[[[-IF3M-02.TXT-]]]
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Island Fever 3: Matrimony
Written by: JeremyDCP@hotmail.com
M/F, F/F and a whole lot more
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Chapter 02: "Doldrums"
"When I was pregnant with Piper - all the way up until the
time I gave birth - it felt as if I was on top of the world,"
Pamela explained to not only me, but Kristanna and Scarlett
as well, as we flew somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean at a
cruising altitude of 38,000 feet in our private, family jet.
Laying down in one of the three bedrooms that the luxury
airliner offered, Pamela had two blankets pulled up to her
neck and tears in her eyes as she continued, "I was SO proud
of myself. I had that big baby bump, and I felt so wonderful.
I... had never felt that way before. It... it was awesome. I
was looking forward so much to Piper being born, and me being
a mother. But then... then Piper... actually WAS born."
Pamela sniffed her nose and tried to hold back a new batch
of tears as Kristanna reached out and touched her face in a
sympathetic manner. It took some doing on our part, but we
were able to finally convince Pamela to open up and share with
us exactly what had been bothering her - and causing her to
act all sullen and withdrawn - over the past few weeks.
"I started feeling different the very first day," Pamela
continued. "After everyone went home that night, I was alone
in the hospital room with Piper in my arms. No matter what I
tried, whether it was skin-to-skin coddling, cooing at her or
whatever else, Piper would not stop crying. I began to feel
really scared, and overwhelmed. And I felt really alone."
"Why haven't you told me this until now?" I asked Pamela,
my voice laced with concern. "You're never alone..."
Instead of answering my question, Pamela carried on with
her story. "I gained a LOT of weight. When I went home, I
looked in the big, wall-length mirror, and felt MORTIFIED.
Absolutely mortified. I was 25 pounds heavier than normal,
even following the birth of Piper. I... I... I did not feel
attractive at all. I felt... hideous."
"Pamela!" Kristanna screeched, obviously upset with what
she was hearing. "You're one of the sexiest and most
desirable women in the world to me. Women gain weight when
they are pregnant; it is unavoidable! But even with that
extra weight, I still think you are just as attractive now
as you were a year-and-a-half ago when I first met you."
Pamela dabbed her eyes with one of the blankets and began
crying harder. "You're ly-lying..."
Quickly becoming exasperated, Kristanna responded, "Why
don't you and I talk to Trish if you're so self-conscious
about your weight? I needed to drop 18 pounds to get back
to my routine weight after Kaden was born. Trish was a
certified fitness instructor and personal trainer in Canada
for many years before she met us on the island. Trish put
me on a diet and daily exercise program, and within two
months, I was back to my regular weight of 115 pounds."
"You barely gained any weight during your pregnancy!"
Pamela erupted, her voice loud and forceful. "Then, in the
blink of an eye, what weight you did gain was suddenly gone!
Look around you, Krissy! Lindsay isn't even 100 pounds.
Devon is just a few pounds over 100. Both of them are as
frail and compact as any woman can possibly be. They are
ATTRACTIVE! Trish is all feminine muscle, and does not have
a single ounce of unwanted weight on her body. Amy is five
weeks pregnant now, but she has never had any issues with
weight. YOU'RE as fit as can be, Krissy. You give birth
and it does not even phase you. Two months later, no one
would ever guess that you were ever pregnant to begin with.
Scarlett is fit, with a great, sexy body. Then, there is ME."
"I am 25 pounds overweight right now. I feel unattractive,
ESPECIALLY when I compare myself to the other girls. I feel
like an absolute train wreck! Why would anyone want to look
at me, when these other girls - all of whom are in perfect,
tip-top shape - are around?" With tears now streaming down
her face, Pamela glanced my way and ended, "Why would Jeremy
want to look at me? I'm a BLOB!"
"Jeremy wants to look at you because he loves you with
all of his heart and finds you wildly attractive," Kristanna
shot back. "Get a grip of yourself here, Pamela! NO ONE
gave us more reassurance while we were pregnant than Jeremy
did. NO ONE! Every single day, Jeremy was always there for
us - he kept saying how beautiful you and I were, about how
proud he was of us. Do you not remember that?"
"Hold up a minute here," Scarlett finally chimed in.
One may wonder why Scarlett - a definite newcomer to our
relationship, with no solid commitment toward us yet - would
be present for such a private and delicate conversation,
while the other ladies were not. The reason? Scarlett was
employed as a registered nurse at the pregnancy center of a
hospital in downtown Oslo. I asked her to be present for
this discussion, in hopes she may lend some help and insight.
She dealt with new mothers and their roller coaster rides of
emotions on a daily basis.
"Kristanna, you need to lower your voice," Scarlett told
her. "We are here to help Pamela, not berate her." When
Kristanna frowned and nodded her head in agreement, Scarlett
turned her attention toward Pamela. "Let me ask you
something, sweetheart, and please do not take it the wrong
way. You mentioned that you felt overwhelmed and whatnot
when Piper was born. Do you still feel this way?"
"Sometimes."
Scarlett hesitated before asking, "Do you feel as if
becoming pregnant and having Piper was a mistake?" Pamela's
eyes narrowed and she got visibly angry at those words as
Scarlett added, "Do you wish that Piper was never born?"
"OF COURSE NOT!" Pamela shot back. "I love my daughter!"
"I did not think you felt that way, but wanted to be sure,"
Scarlett explained to her. "There are more women who feel
that way - or at least THINK they feel that way - than you
would imagine. A woman's body goes through a drastic series
of changes after giving birth. Changes in hormones, blood
volume and pressure, cardiovascular, immune system and
metabolic function can all contribute to a new mother feeling
emotional stress and mental instability. In the more extreme
cases, some new mothers question why they had their baby in
the first place, and even wish the baby was never conceived.
What you have to realize, though, that it is not actually the
mother talking - it is her sickness."
"Her sickness?" Pamela timidly asked.
"I am not a doctor by any means, but I have seen enough of
this at the pregnancy center where I work to safely assume
you have _Postpartum Depression_," Scarlett commented. "You
are not alone, Pamela. Millions of women go through this
each and every year. Postpartum Depression is not rare, nor
does it make you a bad wife or mother. Caring for Piper can
feel overwhelming and exhaustive to you at times. You fear
that your husband - and the other girls - are losing interest
in you. You no longer feel attractive or wanted. I imagine
you get panic attacks and feel unusually anxious from time to
time as well. You have no appetite whatsoever - you have
barely eaten anything since Piper was born - and you have
trouble with insomnia. You simply do not feel normal."
"I felt dirty last night," Pamela admitted, openly sobbing
now, first glancing at me, then Kristanna.
"Why?" Scarlett asked.
"Th-That three-some I h-h-had with Jeremy and K-Krissy,"
she cried, her emotions now starting to spiral. "That was
the f-first t-time I had sex since Piper was born. I felt
really strange afterward. I felt... dirty!"
"Why?" Kristanna insisted.
"I DON'T KNOW!" Pamela screamed, and I immediately pulled
her into my embrace and shielded her face upon my chest. My
gaze, though, was on Scarlett.
"What can be done to help, and make Pamela feel better?"
Scarlett motioned toward me with her head. "Love.
Support. Exactly what you are doing now. I also think she
needs to see a psychiatrist and get some counseling, and
some medication. The medication will really help. It will
not cure her ailment, but it will control and regulate it."
"A... psychiatrist?" Obviously, Pamela did not enjoy the
prospects of that.
"Postpartum Depression is just that - depression,"
Scarlett advised her. "It is a clinical disorder, and can
be treated like other depressions."
"I... I don't want... to see a... psychiatrist."
"There is no harm in it," Scarlett offered.
"Amy has been seeing a whole list of psychiatrists since
last year when we were originally on the island," Kristanna
reminded her. "Look at all the good it has done for Amy.
Jeremy has went to see psychiatrists in the past, too. Don't
you want to feel better, Pamela, and get back to your normal
self?" Kristanna looked my way and continued, "I think we
should not even wait. We should get Pamela an appointment at
a psychiatrist in Cincinnati. At least he can get her started
on some medicine before we return home to Norway next week."
"Listen to me," I said to Pamela, still holding her in my
arms, but positioning her head so I could look her straight
in the eyes. "Listen. You're my wife, and I love you. You
are one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I
feel incredibly blessed and fortunate to have you in my life.
I know you feel terrible right now, but we want to get you
some help. I do not enjoy seeing you like this. Krissy does
not enjoy seeing you this way either. Nor does Scarlett, nor
do any of the other girls. We all want you to get the proper
help. Will you see a psychiatrist for me?"
"Okay..." she relented, again sniffing her nose.
"I do not care if you are 25 pounds overweight, or 250
pounds," I added, my tone ardent, and emphatic. "You are
Pamela Annabeth [Last Name]; you are my wife, and I love
you. You are desirable - both emotionally AND physically -
to me because of WHO you are. I will always look at you as
one of the seven most beautiful women in the world to me.
I have seven women in my life. But I do not compare you to
the others. I do not compare them to you."
"I understand Pamela's concern and worry about the added
weight," Kristanna said. "Look at her history. She was an
exotic dancer for 11 years. You've heard her stories before,
Jeremy. If she was one pound over a certain weight, that
strip club would send her home and not allow her to work
until she lost it. She has always been very conscious about
her weight. It was ingrained into her because of her job.
Now, all of a sudden, she has 25 pounds to lose."
Kristanna focused on Pamela and continued, "That's where
Trish can help, baby. Trish can help you just like she
helped me. We can talk to her about diet and exercise. She
is our expert on it." Kristanna patted Pamela on the hand and
stressed, "I love you too, baby. I love you just like Jeremy
loves you. I don't enjoy seeing you feel all miserable like
this." When I released her from my arms, Pamela immediately
went to Kristanna for a tearful, emotional embrace.
"We need to get some food into you, Pamela," Kristanna
added, trying her best to keep her composure and not become
all choked up. "Scarlett is right. You've barely eaten
anything in three weeks. Starving yourself is not going to
make you lose that weight; it is only going to make you sick,
and feel even worse. Let me call the stewardess for you,
baby. They will fix whatever meal you want."
"You need to eat something," I agreed.
"I'll try..."
"Perfect," Kristanna nodded.
Pamela was crying again. "I am... I am ashamed th-that I
do not feel happy and overcome with j-joy with the b-birth of
Piper. Why can't I be happy like Krissy is with Kaden?"
"Down deep you ARE happy, even if you do not realize it,"
Kristanna insisted. "You're sick, Pamela. All of the changes
your body has gone through; it has not reacted well, and your
judgment is clouded because of it."
"I will do whatever I can to help you get through this," I
promised Pamela. "You're going to feel better eventually and
all will be fine, and back to normal. I do not want you to
feel ashamed about anything, honey. You can talk to me about
anything that is on your mind - any troubles, any concerns. I
will be there for you every step of the way."
"What's wrong with Pamela?" came a quiet, depressed voice
from behind us. When I turned toward its source, I found a
frowning Lindsay standing at the entranceway to the bedroom
with the remaining ladies - Devon, Trish and Amy - all looking
on behind her with expressions full of concern. I do not know
how long the ladies had been standing there, but they clearly
knew that something was amiss and not right with Pamela.
"Can we do anything to help?" Amy wondered, to which
Pamela's sobbing fit went completely out of control.
* * *
"I do not know about you, Jeremy, but I am sick and tired
of commercial airline travel," I recall Kristanna mentioning
to me during one of our overseas outings about a year ago.
"They charge a small fortune for a ticket, but still have the
nerve to nickel and dime people to death with baggage fees
and other nonsense. Then, you get to the airport two hours
before your flight so you can spend one-and-a-half hours
waiting at the security checkpoint, where you have to take
off your shoes and belt before they make you walk through
that embarrassing _Nude-o-matic 5000_ X-ray machine. All of
this for the privilege of being herded into an overcrowded
plane like cattle and served a tiny bag of pretzels with a
complimentary four-ounce soft drink. A SOFT DRINK?"
With all of the airline travel we had done prior to that
discussion - as well as the many more trips we would embark
on in the future - Kristanna eventually convinced me to buy
a private jet and use it for our family vacations.
I have never been one to gloat and/or brag, but being a
wealthy individual has its advantages. Following a very
extensive amount of research, I purchased a _Airbus A319 ACJ_
jetliner from its manufacturer in France back in July and had
its interior completely re-done and customized. Devon aptly
referred to it as a "flying hotel"; it had 1,000 interior
square feet, and featured three bedrooms, an entertainment
center, a reading area and even a prayer room.
With the help of a leasing company that specialized in
private flight crews, I was able to interview and hire two
qualified pilots and two stewardesses. All four of them
would be paid handsomely for escorting us and making sure
we were comfortable en route to our various destinations
throughout the world from this point forward.
Their first assignment was on December 17; they flew our
entire clan (all seven of the ladies and yours truly) from
Oslo Gardermoen Airport here in Norway across the Atlantic
Ocean to the Toronto International Pearson Airport in Canada.
Once there, we picked up Trish's family - her parents (John
and Alice), both sisters (Christie and Melissa) and all four
grandparents. Then, our motley crew made the short jaunt
(90 minutes) to the Greater Cincinnati International Airport
in Covington, Kentucky.
Of course, all of this was leading up to the monumental
day of December 23 - when Trish and Lindsay would get married
in a Cincinnati church and officially become _wife and wife_.
Trish wanted those specific family members of hers to be
present for the ceremony. Lindsay, who was born in Ohio and
had all of her roots there, would have a much larger contingent
of family members (and select friends) at the wedding.
Lindsay's mother (Leslie) and all three of her sisters
(Jennifer, Gina and Alison) were there to greet us at the
airport in Covington once we disembarked from the plane.
Needless to say, it was a joyous, happy reunion - Lindsay
had not seen her family since the summer.
This also marked the first time that Trish's parents
actually got to meet and talk with Lindsay's mother.
Everyone was friendly and cordial; they agreed to get
together and meet tomorrow for lunch at _The Montgomery Inn_,
which was undoubtedly Cincinnati's most prestigious and
well-known restaurant. The whole crew would be there - not
only were Trish and Lindsay going to accompany their
respective parent(s), all five of the sisters and Trish's
grandparents were invited as well. It promised to be fun.
I must also take a moment here to admit that Lindsay's
_baby sister_, Alison, had finally turned 18 a mere three
months ago. Alison reminded me more and more of Lindsay
every single time that I saw her (and one could easily make
the case that no woman alive tempted me physically more than
Lindsay). So, I would no longer have to feel guilty when I
had lustful thoughts about Alison. She was of legal age now.
"I'd fuck that little girl so hard that she wouldn't be
able to walk for an entire week," Kristanna whispered to me
at the airport, when she caught me eyeing and ogling Alison.
With the big lunch party scheduled for tomorrow, Lindsay's
mother and three sisters decided to return to their home some
20 miles north of Cincinnati. As for us, we made our way to
the historic _Cincinnatian Hotel_ in the downtown heart of
the city, and checked in. I had previously made reservations
for the two best suites that the hotel had to offer - the
Emery Presidential Suite for the ladies and yours truly, and
the Hannaford Suite for Trish's family.
It may have only been 9:00pm once we checked in and got
settled into our respective rooms, but it was 3:00am Norway
time - and that was what my body was accustomed to. Though
exhausted, I perked up once Kristanna hooked up her laptop
computer and was able to establish a video chat connection
with her own mother, Rande, back home in Norway.
Though it was the middle of the night there, Rande wanted
us to contact her once we were in our hotel. Rande turned
the web-cam toward Kaden and Piper, both of whom were sleeping
peacefully in side-by-side cribs. Kristanna and Pamela openly
wept at the images of their respective babies, some 4,100
miles away, but Rande assured them that both little ones
seemed happy, content and relaxed today. There had been no
issues caring for either of them since we left.
"It's okay for you to cry too," Devon told me, obviously
noticing that tear streaking down my face. I was fighting it,
though. I did not want to break down in front of the ladies,
even though all of them - even Scarlett - were family to me.
* * *
"I just do not understand!" Lindsay fretted a bit later
that evening, as she was seated at the kitchen bar in our
hotel suite along with Kristanna, Devon, Trish, Amy, Scarlett
and yours truly. Basically, everyone was present except for
Pamela. She was already fast asleep in bed.
"I do not understand how Pamela can feel sad and depressed
after having her baby," Lindsay went on. "Pamela wanted to
have a baby SO MUCH. She seemed so incredibly excited when
she was pregnant. Now... now, it's the exact opposite. A
woman is supposed to be happy when she becomes a mommy!"
"The birth of a baby," Scarlett explained, "can trigger a
jumble of powerful emotions for a woman from excitement and
joy, to fear and anxiety. It can also result in something
that people generally do not expect - depression."
"It's a possible complication of giving birth," Devon told
Lindsay. "A bad side effect."
"Being depressed does not make Pamela a bad person, or a
bad mother," Amy claimed. "It's a sickness, honey. She
needs to see a doctor and get the proper medication." Amy
glanced at me momentarily and added, "I know ALL about that,
thanks to Jeremy. He made me get professional help last year
for my mental issues, and it CHANGED MY LIFE. The medicine
made a new person out of me."
"We do not want Pamela to be a new person, per se," Trish
commented. "We just want Pamela back to her old self.
Medication will help stabilize and regulate her mood, and
push those feelings of depression to the background."
Lindsay was frowning. "Will she have to stay on the
medicine for the rest of her life like Amy has to?"
"No," Scarlett answered. "As Devon said, this is nothing
more than a complication of giving birth - a side effect.
Eventually, it will go away."
"The poor girl hasn't even gotten any sleep in three
weeks," Kristanna mewed. "I feel sorry for her."
"Pamela fell into the bed 20 minutes ago and was out like
a light," Trish said. "Let's hope that she continues to
sleep throughout the night and into the morning. I say we
don't wake her at all in the morning. Let her sleep."
"Being sleep deprived has certainly not helped her cause
at all," Scarlett offered. "Pamela is tired, and confused.
It is probably the main reason why she is struggling with
her identity and feeling less attractive."
"Pamela is BEAUTIFUL!" Lindsay insisted. "How can she
think any differently about herself?"
"What can we do to help her?" Devon asked Scarlett.
"Just what I told Kristanna and Jeremy earlier. Plenty
of love and support. Understand that Pamela is sick, and
the sickness is the reason she is feeling the way she does.
Do not push or prod her. Be gentle, and understanding.
Instead of telling her how much you love her, SHOW her how
much you love her. Do things for her. Little things."
"Do you think you could get her on an exercise program to
lose some of that excess baby weight?" Kristanna asked Trish.
"She is really insecure about her weight right now."
"When Pamela is ready and asks for my help, I will do
whatever I can for her," Trish replied.
"DO NOT pressure her about the exercise," Scarlett stressed
to Kristanna. "If you do, it will just make her feel worse."
"What type of medicine do you think they would give her?"
Devon wondered.
"Specifically? I do not know," Scarlett shrugged. "That
would be up to the doctor. Antidepressants are most common,
but it would have to one that is safe for her to take while
breastfeeding. Any medication that she takes will enter her
breastmilk, so it will have to be one that is safe for Piper.
Or, the doctor could choose to go another route - such as
hormone therapy or estrogen replacement."
"We need to help Pamela and lessen the load on her," Amy
nodded. "Once we get back to Norway, all of us need to take
turns watching and looking after Piper. Jeremy already does
all he can, but we can help out a lot ourselves, too."
"Pamela has never wanted our help," Lindsay countered. "I
would LOVE to give her a break from time to time and keep an
eye on Piper so she can lay down and relax for a bit, maybe
go to the store, or just go for a walk. Pamela insists that
she wants to watch and take care of Piper herself."
"And that overly protective nature - her unwillingness to
let us help - is what is overwhelming her," Amy pouted. "It
is suffocating her. Look at Krissy and all the help we have
given her. She is perfectly happy."
Lindsay frowned as well. "Maybe it is good that Pamela
is split up from Piper for a week because of the wedding.
Maybe the time away will be good for her?"
"It's never good having your newborn baby halfway around
the world," Kristanna told her. "Trust me on that. I am
trying not to go crazy without Kaden here right now."
Amy patted Kristanna on the wrist. "At least you know if
that if Kaden cannot be with you, and Piper cannot be with
Pamela, they are in the best possible place right now - with
your mother and father. Kristof and Rande will take the
absolute best of care of both Kaden and Piper."
"What do you think of all of this, Jeremy?" Devon wondered.
"I made an appointment for Pamela to see a psychiatrist on
Friday morning at eleven o'clock," I said. "My only wish is
that the appointment was tomorrow - Thursday - instead."
"What better man and husband for Pamela to have than
Jeremy right now while she goes through these troubles?"
"There isn't one," Amy told Devon, which made me smile.
Kristanna grasped my hand and squeezed lovingly as Amy added,
"Jeremy will do whatever it takes to help Pamela."
"So will I," Lindsay nodded.
"Me too," Scarlett chimed in.
* * *
Exhausted myself, it was midnight (or 6:00am Norway time)
when I excused myself from the discussion and found a nice,
warm, comfortable bed, and basically collapsed onto it. I
had traveled thousands of taxing miles by air and been awake
for nearly 21 hours - ever since Lindsay hopped onto the bed
with me back home yesterday morning and started bouncing
up-and-down like the wild chick that she was. I was tired,
and needed to get some sleep.
Tomorrow was promising to be a fun and eventful day for
everyone. Trish and Lindsay, of course, were going to that
big luncheon with their respective families. It would provide
Trish's parents and Lindsay's mother the opportunity to really
meet and become properly acquainted just five days before the
two ladies walked the aisle, and became wife and wife.
Much like Kristanna, Trish had always been very upfront and
honest with her inner family (especially her parents) about the
choices she had made in her life in regards to dating and
relationships. They had known that Trish was bi-sexual since
high school. Trish also informed them last year that she was
entering into a group relationship where, one day, it was
very conceivable that she would have one husband and five
wives (six now, counting the possibility of Scarlett).
And much like Kristof and Rande, Trish's parents - John
and Alice - wholeheartedly supported their daughter's
decisions. The question of ethics or morality (I have come
to DESPISE that word) as it pertained to our relationship
really did not matter to them. The only thing that did
matter, however, was that Trish was happy. They realized
that Trish loved Lindsay more than words could ever possibly
say, and next Tuesday was going to be, by far, the happiest
day their daughter would ever experience.
Lindsay's mother (Leslie) was a different story, though it
seemed as if it may end with the very same result. Leslie did
not learn that Lindsay was part of a seven-way relationship
(again, now an eight-way) until several months after it had
started. In fact, Leslie did not even know that her daughter
was bi-sexual until our Christmas vacation a year ago, when
Lindsay brought Trish to her family home one evening and came
clean. Until that point, Leslie (as well as Lindsay's trio
of sisters) were under the impression that she and I were
engaged, and would have a traditional _vanilla_ marriage.
They were all dazed and confused by Lindsay's admission
that she was bi-sexual and in love with Trish. It took some
doing, but Lindsay was able to convince them that she too,
was happy, and as family, they needed to be happy for her as
well. Slowly but surely, Leslie and the three sisters seemed
to accept the idea. Having Trish present, with her bubbly
and amicable demeanor on display, surely aided the process.
Lindsay admitted to her family a year ago that I was also
a major part of her life. While I may not have been her
fiance at the time as they were originally led to believe,
Lindsay insinuated to her mother and sisters that we were
involved in a three-way relationship. Again, Lindsay drove
home the point - over and over again - just how happy she was.
I had built a tremendous amount of goodwill with Leslie and
her other three daughters because I had given them financial
aid when the bank was about to take their home away from them.
I bought all of them new cars and offered money for other
improvements in life. I met them twice before Lindsay took
Trish to her house that fateful evening, and hit it off great
with them. Because of this, they seemed much more receptive
to the idea that Lindsay was in a _three-way relationship_
(with me included) than they originally were when first told
that she was bi-sexual and in love with Trish.
Lindsay held back last year, though, and did not tell
them about the other four ladies in her life - Kristanna,
Devon, Pamela and Amy. Lindsay was under the impression that
it would have been too much for them to digest at once.
During her summer vacation in Ohio earlier this year,
however, Lindsay fessed up and told her family everything.
She was in a relationship that included one man and five
other women (pre-Scarlett), and was deliriously in love with
each and every single one of them. Lindsay detailed to her
mother her plans of marrying Trish, and wanting to do it in
the same Cincinnati church where her father spent 16 years
as a minister before his unfortunate passing two years ago.
Lindsay was adamant in wanting her family's stamp of approval
for not only her plans to marry Trish, but the rest of the
relationship choices she had made in life as well.
Although Leslie supported Lindsay and her desire to marry
Trish, she was much less keen to the idea of all of the other
women also in her life. Again, it took some doing - and a
whole lot of convincing - but Leslie's stance on the situation
eventually softened, and she began to accept it.
Leslie was not all the way there yet, though; it was still
an ongoing process. But we were hopeful that watching her
daughter get married - even if to another woman - would
convince Leslie that Lindsay had made the right decisions.
"I am happier than any girl has any right of being," was
one of the many things Lindsay told me that she said to her
mother back in June.
Surprisingly enough, Alison (the adorable younger sister
(and now an 18-year-old)) was the first of the group to really
speak up and show acceptance for the choices Lindsay had made.
Once Alison did so, the other sisters began to follow suit.
But, getting back to the original point, tomorrow was going
to be an interesting day. While Trish and Lindsay had lunch
and spent the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening
with their families, the remainder of the ladies and I were
taking a trip to the _Krohn Conservatory_ in Eden Park, Ohio.
Home to over 3,500 plant species from all across the world, the
_Krohn Conservatory_ was a place that I knew everyone would
enjoy visiting. I was most looking forward to seeing the
special holiday floral show, as well as the 20-foot waterfall
and the goldfish stream attached to it.
Tomorrow - December 18 - was also Trish's birthday. She
was going to turn 32. We were going to hold off on the party,
though, until the following day. I wanted all eight of us
to be together so we could celebrate it properly.
Scarlett still had some Christmas shopping to do for the
others, she told me, so I promised her that I would take her
out tomorrow evening to various stores and outlets after
dropping Kristanna, Devon, Pamela and Amy off at the hotel.
I then realized that in over four months of knowing her,
tomorrow night would - believe it or not - be the first true
one-on-one time that Scarlett and I ever had together. Oh,
we had private discussions and whatnot while back in the
mansion in Norway, but there was always the possibility of
someone else popping up at any given moment.
Tomorrow night, though, would be a true and private
one-on-one experience with Scarlett. I was looking forward
to it. We would be out alone, and I had every intention of
treating it like a date. It was going to be fun!
Perhaps I will finally tell Scarlett that I love her,
and want her to take on a much more prominent and featured
role in our relationship?...
<<<- End of Chapter 02 ->>>
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"Island Fever 3: Matrimony"
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