[[[-IF2E-09.TXT-]]]
----------------
Island Fever 2: Eternity
Written by: JeremyDCP@hotmail.com
M/F, F/F and a whole lot more
----------------
Chapter 09: "Reflections"
-*- Wednesday, December 25, 2013 -*-
** Sandvika, Norway **
While it may have been Christmas Day and everyone was in a
happy, festive mood following a holiday dinner of lutefisk and
lefse, along with apple pie for dessert, I simply felt like
lying down on the sofa and taking it easy. I could not allow
myself to go to sleep just yet, however. Per Kristanna's
family tradition, Christmas presents were not to be exchanged
until after dinner had concluded. Yes, Kristof and Rande
(Kristanna's parents, who were also our gracious hosts for
this party) did things a little differently. This would be
the first year ever in my life that I did not get to open a
single gift on Christmas morning. But, I was not complaining.
After finding the sofa in the den and settling into its
comfortable cushions, I glanced at the gathering in the
adjacent dining room and realized _that discussion_ was not
going to be over for quite a long time. Kristof and Rande,
along with Kristanna, Devon, Pamela, Trish and Amy, had been
chatting up a storm for the better part of three hours.
Dinner had been over for 20 minutes! Eventually, I figured
that at least one of them would remember that there was a
Christmas tree with loads of presents underneath it. Until
that time, I was just going to stay on the sofa and relax.
Do not get me wrong; I was interested in the conversation
and wanted to be a part of it. After all, my wife and her
parents were there, as well as four of my five live-in
girlfriends and (possible) future wives.
But after traveling 4,300 miles via airplane from Toronto,
Canada to the capital city of Norway (Oslo (with a connection
in Copenhagen, Denmark)) over an 11 hour period, I had a bad
case of jet lag. This was nothing new, unfortunately, as the
last time our little entourage traveled overseas to Norway I
suffered from many of the same symptoms I was experiencing
right now. My head was pounding, I had trouble concentrating,
and I felt dizzy and completely out of sorts.
The only cure for me would be the simple passage of time.
Changing six time zones (and losing six hours in the process
by traveling eastward) can be a sudden and jarring shock to
one's body and mental psyche. It would probably take me two
or three days until I was back to my normal, ordinary self.
It was regrettable, indeed, that I was feeling so down and out
on one of my absolute favorite days of the year, Christmas.
Kristanna, Devon, Pamela, Trish and Amy were lucky; none
of them were suffering from jet lag. Even at the tender age
of 24, Kristanna was an old pro when it came to transoceanic
flights. After all, she had made a grand total of 45 trips
from Norway to Peru (and back again) over the past five years
in order to visit me and the tropical island I once lived on
off the coast of Lima. That was nearly 7,000 miles one-way.
Kristanna probably laughed at the idea of a little 4,300 mile
airline trip from Toronto to Copenhagen, and then Oslo.
It was extremely surprising to me that many of the others
were not in the same shape I was. Again, though, I was not
complaining. How could I? I would not want any of my ladies
to feel as bad as I did right now. I was a big boy, and I
could handle it. All I needed was a couple of days.
A smile came to my face as I relaxed upon the sofa, my
ears trained to the discussion taking place in the nearby
dining room. It was the kind of conversation that one would
hear at a typical family reunion. Rande was in the middle
of telling funny stories about Kristanna from when she was
younger. Although I was not fit to take part in the talk
myself and be in all those jovial laughs, their words and
the tales being spun were quite therapeutic to me.
"You okay in there, Jeremy?" Kristanna called out, as all
heads turned in the dining room, their eyes suddenly focusing
upon me across the way in the adjacent den. "You want me to
get you something? Anything?"
"I'm fine, Krissy," I responded. I had already lost count
of many times she had checked on me and my condition today.
"Why don't you go downstairs and go to bed?"
"Jeremy will miss the gift exchange if he goes to bed,"
Amy told Pamela.
"If you need anything," Kristanna announced, "just let us
know, baby. You know we don't like you feeling bad."
"I'll let you know," I promised her.
Ever since our group made its initial arrival here back in
July, Kristof and Rande had been incredibly accepting and
accommodating toward all of us. In the past, Kristanna would
always rave about how _cool_ and _awesome_ her parents were,
but I never once imagined they were anything quite like this.
Kristof and Rande had absolutely no issues with our group
relationship and its dynamics. Once we got back in yesterday
afternoon from our airline travels, Kristanna's parents
literally rolled out the red carpet for the newcomer to our
circle (Pamela) and welcomed her into their home with open
arms. Very simply, they trusted Kristanna and her judgment.
Kristof and Rande did not care how many people were part of
their daughter's romantic life as long as she was happy.
Since July, Kristof and Rande had basically given our
group the lower floor of their home. I may very well be a
rich and wealthy man - worth two billion dollars in American
currency - but I had no issues staying in the basement of
the home that belonged to my wife's parents. Being around
her folks appealed to Kristanna, and that was all that truly
mattered to me. Besides, it was more of a luxurious living
room - a huge one at that - than it was a basement.
Following the wedding in August, I got with Kristanna's
father and told him of our plans to one day take over the
farm - if he agreed - so it could stay in the family for
generations to come. Not only was he fine with that, but
Kristof offered us a huge mass of land on the opposite end
of the 300-acre farm so we could build our very own home
there. With three separate work crews and round-the-clock
labor, our mansion was due to be completed by August 2014.
It was going to put the estate back on the island to shame.
Kristof had taken me under his wing, so to speak, in
recent months to demonstrate the ins and outs of running a
successful and profitable farm. I was used to executive
meetings and making multi-million dollar decisions in
board rooms, so the idea of owning and operating a farm
was completely foreign to me.
With the possibility of up to six wives (and God only
knows how many children), I had little to no plans of
actually doing much labor myself on the farm. The ladies
and any children I had with them in the future were my
sole priority. I could hire plenty of help for the farm,
though, and oversee it more from a management capacity.
I respected Kristof like no other. At age 71, he still
worked upwards of 16 hours per day on the farm. He was
getting tired, though, and was starting to look more and
more toward the idea of finally retiring and enjoying the
latter part of his years with his wife, Rande (who was 61
herself). I was under the impression that within a year,
the farm would be under my control.
With the financial resources I had, I was not afraid of
failure or overcoming bumps in the road when it came to
operating the farm. No matter what - even if it lost tons
of money - the farm would always be here. I was not going
to run out of resources. This was vitally important to
Kristanna, who had grown up on the property and could now
look forward to spending the rest of her life here as well.
I was pretty shrewd when it came to business, though, and
I was going to treat the farm exactly like one. In all
honesty, failure was not an option for me. It never had
been. I would have enough hired hands, and maybe even a
manager or two to watch and train them (not to mention
Kristof's advice and years of expertise) that I was not
worried one bit about the future stability of the farm.
As I continued to relax upon the sofa, with all the
friendly chit-chat going on no more than 30 feet from me, I
thought back to the previous two weeks and what a dizzying
whirlwind of family get-togethers and parties they had been.
My head was still literally spinning from everything!
Leaving the island behind on December 13, 2013 (and not
sure when we would return to it), the ladies and I arrived
at the Greater Cincinnati International Airport in Covington,
Kentucky at 8:25pm that evening. It had been such a long and
stressful flight from Lima (by way of Dallas) that by the
time we got to the downtown hotel (_The Westin_), mostly
everyone (myself included) simply wanted to go to sleep.
The next morning, however, the ladies were refreshed and
ready to go. These next two days were allotted toward
Lindsay and her family. She and I hopped into the rental
car and made the drive to her family home 20 miles northward.
Masquerading as a monogamous, engaged couple the same way
we did during our previous visit to her mother and trio of
sisters earlier in the year, Lindsay and I were given the
royal treatment. Saturday was one big family party, with
music, fun, games and gift giving.
I had done an awful lot for this family in regards to
helping them out of the financial crisis they found
themselves in following the death of Lindsay's father last
year, and my deeds certainly did not go un-noticed by them.
Lindsay's family had trouble coming up with ideas on what
to get for me in terms of gifts, but my favorite turned to
be a simple video of each of them thanking me individually
and sharing stories about how they put the money I gave them
to good use. The video ended with images of Lindsay (filmed
in July, I suppose) gushing about not only how much she loved
me, but how she was was looking forward to spending the rest
of her life with me as well. It was quite touching, indeed.
I spent the night in their home and slept on the sofa
(which was even more uncomfortable than I remembered). I
went to church with Lindsay and her family on Sunday morning
(her father was once a minister, so church was huge to them)
and then treated them to lunch at their favorite restaurant.
With four more full days in Cincinnati before our little
band ventured off to Toronto, Lindsay suddenly got the idea
that she wanted to spend the rest of her visit here with her
family at their home. I reminded Lindsay that in order to
keep up the facade of our _monogamous_ relationship - and
ultimately hide the fact that there were actually six people
in her life instead of just one, we had to stick to the
original plan. Two days had been slotted for her family,
then it was back to the hotel for Lindsay while Kristanna and
I then went off to visit my own family.
Although I understood Lindsay's frustration - she missed
her family terribly and wondered why she had to avoid them at
all costs for four entire days when they were just 20 miles
away - I explained to her that I would not be there with her
after today. I had my own family to tend to, as well as Amy's
parents (who also lived in the area) later in the week.
Without me in sight for upwards of four days - especially
so close to Christmas - Lindsay's mother and sisters may
become suspicious, I told her, and start asking questions. I
did not believe that Lindsay was ready to divulge the true
nature of our relationship to them just yet. Plus, we had
already told them that we were in town for just two days.
Lindsay was whiny and even get a little loud with me
during our trip back to her family's home from lunch (I had
never heard the little princess scream before), but I was
able to calm her down and get her to listen to reason. She
reluctantly agreed to return to the hotel with me tonight.
The afternoon was all happy and smiles, though, as I got
to sift through a series of family albums and watch a wide
variety of videos of Lindsay from when she was growing up.
I especially enjoyed any footage that included her father,
because I knew how much she loved and missed him.
But once we said our final good-byes and left, and began
driving back to the hotel, Lindsay was pouty and moody again.
She did not speak much to me on the way, and immediately
went off into one of the little side rooms in our sprawling
hotel suite (with Trish in tow) and basically barricaded
herself in there for the remainder of the night. I had to
explain to the others exactly why she was so upset.
Monday the 16th was a brand new day, of course, and would
present me with the opportunity to reunite with my own family
for a holiday gathering. I got into the rental car with
Kristanna, and she and I made it to my sister's house by
1:00pm. Three hours later, the party was rocking and rolling
with a good 25 people in attendance.
My sister (Di) and oldest brother (Dan), as well as my
mother, were full of congratulations for Kristanna and
yours truly since she was six weeks pregnant. My sister,
who was a mother of three herself, had many words and gave
helpful advice to Kristanna in terms of what to expect over
the next seven or eight months.
The party with my family was basically a repeat of what I
experienced Saturday night with Lindsay and her folks. The
food was plentiful and Christmas gifts were exchanged, and
everyone had an uproariously good time. Not surprisingly,
Kristanna and her outgoing, gregarious nature again turned
out to be the focal point of the evening. She was such a
friendly and vibrant person; conversation and hooking others
in was so incredibly easy for her.
We had plans of returning to the hotel that evening, but
Kristanna actually said she wasn't feeling all that well with
an upset stomach, so my sister convinced us to stay the night
in the guest bedroom. We agreed, so I fired off a quick text
message to Lindsay so she could let all the other ladies know
that we would not be back tonight. Within two minutes, I got
a rather surprising response from Lindsay on my tablet.
"im not at the hotel anymore but ill let everyone know.
trish & i went to see my family. im going to tell them the
truth about us. love u & see u thursday, xoxoxobj"
Of course, that message sent me into a panicked fit.
Lindsay took Trish to visit her family and was going to
tell them _the truth_ about our relationship? Not only that,
but Lindsay implied that she and Trish would not be back at
the hotel until Thursday? Lindsay was going to confess to
her mother and sisters that she was bi-sexual, and Trish - as
well as all the other ladies - were her lovers? And she had
plans of Trish spending the next three nights there, too?
Surely, they would not a get a hotel room of their own.
"You know how much Lindsay wants to see her family,"
Kristanna explained to me. "Lindsay is willing to come clean
and fess up about our relationship if it means she can spend
an extra four days with them." Kristanna paused and added,
"Besides, you know how much Trish has been pressuring Lindsay
in recent weeks, Jeremy - trying to convince her to tell her
family the truth. Trish keeps telling Lindsay how much it
would mean to her if she actually got to meet her family."
I was naturally worried, though, about the reaction
Lindsay got alongside Trish. Would Lindsay's family - as
highly religious as they were - disown her on the spot? I
began dialing her cellular number immediately.
"It's fine, Jeremy," Lindsay insisted to me. "Everyone
was confused at first and had lots of questions, but all is
fine now. My family is very compassionate and understanding.
They are talking with Trish right now as we speak."
"Did you tell them about the other girls?"
"No, I'm not at that point yet," Lindsay answered. "I
told them that you are my fiance - which in all honesty you
are, even if its not official yet - but that Trish is part
of our relationship too, and we both love her very much.
Trying to explain an additional four girls would be a bit
too overwhelming at this point, quite honestly."
"I just wanted to see my family," Lindsay told me later
in the discussion. "I could not stand the idea of being so
close to them for four days and not being able to visit them
because of our secret. So I fessed up about it."
"I'm proud of you," were my words for her.
"I told them you wouldn't be here for the next couple of
days because you have a meeting to attend in Chicago,"
Lindsay informed me. "They are not one bit suspicious."
"Lindsay was so scared beforehand," Trish said to me once
she got onto the telephone, "but her family turned out to be
very supportive of her decisions. It was a bit rocky at the
start, but Lindsay explained to them just how happy her life
is, and they all sort of warmed up to the idea. It doesn't
hurt that they have such a high opinion of you, Jeremy,
because of the many ways you have helped them in the past.
Trust me, her family is fine with us."
"This is the best birthday or Christmas gift I could
possibly get," Trish beamed. "I got to meet Lindsay's
family and be introduced to them as her girlfriend!"
I had trouble sleeping that night. Not only was the bed
uncomfortable in the guest room of my sister's house, but I
was all riled up, naturally, about Lindsay and what she had
done. I honestly did not know whether I was excited or
worried. I felt something, but I wasn't sure exactly what
it was. I figured that I would feel this way until Thursday,
when I received full details of Trish and Lindsay's visit. I
just did not want there to be any tension or drama.
Tuesday morning, I went out to breakfast with my sister
and her husband, as well as my mother and Kristanna. Past
noon, Kristanna and I returned to the hotel in downtown
Cincinnati and decided to spend a couple of hours with
Devon, Pamela and Amy. Although all of them had access to a
rental car of their own (Amy would have been an excellent
guide since she knew the area well), these three ladies had
mostly opted to stay couped-up in the hotel room since our
arrival on Thursday evening.
I had not seen much of Devon, Pamela or Amy over the past
few days; they were quick to point out their _loneliness_
and, as a result, I was literally tossed onto the bed and the
three of them grouped up on me. When Kristanna joined the
fray and made it a four-on-one coupling, I suddenly found
myself as the recipient of a wicked and memorable gang-bang.
Since Pamela was not on birth control pills and I flat-out
refused to wear a condom, I made it a top priority to pump as
much sperm into her pussy as humanly possible. I wanted to
get Pamela pregnant, and really cement our relationship.
Just after 5:00pm, Pamela and I were at the airport in
Covington to meet up with her sister, Candice, who was flying
in from Baltimore for a holiday visit of her own. With
Kristanna along as well, we took Candice out to dinner at an
expensive restaurant and I was privileged to another round of
gift exchanges and funny stories.
Candice was over-joyed that Pamela had chosen to devote
her life to us and our relationship. She was not bi-sexual
herself but, like a good and caring sister, Candice supported
Pamela and her decisions, and had no qualms with anything.
Candice fully realized that this was Pamela's best chance at
finally finding total happiness and peace in her life.
"Sittin' here with my two best friends, Pammy and Candy!"
Kristanna suddenly blurted out at the restaurant, being her
usual zany and comical self. Pamela and Candice, though,
did not seem to appreciate those variations of their names.
Pamela _hated_ being called Pammy. She even disliked Pam.
Nothing but _Pamela_ was acceptable to her.
Still, I found great humor in it.
I was lost in my recollections of the holiday tour that
began in Ohio, but was jarred back to the present time -
Christmas Day itself, and relaxing on the sofa in the den
with Kristanna's parents leading the discussion in the next
room - when Lindsay literally appeared out of nowhere and
made her way over to me. With a highly distressed expression
upon her angelic face and a massive, throbbing headache to
boot, Lindsay did not say a word as she laid down on top of
me. She nestled the side of her face upon my chest and let
out a shrill sigh and a little whimper.
"How you feeling, honey?" I whispered, rubbing my hand
over and across her slender shoulders and back, while stroking
the very crown of her head (and the red Santa hat that adorned
it) with my opposite hand. "Any better, I hope?"
"Not really," she complained.
Much like me, Lindsay was suffering from jet lag. She
was the only other one who seemed to be having any symptoms.
Unfortunately, Lindsay was much worse off than I was.
I wrapped a second arm around her lithe, little body, and
squeezed gingerly. "Go to sleep, honey. I'll wake you up
when it's time to exchange gifts."
"I never felt this bad after any of our other trips!"
Lindsay whined. "Why does it have to be now? Why do I have
to have a headache like this on Christmas Day?"
"I don't know," I gently said, again kissing her. "Shhhhh,
baby. Just close your eyes and rest."
"Okay," she relented.
As I continued to hold and soothe the precious, darling
Lindsay within my arms, my mind drifted back to Ohio and our
trip. The morning after the dinner celebration, Candice
flew right back home to Baltimore. She did not get to stay
and visit long, but I was happy for the fact that Pamela got
to see her favorite family member and share a couple of hours
with Candice before we ultimately ventured home to Norway.
After returning to _The Westin_ from the airport, I dropped
Pamela off and picked Amy up. Now it was time to pay a
holiday visit to Amy's mother and father.
Much like the last time we were in Ohio and I originally
met them, Amy's parents were not very talkative or outgoing
with me. Over the course of a long afternoon and an early
dinner, which included my offering of gift certificates to
their favorite clothing retailer in the area, the vibe I got
from Robert and Kathleen - Amy's parents - was not positive
at all. In fact, I simply came to the conclusion that they
did not like me. But what had I done wrong?
And just like what happened in July, Amy was horribly
upset at her parents once we left that evening for the lack
of interest they not only showed in me, but her as well.
Amy went on a tirade in the car, claiming that her parents
had always been mean and distant from her, and never gave
her the proper amount of love and guidance while growing up.
Amy blamed the upbringing she had for many of the problems
she faced in later years as an adult; mainly her lack of
social skills and her hair-trigger personality which, before
she started taking medication to help control it, could
wildly crest up or downward in the blink of an eye.
Quite vocal and animated with her distaste for her mother
and father, I knew that I had to do something to settle and
help calm Amy. Both of the psychiatrists she had seen (first
Dr. Humala in Peru, and now Dr. Johansson in Norway) agreed
that being bent out of shape and angry was not good for Amy,
and something that she needed to avoid at all costs.
"HOW CAN THEY TREAT YOU LIKE THAT?" Amy roared at me in
the driveway of her parents' home. "They have no right!
They don't even care that for the time EVER in my life, I am
happy! Their daughter is happy! It does not matter to them!"
"I wanted to do this in front of your parents, but quickly
figured it may not be the best idea," I said to Amy, reaching
into my coat pocket and pulling out a small box. I popped its
lid and presented her with an engagement ring made of flawless
white diamonds that were cut to resemble a bouquet of flowers.
Needless to say, Amy's anger quickly faded away.
"I fell in love with you the very first time that I met
you," I said to Amy, trying to recall the rest of my speech
which I had spent weeks rehearsing. I could not dare flub
any of the lines! "You help complete me in every single way.
I want to share my life with you; I promise to take care of
you and always put your happiness and well-being ahead of my
own. Amy Kathleen [Last Name], you deserve the very best -
someone who will back you up without limits, let you grow
without borders, and love you without end. Will you let me
be the one? Amy, will you marry me?"
My sudden proposal, which I made no mention of to the
other ladies, save for a very minor hint to Kristanna and
Pamela during the boat ride back to the island following
their medical visits in Lima last week, had Amy in shambles.
She was crying absolute tears of joy! Best of all, all of
that anger she displayed toward her parents was now gone.
"You know I'll marry you!" Amy exclaimed, tossing her arms
around me inside the car.
Still parked in her parents' driveway, I wondered if they
were curious as to what we were up to. We did not leave the
property for 30 minutes; Amy and I just sat in the vehicle -
hugging, kissing and talking. Then again, I really did not
care what her parents thought at this point.
Wednesday, December 18 also happened to be Trish's 31st
birthday, but we did not get to spend any time with her
because she was staying with Lindsay and her family until
tomorrow afternoon. It was fine, though, because the
original plan was not to celebrate Trish's birthday until
her own family get-together that was planned for this coming
Saturday in Canada. We had two parties planned - one
birthday and the other Christmas - for the very same day.
On the way back to the hotel, Amy simply could not wait;
she just _had_ to call Kristanna and tell her that I actually
proposed to her. Kristanna put us on speaker-phone so Devon
and Pamela could give us their well wishes and words of
congratulations as well. Afterward, Amy called Lindsay, and
many of the same sentiments were echoed from her and Trish.
All of the ladies seemed genuinely giddy and happy that there
would soon be another wedding for them to partake in.
Kristanna, Devon and Pamela all agreed that for tonight,
Amy and I should have a bed of our own. The three of them
promptly checked into one of the side rooms of the luxury
suite and retired there for the evening, allowing Amy and I
to have the big master bed all to ourselves. My new fiancee
and I tore into each other sexually; Amy got me so hyped up
that by the end of the night, I must have lashed that round,
picture-perfect ass of hers with my belt at least 100 times.
Amy, of course, wished it had been 1,000...
Thursday had originally been slotted for Amy and her
parents. But after yesterday's proceedings, Amy and I agreed
that we were not going to try our luck visiting them during
this trip again. Still, this day had been set aside for Amy,
and I wanted to spend some quality time with her.
We traveled back to her hometown - the place where she
also grew up - and I informed Amy that I wanted a guided tour.
The first stop was none other than the local _Hooters_
restaurant, where Amy had been employed as both a bartender
and a waitress prior to coming to the island. She only
recognized a few of the employees, but it was a happy reunion
nonetheless. I also got to meet Tessa - a waitress there -
who Amy claimed was her best friend _pre-island_.
I must also freely admit that the mere thought of Amy
attired in skimpy orange shorts and a slightly-too-tight
and extra-low-cut white t-shirt was very appealing to me.
Some way, some how, I needed to get my hands on a _Hooters_
uniform and then get Amy to model it for me...
After lunch, Amy took me to various other places in the
quaint, sleepy little town where she had grown up. Not only
did I get to see all three of the schools she attended -
elementary, middle and high - but Amy also took me past four
of the apartment buildings she once lived in as an adult,
including her most recent one (which she stopped paying rent
for this past August).
In fact, Amy told me for the first time that once it became
clear that her future was with us - myself, along with
Kristanna and the others - she instructed Tessa to go to her
apartment and _clean it out_. "Either keep the stuff for
yourself, or throw it away. I don't need any of it anymore."
She even wired Tessa $1,000 as compensation for her time.
We also drove to the town cemetery; I watched with a heavy
heart as she cleaned up and decorated the gravesite of her
grandparents, David and Barbara, who lost their lives in an
automobile accident when Amy was in the second grade.
Amy claimed that if her grandparents did not die on that
fateful day, her childhood upbringing would have been better
and much more positive. She had nothing but good memories
of her grandparents, and insisted that they would have been
there for her as she grew up and matured to help fill the
void created by her mother and father.
"Go to sleep, honey," I said to Lindsay, doing my best to
comfort and console her on Christmas afternoon, as she lay
atop me here upon the sofa. But there was no response from
her except another agitated moan and sigh. The airline flight
from Toronto to Copenhagen had nearly knocked Lindsay out,
unfortunately, and made her quite loopy. I felt pretty bad
too, but was much more concerned for Lindsay than myself.
"My head hurts," she finally cried.
"Mine does too," I soothed her. "You just have to tough
it out for another day or two. Have you been drinking plenty
of water and liquid like I said?"
"Yeah..."
As for Lindsay and the ramifications of her admission to
her family (i.e. _the truth_), it really did not seem to
amount to much. Lindsay, along with Trish, returned to the
hotel in Cincinnati around 5:00pm on Thursday the 19th, and I
could immediately tell that she was in a vibrant, chipper
mood. It seemed as if a massive weight had been lifted from
her shoulders. Although Lindsay did not reveal to them that
she actually had five girlfriends instead of just one, the
simple fact that she told her family that she was bi-sexual
was a huge, very courageous step forward for her. Indeed, I
was very proud of Lindsay for being brave enough to do so.
"I don't know why I ever was scared of what their reaction
would be," the 19-year-old told us that evening. "My mom and
all three of my sisters have always been so good to me. They
have always supported me. This was no different. I just
wish I told them the truth well before now."
With all six of the ladies together and in the same place
for the first time since Sunday night, I took them out to
dinner and then the movie theater to see the big blockbuster
hit out at the time, _Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues_.
The movie had its moments, but I felt the original was better.
We were back at the airport on Friday afternoon, boarding
a 2:35pm flight for Toronto and bidding farewell to Cincinnati
for the foreseeable future. The trip itself was only 94
minutes. Now in Canada, it was Trish's turn to take over and
become the leader and guide for our little band of misfits.
We had reservations at the _Ritz-Carlton Toronto_ hotel and
would be staying in the lavish presidential suite, so that was
our first destination. After settling in, everyone took a
shower in groups (I was paired with Kristanna and Amy) and
then Trish drove all of us to her parents' home located a mere
12 miles from the main downtown area.
Much like Kristanna, Trish was very open and forthcoming
with her family. She showed no hesitation earlier in the year
in explaining to her parents and two sisters her reasoning for
entering into what may very well become a full-group marriage
somewhere down the road. Tonight, Trish introduced Pamela as
the seventh (and final) member of our entourage.
We did not stay there for long. After a quick dinner, it
was getting late, and some of the ladies (namely Kristanna and
Devon) felt like retiring early and getting a good night of
rest. That was fine, because the holiday (and late birthday)
party was scheduled to take place tomorrow at 12:00pm.
After returning to the _Ritz-Carlton_ and its world-class
accommodations, everyone awoke refreshed and ready to go on
Saturday morning. We went to what would be my fourth
Christmas party in a span of seven days. I could have easily
grew weary and tired of them - no one had ever mistaken me
for a big socializer - but just seeing the happy looks and
smiles across the various faces throughout the past week was
more than enough motivation for me to continue.
I found it difficult to believe, but we wound up staying
and visiting Trish's family until well after midnight. It
was such an absolute blast to be there with them; Trish's
parents reminded me of Kristanna's in more ways than one,
and all of the girls seemed to have a wonderful time.
This was also a vivid reminder for me of why Kristanna and
Trish were always so chipper and happy (both had understanding
parents and were raised the right way), while people like Amy,
who did not receive that necessary love and support, were
generally very moody and depressed.
None of that mattered anymore, though. We were going to
drown Amy in feelings of love and happiness over the coming
weeks, months and years. I was going to see to it personally.
"So when are you going to marry my daughter and make her
the happiest woman alive?" was a question I heard from Trish's
mother, Alice. However, it was not directed at me. She was
speaking to Lindsay, who did nothing but get all tight-lipped
and blush red with total embarrassment at those words.
"You're right," Alice told Trish. "Lindsay looks so
adorable when her face gets all red like that."
"Lindsay is not one bit timid or shy around us," Kristanna
said to Alice, grinning. "She's a feisty little hellcat once
you get to know her, actually."
"KRISSY!" Lindsay huffed, even more embarrassed now.
The following morning, Trish left the hotel before any of
us had even woken up. Trish left us a note, though, saying
she was paying a visit to her favorite hairstylist. I make
mention of this because when she returned to the hotel around
noon, the once blonde and bodacious Trish had suddenly been
transformed into the brunette and bodacious Trish. That is
right - Trish had reverted back to her natural hair color.
"We have too many blondes," Trish theorized, pointing at
Kristanna, Devon, Pamela and Lindsay, before motioning
toward the red-headed Amy and continuing, "and only one
non-blonde. I figured a brunette would be nice. This is
the first time I haven't been a blonde since high school.
I think I'm going to stay a brunette from now on."
"You look GORGEOUS!" Lindsay gushed, latching onto Trish's
wrists and squeezing them lovingly. The other ladies were
all in agreement (as was I) - Trish, with her free-flowing,
dark brown hair, was absolutely stunning.
The weather was quite cold and frigid, so we all bundled
up for a sightseeing trip to Toronto's biggest attraction,
_CN Tower_. Standing over 1,800 feet, _CN Tower_ was not
only the symbol of Toronto and a great source of pride for
the city and the entire country itself, but it was also the
tallest free-standing building in the Western Hemisphere.
From the glass bottom elevators to the revolving
restaurant, the sky pod to people actually dangling from
ropes and harnesses off the edge of the structure, there was
no place quite like _CN Tower_. From the very top of the
building, the view of Toronto and its surrounding area, as
well as a frozen-over Lake Ontario, was breathtaking.
There was only time for one more stop on the sightseeing
tour before we had to return to the home of Trish's parents
in order to make the 6:00pm dinner. Kristanna insisted we
visit the _Royal Ontario Museum_ (she was a big museum buff),
which was home to millions of artifacts and 40 galleries that
featured world culture and natural history.
The _Royal Ontario Museum_ ranked as the fifth largest
museum in all of North America. We spent the majority of our
stay in the dinosaur exhibit, but did not leave before giving
the wing of Canadian history a quick walk-through. Everyone
agreed that the next time we were in Toronto, an entire day
had to be devoted to this spectacular museum.
Following dinner with Trish's family, the ladies and I
returned to the hotel and slept in late on Monday. We had
lunch with Trish's parents where she got to tell them her
final good-bye, then it was time to go to the airport and
board our flight to Copenhagen, Denmark. It departed from
Pearson International Airport at 6:50pm, then arrived the
following morning (Christmas Eve) at 8:25am in Copenhagen
(keep in mind we lost six hours because of changing time
zones). After a brief lay-over, we left Copenhagen at
10:20am and arrived at Gardermoen, which was Oslo's
principal airport, a mere 70 minutes later.
"You're worth all that money, Jeremy," Kristanna said to
me during one of the flights. "You really need to get your
own private airplane and crew. I suspect we will be doing a
LOT of traveling all over the world in the future."
I was not yet feeling the effects of jet lag once we made
our return to the farm yesterday afternoon (although Lindsay
was). In fact, Lindsay was so down and out of it upon our
arrival that she did not even feel like looking at the car I
had purchased for her birthday, which had been December 4 -
a silver _Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet_ convertible.
Keep in mind that since she originally learned of this
gift some three weeks ago, Lindsay had been ranting and
raving; she was literally foaming at the mouth to get behind
the wheel of her new sports car. But jet lag changed that.
The sickness seemed to hit me all at once like a ton of
bricks the following day (which was today) around noon.
At least Lindsay seemed to have settled down somewhat, as
she was now resting comfortably in my arms while I continued
to lounge and relax upon the sofa. I truly enjoyed holding
Lindsay like this and comforting her.
Soon, however, I glanced into the next room toward Kristof,
Rande and my remaining collection of charming beauties, but
quickly found myself focusing upon the one and only Amy.
Since I proposed marriage to her seven days ago, there had
been a constant, never-ending smile across Amy's face. I had
never seen her act quite this happy and energized before. It
was actually very refreshing.
Amy was also quick to flash her dazzling engagement ring to
anyone who even looked sideways at it. She was so proud and
mesmerized by the expensive piece of fine jewelry. My goal
with her from here on out was to make Amy just as proud and
just as mesmerized of me as her husband.
"So what did you do for a living in Maryland, Pamela?"
Those words - spoken by Rande - caused my ears to perk up
like never before. I immediately looked at Pamela, who had
sort of a dumbfounded, yet pained expression upon her face.
I could easily tell that Pamela did not want to admit to
Kristanna's parents that she had been an exotic dancer for
the past 12 years. I had a long talk with Pamela on the
flight from Toronto to Copenhagen concerning this very
subject. We were going to forever leave that chapter of her
life where it belonged - buried in the past. Forgotten.
She was not a stripper anymore. Never again.
"Pamela worked as a librarian in Maryland," I found myself
saying, those words coming out of my mouth before anyone else
had the opportunity to respond. Suddenly, all eyes were on
me - even Lindsay's. I did not enjoy being dishonest with
Kristanna's parents because they had been so good to us. On
the other hand, though, there was absolutely no point in them
knowing that Pamela spent all those years as a stripper.
"A librarian?" Rande confirmed, glancing at me with wide
eyes, before shifting her focus toward Pamela. "I have been
to the library many, many times, but never before have I seen
a woman as beautiful and as attractive as you working at one.
So I imagine you like to read books, dear? Maybe we can talk
about some good books to read later tonight?"
"Oh!" Trish grinned. "Don't get Pamela started! She
LOVES anything that has to do with books and reading."
"I'd love to share book ideas with you," Pamela told Rande,
smiling for emphasis. "In fact, two of my suitcases are full
of nothing but books! I can never have enough to read."
"You lied," Lindsay whispered into my ear, her voice just
barely audible. "But it was the best lie possible."
"It's a new day and a new life for Pamela," I mumbled back.
"We are leaving all of the negativity in the past."
"All of us forgot what negativity even was the very first
moment we met you," Lindsay murmured, which caused a series
of tingles and good vibrations to shoot up and down my spine.
What a nice and thoughtful thing for Lindsay to say!
There was a stretch of silence between us where Lindsay
lifted her head enough so she could again make eye contact
with me. I could tell just by looking at her that she had a
whopping headache, and was in a world of discomfort. Still,
Lindsay forged a smile for me. She even giggled when I
pulled her Santa hat downward, completely covering her face.
Once Lindsay began using my chest as her personal pillow
once again, I glanced up and noticed that the only two people
still looking my way was Kristanna and Pamela.
"A librarian?" Kristanna silently mouthed at me, grinning.
"Thank you," was what I read from Pamela's lips. When I
smiled at her, she quickly returned it with one of her own.
Suddenly feeling a bit better, I nudged my hand downward
and gently patted Lindsay's tight, denim-clad ass. She
sighed and snuggled in even closer upon me as a result.
"We have presents to open!" Rande suddenly announced,
standing up from the dining room table and stretching her
arms and legs. "Let's go in with Lindsay and Jeremy, and
find out what's underneath the tree!"
What a truly wonderful idea, I said inwardly...
<<<- End of Chapter 09 ->>>
PLEASE NOTE: One more chapter to go before the story and the
series itself is over! The end is near! ::sniff sniff::
==---- -- -- -- - --- -- -- - - --- -- -- --- - -- - - - - --- -- ----==
"Island Fever 2: Eternity"
(c) 2014 JeremyDCP
- JeremyDCP@hotmail.com
Feedback is always appreciated!