" he demanded, trying to sound authoritative. It seemed pointless considering the talk that would be in store for him in the morning.
Tim rang the doorbell to the modest, three bedroom ranch house. It was unheard of for him to not just walk in, but he was determined to make a point. Somehow, he doubted it would succeed.
The door opened and a middle-aged woman's curious face appeared. "Tim, what in heaven's name are you doing?"
"Well," he said, maintain a serious tone, "since you decided it's your prerogative to run my life, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to walk in or wait to be ordered." He paused to see what her reaction would be.
She stared at him blankly for a moment, then casually held out her hand, palm upward, and slowly extended her middle finger. Tim opened his mouth in mock indignation as she broke into a wide grin. His attempt to salvage his dignity was forgotten as the familiar gesture diffused any seriousness from the situation.
It started Tim's Junior year of high school. He had always been close to his parents, especially his mom, rarely having the kind of blow-ups that friends routinely had with their folks. However, one day Tim had asked to go to a party that friends were having, but she refused. She found out that he had been asked to participate in obtaining the alcohol and was trying to buy their acceptance instead of earning their respect and while she understood all teens participate in these kinds of parties she didn't approve of the way he was involved.
In a rare moment of teenage rebellion, his anger flared. Words failed as he could feel his cheeks flush and hands tremble with rage. Without thinking, he held out his hand and flipped her the bird.
She stood there with a shocked expression. Suddenly reality intruded through Tim's angry haze. He realized what he had done; something that had never happened between them, and waited for the yelling or slapping that surely had to follow such a disrespectful act. The fact that he continued to stand there, frozen in the same pose was a testament to his shock at what he had done.
Her eyes crinkled and for a moment Tim was afraid she was going to burst into tears. She continued staring at the ridiculous sight of her son, a straight A student, never in trouble in school or away, always kind and loving, trying to appear defiant but failing miserably.
She brought her hands to her face and he flinched, hoping she'd strike him rather than cry, something he couldn't bear. Suddenly he saw her shudder and there was a barely audible giggle. His hand dropped to his side and Tim watched in shock as tears appeared in her eyes. Not from crying as he feared, but from the laughter that built into an uncontrollable fit.
After a moment of feeling a mixture of relief that she wasn't angry and indignation that she was so amused, Tim couldn't resist the urge to join her in laughing at his ill-conceived attempt at independence. He sat down next to her on the couch and they continued to laugh for several minutes. Every time one would begin to gain control, the other would break into a fit of giggling, starting the whole process over again. Finally, they both managed to recover and hugged each other.
"I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean that."
"That's all right sweetheart, I know," she answered with the kind of compassion only a mother can show.
"So does this mean I'm not in trouble?"
Looking at him with a straight face, she calmly returned his gesture with a matching one of her own, launching them both back into hysterics.
That was the exact moment that Tim felt their relationship change. She began giving him more freedom and allowing him to make his own decisions. In return, he made sure to extend every courtesy to her, never being late, calling to let them know where he was, and always doing his best to make her and his dad proud.
They never forgot that moment and the obscene gesture became a joke between them, always diffusing any tense situation. As Tim watched her do it now, he had to smile, knowing that anything she had said to Donna would undoubtedly be something he'd agree with in the long run. She was a brilliant woman, both in terms of the intelligence he had inherited from her and in the wisdom he was only beginning to learn from.
Tim spoke respectfully, all efforts to be annoyed now washed away. "So I'm guessing you're not going to deny any of it?"
Her expression became serious. "No, it's true, but please let me explain why." She gestured for him to come in and they sat down in the living room, where she continued.
"It started about two and a half years ago. She just showed up at the door, out of the blue. I wouldn't have talked to her, but her behavior convinced me that I needed to listen." Mom's face changed, she looked like she was reliving a painful memory.
"Donna told me that her father had just passed away. It deeply affected her. He was quite fond of you. She told me how disappointed he had been about you two breaking up and her dating Jake, even though she never told him how it happened. When he died, she felt very guilty for letting him down, then lying on top of it. She needed to do something, but didn't think she could face you. Instead she came to see me."
Tim couldn't hide his surprise. "I don't know why she thought that would be easier."
Mom gave him a stern glare. "She didn't. It's just that she didn't want to do anything that could make things worse for you, so she did the next best thing she could think of; to give me the chance to punish her. She told me some of what happened, although she insisted that if she ever told the whole story, it would only be to you. We talked for a long time. By the time she left to see her friend Cindy the next day, the way I felt about her had changed; at least somewhat."
Shaking his head in confusion, Tim interrupted. "Two and a half years ago? Why didn't you say something?"
"Because I really didn't want to meddle, honey," she said sincerely. "It's your life and it wouldn't have been right to try to get involved. Besides, just because my feelings had changed didn't mean I would approve of her trying to contact you. After all, you were starting a whole new life after school and it seemed like you were finally over her.
"Anyway," she continued, "we talked on and off for the next couple of years, every few months on the phone. She came by to see me any time she was visiting her friend. Even though I could tell she wanted to see you, she never asked. It was difficult because I knew she was unhappy but she wasn't willing to risk involving you to make herself feel better.
"About two months ago, she was having so much trouble dealing with her personal problems, she called and told me what was going on. It was obvious that she just couldn't move on with her life without talking to you to set things right. I told her that I thought it was time for you two to talk."
I looked at her suspiciously. "Why?" I asked.
She gave him a pained look. "Because you weren't moving on with your life. You're my son, I know you better than anyone. You haven't been the same since that night. I was hoping that seeing her could help you finally get past it."
"Is that all?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"No, mister smarty-pants," she conceded, annoyed that Tim had read her motivations. "After talking to her for so long, I thought that maybe something was there; something the two of you could find. You had been angry for so long, but I thought you might have reached a point where you could get past what happened and really listen to her. At least I hoped you could."
"Well, maybe you should have thought to warn me. I almost blew that the first time we sat down and talked. I was so mean to her it's a miracle that she ever talked to me again. We're lucky that anything got resolved."
She shrugged her shoulders. "That was up to you. It's your life; I just told her that I thought it was a good idea to see you."
"So last Sunday when she was busy, she was..."
"She was here. We talked and she let me know everything that had happened. She was excited that you seemed to really enjoy being with her again, but she didn't want to push it too far. She was afraid of getting hurt since it couldn't last more than the week." Mom arched her eyebrows in a questioning way.
Tim took the obvious hint. "Well, I have a plan to extend her visit, if she's interested."
She smiled, looking genuinely relieved. "That's wonderful. I really believe that would be good for both of you, no matter what you two eventually decide."
He glanced at his watch and saw that it was already four o'clock. Quickly, he ran through everything he was planning, vowing to make it as difficult as possible for Donna to say no. He then let her know that he needed to go so he could get everything ready.
She gave him a long hug at the door. "Good luck honey," she said, affectionately brushing his hair back. "I think you're doing the right thing."
"Of course you do," he said wryly. "It was your idea."
She smiled and kissed his cheek, giving him the look that she'd given hundreds of times in his life. It let him know that she was supremely confident in her plan. Tim shook his head as he walked to the car, wondering if he'd ever be as sure of himself as she was.
Tim was just finishing the table when the doorbell rang. After a quick check to make sure everything was in place, he walked slowly to the door, trying to appear calm and confident despite the anxiety coursing through his body. He took a deep breath and reached for the handle.
As the door swung open, his breath caught in his throat. Donna stood there, bathed in the light spilling out from the living room. She looked angelic, her face framed by the gentle glow from inside. Suddenly it occurred to him that the reason the light made her look so radiant, was that she was standing in the dark. In his haste to make everything perfect for dinner, he had forgotten to turn on the porch light.
"Gee," Donna said with a grin, "I was wondering if I got the wrong night."
"Oops," was all Tim could think to say.
"It's okay," she said cheerfully, stepping forward to kiss him on the cheek.
"Would you mind if we ate right away?" he asked, hoping to avoid any immediate questions about his visit to his mom and to get things off on the right foot. "Dinner is ready and I don't want it to get cold."
Donna smiled, "That would be nice, Tim. It smells delicious. Did you make it?" she asked with a sly grin.
"Yeah right, I'm going to ask you to my house for a nice dinner, then risk poisoning you with my cooking?" he laughed. "It's from this restaurant Pete and Trisha took me to a while back. The food is excellent. Just hurry, before I accidentally ruin it."
They went to the dinning room where the table was set with care. He had purchased a tablecloth specifically for the occasion, along with the candles, which cast a soft glow across the scene. He pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit, then moved to the other side.
The food was delicious, but there was tension in the air as they tried to make small talk. Tim needed everything to be perfect, so did his best to keep things light between them for the moment.
After they finished eating, he went to the fridge and retrieved the French Silk pie that had been delivered from his favorite bakery. Donna always had a weakness for chocolate, and French Silk was her favorite. Her expression let him know he'd hit a home run with the gesture. They had a large slice each, but had to put away the rest for later.
"I can't believe I ate that much," she complained. "I think you're going to have to carry me out of here."
"Well, the question is, did you like it," he said, fishing for a compliment. The truth was, it was easy to tell that she had loved everything.
"Tim, it was wonderful," she said sincerely. "This entire trip has been beyond anything I could have imagined. Thank you."
He beamed at her praise. "Well, can we move to the living room? I have one more surprise left." She smiled and walked into the living room, while he stayed behind and grabbed a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. Then he took a deep breath and went to join her.
After pouring her a glass, Tim raised his. "To old friends, finally reunited," he said, studying her face closely. She looked so happy, he knew it was finally the right time to ask. After taking a sip, he started the speech he had been rehearsing ever since the talk with Pete.
"Donna, I wanted to tell you how glad I am that you came back here. I understand how hard it was for you. I'm sorry that I didn't make it easier."
"Tim, you didn't do anything wrong," she protested. He put his finger to her lips to stop her so he could finish.
"This isn't about who's right or wrong. What happened is in the past and we can't change it. Now we have to figure out what to do about the present." She looked like she wanted to interject, but heeded his unspoken warning.
"The last couple of weeks have been wonderful for me and I don't want it to end." He paused to see what she wanted to say.
"I don't want it to end either, Tim," she said, her eyes beginning to tear up. "This has been the best I've felt in as long as I can remember. But what can we do? I have to go home tomorrow. Work won't give me any more time off and..." she paused and looked away in embarrassment, "I can't afford it if they did."
Reaching out, he gently took her hand. "What if you could?" She stared at him in confusion. "Donna, if there was a way for you to stay here, would you consider it? Would you think about going out with me again? Taking the chance to see if there is something between us?"
"But how? You're not suggesting I stay here," she protested, looking around the house.
"No," he answered, shaking his head. "That would put impossible pressure on both of us. But what if I had a place you could stay at that would be really nice and very affordable?"
"Tim, I would love to stay here," she cried, a tear trickling down her cheek. "There's nothing for me back home. I just can't afford it. I'm completely broke. This trip has wiped me out."
"Listen Donna, you've already told me that you don't like your job that much and it's taking forever to get where you want to be. My company sells a lot of equipment to one of the big hospitals here and we have a special program we established where we refurbish old equipment for the tax write-off. Pete proposed the deal and has overseen it since it started. He has a lot of pull with their administrators and has already been assured that a job application from you would be viewed ... favorably," he said with a smile.
"You'd be looking at a better position. One that paid more, plus had great opportunity for advancement. Cindy lives nearby and I know how close you two still are. You'd be able to see her all the time. I've talked to my mother," he said with a mock grimace, "and found out you're welcome there any time."
She smiled apologetically. "I am very sorry about that, Tim. I never meant to deceive you. When I went to talk to your mom, I didn't think I'd ever see you again. To be honest, I expected her to really let me have it. She was so nice to me," her eyes took on a faraway look, "I can never tell you how much it meant. Thank you for not being upset about it."
He shrugged. "What am I going to do? She was the instigator, and I'm way more scared of her than you." When Donna laughed, he turned serious again. "So what do you say? Take a chance."
Donna wiped her face with the back of her hand. "That sounds so amazing; I can't believe you went through all that trouble for me. But I just can't. I never really told you how tight things are for me. The job sounds wonderful and I would really like to spend more time with you, but I couldn't afford to move right now." Her eyes took on a determined expression. "And I couldn't take charity from you either. It wouldn't be right." She let her guard down and stared through him, just the way he remembered from college.
"I want you to know Tim; I would love to find out if there was a chance for us. You are a wonderful man and I am so impressed by what you've done with your life. It's amazing. If things were different, I swear I would be happy to stay."
Taking another breath, Tim sprung his last surprise. "Well, what if there was a way to stay until you had the money you needed? Trisha has a friend named Maria who just lost her roommate. They talked and Maria said if you were willing to commit to signing a lease for a year, you could stay there for the first two months free. The woman who moved out paid ahead, so Maria doesn't need the money, but she wants someone she can trust without having to go through a million interviews. All she would want is for you to pay your share of the utilities at the end of the month."
Donna looked at him in shock. "I don't know what to say," she stammered.
"Well, I'd love to hear you say you'll at least consider it. I kind of have to give a bunch of answers soon."
Her expression softened, changing to hopeful. "You really want me to stay that much? You're not just being kind?"
Tim was surprised to see fear in her eyes, and it snapped him out of the giddy mood. "Donna, I would not have done all this if I hadn't given it a lot of thought. I really want you to stay. This is hard for me," he let his eyes drop from hers. "I haven't felt like this in a long time and am afraid of getting kicked in the teeth. You mean so much..."
He was interrupted by Donna suddenly throwing herself against his chest, her arms wrapping around his neck and her lips pressing firmly against his. She kissed him hungrily, devouring his lips with her own. Her fingers worked their way through his hair as she held tight, refusing to let him move. Finally, she relinquished her hold and pulled away, looking slightly embarrassed at her behavior.
"Um ... so can I take that as a yes," he stammered.
Donna smiled and kissed him on the tip of his nose. "That's definitely a yes."
"You know, if you had told me this was going to be part of my responsibilities as your girlfriend, I probably would have moved back to my mom's." Donna grinned as she held up a ratty pair of sweat pants. They were ones Tim continually forgot to throw away, despite her constant reminders.
"They're not that bad," he insisted, trying to defend himself. "You wouldn't believe how comfortable they are."
She raised an eyebrow and shot him a disapproving glare. "I'll never find out. I prefer my clothes to be from this century, thank you very much." Despite his protests, she went down the stairs, determined to not let him get away with hiding them again.
Tim smiled as he watched her walk away. The way her jeans hugged her hips and ass never failed to catch his attention. It made the awkwardness between them even more puzzling. Despite the fact that they had been dating regularly for two months, there had been a decided lack of rhythm. They enjoyed each other's company, but intimacy had been nothing more than a wishful thought. The word "love" hadn't come close to making an appearance. He was concerned that despite their fondness and their history, it might be a case of something that just wasn't meant to be.
He realized it might not be that surprising a development. Despite the intense relationship in college, they had both grown and changed so much in the years since. The comfort level that he enjoyed with her was long gone. She reacted differently to things than he anticipated, and she often seemed surprised by how he responded to situations. They constantly were feeling each other out, making it impossible to move forward in the relationship.
There were still ghosts from the past that haunted him despite his sincere efforts to bury them. He had to assume that she felt the same, although that was something they rarely talked about. The memories were too painful to both, so they tried creating a fresh start. Tim was certain that the desire to avoid those thoughts was keeping them from opening up to each other as they needed to. But he still couldn't bring himself to broach that subject.
He pushed the doubts from his mind as he saw her come back up the stairs. Nothing could distract him from the sight of the tight fitting tee shirt straining across her chest, outlining her breasts. Tim swore to himself as he noticed that she hadn't worn a bra.
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Second Chances By Alexander Kung Second Chances - Part 2 It was their special place nestled in Old Man Frank's apple orchard, a crudely built tree house. The old farmer didn't mind. He even supplied the tools and lumber, happy to see a couple of kids willing to play outside and not have their brains rotted out by those newfangled video games. "So you want to try it, Jay?" asked a cute little girl about ten or eleven "Try what, Rani?" asked a cute little boy also about ten or...
I always hear the term "dirty old man" referring to a lot of older men that gawk at pretty young girls. Well, no one ever really mentions "dirty old woman" although there are a lot of us out there. I am one of them myself. Here is my dirty little tale. It was that one summer that changed everything. My husband had died earlier that year and I was left alone in our small country home. My daughter Caroline had just met a wonderful young man whom she would be marrying. Caroline had a very...
Second Chances By Alexander Kung A/N: Here's an edited and revised chapter. I hope you enjoy ~ Alexander Second Chances - Part 1 It was a slow day in Felicia Lupescu's curiosity shop, The Relic. It was a humble little shop nestled in right in the middle of the town of Tyson's Cove . It stocked various antiques and oddities from around the world. From an actual Egyptian mummy(not for sale), rare ancient books and everything in between seemed to pass through her shop. However...
Second Chances By Alexander Kung A/N this is a rewrite of chapter 6. Please let me know what you think _Alexander Kelly Daniels, formerly the hate filled bully Ryan Thomas, finds herself madly in love with boy she once bullied. Now she finds her new life and everyone she has grown to care about threatened by her stepfather's wrath Second Chances - Part 6 It was just past midnight as Felicia was roused from a deep slumber by the loud sound of a fire alarm blared from down the...
Saturday, April 7, 2018 I woke up to my cell phone's new text message notification. My cell phone? My eyes snapped open. Sunlight streamed through the windows of my bedroom. My 2018 bedroom. Was that a dream? The events of the past two weeks were fresh in my mind. It felt like it was only seconds ago that I was in the car with Amber. That could not have been a dream. I went to get out of bed, but there was an arm draped over me. A woman's arm. I turned back around to see...
Second Chance By Julie O. Edited by Robert Arnold Chapter 1 (Sometime in 2008) In many ways it started off as very typical day. I arrived home from a long day at work, and after greeting Max the cat at the front door of my condo, I sorted through the day's mail. For the most part it was the usual collection of bills, magazines, and junk mail. However,...
The minutes ticked by slowly. Ben held the shotgun like it was a prayer book. I wondered if he was praying for a chance to put a bullet in Tina’s kidnappers. I was. The anger inside me was building by the second and when I heard one of our grove drivers on the radio I thought I’d get a chance to exercise my fury. “Michael ... I have a brown Buick running through the grove road heading for Highway Sixty. No one should be out here on your land, and this guy is running like someone is after...
Emily filled my head for the next few weeks. Her able bodied, full-on, participation in our romp was exactly what a growing boy needed. Each time I caught sight of her and Nick coming or going from their home, she shot me a secret smile full of meaning. At least that’s how I chose to read her expressions. Being nearly fifteen – again – with nothing of substance to do and no family around me was beginning to wear on me. Like virtually every other man on earth, I needed a purpose. Without one...
Second Chance, By Armond "I come bearing gifts," she said, holding up a white sack. "We had a bunch left over, and I hated to see them go to waste." "Chocolate chip scones? Gina Strega, you are sinful," Marita said, peering in the bag. She grabbed the one with the most chips and bit in; crumbs tumbled down her white blouse. "You don't have to stuff us with yummy bribes, dear, we ARE changing you back." "I wasn't trying to bribe anyone," Gina said, "I thought you might...
My continuing thanks to ErikThread for his expert guidance and editing skills. Any errors are my own. Second Chance: Chapter 25: Bonnie walked briskly from the Dash 8 toward the small, modern Castlegar terminal on the sunny and warm Friday afternoon. She followed the other passengers through the door and immediately saw Brent waiting for her. She ran to him and they wrapped themselves in each others arms, kissing and hugging. ‘Hi,’ Brent said finally. ‘Hi. It’s so good to be here. I can’t...
I was schooled for days in the details of their lives. Miranda Maines and her parents, Joseph and Columba, were enigmas. Joseph founded a very unique company that developed various kinds of optical equipment that was greatly desired by the Department of Defense, and some other alphabet agencies of the federal branch. He made his fortune before he turned forty, and never stopped seeking the next great breakthrough in his field of endeavor. Columba met Joseph when he was a seventeen year old...
Sunday, October 5, 1997 I woke up on my own. I sat up in bed. I remembered last night... or rather I remembered what I wished for. I suddenly got really nervous. What have I done? I'm stuck in 1997 now. I'm stuck as Christina now. I was so caught up in the moment I really didn't think it through. Breathe Chrissy. You asked for this. You wanted this. Yeah, But now it's real. I looked at the mirror in front of me. This is very real. This is me. This is me forever...
One of my classes is critical to all students graduating high school. They must get a passing grade or else they cannot move on to whatever awaits them beyond the hallowed halls of the only high school in this county. It is English after all, our native language. I moved here from the city because I wanted peace and quiet. I had thought that maybe my experiences would be different. But I see the same amount if not more students just squeak by or drop out. Then they go on to local farms thinking...
Cassandra and Andrea chatted as we wended our way out of the airport, and into traffic, freeing me to go back to contemplating my circumstances. I knew who I was ... Carl Fleming, fourteen years old ... again. I was still an orphan, but things were looking up. It was ... It was nineteen-eighty-one, the year I became an orphan ... the last – first - time. When I was, was apparently 'adopted' by a wealthy socialite in Dallas, because my magic essence might save her life, along with her two...
The explosion that came out of nowhere, took out not only the double doors of our suite, but a significant portion of the wall on either side of the frame. The room was alive with flying debris, gunfire and lots of shouting. I was off to the side and Evie and Deirdre were in one of the other two bedrooms. Because they were not with me in the living room, or in the master bedroom, they were spared being shredded by the flying projectiles, which all went towards the common wall that faced the...
Ben thought of Lora’s beautiful face just before pulling out onto the main highway that made up US-82 East and US-287 South. Just then a large SUV swerved around Ben’s rig and blew the horn. Ben was taken by surprise and all thoughts of Lora vanished as Ben hit the brakes and steered right to keep the SUV from swiping his left front fender as it came over hard and fast in the typically stupid maneuver many 4-wheeler’s make to show their hatred for trucks. Regaining control of his lane Ben...
--- Second Chances --- Part 1 Discovery had finally abandoned its restraint of permission. With words flowing mysteriously from her pen, Vera was finding them both innate and yet foreign, like a thing already known and yet at the same time strangely revelational. Neither the bonds of a pastoral father nor her own youthful ideals were shielding her from the assault -not this time. She knew that it had been a vainful refusal to admit to the a****l’s existence. Terrifying yet cunning, it was a...
The ATLANTIC MOON was lit up like New Year's Eve. The dock was alive with activity, and I could see we were drawing a group of gawkers, so I mentioned it to Edward when he met me coming out of the car. "We know that things are a little ... unusual ... right now, but we are concerned about reprisals, especially now that you made off with the head man's next virgin," Edward spoke quietly to avoid letting any others hear his words. "What do you mean, 'the head man, ' and 'virgin.'?"...
News of my death was short and sweet. I heard all about it while in ICU. The hospital, whatever hospital it was, provided a constant ICU nurse, beside my bed, all the time. Because I was – whoever I was this time – so damaged, they felt the need for constant attention. Since I wasn't ready to wake up, apparently, I rested and listened to the pundits discuss my death. "Details about the heroic actions of the man who captured and killed the final terrorist still at large from The Outpost...
We never did resolve the matter of my being good, great or evil. My heart told me that none of them were truly applicable. My mind continued to debate whether those labels could ever be used on someone like me. The issues of accountability, responsibility, justice and freedom continued to haunt my thoughts for years after that night. The only thing I did come to terms with was my obsession with truth. Is truth a property of sentences, which are linguistic entities, or is truth a property of...
Like most high school sweethearts, Gail and I had dreams and plans. We would go to the same college, settle down, get married, and have kids. Things just didn't work out that way. For a start, we were approved for different colleges. Of course, we pledged to stay together and continue our relationship and we did that for several months. But, little by little, the calls and texts dwindled to a few — then none. Despite wanting it to work, our deepest fears were realised and our relationship fell...
Love Stories"Director Hudson, you do not know me. My name is Carl Fleming, and I am temporarily living in Branson, Missouri. You can see my cell number on your caller ID, and I am renting a houseboat at Table Rock Lake Vacations. "I tell you all that Sir, to make sure you can find me should you be displeased with what I am about to disclose to you. A man named Grayson Foster owns Community Bankers Association, in Branson. Mr. Foster is a pillar in the community, and has owned the bank for many...
I looked at them both and saw sincerity, kindness, and affection. It would be so easy to go along with the two women and see how long it took to get them both in bed, but I wasn't interested in seeing what I could get. What I wanted was the chance to develop a long term, stable relationship that got me back to the way my life used to be. Maybe I was over-romanticizing their feelings and mine, but I thought we had a chance to be good together and wanted to find out if it was true. I'd been...
"Mr. Crane, there is no chance I would hurt Jennifer, especially in her condition. If you, Sherrie, and Jennifer want me to hang around for a little while, I can as long as we all understand that the second I am a bother, or in the slightest way inconvenient for you all, I'll be on my way. "Ok?" He smiled when he heard me agree to his request. I soldiered on. "Mr. Crane, What is Jennifer's medical problem? She seems so loving, an adorable that I hate to think of her being so...
I can still remember how his hands felt on my body the first time he touched me. I can still remember the taste of his kisses. It had been ten years since I had seen Roberto and yet when I ran into him last week it felt as if all of my old feelings came flooding back. When he brushed my arm, it felt as if I was a live wire. How after this much time could I still have feelings for him? Now as I sit in my room late at night, I cannot help but think about what could have been. What if I begged...
Hi my dear friends! I am back with my sixth story and thanks to this website who had given a chance to post all this stuff. Comments and requests are all ways accepted on my mail lovingdynu(at)gmail.Com. Waiting for more feedback friends, I am expecting a lot of feedback and comments for all my stories and I want to help any girl’s/aunties/womens/widows who are facing problems, they can share any problem to console themselves, I am not only a sexual friend but can be a genuine friend. In this...
We traveled to Seattle to play a one game playoff, the day after the season ended. Our final two regular season games were throw away games, because we had already clinched the final wild card. Martin Janacone called up two pitchers from Triple A to pitch those games, and left them in to get pasted. Our bench players filled the field for both games, while Martin rested everybody else. That saved two arms for the important games coming up. When he set the playoff roster, we were back to some...
The woman broke down as she watched her ride disappear. Her companions rallied around her trying to give her support, but failing. There was no way I could just leave them, so I gently urged them into the coach so we could get out of town before their friends showed up with reinforcements. We could talk about who they were and who was chasing them once we were someplace safe. “Please ... Please let’s get in the RV and get out of here before whoever is chasing you figures out where you went...
When Gym class ended, I avoided Fay. I avoided Amber. I was afraid. I was afraid of confrontation. I was afraid of rejection. Much of the school day passed without much drama. My last two classes were uneventful. Since we had a show later this evening the band focused more on honing the field-show. So we ran through that 3 or so times. Occasionally Fay and I would make eye contact and she'd turn away. That was certainly not a good sign. At the end of band class, I was packing up my...
Chatting with a guard while the crew got the helicopter ready to depart, I found out that the tank looking things were DHS armored vehicles, and since DHS doesn't get many chances to use them, whenever another agency asks for help, they jump on it and bring the big stuff. It's supposedly as much for show as it is for any need they might actually have. The things you can do with other people's money... Colleen joined Rebecca and me near the hangar doors waiting for the signal to board. Our...
August?? 2004 "Tell me a little about yourself, Doctor." "Why?" I asked the Voice. It came, I supposed, from a face ... but it was a face I couldn't see. The bandages wrapped over my eyes and around the crown of my head kept me blind and in the dark. Was it a male or female voice? I couldn't be sure, but from the speech patterns and word choices I thought it was most likely male. Where the ideas about speech patterns and word choices came from were as much a mystery to me as the...
Here is the second installment of Second Chance. BTW my grammar is so even though I appreciate people telling me where I missed up, I am still working on actually writing correctly. So bare with me. Again thanks to MaaddMaaxx for editing, I know that you have a crazy schedule and I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out. – CinderLaw * Jared woke with a start after having another dream about Trista. She had been standing in front of him holding their baby, blood streaming down...
SECOND CHANCES BY PAUL G JUTRAS I would like to dedicate this little story to the on line TG comics that inspired me. Comic sites such as Venus Envy, Xanny?s Curse, The Wotch, Lean On Me, From Here to Forth and EL GOONISH SHIVE. ---- Spring time had come once again. It was the time of year that depressed Jeff more than any other. Even summer didn?t depress him as much as he did when he stood and the cashier ring up the purchases before him of a woman in a hot pink bikini and...
Note : This story is completely fictional! I always hear the term "dirty old man" referring to a lot of older men that gawk pretty young girls. Well no one really ever mentions "dirty old woman" although there are a lot of us out there. I am one of them myself. Here is my dirty little tale. It was that one summer that changed everything. My husband had died earlier that year and I was left alone in our small country home. My daughter Caroline had just met a wonderful young man whom she would be...
IncestJanet’s suite was on the second floor, and took up about four thousand square feet. It was beautifully decorated, beautifully kept, and completely organized. The neatness and careful presentation made me realize that Janet intended to bring me up there all day, and got the place ready to impress. At the center of the bedchamber was a super king sized bed, all ready for a tumble, and Janet started toward it, while unbuttoning her blouse. I stopped her with another mind searing kiss, and...
As always, my thanks to ErikThread for his editing skills and advice. * Chapter 22: Bonnie Simpson was a thirty-seven-year-old single mother who had never married. She was a young receptionist at a major distillery in Calgary when she met Eddie Parker. He was a salesman for a national label company calling on the distillery’s purchasing department, and by all accounts was doing very well. After he had been in a few times, he asked Bonnie out on a date, and she agreed. It was the beginning...
Okay everyone, here is the next chapter for Jared and Olivia. I’m working on the next chapter right now. Hoping that I don’t crash another computer (cross your fingers!) or that I’m not hit with another case of writers block. I have known where I wanted this chapter to end for months but couldn’t get there. Once again special thanks out to MaaddMaaxx for his editing skills. I have tried to take some advice given to me by readers so I hope this chapter is easier to read for you. A final note, if...
Tuesday, September 23, 1997 Ron's truck stopped in the driveway. Metallica spilling out of the rust and pock-marks of the truck. I laughed to myself. Ron in 2018 is making enough money to drive a Lexus, or rather his wife is. His music taste has changed too. The music stopped as I walked out of the house and down the front porch. I opened the passenger door and threw my backpack onto the seat. Behind the steering wheel was a younger Ron. While Ron is older than I am by a few months, it's...
Thursday, September 25, 1997 I woke up and looked at the clock. 4:59. A minute before the alarm goes off. I get out of bed and stretch. The alarm goes off and I stop it. It's a new day. I feel great. I have a spring in my step. Today is going to be another great day in the life of Christina Demarco. I walked over to my closet to pick out my clothes for today. The floral dress I found in my closet looks nice. I hadn't wore a dress to school yet. Let's try these heels too. I...
I awoke to lots of activity. My hospital room was teeming with people! Then I realized I wasn't in a private room, but had been moved to ICU. I wondered why but didn't get a chance to ask. From the look of things, either I was dead, dying, or something bad was happening that concerned me. From the number of armed people around my bed, I suspected it was the latter. I could count ten agents, each holding a weapon, or with their hand inside their jacket on a weapon. The next thing I...
The days dragged by without my family. My heart was with them, but my body was hard at work changing, or attempting to change the way the US government agencies communicated among themselves. At time I thought I was wasting my life, trying to make them understand the reasons for cooperation, and common ground. At other times I felt like they got it ... at least a little. "Mr. Vice President, I so appreciate you organizing this golf outing, so that I could spend some time with the head of...
We arrived at the casino on Friday at 8 PM, a full 2 hours later than our plans. It took us a while to get out of Portland and get there. Weekend traffic, getting away from work, an accident on the highway. Both Jerry and I had last minute emergency issues to clear at work before we could leave. It all conspired against us, but we finally made it. It’s Jerry’s birthday this weekend. We’ve been living together again for about 11 months now, and we both needed to get away from work and be with...
Meghan was visibly happy to see me. She virtually squirmed in her chair with joy when I walked into the media suite. Off my leash, I decided to flirt a little and test the water. "How is my FAVORITE Kansas City Royals executive?' She blushed, squirmed a little more, and thanked me. "You look nice today." She blushed a deeper red. Squirmed a little more obviously, and leaned over towards me so I could look down her blouse and see her lacey bra and lovely breasts. "I hope you are...
During the car-ride home, I talked about my day. About how I made the track team. About how hard my first track practice was. Ron asked about Chase. I talked about date night tomorrow. I said nothing about Jessica. I drove us all home. When Cindy and I arrived home, I decided I needed to shower if I was going to Jessica's house. "Hi Mom," I said passing her in the kitchen. "I'm going to go over a friends this afternoon." She gave me a look. "We're not going to have a repeat of...
My thanks, as always, to ErikThread, who stuck with me and this story to the end. Lots of rewrites and fixes and discussion about what was missing or awkward, but in the end, we got there. It goes without saying, any errors or omissions are mine alone. * Second Chance: Ch.28 Bonnie Simpson and Brent Gordon were married in the Lutheran Church in Castlegar on a bright, sunny, warm day in late summer. It was the only venue available for the date they wanted, the last Saturday in August. It...
It had been three years. Three looooooong years as far as her libido was concerned. She’d stayed far away from all of it; buried herself in her awful temp job that had since become a permanent secretary position, not that it’s permanence made it any better, just more predictable. She’d aided her ailing mother until she’d died six months before and her sister was so far AWOL she hadn’t even shown to the funeral. She was alone and emotionally destitute when not so long ago her life...
Roberta and another woman were waiting when they finally rolled me back to my ICU room, hours later. I wondered about Roberta's willingness to stay with me the way she was, and resolved to ask what was driving her to be so determined to be beside me day and night. The second woman was older than Roberta, stout, and quite stern looking, except when she saw that I was awake. Then she broke out in a wide smile, so wide that it got me wondering. "David, I am SO HAPPY to see you awake,"...
The mission intruded before anything happened that I couldn't take back. Hussein called my cell phone, wanting to see if we were free to meet him for lunch in a very special Italian restaurant on the outskirts of Monte Carlo. Azur Bar Monaco is considered the finest Italian cuisine in the region, and I was looking forward to trying something I'd only read about. Hussein said he had reservations on the chance we were free. He had documentation for the proposed purchase and wanted put it in...