Author: Madame Ovary Title: The Adventures of Carly and Ginger Part: 10 Summary: Carly and Ginger are best friends. This is the story of their coming of age and all the adventures they share. Keywords: fsolo, ff, mf, mf+, Mf, Mf+, FF, cons, rom, inc <!--ADULTSONLY--> Synopsis: Best friends Carly and Ginger are in their early teens when they discover their love for each other. With the risk of getting caught by family increasing every day, they find an old house in which to more privately carry out their affair. Over time, they invite Carly?s brother Bobby to join in, not realizing that their involvement with him will lead to a three-way love affair. Then an older man, a gentle widower who eventually befriends them, finds out about the (now) teens. Soon our two lovely young ladies and he become involved. This book was actually my first completed adult story, and is a very humble attempt at paying homage to the very famous ?The Adventures of Me and Martha Jane?, written by Santos J. Romeo. Mr. Romeo?s book moved me so much that I was compelled to begin writing adult fiction after years of only wanting to. After his wonderful novel, I just knew I had to try my hand at a full-length book filled with poignant romance, the fears that go along with an underage, illicit, and incestual (at times) affair, and of coming of age. It is a book that shows true love can endure, even if that love goes against the norm. The Adventures of Carly & Ginger By Madame Ovary January 2015 Chapter 49: Graduation I need to take the time at this point to say that just because now that both sets of parents "knew" about Gin and me, that didn't mean that as time went on that we started to act cozy or like lovers would behave in front of them. We respected them even more now because of the way they had handled our situation, and if it were possible we loved them even more, too. Because of that, Gin and I never showed any signs of overt affection between us in front of any of the four of them. We had agreed on that, and felt that it was no sacrifice at all to "maintain our cool" in front of them at all times. We knew there would come a day when they would see us be affectionate toward each other, but we both felt that now was way too soon, and besides, we were still living under their roofs! We felt right about that decision and for us, it was not a hardship in the least. We didn?t know at the time that our parents had talked to each other about us in secret about us needing a car at college and what to do about it. On the night we graduated from High School, we came home to that new car. The four of them took us out to eat for our celebration dinner and said they?d been having a lot of problems deciding what to do for us for graduation presents. Both of us had previously said that money would be helpful at college, but that?s as far as the subject went at dinner and it left Gin and me mystified as to what was going on. We all rode home to my house afterward, and it looked like someone was there ahead of us. We wondered if Bobby had come home unannounced to see us, but it wasn?t his car. This was a bright yellow VW Beetle, and it was really cute. We all got out of our cars and walked up to the house. I said ?I wonder who?s here?? Our parents waited for us to walk up to the car and stood there looking at us with silly grins on their faces. My Dad finally called out; ?check it to see if it?s locked!? We looked at him sideways but went ahead and opened the driver?s side door and onlt then noticed a card taped to the steering wheel. It was addressed to Ginger and me. ?NO WAY!? I said, tearing the card off the steering wheel. By then Gin was squealing and I was jumping up and down, and all four of our parents were laughing. I couldn?t help but notice that both our Mom?s had tears in their eyes, and that?s when mine started falling. ?Why don?t you get it and start her up?? Gin's Dad offered. ?The keys are under the drivers mat!? I told Gin to get in and start it up and I went around to the passenger side. ?THIS IS SO COOL!? Gin squealed, and I was laughing out loud. My Dad came over to the car and I rolled down my window for him. ?You ladies be careful out there tonight and be home by?HEY HON?? he yelled at Mom. What time you want them home tonight, in about 15 minutes or so?? They all had a good laugh at that one and we just looked at each other and rolled our eyes. ?Be home by 11 tonight, please?? he said. I looked at Gin and whispered; ?get out for a sec with me!?. We got out and ran to our parents, crying for joy. We hugged and thanked everyone, and then making sure we had our purses with us, we took off into the evening! It was a truly memorable night, and Gin and I were so excited we couldn?t think straight. All night we just babbled on and on about everything and nothing, we took turns driving, and in general we just felt so grown up, and we had a blast! And the car was so cute and so fun! Eleven o?clock came around way too quickly, and as we went by Gin?s house we noticed that her parents car was gone, so we went to my house and that?s where we found everybody, waiting up for us and drinking beer and wine and playing cards. They sounded so happy as Gin and I stood outside in the dark listening. We smiled and hugged each other and had a quick kiss there on the front porch, then went inside, all smiles. ?Well, I see you didn?t total it!? My dad yelled, then looked seriously at us as we walked into the kitchen and said, ?you didn?t total it?right?? ?Oh, Steve!? My Mom chided him as Gin?s Dad was laughing right along with mine. With a perfectly straight face I said ?No of course not, Daddy! But two of the tires went flat for some reason and we drove the last 10 miles home on them?was that OK?? His mouth dropped, then he caught on, and reached out and swatted me on the ass. My Mom mouthed ?good one!? with a thumbs-up to me and we shared a smile and a wink. Gin and I pulled up extra chairs and sat talking with them as they finished their game. They probably wished we?d go away as we were still so excited that they couldn?t concentrate very well on the game for all the babbling Gin and I were doing! When the game was over, Gin?s Dad said they did have one matter of business to discuss with us about the car, and then it magically quieted down in the room all of a sudden. We got nervous then for a second. They said that the car was in both family names, and that as long as Gin and I were still going ?steady?, as they put it, the car would stay with us, but if we ?broke up? then the car would have to be sold. We said that was no problem whatsoever! Then they said that both of us had to keep a minimum of a 3.5 grade point average at school. If we did that then they would pay the insurance and give us a gas allowance besides. By now we were tearing up. A 3.5 GPA was nothing for Gin and me! We could do that with our eyes closed! They said we were responsible for taking it to the nearest VW dealer to get the maintenance done on a regular basis, and then they would pay the bill. Both sets of parents admitted this whole thing was a win-win for everyone, as they got to split the very large expense of a vehicle, otherwise they each would have had to buy one, plus we both got a cool and much newer car out of the deal! They said they weren?t going to go into the whole ?take good care of it, or else!? speech because they knew we would and besides, we knew the consequences would be severe if we didn?t! They did warn us that any tickets we got would be on us to cover, and that if they ever found out we were drinking and driving, we?d lose the car that same day. Those were all conditions that Gin and I would have expected, and we both said they were more than fair, and that they wouldn?t have anything to worry about! With that done, they dealt out another hand of cards and started talking again. Very conversationally and in an offhand way, my Mom asked us where we?d be staying tonight, and we said we?d sit up with them if that was OK, and then decide! They all seemed pleased with that, and Mom broke out another bottle of wine for her and Peggy, and even poured a glass for Gin and me, too. All in all it was a wonderful night, one that Gin and I will never forget. Our first car! And everyone was getting along so well! Our hearts soared, and it seemed to Gin and me that they accepted us now as a couple, and that the past deceptions we had committed were buried sins. Gin and I were so happy that night, and we just knew it was a night that would set the tone for our last summer at home, and you know what? It did! Chapter 50: Our Last Summer at Home Gin and I took summer jobs at the same store that last summer at home, and got the same work hours, to boot! Better still, we managed to save almost every penny for the eight weeks we kept those jobs, except for gas money, that is! The rest was to be our nest egg for the coming year?our ?mad money? for the extras we didn?t feel right bothering our parents about. Gin and I saw each other every day that summer. Each day, work was a fun distraction, and then each we took turns with dinners, having them at my house one night, then at her house the next. We started feeling like adults, and there was a noticeable difference in our relationships with our parents. There were a lot more laughs and hugs and long talks. Our folks did cook- outs a lot more, and we all went out to eat once a week, and sometimes to a movie as well. Gin and I never felt like we didn?t have a life between us, and truth be told, we wished that summer had never ended! It was such a relief and a feeling of freedom to have ?our secret? out in the open with them, and then to feel their love and acceptance through it all! As far as college was concerned, we had already managed to secure the same dorm room for our entire first year, and so we?d have it all to ourselves, a luxury we could only dream about! Our favorite song became ?Wouldn?t It Be Nice? by the Beach Boys, and we played it constantly on the cassette player in our Beetle as we sang the words together! We knew we?d really have to work hard and not let our ?love life? interfere with our ?school life?. We also knew we?d be taking many of the same classes so that was a tremendous advantage for us! Gin and I had endless talks about college and life in general with our Moms, picking their brains for tidbits of wisdom we filed away for future use. At one point when it was just Gin and me and our Mom?s alone together, we had a frank discussion about being lesbians. It seemed awkward at first, but then we all grew more relaxed as the conversation was kept light. The one question we couldn?t answer was ?didn?t we think we?d miss having children?? Truth be told, Gin and I thought we had a plan for that, but we were going to wait until we?d graduated, and then some. It was at that talk that Gin?s Mom Peggy told my Mom about having a crush on a girl and being tempted to have a relationship with her, and then my Mom freaked everyone out by saying that she did have a relationship with another girl that lasted a few weeks during her early college years! Connie had said; ?I thought she and I loved each other, but back then the pressure was so intense against gays, and if you were a lesbian, you were truly looked at like a freak and a terrible sinner. She broke it off with me when I started getting cold feet, and went on to be with another girl. She shook her head, ?And right then I decided I wanted to have children and a more ?normal? life, so I never did it again. But I still can remember how powerful and magical it was for those few weeks we were together.? She looked at Gin and me. ?So I do understand the attraction, girls. More than you could have known.? Somehow Mom sharing that secret with us gals was priceless to me. She did have a ?taste? of what this kind of love was like, and she remembered how powerful it had been for her. Gin and I talked about that later, and were not only surprised it had happened to her too, but that she had shared it with us. Before we left for college, I told her how much her sharing that with us had meant to us. She smiled and hugged me. ?I really do understand the love you young ladies feel, Carly, but I also know the struggle you?re in for will be infinitely smaller than the one she and I would have had to live with. And?as much as I liked the softness of the intimacy, I have come to realize I like what a man has between his legs just a little more!? We laughed together, and only talked a few more minutes on the subject, and that was the last time we ever brought it up. We managed to visit our apartment a few times during those last eight weeks, but it felt lonely and different, and we felt out of place there now. It was like we?d come to outgrow it, somehow. We found a letter from Henry on the desk at our apartment shortly after graduation. It had two $1,000 checks in it for our graduation. We cried over that one, and immediately mailed him a letter telling him how much we appreciated his generosity. We also sent him a picture of Gin and me standing beside our new VW, all smiles. We told him how much we missed him and then mentioned that the old apartment just wasn?t the same anymore without him. We said we?d be moved out of it by early August, but would have to leave the mattress up there, as it was too much for us to handle. We thanked him again for everything and wished him and Jill his fiancee, all the best in the future. We signed it ?with all our love?. We never knew how he knew, but Henry would never forget our birthdays, and always sent us a $100 dollar bill on them, telling us to treat each other to a nice birthday dinner out on the town or something like that. Then, when we?d least expect it, there would be flowers delivered to our dorm room (or later to our house) for us both to enjoy, and they never failed to bring tears to our eyes, especially when we thought of his words to us about flowers and the giving of them. We?d finally been able to pry his birth date out of him, and always sent him very nice cards for that with new pictures of us. We continued to mail our cards and letters and pictures of us to the PO Box address back in Centerville over the years that followed, sharing our challenges, victories, and other good news with him and always wishing him well. In one letter we got while we were sophomores, Henry told us that he?d finally been able to sell his old house in Centerville. We?d let him know years later that whenever Gin and I went home to visit, we drove by his old place and then drove back through the alley slowly to see the old garage. After we got the letter saying he?d sold it, we noticed that the people who?d bought it seemed to be doing a nice job of fixing it up, and we were glad to see that. Both of us would have given anything to see inside our old apartment just one more time though. We wrote him at least twice a year, and his letters and the cards to us on our birthdays and at Christmas never stopped. Once in a blue moon, he?d send us a picture of himself alone or sometimes with his wife Jill. They looked very happy together. He obviously knew where we lived, but we never knew much more than the town where he?d told us he lived back then, and the PO box he kept in Centerville. We never pried into his life or to try to find out other things about him, and we always looked forward to hearing news from him. And Gin and I never forgot his kindness to us, nor how it felt to be in his arms with him inside us, and the loving looks he gave us back then. Those memories and knowing that he was still keeping up with us made us feel warm inside, and we always missed him a little when we?d get something from him. Chapter 51: Sad News Some years later, when Ginger and I were in our early 30?s, we got a letter from a lawyer in Middletown, saying that Henry had passed away and that we were called out in his will. He wanted us to call him and make an appointment for the near future. We were both in shock at the news and we both cried so hard as we read that letter. We held each other tight that night, reminiscing about our times with Henry, recalling every detail of our time together. It was a very sad time for us, and I think we both cried ourselves to sleep. We called the lawyer?s office the next day and made an appointment for the following Friday in Middletown. We frantically wanted to know what happened to our old friend and lover, so we both took a vacation day and made the drive to Middletown, wondering what the lawyer wanted. When we got there the lawyer, Mr. Evans, invited us to sit down. He looked us over carefully and thoughtfully, and we could tell from his looks that he didn?t know about our past with Henry, and that made this all the more intriguing. Once again, he told us that Henry had called us out in his will. We interrupted the lawyer at some point, and wanted to know everything he could tell us about Henry, how he?d passed, and his widow and anything else he could tell us. He started by telling us that Henry had been a personal friend of his for over thirty years. Henry had died at 72 of cancer quite unexpectedly about six weeks ago and no, he had not suffered very long. His wife, Jill, was devastated by the loss, and she was now the process of moving back east to be nearer to her children and was going to be putting their house on the market shortly. He assured us that Jill and Henry had been very good for and to each other. They had really been enjoying their retirement and had travelled extensively over the past 7 years or so. The lawyer said he could still vividly remember when Henry had lost his wife Gayle. He also remembered speaking to him periodically in the years that followed that tragedy, and remembered seeing a big and positive change in him about 5 years or so after her loss. He said that the way Henry was acting those first 4 years, he wasn?t sure that he?d ever pull out of it. When he asked Henry what had happened to bring him out of his doldrums, Henry only spoke briefly about a fleeting relationship he?d had that had renewed his life, and credited that relationship with ?saving? him, as Henry had put it. The lawyer looked at us differently then for a moment, and asked us if we?d mind very much telling him how we knew Henry and what our relationship had been with him. We said only that we?d met him in our earlier years and he?d been very dear to us then, and that Henry had wished he could have had daughters like us. Mr. Evans looked like he?d like to know more, but he just nodded politely and didn?t pry beyond that. He admitted that he?d been eager to meet us ever since Henry had paid his final visit to him before he died. Henry had come to visit Mr. Evans one last time when he knew he was going to die from the cancer. He told us Henry had spoken very highly of us, telling us that he had indeed called us the daughters he?d never had. Henry had emphasized to the lawyer how dearly he loved both of us ?girls? as he had called us. He said Henry had followed our lives and careers with keen interest, privately and from a distance, and that?s how Mr. Evans had known how to get in touch with us. Henry had known that we?d both graduated with honors from college and had gone on to get good jobs at the same hospital, and even how we?d gone back and obtained our RN licenses. He had told Mr. Evans that he was very happy to find that we were still together and still very much in love after all these years, and he was very proud to call us his friends. We were both crying softly now, but we were also pretty embarrassed by the intimacy of this information, especially having come through a complete stranger. As an aside, Gin and I eventually decided to secure Mr. Evans as our lawyer since we already knew each other and since we?d shared a mutual friend in Henry. As a matter of fact, he drew up our wills and power of attorneys for us later that year. We had never known for sure what Henry had done for a living, only that he?d been in business for himself. It turned out that Henry had been a business owner and not only that, he?d owned businesses at several locations in our region, and we actually had heard of the company even though we?d never had a need for it. Mr. Evans said Henry had always been a wise investor and was smart with his money. The lawyer paused then before looking us in the eye. ?Now, for some good news,? he smiled at us. ?Miss Ginger and Miss Carly, Henry Stinson loved you both very much and has left each of you a quarter of a million dollars in his will, to be distributed to you immediately. He also has left you a house in Morgan (the city where we lived and worked now!). We looked at each other and absolutely lost it then, and we both broke down. Mr. Evans looked very upset with that, and we could tell our outburst had taken him by surprise. Later he told us that he could see the shock and sadness in our eyes throughout the whole meeting that day, and while he had at first worried that we might have been gold diggers, by the time the meeting was over, he saw why Henry had loved us so much. Rather than be overjoyed with the news of the money, I found myself hurting so badly inside, for even though we?d known Henry for only a few months - a few hours, really - he had left an indelible mark on both of us. We were terribly shocked at his generosity. There was no way we deserved this. It was only then we realized how much we?d meant to him and I felt horrible then for not having tried to be more a part of his life. I just had to keep telling myself that?s the way Henry had wanted it. Mr. Evans got up and brought us a box of Kleenex, the sat back down to give us time to let our emotions run their course. When we'd finally calmed down, he took two checks from his folder and handed them to us. My hand was shaking as I looked at it. So much money! It scared me. Mr. Evans also handed us the envelope that contained the deed and keys to the house. It had already been transferred into our name, so it was truly ours now, all we had to do was?well?move in and pay the taxes every year! We signed receipts for the checks, and then he handed us a sealed envelope which was simply addressed to ?Carly and Ginger?. We talked only a few minutes longer, then thanked Mr. Evans and said our goodbyes, and as soon as we got back to the car, we opened the envelope and read Henry?s last words to us. Chapter 52: The Letter ?My dearest girls, I said once that I could never thank you enough for what you did for me that glorious spring so long ago now, and I meant that with every fiber of my being. I?ve had many years to reflect on what happened to me as a result of meeting the two of you, and it is no exaggeration to say that you did indeed, change my life. I married a wonderful and exciting woman who has made my last years very rewarding and fun, but you must know that I never forgot about you Carly, nor you Ginger. I thought of you both every day of my life after we parted ways. There was never a day when you didn't come to my thoughts and prayers, and I felt so blessed to have you in my memories. I always regretted having to say goodbye so quickly and suddenly, and it hurt me terribly to part company that way, because I knew you deserved better from me. But you see girls, I was really getting hooked on you two! I was totally enticed and turned on by you both and...well, there are a million adjectives to describe what you ladies did to me, to both my body and my soul, but in the end, there was no doubt in my mind that I was in love with you both, and I wanted to continue to make love to you every day in the worst way, and yet I knew my heart would break even worse if I allowed our relationship to last much longer than it did before bringing it to an end. And I knew it somehow it had to end! I must confess that I had a favorite fantasy about you two. I used to fantasize about waiting until you graduated from high school and then inviting you to come live with me in a huge house away from the city and everyone else, and keeping you all for myself! And there we could be together just the three of us, free to live out our fantasies and love each other completely! But it was just a fantasy. And I know that the you two would have eventually come to feel like ?kept women? and would have become unhappy. And I could never do that to you. It would also have been terribly unfair to you as I grew older and then grew more infirm, expecting you to take care of an old man. Yes, it was a fantasy, but it was my favorite selfish fantasy for many years after we parted company. I never stopped missing you or dreaming about the three of us being together each and every day. And that is why I had to stay away, because being with you two was like taking a drug I couldn?t get enough of. You were in my mind, my heart, and my blood, and if any of us were to have a shot at a real life, I needed to break it off as soon as I could. Call me selfish if you want, but I had already lost someone very dear to me, and I couldn?t bear the thought of losing the two of you after a longer, deeper relationship. It was terribly hard on me to quit you two after having known you for such a short time, and I hurt for years after our parting, and I still missed you terribly even though I had someone new in my life. Jill my new wife is someone the two of you would approve of for me, and I know you would love her and she would you. When we began to get serious (which happened very quickly), I knew I needed to focus on her and our new relationship as much as possible. Somehow that made my decision to leave you lovely ladies easier for me, but it was the only thing that made it easier. She has been good to me all these years and in return, she will never have to worry about anything. Since I had no children, and my only brother passed on before me some years ago, I have left something for each of his children, then the rest to Jill, except for a ?small portion? I saved in a separate account she knew nothing about reserved for the two of you. It was the only secret I kept from her, but it was something I'd made my mind up to do not long after we parted ways. The money in your account and the house, and then the relationship I?d had with you two has forever remained a secret with me! I never forgot your faces, and even though I have seen you now as you have grown into gorgeous young ladies, I still see you in my mind?s eye as two incredibly beautiful and very sexy 17-year-old girls who I know in my heart did more than take pity on an old man. You loved me! You truly loved me, and that meant you were beautiful not just outside, but inside as well, and from what I hear about you now, you are even more so. I must confess that when I sold the old house, I went back up to the apartment above the garage one last time. I know you said once that you wished you could have done that, but I did do it, and it was so nostalgic and very bittersweet for me. I kept the very first picture of you two in my wallet all those years, and strangely enough, Jill never saw it, or if she did, she never asked about it. Anyway. I sat down on that old mattress, and looked at your picture, and swore I could smell and taste you, even then! I must also confess that I did follow your careers and lives all these years, but from a distance. Sometimes I would go to a place I knew you would walk by, just to watch you two walking together. It hurt my heart so much to see you from a distance and not be able to run to you and to see your faces and hear your voices one more time, but I felt it was better to keep it that way. I must also confess that I cried many times after I broke it off with you two, even for the first few weeks after meeting Jill. What can I say? I am still in love with you both! Why did I do what I did, you may ask? Because I still loved each of you so much, yet I knew you needed to be free to live and create your own new lives as adults. That, coupled with my new marriage made me stay away. I honestly don?t know if I?d have had the strength to not want to be with you again, intimately. I never lost my desire for your touch and your attentions. And had there been a reuniting of our affair, it would surely have destroyed my marriage and in turn maybe even me. I speak as thought I assume you would have wanted it or even allowed it, but either way, I could not afford such a risk, and again, how horrible of me to even think such things, and to think that you would entertain being with me again. If I know the both of you, you would have told me to go home to my wife and be content with her and to stop this nonsense! And that would have hurt me terribly also and been so very unfair of me to lay such a thing on you as that. So you see, I am without hope when it comes to you two. I gained everything because you, but I had to be content with the very short amount of time we shared in the process, never to reignite that old flame again. And for me, it was so very hot a flame that it surely would have consumed me. But please don?t feel bad for me! My memories of you both are as fresh as the memories I have of yesterday! Yet, I miss you both and always will. And still to this day, I love you with a true and strong love, and even as I write this, I am weeping like a foolish old man! I hope you both have a long, healthy, and happy life together. You deserve it! Now go, have fun with some of this money and enjoy your new house! I hope my gifts bring you many times over the blessings you brought to me in my old age. Remember me fondly, if you will? With the all gentle intentions, the warmest regards and the fondest memories possible, and with all my love forever, Henry Chapter 53: The Aftermath I don?t need to tell you how strongly and deeply that letter affected us. We cried like babies?just miserably, and I had to stop reading it out loud to Gin several times for not being able to see the pages. I missed him terribly now for the first time in years (shame on me for being such a horrible girl!). We read it again after our eyes dried, and then we cried all over again, holding each other in our loss. We?d had the good sense before we?d left his office to ask Mr. Evans where Henry had been buried, and so now we went to a florist and bought some nice things to put on his grave. We stood there for a long time that late afternoon as the sun was setting, crying and remembering our old friend. We read the letter out loud again sitting there by his grave in that lonely place. We felt terribly guilty for not being there when he?d passed, but then we realized that our separation had always been his decision, and we?d always honored that. And we understood and agreed with his reasons. We?ve been back to his grave on his birthday each year when we aren't away on travel for work or vacation. We were completely worn out when we left the gravesite. We knew where a branch of our bank was located there in Middletown and went straightaway to it and deposited our checks, and then we called our parents. All four of them were in town for the weekend, so we decided to drive down to see them for a day or so and just surprise them. We needed to feel that connection again, plus we both wanted to drive by our old apartment one more time in honor of our old friend. Epilogue, Part 1 We had a wonderful but bittersweet visit with our families that weekend, and they?d been eager to see us and talk about all the new things in everyone?s lives. Mom saw something in my eyes that Friday night and asked me about it. We told them we?d just found out we?d lost a dear friend unexpectedly and it had been hard on us, dealing with it all. We drove slowly by Henry?s old house, then back though the alley. We were shocked to see the old garage had been torn down and a new one erected in its place. That shock had us crying all over again. It seemed so pointless! Why tear that beautiful old place down? And then we realized that it had been 15 years since we?d left home, and that it had probably been a death trap and falling down on its own! And then we wept again for the time that had gotten behind us. We were really a mess that weekend and for days afterward. Some of it was from the sudden and shocking loss of Henry, and some of it was from the shock of the money and the house he?d left us. It was confusing to us, how joy could make you so sad sometimes. We left Centerville Sunday morning, and went straight back to Morgan to find our new house. We?d located it using the Internet at my folks house, and were very anxious to see it for the first time. We got to Morgan just before lunch and then drove slowly through the neighborhood. It was an older neighborhood, more established, and one that seemed to be the kind where way-upper middle-class folks live in. 525 Haley Street was in the middle of the block, a block where the houses were spread out nicely and the old trees left to grow and flourish. It was a beautiful bungalow, with a deep porch and mission- style woodwork on the exterior. We were hypnotized by the serenity and beauty of this neighborhood and in particular the house itself. We had no clue that we had such a beautiful neighborhood like this in our very own city, but then we could never have afforded such a house in these, our early years, either. A concrete driveway led to a very nice two-car garage behind the house. There was a beautiful cedar fence on both sides and to the rear of the house. We pulled up to the garage and got out, the smell of lavender and honeysuckle? coming to us from somewhere. We were in a total state of shock with the thought that this was our house now! It seemed like a dream, but a very good dream. We already had a nice home in a nice neighborhood, but the payments! This house was?well?it looked like Henry saw into our hearts and knew what we would love to have and then went out and purposely bought it for us! It was almost spooky, and we had tears of joy and wonder in our eyes as we walked back around to the front of the house and approached the beautiful front porch. With much sadness but much excitement, we used the keys Mr. Evans had given us and let ourselves in. The inside was immaculate, with original wood floors and wood built-ins everywhere. Wooden arches, open floor plan, and beautiful paint colors chosen for every wall! The kitchen had marble countertops, all new appliances, wonderful tile floors, and beautiful lighting! Adjacent to the kitchen and the living area was the dining room and a breakfast area off the kitchen, then there were two smaller guest rooms and a full bath at the rear of the first floor. But Henry had saved the best for last. We went up the beautiful old polished staircase and found a wonderful landing with built in shelves, and that opened into the incredible master bedroom, and the master bath. The rooms were gorgeous, and no detail had been spared on the woodwork or the paint upstairs either. There was a small sitting room at the rear of the upstairs, with slanted ceilings, and it was very cute. There was also access to a small walk-in attic storage room. There was space in the sitting room for a computer and crafts tables or a library, or all three! The master bedroom was a delight, open and airy, with large windows looking out on our back yard and the beautiful trees that grew there. But when we saw the master bath, we both suspected that Henry had been able somehow to read our mind! A huge claw-foot tub dominated the wall with large windows with wide ledges for candles and other bath necessities! The shower was tiled and large enough for four adults, with two nozzles and built-in ledges for storage. Above the sink on the mirror was a card taped there. All it said was, ?This house seemed like you two. I?d watched it for years and when it came on the market, I grabbed it up. Then I hired some craftsman to fix it up just the way I thought you?d want it. It was a labor of love for me, and my only regret (in addition to wishing to spend a night or two with you both here!) was not being able to see your faces right now! Please don?t begrudge me my generosity! I left much, much more to Jill, so much so that she would never have missed what I?ve given to you. So please, be happy! Please be happy, above all! And enjoy your new house! All my love, H.? It was everything we could have ever wanted, all in one house, and we wept hard, our cries echoing in the empty house that would soon be filled with laughter. We sold our other house a couple of months later, making enough after the note was paid off that we splurged and spent most of it on completely new furnishings for our new home, and also new cars for ourselves! We made made passionate love in our new tub, our new shower, and in every room of our new home, christening it in a way and dedicating it all to our old friend who?d made it all possible! Epilogue, Part 2 Bobby graduated from State with honors and accepted an engineering position with an aerospace company on the west coast. He and Sandra remained together all through their school years and graduated together. They were married just after graduation, and Gin and I were both there for that happy occasion. After that last Christmas we had shared together during his freshman year, the three of us were never intimate again. It left a hole somewhere deep down inside of us, and Bobby admitted later that it had done the same to him, as well. He said he?d lost the two most important people in his life at that time, while we only lost one apiece! We had to agree it must have been a lot harder for him. We had each other still, and he had to go off alone to college. On the other hand, he?d been strong, concentrating on Sandra and remaining faithful to her all that time before they got married, and somehow that made us love him even more deeply. We finally got to meet Sandra the following Christmas, and we learned to love her quickly, in spite of both of us feeling jealous of her! But more than that, we could tell she loved Bobby dearly, and we could see why Bobby was crazy about her, as they made a wonderful couple. They are still happily married, and have two children now. We don?t get to see them very often, but when we do, they roll out the red carpet for us. As far as we can tell, Sandra has been completely accepting of Gin?s and my relationship, and other than the first time we all met, there?s never been an awkward moment about us being gay. They seem very happy together, and we?re thankful for that, and for Bobby having such an awesome wife. Our parents are still alive and kicking, and enjoying life all the more now that their kids are gone! All four of them are the best of friends and have gone on boat cruises together and other shared adventures. They have been to our new house and were flabbergasted by the beauty of it. We told them we?d bought it from an old friend who sold it to us for a song. Not long after we moved into our new house, Gin and I met a man who we both fell for, and he fell for us. By then , we were in our early thirties then, and he was a recent widower (ring a bell?) who had just turned 50. It turned out that he owned the medical supply business in town where both Gin and I shopped, and after a long conversation that day, and during the weeks that followed, we invited him over to our house. He confessed to being attracted to us both, and we admitted the same, as he was a beautiful man, but we were up front with him, and said that we would never let a man come between us. To our great surprise, he understood, and said he wasn?t looking for a wife, and doubted that he would be for years. He became very emotional that first day he visited us at our home, and said he was just terribly lonely, and longed for a relationship that was mature, and with very few strings attached. We?ve been lovers now for over a year, and it has been an awesome relationship for us all. We see him on a rare weeknight, otherwise it?s mostly on Friday or Saturday afternoons (and not on every weekend), and he?s always welcome to spend the night with us if he wants. Rick is quite well off, and is always bringing something wonderful over for us to eat or cook, and usually comes over with a couple of very nice wines, yet we can see he isn?t trying to buy us or ?keep? us in the traditional sense of the word. Our sex is never dull, and he treats us both equally and with great passion, never favoring one of us over the other, and never playing one of us against the other. Our only stipulations about the relationship were that if we were to be intimate, it had to always be with both of us, and never one of us alone. The other stipulation was he wasn?t to take another lover without breaking it off with us first. As a result of these rules, and after having his way with both of us each time he comes over, he says he?s stopped dating altogether, and he usually leaves our house a few pounds lighter and with a large smile on his face after we were done with him! Rick has two children that we?ve not met yet, and he?s in no hurry for that to happen, which is fine with us. Rick had a vasectomy when he was 36, when he and his wife had decided two kids were enough, and that makes us all the more comfortable with our sex. He seems to be happy having crazy sex with us two or three times a month, and that?s more than enough to keep us happy, too! Lately though, he?s been coming by more often, and we find we?re enjoying his company more and more. Still, Ginger and I refuse to let him into our lives any more than that, and have warned him to not expect more. We love our privacy, and cherish each night we get to spend alone and wake up only to each other the next morning. Epilogue, Final Part For years now, Gin and I have been talking about a child. We realized that we were rapidly approaching that time in our lives where if we were going to have one naturally we needed to do it pretty quickly. We knew we were giving up a lot of freedoms but we wanted to raise a little one of our own together, and were willing to part with some of those freedoms for a chance at it. Even if Rick had been fertile, we wouldn?t have wanted him to father the child, as that was a little too close to home for us, and could cause problems downstream. But both of us knew it was the past year or two with Rick that made us all the more determined to try and get pregnant. I must be honest here and tell you that I had no desire to have a child growing inside me, but Gin felt differently, and it was at least a weekly discussion with us. And that?s when I came up with the idea that eventually came to pass and gave us a beautiful daughter about a year later. We approached Bobby in secret and asked him if he would be the sperm donor for a child that we wanted Ginger to have. At first he was aghast, as he thought we wanted him to have sex with her, but we reassured him that we would not have asked that of him as we understood how much his marriage to Sandra meant to him. Rather, we wanted to go through an implant procedure where his sperm was put into Ginger. He thought about that for all of a few moments that day we were on the phone, and then started to cry and said ?yes?, and then we were crying too. In less than three months, we got confirmation that she was pregnant, and nine months later we had Grace, a beautiful, healthy girl. Our new Gracie was the best thing that had ever happened to us, and she had Ginger?s features, but also some of Bobby?s. And best of all, our little Gracie had my blood in her! It had been the perfect plan, truly a child with both of us in her makeup, and we couldn?t be happier with the way it turned out. Our parents never inquired as to who the father was, and were there when Ginger gave birth to her, everyone was just thrilled with her arrival into the family. Bobby never told Sandra, and we?ve kept it our little secret (among many others!). Bobby admitted that he would have loved to have a child with Ginger, so this was the next best thing to the way he had wanted to go about doing it at one time years ago! We understood that completely and he got big hugs and kisses from us when no one was around! Bobby loved our little Samantha even before she was born, and will always be the best uncle any of us could have hoped for her. It was during that time that we got to catch up with Bobby, just the three of us, at our house. We spent a whole evening drinking wine and reminiscing, laughing and crying, and just having a splendid (but bittersweet, somehow) time. It was then that we told him about Henry, and that whole story, and it had flabbergasted him. Bobby had grown up to be a handsome man, and a wonderful father and husband. I could tell Gin was a little sad after he left our house that afternoon, so she and I and Gracie drove out to the coast and spent a couple of nights in an expensive bed and breakfast, and I treated her like a queen. Gin and I were in our mid-thirties when the state passed a law about same-sex marriage, and we were one of the first ones in line for a marriage license when the law passed. Our wedding was simple but beautiful. Our parents were there, Gin?s mom and mine fighting over who would get to hold Grace! She was almost two years old by then and a real hand full! She was going to have Ginger?s hair and lanky frame, but my peaches and cream skin? a real knockout already! Bobby and Sandra were there, as well, and their kids served as ring bearers for both of us. Ginger and I had been writing our vows to each other in secret, not wanting the other to hear them until we were at the ceremony. We did everything we could to make it a solemn but joyous occasion, and it came off without a hitch, that is until both of us started crying during the vows. We had poured our heart and souls into them and now that the emotion of the moment was upon us, it was impossible for us to get through them smoothly. And that was OK in the long run, because just about everyone else had tears in their eyes, too. After the wedding and the dust had settled, our parents took Samantha for three weeks, and Ginger and I went to Europe for our honeymoon, seeing as much of it as we could squeeze into the little time we had, all the while behaving like the newlyweds we were, and we never stopped being newlyweds from then on. So here?s to you Ginger Thompson-Baker, the love of my life! Thank you for your love for me, and for the adventures we have shared!