© 2024 Duleigh Lawrence-Townshend. All rights reserved. The author asserts the right to be identified as the author of this story for all portions. All characters are original. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental. This story or any part thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review or commentary.

All Aboard Andi's Dream

Chapter 11

It's Not All Snow in Buffalo

As the garden grew, so did John and Macy's cabin. It was the same size and shape as Paul's cabin, but there were differences. The peak had a cupola with a weathervane and lightning rod on the top. The doors and windows on the front of the cabin were the mirror images of Paul's. The only actual difference other than the cupola was that Macy insisted on electric heaters in their cabin. They had a wood stove, same as Paul and Andi, but Macy didn't trust either her or John to wake up and put another log in the fire at night, especially with a baby on the way, so she insisted on thermostat controlled heaters like in the 'modern' cabin.

Outside, an eight foot wide patio was made from cabin to cabin and the roof over Paul's patio was extended the length of the three cabins. On a rainy summer day, you could move from cabin to cabin without getting wet, and in the winter you could do that using the connected doorways and remain warm. In front of the central cabin, Paul and John made a fire pit for campfires in the evenings.

Paul had a well dug to deal with the added need for water, but he left the cistern and the second floor tank in place because he was still a bit of a survivalist at heart. Luckily, with all the local springs, the well didn't need to be deep, and they crowned it with an antique hand pump that worked. The twins loved to pump the handle and sometimes they were rewarded with a splash of water.

Her little cabin reminded Macy of the tiny house she lived in as a child, but it was better. It was hers; it belonged to her, and her husband, and she vowed that any child that entered there would be loved and welcome. She loved sitting on the patio, watching the trees sway in the wind and the garden growing. Soft music played while Macy and Andi drank iced tea and watched the twins play in their pop-up tent. Macy even invited the women's ministry to have a prayer retreat there.

Unfortunately, Andi and Macy couldn't enjoy the cool waters of the pond. They would wade in knee deep, but swimming in open water was unsafe for their babies. One day was so hot and sweltering that it was unbearable. They wanted to head back to the house for the air conditioning and give up on the cabin. The twins were cranky and fighting. "Oh, you two, let's go jump in a creek," said John. He and Paul got their swimsuits on, and they convinced Andi and Macy to put on shorts and their bikini tops. They piled the twins in the van, and they drove down into Zoar Valley.

"Here you go," said John at the bottom of the valley. "Nature's air conditioner. Cattaraugus creek."

"What?" asked Sandy. She and Madeline were wearing their swimsuits.

"Come here," said Paul and he coaxed the girls to wade out into the middle of the wide, but shallow stream. There was a section where a weeping willow shaded the creek and the stream tumbled over round rocks. Paul and John led the twins to that area. "Now sit down."

"What?" asked Sandy. "In the river?"

"Yes, it's nice and cool," said John as he and Paul sat down in the water.

The twins looked skeptical. Finally, Andi's little scientist, Madeline, poked the water with a stick and seeing that nothing bit the stick, she sat down. The running water washed over her, cooling her off, and she leaned back on a rock with a contented smile and let the water wash the heat away. Angry, Sandy crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "I wanted to sit there."

"Oh, sit down you silly girl," chided Andi, and Sandy plunked down on Paul's lap. Andi and Macy opened up lawn chairs in the creek and were sitting in the shade where the water level was just under their bottoms.

"Je suis content," sighed Macy in contentment. "This is how you spend summer." The shade and the cool waters flowing over their feet and shins really helped cool off the women. They soaked cloths with creek water and splashed the water on their foreheads and rounding bellies. The six of them relaxed in the shallow water and let the heat bother other people. Occasionally, folks floated past in inner tubes, often drinking a beer as they went. They greeted the tubers with waves and watched them drift down the creek.

"Can we do that?" asked Sandy.

"We can, but Mommy and Aunt Macy can't," said Paul. "It wouldn't be fair to leave them behind. We can all do it next summer."

After about a half hour of sitting in the creek and cooling off, Andi asked. "Ok, magic man, what's your next trick?"

"Maybe we could go to Ashford Hallow and see if they discovered ice cream there yet," said Paul.

"Perfect idea." They packed back up in the van and drove south on US 219 into the village of Ashford Hollow and there in the shade of the spreading beech trees, surrounded by shag bark hickory trees, they found a little restaurant that sold frozen custard. They sat at a shaded picnic table overlooking a corn field through the trees and after that cool down in the creek, the breeze felt perfect. Paul and John brought out cones for their wives and themselves, and small cones for the twins. "This is incredible!" cried Andi as she stared at her cone in shock.

"You've never had custard before?" asked Paul.

"No! This is amazing!" Andi couldn't be distracted from her cone. Smooth, creamy, so flavorful and so rich! "This is the best ice cream I've ever had!"

"It's not ice cream, it's custard. It's similar to ice cream but ice cream is made with milk, custard is made with cream and egg yolks," said Paul.

Andi looked at her cone and considered it, then said, "all those years I avoided egg yolks with a passion..." then she took another lick of her cone. "I found a use for them now!" That made Macy laugh so hard she almost wet herself.

Meanwhile, the twins discovered the half dozen hummingbird feeders hanging in the trees around the restaurant. The girls were holding their little cones high over their heads, hoping to give some custard to the "baby birds" that fluttered and buzzed around the feeders, but the "baby birds" didn't seem interested.

"No, those are hummingbirds," said Paul. "They get their food from flowers."

"I could put ice cream on the flowers," said Sandy brightly.

"That would make the flowers sick," said Andi. "Let's just let the hummingbirds eat their hummingbird food." And they settled down to watch the hummingbirds squabble over the feeders. They were almost disappointed to leave the show behind after they finished their ice cream.

Paul and John grilled chicken and store-bought corn for their families that night and they were joined for dinner by Josh and Veronica from across the road. Veronica's dad Mike moved in with them and he was loving the quiet life next to Josh's pond, fishing and listening to the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games on the radio. "Did you invite Mike over for dinner?" asked John.

"Yes, but there's a game on the radio, the Pirates are playing the Phillies," said Josh. The Pirates/Phillies rivalry goes back over 125 years to 1887, and baseball fans love the rivalry.

"The Pirates are on a six game winning streak and he's not going to miss a pitch," said Veronica. "The Pirates are leading the series 1,228 wins to Philadelphia's 1,084 and he's going to listen to every single game that he can." She grew up listening to the Pirates with her dad.

"We should take Mike to a Bison's game," said Paul.

That evening, after slathering the twins down with mosquito repellent, Paul led a nature hike back into the woods behind the pond. "Be nice and quiet, we don't want to scare anyone." As they hiked, moisture from the cooling air condensed on the hay in the fields and their legs got wet as they walked.

"Will we see the king of the woods?" asked Sandy as Paul pulled them in their twin hauler wagon while he and Andi, John, and Macy walked through the cooling fields. They saw a 10 point buck last winter and deemed him to be the king of the woods.

"Maybe, but I want to show you his little friends." They came to the bridge over the stream that runs through the property in a shallow ravine, and they didn't have long to wait. One by one, little greenish lights began to flash and drift around in the cooling air. Soon they filled the little wooded gully with their flashing and glowing.

"What are those?" asked a huge eyed Madeline.

"Fireflies."

"Are they burning?"

"No, they're looking for their girlfriend. They have a built in light they're hoping that she can see."

"Ohhh!"

Paul had brought a glass jar with him, and he crept up on a firefly that was laying in the grass and captured him and showed him to the twins. "What do you think?" The twins were astonished with the little bug that occasionally glowed.

"His butt!" cried Sandy. "His butt glows!"

"Yeah, that's about the best description. You guys let him go so he can go find his family." The twins took the jar and shook it until the firefly dropped out and flew off. They watched the silent fireworks for a long time until finally the fireflies settled down for the evening and they headed back to the cabin, which had cooled off nicely.

"I think we should have Gus put a cupula on our cabin too, it should drain off a lot of heat in the summer," said Paul as he and Andi settled in on their couch after putting the twins to bed. They had a fire in the wood stove, more for entertainment than heat, and they heard the accordion door slide closed between the center cabin and John and Macy's new cabin. "Newlyweds," he whispered, causing Andi to laugh.

"Are the twins asleep up there?" asked Andi.

"No," Paul whispered in her ear. "I can see them peeking down the stairs at us."

"Get to bed!" yelled Andi and suddenly the twins and Wonka raced down the stairs and hopped on the couch with Paul and Andi. "I said get to bed!"

"You didn't say which bed," said Madeline.

Over in the new cabin, furniture was still sparse, but somehow toward the end of construction, a futon couch appeared. It was approximately the same model as what Paul and Andi had consummated their marriage on, and John and Macy made little Katarina on in February, so it was perfect for them. They opened the windows and the cupula vents, and closed the curtains, then lit a fire for entertainment and snuggled as the curtains waved in the warm evening breezes and a French-speaking radio station played soft music via John's cell phone and blue tooth speaker. "Comment allez-vous?" (How are you?) When alone, John and Macy would always speak French. They both want to continue the language of their initial romance.

"Much better... I told Andi that I didn't have a mother, so I didn't know what was going on with the baby and she helped!"

John knew it was going to be an interesting answer when he asked, "How did Andi help?"

"She told Tammy Schatz that I didn't have a mother and didn't understand what was expected of me."

"Ah mince," (Oh darn) groaned John. Tammy Schatz was the head of the woman's ministry at church. If she knows something, by now 75% of the women in the congregation will know.

"Stop! They have all been wonderful! And so helpful!" She got up and retrieved a wooden box and put it on John's lap. He opened it and inside the cedar box was full of pink and yellow booties, mittens, hats and baby sweaters. "They're from your mom. She gave them to Tammy to hold for us. Andi and Paul have the blue and green items." John looked through the box, tears running down his cheeks. Memories of his mom, beautiful Katarina, knitting day and night for the grandchildren she will never see. "Ah, Jean! Why the tears?"

"This is all momma wanted, a grandchild, and we..." He wanted to say, 'we were selfish and she died before she could see the baby.'

"No, no, no! Do not cry... Momma understood. She told me, Marie-Claud! If you are not ready for a baby you tell that boy of mine to leave you alone! You tie it in a knot if you have to!" Her imitation of John's mother Katarina, although in French, was spot-on, and he was laughing through his tears. "We will celebrate the most wonderful woman I ever knew through our bébés."

"Bébés?" gasped John. "At your age?"

"And what is wrong with my age?"

"I knew I shouldn't have said that."

Macy put the cedar box on the floor, then slipped off her robe. She straddled John's lap and gave him a long lingering kiss, and opened his robe and began kissing him lower, down his neck and to his chest. Dainty little kisses on one nipple, then the next, then lower until she was kneeling on the floor. "Soulevez vos fesses," (lift your ass) and at her command, he lifted his butt, and she pulled his shorts down, allowing his cock to spring out.

She then made love to John's cock. She teased and tortured him, first licking up and down his swollen rod, then suckling his balls while she stroked his pale white cock with her dark mocha hand. John fell back on his elbows and watched as his wife of over a decade feasted on his cock. She took the head of his cock in her mouth and swirled her tongue around it, trying to enter the opening at the tip, then she swallowed him little by little. Her head began bobbing up and down in time with her stroking hand.

John sighed in delight as his wife sucked and stroked his cock, playing him like she plays her violin, with skill and love. "Si merveilleux..." (so wonderful) he sighed over and over. "Tu es si bonne Macy," (you are so good Macy). Soon his endearments became grunts and groans of pleasure as she drove him closer and closer to climax.

Macy drew him to his peak, and he couldn't think of the words in French, so he gasped, "I'm cumming!" and with a jolt he came spurting in her mouth as waves of pleasure and relief washed over him. She drank every drop that her husband gave her. And when she was done and his cock softened in her mouth, she crawled up and gave him a long kiss.

"That was so delightful," John said with a sigh as they cuddled in the firelight and kissed sweetly.

"I used to hate doing that," she said.

"What changed your mind?"

"You did. You were so sweet with me as we grew together." Then she gave him a wicked smile. "When you go down on me it is so incredible! I had to learn how to do that."

"How did you learn?"

"I asked Tammy Schatz."

Over in the other cabin, Andi was crouched over a reclined Paul. She had his iron hard cock deep in her pussy and was gently rocking fore and back, skewering herself gently on his cock. They were trying to be as quiet as possible. The only sound was the crackle of the fire, French music from John and Macy's cabin, and outside the frogs sang a symphony for the lovers as Andi slowly impaled herself on Paul over and over.

Paul's hands cupped Andi's full breasts as they gently made love. "Oh daddy," Andi whispered as his cock stretched her open. Their struggle to remain quiet added to the feelings of excitement. It was a form of bondage where they voluntarily gagged themselves against the urge to cry out in ecstasy. The feeling of Andi's warm wet sheath sliding up and down Paul's throbbing cock made both of them want to scream in joy as they grew closer and closer to orgasm.

Paul saw the excitement build in his lady love's brown eyes. He let Andi's big breasts swing as she rocked back and forth and he grasped her supple ass, guiding her and urging her to go faster. As her breasts swung, her nipples rubbed against his chest, then her eyes lost focus, and she started trembling as the excitement grew. He wasn't far behind. She whimpered, and he groaned softly as their passions mounted. She began rocking faster and faster and suddenly it hit - that delightful crash of sensual release, wave after wave of ecstasy as her man's cock plundered her. She gasped and cried out, then sank her teeth into his shoulder as she came, gasping and trying not to shriek in pleasure.

Paul began driving his hips upwards, plowing his cock into her pussy until he too came explosively, spurting over and over into her cunt. Then, as if on cue, the exhausted lovers went limp and sank into each other. "God, it gets better every time," whispered Paul.

Panting to catch her breath, Andi said softly, "I love you so much... what is Madeline's Strawberry Shortcake doll doing here?"

"I was going to give it to you to bite on," said Paul with a rueful grin.

"Oh, did I get you again?" said Andi. She inspected the bite mark on his shoulder and kissed the wound. "I'm sorry. It doesn't look as bad as last time." Last time, Paul was black and blue for weeks.

"It's ok, I'm getting used to it..."

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The summer weather was beautiful. Andi started taking two afternoons off from work a week, so she didn't wear herself out and often spent much of that time on the front porch, just listening to the wind chimes or maybe doing something she's always wanted to do, work in her flower garden. Before the parades and parties of early July, her front porch was a riot of color.

Other days she'd sit out in the backyard under the spreading maple tree reading a book. If Yi had the girls at the park and Paul was around, she'd slip into the pool naked. She convinced Macy to join her and they would play like five-year-olds in the cool, refreshing water. There was something exciting about being naked in their swimming pool on a clear, hot, sunny day. Andi and Paul often swam nude at night, but the daytime was different. Occasionally, they would take the kids out in the evening so Macy and John could use the pool privately.

The Independence Day weekend brought a big parade that Paul drove his mustang in along with Gus in his 442 and Lucy in her Nova. They were led by Ayato in his candy apple red T-bucket roadster; they were the Springville Cruisers and every Thursday night they would cruise through the village. There was an art exposition and a small picnic in the park across the street. In the big park on Main Street, were rides and games and a huge line for Chiavetta's Chicken. The firemen had a bucket brigade competition in the middle of Main Street that showered the laughing and cheering audience with water. A big attraction was the beer tent. Folks would eat their Chiavetta's chicken and wash it down with an ice cold draft beer, and Andi would beg for sips of Paul's icy cold Molson's Golden. The marching bands from the parades ended up at the beer tent and they played for the crowds. As the evening grew on their skills wavered but their enthusiasm soared. The evening was closed with fireworks they watched in the park across the street.

Andi, Macy, and Veronica von Köster were enchanted by the small town celebration as they led the twins around the celebrations. Macy finally said, "That is it, I wish to be un Américaine. How do I join?"

"Mister Lawyer! How does Macy become an American?" asked Veronica.

"I really don't know how to start the process, but there's a civics test, and you have to swear allegiance," said Paul. I'll call Judge Judy and ask." Judge Judy was Paul's nickname for Justice Atherton.

A few weeks later, on a late July day, they were expecting visitors, so all was quiet. Andi had just finished watering her hanging baskets on the porch, and she sat on the front porch just watching the beautiful summer day happen. The twins ran around the play area in the park across the street under the watchful eye of Aunt Macy, and Yi borrowed the van to pick up the visitors.

"Any word?" asked Paul as he stepped out on the porch wearing dark slacks, a white long sleeve shirt, and a colorful tie.

"Yes. They said they'll be here as soon as you retire."

"It's getting closer, it really is. How are you feeling?" he asked as he leaned over and kissed Andi.

"This is the worst part, waiting for him to move," said Andi as she placed her hand on her tummy. "He should start wiggling around any day now. I should start feeling it soon. It's just that every day he doesn't move makes me worry that something is wrong."

Paul counted on his fingers, "February, March, April, May, June... give him time. Maybe he's saving his strength up for a solid kick."

"At least I won't have to put up with prenatal arguments," said Andi. She gestured across the street to the twins, who were chasing each other around the swing set. "They would spend the night wrestling." She tugged on Paul's tie, and he bent over for a kiss. "Where are you off to?"

"Another interview." Paul was trying to hire a chief operating officer to help take some of the load off his back at Jarecki Motors.

"Take the mustang, leave the white whale at home."

"I love my truck!" The white whale was a 1978 Ford F250 four door pickup with a full eight foot long bed. It was the longest pickup Andi had ever seen and considering she was raised in Colorado and North Dakota, that's saying a lot. It was like driving a lake freighter through the neighborhood. Paul had a true classic (in his eyes).

"He's interviewing you too. Take the Mustang, Mister Ford Dealer."

"Ok, if you insist," said Paul, pulling on his Ford racing jacket.

"And park at an angle taking up two slots so everyone will know how cool you are," said Andi. She hated it when jerks with new sports cars did that.

"Give my best to the Captain and Tennille." The Captain and Tennille were Paul's nicknames for the guests, which should show up soon. Their guests, Stan and Sunny Carlson, were the skipper and first mate of Andi's yacht, Andi's Dream. The boat had been quite busy for the past six months hauling charter guests non-stop and was now in the boatyard for annual inspections, a thorough cleaning, and some upgrades. Paul and Andi couldn't get a ride on their own boat since January because the charter schedule was that busy. Their appearance on several YouTube channels was some of the best free advertising they could ever ask for.

"I wanna go sailing," pouted Andi. "What's the good in owning three boats if I can't go sailing?"

"Four boats, you forgot the SS Minnow." The SS Minnow was a little rowboat on their pond. "Besides, right now you puke if you see waves in the bathtub."

"I'm past that point. I love the yacht, but I really miss the sailboat."

"Tell you what, if I can get someone to help with dad's company, I'll take you sailing on Lake Erie." Paul never calls it 'my company,' because it also belongs to John, even though John doesn't touch the money. Macy is quite good at setting up retirement accounts for her and John and a college fund for their daughter, but while he's in the pulpit, they don't use the money.

"Deal, take the Mustang. And call us if you're not going to be home in time to make dinner."

"I'm going, I'm going." With one more kiss, Paul ducked back into the house and shortly the rumble of the Boss 351 filled the air.

"He's going to sit there and listen to the engine," she thought, and after a few minutes, he pulled out of the garage and rolled up the driveway to the street. They blew each other a kiss, then he put on his aviator "Fratboy Paul" shades, and, with a rumble, he turned on to Howard Avenue and headed up to Main Street. Andi knew when he passed Worzil's Bar and Grille because he goosed the engine, making it roar, to say hi to the bar tender Ayato Tanaka. Later, Andi swore she heard that four-barrel carb open up when he pulled onto the 219 expressway four miles away. Just hearing that muscle car roar made her want to take her dad's Porsche 911 out for a spin.

About an hour later, the van pulled into the driveway and Yi's parents and little sister hopped out of the van. Their yacht's crew was reunited. Andi got up and hugged Stan and Sunny Carlson, along with their youngest daughter, six-year-old Bit-na. "Where's the girls?" asked Bitty.

"They're across the street in the park with their aunt," said Andi. "Wait!" she called to the excited tyke. "That's a busy street, be careful when you cross." Actually, Howard avenue isn't very busy except on days when there is something happening in the park.

"Ok," and the little Asian girl dutifully looked both ways, then dashed across the empty street. The twins squealed with excitement when they saw their old friend and they could hear their rapid fire chatter as they ran from swing set to slide. Yi followed Sunny over and Macy returned to the house and John showed up not long later and they gathered at the pool to talk about the yacht. Andi and Macy changed into swimsuits and slipped into the water. Stan and Sunny came out of the house after changing, and Stan said, "You two look like you're putting on a few pounds."

Wordlessly, Andi and Macy looked at each other, then back at Stan. "What's your point?" asked Andi.

"It's just that you were quite slim in January." Sunny slipped into the pool with Macy and Andi.

"I've never been slim," said Andi. "I've always been 'curvy' which is a polite way of saying "Chubby."

"I thought I would give curvy a try," said Macy. Before Stan could get an explanation, the air was filled with a rumble and Paul's Mustang backed into the driveway with Bitty, Sandy, and Madeline peering out the passenger window.

"Ok, everyone out!" and the three youngsters spilled out into the driveway, followed by Yi, who came walking up the driveway.

"Neat car!" said Bitty, her eyes wide with the astonishment of riding in a muscle car.

The twins hopped up and down full of "Mommie Mommie Mommie," bursting with the news that they rode in "Poppa's Pony Car."

"You let them ride without a child seat?" said Andi, ready to breathe fire.

"Yes. For half the length of the driveway. Backwards."

"Don't let it happen again," she said, not ready to admit defeat.

Paul grinned. He now had permission to tell the twins that their mom won't let them ride in his car. "It will never happen again." He leaned over and kissed her. "What did Sunny say when you told her?"

"We haven't told her yet; we were waiting for you."

"Wait..." said Sunny. "Tell me what?"

Andi held up a finger, telling Sunny to hang on a moment and she climbed up on the edge of the pool and pulled out her cell phone, then placed a call. "Justice Atherton," came the cheery answer.

"Judge, it's Andi Jarecki."

"How's my favorite little blond!" said the woman that helped Andi so much when she was having issues with the news media and videos of the rapes of her past.

"I'm sitting here next to my pool on a glorious Western New York afternoon, I have Macy, John, Paul, Sunny, and Stan all here."

"Wonderful! I'm in Albany, I may swing by and say hello."

"I hope you do Nicoletta, because Macy and I are expecting."

The judge screamed, "What?!?" while Sunny glared at Stan.

"We are both due in November," said Macy.

"It had to be Valentines Day magic," said Andi. "Paul and I went to Niagara falls and spend a long weekend in Canada, while John and Macy went camping in the wilderness. We had a lot of fun."

"Is that Justice Atherton?" called Lucy as she came around the corner of the house. She and Gus were holding coolers, Lucy had marinated the chicken for dinner, and it was ready for the grill. Gus had brought the beer. He opened the cooler and Stan pulled out a cold Labatt's Blue. As Paul lit the grill, Andi, Macy, and Sunny chatted excitedly with Judge Atherton. Meanwhile, Sandy, Madeline, and Bitty were standing in the shallow end of the pool complaining about babies. (They poop.)

"All three of you - floaties on now!" ordered Paul, and the three youngsters dashed for the mudroom where the floaties were kept.

"Judge Atherton, I have a question," said Macy.

"Go ahead dear, what do you need?"

"How do I become un Américaine? How do I join?"

Nicholetta Atherton's cry of delight was louder than when she heard that Andi and Macy were pregnant. "I'm so excited for you dear! It's a bit of work, there's a form you need to fill out and it costs quite a bit to file, then there is a test on American history and civics, but after that a judge will take your oath of Allegiance and you are an American. Give me your email address and I'll send you everything you need to know."

It was a perfect afternoon as the adults sat in the shade watching the children (Sandy, Madeline, Bitty, and Yi) splash and play in the pool. "One thing I don't understand is," said Sunny, "when you and Paul first met, and you were stuck in the ditch, why would you even consider staying in the car? It was a killer blizzard, all the roads are closed, you're not going anywhere for days, why would you send Paul away?"

"I was terrified," said Andi. "He was this tall, bearded hillbilly dressed like a beer vendor at the Buffalo Bills game driving an antique tractor. I could not think... all I knew was that I didn't trust him, and he was going to kill my babies."

"But you knew someone was coming to help," said Sunny.

"But I didn't know if it was him," said Andi. "All I knew was that someone was coming, a fellow who lives up the road. When the Town police called and said it was going to be Dr. Jarecki, then he said he was Dr. Jarecki, that was the only way I'd get out of the car if he was in the area. But I still didn't trust him."

"So you were willing to freeze to death? To let your girls freeze to death?"

"There's many less pleasant ways to die, that's all I was thinking."

"It all comes down to fear," said Paul. "If you've never been in fear for your life, then no, I doubt you could understand what she was afraid of. You can sit here and say, 'Oh, I'm so much better than you. Why on earth would a smart, tough survivor like Andi chose certain death over rescue? I'm a parent. I would NEVER choose certain death for my kids.' But in that moment, letting a stranger touch her baby was certain death. If you've never been so terrified that you were shitting your pants, you wouldn't understand, and I'm happy for you."

"I understand fear," said Sunny. "But it doesn't seem rational to turn away a rescue."

"Fear is not rational, fear is not smart, fear can be all-encompassing," said Paul. "I wasn't wearing anything that would identify as a trustworthy soul like a police uniform or a vest that says EMT/Rescue. Andi was probably thinking that being uncomfortable for a few days would be far superior to watching her babies being raped and beaten and stabbed by some stranger, and I applaud her for that. If she had cheerfully hopped out of the car and said, 'let's go!' I would have worried about her mental condition and if she really cared for those babies."

"Have you ever been scared?" John asked, knowing he was setting up Paul for one of his great 'there I was' stories.

"Oh hell yeah," said Paul. "I was a flight surgeon, and I had to fly every 90 days or so, and those sick bastards took me up to terrify the hell out of me. Don't get me wrong, they scared the hell out of me, I remember cruising past a supertanker on the Arabian Gulf at Mach 1 looking UP at the sailors watching us, but deep down, I knew they weren't suicidal. I knew I was coming home. But one day I was watching a weapons load team loading live 500-pound bombs, and they dropped one. It fell about four feet and I knew I was going to die. My brain was completely locked up. That bomb took what seemed like 20 minutes to fall and in that 20 minutes, I knew I could outrun the blast, but I couldn't move. I've never felt such terror in my life. When it hit the ground, it bounced! I tried to scream but I couldn't do that either."

"I suppose," said Sunny. "I've always been a rescuer; I've never been rescued."

"The Garcia family," said Macy. "When we came up to them in our big, pretty boat and said, 'I'm here to help,' they didn't get out of the water, they stayed in and fought John, Paul and Yi off. They were terrified for their daughter and refused help even though Moyra was in labor."

Paul opened the grill and checked the chicken with a thermometer. "I'm just saying, don't rationalize fear, it ain't gonna happen. It affects each person differently. Andi was terrified of me back in December, but woe be to any spider in her house." Paul knew Andi had no fear of getting rid of spiders, but Sunny was terrified of them. "Who's ready to eat?"

"I will eat Chiavetta's anytime," said Stan as everyone lined up with paper plates for a piece of chicken and an ear of roast corn. Chiavetta's is a Western New York delicacy that is both incredibly delicious and highly addictive. It's a marinade best used on chicken, tangy with apple cider vinegar, savory from the Worcestershire sauce, sweetness from sugar, and brimming with Italian seasonings.

"Cha-vettas!" squealed the twins, and they dashed dripping wet from the pool and lined up for their supper. Armed with their chicken leg, a quarter cob of corn, a small scoop of macaroni salad and a can of loganberry pop, they were ready to eat. This was their favorite meal of all time, not counting spaghetti at Giardino's.

"Girls, would you say grace for us?" asked Pastor John.

The twins and Bitty closed their eyes and bowed their heads and said, "ABCDEFG, Thank you God for feeding me. AMEN!"

After the adults chuckled, Stan said, "Pastor, is that a proper grace?"

John shrugged and said, "It gets the point across, and the kids have fun saying it. I'd say it's close to perfect for their age."

"They have more for when we go camping," said Macy.

"We're going camping?" squealed the twins.

"Yes, we thought this would be a perfect time for a father-daughter campout," said Andi.

"Good thing I'm not a father yet," said John.

"Vous êtes en formation," said Macy. (You are in training.)

"I guess we're going camping," said John with a sigh.

After dinner was cleaned up and everything was put away, they headed out to the cabins to spend the night there. Stan and Sunny loved to come up to visit New York during the heat of the Florida summer, and they usually stayed in Paul's cabin.

"My goodness, it looks so different with that one added cabin!" said Sunny.

The three cabins in a row had a common eight foot wide patio with picnic tables in front of each cabin. A large firepit was made from rock in front of the central cabin, and there were several charcoal grills to use. "We get a lot of folks here from church for get togethers," said Andi as they carried their bags into the cabin. Sunny and Stan were going to sleep on the upper floor of the first cabin, John and Macy had the third cabin all to themselves, and Kenny and Yi practically made a home for themselves on the middle cabin's second floor.

After everyone settled in, they broke out the folding chairs and gathered around the campfire and enjoyed the evening. The twins, Bitty, Macy, and Andi toasted marshmallows and made s'mores while Stan and Paul enjoyed a cold beer or two. John played his guitar and soon the twins were singing along.

"Little bunny foo-foo, I don't like your attitude..." The twins loved that song, and they sang it at the top of their lungs and because it repeated itself, Bitty was soon singing along too. They squealed the voice of the good fairy when she said, "Or I'll turn you into a goon!" and of course the punch line, "hare today, goon tomorrow!"

"Oh, my, I haven't heard that one in ages," laughed Sunny. "That's an old girl scout song."

"They had scouts in Korea?" asked Macy who would have loved to be a scout. The girls in the village she grew up in let her know she wasn't welcome to join, so she would watch the girls head off to Labrador for camping on the weekend while she stayed at home and mended her uncle's fishing nets.

"No, Brian and I were the scouts," said Yi. "Dad was a boy scout leader, and I joined girl scouts, and Mom was an assistant leader."

Suddenly, the music stopped. "Yi was a girl scout?" asked an astonished John.

"Yes! It's where I learned to cook!" said Yi as she pulled her marshmallow back from the fire. It was golden brown on all sides, not a sign of charring, and the insides were perfectly melted. She put it in the middle of a s'more and handed it to her sister Bitty.

Soon the stars came out brilliantly in the summer evening sky and Yi and Stan pointed out the constellations to the folks gathered around the fire and told old navigators stories. As they searched the sky, Andi cried out, "LOOK! A shooting star!" and a tiny streak of light crossed the sky bright enough for even the twins to see.

"Wow!" gasped Madeline. Her eyes were wide with wonder, and she crawled up on Paul's lap, pointing out the marvel with her tiny finger.

"Make a wish mommy!" cried Sandy.

"Silly, you don't wish on a shooting star, they already mean good luck," said Andi as she lifted a chattering Sandy on to her lap.

"They mean bad luck if you're driving," said Stan.

"Why is that?" asked Macy.

"It means that you're not watching the road."

The family and friends sat around the fire singing and laughing until the twins and Bitty slowly nodded off and they were carried inside. "Where did Lucy and Gus go?" asked Stan after the women turned in.

"Ashtabula, they have a race there and will be back Sunday evening," said Paul.

"Well, somebody put a folding couch in our cabin," said John. "I'm going to go tuck Macy in without worrying about her falling down the stairs." John packed up his guitar and patted Paul on the shoulder as he left. "Thanks man."

"It weren't me, I can't hardly lift them things," said Paul as he sipped his beer.

After they turned in, Stan and Paul sat under the stars and watched the fire burn down. "God damn man," said Stan. "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy and content."

"It's that crazy little woman, she put it all together for me."

<><><><><>

The next morning, Sunny woke up refreshed. The air was different up here in Western New York. Was it the lack of the sea salt in the air? Was it the scent of the massive fresh-water lake just upwind from them? Was it the acres of hay ripening in the summer sun?

"Get up lazy bones," said Sunny and she nudged Stan, who was up in a flash. He loves it here in Springville and didn't want to waste a moment of their vacation by sleeping. Sunny came downstairs to find everyone out under the patio as Paul made breakfast in the kitchen. She stepped outside and got a deep, deep breath of that fresh country air. Around them clucked the chickens who were out scratching for their own breakfast under the watchful eye of Wonka.

"Now's the best time to get eggs," said Sandy with a sage nod to Bitty, who was holding a half grown chick.

"They don't care in the summer if you eat eggs," said Madeline. "But they don't like to be petted."

"Your garden looks incredible!" gasped Sunny. She was right. The garden was enormous, and it was bursting at the seams with growth. The well pump was chattering away as the sprinklers gave the garden an early morning bath. With two cabins and babies on the way, Paul had the local well drillers sink a shallow well next to the cabin for showers and the toilet and the garden. "Was last night's corn from the garden?"

"No, our corn is halfway there," said John, pointing to the tassels at the top of the cornstalks. "It'll be awhile before we start seeing proper ears."

"But the relish plate we had last night came from the garden," said Macy. "Radishes, scallions, carrots, celery."

"So what are we doing today?" asked Stan.

"The girls are going to stay and weed the garden," said Paul. "We are taking the daughters on a ten-mile hike in the woods and set up a camp site before it starts raining."

Bitty looked terrified, but Andi assured her, "he's just teasing. He'll take you back there."

"Speaking of daughters, where's my oldest?" asked Stan.

"She and Kenny headed out at sunrise," said Andi. "She's sure she's going to get her first trout today."

"I want to have a talk with this Kenny guy before we leave," said Stan.

"Not with that attitude," said Sunny. "Sit down and eat, then think about a potential son-in-law." Andi had told Sunny about Yi and Kenny and how cute they were together when they weren't fighting. Andi described Kenny as smart, handsome, and 'ripped,' whatever she meant by that. She said he was wonderful with Yi and put up with her tantrums, and is teaching her to fish for trout with fly rods.

After breakfast was finished and the twins introduced Bitty to every chicken they owned, including all seven chicks that hatched in the spring. Then they loaded their backpacks in the trailer that was connected to Paul's Ford 8n tractor. The men added a huge canvas tent, chairs, cots, and coolers, then they hoisted the girls and Wonka into the trailer and climbed aboard as Paul fired up the tractor. They headed out of the driveway toward Trevett Road, but at the property line, Paul turned right and followed the front of the property, following a double row of Scotch Pines. Paul turned around and said to his passengers, "John, Macy and I planted these trees right after I bought the property." The trees are almost eight feet tall now and are making a wonderful privacy line.

"You planted giant trees?" gasped Madeline.

"No, they were baby trees," said John, and he held his hands about a foot apart. "They were just this big."

"Wow!" gasped Sandy. Chickens hatching, her mom carrying a baby and now trees. "Everything has babies!"

"Just about," chuckled Stan.

The tractor path was rough and bumpy and the riders in the trailer were being bounced and rocked. "DAD!" screamed the twins. "STOP BOUNCING US!"

Paul turned around and said, "If you think this is bad, wait until we hit the county road!"

"DAD!"

Paul was taking the long way back to the woods, following the path that he wore into the fields, giving the twins hay rides all spring and summer. Lucy started using the tractor path as a jogging path and she often passed them as he putted along at a brisk 4 mph. The path led them away from Trevett road and back toward the pond. When they reached the pond, they saw that Sunny, Andi, and Macy had walked back to the pond and rowed out in the SS Minnow and were fishing. The SS Minnow is a 12 foot Jon boat with standing platforms fore and aft and Macy was standing on the stern platform trying to get the bass that she knows was down there.

They waved to Paul as he putted past. Macy turned to Andi, who was seated in the middle position and fishing with a lure that was way too big for the fish in the pond. "Did I ever tell you of the time that Paul caught Jean and I skinny dipping in the pond?"

"Oh my God that's hilarious," said Sunny.

"No, what happened?" asked Andi, whose lure got caught in the boat's gunnel as she tried to cast.

As Andi tried to wriggle the lure free, Macy said, "it was not long after we found our waterfall and we thought the key to our sexuelle happiness was here in the forest. It was so hot one day we came back here to do some fishing and Paul kidded us about skinny dipping. I thought he was teasing me about my weight, I was very slim then."

Andi and Sunny looked at Macy in shock. Macy was skinny as a rail with a slightly noticeable baby bump! "Yes! I was slim back then," stormed Macy. "I've put on over fifteen pounds and that was before 'petit monstre,'" (little monster) she said as she patted her tummy, then reeled in a fish.

"Fifteen whole pounds!" said Andi, as she rolled her eyes. "I can do that with a large capicola and provolone from Fran's Deli." Capicola with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, lots of onion, and sliced banana peppers with far too much garlic flavored olive oil was her current favorite food. It was not unusual to see Paul step into Fran's just moments before closing. "One for Andi, you know how to do it."

"Ah, is your first child, no?" Jano (Yano) once said to Paul. "It will get easier in a few weeks."

"Andi's cravings will ease up?" asked Paul.

"No, you will discover that we deliver," said Jano and handed Paul the submarine sandwich and a bag of salt and vinegar crisps.

Macy eased a small mouth bass off her hook and put it in the pond gently as she continued with her story. "It was so hot that day and Jean was just wearing shorts, so I took off my shirt as well. It was hot and so muggy and, how you say, brumeux... foggy? No... uhhh hazy!"

"I hate days like that," said Andi, as she picked the seaweed from her lure.

"When we got to the pond, I could not fish. It was too hot, so I put down my pole and took off my shorts and dove into the pond. Jean followed and said, 'I thought we were not skinny dipping.' I shrug. I do not know skinny dipping. I thought skinny dipping meant faire l'amour dehors... making love outdoors. So I swam to the diving tower and climbed to the top and we... faire l'amour dehors."

"On the diving tower?" Sunny said with a laugh.

"Oui, then we heard the tractor approaching, so I dove off the tower. When Paul got here Jean told him we were skinny dipping regardless of what translation you use." Macy took the smallmouth bass off of her line and held it up. "You again. Go back and find your big brothers," and she lowered the fish into the water while Andi and Sunny laughed at her story.

They were quiet for a while, then Andi said in a quiet voice, "Why do you call Katarina a little monster?"

"Because she kicks so bad, I cannot get sleep," said Macy.

"Danny isn't kicking, I think he's sick," whispered Andi.

"You don't feel any movement?" asked Sunny.

"Some... little wiggles, little rolls... I'm afraid..." Andi fought hard to keep the tears back.

"Honey," Sunny bent down and put an arm around the terrified young woman. "Honey, you're used to two little girls wrestling around for room. You're having a little boy! They're so quiet and gentle. Compared to Sandy and Madeline, Danny should feel like little butterflies. When I had Brian, I hardly knew he was there. Yi-jin and Bitty kicked the hell out of me."

"Is that true?" asked Andi.

"Completely. Ask your doctor about it."

Meanwhile, the tractor was putting along the eastern shore of the pond. Bitty was now convinced that Paul's land was hundreds of acres in size because of all the twists and turns he took winding back and forth across the property. He finally regained the path, and the tractor path led into the woods and crossed the stream on the wooden bridge there. "This is where we found glow bugs," said Sandy.

"What's a glow bug?" asked Bitty.

"It's a bug that has a glowing butt!" said Madeline, which made Sandy and Bitty Laugh.

"There might be some left, we'll see tonight," said John as the tractor traveled into the woods and stopped in the round clearing with the two outhouses that the twins insisted on using every time they went for a ride in the snowmobile.

The tractor stopped, and the twins showed Bit-na the outhouses. "Moon on the door means Girls," said Sandy loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Star on the door means for boys... unless the girls bathroom is being used, then it's for girls," said the authoritative Madeline.

It didn't take long for John, Stan and Paul to get the metal frame of the tent up, then the three of them, with Madeline's "help" pulled the canvas roof and sides over the frame. Once that was secured to the frame with Velcro straps, the floor was rolled out and the edges of the floor were snapped to the sides. They set up the cots and rolled out the sleeping bags, and the cabin tent was up.

"This is quite the set up," said Stan as John and Paul put up the awning over the door. "What's the hole in the roof for?" There was a foot square patch of rawhide sewn into the canvas with a flap over a circular hole.

"That's the exhaust vent for the wood stove chimney," said John. "We stay in here during deer season."

"Can we stay? Can we stay here too?" begged the twins.

"You're going to stay here and shoot Bambi?" asked Stan.

"No!" they shouted. "Bambi is cute!" insisted Sandy.

"But you've been eating Bambi," reminded John.

"Well, he's delicious too," said Madeline, which justified the whole thing.

They spread open an umbrella over the picnic table and set up a grill, and they were done.

Meanwhile, the girls swept out the outhouses. Madeline swept the spider webs she could reach out of all the corners while Bitty and Sandy swept the floors. "Now what do we do?" said Sandy as she wiped the (imaginary) sweat from her brow.

"We're camping, you girls collect firewood and when we get enough we'll make lunch. After lunch we'll go swimming."

<><><><><> ֎ <><><><><>

Lucy gunned the engine on her Nova as she steered the car into line. It's been two grueling days of this, and this was it. She was almost done. As she waited for the cars ahead of her to go, Gus walked up to her car, and she opened the door. He leaned in and gave her a kiss and said, "Nervous?"

"Oh yeah," she said.

"What's our target?" he asked with a grin.

"Fourteen point four seconds."

"Ok, don't worry about that guy next to you, don't look at anything to your left. Once you go, keep your eye on your tach, and I'll see you at the other end." He leaned in and gave her a long kiss that left everything tingling. "You're going to do great," he said.

"You have a lot of faith in me," said Lucy.

"I got faith, and a lot of love," and with a wink, he closed the door, and he hopped in his truck and drove off quickly. She pulled up to the light and crept up to the line. And then she looked at the car in the left lane. A 2020 Shelby GT500 Mustang, one of the top muscle cars made in America, and the second fastest American production car. It was second only to the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon who can hit 60 MPH in 2.3 seconds. Off the shelf, the Mustang had 760 horsepower, while her antique Nova might scare up 300 horses. The Mustang was dialed in at 12.1 seconds, she was dialed in at 14.5 seconds.

'Stop thinking like that,' said Lucy. 'You're not racing him, you're driving your race.' This was bracket racing, a competition that Gus let her try once in his car and the next week she entered her Nova. It's grassroots hot-rodding at its best. Rather than trying to beat the guy next to you to the other end, you establish a time which is called "Dialed In" and you try to beat that time every race by as little as possible. If you go slower than the time you dialed in, you "break out" and you lose. The idea is to go faster than your dial in speed, but not by a lot. If she completes the quarter mile in 14.4 seconds and the Mustang does the quarter mile in 11.9 seconds, she wins even though the Mustang was faster because she was 1 tenth of a second under her dial in and the Mustang was 2 tenths of a second under his dial in.

Lucy crept up to the line, keeping her eye on the Christmas Tree. Do it the same way as last time... The Mustang put on a big smoke show, spinning tires and filling the air with smoke and the crowd went wild. Lucy spun her tires too, but just enough to dry them off after going through the burnout box and picking up moisture. The pre-stage light came on for Lucy and the mustang next to her was still waiting to stage. She didn't feel like having a silly staging war, so she eased forward until her tires were lined up in the starting line beams and the staged light came on for her, but the Mustang was still holding back.

The starter pointed at the Mustang, demanding he stage and finally he slowly eased into the staged position. He was trying to freak out Lucy, but she was a thoracic surgeon. She's plucked bullets out of beating hearts; you won't freak her out by lollygagging.

Finally, the Christmas tree started flashing down its length. Yellow, yellow, yellow, GREEN! And with an ear splitting thunder, she was off. Watch the tachometer and shift at the same engine speed, first! Second! Third! Fourth! She really had her foot in it, and this felt like the longest run she's ever taken. At some point, the Mustang flew past her, but she knew that was going to happen; she had a full three second head start on him. The way the starters' lights are timed, if both cars were on their dial-in, they should be close at the end line. But he rocketed past like she was standing still. Is she slow? Is she going to break out? It almost broke her concentration, but she ignored the speedometer and kept her eye on the tachometer and kept the engine revving at the same RPM that she maintained in previous races, and she sailed past the finish line after what seemed like an hour.

When she wheeled onto the end point of the drag strip, she got out of the car and took off her helmet and Gus came running. "You did it!" he cried, and he caught her up and they spun around.

"Did what?" she laughed after he set her back down and they kissed.

But before he could answer, a track official came up to them and handed her a strip of paper, her time ticket. "Thanks Lucky," said Gus to the track official, who nodded and shook Lucy's hand.

"Good run, ma'am," he said, and he waited for Lucy's reaction.

"Fourteen point four five oh?" Her eyes widened. She beat her dial-in by five-tenths of a second. She won the race! With a joyful cry, she threw herself into Gus's arms. She didn't know why, but this was better than all of her running races put together.

"The Mustang broke out huge, he went over a full second under his dial-in," said Gus.

"Oh my God! I won by being the slowest!" laughed Lucy.

"No, you won by being the best... you know, like a surgeon," said Gus as she got back in the Nova. He hopped in his truck, and they headed back to the pit.

After they got her car on the trailer and all the tools were put on Gus's truck, a track official came up to Lucy and gave her a clipboard and said, "just sign here please."

"What am I signing for?" asked Lucy, as she studied the document.

"Your winnings. Then, after signing, he handed her a check. "Here you go, champ. Congratulations."

Lucy looked at the check. It wasn't a big amount. She'll make much more than that in an hour of surgery, but it was for a first place in the street stock class, an actual victory! "I'm not going to cash this," she said as she got in the truck with Gus. "I'm just going to frame it and hang it on the wall."

"Electronically deposit it, then you'll have the cash and the check as a trophy," said Gus as they headed back to Buffalo.

"You can use this too," said another track official, and he held out a trophy to Lucy. Rookie of the Year.

"You're kidding!" gasped Lucy.

"No, the tracks around Lake Erie keep their eyes on their racers and you've been rock solid every time you run."

<><><><><> ֎ <><><><><>

The girls had a grand time with their father/daughter campout. They splashed and played in the pond and Paul rowed them around on the USS Minnow, which Bitty said was too little. She prefers big yachts.

After swimming, John led them on a hike along the stream to the big waterfall that he and Macy "discovered," then back into the woods where the "wooden igloo" was sitting. "It was made of snow!" gasped Sandy.

"We had to dig in the snow to find the mouth," said Madeline.

"Can we sleep here tonight?" asked Bitty as the girls explored the interior.

"No, we have a nice tent to sleep in," said Stan.

By the time they got back to their campsite, it was suppertime, so they roasted hotdogs and corn over an open fire and sang along with John and Paul as they played their guitars. "Were you guys like twins?" asked Madeline. "I always see you together."

"No, we're more like you and Yi," said Paul.

"Just not as pretty," said John.

After supper, they went down to the gully to see if there were any more fire flies. There were a couple, but not very many. Sandy and Madeline had to point them out to Biggy. "There's one!"

"There's another one!" But they were few and far between. John led them through the woods and down to the pond after dark. The frogs were loud and were raising a raucous noise, and Paul caught a few in a net for the girls to hold.

"Some people in Florida eat frog legs," said Bitty as she wrinkled her nose at the thought.

"There's some people here in New York who do that too," said John as he held a frog on his open palm. The frog dove off his hand and splashed into the pond. "They're delicious." They walked to the beach and let the girls wade into the pond after dusk, then they walked around the edge and listened to the frogs splash into the pond as they passed. The girls called them ker-plunkers.

As they walked back to the campsite, the discussion was about what frogs say. It definitely wasn't "ribbit" it was more like "romm!" or "room!" back around the fire they watched the light of the fire dance in the branches of the trees above.

The twins and Bitty sat around and listened eagerly when Paul opened the twin's comprehensive book of stories and John played the guitar in the background. He read a story that their Grandmother Katarina read to him and to John, a story that came from her parent's home in Poland. "There once was a king who was..."

"READ IT RIGHT PAPA!" shrieked the twins.

Paul chuckled and looked at Stan, who lost the bet and handed him a five-dollar bill. Paul started again. "Once upon a time there was a king who was very old..."

"Much better," said Madeline.

Paul continued the story of the Frog Princess, the ancient Polish story of the prince who married a magical frog, an amazing, enchanting story. He's getting his daughters addicted to the ancient eastern European folktales, which are so remarkable in their imagery. When he finished that one, the girls clamored for another.

"Once upon a time, there was a king who had lost his wife. They had a family of thirteen—twelve gallant sons, and one daughter, who was exquisitely beautiful..." It was John's favorite story when he was a boy, the story of The Eagles. It had everything. Wars, and heroes, an evil witch who fooled the king into marrying her, a basilisk, a good wizard, and best of all, a happy ending.

By the time he was done reading, the girls were all sleepy. Stan carried his little blessing to the bed as John and Paul led Sandy and Madeline to their cots. Without saying a word to anyone, Sandy and Madeline pushed two cots together, climbed in, and went to sleep. "I think this was supposed to be my cot," whispered John as he took Sandy's sneakers off and pulled her dirty pants off.

Wonka, who had been following the girls happily all day, curled up with Sandy and Madeline as the guys soon turned in, too. The father/daughter campout was a complete success and John couldn't wait to report back to Macy.

<><><><><> ֎ <><><><><>

As summer wore on, the garden at the cabin was incredible. The plants were coming up perfectly and so far the weeds hadn't been a headache. Almost every time the twins stepped into the garden; they asked which row of vegetables was ready to pick. They had problems identifying the plants and which parts were edible, but Paul and Andi were sure that they would understand as it came time to pick the veggies and they see the carrots and radishes coming up out of the ground. Paul, John, Macy, Andi, Yi, Gus, and Lucy maintained the garden, mostly hoeing it and thinning out the root veggies like the radishes and the carrots. Hoeing was done between the rows with a small gas-powered tiller, and around the plants with a hand tiller.

"Let's pick peas!" called Aunt Macy as she and Andi approached the garden with small baskets. The peas were growing up on strings that dropped from a horizontal line about four feet up. "We will pick these," said Andi, as she showed them a pea pod.

"That's a bean!" said Sandy.

"We want peas!" said Madeline with a huff and crossed arms.

"We don't like peas," Sandy reminded Madeline, who was now conflicted. She doesn't like peas, but she wants to pick them.

"The peas are inside," said Andi, and she opened a pea pod. The twins watched wide eyed. It was garden magic as far as they were concerned. It didn't take long to pluck two baskets full of pea pods, and they were seated at the picnic table under the awning and, as the radio played gentle classical music, they shelled peas. Now and then, Andi and Macy would pop a raw pea in their mouth and munch on them.

"Ewww! That's raw!" squealed Sandy.

"That is when they are at their sweetest," said Aunt Macy.

"No, don't let them try," said Andi. "They'll eat them all up."

"Oui, they will." They continued to shell peas and soon Veronica, from across the road, finished her morning 'constitutional' and joined them and joined in shelling the peas. Occasionally, she would pop a pea into her mouth too. But when Aunty Lucy showed up and ate a few, it was time. Slowly Madeline raised the smallest pea she could find to her mouth. She bit down on it and her eyes grew wide, and she turned to Sandy, and they chatted in TwinBabble® for a moment and Sandy tried a pea. The next thing you knew, a pea was lucky to make it past the twins and into the big bowl that was filling up with shelled peas.

"What do we do with the hulls?" asked Lucy. "Till them into the garden?"

"No, they go to Brad and Dianna Clemmons," said Andi. "They asked for them, I guess their hogs like to eat them."

"I have a consult with a patient tomorrow," started Lucy.

"I know," said Andi. "I saw the schedule."

"It will probably make a change to your lives," said Lucy while she shelled a few pea pods.

"I'll be there, Paul asked if I'd go with him. I think he knows what you found." Andi looked over to the barn where John, Paul, Gus, and Josh Gravely from across the street got the backhoe on the Kubota working. It had an air bubble in the hydraulic system. When they were happy with the operation, they headed over to Josh's place to help him repair a log cabin that was vandalized. The backhoe would make a great portable crane to lift the logs into place.

Andi sighed. Paul would not be happy when he gets the results, and she felt guilty for making him go through this, but she may have added a decade or two to his life by demanding he get checked out.

<><><><><> ֎ <><><><><>

Dr. Paul Jarecki eventually ran out of excuses and as he promised Andi, he became Paul the Patient. He went to the main VA hospital where the labs were and performed all kinds of tests; He spent time on a treadmill and time on an exercise bike, wearing a mask that prevented him from breathing through his nose. A hose from his mouth went straight to a computer.

Then came the spirometry. Most of the time, he would sit at a desk with a mouthpiece in his mouth connected to a tube, which was connected to a computer. He would take several deep breaths, then blow out as much air as he could from his lungs, and he had to do that three times in a row. Sometimes he would be enclosed in a clear plastic booth and an arm would hold a mouthpiece and all that was connected to the computer. He would blow into the mouthpiece as hard and as long as he could at specific intervals.

The technicians that performed the tests with him couldn't make evaluations, but being a doctor, he could understand exactly what the tests were showing... they showed that he and Andi were going to have a sit down talk with another doctor pretty soon. The one thing he couldn't look at was the CT scans of his lungs and the results of the sleep study.

As unpleasant as all of that was, it was nothing compared to the ABG study - the Arterial Blood Gas, a test to see how much oxygen was in your arterial blood. The vast majority of people have never seen bright red arterial blood, arteries are buried deep in the body to protect them and rarely get cut. The veins are closest to the surface, carrying the dark red oxygen poor blood back to the lungs for re-oxygenation and that's the blood people see when they have a cut.

"I hope you don't mind having a few trainees watching, Paul," said Nurse Elodie Belrose, the nurse that was going to draw blood directly from Paul's artery. Off to the side were three young nurse trainees in dark blue scrubs.

"You three know why those scrubs are dark blue?" asked Andi as she sat nearby nervously. She's done them and is very good at ABGs. She was nervous that a nurse was doing it.

"Because Veteran Jarecki was in the Air Force?"

"Good guess!" said Paul with a huge grin. "Wrong, but good."

"It's so if you get blood splattered on you, it won't show," said Nurse Belrose. "The arteries that are easiest to get to are on the wrist," and she took a syringe with a very fine needle, and she probed Paul's wrist for an artery.

"Don't forget trainees," said Paul as he watched the nurse dig around in his wrist. "While you are doing this, keep in mind that your patient is in agony."

Nurse Elodie sighed. His artery was deep, and it was hard to find. "Paul! Leave Nurse Elodie alone," snapped Andi.

"Just training, right?" said Paul with a wink to the trainees. It was hard to wink when you were in that much pain. That slim and pointy needle was incredibly painful as Elodie dug around inside his wrist looking for an artery.

"Paul! Leave ALL the nurses alone," snapped Andi. "I'm surprised that no one has brought charges."

"We have to get used to all kinds of patients," said one of the trainees.

"Well, he's the worst kind of patient," said Andi. "He's a cardiologist." That started the trainees laughing.

"Let the nice ladies work, Doctor Roberts," said Paul as he blew Andi a kiss.

Suddenly, a thin stream of blood shot out of Paul's wrist from a minor nick on his artery. The spurt flew into the air and some splattered on the trainees. They all gasped and one fainted, another one left. One girl was fascinated and came for a closer look. "She's going to go far," said Paul softly, and Nurse Elodie smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry Doctor Paul," she said as she bandaged his wrist tightly. The nurse that fainted recovered quickly and demanded to stay.

"Would you like me to step in?" asked Andi.

"If you don't mind."

Andi dug her VA hospital badge out of her purse and slung it around her neck and scrubbed her hands, then sat on Nurse Elodie's stool and pulled on a pair of latex gloves. "Always wash your hands where the patient can see it," she said, going into her training mode from when she was teaching at University Hospital. "They may be asked later if they saw you do it."

She took Paul's left hand in hers and started probing the wrist with two fingers. "We're looking for where the pulse is strongest, our artery will be right under there. Take your time, you can stretch this out as long as it takes..." her fingers pressed on his wrist, then moved and paused, then moved and paused again. She checked all over his wrist and said, "When you got it, memorize the location and go for the syringe."

Andi eased the syringe into Paul's wrist, saying, "It will be about a half inch in there..." She probed with the syringe and said, "it's awful deep in there."

Paul grinned. "You've said that before... ow!" Andi dug her heel into Paul's foot.

Andi tried to hide her smile as she connected a vacuum tube and it filled with bright red oxygen rich blood. She filled several tubes, then pulled the needle from the syringe and said, "there you have it, you know how to draw arterial blood and now you know why they don't let us work on family members. We might kill them."

A week later, Paul entered Andi's clinic and checked in, then waited out front until his name was called. He was led back to an examination room and Andi joined him. Being a friend, Lucy was not his doctor at the clinic, but she had a consult with him after his appointment. It would be Doctor Mike Baer who managed Paul's treatment. "I'll say it straight up doctor, you have COPD and obstructive sleep apnea. Each one is treatable. It's not the end of the world, but there are some adjustments you're going to have to make." Andi squeezed his hand; she knew this was coming. He's been gasping in his sleep. "We'll get you a CPAP machine and a mask, but many patients find this more comfortable," and he pulled out a device that looked like a mask for the nose only. "This is called a nasal pillow, and they're quite comfortable compared to the mask."

"How long will I have to wear it?" asked Paul.

"Until you wake up, of course." Paul meant to ask how many months, or maybe years, but Mike knew that. This was permanent. "For your COPD, I'm going to start with Albuterol and Trelegy, here's some samples to tide you over," and they spoke about Paul's treatment. "Here's the company that will be dealing with your CPAP, give them a call right away, the sooner you're on it, the better you feel." And Mike handed Paul a business card with a phone number written on it.

Paul wasn't feeling good about that, but he's been harping on Andi about following her doctor's orders, so he took his inhalers and business card and thanked Dr. Baer. After that, they went over to Lucy's office. She put herself on Paul's schedule when Andi mentioned Paul's potential for COPD. They sat down in Lucy's office and looked around them. Her pictures on the wall, which were mostly photos of foot races and bike races, now contained drag races and pictures of Gus. "You have been to the desert, right?" she asked Paul.

"Yeah, a few times."

"Come here," and she led them into her office and pulled up a page from the VA website and spun her monitor around. "Were you ever at any of these places within any of these time frames?"

Paul studied the list. "King Abdul-Aziz Airbase... yeah, I was there... Al Karge... I was there too. What's this all about?"

"As a friend and a concerned employee of the VA I am asking you to do this. Here, call this number. It's a VA certified lawyer in Amherst. He got Gus's oldest daughter a settlement on her claim."

"What claim?"

"Your claim! Call him up and tell him that you think you have a Pact Act claim," said Lucy.

"What if I don't?"

"Let him worry about that. If you win this claim, his reward, which is paid by the VA, is twenty percent of what you get. If he doesn't win he gets nothing. If he doesn't think you have a claim he won't waste his time on you."

"A VA claim... great," groaned Paul as he and Andi stepped out of the clinic and climbed into Andi's Explorer. "There's about ten years of my life down the tubes." As they walked across the parking lot, they were watched by someone in a beige Toyota Corolla. Paul called the lawyer as they got in and said to Andi, "He can see us now if we want to join him for lunch."

"I want a Ruben," said Andi, as she fired up the Explorer and headed out into traffic. Without their knowledge, the corolla followed them as they headed north on Boston State Road, then got on the 219 expressway and cruised toward Amherst. The Toyota tried to keep up, but Andi was in her prime and she was hungry, and she wove in and out of traffic. The Toyota soon lost them in a sea of SUVs as they joined I-90, then exited on to I-190 heading north.

They met attorney Dan Ralston at a local deli on Niagara Falls Boulevard, and Andi got her Ruben. "What is the Pact Act?" asked Paul.

"Once upon a time it was thought that Agent Orange and nuclear cleanup was all the toxic exposure that the VA had to worry about, but the veterans knew better. Your average veteran is exposed to a series of toxins and poisons and not just the warfighters. The gang in the rear with the wrenches and toolboxes get a huge amount of exposure to toxins. Think about the guys in the Air Force turning wrenches on the flight line inhaling fumes from bizarre lubricants and exhaust from running turbines. Now we know that too much exposure to jet exhaust will cause brain damage, and I have clients who stood behind jets running at idle to keep warm. We didn't know back then," shrugged the lawyer.

"Yeah, I've run into that," said Paul.

"Once there were just a few presumptives," said Dan. "They were presumptive exposure locations for Agent Orange and Radiation, most commonly Cambodia and Rocky Flats. The Pact Act added many more."

"What's a presumptive?" asked Andi.

"That means that if you were at a specific location, at a specific period of time, and came down with a listed condition, it is presumed that you got that condition due to exposure to something nasty while you were there, and the VA will cover it. No arguing, just prove that you were there and prove you have the condition."

"Like Paul's COPD?" asked Andi.

"Exactly, he was on a base that was known to have been effected by nerve agent during the gulf war and that stuff was persistent. I had a case that was similar to Paul's and the Pact Act kicked in, the kid got 100% disability and a hefty check for back pay."

"I thought there were no WMD's in Iraq," said Andi.

"That's what you were told to think," said Paul.

"I'll take your case, I'll send you a form to sign to allow me access to your records and I would like a copy of your DD Form 214," said Dan.

"I'll email the form to you when I get home."

They left the restaurant, and Andi looked around the area. "I don't think I've ever been here."

"This used to be the main drag up to Niagara Falls," said Paul as he pointed to Niagara Falls Boulevard.

"We should take the kids up to Niagara Falls before school starts," said Andi, as she climbed into her Explorer. She was so short she made getting into an SUV look like a rock climbing expedition.

"We have one last cruise left for the summer tomorrow night, then we'll take them to the Falls on Friday, how does that sound?"

"Let's do it." And they headed back to Springville while a beige Toyota looked for them.

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"THIRSDAY NIGHT! THE HAMMER STRIKES!" shouted Shane, Brother Shane, the evening DJ on Buffalo's Rock Station, WKBW. Shane was also the official "pilot" of the WYSL MYSL (the Whistle Missile), a 1966 Chevy Chevelle SS superstock dragster, and Gus had raced against him several times at Lancaster Dragway.

This was going to be the last cruise of the summer. Autumn was sneaking in and there was a change in the wind. Andi and Macy were getting too big to get behind the wheels of their little sports cars and the Alpha Romeo and the Porsche 911 will soon be placed on display at Jarecki motors.

The cruisers formed up on Howard Avenue, waiting for Paul to take the lead. Gus in his 1970 red and black Oldsmobile 442, Lucy in her black and chrome '69 Chevy Nova 396, Kenny and Yi in Kenny's 1959 GMC Long bed pickup, Andi with her 1969 Porsche 911, Macy with her 1969 Alpha Romeo Spider, all waited impatiently for the leader of tonight's cruise. They didn't have to wait long.

From Paul's garage came a roar. The garage door opened and, like a demon from hell roaring to break free, Paul rolled out of his garage. With Wonka, his chocolate lab, sitting proudly in the passenger seat, Paul eased his 1971 Boss 351 out into the open. The beauty was light pewter metallic with black trim and highlights. The fastback Mustang was a piece of work that Detroit shall always be proud of. It normally winters in the showroom window of Jarecki Motors, and in the summer, it's only seen on a full cruise. When he hit the gas, it bellowed, letting the entire village of Springville know it was a night to cruise.

Gus gunned the 400 cubic inch engine of his Olds 442, and in answer, Lucy let her Chevy 396 roar. Kenny followed suit, giving off a throaty thundering rumble from his GMC 350 V8. On the radio Shane, Brother Shane was playing classic rock and soon the Beach Boys started the Thursday Night Cruise with 'I Get Around.'

Paul cranked up the tunes and put on his shades as he eased out the clutch and pulled out on to Howard Avenue and the Thursday Night Cruise began. They started with six cars and as they turned on to Main Street, two more joined up, one of which was Ayato and Julissa in Ayato's immaculate candy apple red T-bucket roadster. The other was Josh and Veronica in Josh's 1949 Willys CJ-2A Jeep. They traveled west through the village and Paul led them out of the village, under the 219 expressway and into Zoar Valley Park.

Zoar Valley Park was a large recreation area with a large looping main road and small picnic pavilions dotted the park. On warm evenings, folks liked to go to the park, sit in the picnic pavilions and watch the cars go by. The Cruise was not a dying art in Springville, and they were soon joined by a highly customized Ford Pinto and a built to the hilt 1974 Chevy Camaro and before they left the park, a '71 Plymouth Barracuda, a black and gold '77 Firebird, and a neon green 1970 Plymouth Superbird joined the cruise.

"Here's one for my little buddy Andi in Springville," said Shane as the cruise circled the park. "I know you're cruising with the old man tonight honey so please don't name junior after me..." All the cars in the cruise began honking their horns and Andi sank down in her seat as the song she requested started, Eastbound and Down by Jerry Reed.

They didn't speed, they just toured the park at a high idle, letting their engines rumble. Regulars whistled and waved and offered a beer if a cruiser would stop at their pavilion and some cruisers stopped, but most kept cruising. Yi hung out the window of Kenny's truck and her "Fan Club" ran a beer out to her. "I love you!" shouted Yi, and her fans laughed and waved back. Paul was too cool to be distracted from the Mustang and the road ahead of him. He let Wonka respond to the folks for him. After twice around the loop, they left the park and headed back into Springville.

They cruised the length of Main Street three times through the village. At the end of each pass, they would reverse direction by going around a block. Officer Kudlow, a friend of Julissa and Ayato, joined with his 1963 Ford Fairlane police cruiser and had his gumball light turned on. They cruised peacefully, occasionally beeping a horn and waving at someone in the village until they reached the 279 Café on the east edge of town. Paul parked in the front row of the parking lot, and the Cruisers lined up next to him. He and Wonka ran to Andi in her 911 and Paul opened the door to the little speedster. "We have a surprise waiting for us," said Paul as Andi emerged.

"What's the surprise?" Andi asked. She and Macy both had well-formed six-month baby bumps. John helped Macy ease out of her tiny Alpha Romeo. In a few more weeks, she won't be able to fit behind the wheel. She was dressed in a flowing black dress befit of an Italian movie queen of the 60s. Andi was wearing a black poodle skirt with a pink sweater. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and was wearing saddle shoes and white socks with poodles on them. Together she and Paul let the twins out of the back and the twins emerged wearing pink poodle skirts, saddle shoes and poodle socks. Their bright blond hair was drawn back into ponytails, and they were wearing sunglasses and carried little pink purses slung from the crook of their arms.

They walked toward the restaurant like Yi taught them, chins held high, and not acknowledging anything. Purses on their left arm, elbow crooked, right arm swinging, acting cool. Yi watched them parade across the parking lot with pride as Paul and Andi watched with shock. Their Aunty Lucy was laughing hysterically, and their Aunt Macy was completely befuddled. She didn't know about the Bobby Soxers of the 1950s. Occasionally one of the twins would pull flavored lip balm out of their purse and run it over their lips, or open a compact and check her makeup, then return the lip balm or compact to their purse.

The cruisers watched the little bobby soxers head toward the restaurant and nothing broke their cool persona until a familiar cry was heard from the 279 Café. "My girls!" It was Grandma Heather who came to Springville to help Andi. The twins broke their ultra cool façade and ran for Grandma Heather.

"I invited your mother to stay with us," said Paul. "Surprise!"

"Thank you," sighed Andi. She had been planning to call her parents soon to invite them to come out and stay with her. She just wished that Paul had let her do it.

"Gamma! Gamma! Gamma!" they cried and dashed into Heather's arms.

"Oh my, don't you look fashionable!"

"We're cruising in grandpa's car," said Sandy.

"You have to sit up front, only we can sit in the back," said Madeline smugly. The rear seats on Andi's 911 were tiny, barely big enough for the twins. Andi remembers fondly riding back there when she was five, the age that the twins are now.

"We gotta surprise Gamma! We gotta surprise Gamma!" they started crying as their Grandma hugged them.

"What's your surprise?" asked Heather.

"We can't tell you," said Sandy.

"It's a secret surprise," said Madeline.

"You can tell Grandma," said Andi, as the cruisers entered the 279 Café.

The 279 Café was named for the junction of US 39 and US 240, two important roads in the southern tier of Western New York. Soon the jute box was playing rock and roll from the 50s and 60s while the soda jerk was whipping up milk shakes, malted milk, and root beer floats. The grill in the back began churning out hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and patty melts as the Cruisers ordered dinner. "Two corn dogs, one order of fries, a patty melt, a cheeseburger, and a hamburger with grilled onions, all with fries," Paul ordered from memory. "I'll go up to the soda fountain and get our drinks."

"Gotcha sweetie," said the waitress Maxine, whose 1950s attire was only rivaled by the Twins.

Paul brought back small root beer floats for the twins, a malted milk for Heather, a strawberry soda float (with chocolate ice cream) for Andi and a Café Cola for him (a hand drawn Pepsi with extra syrup) "Now what's your surprise?" asked Grandma Heather.

"It's a secret," whispered Sandy. Madeline put a finger to her lips and shushed Grandma Heather.

"You can tell Grandma," said Andi.

Sandy rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I forget."

Madeline sighed happily, "We're getting... a snowmobile!"

"That is not your surprise and no you're not getting a snowmobile," scolded Andi. For some reason, all they have been talking about is getting a new snowmobile for the winter. The twins associate Springville with winter because they moved here in the winter. Summer was becoming a big shock to them. They had the idea that summer was something that only happened in Denver.

"Please?" begged the twins in unison. "Just a little one," said Madeline.

"No snowmobiles, and that's not your surprise," said Paul, laying down the Word of Dad. "Now tell Grandma Heather your surprise."

"Ok," said the twins in unison. Paul swears they stay up nights practicing speaking in unison. The twins were seated on either side of grandma in a booth, and they put a tiny hand on each arm. "We're going to have a bruver," they said. Before Heather could joyfully respond, Madeline said, "We're going to name him Danny."

Heather was in shock. Andy never spoke to her about naming the baby, she always put it off. Heather expected Paul Junior, or maybe Cecil, but Danny? No, it was her Danny... the last time she said that name; she was notified by a colonel and a chaplain that her Danny would not be returning from Iraq alive. She never said Danny again. After her Danny died, it was always Daniel, a name he didn't like. That way, it wouldn't rekindle the love and the agony of losing him again. "Please Sandy, let me out," said Heather softly, but inside it felt like she was going to explode.

"Gamma?" asked Madeline as Heather got up and fled.

"Let me," said Andi, but Paul said, "No, you stay, I know how she's feeling." He got up and followed Heather's path. As he passed his brother's table, he tapped Macy on the shoulder. "I need you." Macy hears that a lot. She is still the owner's executive assistant at Jarecki motors and Paul, like his father who hired her first, was always saying, "I need you." She got up and followed Paul into the women's bathroom, and she realized he didn't want her help with accounting. She needed to put her degree in psychology to work. "Heather?" he said in front of the closed stall.

"Leave me alone... you wouldn't understand."

"I wouldn't understand?" asked Paul. "Of all the people in this building you could have said that to, you chose me?" Heather sniffed, but she didn't speak. "I was at work when they told me. I had just seen a patient, and I logged into the computer, and it never came up with the next patient that was ready to see me. It had me in the Busy With Patient status and it never changed so I waited... and I waited... The walls in that building were paper thin and I remember it suddenly got real quiet. My coworkers saw the wing commander and the chaplain walking through the clinic together, and we both know that only means one thing."

Paul squeezed his eyes closed tightly, trying to push back the memory of the day his life ended. The shock, the horror, the dreams and plans that were lost forever... All these years later, he still felt the agony, and he knew Heather did too. He wanted to hold her and comfort her, but there was a door between them.

He leaned on the stall and continued. "They stepped into my office and my heart stopped. I knew they came to tell me that my dad had died. He had been working too hard back then. He had heart problems. I knew it was him in my soul, I was ready to hear them tell me. Then they said it was Melony and my world came to an end. I couldn't believe it. She was a fighter pilot and I never once considered that it could be her. I was a wreck, I was useless... They threw me out of housing without warning. Me, a major in the Air Force, homeless! I had nothing to tie myself to reality like a son or daughter to care for, not even a goldfish. Then the ranking man on the deployment told everyone that he was sleeping with her and because they wouldn't let me kill him I crawled into a bottle, and I didn't come up for air until I met your beautiful, beautiful daughter."

"That's her dad coming through," sniffed Heather.

"Melony and I wanted to live here at one point in time, and in her will she requested that she be buried here, and for some reason her family honored that. Andi found out and led me to her grave, and Melony and I finally talked. I'm sure you've done that with Daniel at some point," said Paul.

"Every Memorial Day," sniffed Heather.

"The point I'm trying to make is... Andi, and Macy, and the twins decided that if the baby was going to be a girl that they were going to name it Melony. My mind has been screaming, 'No! Melony is mine! I'm not going to share her with anyone!' and I can do that. Melony and I were not blessed with a child, so there's no one else with a claim to her. I just now came to terms with her passing, and I think that if we ever have another girl, Melony would be a wonderful way to honor her memory."

"Please let me be," sniffed Heather.

"Danny is Andi's father, and she idolizes him," Paul continued. "She tells the twins Danny stories at night... she's driving his car... his star is on our front door... now she wants to honor his memory with the child in her womb." Paul stopped talking, but Heather didn't respond. "That's all I have to say about that. My sister Macy is a psychologist, she was grading me as I spoke. Why don't you and Macy critique what I said." Then he whispered, "love ya Heather," and left.

Paul rejoined his family and John came over. "Is everything ok?"

"Remember what we talked about when we thought Andi might have a girl?"

"Yes, why?"

"We told Heather that we're going to name our baby Daniel and she had the same crisis as me."

"Ohhhh," said John. "Got ya."

"Macy is talking with her now," said Paul.

"Good, I'm sure they'll work something out."

"What's wrong with Melony?" asked Andi.

"I can't talk about it," said John. "I'm a pastor, I can't betray a confidence."

Andi turned to Paul and said, "What about you?"

"You want me to repeat something someone told my pastor? I can't do that, I'm the head deacon in the church."

"You guys," Andi wanted to scold John and Paul, or maybe throw something at them, but her mom, Heather, came out of the bathroom with Macy and sat down.

"I'm sorry, I was overcome for a moment," said Heather. "It's a wonderful name and I'm sure our new little boy will honor our Danny's memory."

The twins threw their arms around Heather and hugged her. "He'll be a good Danny," said Sandy.

"We'll make sure," said Madeline. Then she had a sudden thought. "Can we go swimming tonight?"

"If you finish up your root beer floats," said Andi. It has been hot, and it's almost September. Paul opened the pool in May and Andi fell in love with it. It took an agonizing long time to warm it up to a comfortable temperature, but now that the water is comfortable it's her favorite place on a hot day.

Then the thought struck her... almost September... her babies will start school on the Wednesday after Labor Day! That's only a week and a half away! Weeping, she had to be walked out to the car by Heather and Macy while the twins told her they were not afraid to teach school. As the cruisers left, Paul gave Marcel, the soda jerk, a twenty-dollar bill for putting up with the sudden rush like that. "Thanks guy, we like to have a bit of fun on Thursday nights."

"Anytime Mr. Jarecki!" said Marcel as he cleaned up.

Paul stepped to the door, Wonka at his heel, then he turned around. "What are you studying Marcel?"

"Architecture, sir."

"The way you put up with this crowd, you're going to do good." Paul turned to leave when Gus stopped him.

"I may be crazy, but I swear that Frank Rosetti is in the parking lot."

Paul groaned. Colorado law enforcement let him slip through their fingers with warrants for rape and unlawful restraint and a dozen others... all on video. "He's here?"

"I have Josh keeping an eye on him," said Gus. "I won't carry a gun and I know you and John won't, but Josh is carrying."

"I'll carry a gun to protect my family," said Paul. It's been ages since he's shot that small Baretta. He better practice up if he's going to shoot to wound.

They stepped outside, and Josh came up to them. "He just skedaddled," said Josh. "Twenty, twenty two Toyota Corolla. Beige. Probably a rental, North Carolina plates," and he handed Paul a note with the license plate number.

This really upset Gus too. There was something he wanted to ask Lucy here at the café she loved, and she just headed home.

<><><><><> ֎ <><><><><>

The swimming pool at Paul and Andi's house was just perfect for the twins. It was a rounded L shape, and the short leg of the L was a paradise for children. The water starts at a couple inches deep and goes to only three feet deep at the deepest point, and a net separates that portion from the deeper parts of the pool. The long leg is five feet deep the entire length and was built for swimming lengths and playing water volleyball, which is a favorite with Paul and their friends. Andi stays in the shallow leg with the twins who will play in that end all day if you let them. Paul and Andi will sit in lounge chairs in that end of the pool and the twins will play around them and even Wonka will join in the fun if he's not wearing his Service Dog vest. Tucked into the L was their hot tub, a refuge from the frigid winters.

The pool was situated close to the house, and one could sit under the covered porch watching the kids splash in the pool. Behind the pool was the backyard, which blossomed beautifully. Two large maples provided shade for the yard and a grape arbor provided leafy shade for people sitting in the wrought iron furniture under the arching cover of grapevines, and the concord grapes were a delicious snack. Andi and Macy loved to sit out there and fan themselves and enjoy the warm days. If it got too warm, they moved up onto the porch that was lined with ceiling fans, so there was always a refreshing breeze.

Grandma Heather was a great help and loved going into the pool as much as the twins. As the twins tried to teach their grandmother Heather how to swim, Yi came storming up the driveway. "Is she ok?" asked Heather as Yi swept into the house without a word.

"She's mad at Kenny," said Sandy.

"They fight," agreed Madeline, as she tried to get on to a floating air mattress.

Yi soon came out wearing a bikini top, cut-off shorts and was holding a beer. She sat down and glared at the water. "What is it this time Yi-jin?" asked Paul.

"He made me dump out my beer!" said Yi.

"An open container in a moving vehicle is illegal in New York," said Paul.

"They didn't have a problem with it in Florida," Yi pouted.

"Actually, they do, you were just lucky. Kenny could have lost his truck, and he makes his living with it."

"He just hates seeing me having fun," said Yi as she took a long drink.

"He's scared," said Andi.

"Scared of what?"

"Scared that someone with money will come sweep you off your feet," said Andi.

"That's just silly," said Yi.

"They're having some serious financial problems over there," said Paul. "The landlord keeps raising the rent on the building and their house, Kenny's entire family could all end up homeless and he's worried sick about it."

"If you really cared, you'd ease up on him," said Andi. "It was just a beer. There's plenty here."

"I know..." groaned Yi. Her life was in turmoil. She wanted to spend all of her time with Kenny, but when she was with him, she wanted to get away. Yi didn't want to be tied down, she wanted to be free...

"We're going to take Heather up to Niagara Falls tomorrow, do you want to go with?" asked Paul.

"No, I have a date tomorrow."

"Where are you going?" asked Andi. She thought it was unusual for Kenny to be taking a Friday off.

"Don't know..." and Yi didn't expand on that because her date wasn't with Kenny.

Paul realized that there were problems in paradise and turned his attention to the twins. "Come on you two, we have a big day tomorrow."

"Awww daaadeeeeee," they whined in perfect unison.

"Bedtime, let's git."

Later, after Grandma Heather approved the Nursery (it's got to be re-painted now that they know they're having a boy) the Twins let Gamma Heather listen in on their story from poppa. He pulled out the big story book that contained hundreds of pages of illustrated classic stories and read them the next story in line. "Tonight's story comes from far, far away, from where my Grandma and Grandpa Smolak were born."

"GG Dorta?" they asked. They only knew Grandma Dorta and Grandpa Artur from pictures in the big photo album.

"Yes, and Great Grandma Danuta and Great Grandpa Stefek Jarecki come from there too, do you remember what the name of that country is?"

"Gowanda!" they said brightly.

"Close," said Paul, trying not to laugh. Gowanda is a village south of Buffalo. "They were born in Poland, and when war broke out, Dorta and Artur moved to Gowanda, and Danuta and Stefek moved to Depew."

"Depew," said Madeline sagely. "I remember that."

Worried that she might actually remember that, Paul started reading. "Tonight's story is The Bear In The Forest Hut. Ready?" the girls nodded in unison and Paul began. "There was once an old man..."

"PAPPA!" they shouted. "Read it right!" demanded Madeline.

"Ok, ok." That was actually the way it appeared in the book, but he had to do a quick mental re-write so the opening line would meet their exacting requirements. "Once upon a time there was an old man, who was a widower, and he had married an old woman, who was a widow. Both had had children by their first marriage; and now the old man had a daughter of his own still living, and the old woman also had a daughter. The old man was an honest, hard-working, and good-natured old fellow, but too much under his wife's thumb. This was very unfortunate, because she was wicked, cunning, and sly, and a bad old witch..."

He remembered his grandpa Artur telling him the same story when he was the twin's age. It was a typical eastern European fairytale. The dutiful daughter obeyed the magical bear, and the evil daughter did not. In the end, the evil daughter was eaten by wolves and the dutiful daughter married the bear, who was an enchanted king, and the king took his new bride and father-in-law to live in splendor.

They silently slipped out into the hall and Heather asked in a whisper, "do they ever hear the end of a story?"

"Oh yeah, on days they weren't very active we may do a story and a half." Then he took her hand and said, "thank you for understanding about Danny's name."

Heather looked at him and frowned and said, "You've only been a dad for six months, what are you going to do when Madeline says she's going to name her daughter Melony."

"I get it. Tomorrow before we go, remind me I have a chore to do before we leave."

"See you in the morning," and Heather ducked into her bedroom and Paul went to his. In there, he found Andi sitting at her vanity naked, brushing out her hair. "Has it been two weeks?" asked Paul.

"Yes it has," said Andi as she pointed to a calendar on the wall next to her vanity.

"Let's get this done." Paul set up his camera and tripod, and he set up his laptop. He brought up the picture they took two weeks ago and showed Andi the pose. She got up and tried to replicate her pose from two weeks ago. There were pieces of tape on the floor to mark where her feet were and hopefully they end up with a photographic record of the changes that came over her body. The idea is to make a video of her body changing, ending with her holding Danny. If they do it right, the only movement in the video will be her belly and her breasts expanding. She wished she had thought of doing this six years ago when she was pregnant with the twins. She was sure Lucy would have helped.

"Ok. I got it," said Andi, and Paul took a couple of snaps with his DSLR. "Ok, now show me how you feel," he asked, and she selected a pose that displayed her feelings. She placed both hands on her tummy and looked down at her baby bump happily. "Love it!" as he got the pictures.

"Is my belly bigger?" Andi asked.

"A little, but this week everything went to your boobs," said Paul as he compared the pictures from two weeks ago. "Wow!"

"Damn it," gasped Andi. "I just found a bra that fit right."

Paul came up behind Andi and cupped her breasts. "I can help."

"I... I have no comeback for that," said Andi. Her breasts ached but his hands felt so good, and telling him to stop wasn't something she wanted to do. Then he slowly began rolling her nipples between thumb and forefinger. "That's a deal breaker," she said, and she tried to pull his hands away. They ended up on the bed giggling and wrestling when their bedroom door opened, and Madeline walked in. Paul threw the bedspread over Andi as Madeline patted their bed. She had her Strawberry Shortcake doll dangling from one hand, and she looked around blearily. "She's sleepwalking," whispered Andi.

Madeline climbed up on their bed and curled up next to Andi, and went to sleep. Paul remembered John sleepwalking when he was young, but they just let him sleep wherever he landed. Their apartment was small. He couldn't go far. "Do you want me to put her in bed?" Paul asked.

"Go take a shower and then come get her," said Andi.

"Ok..." it's been a while since Paul showered alone. This may be the first individual shower he's taken since they got married on Christmas Eve. He took a quick shower using the body wash that she loves the smell of, then after drying off he pulled on a robe and scooped up a snoozing Madeline. Andi gently blew him a kiss as he carried Madeline to her room and placed her in bed next to her sister.

"Poppa?"

He had almost made it to the door. "Yes?" he turned around and in the dim light he could see Sandy sitting up in bed.

"Can I have a drink of lemonade?" She pronounced it 'yemon-egg.'

"How about water?"

"Yeah," she said sleepily.

"Ok, I'll be right back." Paul went into their bathroom and got a small paper cup of water for her and came back out and found that Sandy was sound asleep. He drank the water, tossed the little cup in the trash, and returned to his room. The only sound in the house was Yi whispering on the phone. He went into his room and turned out the light. He hung up his robe and climbed into bed and found that Andi was sound asleep.

Figures.

He grabbed the remote and found a TV station playing Archer.

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The next day, after breakfast, Heather reminded Paul he had a task to do. He took a flat box out from under a coffee table, then opened the front door wide. There was a small nail high on the door. He opened the box and took out a twelve-inch by eighteen-inch banner. It had a white field with a broad red border. Gold tassels decorated the bottom edge, and the top was held straight with a golden wooden dowel. A gold rope was looped on the top. Embroidered in the white field were two large gold stars showing that this family paid the ultimate price. Dan Roberts and Melony Jarecki...

With a sigh, Paul took down the flag that was currently on the door, the same flag but with only one star, then hung the new flag on the front door. He finally came to terms with the truth of Melony's death. She died an American hero. The flag was a reminder to visitors about the type of family that lives here. "Are you ok?" asked Heather.

"I am very far from ok," said Paul as he looked at the gold stars that told the world that servicemen in this family paid a price that 99% of the country refused to pay. "You?"

"Same."

Paul, Andi, John, Macy, and Heather climbed in the van and took the twins to Niagara Falls. They had to stay on the American side because Heather didn't have a passport, so they planned to stick to the tourist areas near the American Falls. They drove across the Goat Island Bridge to Goat Island and parked in Lot 2 at the top of the falls. From there they walked over to Terrapin Point, an observation point right at the eastern edge of the Canadian Falls..

It was a beautiful late summer day; the sun was shining on leaves that started turning gold as autumn approached. "Gamma! If you're good they won't throw you over the falls in a barrel!" cried Sandy.

Andi, Macy and Heather glared at Paul. "That's very good to know, dear," said Andi, her eyes boring holes into Paul.

"Why are you looking at me?" asked Paul.

"Unka John says it's fun but it will make you dizzy," said Madeline.

"Ha! Busted!" said Paul as the women re-aimed their glares at John.

"It's true!" said John. "Never in the history of the New York State Park Police has a policeman put a good child in a barrel and threw them in the river."

"That is sheer gold," said Paul quietly behind him.

"Both of you!" warned Heather. "You're as bad as little kids."

"It is better this way," said Macy. "I would rather have mon Jean acting drôle (goofy). It means the bad times are over, does it not?"

"It sure does," said Paul as he put his arm around John's shoulder and John smiled and nodded in agreement.

The twins saw the railing of the walkway as they approached the falls and they dashed for it. "LOOK! WATER!" Sandy shouted, and she dashed toward the rail as fast as her little legs could carry her. Madeline had slipped out of Grandma Heather's grip and was right behind her.

Suddenly, John let out a piercing whistle and shouted, "Hold up you two!" The twins came to a screeching halt. John walked up to them like he was John Wayne, playing Sergeant Striker in The Sands of Iwo Jima. "What do you two think you're doing?"

The twins were in shock. Uncle John never spoke that way! Not even when the McClenaghan boys were misbehaving in church! "Water!" said Sandy weakly.

"And what do you think would happen if you slipped under that rail and went over the falls? You'd be swept out to sea and eaten by sharks. Big hungry sharks. We'd have to make a whole new set of twins!"

The twins looked terrified, and Aunt Macy said, "You should apologize to your mother for scaring her. She doesn't want to make more twins."

"I'm sorry mommy!" wailed the twins around Andi as Heather watched in astonishment.

"Are you sure you two don't have children?" Heather asked.

John and Macy looked at each other. "Nope, and we searched the entire house this morning," said John, and Macy gave him a punch in the arm.

"You're ready for them," said Heather.

They approached the rail, and the park ranger advised them not to throw anything into the river. "Even them?" asked Paul as he held the twins' hands up.

"Well... maybe not them. Talk to me first," said the ranger, and she went on her way. They hear a remark like that a dozen times a day, and that was this ranger's favorite response. She left them with the twins in a complete state of shock and Macy and Andi were sure that Paul and John set that up with the ranger.

"WOW!" gasped Madeline as millions of gallons rushed past her and plunged over the edge. "So fast!" but she and her sister were looking down into the river. They were at the very east edge of the Horseshoe Falls, commonly known as the Canadian Falls.

"Look over there," Paul urged, and finally the twins looked up and the full majesty of Niagara Falls was spread out before them. Their tiny eyes grew enormous as they saw the immense waterfall. Their eyes followed the water down, down, down 176 feet into the cloud of water vapor at the base.

"Mommy Mommy Mommy! There's boats down there! Is that the boat we're going to ride?" almost 200 feet below, the tubby little Maid of the Mist, packed full of people, neared the base of the cataract.

"Yes," said Andi as she peeked over the edge. She suddenly didn't feel good. She could see the boat wallowing in the swells at the base of the falls, rocking bow to stern like a rocking horse. She didn't feel good at all.

Sandy squealed and laughed, "Look at it bounce!"

"Bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy," said Madeline as the twins bobbed up and down.

Suddenly Andi felt her breakfast coming up. She leaned over the railing and let fly and her breakfast splashed into the Niagara River.

Sandy was in shock. She told her mother, "You're not supposed to throw anything in the water."

Blearily, Andi straightened up with Paul's help. She turned to scold Sandy and saw that Macy was doing the same thing. A sympathy puke. Before they realized what had happened, the park ranger ran up and said, "Are you ok?"

"I thought we were over that part," said Andi, as their baby bellies were quite obvious. She wiped her mouth with a napkin that the ranger handed her.

"And you saw the boat bouncing down there? Happens all the time," said the ranger as she handed Macy a napkin. "You two need to have some tea while daddy and grandma ride the boat."

"Good idea," said Macy.

Paul led them to the Top of the Falls, a restaurant and observation point, and he handed the van keys to Andi. "You relax, we'll be gone maybe two hours, OK?"

Still feeling nauseous, Andi and Macy sat down, and Paul ordered them tea with lemon. "Is this ok?" asked Paul. "We can come back some other time."

"No," said Andi. "Go spend time with your brother and your daughters. Besides, when will Mom get to see this again?"

John and Macy conversed softly in French. John was so concerned about Macy that it embarrassed her and she was glad they were speaking in French. "Au revoir mon amour. À bientôt." (Goodbye my love. See you soon,) said John softly, and they kissed.

"Au revoir mon mari aimant, À bientôt" she said as their lips parted. (Goodbye, my loving husband. See you soon)

With one more goodbye and a kiss, the adventurers were off. "That is so sweet when you speak French like that," said Heather.

"It is handy. We could be discussing our grocery list and you American's think it's romantic," said John with a grin.

"They were talking about sex," said Paul. When John looked at Paul, Paul said, "She said goodbye my loving husband, but she used loving as a verb. Boom chicka bow bow!"

John rolled his eyes up and thought, then he slugged Paul in the shoulder. "She did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not! She would never... well, not in front of you!" John was blushing now.

"You two are like kids!" said Heather.

Paul got quiet then said, "We lost a lot of ground and I'm trying to make up for it... I was an ass... I was horrible to John for years. I can probably never make it up to him."

"Stop," begged John. "All is forgiven! Please forgive yourself."

"You know what I can never forgive."

Heather realized that there was something going on between them, something more than a brother to brother conflict. They walked along in silence, the twins leading the way, then John finally said, "Heather, did Andi ever tell about the first time Paul made spaghetti for me?"

"Don't you dare!" said Paul.

"It was the best spaghetti I ever ate."

"DON'T!"

"Poppa makes good sketti! Tell us!" said the twins.

"Please?" asked Paul. "Please don't?" The horror of that rainy day still haunts him. He has nightmares about that day...

Little John was crying so hard that he couldn't say what was wrong. He kicked the apartment door and tried to turn the knob, but it was locked; they were locked out of their house. Paul rang the doorbell and beat the door with his fist, but there was no answer. "Hungry!" cried John.

"How long have you been out here?" said Paul.

"Alla time." The poor little guy was soaked. The sitter didn't even put his hat on him when she locked John out of the house.

"I know where we can find food," said Paul, and he led John to the corner of Elwood Place and Genesee Street and held him up so he could push the button for the crossing light. Four-year-old John smiled a huge smile of accomplishment at pushing the button. "Let's go, the light's changing!" and they walked across the street as fast as they could but to Paul the street grew wider and wider as they walked... they'd never make it, but somehow they narrowly missed being run over by a big black car and they were on the other side.

"Come on, I know where there's food, I see it there all the time," said Paul, and he led his baby brother to a dumpster in the back of a parking lot. He put John next to the dumpster and said, "Don't move, I'll be right in here." And Paul hoisted himself inside the dumpster, but when he got inside, it was completely empty. He panicked as John wept from his hunger. A woman was running at them screaming. Cop cars wheeled into the parking lot, lights flashing and sirens blaring...

"Ça va aller," said John, something he knows Paul understands. (It will be fine). "One day when I was really little, I was really, really, hungry. Our babysitter didn't give us breakfast or lunch and she locked us out in the rain. We were cold and wet and hungry, and we didn't have any food or money. But Paul took me to Giardino's..."

"GAMMA G!" cried the twins.

"Yes," said John, "but she wasn't a grandma yet. Paul offered to wash dishes for some spaghetti and Mama Giardino made us the best spaghetti I ever ate, and later Paul went into the kitchen and made spaghetti for our parents Grandpa Cecil and Grandma Katarina. And that's where he learned to make such good spaghetti."

"Is that true?" asked Heather. She's eaten at Giardino's Italian Family Restaurant, and she's met Mama Giardino, but she didn't realize their relationship went back that far.

"Every word is true," said Paul. He was relieved that John had left out the embarrassing part. "I washed dishes for Momma for years and we ate like kings when money was scarce."

"We sure did," John put his arm around Paul's shoulders. "That's the kind of poppa you girls have. He will always find a way to take care of you."

As they walked, they crossed over from Goat Island via a pedestrian bridge over the Niagara River on to a small island in the middle of the Niagara rapids called "Hells Half Acre" then across another pedestrian bridge on to the American shore of the Niagara River. They soon reached the Prospect Point Observation Tower, a tower that was built in the Niagara Gorge. They walked out to the tower on a bridge that spanned the gap between the tower and paid their admission to the Maid of the Mist.

The Prospect Point Tower had a platform that stuck far out over the Niagara Gorge and they stepped out and from there they were able to see both the American falls and the Canadian falls. The view was spectacular, and it was the only point on the American shore the visitor could see both falls. As they looked at the falls, they could see the Maid of the Mist boats and the twins noticed everyone was dressed in blue. The twins were wearing pink and yellow. "They won't let us on the boat!" cried Sandy.

"We aren't dressed right!" added Madeline.

"We'll be ok," said Paul. "Come on." They went back into the tower and got on the elevator that takes visitors down to the river. The elevator plunged down 200 feet, descending like a dropped rock.

Heather looked kind of green about the plunge but the twins looked out the glass back of the elevator and cried "YAAAAaaaa!" in excitement, and when they reached bottom they both said, "Do it again!"

"Nope, only one ride per customer," said Paul. "Let's go." He led them out to the waiting line to get on the maid of the mist and they were handed disposable blue ponchos. They were like light duty cleaners' bags and Heather wondered silently if they were sturdy enough to last the 20-minute ride.

Paul and John helped the twins on with their royal blue ponchos and shortly, they were on the Maid of the Mist. They worked their way forward toward the bow on the upper platform and soon the boat cast off and they were moving out into the turbulent water. The announcer made her speech:

"The creation of Niagara Falls began at the end of the last Ice Age. As the glaciers receded, they left behind a large amount of meltwater, which formed the Great Lakes. These lakes found their outlet into the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. However, the water from Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment, leading to the formation of Niagara Falls..."

The twins had no interest in what the lady with the microphone was saying; they were watching the Maid of the Mist from the Canadian side pull up to the dock on the Canadian side of the river, right across the river from them. They turned and headed toward the American falls, which only dropped about 70 feet, the water landing on a pile of rock and rubble that stood over 100 feet high. The Twins peered out at the splashing water and it was clear they were more impressed with their plastic ponchos than the American side of the falls.

Paul put his ear buds in and gave Andi a call on her cell phone. "How are you feeling?" Paul asked.

"Much better, stomach is settled. How are you doing?" Andi asked.

"We're on the boat now, we're in front of Bridal Veil falls and we're heading to the Canadian falls."

"Ok, we're right at the path where we lost breakfast," said Andi. "I can see your boat!"

"John, pick up Sandy, the girls are up there on the rail." Paul and John picked up Sandy and Madeline and Paul said, "There's mommy and Aunt Macy! Way up at the top, wave to them."

"I can see you!" said Andi, laughing as she tried to take a zoomed in picture of John and Paul holding the girls up.

"The boat is bouncing; the girls are more interested in that. I'll call you back."

The Maid of the Mist drew near the raw power of the Canadian side of the falls, and the boat was covered with a fine mist of water from the spraying cataract. The tour guide continued as she said, "The volume of water going over the falls is immense, with an average of about 85,000 cubic feet per second. This sheer volume creates a powerful display of nature's force, with the roar of the falls audible from miles away..."

John, Paul, and Heather were shocked at the power of the Canadian falls. Paul was doing the math in his head. A cubic foot of water weighs 62.5 lbs times 85,000 cubic feet per second, divided by two thousand pounds equals 2600 tons of water a second times 60 seconds per minute times 60 minutes per hour equals roughly 10,000,000 tons of water per hour.

John was outlining a sermon in his head, considering the majesty of God and how tiny we humans were compared to the majesty of a simple waterfall.

Heather was worried about the damage to her hair from all the water that was spraying on them, and the twins squealed and laughed like they did as they ran through the sprinkler on the front lawn. The sound of the falls wasn't loud, but it was big. It permeated every cell of your body as the sound waves slammed into you, letting you know the hard way that you are not louder than Niagara Falls.

About an hour later, as Andi and Macy enjoyed the summer breeze off the falls in the shade of an enormous beech tree, the twins ran up to them, still wearing their ponchos. "We rode a boat!" said Sandy as they raced to their mommy.

"You're all soaked! Didn't you wear your poncho on the boat?" laughed Andi, as her girls crawled up on her lap.

"It was really wet," said Madeline.

"It really was," said Heather. "The moisture was everywhere; it blew up under our ponchos!"

"I can't believe I've lived here so long, and I've never been out there," said John, still enraptured by the waterfall.

"Most people in Western New York can say that" said Paul. "We leave this for the tourists, not realizing how incredible it is."

They stopped for dinner at Giardino's Family Italian Restaurant because John recounting (most of) the tale of Paul's spaghetti dinner got them in the mood for Italian. As usual, Momma joined them and sat in her traditional seat between John and Paul and entertained them with stories of little Paul and tiny John. Momma was eighty, but she insisted that greeting her customers keeps her young, and her customers love it. Her son Dannie wouldn't have it any other way.

"We're going to have a Danny too!" said Sandy.

"Really! That's wonderful!" said Grandma Giardino, who has known all along.

"You don't have to change your Danny's name," said Madeline. "I'll know the difference."

"Well thank you!" said Grandma Giardino as she leaned over to wipe a sauce covered face. "You are getting so big! It's almost like you're getting ready to move out and have your own families."

"Don't talk like that," gasped Andi.

"Did you really teach Paul to cook?" asked Grandma Heather.

"Please momma," whispered Paul.

"You should not be ashamed!" she patted Paul's leg under the table. "Paul needed to feed his baby brother, they were locked out, so he came here and asked, and he got a hot meal and a job. His parents were so proud!"

"Thank you momma," Paul whispered.

Later, in the parking lot of the Dairy Queen, while Andi, Heather, and Macy were buying ice cream, John sat next to Paul and asked, "What is the problem with coming to Giardino's when we were hungry?"

Paul realized John was four. He probably didn't remember. "What do you remember about it?"

"I remember being wet and cold and hungry, I remember you picked me up so I could push the button to cross the street, and I remember the biggest meatball I had ever seen. It was huge!"

Paul sighed in relief. He didn't remember. "That's exactly right," he said as he patted John's shoulder.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Oh look, here's our ice cream. Let's talk later."

They buckled up and enjoyed their ice cream on the way back home, not noticing the beige Toyota Corolla following them up the 219 expressway. The driver had been staking out Giardini's for several days. He knew this family, and he knew they'd eventually show up. He was still angry that he lost them heading up to Amherst a while ago.

On the way home, Paul continued to avoid the conversation which got John thinking that something was wrong, but he and Macy were dropped off at their home with no more conversation on the issue. John watched the street with concern as Paul and Andi drove away. A beige Toyota followed them. "Quel est le problème?" (what is the matter?) asked Macy.

"Cette voiture, cette Toyota beige... Je pense que l'ex-mari d'Andi était dedans." (That car, that beige Toyota... I think Andi's ex-husband was in it.)

"Es-tu sûr?" (are you sure?) asked Macy.

"Non, je ne suis pas." (no, I'm not) but John was worried about it. He went inside the house and prayed on it, then he sent a text message to Paul. "I think I saw a car with Frank Rossetti following you home." Then he sat down and began to re-write Sunday's sermon.

When Paul and Andi got home, the twins were nearly asleep, and they found Yi's truck in the driveway; the door was open, and her keys were hanging from the open kitchen door.

Inside the house, Yi's purse was on the breakfast nook table, her wallet laying out. Paul took a quick look and there was no money, and her credit cards were gone. There was a secret pocket in her purse that Paul insisted she carry cash in at all times for a 'just in case' situation. He loaded her purse with twelve twenty-dollar bills. That hidden pocket was torn open and empty. Andi watched Paul look with terror in her eyes. One of those credit cards was for household expenses. Paul immediately called his bank and put a hold on the card.

"Mom, can you take the girls to bed?" asked Andi. Meanwhile, Paul dashed up the back staircase and checked Yi's room. But she wasn't there. And where was Wonka? He normally came running when Paul returned home, even if he was only out for a few minutes.

As Heather led the sleepy girls up to bed, Paul used a surefire method to find Wonka. Wonka had a plastic can full of dog treats, and Paul gave it a shake. Wonka appeared almost magically, dashing up the basement steps to sit obediently at Paul's feet, waiting for his snack. Paul fed Wonka the treat, then said, "Where's Yi? Take me to Yi!" and with a glance back at Paul, Wonka headed back downstairs.

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"Oh lord," groaned Kenny Johnson. He was working late at the Johnson's Feed store and was getting ready to close up for the evening and in walked Craig Larsson. Craig was a lout, a blowhard, and a braggart. He loved nothing better than to inform Kenny how he's going to end up with Kenny's store, his truck, and Yi, "not necessarily in that order." Craig worked for the owner of the building that houses Johnson's Feed Store, Wehrle H. Holloway. Wehrle Holloway seemed intent on driving Kenny's family broke and forcing them out of their home by continually raising the rent and adding fees to the contract.

"Hello Craig, is there anything I can help you find?" asked Kenny. He had just stacked a pallet of fifty-pound sacks of dog food and he was exhausted.

Craig belched and said, "I want a shot gun. What do you have?"

"We have all kinds," said Kenny, and he led Craig into the sporting goods section. "What gauge were you looking at?"

"Twelve gauge. I want the best you got."

"Here's the Browning A5 Wicked Wing. Semi-automatic. This is the fastest cycling, best balanced, and softest shooting autoloader on the planet...

"How much?" asked Craig.

"Two thousand dollars," said Kenny as he held out the mossy oak colored gun. It had a beautiful Burnt Bronze finish on the barrel and receiver while the stock and forearm were covered in Mossy Oak camouflage.

"What else you got?"

"What do you want? Single Barrel? Double Barrel? Single shot? Pump? Semi-Auto?"

"Semi-auto," said Craig.

"The only other semi-auto twelve gauge we have in stock is the Winchester SX4 Hybrid Hunter." He held out another beautiful gun. This one had an earth colored finish on the barrel and receiver, and it also had mossy oak camouflage on the stock and forearm.

"How much?"

"One thousand dollars."

"What's the difference between the two?"

"A thousand dollars." It was late, and Kenny had no desire to do business with this asshole and he certainly didn't want to teach him the difference between a mid-range and a top of the line shotgun.

"Let me see the Browning."

Kenny unlocked the gun from the chain that held it secure and laid the gun on the counter. Craig picked it up and inspected the gun. He drew it up to his shoulder a few times, then said, "I'll take it."

"Fine." Kenny put a clipboard on the counter and said, "Fill this out and we can get this transaction moving. How will you be paying for this?"

"Plastic," said Craig proudly. He flipped a black metallic card on the counter, and it landed with a clang. "Metal, plastic, whatever," he drunkenly slurred.

Kenny saw the name on the card, and it wasn't Craig Larsson. It was Paul Jarecki. "Are you out shopping for Doctor Jarecki?"

"That's my girlfriend's card," said Craig with a drunken slur. "She's buying this gun for me."

"Paul Jarecki isn't a girl. Maybe I should call him and see if he needs another shotgun," said Kenny. "He already has the Browning."

"Just sell me the gun," and Craig punctuated his demand with a long belch.

Kenny entered the transaction into the register. He was sure that Craig didn't know the pin number for the card. Craic put the card in the card reader and punched in the four-digit pin and the card reader started its communication with the bank. The pin was accepted, to Kenny's shock. Then, to Kenny's relief, the card reader said, "Transaction Error."

"What da fuck is wrong with your cash register?" snarled Craig. He knew he had the right pin number. It was accepted. Maybe Doc Jarecki is broke, and this card is no good.

"Here, try again," said Kenny and he reset the transaction. His register showed him that the card was reported stolen. If he made Craig try it again, the bank will notify Dr. Jarecki. After Craig's fourth failed attempt, Kenny said, "Something is wrong with this card. Do you have another?"

Craig raised the gun like he was going to hit Kenny with it, and Kenny just shook his head sadly. Fast as a blink, Kenny whipped a pistol out from under the counter and put the laser sight pipper in the middle of Craig Larsson's chest. There was no way they could afford a loss of two thousand dollars. "It's not worth it Craig, just put the gun down and walk away."

Craig thought about it for a moment, then reached for the card.

"Leave that be. I'll be sure it gets back to Doctor Jarecki."

The idea of hitting Kenny in the face with the butt of the shotgun danced in Craig's beer-soaked brain, but for one of the few times in his life, he made an intelligent decision. "I was just funnin' with ya Kenny," and he laid the shotgun down and walked out of the store, knocking over a display of Yeti mugs as he went. The mugs clanged and rolled around on the floor.

"That son of a bitch," muttered Kenny. He reached for his phone and made a call.

"Town of Concord Police Department."

"This is Kensington Johnson at Johnson's Feed, I just had someone come in and try to buy a weapon with a possibly stolen credit card."

The cop on the phone swore under his breath. These things draw ATF&E agents like cow shit draws flies. "An officer is on his way."

It took a Town of Concord policeman about 15 minutes to arrive at the scene, and he walked in and asked for a rundown of the events of the evening. Kenny had locked up the shotgun, and he got it back out of the locked gun rack so the cop would see it. "You handed him this weapon?"

"Yes sir. I thought he may buy it."

"Where is the ammunition?"

"It's all locked under the counter."

"What makes you think this card is stolen and not given to him voluntarily?"

"I know Doctor Jarecki. We're friends. Paul Jarecki has nothing to do with Wehrle Holloway or anyone that works for him. That looks like the card he gives his governess Yi Carlson for household expenses. It came up stolen on the register as he tried to complete the transaction."

The cop knew Yi; it wasn't unusual to see her pulling Doctor Jarecki's twins in a wagon as she shopped for groceries. "Was Yi with Craig Larsson?"

"No sir," said Kenny.

"Do you know Miss Carlson's number?" When Kenny took out his phone and showed the police officer her number, he asked, "Could you call her for us?" Kenny sighed and set the phone to speaker and dialed her number.

It was immediately answered by Craig, who said, "Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, Johnson." And the next sound they heard sounded like her phone hitting the ground and bouncing a few times. Craig probably threw it out his truck's window.

Just then, the cop's radio came alive. "Any unit, please respond to 289 Howard Avenue, report of assault and robbery."

"That's Doctor Jarecki's house," said Kenny. "It's Yi!"

The officer that was taking Kenny's statement picked up his radio. "Dispatch 217, what is the condition of the victim?"

"The victim is..." Kenny sweated bullets as he waited for the dispatcher to respond. "... Asian female, twenty nine years of age. Victim suffers cuts and contusions, possible sexual assault."

"Dispatch, 217 responding from Johnson's Feed."

"That's Yi!" said Kenny. "I'm going with you."

"Kenny, no. You first have a duty to your family. Lock up the gun, close up the store, do what you normally do to secure your business, and do it twice to make sure you didn't miss anything. Then go check on Yi."

"She could be injured!"

"She's in a house full of doctors, they'll take care of her. You need to clear your mind because since the suspect tried to buy a firearm with a stolen credit card the feds may be interested. I need you at the station tomorrow to file a report. Comprendo?"

"Yes sir." The police officer left and Kenny went about his close-up procedure. Lights off, cabinets locked, till counted and drawer locked up. He did it twice like the cop suggested and found several doors unlocked. He missed them on the first time around. He was so worried about Yi that he skipped past those doors without thinking about them. That cop was smarter than Kenny gave him credit for. When he was done, Kenny went into the house, told his folks about Craig trying to buy a gun with Dr. Jarecki's card.

"Oh god, that kid just bought himself a lot of trouble," said his dad, Dave.

"You didn't let him buy anything, did you?" asked his mom, Angie.

"No, he tossed me the card like he was a big shot and I saw Doctor Jarecki's name on it," said Kenny. "I think it's the card Yi carries for expenses. I think he hurt her. The cops are responding to Doctor Jarecki's house for an assault and robbery."

"Don't get in the way," said Dave and with that, Kenny was gone. His truck was out of gas, so he ran to Dr. Jarecki's house. When he got there, there was a cop car in front with the lights going. Kenny jogged up to the back door and knocked. The door was answered by Paul, who said, "Come in."

Kenny stepped into the kitchen, the only part of the house that he's familiar with. Several times, Paul came home to find Yi and the twins teaching Kenny how to cook. Paul was in the parlor talking to the cop who took Kenny's report. "I... can I see Yi?"

"Give her a moment, they just returned from Bertrand Chaffee. Thank you for reporting that card to the cops."

"Too many times a store clerk will see that it's stolen and figure, the bank knows, there's nothing else to do," said the cop. "Did you run through your close-up process twice?" He was trying to make conversation as Andi led Yi upstairs.

Outside, Frank Rossetti was having a horrible evening. He followed the van containing Andi and her mom (that bitch... it's a twofer!) and family all the way from Cheektowaga. He thought he was made when they dropped someone off by the church, but he followed the van to an enormous house on Howard Ave. where he parked across the street, and he waited. He watched lights in the house turn off and was about to get out of his car when two cop cars showed up. As calmly as possible, he started the car and drove away. He drove around the little park across the street from the "mansion" that Andi had gone into, and he parked on Second Street. He could see what was going on diagonally across the park.

Frank pulled out his DSLR camera and put the 200 mm night lens on the camera. It was a great lens; it collected ambient light and made a night scene almost as bright as a cloudy day scene. He looked at the house for a long time and he watched Andi lead a slim woman out of the house. They got in the van and drove off. Here's his chance...

BANG! BANG! BANG! The sound went off as loud as a cannon. Somebody rapped on the side window of the car with a rock, nearly breaking it. Frank turned on his headlights and in front of him was a beautiful blond woman holding a double-barrel shotgun aimed level at him. "Hey buddy!" demanded a large man with a deep baritone voice. "You want something to take pictures of? Step on out here and let's have a talk."

The guy had a deep southern accent, and he did not sound like he wanted to talk. Frank started the car and slammed it in reverse and took off backwards. He tried to do an emergency brake slide turn, but he wasn't going fast enough, and he backed into the ornate fence around the park. He switched to drive and spun around in the street and raced off into the distance.

"Did you get the license plate number?" asked Veronica as she pulled the bird shot rounds out of her twenty gauge double-barrel shotgun.

"Yeah," growled Josh Gravely. "North Carolina, it's probably a rental." He sighed. There's some sick people out there. "Let's go call the cops."

Inside Paul's house, the police radio came alive. "Any unit, see the man, 175 Second Street. Possible 10-83."

"It must be a full moon tonight," grumbled the cop as he wrote the radio call down on his notebook.

"What's a ten eighty three?" asked Paul.

"Possible peeping Tom," groaned the cop. "Let's finish up here, if no one else jumps on it, I'll take it. That call is just over that way," and he gestured toward Josh and Veronica's house.

Andi walked into the parlor and Kenny asked, "Can I see Yi?"

"She just got back from Bertrand Chaffee and she's not talking to anyone. She's feeling..." Andi wanted to say that Yi was feeling stupid, but Andi simply said, "she's not in the mood to talk to anyone." Bertrand Chaffee was the large hospital in Springville. She went there for a 'rape kit' exam.

"May I try?"

"I hope she'll talk. We just put the twins down so, shh."

"Yes ma'am." Andi showed Kenny up the back staircase, which startled him. He's seen the grand staircase between the parlor and the living room.

"Two staircases?

"Three actually. We keep the basement staircase under the main stairs locked because the twins play in it."

Kenny has only seen the twins when Yi brings them to the store. They don't interact with him, they just look at him and stay close to Yi until they see some toys. They're shy around people they don't know unless their mom is there. It looked like the stairs went from basement to attic and Kenny turned up a short hallway on the second floor. Andi opened a pocket door at the end of the hallway and Kenny found himself on the balcony. From there, he knew where he was. "She's right in there," said Andi, pointing to a door on Kenny's left.

"Thank you," said Kenny. Below him, he could hear Paul talking to the cop.

Kenny tapped on the door and Yi's muffled voice said, "I'm not talking to anybody."

Kenny entered the room and found Yi face down in a huge bed. He quietly said, "that's ok, we don't have to talk." He sat on the edge of the bed and said, "I just want to be here for you." Suddenly, Yi sat up and threw her arms around him. She didn't say a word, but she held him tight and whimpered. They silently clung to each other through the night.

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It was a warm, sunny Saturday. As John and Macy worked on the patio in front of their cabin and re-wrote Sunday's sermon to include the inspiration he received from Niagara Falls, Paul rowed the twins around the pond on the SS Minnow, while Andi showed her amazed mother their garden. They were picking green beans when Gus and Lucy arrived, and Gus took Lucy for a walk in the woods. Before they left, Gus asked Paul and Andi to ensure that he and Lucy weren't interrupted, especially by the kids. "And if you stumble across us, can we get copies of the pictures?" asked Lucy with a waggle of her eyebrow.

A perfect Labor day weekend. Camping and hiking on Saturday, a big church service on Sunday followed by dinner at Giardini's and on Monday the parade, the last cruise of the Springville Cruisers until next year. Having won a trophy with her racing, Lucy was picked to lead the cruisers.

They followed the tractor path back to the campsite. "This is where we tent camp and we bring the church youth here," said Gus.

Lucy looked in the outhouses and laughed when she opened the one with the moon on the door. "Is that what a 'two holer' is all about? And what's with the bucket of ashes, for a fire?"

"No, you sprinkle that down the hole after you... you..."

"You take a dump?" asked Lucy. "I'm a doctor, I know how the body works. Don't worry about embarrassing me." She still has to tell him that occasionally. Gus is just a nice, sweet guy, a giant teddy bear she has the honor of hugging.

"Yes, the ashes keep the air fresh as the old timers would say. Just be sure to keep the seat lids down so the fumes vent out the exhaust stack."

"It's pretty out here," said Lucy, as they followed the tractor path deeper into the woods. "Is this where Paul's maple syrup comes from?" she asked as they entered the maple woods.

"Yes it does. Paul and John love to collect the sap and boil it down. Macy says it's one of the very first tasks they worked together on after they reunited, and they still do it every year." As they walked through the leaf strewn forest, he pointed out the mushrooms that were sprouting. "Yi needs to get back out here, her mushrooms are coming back."

"Coming back? Where did they go?" asked Lucy.

"You ate them with me at a couple of her dinners. She makes everything out of them, sauces and gravies. She's concentrating on French cuisine for Macy."

The tractor path described an enormous circle through the different areas of the forest. They passed through several pine woods, including John and Paul's "secret stash" of incredibly tall blue spruces. "These are chosen for the front window of Paul's house," said Gus. "There's several other groves of smaller trees suitable for Christmas too," and he led her into a balsam fir grove which smelled divine.

"Did somebody plan the forest like this?" asked Lucy.

"No, back when this farmland was being reforested, New York was handing out saplings and the folks just planted what was available. Hemlock one year, tamarack the next." Gus pointed them out. "When we cut a tree for a Christmas tree, we plant one sapling for every foot next year."

"So Paul and Andi's gigantic Christmas tree is worth thirteen saplings?" asked Lucy

"Fifteen or sixteen. We trim quite a bit off the bottom."

The tractor path was now on the west side of the property, and it turned east and headed downhill. "Have you ever heard John or Macy mention the waterfall?"

"Only in French," said Lucy. "They've mentioned la chute d'eau a few times. Why?"

"First, I didn't know you spoke French, and second, follow me." He led her through a thick patch of young pines that he said needed to be thinned out, to a pool that emptied over a thirty-foot waterfall. The pool looked cool and inviting, but so did the waterfall.

"Let's do it," said Lucy with a huge smile and they climbed down to the base of the waterfall, but before they could start taking off their clothes, Lucy stopped Gus with a hand to the chest. "I need to ask you a question first."

"You can ask me anything," said Gus. He started taking his shirt off, but he tugged it back into place.

"Will you marry me?"

Gus was taken aback, then suddenly blurted out, "Yes! Of course!"

"Good, I was afraid I'd die of old age before you asked me," said Lucy as she pulled her t-shirt over her head.

"I thought you said you didn't want to be tied down," insisted Gus.

"With you I don't feel tied down, I feel like I have a partner."

"That's how it's supposed to feel," said Gus. Moments later, she and Gus were nude under the waterfall, kissing and marveling at the changes their lives had taken in the past 9 months. "You know I'm going to do a proper proposal now," said Gus.

"You're sure you're not disappointed in me?" asked Lucy. She was muscular, with a nearly flat chest, and covered with scars from several serious biking accidents.

"You should be disappointed in me, you're a surgeon and I'm barely able to put on a band-aide by myself."

"No! You know what I mean, I'm not a curvy girly girl like... like Andi or your wife, Trina."

"Come here," and he pulled her into his arms as the water splashed on them. "You need to know that I will always love Trina for being Trina, and I will always love you for being you." His kiss eased all of her worries.

Lucy started laughing, "I don't know what John and Macy see in this, it's kind of annoying."

"Come on," and Gus led Lucy by the hand to the pool at the top of the waterfalls. They eased into the pool and relaxed. The water was warm, and the sunshine was filtered by the leaves, flickered and danced and was beautiful. "Happy September," said Gus as a smiling Lucy straddled his lap.

"I like September," Lucy said as they kissed.

Their hands roamed over each other, touching and exploring. It was wonderful to be in love and naked with the one you desire so much. Gus's mouth traveled down to her tiny breast, and he gnawed on her nipple the way she likes. Nipping and biting, harder than he ever dared but spurred on by her fevered gasps of "Harder!"

For Lucy, Gus was really the first man she ever gave herself to willingly, and she was delighted in the reward she received through his love. Everything was new and exciting. His hands were rough from work, but still as tender as she needed, and he wasn't afraid to follow her directions. She placed her hands on the sides of his head and pushed him away and asked, "Why me? There's a dozen single women and church that want you, but I'm Jewish."

Gus smiled. "Evangeline Lucile, I love you for your mind, and your heart, and your spirit." He pulled her close and wrapped his big muscular arms around her and said, "And you fit. You fit in my arms so perfectly."

When they finished kissing, she looked him in the eye and said, "You are the first person on earth to ever call me Evangeline and lived to talk about it."

"I want to see that on our marriage license."

"Come here." She wiggled out of his grip and turned around and bent over, grasping the rock side of the pool, then spread her legs. "Come on." She waved her ass in invitation.

"Tell me that Evangeline will be on our marriage certificate."

"Yes! Of course, but the chances are getting slimmer if you keep me waiting!"

Gus stood, lined up his cock with her damp pussy, and pushed inside. Lucy growled deep in her throat as his cock pressed inward and spread her pussy wide around his length. Gus grabbed her hips and pushed in as far as he could go. "God that so good," groaned Lucy.

Gus pushed her hips forward until only the head of his cock remained inside of her, then he pulled her hips back and their groins met with a loud, wet slap. "Oh god you're so hot," he groaned and began fucking as hard as possible.

Lucy loved it. He was the first lover she felt free enough with to let him fuck her from behind, and he's the first man to make her cum. "Oh god I love this... fuck me August!" she snarled.

Gus pounded away at Lucy, first terrified that he was fucking her too hard, then terrified that he didn't have enough energy for her. Soon she was screaming as she came and Gus finally let go and fucked as hard as he could. "I'm going to cum in you Evangeline."

Lucy began slamming her exhausted ass back on Gus as he groaned and came in her, and finally he fell back into the water with Lucy sitting on his wilted cock. "That was so good," she groaned and kissed Gus. "But I'm still going to kill you."

Yi spent the morning with Kenny at Cattaraugus Creek, down in the Zoar Valley

Kenny took her to Doctor Jarecki's secret fishing spot, a spot he was asked never to divulge. They spent hours casting dry flies and trying to get that fly to drift over a suspected monster trout. Kenny usually caught three or four each time they went fishing, and he released all of them, but Yi kept trying. She's mastered deep sea fishing. "How hard can this be?"

"You're trying to out-think a creature that doesn't really think, it acts purely on instinct," said Kenny.

"It's instinct is to piss me off!" snarled Yi. She was trying to forget her treatment at the hands of Craig Larsson and the only man she talked to other than Paul was Kenny. She had a black eye and her face had cuts and bruises from being slapped around by the drunken lout. He was angry because he tried to rape her, but he couldn't get hard. "Trying to push a rope?" she asked, and that's when he started hitting her. She felt so stupid for dating someone that both Ayato and Julissa warned her to stay away from. She thought they were being nosey, and all this time Ayato was just wanting to connect with the only other Asian in town, and she felt horrible about that too.

"Are you going to church tomorrow?" asked Yi out of the blue after a perfect cast. She never talks about church and only goes when Andi asks her to.

"Yep," said Kenny. "It's kind of a special service. Pastor John has a service every Labor Day weekend for the kids heading off to school, especially the kindergarteners."

John and Marie-Claude tried to do everything they could for the children, long before they realized they were ready to have one. It is small town America at its finest. It doesn't matter if you have a kid on the team, everyone turns out for the baseball and football games and cheers for Springville's finest. They go to the school on prom night to see the neighbors' kids all dressed up. They watch the little ones playing in the park and eventually learn their names and cheer them on as they grow and play sports and someday graduate. Boy's baseball and girls' softball ruled the summer with league competitions on the holidays. Yi is just getting used to this. She's used to softball in the winter months down in Florida and Jupiter is more like a retirement community, but smaller towns like Sebastian and Wabasso felt like this..

"If I can cover this shiner, I'll go," said Yi. "Yeah, I think I'll... I'll... I... I GOT ONE! I GOT A TROUT!"

"Ok, play him gently, like you would play a sail fish but gentle, remember how small that hook is," said Kenny as he reeled in his line and moved behind Yi. He readied the net, and he watched over her shoulder. His excitement rose as her joy at the catch rose. "You can do it surfer girl, you got him, bring him to us," said Kenny as he readied the net.

Kenny moved smoothly and stealthily and as the trout got close, he moved so he wouldn't throw a shadow on the fish and freak him out even more. Then, as gently as he would lift a newborn baby, he scooped the trout out of the creek. "My God! He's beautiful!" gasped Yi.

"It's a rainbow," gasped Kenny.

"Yeah, so?"

"This creek was stocked with brown trout... he's a holdover from previous stockings." They marveled at Yi's four pound "man eating rainbow trout" and took pictures of her holding her trout after Kenny promised to Photoshop out the bruises. Then, instead of putting him in her creel, Yi crouched down and released her monster trout, who swam off and ducked under a log.

Without realizing how it happened, Kenny and Yi were kissing, their lips pressing gently because of her injuries, but their tongues dancing and swirling with each other. They stood in the creek waters holding each other tight, their love for each other spilling over and threatening to sweep them away. When their kiss broke, Kenny swept the slender Asian lovely into his arms and carried her to shore and laid her down on the warm sand.

"Kenny," Yi gasped. She didn't know what she was supposed to say next, don't? or don't stop? Kenny solved that by popping open her bikini top, and he began kissing and suckling her tight, firm breasts. He nipped on her nipples, causing thrills that made her gasp and arch her back, trying to force more breast into his mouth.

As he gnawed at her breasts, his hand slid down and popped open her cut-off shorts and slipped under the waistband. As he made love to her tit with his hungry mouth, his fingers probed under her panties and searched for the source of moisture. "Kensington," she gasped in boneless ecstasy as her fingers wrapped in his hair.

They struggled out of their shorts, and she grasped his cock and guided it to her pussy that somehow felt sadly empty. As he pressed inward, her dark brown almond-shaped eyes met his light blue eyes, and they tried to read each other's mind. That ended as he pressed inward and felt her stretching around his cock. Her heels dug into his ass and urged him in deeper and deeper. They tried kissing again, but her swollen lip made it painful for her, which was not a turn-on in this case.

Kenny kissed her long, slender neck, driving her crazy as his cock plunged into her over and over. Yi came faster with Kenny than with any other man. She wrapped herself around him and hung on tight as waves of ecstasy washed over her. When she returned to her body, she realized Kenny hadn't cum yet. "Cum in me," she urged him. "Cum for me."

Her urging and her hands exploring his body drove Kenny over the edge and soon he was cumming deep in her pussy.

They lay panting in the late summer sunshine and Kenny pulled Yi on to him and she rested her head on his chest. "I know you love me," she whispered. "I want to thank you for not blabbing it out while I try to pull my head out of my ass."

"I thought you didn't notice."

"I did, and I love you too, but I'm so confused... I want you forever, and the way you're treating me after yesterday tells me that's a good thing, but I don't know what to do. I don't want to give up my job, Paul and Andi are my family. I love my twins and I can't wait to see the baby, but I don't want to give that up."

"I'll never ask you to give that up," said Kenny. "The way things are going at the shop, I'll probably come to Doc Jarecki looking to see if he needs a gardener."

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It was a lot of fun that Sunday at church. You can tell when John is having a good time because he just glows. And today is one of the best. School traditionally starts on the Wednesday after Labor Day and they have a special service for the children, especially for the new kindergarteners. All elementary school students get a backpack filled with items that were on their school supply list donated by Paul and Andi.

John's joy was multiplied by the fact that this would be the last Sunday he would give the children's back to school sermon without having a child. Macy sat next to Andi and Paul, and next to them sat Gus, as usual, but also Lucy came as a surprise. And surprise of surprises, Veronica and Josh were there. John almost chuckled every time he looked down at Lucy. He knew why she was there with Gus; they had a meeting scheduled for later that afternoon, but the look on her face told him everything.

John told a tale of standing on the bow of a bobbing boat at the foot of Niagara falls in awe of the power and majesty and applied that to his theology. "Could we have the kids from Children's Church?" said John at the end of his sermon.

"Excusez-moi, s'il vous plaît," said Macy as she got up and joined John on the pulpit.

Tammy Schatz pushed a wheeled cart out from the dressing room behind the pulpit and it was filled with backpacks. Macy would take a pack from the pile, read the name on the tag and she would call the child up. She would hand the child the backpack and John would give them some encouraging words as they went off to school. John always started with the eighth graders (only three this year) and worked down to the kindergarteners because the youngest ones, the first graders, and the kindergarteners always had something funny to say.

He made his way down to Madeline and Sandy, who, in their short term here at Springville Congregational, have become tiny celebrities. They always had something funny to say. "Did you have fun this weekend?"

"Uh huh," said Sandi. "We made momma frow up at Niagara Falls."

"Aunt Macy too!" said Madeline. They were loud enough for the entire congregation to hear.

"Those are your girls," Kenny whispered to Yi.

"I'm so proud," said Yi, and she had a hard time to hold back her laughter. She was wearing oversize sunglasses to hide her black eye.

"Are you two ready for school?" asked John.

"Uh huh, but we won't be there long," said Sandy.

"We have a baby bruver to play with," added Madeline, which caused the congregation to roar with laughter.

"He's going to be asleep!" insisted Macy.

"I can wake him up," said Sandy proudly.

"OH NO YOU WON'T!" Andi nearly shouted, adding to the laughter.

"If you're not going to school you won't need these neat backpacks full of really cool schools supplies."

"Well..." thought Sandy.

"We'll give it a try," said Madeline, and slinging their backpacks, the twins dashed to their parents. John said a prayer, and they sang a hymn in parting as John and Macy walked up the aisle so they could take up position at the door and say goodbye to their friends and congregants as they left.

When the hymn was over, the congregation filed out slowly, almost sad to leave. The end of the hymn didn't end their Sunday morning. Many people gathered in the foyer between the sanctuary where the service was held, and the large fellowship room that was surrounded by classrooms and the kitchen. These were friends who grew up together, and they enjoyed their Sunday mornings together. Most of them were there to vote on John and Macy's hiring, and were there to witness the painful, yet ultimately joyful reunion of John and Paul.

Many gathered outside under the covered driveway loop that allowed folks to be dropped off at the door out of the rain and snow. Gus hated it because it was a pain to plow snow with those big concrete pillars at the end of the big, covered roof and the rock garden that bordered the driveway.

But there would be no need for a snowplow today. It was a beautiful day. The warm autumn sunlight shone through the leaves that were hinting at their futures in gold and crimson, and the world had that smell of an abundant harvest in progress.

Right at the door, Gus and Lucy stopped as folks were preparing to leave, and they turned to their best friends. Paul had the hands of the twins, who were excitedly chattering about their new backpacks sliding back and forth between English and TwinBabble® as he chatted with Gus. "By the way," asked Gus, "Would you do me the honor of being my best man?"

At the same time, Lucy asked Andi, "would you be my matron of honor?" Andi's shriek of joy for her friend rang off the overhead canopy and disguised the roar of a nearby engine.

"Yes! Oh my God yes!" and they walked toward their cars, excitedly chattering about the upcoming nuptials. When is it going to be? Will it be here? Are you going to wear a gown? Can I bring Danny? Andi had dozens of questions and she was firing them off faster than Lucy could register them, let alone answer.

"I would be honored to be your best man," said Paul as he tried to figure out how to shake Gus's hand but keep hold of the twins.

Ahead of them Andi and Lucy were chatting excitedly, then Lucy stopped and said, "Hang on, I need to give Gus back his bible," and she turned to hand the tome to Gus.

That's when the world stopped for Paul.

He heard the roar of that engine...

He heard John shriek "ANDI!" and he saw John dive past him in slow motion...

He saw John shove Andi. Then his vision was blocked by a beige Toyota roaring past...

He saw the bodies of Andi and John rolling to a stop and that's when he heard Macy's scream...