UNDER CONSTRUCTION, CHAPTER 28

 

            The next morning Adam was awake before Charlie. He ordered breakfast from room service and made his morning ablutions before waking Charlie. The ring on his finger kept catching the light and his eye as well. It looked good there, a large band of gold with flowers and leaves etched in the center cut-down part. He hadn’t seen it until Charlie put it on his finger yesterday. He took it off to examine it closely and found she’d had the inner surface engraved as well with their names and the date. He placed it back on his finger and swore he would never ever remove it again.

A knock at the door indicated breakfast had arrived. As he went toward the door, he smacked her bottom and said, “Charlie, wake up. Time to rise and shine. We’ve got lots to do today and breakfast’s here.”

She moaned as she pulled the pillow over her head. Adam came back with a cup of coffee which wasn’t going to help at all since it was decaf. “C’mon, let’s get with it.”

“Nope, not until you tell me about my honeymoon.” Charlie responded yanking the pillow back.

“Only way you’re going to find out is to get out of that bed, eat breakfast, get ready and accompany me to the airport. We have to be there by 12:30 pm.”

Charlie didn’t even get to look in her bags because they were already at the airport to see what had been packed. Her mamma or Sandi had put clothes in the closet for her to wear that day and would return to pick up the wedding finery and Adam’s tux later that morning. Of course, she didn’t know that until Adam told her about the arrangements. She’d felt a bit cranky when she woke up, but that really increased the crankiness she felt. If there was one thing Charlie really hated, it was having other people know what was happening when she didn’t.

So, she wasn’t very warm and nice to Adam or to her mamma and Sandi when they arrived. “What’s your problem little girl?” her mamma asked.

“You and Adam fighting already?” Sandi asked.

“No, we’re not fighting. He just won’t tell me where I’m honeymooning. You know I hate it when everyone else knows what’s going on. So, just tell me where I’m going.”

 “They don’t know either.” Adam responded. “All they know is the kind of clothes and shoes to pack for you. That’s it. So quit being bitchy to these lovely ladies, give them what they came for and let’s head for the airport. The sooner we get there, the sooner you’ll have your answer.”

Charlie apologized to her mamma and Sandi, gave them big hugs and professed her undying thanks for all their help with the wedding, before and after. Once they’d gone, Adam and Charlie headed for the airport and Charlie finally found out their destination…Kenya.

When they’d checked in and Charlie realized where they were going, she could barely keep herself from climbing all over Adam and showering him with hugs and kisses. “How did you know that’s the one place I’ve always wanted to go?”

“You told me.”

“I did. When did I tell you?”

“It was back in the beginning, before we got really involved. I think we were sharing a beer on your porch and got to talking about all the places we’d like to visit one day. You said then that your top three was: Kenya so you could go on a Safari and see all the animals in their habitats, China and Costa Rica. You never gave me any reasons for China and Costa Rica, so I went with Kenya.”

Adam had arranged everything. They flew first class with a stop-over in Amsterdam and then it was on to Nairobi where they joined a group of 14 other people, not including the guides. Everyone had dinner together and there was a lot of joking and kidding once their fellow travelers found out they were newlyweds. Following dinner, the chief guide and his assistants held a short seminar where they talked about where in Kenya their clients would be going as well as what they could expect to see in various places. They were provided with small booklets that contained additional information about where they’d be staying during the safari.

Charlie was excited to find out they wouldn’t be hauled around in a bus, but in three Range Rovers that had open tops so you could stand up, look about and take photographs. The chief guide, Anthony, would move between the three Rovers, but each driver was an educated guide as well. Their Rover’s driver’s name was Daniel and Charlie just knew she was going to be asking him a gazillion questions as they moved about.

Early the next morning, once they’d had breakfast, the drivers came with the Rovers, packed in the luggage and off they went. Charlie and Adam sat together and stared out the windows as the SUV went down what served as a highway. It was so bumpy the driver drove fast so the SUV skimmed the tops of the bumps instead of going down in to each and every gully. Charlie glanced at the speedometer just once and swore not to look again. They were flying at over 70 miles an hour and if something happened out here, it wasn’t like Medic 1 or a helicopter would be handy to take care of anyone injured.

The hotel had packed box lunches for them, so with the exception of stopping to use bathrooms and what an experience that was. Charlie wasn’t sure she could possibly use the one they stopped at in the afternoon but she somehow managed to keep her shorts out of the muck and not fall into the disgusting mess in what was supposed to be a toilet. She told Adam later it was worse than any Sani Kan she’d ever used. Hopefully there wouldn’t be too many stops like that.

The other thing that was available when they stopped besides bathrooms were the various little markets that fronted the buildings. A wide variety of Kenyans were selling a wide variety of items and Charlie bought a packet of what were supposed to be gift cards. Each card had a piece of material carefully glued to it and the variety of Kenyan animals had been batiked on the material. They were works of art as far as she was concerned.

At the end of the day, they arrived at the Mountain Lodge and the focus here was the waterhole a short distance away. They had a wonderful dinner and were told when the animals came to the waterhole after dark, they would be waked so they could get up and watch. Charlie was sound asleep when the knock on the door came and the resulting watch wasn’t very exciting. It was a bit too dark to see much and all the animals appeared to get along so they could drink. She was happy to go back to bed but Adam stayed up and watched for a while.

They next morning after a sumptuous breakfast, they got back into the rovers and headed out. Their first stop was at the equator where the guides did a demonstration showing how water went down a funnel clockwise on one side and counter-clockwise on the other side. Charlie and Adam took photos of each other standing with one foot north and the other south of the equator and one of the other guests took photos of them together. They were also each given a certificate certifying they’d crossed the equator.

Then it was on to Samburu. There, each couple had a cottage in which to stay and the first game drive of the safari was that afternoon. The various guides, both with their group as well as other groups, kept in touch via radio so if one found a good site, others could be advised. Driving around, they saw impala, zebra and giraffe. Then, the sky opened up and before the guide and men in the van could get the top closed, the folks inside were fairly wet. The deluge didn’t last long and then the sun came out and the guide opened the roof again. They saw dik-dik and even a leopard tortoise which wouldn’t have appeared if it hadn’t rained.

As the game drive continued, they came across elephants and Charlie was tickled to see the animals actually hold tails as they move along. One mother even stopped in the middle of the road so her baby could nurse. They were treated to the site of gazelles, cape buffalo, bushbucks and even a mother lion with cubs. Charlie couldn’t wait to share all the photos she’d taken.

At dinner, Charlie finally couldn’t stand it any longer and had to ask why they were given so many pieces of silverware. She was told it was the result of the British occupying Kenya for decades. It was the way the Kenyans were taught to set a table. And here, Charlie thought her mamma had taught her everything there was to know about proper table setting. She took a photo just so she would be able to show her mamma.

The following morning, they went on another game drive which ended at a Samburu Native village. The Samburu Chief met the group and talked about his village and how his people lived. The meeting was held under their Parliament Tree where the elders would meet to talk about their people’s needs and render decisions about any problems that might arise.

Then it was time to visit the village which was surrounded by a boma, or fence was made of branches with huge thorns. In the evening, the village’s cattle were brought inside and the gate closed so the wild hunters couldn’t get inside at either the cattle or the people. The women of the village performed a welcome dance wearing brightly colored material and beautifully made necklaces, bracelets and head pieces. The women appeared joyful and Charlie felt joy as well until one of the elders told her the women with silver bracelets had been circumcised. She had read about this horrible practice and had been told not to mention it at all, no matter what so she didn’t comment. She did, though, feel very bad for those women. It would be hell to never ever have an orgasm.

The homes of the people weren’t as tall as Adam and made of sticks and covered with cattle dung. Invited to go inside one, Charlie and Adam acquiesced. It was pitch dark and Charlie thought they were alone inside until she took a photo and used her phone’s flash. A mother and child were just across the firepit from them.

When it was time to move on, Charlie was so hot she thought she was going to pass out. To reach their vans and water, they had to move through a gauntlet of village women selling a wide variety of handmade items. All she cared about was getting to the van and having a nice long drink, so she didn’t stop to buy but stumbled on to the van. When they got back to the lodge, the swimming pool was utilized by every single member of their group. The water felt wonderful.

The next few days were spent going on morning and late afternoon game drives. She and Adam added crocodiles, leopards, as fish eagle and vervet monkeys to their animal list. The most interesting drive though involved three lionesses. Initially, there was only one, but she was soon joined by two others. Across the river, the bed of which was wide but with little water, were some zebras that had come down to drink. The zebras were skittish and perhaps saw the one lioness leave the other two and head upstream. The other two waited and then went around the van and into a shallow gully water had made. The zebra continued to drink and then turned to trot and the gallop up the river bank and into the wood. From the left came the single lioness that had disappeared first. She was trotting at an angle toward where the zebra had gone. The other two lioness got up and trotted down the bank and joined her. As the three vanished into the woods on the other side, the guide told the van’s occupants that they would eat well tonight, meaning the lionesses.

Their next stop was Lake Nakuru which appeared bright pink from a distance. That was due to the flamingos that live there. During the day, the birds flock around the edge of the lake and when night falls, they move to the center to stay safe from predators. There was also a huge flock of pelicans. During their transit, they saw wildebeest and white rhinos. The guide said the rhinos were becoming more and more endangered with very few in the area.

Then it was on to Masai Mara. It was the strangest lodge Charlie and Adam had ever seen, but it definitely seemed environmentally friendly since each room or cabin looked as though it had grown right out of the ground, all gray and smooth. Tenants were encouraged to keep their windows closed so the local monkeys wouldn’t visit and steal whatever was laying around. There were more game drives and those who were interested could go on a fishing trip to a nearby lake. Adam decided he would do that, so Charlie went on the game drive alone. She almost didn’t, but later was so happy she had because she finally saw the last of the big five…a cheetah. The big cat chased after a gazelle but must not have been too terribly hungry because she stopped before bringing it down, sat and proceeded to groom herself as if to say she didn’t want it anyway.

Their last day at Masai Mara included a visit to a Masai village. They went in the early morning so the heat wasn’t horrid. The cattle had just been allowed out of the boma to graze shortly before their arrival. The inside of the village was much like the one at Samburu except the ground was covered in fresh and squishy cowpies. Charlie had to laugh to herself as she wondered what the natives thought of their visitors trying to tiptoe through all the crap.

Again, they were greeted by the Chief and the women performed a welcome dance. Charlie couldn’t believe it when the women each went up to one of the visitors to get them to join in the dance. Charlie was a good sport and figured why not even though her sandals would probably never be the same.

At this village the women set up an actual market so the visitors could meander through and spend time looking at the various offerings. Charlie bought a bunch of hand-made earrings, several beaded necklaces, a couple of small woven baskets and some cloth that had to have been hand dyed.

The last game drive that afternoon was rather exciting. The guide was driving their van along looking for game when he suddenly stopped and looked through his binoculars. When he put them down, he informed his guests that they must make haste to leave there. When he was asked why, he said, “When you see elephant with five legs and wet patches on either side of its face, you go fast. It is an elephant in musth. These animals are unpredictable and could easily ram us and knock us over.”

Everyone in the van tried to get a photo of the elephant with five legs, but only the few with cameras with telephoto lenses might have been lucky enough to get that photo op. Charlie told them if they were successful, she would, pretty please, love a copy.

Their farewell dinner was lovely and the chef had prepared the fish Adam and his fellow fishermen had caught. They were delicious and the wine flowed freely with everyone talking about their favorite parts of the safari. When it came to head for their room, Charlie handed out business cards to one and all in the hope the few fellow travelers she really liked would stay in touch. Besides, she wanted a copy of that five-legged elephant photograph.

Packed up and in bed Adam asked, “Well, was this everything you hoped it would be?”

“Yes, yes, yes. I loved seeing all the animals in their natural habitat and being treated as though I was someone very special. I do feel bad for the Kenyans though because life has to be so hard. Maybe there’s something we can do once we get home to provide some form of assistance. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a lovely and generous idea. I also think I want to make love to my wife for the last time on the African continent, at least for this trip.”

Charlie’s laugh was quiet and cut off by Adam’s mouth coming down on hers.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION, CHAPTER 27

 

          After what seemed like months instead of weeks, Charlie’s wedding day arrived. Althea had insisted she spend her last week as an unmarried woman at home in her old bedroom. It didn’t make any sense to Charlie and Adam, but if that’s what her mamma wanted, she’d go along to get along. Besides, there’d been a bridal shower that week, plus a sitting at the photographer’s and a minutia of small details that her mamma insisted she help with.

Althea bustled into Charlie’s room with a tray that contained decaffeinated coffee and a sweet roll. She pulled open the curtains once she’d set the tray down and instructed Charlie to get up while she ran a bath.

“There’s lots to get done today, so the only relaxing time you’re gonna get will be in this bath. After you pull yourself together, we’ll head for the salon. We have appointments to have manicures and pedicures and our hair fixed. By the time we get through all that, it will be time to go to the church and get dressed for the wedding.”

“Yes mamma. You’ve only told me that about a hundred times now. And, yes, I know Patricia and Sandi and my bridesmaids will all be at the salon.” Charlie yawned widely and stretched. “I am so tired. I’ll be so glad when this day ends and I can do nothing but sleep as long as I want.”

The morning flew by and before she was really ready, Charlie was at the church with her bridal party. As a gift, she had chosen necklaces. Each one was slightly different because each pendant was a crystal that reflected a rainbow of colors, reminiscent of Charlie’s gleaming dress. Each pendant was suspended on a slightly thicker gold chain because of the crystal’s weight. If her bridal party didn’t want to wear them after the wedding, they would also make great suncatchers dangling in front of a window or from the car’s rear view mirror.

Charlie had wanted the photographs to be taken before the wedding, but her mother wouldn’t agree. The photographer would take all the pictures while the guests left the church and traveled to the hotel ballroom. Since Charlie hadn’t had to weigh in on the church, the ballroom, the decorations or pretty much anything at all, she gave in and agreed to photos after. Besides, it might be fun to see Adam’s face when he saw her in her wedding gown.

Althea, Sandi and the other four bridesmaids were dressed and ready to go well before Charlie. That was because they were going to fuss over her to the point where she wanted to kick off her high heels and run right out of the church. But finally, everything had been taken care of appropriately. When Charlie looked in the full-length mirror, she had to admit she looked better than she’d ever looked in her life.

Her dark hair had been brought up into a chignon at the back with tendrils allowed to escape both beside her face and in the back. The band of white rosebuds with baby’s breath Sandi had envisioned, graced the top of her head like a crown. The gown wasn’t too tight and the pearls she’d received as a gift on her sixteenth birthday graced her neck. The short lacy glittery train would look elegant as it glided along the aisle behind her. After the wedding, it could be unbuttoned and removed.

Althea brought her the sheaf of white roses Charlie would carry down the aisle. “Baby, you look so beautiful. If I’m not careful, I’m gonna start bawling and ruin all my makeup. I’m so happy Charlie. Thank you for this experience. Your mamma loves you.”

“I love you too mamma. Now go on, git. You need to be walked down the aisle by Adam’s brother so he can join Adam up front. And, here’s daddy, ready to escort me down the aisle and give me away.”

Althea gave Charlie one more little hug and then turned to Simon and gave him a hug too. “Isn’t she beautiful Simon. It’s our little girl. “

“Yes Althea, Charlie is very beautiful today, but then I’ve always found our girl beautiful, even when she was a red-faced squalling newborn.”

It wasn’t long before the doors were opened and the bridesmaids began their walk down the aisle. Sandi came last and once she’d arrived at the front and turned; the wedding march began to play.

Simon patted Charlie’s hand which lay upon his arm. “Here we go baby. I just want you to know though that while I may say I’m giving you away, you’ll always and forever be daddy’s little one.”

Her daddy’s pet name for her had always been little one, no matter how old or big she got. His words made her eyes well and she took a huge breath to keep her eyes from overflowing. Instead, she squeezed his arm as she looked toward Adam at the front. Adam’s face registered what she thought was awe as well as pride and so much love. They stared at each other as her daddy slowly walked her down to meet him.

“Who gives Charlotte to Adam to be his bride and wife?” The minister asked.

“Her mother and I do.” Was her daddy’s response.

The minister moved on with the wedding, saying all the phrases Charlie and Sandi had practiced when they were playing wedding as they grew up. She and Adam got through the “do you take” and “with this ring” parts, but the most important part was what they’d written to say to each other just before the minister pronounced them husband and wife.

They had already turned and were facing each other. Now, they held hands and Adam began, “Charlie, on this our wedding day; and besides the vows I’ve already said, I promise to: Always share the events of my days as I hope you will share yours. Always make sure you leave each morning with a good breakfast in your tummy and have a hot meal waiting at the end of each day. Always share my joys and sorrows with you because I know sharing will increase the happiness and heal the sorrow. Always share my bed with you so I may feel your presence even while sleeping and dreaming. And always and forever keep you at the forefront of my mind and heart because I love you.”

Now it was Charlie’s turn. “Adam, on this our wedding day; and besides the vows I’ve already made, I promise to: Always put your wants and desires at the very top of my list. Always include you in whatever plans I make, even those I didn’t consult with you about. Always be your best friend and advocate. Always be the best wife and mother, when the time comes, as I can possibly be. Finally, it is my fondest wish that we, as a married couple, grow together as our own parents have during their lifetimes.”

They turned back to the minister who said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Together, Charlie and Adam walked back down the aisle. Each one had a huge smile they shared with those in attendance. They went right into the bridal parlor where they were joined by the rest of the wedding party and the parents. As soon as the church emptied, they went back out to join the photographer and allow him to order them about as needed.

Even though she felt great, Charlie wasn’t sure she was capable of smiling one more time as ordered. Fortunately, the photographer was just about finished. After a few more photos, Sandi unbuttoned Charlie’s train and with it layered over her arm, she joined the rest of the party out front. Once sorted into the various cars, they headed for the hotel.

In the ballroom, a greeting line was quickly set up and people began to file through, congratulating everyone and wishing everyone well. Charlie’s feet were numb by the time they got to go sit down at their table. She kicked the heels off and vowed she wasn’t going to put them on again. Not having eaten anything since the roll her mamma had provided for breakfast, Charlie was ravenous. The wait staff couldn’t bring the courses fast enough as far as she was concerned.

Once dinner had been served and cleared, Charlie found it was necessary to cram her toes back into her shoes. First, she and Adam had to cut the cake so the attendees could be given desert. Then, Adam had to get the garter off her thigh so he could fling it at the unmarried young men. Then, Charlie had to throw the single women a wedding bouquet prepared for just that purpose. Her sheaf of roses would go home with her mamma. Finally, she and Adam had to lead the first dance before she could move on to her daddy and then Adam’s daddy.

When they were able to return to their chairs, Charlie leaned over and told Adam, “You’d better be ready to massage my feet for at least an hour if we ever get out of here. My feet are killing me.”

Adam laughed and responded, “Charlie, take those damn shoes off. You can go without shoes the rest of the night and if I have to carry you out of here, that’s just fine. For that matter, can you get your feet up in my lap now?”

Charlie had again removed her shoes and managed to scoot her chair around so she could put her feet up. The sounds she made as Adam began to rub her feet were practically orgasmic.

“Charlie, cut it out. People are going to think I’m doing more than rubbing your feet.”

“Sorry Adam, but you have no idea how good that feels. My feet just might not fall off after all.”

The party continued for a while and various people stopped by their table to chat, offer advice and just plain tell them how happy they were for them and their future. Eventually, at least half the attendees had left and Charlie sought out her mamma to ask if she could leave now too.

“Yes, you and Adam can go on up to your room.”
          “Room. I thought we were leaving on our honeymoon.”

“You are. Tomorrow I thought. You know Adam hasn’t shared much about the honeymoon with me. He did tell me and Sandi what to pack for you beyond the lovely wedding night ensemble.”

“What did he tell you to pack? He hasn’t told me a single thing.”

“Not telling missy. I want to stay on Adam’s good side.”

Charlie went back to Adam and told him they could sneak out and go to their room. Once in the elevator, Charlie asked, “So, I thought we were leaving on our honeymoon tonight, but mamma said we’re spending the night here. Now, tell me what’s gonna happen tomorrow.”

Adam pushed Charlie back against the elevator wall and indulged himself in a big kiss. He was going to add a little foreplay when the door opened on their floor. Fortunately, no one was waiting to get on, so they didn’t have to be embarrassed.

At the room door, Adam used the card and opened the door before picking Charlie up and carrying her into the room. “I plan to do that again when we get back to your house as well as when we move into our new house.”

Charlie’s arms were around Adam’s neck. He’d loosened his tie and opened his collar, so she nibbled on his neck and his ears. “You’d best stop that unless you want me to toss you down, yank up that skirt and have my way with you. “

“Mmmmmm, that sounds delightful although if you do that, you won’t be able to help me out of this dress or see me in what my mamma called my wedding night ensemble. It’s probably all white lace and silky but still sweet and demure.”

Adam put Charlie down, but clasped her hands with his. “Did I tell you how beautiful you looked walking down the aisle with your daddy? If I didn’t, I meant to. I thought my heart was going to swell out of my chest. I didn’t think I could possibly love you more than I already did, but seeing you in that dress, those roses in your hair, I fell even more in love than before.”

“No, Adam, you didn’t actually say those words to me, but all I had to do was look at your face and see them. If I’d had a single doubt about marrying you, and I didn’t, seeing your face as my daddy and I started down the aisle would have erased it.”

They shared a long and intimate kiss. When Adam pulled back, he said, “You’d best turn around so I can undo all those buttons. If you want me to see that wedding night outfit, we’d best stop kissing and touching or you won’t get to wear it.”

Once Adam had undone all the buttons with a little touching and kissing here and there on her back, Charlie went into the bathroom and was amazed by the gown hanging behind the door. It was made of the finest cotton, so sheer you could see right through it. Long, billowy sleeves and a high neck, with a row of small buttons down to mid-chest, it looked very demure. Not exactly what Charlie had thought a wedding night gown would look like.

Charlie took a quick shower and lotioned herself up with Adam’s favorite. Teeth brushed and hair combed so it fell down the front and back of the gown, she couldn’t believe how the gown no longer looked demure. Her nipples poked out and the hair at the base of her tummy showed through as did her skin wherever it came in contact with the material. It was remarkable how something that looked so prim on the hangar practically screamed sex, sex, sex once it was on her body.

Adam had turned down the lights and the bed while he waited. As Charlie moved around the bed to her side, his eyes widened and a soft whistle sounded in the silence. “Wow, if that’s your mamma’s idea of demure, I’m extremely impressed.”

“Go on Adam, get yourself ready for bed. I’m so tired I just might fall asleep before you get back.”

“Be back in a jiffy.”

Adam came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. “My daddy didn’t get me a wedding night outfit, so you’ll have to be happy with this towel.” He did a bit of a bump and grind before yanking it off and letting it drop.

It was obvious his penis was ready to begin the festivities. Charlie got up from the bed and did a slow waltz in front of the candles. Every part of her showed through the thin cotton and it wasn’t long before Adam joined her, rubbing her breasts through the material as they swayed together and his cock rubbed up against her soft clad tummy. They were both more than ready to move to the bed when Adam leaned down and grabbed the gown’s hem. In one smooth move, he pulled it up and over Charlie’s head. She didn’t know when he’d undone the little buttons, but it wouldn’t have fit over her head if they’d been closed.

Adam picked Charlie up and moved to the bed. They exchanged kisses and then began to kiss and lick each other’s necks and ears. As Adam began to move relentlessly down Charlie’s body, she managed to squirm around so their heads were moving in opposite directions. As he nibbled on her tummy, she nibbled on his, holding his cock out of the way. As he moved further south, so did she, wet kisses were blown upon, thighs were gently scratched, sucked and kissed. They ended up at each other’s toes before moving back up each other’s bodies.

This time when Adam got to Charlie’s pussy, he spread her lips and began to blow on her clit. When she took his cock into her mouth, her hands gently clasped his balls, Adam took her clit into his mouth and gently sucked. Both were ready to orgasm, but neither one wanted to take that last final step to make it so. Instead, they licked and kissed their way back up until once again their mouths found each other.

Then it was slow languid kisses, hands that moved slowly over warmed skin, bodies that rubbed against each other in a slow and voluptuous manner. Finally, Adam pushed Charlie’s legs wide and positioned himself between them. Charlie reached down and drew his penis to her entrance. Barely inside, they both halted, shared more kisses and slowly Adam entered Charlie until he was buried inside her. They lay there together, joined, excited, happy, sharing additional kisses until Charlie couldn’t stand it another second.

“Now, Adam, now. Please fuck me now. Pull it out, plunge it back in. I’m so ready to come. Please. I need you now.”

As if that’s all he’d been waiting for, Adam pulled back and plunged himself back inside. He did this slowly at first, but as Charlie’s legs came around him and clasped his ass, he began to move faster. She met each and every one of his thrusts until she could feel her orgasm begin the rip though her. As she came, on one long exhalation, she muttered, “I love you, love you, love you.”

Those words were Adam’s catalyst and he buried himself more deeply than he thought he’d ever been. His climaxes with Charlie were always great, but this one was astonishing in its power and duration. He felt boneless as he lay atop Charlie.

She was laughing as she said, “So, was that as good for you as it was for me?”

Adam started laughing as well and responded, “If I’d had any idea married sex was this good, we’d have eloped months ago.

They lay like that, laughing now and again until sleep claimed them.

 

UNDER CONSTRUCTION, CHAPTER 26

 

          Charlie didn’t give their unprotected sex any further thought, mainly because her life was so busy. Her construction company had more projects than ever which required promoting and hiring new workers. Since she’d pretty much finished up in Texas, she had Dennis fly down there to make sure the final punch list work was finished the way she wanted. She also convinced him to take his daddy so Mr. Eb could have some Texas barbeque.

Since her dad didn’t appear to have a lot to do and her mamma was wedding busy, Charlie called on him to come in to the office and help out with the promotion decisions as well as interviewing potential workers. She knew he’d do a great job because he was the one that had taught her the skills she had and used.

Meanwhile, Adam was extremely busy too. When not hunkered down in her house writing, he was at his place watching and pitching in with the remodel. Charlie didn’t check it out too often because it was Adam’s and Terrance’s project. True, one of Charlie’s crews was doing the work, but she just knew she’d end up providing unwanted input if she spent much time there. Adam wanted the house to be finished by the time they returned from their honeymoon.

Charlie had tried every trick she knew to get Adam to tell her about the honeymoon, but hadn’t had any luck at all. That man could keep his mouth tightly closed when he wanted to. All he’d told her was that when the wedding was close, he’d tell her what she needed to pack for their adventure.

What brought the night of unbridled passion in the truck back into Charlie’s head was her opening the cupboard to pull out a fresh roll of toilet paper. There, on the shelf below were her tampons and that was when she realized her period hadn’t arrived as it always had…on time. For a bit, she was sure she must have gotten the dates wrong, but when she checked the calendar on her phone, she realized she was almost three weeks late.

Unfortunately, she was at the office and could only stare at her calendar until Stephanie buzzed her to say her daddy wanted to talk to her. So, she had to push her new potential knowledge aside and get down to business. Even so, she must have looked a bit different because her daddy asked if she was okay to which she’d responded fine, followed with a laugh.

At the end of the day, Charlie drove home sort of hoping Adam would be next door. She sat in her truck for a while and tried to decide how she felt about the possibility she was pregnant. “Fuck,” she muttered to herself. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. You know without a doubt you’re pregnant. Your periods are never late. So, now what?”

She was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t realize Adam had walked up until he startled her by opening her door. “How come you’re just sitting here? I poured your wine and was going to start dishing up dinner when I realized you hadn’t even gotten out of the truck. What’s going on?”
          “Oh, just thinking about some stuff. Work and wedding plans. You know my mamma’s just about driving me crazy.” Charlie responded, climbing out of the truck and slinging one arm around Adam’s waist.

They went into dinner and talked of this and that, but Charlie was having a hard time staying focused on the conversation. She also wondered if she should be drinking her glass of wine. And, what about all the other glasses she’d drunk since that welcome home? She’d probably done something terrible to the fetus and it would mature without a head or too many toes or fingers or something horrible.

“Charlie, hey Charlie. Where did you go? What’s going on? You really aren’t yourself tonight and I don’t think it’s got anything to do with the wedding or work.”

Once again, Charlie managed to deflect Adam’s interest and forced herself to pay attention and remain focused for the remainder of the evening. She even managed to remain focused until after they’d made love and Adam fell asleep. Wide awake, she l ay there and wondered what she was going to do. Even then, she already had the answer. There was no way she was going to get rid of their baby. She was just going to have to adjust her life plan to include a baby years sooner than she’d originally wanted. She fell asleep with her arm against her lower belly as if she were hugging the tiny life within.

The next morning before she got out of bed, Charlie called into the office and left Stephanie a message that she’d be in late morning. Then, she got up, donned a nightie and sauntered into the kitchen where Adam was preparing her breakfast. Coffee was already poured into her cup and Charlie decided to drink this one last cup of caffeine. Beginning after breakfast, she knew she was going to have to eliminate a number of things she really liked at least for the next eight months and maybe even after since she didn’t know much about breast-feeding.

Adam looked up from the stove as Charlie sat down. “Hey, you’re not dressed. It’s usually all I can do to get some nourishment in you before you blast out the door. This French toast will be ready in a minute.”

“That’s good because I’m starving. I also hope you’re joining me because I’ve got a couple of things to talk to you about.”

“Aha, there was something going on last night. I just knew it, but also decided you’d share when you were ready.”

Charlie practically inhaled the French toast when Adam set her plate down. She was sipping her coffee and didn’t say no by the time Adam brought the carafe to the table with his plate. She was going to enjoy this last coffee as much as she could.

Adam buttered and added just a bit of syrup to his French toast, and cutting a bite, looked up at Charlie and said, “Okay, what’s going on?”

“Well, I hope you’re going shopping today because you need to buy some decaff coffee and I won’t be having any wine before dinner for the foreseeable future.”

“Because?”

“Remember the night I came back from Texas and insisted we have sex, unprotected sex at that, in the front seat of your truck?”

“Yeah, it was great. I loved not having anything between your skin and mine…. Oh. My. God. Are you trying to tell me you got pregnant that night?”

“Yep, my period’s three weeks late and you know I’m as dependable as anything.”

Adam jumped up and pulled Charlie to her feet. He began trying to waltz her around the room.

“This is fantastic Charlie. I knew you wanted to wait, but I sure didn’t, and now, I won’t have to. Oh, hell, wait. Are you okay with this? I mean if you’re not, but, oh hell, I don’t think I could stand knowing….” Adam had stopped cold, still holding Charlie, but looking at her with wide serious eyes.

“Relax Adam. I’m, we’re not going to do anything about this baby except bring it to term and welcome it into our family. Sure, it’s not….”

Adam’s serious face became a huge happy face and he began to dance Charlie around the room again, raining kisses all over her face.

When his exuberance almost caused them to fall, Charlie braced her feet and held Adam as still as she could. “Hey, settle down. Let’s not fall or do anything else that might shake the fetus loose.”

“Oh, my goodness. Could we have hurt it last night? Maybe we need to give up sex. Maybe….”

“Adam, sit down. Take a deep breath. Nothing’s going to change when it comes to having sex until probably the last couple of weeks. At least that’s what I understood when Sandi was pregnant. About all that’s going to change is my not having caffeine or alcohol. Well, that and my body. My body’s going to change and change a lot. I hope it doesn’t happen until after the wedding. Mamma won’t know whether to kiss me or kick me if that gown doesn’t fit properly.”

Adam got up from his chair and came to kneel by Charlie’s chair. He put his hand on her flat tummy and said, “It doesn’t matter what shape your body is in, I’ll always love it.” And, leaning down, he pressed a kiss just above her public bone. “And, you in there. I sure hope you can hear me because I love you already.”

Charlie finally got Adam to calm down enough they could talk logistics. Charlie wasn’t sure they should tell anyone until after they were married and back from their honeymoon. Adam wanted to tell everyone right that second. So, like any smart couple, they compromised. Charlie would get them invited to her parents for Sunday dinner. After they’d eaten, Adam would call his parents and they’d break the news to both sets simultaneously. Then, they’d make the parents pledge to keep the news a secret until after the honeymoon.

The dinner invitation wasn’t hard to come by because Charlie’s mamma always had wedding stuff she wanted to discuss. Charlie was able to put her off until after dinner, so conversation during the meal was fairly general and about local politics, Adam’s book, the company and its projects. Charlie helped her mom clean up and let her ramble on about the wedding gifs that were arriving, the flowers she planned to order and various other wedding musts and needs. Then, they joined Adam and ??? out on the lanai.

Adam took out his phone and pushed the button for his parents. “Hi mom. Dad around? Can you grab him and put the phone on speaker?”

Meanwhile Charlie’s parents were looking concerned. Like, why is Adam calling his parents while he’s here?

When both Adam’s parents were on the line, Charlie said, “We didn’t want to play favorites when it came to our news, so we thought the best way to tell our parents was together. We’re pregnant.”

There was complete silence for about a minute and then Charlie’s mamma erupted off her chair, tears flowing down her cheeks and grabbed Charlie in a huge hug. “C’mere Adam.” She exclaimed tearfully, “I need to hug you too.”

Althea’s tears turned to laughter and she playfully jumped around the deck. “I’m gonna be a granny. Finally, I’m gonna be a granny. Oh, this is the best news ever, isn’t it, Simon You’re gonna be a granpa. Oh, isn’t this wonderful.”

Adam’s parents weren’t quite as enthusiastic, but then they already had six grandchildren, but they congratulated everyone about the exciting and wonderful news.

“Okay,” Charlie raised her voice to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, we shared this news with all of you, but we’re not going to tell anyone else and you all have to promise you’ll keep quiet about the baby until we get back from our honeymoon. Okay?”

She looked at her mamma whose face had lost its smile. “Mamma, that means you too. You can’t be telling everyone in your garden club or even your bestest friends. I mean it mamma.”

Althea wasn’t very happy about that and tired to weasel her way to being able to tell her best friend. “Now mamma, you know Gladys has a siren for a mouth. If you tell her, the news will be all over town by the end of the next day. Besides, you’ve got the wedding and everything that’s involved with that. Surely you can talk about the wedding for a few more weeks.”

“I guess so, Charlie. At least I promise to do my best. And, Patricia, you still there? Isn’t this wonderful news?”

Over the next few weeks, Ruth Ann called Charlie every single day to find out how she was feeling. She was sure Charlie wouldn’t have morning sickness because she never did. She had all kinds of advice to offer about being pregnant and having a baby. In some ways, Charlie wished they hadn’t said anything because her mamma barely brought up the wedding unless it was something that had to have attention right now.

Charlie had also made an appointment with her doctor. Her suspicion about being pregnant was confirmed and she was given a due date the end of December or beginning of January. At least Charlie wasn’t going to have to suffer through summer heat with a huge belly. She’d probably be glad for it in the winter months.

One thing Charlie was noticing and that was how tired she was at the end of each and every day. Ruth Ann told her h at was perfectly normal because the baby was utilizing lots of energy that Charlie would have used for her own self. Now, if she could just get through the next few weeks, the hassle of the wedding would be over and she could just relax as much as she wanted and needed to.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION, CHAPTER 25

 

           Life moved along and Charlie and Adam made a couple more trips to Texas, but the house there was coming right along and the local company was doing a great job. Back home, Charlie kept her company and foremen on the move with various projects. Between that and acquiescing to her mamma’s wedding demands, she didn’t have much time to visit job sites and swing a hammer with any of her crews. When she complained to her mamma, she was told, “Well, you shouldn’t be doing any of that right now anyway. You want your skin to glow come June and your hands to be lovely with a beautiful manicure to display your wedding rings.”

Charlie seriously wished she was Adam instead of herself. He had it easy, inviting his brother, brother-in-law, editor and publisher to be his groomsmen, arrange for the gifts for them, the tuxes for them and the honeymoon. On the other hand, Charlie had to think of four more women to ask as bridesmaids. One choice was easy and that was Stephanie from the office. She and Sandi discussed her choices at length and finally settled on three women they’d hung with in high school. They all got together maybe once a year or so aside from running into each other around town. When asked, each one said she’d be delighted.

Aside from that, Charlie had to address all the wedding invitations, decide on flowers with her mamma, choose gifts for her ladies, make arrangements for hair and nails for all of her party the day of the wedding and anything else her mamma thought was necessary and proper. At least she’d been able to winnow down the invitation list, so between the two families, there would only be 250 people in attendance.

When March arrived, Charlie realized she was going to have to go spend some time in Texas. Adam was deep into his next book and wasn’t able to pull himself away. He had too much compiled research on hand to pack up and haul there. Charlie figured she’d have to be gone a couple of weeks, but those weeks turned into the entire month.

They missed each other terribly even though they talked every single evening. Sometimes their conversations turned personal and sexual, with each of them satisfying themselves and missing the skin-to-skin experience in the process. Charlie vowed once she got back home, they were going to spend an entire weekend or maybe a week just eating and having sex.

During the day Charlie was too busy overseeing the final components that would make Jessie’s home into the vision Jessie, Terrance and Charlie had imagined in the beginning. The house was situated with the entrance facing north and appeared to grow up right out of the valley floor thanks to the design and plantings. From there it curved around both sides until it met the south side. Facing south would be a huge room that could be opened using folding glass doors to the fenced swimming pool and cabana which was built to match the house. Naturalistic plantings would make this area more in tune with the surrounding environment of the small valley.

Opposite the folding doors was the kitchen with a huge island. The kitchen windows faced the interior courtyard which would provide Jessie’s small children a safe place to play. On either side of that courtyard were bedrooms, offices for Jessie and her husband, bathrooms, and some spare rooms that Jessie hadn’t yet decided how to use.

Once the roof plantings were in place, the house would truly look as though it had just popped up out of the ground. Charlie loved the fact Jessie’s family home was so environmentally friendly and that Jessie had made the decision to retain the rest of the small valley in its natural state. She could just imagine Jessie’s family making pathways throughout, playing in the little stream, building dams, climbing trees. It was going to be a wonderful home and the best construction project for which Charlie and her team had been chosen

With the beginning of April, Charlie figured she was pretty much done. Perhaps one more trip to make sure the plantings were doing well, and take care of any punch list work and she’d be done. Of course, she and Adam would come back together when Jessie held her open house, but that wouldn’t be until sometime in May. Charlie couldn’t wait to get home, to see Adam. She’d missed him way more than she’d ever thought she could. She’d especially missed the together sex because phone sex just wasn’t the same at all.

When Charlie walked into the terminal, there was Adam waiting for her with a huge bunch of flowers that were almost crushed when she threw herself into his arms for a huge long kiss and a very hard solid hug. The way Charlie felt when they separated, she could very well have thrown him on the airport floor, yanked his pants down and impaled herself on the huge cock he’d pressed against her. As far as she was concerned, they couldn’t get home fast enough.

In Adam’s truck, there was more kissing, hugging and fondling until Charlie finally told Adam to find a dark corner in the garage. There had to be one because she was desperate. Unfortunately, once Adam got the truck started, he drove out of the garage, barely stopping to pay the parking fee and onto the highway. He’d barely left the payment booth when Charlie had his pants unbuttoned and unzipped and his cock out in the open in her hand. Then she unfastened her seatbelt and leaned over to take him into her mouth saying, “Oh but I have so missed this. I have so missed you.”

Adam was positive they were going to end up in a wreck, so he took the very next exit while trying to keep Charlie’s mouth away from his cock. Once off the freeway, he quickly found a street that didn’t have much in the way of lights, and pulled into the darkest area there. Once Charlie realized what he was doing, she’d undone her own pants and was bare-assed naked by the time Adam turned off the truck.

“Push your seat back Adam, and hurry!” Charlie demanded as she clambered up to kneel on the seat and he’d no more moved the seat as back as far as it would go before she’d thrown her leg over his lap and seated his dick firmly into place.
          “Oh my God,” she breathed as she leaned back to look into Adam’s face. “I have so missed the feel of you inside me. I’m sorry but I just couldn’t wait until we got back home.”

“Well, Charlie, honey, I hope this urgency isn’t going to come back and bite you in the ass.” Adam responded, lifting her up and setting her back down.

“Oh baby, there’s no way this could possibly bite me in the ass. It feels so very good.” And she raised and slowly lowered herself again.

“In your rush, you didn’t happen to notice I’m not wearing a condom, but that must mean you started birth control pills.” This time when he raised Charlie up and brought her back down, he ground himself against her clit.

For just a moment, Charlie hesitated, but this felt so good, felt so right. She couldn’t possibly get pregnant from this one quick and very needy fuck. “It doesn’t matter Adam. This feels so great I couldn’t possibly stop now. So, we’ll have no birth control this one time. We’ll be fine. I just know it.”

For the next few minutes, there was only the sound of skin against skin, panting, heavy breathing and finally, the quiet squeal Charlie almost always made as she came and Adam felt himself join her as soon as she made the sound.

Charlie slumped on Adam, the steering wheel at her back and kind of pushing into her butt. Still, she didn’t want to move just yet and she could tell Adam wasn’t in a hurry to push her away. They stayed that way for another five minutes or more and Charlie was positive some time later that was their mistake. They should have pulled themselves apart as quickly as possible so all Adam’s little swimmers could have trickled out into her panties. Nevertheless, she always remembered that time as being so perfect because she hadn’t felt they were individuals, but one connected person together again after such a long separation.

When they did separate, they laughed and giggled about their instantaneous need for each other and wondered what coming together after a year’s separation would be like. “You probably wouldn’t have made it out of the airport.” Adam joked.

“Yeah, well don’t think I didn’t consider just throwing you on the floor when I felt all your hardness against my tummy because I did.”

“Well, let’s mosey on home now. Your place or mine. Actually, it will have to be your place for a while because they’ve begun remodeling mine.”

“That’s great. It will feel good to be in m y own bed, especially with you in it with me. How soon’s your place going to be finished? I can’t wait to see what they’re doing. I loved Terrance’s drawing and can’t wait to do some of the design work.”

“If everything goes according to plan, it should be finished by the time we get back from our honeymoon.”

“Oooooh, honeymoon. I love the sound of that word. Do tell what you’ve planned.”

“Nope, that’s going to be a surprise and part of my wedding gift, so just don’t even try to worm it out of me. Won’t work. Won’t happen.”

“We’ll just see about that once I get you tied down on a bed.” Charlie responded, putting her head on Adam’s shoulder and her hand on his thigh,

Adam laughed and responded, “Oh my. Did you learn some new tricks in Texas? Here I thought all this time you were alone in your hotel room”

“I was Mr. Smarty-pants and you know that because I was on the phone every night with you. But I did have a bit of time to read a bit of erotic fiction by a mildly famous author. He wrote a great scene where a female spy tried to seduce secrets from a man and had to resort to chains. Do you have any chains, Adam? And, how in the hell do you come up with that stuff anyway.”

Laughing, Adam responded, “It just comes to me sweetie, just comes to me and I write it all down. As for chains, nope, don’t have a single one.”

“That’s okay. I’m sure I can manage to obtain some on my own. Maybe I’ll even be kind and put a little padding so your wrists and ankles don’t chaff.”

 Adam had left dinner on the warm so they were able to eat once they’d carted Charlie’s bags into the house. And, since they’d already had a bit of foreplay and were very hungry, they ate before cleaning up the kitchen and heading for the bedroom. There, they made slow lazy love to each other and Adam wore a condom when the time came. It was wonderful to be home and to be together.

Later, verging on the very edge of succumbing to sleep, Charlie felt a little pang in her lady parts and tried to pass it off as a residual quake from her wonderful orgasms that evening. As her eyes closed in sleep though, she thought she could hear a child’s laughter and wondered if it wasn’t mother nature mocking her.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION, CHAPTER 24

 

Having Adam along was actually a blessing and if every trip to Texas included him, that would be fine with Charlie. He kept her from working 12-hour days and made sure she ate well. In fact, while she was busy with meetings or working with the construction companies being considered, he looked around and made sure they went out to visit some of the local sights. On the two weekends they were there, he made arrangements for them to leave the town they were in and travel to other areas to sightsee and enjoy Texas hospitality and food. If Charlie thought Georgia barbeque couldn’t be topped, it was because she hadn’t been to Texas. She was thinking she was going to have to bring Mr. Eb to Texas so he, or his family members, could learn some new barbeque methods and sauces.

Back home, the company’s projects were moving along nicely and Charlie’s dad hadn’t been called on too often. In fact, she was positive he felt a bit down about the fact she had things running so smoothly she could be gone for a couple of weeks, checking in only by phone or email. Meanwhile, her mamma had been busy looking at venues and checking dates for the nuptials as well as making up a guest list that had to include every single person her mamma and daddy had ever known, and that was without adding the folks Adam’s family would want to invite. Charlie was so tempted to simply break her engagement or elope, she could barely stand it, but Adam kept talking her out of doing anything so foolish.

Adam talked to his parents and they’d decided they would come down mid-February. Once that was settled, Charlie’s mom called them and insisted they plan on staying with Charlie’s family. After all, they had more than enough room and would soon be family. Until they had the big wedding meeting, Charlie refused to do one single thing that was related to her wedding, which annoyed the absolute hell out of her mamma. Charlie got around her mamma’s ire by simply not answering her phone; and on one occasion, snuck out the company’s back door when she learned her mamma had come by to have a chat.

It couldn’t simply be a meeting, it had to include food. Charlie’s mamma invited everyone for an early dinner and went so far as to have it catered by the company she planned to hire for the wedding. The food was delicious and everyone approved Ruth Ann’s choices although Charlie really wanted to call a halt to the idea of a sit-down dinner and have it be a lot simpler. Unfortunately, Patricia and Ruth Ann had hit it off and worked together on the menu, so any changes weren’t likely. Still, before the cake samples were served for dessert, Charlie whispered in Adam’s ear, “Are you sure you don’t want to elope? Please, please, please.”

Adam laughed and gave her a hug, responding, “How can you even think about eloping? Just look at how happy our mammas are. They’d probably give us such a spanking we’d be unable to sit for months. Now, just relax and go with it.”

By evening’s end, a draft plan had been assembled. Charlie dreaded to think how much longer it would take to reach a final plan, but she was willing to keep you mouth shut and participate as required. But she didn’t plan on doing anything beyond what was actually required.

The first thing on the list was to choose a wedding dress and both her mamma and Adam’s mamma would participate before Adam’s parents went back north. That meant Charlie had to carve out a day or two in the next week for that purpose. Besides the two mammas, it would also include Sandi. The women decided Wednesday would be a good day and Ruth Ann said she would call and make an appointment. Then, after the fitting, perhaps they could all go to lunch.

Wednesday morning Charlie wished she had a prescription for Xanax. It wasn’t that she’d ever taken it, but another friend relied on the medication when her life got just a bit too overwhelming. Adam kissed her goodbye and suggested she do her best to hold her tongue. “Remember, it may be your wedding, sweetie-pie, but you’re not in charge.”

Charlie stuck her tongue out at him, climbed in her truck and went to pick up Sandi. They’d meet the mammas at the bridal shop. When Sandi climbed in the truck, Charlie wanted to sneer at her wardrobe, but she had no reason since she’d dressed appropriately herself in a dress and heels. “I don’t know about you Sandi, but I feel like a little kid having to participate in a function I’d rather not.”

“Oh, c’mon Charlie, you know how much your mamma’s enjoyin’ this.  After all, you’re her only child and a girl at that. Just smile and think about great sex with Adam and you’ll be fine.”
          “Think about sex with my mamma and his mamma both right there. Is that what you did?”

“Well, not when we were tryin’ on dresses because Les and I hadn’t done the deed yet; but I certainly did fantasize about it when things started to get under my skin. Course, I was all excited to be doin’ what we’re doin’ today, unlike you. You’re such a boy-girl.”

When they arrived at the bridal shop, the owner gave them each a glass of champagne and had already pulled out several dresses for them to view. There was no way Charlie was going to wear the one that seemed to have a hoop skirt. She pointed to it and shook her head no. Another one had enough ruffles for several dresses and Charlie sent that one back as well. She looked at a few others and chose three to try. She even allowed her mamma to come into the dressing room with her.

The first one was fairly plain, but felt uncomfortable once it was on her body. The second one was so tight at the hem Charlie could barely move. She couldn’t really see herself walking down the aisle. In that dress, it would be more like mincing. She wasn’t too enthused about the third dress either. It was fairly plain and simple compared with the others, made of satin with a train made of lace. Charlie’s dislike was for the fact both dress and train glistened with sequins and beads. She did like the sweetheart neckline, with small shoulder straps and the bodice ended just below her breasts. From there, it fell straight down, ending just a few inches short of the floor. The hem became longer as it moved from front to back and the train was shaped like the hemline. It was the one Sandi insisted she try.

Once she was all zipped and buttoned into that gown, she was surprised to hear her mamma sniffle. She whipped her head around and there was her mamma with tears rolling down her cheeks.
          “Oh my Charlotte,” her mamma almost whispered, “I really thought maybe I’d never see you in wedding white. This gown is the one I know it. Now, let me dry my tears and we’ll see what everyone else thinks.”

“Mamma, I guess I never really understood how important it was to you to see me married off. I’m sorry I’ve been such a stinker, but I’m glad I waited for Adam.”

“Me too, baby, me too. Now let’s wow Patricia and Sandi.”

And wow them Charlie did. She slowly walked into the room and mounted the small platform and allowed the owner to arrange the sparkling train.

“I knew that was the one the minute I saw it.” Sandi exclaimed, walking around the platform. “With your hair down and a crown of white roses, you’ll look absolutely perfect. Don’t y’all agree?”

Patricia added, “You’ll be absolutely beautiful on your wedding day, my dear. I wasn’t sure about the glitter, but it suits you perfectly.”

Patricia and Ruth Ann hugged each other happily before Charlie returned to the dressing room. While the two women celebrated and shed a few more tears, Sandi helped Charlie remove her wedding gown. Then, it was Sandi’s turn to try on various bridesmaid dresses.

Susannah, the bridal shop owner had assembled an assortment of bridesmaid dresses and said, “Since the wedding gown has sequins and beads, I thought perhaps simple dresses would be more complimentary. And, since the wedding gown shines with different colors, perhaps an assortment of dresses that reflect that shining would be gorgeous.”

Sandi came out of the dressing room in a sky-blue dress that had silver threads woven throughout the material. Its shape was similar to that of the wedding gown but the hemline ended just above the knee and followed the oval shape to the back. She looked stunning with her lightly tanned skin, dark hair and eyes. “That’s perfect for you Sandi,” Ruth Ann exclaimed. “And I see exactly what you mean by having the dresses be complimentary. The silver gleams nicely, but won’t detract from my baby’s dress.”

Charlie had lost her battle to keep the wedding party small, so there would have to be an additional four dresses for the four women Charlie had yet to invite to be part of her wedding. Ruth Ann looked at and selected the same style dress but in a pale mint green, the material again shot through with silver. “This will complement both the matron’s and bride’s dresses and Charlie, you need to get your other four attendants in here for a fitting right away, isn’t that right Susannah?”

“Oh, my yes. The sooner we have everything ordered and fitted the better, especially if you want your June wedding.” Susannah gushed back. “And don’t forget you’re going to need veils for everyone as well as shoes.”

“Don’t worry Ms. Marshall, I’m positive my mamma won’t let a single thing slip by or slide very far down the schedule.” Charlie replied, barely keeping her comment from being completely sarcastic. Crap, she thought. Now I have to figure out which four women are going to be wearing those dresses. She wanted bang her head on the adjacent table.

Sandi, sensing Charlie’s discomfort filled her glass with the last of the champagne and told her, “Drink up sweetie. I know this will help ease your pain just a wee bit.”

Charlie drank it down in practically one gulp and followed everyone out the door. She still had to get through lunch an more wedding talk. Maybe she’d just drink her lunch and let everyone else do the talking.

Amazingly, once they’d settled in and ordered their drinks and lunch, talk did not revolve around wedding plans. Patricia asked Sandi about her family and her kids and this led to stories not only about Sandi’s kids, but Ruth Ann and Patricia telling stories about Adam and his siblings and Charlie. It was a great lunch with lots of laughter and sharing and definitely put Charlie in a better frame of mind until Patricia’s final comment about children.

“Just think Charlie, in another year or two, you’ll be able to share stories about your own children. Imagine just how much fun that will be.”

Beneath the table, Sandi pinched Charlie’s leg to keep the words she was formulating from leaving her mouth. She knew Charlie wanted to wait for several more years before getting pregnant. She also knew both the mammas would undoubtedly be praying and hoping for a grandchild exactly nine months from the wedding day, if not sooner.

That evening at dinner, Charlie regaled Adam with tales from her day with the mammas and even told him how Sandi had pinched her. “She didn’t want me to ruin lunch by exclaiming how I didn’t plan on having any kids for years yet. I know my mamma’s anxious to be a granny, but your mamma already has six. Why the hurry? I am so not ready to become a mamma myself.”

Adam looked at Charlie, his face serious. “Would it be that horrible to get pregnant right away? I know I’m ready to be a dad and would love to have a houseful of children before I’m too old to get down on the floor and play with them. Or too feeble to scare the shit out of any boy that comes sniffing around my girls.”

Charlie pushed back from the table and looked at him, her eyebrows raised, eyes wide open. “Seriously? Seriously? You want to get pregnant right away? You’re barely 35 and I’m just past 30. We’ve lots of time. And, a houseful of kids. Sheesh, I guess we haven’t talked much about our future and children, but I’m not sure I’m capable of being a mamma to more than one, maybe two.”

“Oh, Charlie, you’d be great. I just know it. Look how great you are at 4everything else. Look at how flawlessly your company runs.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to give up working at my company. Just now, we’re expanding to another state. Just imagine what I could do once that Texas house is finished and marketed. Maybe the company could grow and become something huge.”

“I have confidence in you Charlie. I bet you could be a great mamma and end up on the Fortune 500 list if that’s what you wanted. And, you know you can count on me always for all the support you’d need, not to mention all the fun we’d have making them babies.”

“Aha, here we are back to sex. I’m more than happy to have all the sex you want, but we’re going to keep on being careful, so don’t go poking holes in your condoms or switching out my birth control pills.”

“Thanks for the ideas Charlie. Where do you keep your pins around here? And, I didn’t know you were on the pill.”

“Well, I’m not, but I think I’m going to go see my doctor and get some so you don’t get carried away. My wedding dress doesn’t have room for a baby bump.”

Laughing, they got up, cleaned the kitchen and headed for the bedroom. After a long sweet kiss, Charlie murmured, “Looks like we’re gonna be practicing some baby-making. Just make sure you have a condom handy.”

WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO BESIDES NOT WRITING

 

          I’ve been feeling just a tad morose for a bit and decided I needed to look at my accomplishments rather than what’s on the “need to do” or “will never get to do” lists. I also know if I sat down and wrote more fiction, i.e., completed Under Construction and began work on the next book which is percolating in the back of my brain, I’d feel a whole bunch better. But I’ll get to that and, hopefully, soon.

          Meanwhile, I’m not sure if I reported that I had my final series of tests and CT scan and everything came back perfectly normal. That doesn’t mean I’m feeling perfectly normal because somehow my body just doesn’t want to return to the normal, I knew last November. I don’t remember waking up each and every single day feeling as though someone came through during the night and beat me with a big stick. I mean almost everything hurts when I first get up and get moving. I don’t remember that as being my normal.

          Still, I persevere and do my physical therapy and exercises every single day of the week but one…I do allow myself a day off. In addition, the Enhanced Fitness classes at the senior center started up again the beginning of May, so I go and try to enhance myself Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The other three days, i.e., Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I try to walk as I used to do Monday through Friday, but haven’t been too successful at that lately. I think I’m going to switch my walk to the evening since it’s light late. I’m sure Karma and/or Kaizer would appreciate a little sojourn through the neighborhood. Easy to plan, but follow-through is ever so much harder.

          There are two new skylights in my bathroom. They came with a remote, actually two remotes, one for each skylight but they are programmed to operate both simultaneously. I have a spare in case I mislay one of them. All I have to do is press a button and they begin opening. Another button allows me to stop the opening when it’s small or allow for it to become much larger. And, they also close when it begins to rain if I’m not around to close them, and I discovered that actually does happen. Because the bathroom always became so hot on the really hot days, now that I can allow that hot air to move up and out, I may not need to drag my air conditioner out of the closet when the warm weather arrives. That would be swell.

          I also have had the glass in two bedroom windows replaced because the seal had broken. The installers were supposed to do the living room window glass too, but the frame has been compromised so I’ll need a new frame as well. That now probably won’t happen now for another six weeks or so.

          Two new hallway rugs were purchased and laid down. I’ve also purchased enough indoor-outdoor carpet to redo the entryway to the house and a seating area under cover on the deck. I thought I’d get it done this weekend, but not it looks as though it may rain.

          Maryanne and Greg made two trips over to load up all the bricks on the side of the house. Greg has big plans for them and I’ve seen the beginning of his project. He does extremely nice work. Since the bricks are now gone and the side of the house is empty, I’m going to have Haley and her friend Alex (with AJ supervising) remove the lean-to that has existed between the house and fence for the last 50+ years. They plan to do that later this month and my neighbor to the north will be happy about that. At some point when I find a dependable and not too spendy handyman, I’ll have a gate built that will, hopefully, hide the garbage, yard waste and recycle cans.

          I haven’t yet begun to change what was the marital bedroom aside from eliminating all the stamp stuff. A fellow Lion’s Club member who is a stamp aficionado came out and put together the two airmail and one duck stamp notebooks for the boys. Then, he paid me for the face value of all the other stamps John acquired over the years and hauled them away. I know the funds I received in no way amounted to what John spent over 50 years in acquiring so many stamps, but that project is finished. Plus, I have enough postage to last me the remainder of my life, especially since I don’t send out much mail these days.

          There’s still stuff in that bedroom, but I plan to go through it, take photos and put it up for sale on FB Marketplace, Craig’s List or E-Bay in the near future. Once that room is empty, then I’m going to paint the entire thing, purchase myself a double bed with all new linens and pillows, decorate it so it pleases me and move me, myself and I in there.

          I’ve also been spending time in the garden. I planted five pots of tomatoes, one each of pumpkin, delicata and zucchini squash, beans and peas. I just this week planted a second round of peas and beans, so I should have them to eat for more than a couple of weeks. I’ve already harvested enough spinach and lettuce for three salads and it will soon be time to harvest again. I cannot wait for the tomatoes to begin putting forth fruit and ripening. I have serious hopes that my crop this year will be far better than that of last year.

          As far as flowers go, all my dahlias came up way too soon, so my plan to dig, separate and replant this spring didn’t happen. But I have managed to get out there and snip out the center of the majority of the stalks so there will be more dahlias per stalk. I also took my three pots of hanging fuchsias apart and replanted them into five pots. They’re doing nicely and hopefully will begin blooming by July. Unfortunately, my lilies are already beginning to bloom. It’s just the red ones, so I hope the others will wait a few more weeks to explode.

          Haley and I loaded the aluminum boat on to her truck and she hauled it out to Thor. The following week, she cleaned up the chicken yard, chicken house and we moved the wire fence back on to my property so the behind neighbor is happy once again. I also finally sold the brand-new boat seats John had in storage. They didn’t go for the original price, but for two-thirds less, but I’m still happy they’re off to be installed on someone else’s boat. More garage space.

          My social life has also improved since almost everyone I know has been vaccinated. It’s so pleasurable to be able to hug and be hugged back. So far, I’ve had lunch out maybe five times. There’s still social distancing and if possible, we’ve elected to eat outside if seating it is available. I’ve also gone and picked up my granddaughter Arayli and taken her for sushi. Sprouts Market in Lynnwood has $5 sushi on Wednesday. I couldn’t believe Arayli ate two entire trays, but she does love the stuff as long as it doesn’t have any fish in it. Me, I like the fish. This coming Friday, I’m going to pick up Xander and we’re going for pizza and then to a park or the beach. It’s extremely nice and fun to be able to have them back in my life on a regular basis. I’m looking forward to more summer joy with the both of them.

          I’ve also decided I need to push back my “gin time” to later in the evening. I can get so much more done outside in the late afternoon rather than having a drink, deciding I’m a bit too tired to continue and move to the couch and the book I’m reading or television.

            I have additional plans for later in the year once I find that handyman I mentioned above. The cover on the deck must be replaced and this time with opaque roofing to keep the sun out. None of my plans at this point in time include travelling either near or far. I was so excited last year to take that cruise and had made tentative plans for additional travel, however, the pandemic pretty much took care of those plans.

I don’t know what it was about the pandemic, but I’m not as excited to get in my car or on a plane and go someplace else. I don’t know if being so ill in December has made me extremely age-aware, but I no longer feel like the woman I was before, capable of going and doing absolutely anything I chose. Maybe my little pandemic rut has become so comfortable I can’t imagine anything else. I do go on line and look at various destinations, but then it all seems as though it would take so much effort to make it happen. Perhaps as the weeks or months pass and the reality of actual normal returns I’ll begin to feel differently.

In another nine days, John’s 79^th birthday will arrive. I wish he were here so I could have a huge family gathering with his favorite foods and cake or pie. I’ll miss doing that and sitting around listening to the entire family talk about past events, jokes, and fun as well as sharing lots of laughter. I find I do miss him A LOT.  I have almost 55 years of memories of our life together and the majority of them bring a smile to my face. Somehow, over the last year, the anger and disappointment I held for both of us has dissipated and I am seriously thankful for that. I prefer remembering the laughter, closeness, and how we shared so much good during those years.

A neighbor woman told me years ago that no matter how much her deceased husband had driven her crazy the last 20 years he was alive, she’d give just about anything to have him sitting across from her at the breakfast table. I didn’t “get it” at the time, but I certainly get it now. Her husband’s been gone for way more than 20 years now, so I’m going to have to tell her first that I now understand as well as ask if she’d still love to have him back with her for breakfast.

So, I think that more or less brings you up-to-date with regard to my life. Today, while I so didn't want to, I forced myself to exercise, go to fitness class, have lunch with a friend and write this. I think all this was a good for me. I no longer feel morose, but pleased with myself and encouraged about what I’ve accomplished and what’s waiting for me to accomplish. And, yes, Under Construction will definitely be back SOON.