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 The Trailer Park The Road Trip

   Wizard

   Chapter 1

   Life isn't fair.

   And nobody was going to convince me that it was.

   I mean, I know I'm a pretty lucky guy.  I'm kinda good-looking, at least
according to the girls, and they're the ones who count.  I'm athletic.  I'm
healthy.  And I have parents who give me a long enough leash to make my own
mistakes and usually back me up when I do.

   I've got a sister who's gotten a lot less bratty in the last couple of
years.  Either Traci's matured or I've gotten more tolerant.  Maybe both.
Of course, the fact that she pretty much stopped hanging with Ann Grey, the
world's biggest brat, helped.

   And more importantly, I've already got the love of my life.  I didn't
have to look for years like some guys.  Tami was a big part of who I was.
Yeah, I was a pretty lucky guy, I reflected as I watched another mile
marker sweep past.

   But I wasn't really feeling lucky at the moment, `cause life isn't fair.

   I watched three more mileposts flash by, then looked around the van. 
Some people would consider me lucky.  Driving a van of beautiful girls and
one sister.  But damn it!  They were all asleep, and I had to be awake.  It
just wasn't fair.

   I pulled into the left lane to pass a station wagon only doing
fifty-five, then went back to brooding.  Hell, I didn't even know where I
was going.  Tami just said "Go west, young man, go west," then grinned and
wouldn't explain.

   Well, if we kept going west on I-90 we'd hit Seattle.  I figured Tami
had something planned for the big city.  I figured it was an over-nighter
since Mom, who seemed to be in on it, had packed me a suitcase.  I had a
feeling that even Traci knew more than me.  I'd have to get her for that.

   I saw the station wagon in my rear-view mirror and slid back into the
right lane.  At least traffic was light, but a little after nine on a
Sunday morning, that was to be expected.  I pushed the tape in the cassette
player in, not knowing what it was, and a second later Paul McCartney and
the Beatles were singing Hey, Jude.  I turned the volume down a little, but
nobody stirred.

   I'd read somewhere that McCartney had written the song to comfort
Lennon's son after his parents broke up.  That was kinda cool.

   Last night Mom had told me to set my alarm for six-thirty and to be up
and ready to go by seven.  No explanation, no nothing.  Six-thirty on a
Sunday morning, the only morning this week I could have slept in.

   I did what I was told.  I do that sometimes just to keep `em guessing,
and Tami shows up at seven on the dot.  She smiled, kissed me, and took my
car keys.  Then she traded them to Mom.  My brand-new Mustang for her
year-old mini-van.  I didn't strangle her.  I've heard that's not conducive
to a lasting relationship.

   That's when Mom handed me my suitcase.

   Now, a mother sending her only son off with a beautiful girl he loved
could be a very good thing.  But I knew my mom.  I knew there was a catch.
Actually, there were five of them.

   Tami got in the driver's seat, which left me on the passenger side, and
we drove out of the trailer park.  Tami had only gotten her license this
month, though she turned sixteen back in March.  It was a confidence thing.
Tami was a good driver, but she wanted to be really, really ready before
she took her test.

   We drove to Robbie's house.  That was my first surprise.  Though to even
things out, Robbie looked just as surprised to see me.  She got in the back
with her suitcase.  My second surprise was driving to Darlene's house. 
Tami had me scrunch down out of sight cause Darlene's step-dad and I had a
history.

   Then we drove back to the trailer park, where Mikee, Kelly, and my
little sister Traci were standing in front of Tami's house.  All with
suitcases.  I was starting to smell a conspiracy, but none of them seemed
to know what this was all about either.

   There was a small travel trailer parked in front of the swimming pool.
Tami pointed at it.  "Hook it up."

   I smiled.  "Can't.  You need a trailer hitch."

   Tami cocked her head and stared back at me.  I got out of the van, and
damned if there wasn't a trailer hitch on the back of Mom's mini-van.  I
didn't think it was there last week.

   By the time I had the trailer hooked up--I'd never done one by myself
before--the girls all had their luggage stowed and were settled in the van.
Tami had moved to the passenger seat, where she was sharing a seat belt
with Kelly.  Mikee and Darlene were sitting in the middle seats, and Traci
and Robbie were in the back.  By default, I climbed in behind the wheel.

   That's when Tami uttered her line, "Go west, young man, go west." So I
drove west.  First toward Wenatchee, then on toward Seattle.  Twenty
minutes out of town, all the girls were sleeping peacefully.  Me, I was
awake and going west.  Like I said, life isn't fair.

   * * *

   Tami stirred, stretched, and opened her eyes.  She looked at me over
Kelly's sleeping form and smiled.  I didn't smile back.  I was a little
annoyed, and like I said, life isn't fair.

   The Beatles tape had ended sixty miles back, and I hadn't bothered to
find a new one from my mom's collection, so it was quiet except for the
noises of the road.  My car, the one that Tami had traded in, had a built
in MP3 system with a couple thousand songs.

   "Where are we?" she asked, stretching again.

   I thought about not answering.  On the one hand, it would serve her
right, but on the other hand, if I kept going we were going to get very wet
when I hit the Puget Sound.  "About forty minutes out of Seattle."

   She smiled again.  "You made good time."

   I considered asking her, `How would you know?' but decided silence was a
better option.

   Tami reached down between her feet and got her laptop, the one she'd won
for the story that almost got me kicked out of school.  She pulled it up
and onto her lap.  She opened it and powered up, humming as she waited for
Windows to boot.  I couldn't make out what song.  You know the old saying,
"She couldn't carry a tune in a bucket?" Well, Tami couldn't carry one in a
wheelbarrow, but I love her anyway.

   Windows booted, which, considering that it came from Bill's house of
smoke and mirrors, was always pretty amazing, and Tami typed in her
password, ILOVETONY.  I'm not supposed to know that by the way.  The
password, not the sentiment.

   She looked up from the computer to the road signs we were passing, then
back at the screen.  "Take the third exit, then a left and go about a mile
to the park."

   "What park?"

   She smiled, pushed the F4 key to put her computer to sleep, and closed
the cover.

   I sighed internally.  Life isn't...  well, you get the idea.

   "Everybody up!" Tami yelled as we turned into the state park a few
minutes later.

   "Where are we?" Robbie asked.

   "Not a clue," I told her.  "I just kept driving while everybody else
slept."

   "At least you're good for something," she muttered.

   Sometimes I get real annoyed with my mother for teaching me not to hit
girls.

   Tami pointed at a picnic table as I parked.  "Everybody out and meet
over there.  Tony, there's a cooler in the back.  Would you get it?"

   I was beginning to feel like some kind of Egyptian slave, the kind who
spent their lives pushing big stones uphill to the tops of pyramids.  That
is, unless the aliens did it for them.

   "I got to pee," Kelly announced.

   "I wish you hadn't said that," her sister moaned.  The doors all popped
open and everybody headed for the restrooms about a hundred yards past the
picnic table.  I got out and stretched, wondering how long before I got
some feeling back in my ass.

   I opened the back and there was the cooler, buried under everybody's
suitcases.  I sighed again and started taking everything out, set the
cooler aside, then reloaded the suitcases.

   "Took you long enough," Robbie said as I carried the cooler to the table
a few minutes later.  I had a brief mental image of Robbie tied naked to a
tree, dripping with honey and waiting for a bear.  A big bear.

   I set the cooler on the edge of the table and started toward the
restrooms, wondering if Egyptian slaves got bathroom breaks.  Or aliens for
that matter.

   When I got back the girls were all sitting around the table sipping
drinks.  Tami, Robbie and Mikee had Cokes.  Kelly and Darlene root beer,
and Traci a Seven-Up.

   I opened the cooler and started rooting around.

   "I got the last Coke.  Sorry about that." As I looked over the lid at
Robbie, she didn't seem very sorry.  I decided that bears weren't enough.
Hyenas.  A pack of them.  I took a root beer and sat down next to Tami.

   She patted my thigh, then settled her hand there, her hand warm against
my skin.

   It was another beautiful June day.  It had been a good summer so far. 
The temperature was in the mid-seventies, and all of us were wearing shorts
or cut-offs.  The girls all wore t-shirts except Mikee, who had her bikini
top.  Tami and Darlene had their shirts tied just below their breasts.

   Tami gave my thigh a last squeeze, then slipped off the bench and moved
to the end of the table.  "I'll bet you're all wondering what's going on."

   "I'm not," Kelly said.

   "You're not?"

   "You and Tony are eloping, and we're your witnesses."

   "Sounds good to me," I agreed.

   "Sounds like a horror movie to me," Robbie muttered.

   Tami ignored us all.  "You've just been kidnaped."

   "Kidnaped?" we all said together.

   "Kidnappers don't usually have the victim drive the getaway car," I
pointed out.

   "This is a progressive kidnaping.  If your parents pay the ransoms
you'll all be returned unharmed by July sixth.

   "July sixth!" Robbie and I said together.

   "That's two and a half weeks," Darlene pointed out.  "I have to work."

   "So do I," Robbie and I said, then glared at each other.

   "Me too," Mikee added.  Mikee and I worked at the gymnastics club.  I
coached several classes and helped with the team, while Mikee worked with
the day camp kids.  Robbie worked at a nursery, doing something plant-like.
Darlene was a maid at a resort just outside town.  Her step-brother Mike
didn't work, but he never seemed to be at a loss for money.  Even Tami
worked.  She babysat several of the trailer park kids while their parents
worked.

   "Your bosses all know you've been kidnaped.  And Darlene, your boss said
some very nice things about you.  She said you were the hardest working
person on the crew." Darlene blushed.  "I told her if you were that good,
you deserved a raise.  She said they weren't giving raises right now."

   "Thanks, anyway," Darlene said.

   "Well, I mentioned three hotels that are looking for housekeepers and
told her that Mrs.  Albrecht at the Holiday Inn was a friend of my mother.
You're getting another twenty-five cents an hour on your next check."

   "You're kidding!" Darlene squealed, jumping up.  She ran to Tami and
hugged her.

   "What about my raise?" Robbie complained.

   "Sorry, only one nursery in town.  Harder to blackmail."

   "What about gymnastics?" Kelly asked, and Traci nodded.

   "Gary knows you've been kidnaped, and I told him that Tony would make
you do some back handsprings or something to stay in shape." The two girls
were both on the gymnastics club team.  Kelly had just moved up to level
seven and Traci had just started as a level five.

   "But our parents..." Mikee said.

   "Your parents all know about the kidnaping.  If they pay the ransoms and
fatten up my college fund, you'll all get home.

   "And how much are you asking?" Robbie wanted to know.

   "Five dollars each for you and Tony.  Three dollars for Darlene, two for
Traci and a dollar for the pair of them." She nodded at Mikee and Kelly.

   "Hey!" they protested.

   "Sixteen bucks.  You must be shooting for Harvard," I said.

   "Stanford," she said with a grin, knowing that's where I wanted to go.

   "If you asked my step-dad for the ransom, I'm afraid you're stuck with
me," Darlene joked.

   "Your mom.  But if that doesn't work out, I've always wanted a sister."

   "Trust me, they're more trouble than their worth," Mikee said.

   "Hey!" Kelly yelled.

   "Do you have a hideout for this kidnaping?" Robbie asked.

   "Several.  Okay the truth is..." Tami swallowed, and I thought I saw a
hint of a tear in her eye.  "Most of you didn't know my grandma.  Tony and
Robbie did.  She passed on the beginning of May."

   "I'm sorry," Darlene said, and the others all chimed in.  Robbie and I
had known and said our condolences back when Tami found out.

   "It's okay.  We'd been expecting it for a couple of months.  She left me
enough money to go to whatever college I want, but she also left me a nice
chunk that she wanted me to have fun with.  Since she knew Tony and liked
him..."

   "Senile dementia," Robbie muttered from across the table, and I almost
forgot my mother's rule about girls and hitting.

   "She wanted me to do something fun with him," Tami continued.  "I was
thinking that since life's so short..." she stopped suddenly.  I know
images of Zoe flooded my mind and probably everybody else's.  "...since
life's so short, we should all do something together.  We only have a
couple of years before we all start going our separate ways.  So I came up
with this road trip.  I wanted to bring Ashley, too, but her family is
doing something next week."

   "Let me get this straight," I started, finally pushing Zoe out of my
mind.  "You traded my car for this mini-van?" Tami nodded.  "I do get mine
back, don't I?"

   "Depends on how much your mom likes driving the Mustang."

   I decided I might have a problem.  I suddenly had a mental image of Dad
in his Porsche and Mom in my Mustang cruising Main Street, and I had to
grin.

   "You rented a trailer and we're all going off to a bunch of motels?"

   "Nope.  I rented a couple of tents too.  We're going camping."

   "Where?" Robbie asked.

   "Today, Cape Disappointment in Long Beach.  The rest is a secret."

   I noticed Tami trying to nod subtly at Traci, but Traci wasn't paying
any attention.  Tami tried again.  Traci was watching something over my
shoulder.  So, I kicked her, she glared at me, and I nodded toward Tami. 
She looked, and Tami nodded and winked.  Traci looked lost for a second,
but then the light bulb went on over her head.

   "What I don't get is why you took my dumb brother back so fast after
Zoe."

   Tami sighed and looked up at the sky as if thinking.  "The very last
thing he said to me before he started going out with Zoe was, `I'll love
you forever.  Or like the song says, forever and ever, amen.' Your brother
doesn't lie.  Not about that."

   I remembered saying it.  I remembered how hard it had been.

   "Now!  The rest of us are going for a nature walk," Tami said, her eyes
flicking back and forth between Robbie and me, "and you two are going to
work it out."

   "Work what out?" Robbie and I said together, still sitting as the rest
of the girls all got up.

   Tami looked straight at Robbie.  "You are my best friend.  But for two
months you've used every chance you had to take shots at Tony.  I love him,
and I don't need protection from him"

   "And you!" She swivelled her gaze toward me.  "You are my love.  My
first and only.  But for two months you've just taken everything she said
and sat back and thought dark evil thoughts.  About her.  Well, I'm tired
of it.  And I'm not putting up with two weeks of it.  You two are best
friends.  You're going to work it out, or one of you has a long walk home."
She turned and started walking away, adding, "And right now, I'm not sure
which one."

   We watched the five girls walk off together and take a path into the
trees.

   "Your girlfriend is real subtle," Robbie said after a long silence.

   "The effect would have been better if Trace had been paying attention."

   "Yeah, kicking her under the table did lessen the dramatic effect."

   "I figured it was that or yell, `Traci, Tami's trying to wink at you!'"

   "Good choice."

   We sat in silence and watched the spot in the trees where the girls had
disappeared.

   "You know," Robbie said five minutes later.  "I hadn't realized until
Tami mentioned it, but you haven't been shooting back.  She's right.  I've
been taking shots at you every chance I had.  You just took it."

   "Don't forget the dark evil thoughts.  She was right about that too."

   "It's not like you to just take it.  Why?"

   I hesitated, I wasn't sure I could make sense.  "`Cause you were right."

   "I was?"

   "Tami was your...  is your friend.  And I hurt her.  You were just
supporting your friend."

   Now it was Robbie's turn to hesitate.  "But she wasn't.  She wasn't
hurting, and I thought she should.  I think it annoyed me." We sat in
silence again.  "Did you really tell her that you'd love her forever?"

   "Yeah." I nodded, though Robbie was looking toward the woods.  "The
first night I took Zo for a walk, I stopped by to talk to Tami first."

   "But you didn't tell her why."

   "Well..."

   "You say life's complicated and I'll have to hurt you."

   I shut up.

   "You could have seen her in secret, still been with her."

   "I thought, I felt, I...  Zoe deserved more than that."

   I saw the back of Robbie's head nod.

   "Does it hurt?"

   "Everyday."

   We sat in silence again.  But it was a different silence.  Twenty
minutes later we saw the girls coming back.  Robbie turned and looked at
me. "What kind of dark evil thoughts?"

   I smiled.  "Well, when you took the last Coke, I was picturing a pack of
hyenas.  Very hungry hyenas."

   Robbie faked looking shocked.  "Isn't that a bit extreme, just for
taking a Coke?"

   "We're talking Atlanta's finest here.  You're lucky it wasn't rats."

   Robbie nodded.  "You know, the funny thing is, I would have rather had a
root beer."

   Chapter 2

   "So who's driving?"

   Tami looked at me as I stowed the cooler in the back of the van.  "I
thought you were."

   "Not me.  I have to finish making up with Robbie.  Just like you told
me. We'll be in the back seat if anybody wants us."

   "Was that making up, or making out?" Mikee asked with a smirk.  She was
close enough, so I swatted the top of her head.

   Tami sighed.  "I hate it when a plan backfires."

   "I'll drive," Traci volunteered.

   "Me too," Kelly echoed.

   "I don't think so," I said, closing the back end.

   "Mikee can drive," Kelly said.  "She's got her permit.

   Mikee chewed her lip.  "I don't think so.  Not on the freeway."

   Tami looked at Darlene.  "Looks like it's you or me.  Rock, paper,
scissors?"

   Darlene nodded and put her right fist on her left palm.  "Loser drives
to Tacoma?"

   Tami nodded.

   "One, two, three, shoot," they said together.  Tami had scissors and
Darlene paper.

   "Looks like I'm driving," she said, and I tossed her the keys.

   Darlene climbed in the driver's seat and started adjusting it.  Tami got
into the passenger seat, while Traci, Kelly, and Mikee took the middle
seat, leaving the back for me and Robbie.

   "I didn't know we had more making up to do," she said coyly as we
settled in.

   "You were mad for a long time.  There may be hidden issues."

   "Do those issues involve removing parts of her clothing?" Traci asked
from the seat in front of us.

   "Tami, can we stop at UPS and ship her home?  I'll put air holes in the
box."

   Tami turned around and looked at us sternly.  "Children, behave."

   Traci turned her head and stuck her tongue out.  I grinned.  It was
going to be an interesting couple of weeks.

   By the time Darlene got us back on Washington-18, Robbie and I had our
heads together, talking softly.  Mostly we talked about baseball.  We'd
both played varsity, Robbie at second and me at short, and while we talked
and played together, we hadn't really talked.  Now we had a chance to
relive the season and enjoy each other's exploits.

   We'd won the league championship, but got knocked out in the first round
of the state playoffs.  Robbie, Ricky Calloway, and I had all made
all-district, and Ricky actually got three votes for all-state.  We were
too old for Babe Ruth this summer, and both of us had decided individually
not to play American Legion.  Me because I was working, and Robbie because
she said she wanted a break.

   Darlene took the exit and turned onto Interstate-5, heading south.

   As Darlene took an exit off the freeway into Tacoma an hour later, I
looked at Robbie.  "You know, it's been a long time since I kissed a
quarterback."

   Robbie smiled.  "Mike Reed seems desperate.  He'd been hitting on me
since Cory and I broke up."

   "You and Mike is one combination that even Mr.  Spock with his Infinite
Diversity in Infinite Combination philosophy couldn't imagine."

   "I don't know, he's kind of cute in a Neanderthal sort of way."

   "More Cro-Magnon."

   "Oh shut up and kiss me already."

   Like I said at the beginning, sometimes I do what I'm told.

   Darlene parked at a Wendy's while Robbie and I were kissing.

   "Well, at least they kept their clothes on," Traci said as she opened
the side door and got out.

   * * *

   Robbie drove after our lunch break.  Tami and I sat in the back.

   "Are you two all made up?" Tami asked.

   "I think so.  It's good to have us back.  I missed her."

   "I know you did." Tami moved over and sat across my lap.  She looked
deep into my eyes, then whispered loudly, "You might tell your sister that
if she doesn't turn around and watch the scenery in front of her, I'd never
ship her UPS, but I might put her on a Greyhound."

   Traci grumbled and turned around.

   "Are our lives back to normal?" she asked softly.

   I cocked my head to the side and sighed.  "What passes for normal in our
world, anyway."

   She kissed me gently.  "I'll take our normal.  Anything else would be
boring."

   I kissed her a dozen times, all over her face.  "Boring might be nice
for a day or two."

   * * *

   When we got to Raymond, Robbie pulled over at a Dairy Queen.  Tami
bought us all dipped ice cream cones.  I tried to pay.

   "This is my grandma's trip.  You shell out so much as a dime and she'll
haunt you forever," she said forcefully.  I don't believe in ghosts, but on
the other hand, I don't disbelieve either.  I let Tami pay.

   "Who's driving now?" Robbie asked, holding out the keys and jingling
them.

   "I think it's Mikee's turn to earn her keep," I said with a grin.  Mikee
didn't look thrilled by the idea.

   "Can I walk?" Kelly asked.

   "Sure." I pointed down the road.  "It's about forty-eight miles that
way. Some of the signs may say Fort Canby instead of Cape Disappointment,
but just keep going, they changed the name a couple years ago."

   Robbie looked at her watch.  "It's a little after one.  If you don't
stop, you ought to be there by two A.M.  Four at the latest."

   "And no thumbing a ride," Mikee added.  "I'll tell Dad."

   Kelly looked surprised.

   I grinned.  "Just get in the van."

   "Would you ride up front with me?" Mikee asked.  "I'd feel better about
it." I nodded, and we all started getting in.

   Mikee didn't drive fast, but she got us there.  It took a few minutes
less than two hours, which wasn't bad.  Highway 101 is beautiful, but not
the best road you'll ever see.  It can be twisty and windy, and stretches
of it are one lane.  It would have taken me an hour-and-a-half.  Mikee
looked relieved as we pulled into the park.

   Tami went into the office and paid for the site she'd reserved and got
directions.  I gave Mikee a break and drove the rest of the way.

   "Okay, here's the plan," Tami announced as we dismounted for the last
time.  "Tony will set up the tents while we all take a nice relaxing walk."

   "I don't think so," I said quickly.

   "Okay, new plan.  Tony and I will take a romantic walk, the rest of you
will set up camp."

   "Try again," Robbie said.

   "You guys are hard to please.  Okay, new new plan.  Robbie and Traci
will take the van and go back to Ilwaco.  Here's your shopping list and
some money." She handed Robbie a piece of paper and a hundred dollar bill.

   "Mommy, can I keep the change?" Robbie asked in a little girl voice.

   Tami ignored her.  "The rest of us will try to figure out the tents."

   Forty minutes later Robbie was back with the food and the tents were up.
They didn't look like the picture on the box, but they were up and wouldn't
fall down.  At least, as long as the wind didn't blow more than a
mile-an-hour.  There were two of them, a small one for me and a big one for
the girls.

   Don't you hate it when segregation rears it's ugly head.

   * * *

   With the camp up, we walked to the beach.  I just stared at the ocean.
The Pacific has always impressed me.  I mean, the Atlantic seems like such
a wimpy ocean next to the Pacific.

   "Okay, ladies," Tami announced.  "You go that way, and Tony and I will
go this way.  Either keep walking, following the shore, and we'll meet you
in New Jersey, or come back in about half-an-hour."

   The other girls nodded and started off, heading North.  Since we had the
southern route, I wondered if we were supposed to walk around South America
or if we were cutting across Texas.

   I slid my hand around Tami and into the back pocket of her cut-offs. 
Just Tami and me on a beach.  It seemed so perfect.  I wondered if there
were any more deserted islands out there beyond the breakers.

   We walked about fifteen minute without saying a word, just enjoying each
other, the ocean beside us, the salty smell, the whole experience.

   We turned and started back.

   Tami cleared her throat, then stopped.  I stopped too, and she turned me
until we were looking at each other.  "Tony, I think you should know, this
is a alcohol-free roadtrip."

   I was surprised, and I felt the heat rushing to my cheeks.  "Okay," I
said after a few seconds.

   "I mean it.  Not a drop."

   "That's cool," I agreed and turned and looked out at the ocean.  There
was some kind of big ship just at the edge of the horizon.

   "Tony!  Look at me!" she commanded.  I did.  "When was the last time you
didn't have a drink at night?"

   "It's not that bad.  I..."

   "When?"

   I thought about it.  April.  "A few weeks."

   "You're a terrible liar."

   "I..." Tami put her fingers over my mouth.

   "I know why.  And it probably helped.  But it's time to stop."

   I looked back out at the ship on the horizon.  I thought it was a
tanker. "I guess."

   I watched the ship and Tami watched me.  I'd never been much of a
drinker.  Now and then at parties, or with friends.

   I'd had a pint of single malt scotch that Luke had given me stashed in
my closet, and the night after Zo's funeral I just couldn't get her out of
my head.  The scotch helped.  It helped a lot.

   I thought I'd been sneaky, that nobody knew.  I guess I hadn't been
sneaky enough.  Most nights I had a drink just before I crashed for the
night.  Sometimes two.  Or maybe three.  But some nights I started earlier.
I guess Tami had noticed on our walks.

   "It helped me sleep," I said after awhile.

   Tami stepped up next to me, found my hand, and slipped it into her back
pocket, then slid her hand into mine.  "I understand.  She's a powerful
memory."

   I felt some of the sea spray on my face, but it was warm, not cold.

   "Just remember, you didn't make her sick." Tami turned me away from the
water and started walking me back toward the camp.  "You made her happy."

   Chapter 3

   Sometimes nature just overwhelms you.  I dropped to the sand and just
admired it's majesty.  The moon was full and bright.  As it shone down it
made the waves that were crashing onto the sand almost glow.  Every one of
Tami's six thousand three hundred and thirty-two stars was out, each trying
to outshine the others.  And they brought friends.  A gentle breeze drifted
from the west, carrying the salty smell of the sea with it.

   Nature was magnificent.

   Especially the six naked bodies cavorting in the surf in front of me. 
That was nature at her finest.

   Skinny dipping had been Robbie's idea of course.  Though the others
joined in quickly.  Traci and I had been the most reluctant, each very
conscious of the other.  I know that Traci had seen me naked, having caught
me with a couple different girls.  And I'd seen Traci, having caught her
with a girl too, though she didn't know it.  But this was different.

   Eventually we relaxed and enjoyed the feel of the surf and the cool
night air against our bodies.  We'd gotten lucky.  The park had several
different camp areas, and ours was deserted on a Sunday evening except for
us.  We had the beach to ourselves.  After a while I'd come to sit on the
sand and watch as the girls played.  Like I said, this was nature in all
her glory.

   Tami and I had gotten back to camp earlier, before the others, and Tami
had taken the half-full bottle of tequila out of the gym bag I'd packed
after Mom gave me my luggage and thrown it away.  Then she and the others,
when they got back, made dinner.  I didn't have to lift a finger.  And
somehow, one of them was always on my lap chatting about anything.

   I decided that maybe, just maybe, life was fair after all.

   Baked potatoes, sweet corn on the cob, and steaks any Texan could be
proud of.  Life was good, even if I did have to eat with one hand, cause
the other arm was wrapped around Kelly as she sat in my lap.

   There was a nice big campfire that felt good to sit next to, even if the
night wasn't cold enough to need it.

   After dinner Kelly had to get off my lap to clean up, but Tami quickly
took her place.  Come to think of it, it was Tami who decided that it was
Kelly's turn to clean up, but I'm sure that was just a coincidence.

   "Enjoying the view?" Tami asked, coming out of the surf and plopping
down next to me.

   "Oh yeah," I agreed enthusiastically.

   "You pervert!  That's your sister out there."

   "And you know, she doesn't look half bad for an eighth-grader and a
sister."

   From the corner of my eye I saw Tami cock her head as she looked at me.

   "When the hell did she grow tits?"

   Tami laughed.  "You might open your eyes and look at her occasionally."

   "They're open now."

   "Pervert." She draped her arm across my back and leaned her head on my
shoulder.  "Was this a good idea?"

   I knew instinctively that she wasn't talking about the skinny dipping.
"This was a great idea.  I think we all needed it."

   "And you and Robbie...?"

   "I think we're us again, or at least we're getting there."

   "Good."

   We watched the girls for a while.  Kelly had climbed onto her sister's
shoulders, and Traci was riding Robbie, and the girls were having a chicken
fight, trying to pull each other down.

   "And Zoe?' Tami asked just as Traci managed to unhorse Kelly.

   "Zoe's shy.  She's in the bushes watching.  She's not ready to go skinny
dipping in a group yet." I could feel Tami nodding her head against my
shoulder.

   We kept watching as Darlene and Robbie raced toward the surf and dove,
trying to imitate the lifeguards we'd all seen on Baywatch.

   "So where to tomorrow, madame tour director?"

   "Nowhere.  We stay tomorrow.  There's some hiking trails and a couple of
lighthouses.  We'll leave Tuesday."

   "Where?"

   "South.  Or east.  Maybe north.  Definitely one of those."

   "You're getting pretty devious in your old age."

   Tami leaned up and kissed me on the cheek.  "I learned from the best."
She laid her head back on my shoulder.  "I'm surprised that Big Tony hasn't
joined the party."

   I looked down at my crotch, surprised.  I hadn't even thought about it,
but I wasn't erect.  Not even a little.  Six beautiful naked girls, and I
wasn't hard.  "I guess it's the nudist camp thing.  They say that in a
nudist camp, guys don't get hard all the time because the nudity is so
natural it's not sexy.  I never believed it."

   "And what are you two doing up her alone and naked?" Robbie asked as she
squatted down on my other side."

   "Talking," I told her.

   "I always knew you two were boring.  Your wedding present is going to be
a pair of rocking chairs."

   Cool," Tami and I said together.

   The other girls settled to the sand in front of us.

   Did you hear about school?" Darlene asked, and we all shook our heads.

   "Mr.  Kincaid and Mrs.  Jeffries are leaving."

   "Kincaid's no loss," Robbie said before I could.

   "Jeffries might be a problem if Parker's going to replace her," I added.

   "My mom said the school board hasn't decided yet," Darlene said.

   "That's something." The thought of Parker in charge of everything was
unsettling at best.

   "Where are they going?" Tami asked.

   "Mom said that Kincaid's quitting teaching and is going to be a some
kind of curator for some company.  I guess Jeffries got a job offer from a
school in Idaho," Darlene explained.

   I looked at Robbie, "Think I should write them a letter and warn them?"

   "I think you should be good," Tami said before Robbie could answer.

   "Can I ask you something?" Kelly said shyly.

   "You can ask me anything, squirt."

   "Hey!  I though she was the squirt," Kelly protested.  pointing at my
sister next to her.

   "You both are," Robbie said before Traci could protest.

   "What do you want to know?" I asked.

   "It's about Zoe, is that okay?"

   I swallowed hard, but nodded.

   "It's just...  I don't understand why...  I mean you and Tami, and you
and Zoe.  I..."

   "Breathe," Tami said, trying not to laugh at the flustered younger girl.
She reached over and took my hand, entwining her fingers in mine.  "Tony, I
think you should tell her a bedtime story."

   I felt the heat rush to my face.

   "You don't have to," Kelly said quickly.  "I just wondered."

   "No, I think Tam's right.  She was a pretty amazing girl, I think you
all should know that." I reached my other hand out and found Robbie's,
holding it and giving her a squeeze.  Robbie seemed startled at first, then
squeezed back.

   I looked up at the stars, wondering if Zoe was up there among them,
looking down.

   "Once upon a time there was a far-off kingdom called New York.  It was a
strange land of tall towers and mysterious tunnels."

   Kelly pouted.  "I'm not a baby.  You don't have to make it a fairy
tale."

   "That's okay, I like fairy tales," Tami said.

   "Me, too," Darlene said.

   "Zoe liked fairy tales too," Mikee added.

   I grinned.  "And into this mystical kingdom, in the month of September,
a beautiful raven-haired princess was born.  The princess grew up amid the
wonders of the kingdom.  The park called Central, the museum called
Metropolitan, the statue called Liberty, and many others.

   "She grew and went to school, where she studied hard.  She was bright
and clever, so school was easy and fun.  And late at night she lay in her
bed and dreamed of someday going to the High School of Performing Arts,
where she could learn to act and maybe, just maybe, go on to the smaller
kingdom of Broadway."

   "I didn't know that," Mikee said, surprised.

   "She could have been in our play," Robbie added wistfully.

   "She would have liked that," I said simply, and stared up at the stars
again for awhile.

   "When the princess was eleven," Mikee continued for me, "she missed much
school, from what her good and devoted parents thought were colds and flu.
That summer her parents finally took her to a doc...  to a wizard who
looked at her and poked and prodded and even took her blood.  He looked
dark and worried and shook his head a lot, then sent her to a greater
wizard, who poked and prodded some more.  And took more of her blood."
Mikee looked down at the sand.  I saw a tear streaming down the side of her
face.

   I took up the story from her.  "Finally, the wizard came forward and
proclaimed that a terrible curse had been laid upon the princess.  It was a
rare version of the leukemia curse."

   "Leukemia, that's kind of cancer of the blood, isn't it?" Darlene asked.

   I nodded.  I changed from story-teller mode to lecturer mode.  I wanted
them to understand.  "Basically, in the early stages, her body wasn't
producing enough white blood cells, and they are the ones that help fight
infections.  So she got sick a lot, and got bruises or cuts that took a
long time to heal.  Toward the end, some of her organs shut down on her.  I
guess that's what pushed her into a coma and..."

   None of us looked at each other.  We all stared at the sand, or the
surf, or the stars.

   "So for over a year, the parents of the princess took her to many
wizards, and the wizards used all their powers but couldn't stop the curse.
And in between wizards, the little princess went to school and played with
her friends and just enjoyed the magical kingdom.  And still dreamed of the
High School of Performing Arts.

   "Then one day the princess's parents heard of a very learned wizard who
lived in a far off kingdom who was trying to cure the leukemia curse.  So
they quit their jobs, packed up and moved across the continent to the
kingdom of Washington, a very different kingdom than New York, because this
kingdom had trees instead of towers and rivers instead of tunnels.

   "And the princess went to a different school and made many friends,
including one very special friend named Michelle.  In fact she once told me
that Michelle was the best friend she'd ever had."

   The moon was bright enough that I could see Mikee's cheeks turn red.

   "Now, the princess had never told anyone of her curse.  She kept the
secret because she wanted to be normal.  She didn't want her friends and
others feeling sorry for her."

   "Is that why she kept going to school?" Traci asked.  I could see tears
in the corner of her eyes.  "I mean, she didn't have to."

   I smiled across at my sister.  "But she did.  Not going to school meant
giving up.  It meant just sitting at home waiting to...  to die.  Besides,
the little princess liked school.  And she liked being around the other
kids.

   "So the princess went to her school and made many friends, especially
the princess Michelle, and even the princess Michelle's annoying little
sister, Princess Kelly."

   "Hey!  I'm not that bad."

   I grinned.  "And she met the beautiful Princess Traci."

   "How come she's a beautiful princess and I'm an annoying one?" Kelly
asked with a pout.

   "Genetics," Robbie said.

   "And she met Princess Traci's handsome..."

   "And full of it," Robbie commented.

   "...older brother, Tony," I continued.  "The little princess looked upon
the handsome prince and felt something stir within her.  But, alas, the
prince Tony was already in love with the fairest maiden in the land, Queen
Tamarone."

   "What am I?  Chopped liver?  Robbie protested.

   "Only when compared to Tami," I said and gave both theirs hands a
squeeze.

   "And so, for several months life went on.  Then one day, after the
holiday of pine trees and mistletoe, the princess confided her secret to
Michelle..."

   "I was sleeping over at her house one night, and we were talking," Mikee
explained.  "I asked her why she missed so much school.  At first she made
a joke about it.  Then she started crying and couldn't stop." The tears
were streaming down Mikee's face now, and she didn't even try to wipe them
away.  "So she told me about the leukemia, and she told me she was going
to...  to...  to..."

   I let go of Tami and Robbie's hands and reached out to Mikee.  She took
my hands, and I pulled her over and onto my lap.  I held her and let her
cry.

   "The beautiful..." I kissed Mikee's forehead, "...and brave Michelle
knew the little princess's other secret, her feelings for the prince.  She
thought about it for a long time, and then, though she had promised to tell
no one, told the prince all about the little princess and the terrible
curse.  Then the prince..."

   "I think that's enough bedtime story for tonight," Robbie interrupted,
looking around at all the damp faces.  "Everybody back to camp."

   The girls all stood and started gathering their discarded clothing as I
cuddled Mikee.  Tami gave me a smile and a nod as she left with the others.

   We sat there on the sand for a long time.  Finally Mikee lifted her head
and looked at me.  "Why did she have to...  to die?"

   I sighed.  "If I were religious, I'd tell you that it was all part of
God's plan.  That He needed her somewhere else."

   "But what do YOU think?"

   "I just don't know.  It's almost a cruel joke to create a soul as
beautiful as Zoe's, then take it away so soon." Sometimes I wish I were
religious.  It would be so nice to call it God's plan and accept that.

   "Did you do everything just because you felt sorry for her?"

   That took some thought.  I'd never really analyzed the why.  "I think at
first.  I just felt that she deserved some happiness, and if I could
help..." I swallowed the big lump in my throat.  "But then, I realized what
a special person she was, and I fell a little bit in love."

   Mikee smiled, and that smile made me feel a lot better.  "You're a
special person, too.  And so is Tami."

   I smiled again.  Tami was very special.  "I think she guessed what was
going on a long time before you told her."

   "I still think she's special."

   I kissed Mikee on the forehead.  "So do I?"

   Mikee climbed off my lap and stood up, then held out her hand and helped
me to my feet.  "You know what I don't understand?" she said as she
gathered her clothes.

   "What?"

   "With everything that was going on, why did Zoe's mom get so wigged out
about you going out with Zoe."

   Another one I had to think about.  "I guess no matter what, you can't
stop being a mom.  I was still a sixteen-year-old going out with her
thirteen-year-old daughter.  I was a guy, and guys only have one thing on
their minds, and Zoe was her innocent thirteen-year-old-daughter."

   I took Mikee's hand, and we walked back to camp.

   Chapter 4

   As we got back to camp I could hear all five girls in the big tent. 
That meant my tent was empty.  See?  Deductive reasoning.  There's a reason
for all those A's on my report card.

   I picked up some wood and started stoking the fire.  We'd dressed before
walking through the woods, so I didn't have to worry about sparks.  Mikee
looked at me, the tent, then back at me.  "You going to be okay?"

   I smiled.  "I'm fine.  I just want to enjoy the night."

   She nodded, though I don't think she completely believed me, and
unzipped the door to the girl's tent enough to let herself in.

   I watched the fire for a few minutes, then got my MP3 player out of my
tent and took a walk on the beach.  One of the great things about the new
MP3 players is you can load playlists.  I had one I called "Moody." It
started with the Theme from Exodus, then some of David Lanz's Desert Vision
album like Eagle's Path, then a little country and seventies pop.  Just
what I needed.

   I walked up the beach for about half-an-hour, then back.  It felt like
Zoe was walking with me.  I missed her, and I really missed that bottle of
tequila that Tami had gotten rid of, `cause it was at night that the big
questions came.

   Why did she have to die?

   What had she ever done to deserve it?

   Why would a benevolent God...?

   When I got back to camp, the fire had almost burned itself out.  I
thought about building it up again, then shrugged and headed for my tent.
I'd gotten undressed and was ready to climb into my sleeping bag when I
realized it wasn't empty.

   "Have a nice walk?" Tami asked softly.

   "Yeah."

   "Was she there?"

   "All the way."

   "I need you."

   I remembered that once her lie had come between us for a long, long
time. But this lie didn't bother me.  It wasn't her need that brought her
here.  I opened the sleeping bag and crawled in next to her.  She was naked
and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close.

   I kissed her long and deep as Big Tony started to make an appearance
rubbing the front of her thighs.

   "I see you brought a friend," Tami cooed as she massaged Big Tony.

   "I brought two," I said, knowing Zoe was with us.

   "It's a good thing I'm not shy." She was rubbing her hand up and down my
shaft and letting the head rub against the folds of her pussy.

   "I guess not.  I can't believe you went skinny dipping in the ocean. 
Hell, I can't believe everyone did."

   Tami laughed.  "What's the big deal?  It was you and a bunch of girls.
And you've seen me once or twice."

   "Once or twice," I agreed.  I tried to scoot downward toward her tits
and other treasures, but she held Big Tony firmly enough that I stayed
where I was.  "Darlene and Traci surprised me though."

   "Darlene didn't surprise me," Tami said as she moved me onto my back and
slid on top of me.  "I knew she'd be embarrassed but wouldn't want to look
embarrassed, so she'd go along.  I also knew that once she stripped she'd
relax.  It was you and Traci I worried about."

   Tami positioned my cock so that it lay on my pelvis, and she rubbed it
with her pussy.  Her lips seeming to grab at it.

   "What about the others?" I asked.

   Tami laughed softly.  "I doubt any of them would be surprised by this.
They'd be more surprised if I spent the whole night in our tent."

   Suddenly a thought hit me.  It was that deductive reasoning thing again.
"Did you put Robbie up to that skinny dip?"

   Tami sat up as much as she could, trapped by the sleeping bag.  "Of
course not." She reached down and opened herself with one hand and guided
Big Tony toward the promised land with the other.  "I just mentioned a
story about Paula going skinny dipping last summer and let her devious mind
do the rest." She pushed herself down, enveloping me.

   "And you call her devious," I muttered as Tami started rocking back and
forth, her cunt rhythmically squeezing my favorite appendage.  "You never
cease to surprise me."

   "If I ever do, you have my official permission to have me replaced."

   "What else do you have planned, little girl?"

   "I'm not a little girl.  But if you want one I could wake Kelly.  Or
Traci."

   I was shocked that she'd suggest it.  More shocked because when she did,
my mind pictured my naked sister and my cock seemed to grow bigger.  "You
may not be a little girl, but you're not too big to spank."

   "Promises, promises," she groaned as I started to fill her belly with my
seed.  She shuddered and started cumming too.

   `This is so much better than tequila,' I thought as my mind shut down
and I drifted into a deep, and for once dreamless, sleep.

   * * *

   "He lives!" Traci announced as I stuck my head out into the sunshine.

   "I thought maybe Tami was too much for you," Robbie said, bringing
giggles from all the other girls.

   I grinned.  "She almost was.  Especially when she tried that new thing."

   Tami blushed, but I was mostly watching Robbie's face as she tried to
figure what new thing.

   "What time is it?"

   "Almost eleven," Mikee told me.  "Tami said to let you sleep.  She also
said we had to feed you even though it's my turn to clean up and I already
did."

   "When I got groceries, I saw where the bus stop was.  I could drop you
off," Robbie volunteered.

   Mikee stuck her tongue out, then offered, "Bacon and eggs coming up,"
and busied herself by the camp stove.

   After I'd eaten and Mikee had cleaned up--again, as she reminded
me--Tami plopped herself into my lap.  "So, what's your favorite song to
sing?" she asked after a quick kiss.  She flipped open a steno pad, but
kept it tilted away from me.

   "Song?"

   "You know, you sing words in time to some music.  What's your favorite?"

   "Uh..." I didn't really have a favorite.  It mostly depended on my mood.
"I don't know."

   "You're a lot of help.  What if the talent show was tomorrow?  What
would you sing?"

   What the hell was Tami on about?  Then I knew the song.  "Holes in the
Floor of Heaven."

   Robbie smiled.  "Good choice.  She'd like it."

   Tami scribbled something.  "What else?"

   "You only get one song in the talent show," I pointed out, then nibbled
on her ear for effect.

   "Not in my talent show.  What else?"

   I looked up at Robbie, but all she did was shrug.  "Uh, Daydream
Believer."

   "The Monkees?" Tami said in surprise.

   "More a Davy Jones solo, but yeah."

   "Do you know anything from this century besides country?"

   I pretended to think about it.  "Nope."

   Tami shook her head sadly.  "My stone-age boyfriend." She kissed me,
then hopped off my lap.  "Traci, want to take a ride?"

   "Where?" my sister asked.

   "Town.  I have some errands."

   Traci nodded, and a minute later the two of them drove off.

   "What was that about?" I asked Robbie.

   She shrugged.  "Not even a guess, but I got the same treatment this
morning, except she didn't sit in my lap or kiss me."

   "Too bad.  That was the best part of the interrogation."

   "We have orders," Mikee informed me.  "We're supposed to haul some more
wood and treat you like a king."

   "Sounds good to me." I leaned back in my camp chair, hands behind my
head and stretched out my legs.  "You may bring me a cookie.  An Oreo. 
Double stuff."

   Kelly took two steps and launched herself five feet, landing in my lap.
Note to self: no Oreos for Kelly.  She's getting heavy.  "I can be your
combine," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck.

   "Combine?"

   "You know, the king's combine."

   "Concubine," Robbie corrected.

   "Whatever.  I'm it.  Shouldn't you be getting wood?"

   For a second I thought Kelly was an endangered species.  Then Robbie
smiled.  It was one of those payback-is-a-bitch kinds of smiles, but Kelly
didn't see it.  "Yes your royal concubineness.  Right away." She nodded at
the other girls, and they headed toward the end of the camping spaces where
the park service kept a pile of wood.

   "I'll help," I said, hoping to keep Kelly among the living.  I started
to stand.

   "Nope.  Tami said you couldn't," Kelly told me and didn't move.

   "Did she say you were the designated combine?"

   "Concubine.  Nope, but somebody has to do it."

   How do you argue with logic like that?

   * * *

   "Let's go skinny dipping again," Robbie suggested about three.

   "No!" I said firmly.

   "What's the matter sport, shy?"

   I stepped up to Robbie grabbed her arms and twisted her into a dip, then
kissed her before standing her back up.  "Very, but that's not the reason.
Tami's planned a two week trip, I don't want it to end on the second day."

   "But..."

   "But nothing.  That's a public beach.  People walk up and down the
shore. There may not be anybody in this campsite, but I doubt the park is
completely deserted.  If someone complains to the park rangers, just how
long do you think this will last if they call Mrs.  Temple and say Kelly
and Mikee were skinny dipping in the Pacific?  Or call Mr.  Reed to tell
him his step-daughter was skinny dipping with a guy named Tony?"

   Robbie stuck her tongue out.  "Fuddy duddy!"

   "Nope, I just want my fun to last."

   "Tonight?"

   I just grinned.

   "Okay Mr.  Hall Monitor, can I at least take my top off to sunbathe
here." Robbie was already pulling off her bikini top.

   I reached out and cupped the side of her breast and tweaked her nipple
with my thumb.  "I don't think that would be a prob...  on second thought,
no."

   "Why not?" Robbie asked surprised.

   "`Cause I think we're about to get neighbors." I nodded to the road in
front of the campsite, where a big white RV was coming.

   Robbie pulled her top back on as we watched the RV pull up to a space
about five away from ours.

   "Damn tourists!" she muttered.

   I looked over the girls to make sure everyone was decent.  All the girls
were wearing bikini tops.  Traci and Tami had on cut-offs, Darlene and
Mikee were wearing shorts, and Robbie and Kelly, their bikini bottoms. 
Together, they were a wet dream come true, but at least they were
technically dressed.  I was wearing a pair of cut-offs.

   The driver had a little trouble getting the big vehicle into the space,
but after a few minutes stopped and four people piled out and stretched. 
It looked like a Mom and Dad and a pair of teenaged boys.  As a guess, one
was my age, maybe a year older, and the other about Traci and Kelly's age.

   When Mom saw us, she started to wave then stopped, a look of distaste
crossing her face.  Somehow, I had a feeling that technically dressed
wasn't good enough for the new neighbor, though I had another feeling that
Dad and the boys didn't mind a bit.

   The girls pulled big beach towels out and laid them in front of the
tents, then settled on top of them, stomach down.  I sat in my camp chair,
sipping a Coke and admiring the view.  Now and then I glanced at the
neighbors as they set up their own camp.  They set up a small tent, I
guessed for the boys, and Mom appeared to be giving the menfolk lots of
helpful advice.  I chuckled, closed my eyes, and turned my face to the sun.

   "Are your parents here?"

   I lowered my head and opened my eyes, I must have nodded off.  Mom was
standing in front of me, but looking disapprovingly at the girls.

   "Nope."

   Robbie propped herself up on an elbow to watch, but the others just
enjoyed the sun.

   "Do they have any idea what kind of clothes your sisters are wearing? 
Or not wearing?"

   "Oh, they're not my sisters.  Well, one of them is.  Traci, come here."

   Traci rolled over onto her butt, then stood and walked over.  "This is
my sister, Traci, and I'm pretty sure that Mom has never seen this
particular suit."

   From the way that Traci blushed I knew I was right.

   "Where are your parents?"

   "At home.  A couple hundred miles that-a-way." I pointed vaguely east.

   "You're here by yourself?  You with all these half-naked girls?"

   "Is that a problem?" I asked, smiling politely.

   "It's not decent!"

   "Sorry, girls," I said loudly.  "I guess we have to go home.  Fresh air
and sunshine isn't decent."

   "That's not what I meant," she snapped.  "A boy alone with six girls."

   "Five girls and a sister," I corrected, and Traci stuck her tongue out.

   Robbie stood and walked over.  "My dad trusts Tony," she said putting
her hand on my shoulder.

   "I heard my mom tell my dad that meeting Tony was one of the best things
that ever happened to our family," Mikee said, sitting up.

   "My mom's letting me marry him after we graduate," Tami added.

   Mom sniffed.  "Your parents may trust him, but it just isn't right.  Out
here in the woods, all alone.  He's..."

   Kelly jumped to her feet and charged over.  "When I got raped, Tony got
me through it, so you can fuck off!" Her face clouded and she ran toward
the path to the beach.

   The other girls faces were all filled with shock and confusion.  I stood
quickly.  "Ma'am you can go now.  Everybody stay here," I ordered then ran
after Kelly.

   Kelly was sitting on a small log watching the waves when I ran out on
the beach.  I sat down next to her and stared too.

   "I'm sorry," she said after about five minutes.

   "For what?"

   "I know you hate when I say things like that."

   I sighed, put my arm around her, and pulled her in close.  "You're a big
girl now.  You can talk the way you want to.  But one of the great things
about not saying fuck in every other sentence is that people know you're
really pissed off when you do say it."

   "She was just so..."

   "Pretty much.  There are people out there who think they decide what's
decent or what's right.  The technical term is busybody."

   Kelly giggled.

   "You have to learn to ignore them.  Or have fun stringing them along,
like I was doing."

   "Oh!"

   "You realize that you just told your sister and everybody your secret?"

   "Yeah.  I was just so mad."

   "The problem with mad is words take a shortcut from your mad to your
mouth, and you don't have time to think about them."

   Kelly thought about that and nodded.

   "I told Mom a couple months ago.  What Kenny did.  What you did."

   "I had a feeling.  She looked at me funny for awhile."

   "You were right.  She didn't blame me at all."

   "I knew how much your mom loved you."

   "I think she loves you too."

   I grinned.  That was one of the nicest things anybody ever said to me. I
held Kelly and we watched the waves some more.

   "Is everything okay?" Tami's voice came from behind us.

   "It was `till you showed up," I said, trying to sound disgusted.  "I was
just getting ready to seduce my favorite combine."

   "Combine?" Tami asked.

   "Long story," I said.

   "Concubine," Kelly corrected at the same time.

   Tami came around in front of us.

   "Well, since you've blown my chance at seducing my combine, why don't
you sit here with her for a minute, `cause the only thing more perfect than
watching the ocean with two beautiful girls is watching the ocean with two
beautiful girls and a cold Coke," I said and stood.

   "I'm not a baby," Kelly protested.  "I don't need somebody to hold my
hand."

   "I do," Tami said, and Kelly seemed to accept that.  Tami took my place
and held out her hand.  Kelly gripped it.

   I jogged back down the trail.  Mom was nowhere to be seen, which was
good since I wasn't sure what I would have said to her.

   "Ladies!" I yelled as I trotted into camp.  The girls quickly gathered
around.  "There will be absolutely NO discussion of what you heard a few
minutes ago.  Three heads nodded agreement.

   "But Kelly's my sis..."

   I leaned down into Mikee's face.  "None, nada, zip!  Or we'll pack it up
right now and head home."

   Mikee looked like she wanted to argue, but nodded.

   I walked over to the cooler and grabbed three cans of Coke.  Robbie
walked up.  "Who?" she asked softly.

   "What part of `no discussion' didn't you get?" I snapped.

   "I just wondered.  I wouldn't say anything to Kelly."

   "Just remember Monster Girl, you're not too big to spank."

   If Robbie had a comeback I didn't hear as I jogged back to the beach.

   "Tell Tony what you said," Kelly demanded as I sat on the other side of
her.

   "I was just telling Kelly what happened after you two left.  Robbie went
over to her stuff and got her cell phone and held it out to the lady.  Then
she said, `My dad's speed dial three.  Call him and tell him that I'm not
decent.  While you've got him on the line, you can also tell him that I
called you a fucking tight-assed bitch.' Then Robbie used all the words you
don't like in some very interesting and colorful combinations.  The bitch
left without calling Robbie's dad."

   I grinned in spite if myself.  I had a feeling that if Robbie put her
mind to it, she could put any Arab camel driver or French dockworker to
shame.  I handed out the Cokes, and we sat and watched some seagulls
practice aerobatics for awhile.

   * * *

   "Hi, there."

   I looked up.  I'd been blowing in Kelly's ear.  The two boys from the RV
were standing in front of us.  The other girls were getting dinner ready
while Kelly sat on my lap and I tickled her ear with warm puffs of breath.
I'm guessing Tami planned it, because for some reason, tonight we weren't
playing musical lap-warmers.

   "Hi," I said, noncommitally.

   "Uh, sorry about our mom.  She can be a little..."

   "Yeah," I agreed, saving him from having to come up with the right word.
"I'm guessing she's not around, or you wouldn't be here."

   "You got that right," the younger brother said, speaking for the first
time.  "You're a bad influence."

   "She and Dad took a long walk," his brother added.

   I held out my hand.  "I'm Tony and this is Kelly.  She'd be an eighth
grader this year if she knew how to add."

   "Hey!" Kelly protested.  "I passed.  Besides, I got better grades than
Mikee."

   "She had harder classes," I said, clamping my other hand over her mouth.

   "I'm Virgil," the older brother said, shaking my outstretched hand. 
"And this is my brother Seth.  He's in eighth too." I shook hands with
Seth. "I'm a junior."

   "Me, too.  Girls, come here a minute," I called.  The girls all came up
around my chair.  "This is Virgil and Seth," I said pointing at each.  We'd
gone swimming a little while ago and the girls were all in their bikinis,
so the guys weren't looking at me.  "This is Darlene, the hottest
cheerleader in the state." Darlene nodded and blushed, though maybe not in
that order.  "This is Tami, the hottest girl in the state, but you got to
watch out for her cause her boyfriend is the second toughest football
player around."

   "The second toughest?" Seth asked.

   I nodded.  "And this is Robbie, also hot, and also dangerous.  She's the
toughest football player around.

   "You play football?" the boys said together.

   "Do you live in Washington?" I asked.  They nodded.  "Then you may have
read about her.  They call her Monster Girl."

   Virgil's eyes almost bugged out.  "You were in the state championships!"

   Robbie grinned.

   "I saw some of the game highlights on the news.  That was a fantastic
game.  Our team didn't even make districts."

   "Were you there?" Seth asked me.

   "I just carried equipment and stuff."

   "This is weird.  I mean, the papers made a big deal about a girl being
on the team, but the only pictures were of you with a helmet and
everything. I figured you were..."

   Don't you just hate it when you talk yourself into a corner?

   "You figured she was a big Bertha type?" I supplied.

   Virgil nodded, embarrassed.

   "Well besides playing football, she was also homecoming queen.  The
first sophomore in school history."

   "I can see why," Seth said, practically drooling.

   "Oh, and the runt in the back is Traci, also eighth, and the sister of
the second toughest football player."

   I was ready to duck a swat from Traci, but the one from Tami caught me
by surprise.

   "Don't listen to him.  He's not really that tough," she said.

   Virgil grinned.  "It must be really cool to come out here with your
friends instead of your parents."

   I was tempted to say that some parents would be okay.

   "We'd better get back.  If Mom finds us over here..." He left the rest
unsaid, but I could imagine.

   * * *

   "I got a question, Mr.  Hall Monitor," Darlene said.

   I'd been counting stars.  There were only a couple dozen as night
started to fall.  Tami had just gotten off my lap and walked to the rest
rooms with Kelly.  I looked down from the sky.  Darlene was looking at me
with a big smile.

   I whipped my hand out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her across my lap.
I could see her butt cheeks clench through her nylon shorts even before my
hand landed the first time.  I spanked her five times, then set her on her
feet.

   "Robbie can get away with calling me that `cause I'm afraid of her. 
Tami might get away with it `cause I love her.  Not you."

   Darlene rubbed her butt with an exaggerated circular motion.  I hadn't
spanked her that hard.

   "You had a question," I prompted.

   Darlene pouted.  I shrugged and looked back at the sky.  A few more
stars had shown up.

   "I was just wondering if we were going to skinny dip after it got
completely dark.  Now I'm not sure I want to go anywhere with you."

   I looked back at her, grabbed her again, and pulled her across my lap,
but sitting this time.  "Want me to rub it and make it better?"

   "Make what better?" Tami asked as she walked up.

   "Darlene's butt.  Tony spanked her," Traci said.

   "Sorry I missed it," Kelly said, and Darlene gave her a snooty look,
nose in the air.

   I put my hand on Darlene's butt, and I thought she was going to jump
into a tree, but after a second she relaxed.

   "Watch those hands," Tami said, taking Darlene's seat.  "He'll get you
all relaxed and then you never know what will happen.  In fact, that's how
I got stuck with him."

   "You haven't given me a massage in a long time," Kelly accused.

   "Or me," Mikee added.

   "Me either.  We've been doing other things," Tami finished.

   "Tomorrow, massages all around," I said to avoid a revolt.  Well, maybe
not Traci.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to rub her body or not, but I was
pretty sure she wouldn't want me to.

   "Is that before or after we hit the road?" Mikee asked.

   "I didn't know we were hitting the road."

   "Tami told me."

   "She didn't tell me."

   Tami grinned.  "We'll leave about ten.  Now you know." It occurred to me
that for a relationship without secrets, we had a lot of them.

   "You never answered my question," Darlene accused, leaning back against
my chest as I continued to rub one cheek then the other."

   "What question?" Kelly asked.

   "She wanted to know if we were going skinny dipping tonight," Mikee
said.

   "Well?" All four asked together.

   "I suppose we could since it's dark, after the neighbors look settled
for the night," I said after a couple seconds thought.

   "Good, that'll make Robbie happy," Darlene said and wiggled her butt
against my hand.

   "Where is Robbie?" Tami asked.

   "Wasn't she down at the restrooms?" I asked.

   Tami shook her head.  "She took a walk about forty minutes ago, I
thought maybe she stopped for a shower or something."

   "Should we go looking for her?" Tami asked.

   "Robbie can take care of herself," I said.  `She can take care of
herself for another twenty minutes, then I'm going to find her,' I thought.

   Five minutes later the night exploded with voices.  One voice, actually,
loud and shrill.  It was our favorite next door neighbor, and I couldn't
make out a thing she said.

   A minute later Robbie came jogging into camp, her t-shirt in her hand.

   "What the hell?" I asked, standing and almost dumping Darlene on the
ground.

   Robbie grinned.  "You know how you're always saying life is
complicated?"

   I nodded.

   Her grin got bigger, "Sorry about that." Then she skipped to the big
tent.

   Tami and I looked at each other.  Robbie skipping could not be a good
sign.

   A minute later I saw Mom charging toward our camp.  "Girls why don't you
wait in the tent," I suggested.  I sat down and waited for whatever.  I
wondered who'd get more bruised if I tried to spank Robbie.

   "Beautiful night," I said as she charged up.

   "Where is she?"

   "Who?" I asked politely.

   "That red-headed bitch."

   "I haven't seen any dogs, male or female."

   That stopped her.  I think I was supposed to cower, not make jokes.

   "You know who I mean," she snapped.  "Your red-headed girlfriend."

   "My girlfriend's a brunette."

   "You know who I mean," she repeated.  "Get that fucking red-headed bitch
out here now."

   "No."

   "No?  You can't say no."

   I smiled.  "I just did."

   "You're just a kid.  Now get that little cunt out here."

   I stood up.  "I think you need to leave.  I don't appreciate that kind
of language.  My little sister's in that tent."

   "I'm not going anywhere, and I don't give a flying fuck what you
appreciate."

   "Tami, come here," I yelled turning away from her.

   Tami came out of the tent and smiled.

   "That's not the one!" The woman bellowed.

   "Tam, drive to the ranger station and tell them we have a problem."

   Tami nodded and started walking toward the van.

   "You're calling a ranger about me?  That little bitch seduced my son."

   I had to hand it to Robbie.  When she wanted to complicate things, she
did a great job.

   "I didn't realize," I said, trying to sound sympathetic.  "Tami, never
mind.  Ma'am, we'll leave tomorrow, and you can be sure that the girl will
be punished appropriately."

   "Well..."

   "I'm responsible, and I'll deal with it."

   Tami had come and stood behind me.  "Don't be too hard on her.  You know
your temper," she said, putting her hand on my shoulder.

   Temper?  I have a temper?

   I turned and looked at Tami.  "This is serious.  I can't let her get
away with it."

   I turned back to the simmering woman.  "You'd better go back and make
sure your son's okay."

   She hesitated, then stomped off.  I hated to do it to Virgil, but at
least it got her out of my hair.

   When she got to her campsite I turned back to Tami and sagged.  "I
couldn't have kept a straight face for another second."

   She grinned.  "I know what you mean," she said and hugged me.

   "Roberta Elizabeth Marie Tate, get your butt out here!" I yelled.

   A head stuck out the flap of the tent.  "What did you call me?"

   "Roberta.  Now get out here.  Everybody else too." While they were
assembling, I went to the food box and grabbed some things.  "Let's go," I
said and led them toward the beach.

   On the beach I turned to Robbie.  "Is it true?  Did you seduce Virgil?"

   "Well, yeah," she said, surprising me with her hesitation.  "Earlier. 
But she caught me with Seth."

   My jaw dropped.

   "You did both of them?" Darlene asked.

   Robbie nodded.

   "And just why did you get caught?" I asked, a nasty suspicion forming in
the back of my mind.

   "It was Seth's first time.  He made a lot of noise when he came."

   "And just out of curiosity, what would have happened if he hadn't made
noise?"

   Robbie grinned.  "I would have." Suspicion confirmed.

   "I'm shocked that you would have sex with a thirteen-year-old." The look
on Kelly's face when I said that was priceless.  "And I think you should
know that I promised Seth's mother that we'd leave tomorrow."

   "We're leaving anyway," Robbie said.

   "And I promised that you be appropriately punished."

   Robbie still smiled.

   "And you know how I feel about promises."

   That cracked her smile.

   I handed each girl but Robbie one of the Oreos that I'd gotten out of
the food box, keeping one for myself.  "No Oreos until tomorrow."

   Robbie grinned but meekly said, "Yes, sir."

   I pulled off my t-shirt.  "And we're all going skinny dipping, and you
can't come."

   Robbie stood there as we stripped and headed for the water.  At the
water line, I turned back toward her.  "For five minutes."

   * * *

   "Aren't vacations supposed to be relaxing?" I asked Tami as we started
down the trail to camp.

   "Aren't you relaxed?" she asked with a small laugh.  She and I had taken
a walk after our swim while the others went back to camp to get ready for
bed.

   "I feel like I'm in training for Mr.  Parker."

   We walked into the deserted camp, and Tami kissed me gently and headed
toward the big tent.

   "Where...?  Aren't you...?"

   "Not tonight." She blew me a kiss and went in.

   I sighed.  The perfect ending to a perfect day.

   I went in my tent and started undressing, wondering if I could will
myself into a dreamless sleep.

   "It's about time."

   I must have jumped six inches.

   "Mikee, what are you doing in here?"

   "It's my turn, silly."

   Why did Big Tony decide that was a cue to make an appearance?

   "Turn?"

   "Tami said you are not allowed to sleep alone.  And tonight would be,
uh, inconvenient."

   Inconvenient?  Oh!  I realized that it had been four weeks since her
last inconvenience.

   "I offered to trade with Kelly since she was upset today, but she said
she'd wait until tomorrow."

   Isn't it nice when your girlfriend plans out your sex life, even when
she isn't going to be part of it?

   "I can leave if you want someone else," she added with just a little
whimper.

   "Oh, shut up and scoot over." It had been a long time since I'd been
with Mikee.  First there was Zoe, then after Zo I didn't want to be with
anyone but Tami.  I wondered if this was part of Tami's plan when she was
putting together this roadtrip.

   Mikee reached down and caressed Big Tony.  "You ARE glad to see me."

   "Michelle Temple," I said, realizing that I didn't even know her middle
name, "I am always glad to see you."

   Mikee giggled and slid down into the sleeping bag, and a few seconds
later I felt her hot little mouth envelope my cock.  I reached for my gym
bag and started rooting through it, wondering if I had any rubbers.  Since
Tami had a patch, I hadn't needed them.  I found a box and pulled it out.
Three packets.  If there was going to be turns, I needed to get more by
Thursday.

   I ripped open a package and pulled one out, wondering how the turns were
going to work.  Tami's inconveniences were very regular: three days.  So
did that mean three turns and she was back full time?

   I reached down and pulled Mikee to the top of the sleeping bag.  "My
turn." I scooted deep until my face was above her crotch and then pressed
my face into that wonderful slit.  Mikee sighed.

   "I really did hear my mom tell my dad that meeting you was one of the
best things that ever happened to our family.  I wonder what she'd say if
she could see us now?"

   I lifted my head off her pussy.  "She'd say that I make her daughter
very happy." I kissed her slit.  "She'd also say that you're getting pretty
hairy down here.  It's tickling my nose."

   Mikee giggled.  "Want me to shave it all off and be bare like the first
time you molested me."

   "Me molest you?  I thought you molested me."

   Mikee grabbed my ears and pulled.  I came up to face her.  "Would you
shut up and fuck me, already?"

   "Yes, ma'am," I said as I reached down and rolled the rubber onto my
willing cock.

   "And make it last," she ordered as I moved Big Tony into position.

   "Getting bossy in your old age?"

   "Oh, God," she moaned as I entered her.  "That feels so good.  It's been
so long."

   "You haven't been a virgin all this time," I accuse jokingly.

   "No," she admitted.  "But none of them are as good as you."

   Right then, I didn't care if it was a lie or not.

   We used all three rubbers.

   Chapter 5

   I woke as Mikee wiggled her ass into Big Tony.  She moaned in her sleep
and pushed.  I reached down and opened her legs enough for my cock to slid
between next to her slit.  She moaned again as I started rubbing my cock
between her legs.

   "That's a nice way to wake up," she said a minute later.

   "It has its advantages," I whispered in her ear.

   "You can..." she reached down and tried to guide my cock inside her.

   "No rubbers," I said, pulling back and letting Big Tony slip from
between her thighs.

   "It's okay.  Just this once."

   I flipped open the sleeping bag, rolled Mikee onto her stomach, and
brought my open hand down hard on her ass.

   "Hey!"

   "I thought I taught you better than that.  It's not okay just this once.
Not with me or anybody else."

   "I just thought..."

   "No, the trouble is, you stopped thinking.  You think your mom will let
you go on next year's roadtrip if she has to stay home with the grandbaby?"

   "Sorry."

   "Besides, she might not even let me bring Kelly, the sexy one in the
family."

   Mikee rolled onto her side facing me.  She reached down, grabbed my
cock, and squeezed.  "You're going to pay for that."

   I pulled her hand off.  "Not right now.  Some of us, have to go piss."

   Mikee made a face.  "I wish you hadn't said that.  I do too."

   We got up and quickly dressed in shorts and t-shirts.  As we stepped out
of the tent, the other girls were sitting in a semi-circle around the
opening.  "See, I told you my sister couldn't make him sleep as long as
Tami."

   "Ignore them," I said, trying to sound upper crust and sophisticated.

   "She's just jealous cause she didn't get laid last night," Mikee said.
So much for sophisticated.

   "I did," Robbie smiled.

   "Three times?" Mikee shot back.  At least Darlene and Traci had the
grace to blush as I led Mikee toward the restrooms.

   * * *

   After breakfast the girls mostly sat and watched as I took down the
tents and packed the van and trailer.  Apparently, we'd reached a division
of labor: they cooked and tended the camp, I set-up and took-down, though
they did help when I needed an extra hand.

   I saw Robbie eyeing the neighbors campsite, where everyone was up and
moving slowly.

   "Roberta?" I called from where I was pulling tent stakes.

   "Call me that again and I'll rip your tongue out," she said as she came
over.

   "No you won't," I said simply.  "What do you have in mind?"

   "I just wanted to say goodbye."

   "Not a good idea.  Tami had to register for the campsite.  The bitch
might get Tami's name from the rangers and call home."

   "My dad won't care."

   "Rob, if your dad was the only parent involved, I'd just sit back and
watch.

   "Oh." Robbie looked at the other girls sitting by the van.  "I still
wanted to..." she didn't finish.

   "I think you need to go to the restroom," I said after a minute.

   "What am I, four?"

   "Go the back way and hang out for a few minutes," I said, ignoring her
comment.

   After she'd gone I called Tami and Darlene over and asked them to go
visit our favorite Mom, make nice, and apologize again for Robbie's
behavior.  And if they could, quietly suggest to the boys that it would be
a good time for a bathroom break...

   * * *

   "Did you get your goodbye?" I asked.

   Mikee had driven the first half hour, from the park to Ilwaco, then east
to Stringtown and south to Chinook and McGowan, but when we got to the
bridge at Point Ellice she got nervous, so I took over.  After a quick
round of musical chairs, Robbie had wound up in the passenger seat next to
me.

   The bridge was a little intimidating.  Just over four miles long
including, if you'd read the information sign, it's main span of twelve
hundred and thirty-two feet, the longest continuous truss in the world.  It
connected Washington to Oregon over the Columbia River.

   "I got a few minutes," she answered.

   "Anything besides goodbyes?"

   Robbie blushed.  "Nope, not enough time.  Besides, they were kinda
embarrassed because they both knew I'd done the other one."

   "You kind of used them."

   "Not really."

   "Be honest.  If Mom hadn't pissed you off royally, would you have had
anything to do with them?"

   "I..." She sat quietly for a minute as I navigated my way through
Astoria.  "Seth, no.  He was cute, but he's just a kid.  Virgil, maybe. 
But I wouldn't have fucked him the first day."

   I nodded.  "Well, you may have used them, but I doubt they minded."

   * * *

   It took just over three hours to make Lincoln City.  I stopped at a
shopping center on the north side of town.  Actually, a pair of shopping
centers.  I parked the van in front of a Safeway in one, then we jogged
across the street to a Bi-Mart in the other.

   In the drug section I found what I needed and carried it to the
checkout. The guy behind the register was maybe five or six years older
than me.  "You sure this is gonna be enough?" he asked sarcastically as he
scanned my two boxes.

   I picked one up.  Twelve rubbers to a box.  I smiled.  "You know you're
right.  Robbie, would you grab me three more boxes.  I looked back at the
clerk.  "It's going to be a long two weeks."

   "Two weeks?" he almost choked as Robbie set three more boxes on the
conveyor.

   I nodded to the five girls standing at the end of the checkout and
Robbie beside me.  "Well there are six of them."

   "We can always stop and get more next week," Robbie added.

   I couldn't describe the clerks expression as we left if I tried.

   We hit Safeway for groceries, then stopped at Mo's, a seafood and
chowder place on the bay, for lunch.  They advertised world famous clam
chowder, but I wasn't impressed.  It wasn't even in the top ten.

   We'd passed an outlet mall on the way to the restaurant, and after we
ate, the girls all wanted to go back for just a little window shopping. 
Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.  The place had a book store, so I figured
what-the-hell.  Three hours later, when I saw all the shopping bags, I
wondered if we could rent another trailer.  All I bought was a book of
Doonesbury cartoons.

   * * *

   With the shopping spree it was almost five when we pulled into the
Beverly Beach State Park.  Tami registered with the rangers, and we found
our new home.  The park wasn't full, but we did have neighbors on either
side a couple spaces away.  I considered warning Robbie about her behavior,
but I decided living through the end of the month was more important.  The
neighbors were on their own.

   The tents were a lot easier to pitch.  Having put them up and taken them
down once in the last couple days, I almost knew what I was doing.  While I
worked on the tents, the girls set up the camp with the chairs, camp stove,
and other stuff.

   After camp was setup we walked to the beach together, then Tami and I
turned south while the rest headed north.  It was nice walking on the beach
with Tami, holding hands, being part of nature.  The beach here was rockier
than at Fort Canby, with a lot more logs and drift wood.

   Several families were on the beach flying kites.  A steady breeze made
that a good idea.  I tried to remember the last time I'd flown one and
couldn't.  Probably back in California, before we moved.

   "Want to buy one and try it?" Tami asked softly.

   I hate when she does the mind reading thing, but I guess this time it
was pretty obvious.  "Nah.  But it's fun to watch." Tami squeezed my hand
and we walked on.

   We walked another mile, then turned around.  The kite flyers had all
retired when we got back to that spot.  I wished I'd had a picture.  One of
the kites was huge and shaped like a Chinese dragon.  It looked really cool
as it shimmied in the wind.

   That was when I remembered my camera.  It was in my bag, and I hadn't
used it at all.  I should have gotten some pictures at Fort Canby.  Hell, I
should have gotten some picture of the skinny dip.

   "Anthony Marion Sims, you're thinking evil thoughts," Tami announced.

   "How do you do that?"

   "Do what?"

   "Know what I'm thinking."

   "So you were thinking evil thoughts," Tami said with satisfaction.

   "I was thinking if I'd brought my camera to the beach when we were
skinny dipping, I could have sold the pictures for enough to pay for next
year's roadtrip and still have enough left over to make my car insurance
payment next week."

   "You'd sell pictures of me and Robbie and Darlene and..." Tami was
trying to sound shocked, but barely containing her laughter.

   "Robbie and Darlene and the others, in a heartbeat.  You're private
stock."

   "You wouldn't sell my pictures?"

   "Only if the price was right.  No one in Washington has that kind of
money."

   "That's one of the sweetest...  Doesn't Bill Gates live in Washington?"

   "Like I said." I grinned, pulled her to me and kissed her.  "You're
private stock."

   "I don't know whether to kiss you for being so sweet, or knee you in the
groin for talking about me like I'm property."

   I grinned again.  "When in doubt..." I kissed her and she kissed back,
her tongue probing into my mouth.  She also brought her knee up slowly
until it was pressing against my balls just to remind me to be good.

   "I can't believe you'd sell your sister's pictures just to make your
insurance payment," she said when we'd started walking again.

   "Are you kidding?  I'd sell Traci's pictures to buy a gallon of gas."

   "And your friends?"

   "Well, maybe not Robbie's.  She'd want a cut."

   Tami giggled.  "She would, wouldn't she."

   "Yeah, I'd...  damn!" I said coming to a stop.

   "What?"

   "My car insurance.  My payment's due next week."

   Tami smiled, took my hand again and pulled me down the beach.  "That's
why they invented cell phones.  You've got one, I've got one, Darlene's got
one.  Robbie's got one, though she'd probably charge you to use it.  Call
your dad, and he'll make your payment.  He knows you're good for it.  After
all, you paid his mortgage."

   I stopped dead again.  "You're not supposed to know about that."

   Tami sighed.  "Your mom told me one afternoon while we were watching
your baseball game.  She thought I should know what I was getting myself
into."

   "But, I..."

   Tami put her finger over my mouth.  "Tony, your secret is out.  Almost
everybody knows you're a good guy." My tongue darted out and licked her
finger.  We were back where we started.  The trail back to the campsites
was on my right.  I pulled her toward it, then dodged into a little grotto
formed by three large logs.

   I pulled her finger off my lips and sucked it into my mouth as we sunk
down to the sand.  Then I pulled it out and lowered my lips onto hers, one
arm going around her and the other reaching down to massage her crotch.

   Tami reached down and pulled my hand away and placed it on her breast.
She was always self-conscious about her crotch during her inconvenient
days. That was okay.  There wasn't an inch of Tami's body that I didn't
love, and want to caress.

   Our kiss went on and on.  I wondered if Guinness had a record for
kisses. If they did, maybe Tami and I would break it.  If not today...

   And if Guinness has a kiss record, do they have categories?  With
tongue, without tongue.  With hands...

   "You're thinking evil thoughts again," Tami accused, breaking away.

   "Not evil, just irrelevant."

   Suddenly Tami's eyes got big.  I looked over my shoulder at five heads
lined up along the log wall.  "Don't you have anything better to do?" I
asked disgustedly.

   "Not really," Robbie said.  "Besides they started it." I looked over
Tami at the other log.  Two boys, about eleven or twelve, were watching
intently.

   I sighed.  "You know, guys, doing it is a lot more fun than watching." I
pointed behind me at Traci and Kelly.

   I don't know what kind of expression the boys had, but the two younger
girls shrieked and sprinted toward camp.

   "That was mean," Tami said climbing to her feet.

   "Just a little, I agreed, standing up.

   "Hey, guys!" I grabbed the sides of Tami's t-shirt and pulled it up,
flashing them a quick view of her tits.  Like usual during the summer, she
wasn't wearing a bra.

   "There's more where that came from," Robbie said and pulled up her own
shirt.  As hers came back down, she grabbed Darlene's and pulled it up. 
Mikee giggled and flashed them her own tits.

   The boys looked stunned.

   "Next show, tomorrow at two," I said as I helped Tami over the logs and
we started toward our camp.

   "You do realize that those guys will be standing there at one o'clock
don't you?"

   I grinned.  "Probably noon."

   * * *

   We barbequed hamburgers for dinner, then decided to catch a movie. 
There'd been a multiplex in between the outlet mall and the restaurant.  We
got there and had a choice of six movies.  Batman Begins, which I figured
might be okay on television some night when I had nothing better to do. 
Madagascar, Mr.  and Mrs.  Smith, and Cinderella Man might be okay.  The
Longest Yard was a remake I could care less about and Star Wars Three, the
only one I'd already seen.

   After some initial haggling we finished with a three-way tie between
Madagascar, Mr.  and Mrs.  Smith, and Cinderella Man.  My vote was for
Madagascar.  Kelly was the swing vote, having already been out-voted on
Star Wars.  I leaned down and whispered in her ear.

   "What did you tell Kelly?" Traci demanded after we'd gotten out tickets,
popcorn, and pop.  She'd wanted to go to Mr.  and Mrs.  Smith.

   "I said if we went to Madagascar, she could sit on my lap during the
whole movie and I'd play with her titty," I answered honestly.  Traci
stomped on ahead.

   We settled in some seats about halfway down the theater.  I looked
around.  Our group doubled the audience.  I sat down and took a sip of my
Pepsi.  It seemed like almost every theater I'd ever gone to served Pepsi.
Personally, I think it's part of a conspiracy by the DVD industry.

   We timed it almost perfectly.  Kelly settled herself on my left leg,
Tami settled herself on my right, and just as I slipped my hands up inside
their shirts, the lights dimmed and a box of dancing popcorn on the screen
reminded us there was still time to visit the concession stand.

   Both girls' nipples were already hard as I started fondling them. 
Tami's breasts were small, just a nice handful, and Kelly, three years
younger was already a little bigger.

   I kneaded the breasts and teased the nipples as I watched the previews.
Six previews.  Two looked good, two looked like television, one that could
go either way, and one I wouldn't see on a bet.  The trailers ended, and
Tami got off my lap and traded seats with Mikee who climbed on.  They did
it so smoothly in the darkened theater that I wondered if it'd been
prearranged.  I shrugged and worked my hand up Mikee's shirt.

   Mikee stayed during a short feature about a dancing sheep who got all
upset after the farmer came and sheared him.  The sheep thought he was
funny looking without his fleece.  Then she switched with Robbie.  "Do a
good job and I might let you play with more than my tits," she whispered.

   I grinned, then remembered they were all supposed to get massages today.
Well, maybe this would count.  I took my hand off Kelly's tit and dropped
it into her lap.  Then I wiggled it into her shorts and panties and started
stroking her slit.  Kelly sighed, laid her head on my shoulder and opened
her legs a little wider.

   Robbie stayed until the animals had been loaded on the ship, then
switched with Darlene.  Darlene seemed hesitant.  After all, we'd never
done much, so I slipped my hand under her shirt, but only rubbed the side
of her ribs.  I think that relaxed and frustrated her at the same time.

   The animals were exploring their new island when Darlene got up, my hand
falling away, and went to Tami.  Tami whispered something to Traci next
her, Traci giggled and shook her head.  Tami got up, came over and settled
back on my leg.  "I've missed you," she whispered in my ear.

   "What was that all about?" I asked, nodding toward Traci.

   "I just asked her if she wanted her turn," she said.

   "That's redicu...  obviously she didn't."

   "She said maybe next time," Tami whispered in my ear, her tongue
following her words.

   I wondered what I'd do if Traci settled on my lap in the darkened
theater.  Obviously I wasn't going to feel her up.  Maybe just rub her side
like I did with Darlene.  I mean, she'd sat on my lap before.  That was no
big deal.

   Tami switched with Mikee.  And Mikee with Robbie.  And Robbie with
Darlene.  This time I cupped the bottom side of Darlene's breast, then
eased my hand up and over her nipple.  It was hard like a candy skittle,
and I wondered what flavor it was.  I wondered if I'd ever find out.

   As the animals gathered on the beach, Darlene got up and switched seats
with Tami.  Tami whispered to Traci again.  Traci shook her head without
giggling, and Tami took her place on my leg.  I reached down and gave her
crotch a quick squeeze, then moved my hand under her shirt before she could
move it for me.  I watched the credits roll with Kelly's pussy in one hand
and Tami's breast in the other.

   The lights came back up, and I pulled my hands out of the girl's
clothing.  I gave Kelly and Tami quick kisses, then the girls stood and
stretched.

   Everyone was out of the theater except three guys standing by the door.
I guessed they were seniors, or maybe recent graduates.  "You missed one,"
the guy in the center said.  As we walked toward the door.

   "Excuse me?" I said, not understanding.

   "You didn't feel up that one," he said, pointing at Traci with a leer.
All three were leering.  I knew without looking that Traci would be
crimson. Probably Darlene too.

   I started to protest that she was my sister, then changed my mind. 
"Wouldn't be polite.  She's not my sister."

   Three sets of eyes got very big.  "The others are all your sisters?" The
one on the right asked.

   "And you felt them up?" the one on the left added.

   "Wouldn't be proper to do anything more in a theater," I said, trying to
sound hayseed without being too over the top.  "But a brother's got a duty
to keep his wimmin folk from getting too horny."

   Robbie caught on quickly.  "Wiley-boy said he'd do us all doggie-style
when we get home." She patted me on the shoulder, and I realized that I'd
been re-christened.

   "Yep, Rhonda Sue sure likes it from the back." I said, giving one of
Robbie's tits a squeeze.  "This here's Cammie Sue." I patted Kelly's
crotch. "And Mandy Sue." I gave Mikee's butt a pat.  "They's been ruttin'
since they was five.  This is Darcy Sue." I gave Darlene a kiss to try and
hide some of her blush.  "She's still cherry, waiting for Uncle Ralph to
get out of prison to do the job, so I's just eaten her.  And Tabby Sue" I
reached from behind and cupped both Tami's tits.  "She can fuck me and all
five of my cousins right into the ground."

   Tami grinned.  "And my three uncles too."

   "And don't forget Daddy," Robbie added.

   "I'd never forget Daddy."

   "That there's Mary Alice," I said with a nod to Traci.  "She lives in
the neighborhood and has her own brothers to take care of her." I started
past the guys and the girls followed.

   "Y'all have fun, now," Robbie said as she passed.

   "That was mean," Tami said as we all fastened our seat belts in the van.
"They'll probably bruise themselves jerking off."

   "No probably about it," Robbie added.

   "I didn't see you stopping it," I said.  "Three uncles and Daddy."

   "Daddy was Robbie's idea.  You started it with my five cousins."

   I grinned.  "One big happy family."

   "When we get back to camp, we'll all get naked and on our hands and
knees and you'all can start your chores." Robbie said.

   In the rear-view mirror, I saw Darlene blush.

   With Robbie's picture in my mind, I was almost afraid to start the van
and drive.

   "And I guess I'll have to wander around and find a brother of my own,"
Traci said with an exaggerated sigh.  And no blush.  I'd have to keep an
eye on my sister.

   * * *

   "Just out of curiosity, when we'all get hitched and have us a passel of
kids, are they going to run around naked and hump each other like Wiley-boy
and all the Sues?" Tami asked as we walked on the beach in the moonlight.

   "Nope, they're going to be taught abstinence and saving themselves for
marriage."

   "Somehow, I can't see you pulling off the hypocrite act too
effectively," she challenged.

   "I'll learn."

   We walked on silently.  Actually, I'd never thought about our kids and
sex.  I'd thought a lot about our kids.  I wanted a big family; three sets
of twin girls would be perfect.  I knew Tami wanted a big family too,
though she'd never mentioned what mix.  But I'd never thought about raising
them.

   Would we be the kind of parents who had sex once a week, Wednesdays
probably, in the bedroom with the door closed, then pretended it never
happened?  Or were we going to have orgies in the living room with our old
school friends while the kids watched Sesame Street?

   And what was I going to do when my girls got to be twelve, like Tami was
when I met her, and Daddy gets a hard-on just looking at them?  I
remembered all those Frank McCoy stories on SOL, where it was practically a
duty for a father to initiate his girls into sex.  Of course in most of
those stories he was trying to get them pregnant too.  I never really
understood the appeal of that.  Or there was Uncle Sky's I Married Three
Girls.  Then I could initiate the girls without trying to breed them.  Or
Hoisington's G'Night Pixie story, all I had to do was get stranded on a
deserted island.

   All the stories aside, would it be betraying a trust to look at my girls
like that?  Maybe...

   "Stop!"

   "Huh?" I said, stopping in my tracks at Tami's command.

   "You're worrying about raising our kids, and we won't get married for a
couple of years yet."

   Damn!  I hate when she does that.  "But..."

   "But nothing.  We'll figure it out as we go along, just like every other
parent.  There's no one way to raise kids, because every kid is different."

   "How'd you get so smart?"

   Tami grinned, the moon reflecting off her white teeth.  "I used to go
out with this guy who read a lot."

   "Whatever happened to him?"

   "He worried so much his head exploded.  It's a beautiful night.  The
moon's up there and a whole audience of stars, so stop thinking and sing me
a song."

   I thought about singing her Paul Anka's You're Having my Baby, or maybe
Bobby Goldsboro's Watching Scotty Grow.

   "Wise men say,

   Only fools rush in,

   But I can't help,

   Falling in love with you."

   * * *

   As I kissed Tami goodnight outside her tent I wondered why it was so
easy to sing her a love song that I meant with every fiber of my being one
minute, then crawl between another girl's legs the next.  `Cause I knew my
sleeping bag wasn't empty.  There was definitely something off-kilter about
our relationship.

   It didn't feel wrong, it just felt weird.  And how long did it last?  If
Tami and I did the traditional wedding vows, `Forsaking all others,' would
that be just words?

   "Stop thinking," she warned.

   "I..."

   "You were analyzing things that don't need to be analyzed.  At least not
tonight.  Go finish what you started with Kelly."

   I kissed her once more, then held open the flap of her tent for her. 
Maybe non-traditional vows.  I'd promise to forsake most others, and she'd
promise me a couple hours a day when my thoughts were my own.

   * * *

   Kelly was not only waiting, she was naked on her hands and knees, her
little butt wiggling as I entered my tent.  One box of rubbers was out of
my shopping bag and open between her legs.  I may not be the brightest bulb
in the pack, but I can take a hint.

   I stripped and got to my knees between her legs.  I pulled a rubber out
of the box and opened the package, but didn't put it on yet.  Instead I
scooted forward and let my shaft rub against the crack of her ass, then
between her legs and against her warm moist pussy.

   "Why Cammie Sue, I do believe you're in a hurry," I said in my hayseed
voice.

   "Wiley-boy, I got a powerful itch down there." She sounded as hick as I
did.

   "Be patient Cammie Sue.  I does got other sisters ya know.  I was taking
care of..." I couldn't remember what name I'd given Tami.

   Then I realized that maybe our game was coming too close to home.  I
stiffened, and I don't mean Big Tony.

   I started to pull back, but Kelly reached down and captured my pole,
holding it against her pussy.  "Relax," she said softly.  "This is just a
game.  Besides, I know my brother Wiley-boy would never hurt me.  Never do
anything I didn't want to do."

   That's when I had the really scary thought.  Could every female on the
planet read my mind?  That could be inconvenient.  My mother was a female.
Or maybe Tami was giving lessons?

   I reached down and pulled Kelly's hand off my cock, then I rolled on a
rubber and slid it back between her legs.

   She grabbed it again and aimed it at her pussy.  Though she had the
tightest pussy I'd ever known, it slid it easily with her natural
lubrication.

   "And we're going to use at least four of those there rubber thingies,"
she said as she pushed her ass back at me.

   "It's not a competition," I said, remembering that Mikee had announced
this morning that we'd done it three times.

   "You've never been a little sister."

   Chapter 6

   I woke, and it took me a few seconds to orient myself.

   Kelly was sleeping behind me.  But I was facing the same direction I had
last night, and then Kelly had been in front of me.  Was she a restless
enough sleeper that she rolled over the top of me?  In the tight sleeping
bag, that would have been a pretty good trick, especially without waking
me. If she'd gotten up during the night to go to the bathroom, why'd she
get in back when she got back in?

   I decided to chalk it up to one of the mysteries of the universe, since
my bladder had awakened when I did.  I wiggled out and pulled on a pair of
shorts.  Outside, I looked around.  All the other campsites were quiet.  I
guessed that everybody was sleeping in.  I looked at my wrist, but that
didn't help since I'd taken off my watch last night.  I decided the time
was another mystery to put off until later.

   I walked to the restrooms, pulled off my shorts, then took a piss and a
long hot shower.  Both very satisfying experiences, though for different
reasons.  I hadn't brought a towel, so I just pulled my shorts back on and
figured I'd air-dry.

   Back in camp, Kelly was still sleeping, and I didn't hear any noises
from the girl's tent, so I grabbed my MP3 player and my tennis shoes and
headed for the beach.  I found a playlist of upbeat favorites and clipped
the player to my waistband, then sat on a log and put on my shoes.  I did a
quick stretch and started running.

   Normally I only run to stay in shape or sometimes to shut out unwanted
thoughts, but this morning just seemed perfect for it.  I ran north, the
direction the girls had walked yesterday when Tami and I had headed south.
The tide had just started going out so I ran next to the waves on the wet
packed sand instead of the dry loose sand further up the beach.

   A couple of seagulls swooped down and paced me but decided that I wasn't
very interesting and, more importantly, had no food, and flew off.  A dog,
some kind of golden retriever mix, barked and ran with me for awhile, then
disappeared into the driftwood at he top of the beach.

   I could have been the last man on Earth.  As long as I wasn't the last
human on Earth too, I could live with that.  Then me and the girls would
have to live by the eleventh commandment, at least according to one of
Lester Del Rey's books, `Go Forth and Multiply.' Repopulating the Earth
could be a hell of a lot of fun.

   I grinned as I ran, deciding that Tami would accuse me of evil thoughts.

   I made a wide turn and started back.  I wondered if my canine friend
would join me, but apparently he had another appointment.

   I wondered if I was packing us up after breakfast or if we were staying
another day or days.  I kinda liked the way Tami was keeping me in
suspense, but on the other hand, I felt a little out of control not knowing
what was going on.

   I thought about football.  Practice started the first week in August. 
Last year we'd gone all the way to the state championships and come in
second.  I wondered if we could go the distance this year.  That trophy for
second looked good in the school's trophy case, but a pair of championship
trophies would really look good next to it.  And a couple of baseball
trophies too.  Last year we missed out on the district championship by one
run.  This year, we'd taken districts, but lost in the first round of state
play-offs.  Maybe next year we could go all the way.

   * * *

   "Somebody needs a shower," Tami said as I jogged back into camp.

   "I've already had a shower," I protested, though my body was covered in
sweat.

   "Where have you been?" Darlene asked.

   "Running."

   "You hate running," Robbie pointed out.

   "Not on the beach.  It was perfect."

   Robbie nodded, understanding.

   I went over and sniffed Tami, then Robbie.

   "What are you doing?" Robbie demanded.

   I ignored her and sniffed Mikee and her sister.

   "He's lost it," Robbie said.

   "Too much fresh air," Tami agreed.

   I ignored them both and sniffed Darlene and my sister.  Then I stood,
held my hands in front of me, palms up, and moved them up and down as if
weighing something.  I went back and sniffed Darlene, then Mikee.  I stood
in the center of the six girls, tilted my head to look skyward and
scratched the little bit of stubble on my chin.

   I held up a single finger in front of my face as if I'd just made a
decision, then walked to my tent.  I came back a minute later and dropped a
small bundle in Darlene's lap, then scooped her off her chair.

   "What the hell are you doing?" she exclaimed as I carried her off.

   "You need a shower," I said with a grin.  "They're no fun alone, I've
already tried that." With the hand holding her legs I pointed at the ground
by my right leg.  "Kelly, heel," I commanded.

   Kelly shrugged, stood up, and trotted behind us.

   At the men's shower room, I set Darlene down and peeked inside.  It was
empty.  I looked at Kelly.  "If anyone comes, the showers out of service
for about twenty minutes."

   "What do I get out of it?"

   I leaned down and licked her nose.  "Last night."

   Kelly blushed but nodded.

   I grabbed Darlene's hand and pulled her inside.

   "I can't go in there," she squealed.  "It's the guy's showers."

   "The park's experimenting with co-ed showers."

   "But..."

   I pulled, and she didn't resist much.  Inside I locked the door that
connected the showers to the restrooms, then kicked off my shoes and
shorts. Big Tony was living up to his name.  I stepped forward and kissed
Darlene's neck, then grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt and pulled it up
over her head.

   "Has anyone ever told you that you have perky tits?  You should be a
cheerleader."

   Darlene giggled and didn't protest as I pulled her shorts down.

   "No panties?  I'm shocked," I said with a grin, trying to sound shocked.

   "Neither did you."

   I grinned again.  "I never wear panties.  They tend to bunch up."

   "I meant you weren't wearing underwear."

   "Good girls don't notice things like that about guys," I said as I took
my bundle out of her hands.

   "Good girls don't stand naked in the guy's showers," she pointed out.

   "You got a point there," I agreed.

   I took her hand and led her into the showers.  I turned on the water,
and we stepped in.  The shower itself was smaller than the ones at school.
It had eight heads which all came on when I turned on the water, not very
efficient but not my problem.

   There were bars of soap on the wall.  I picked up two.  "I'll do your
back, then you can do mine," I suggested as I handed her one.  She
hesitated but nodded and turned her back to me.

   I lathered up my hands and started at her shoulders, then went down her
back to her butt.  I soaped each cheek really good, then pulled them apart
and soaped her crack, my fingers just grazing the bottom of her pussy.  I
knelt and soaped her legs.

   "Your turn," I said, standing and turning around.

   A few seconds later I felt her hands on my shoulders.  She took her time
working down my back, and it felt so good when her fingers started rubbing
my butt.  She hesitated, then pulled my cheeks apart and soaped my crack
good with her finger, then between my legs until she grazed my balls as
gently as I'd grazed her pussy.  She knelt and soaped my legs.

   As she stood I turned around.  "Want me to do your front now?" I tried
to smile reassuringly, but I'm afraid it was more of a leer.

   "You can do mine," Kelly piped up when Darlene hesitated.  She was
standing naked just inside the showers.

   "Aren't you supposed to be outside, standing watch?"

   "Traci's doing it.  She brought Darlene some clean clothes." Kelly
pointed at a bundle of clothes on the bench.  "I figured I needed a shower
too."

   "There's a girls' shower," I pointed out half-heartedly.

   "Showers are no fun alone.  You said so."

   I hate when people use my own words against me.

   "Come on," Darlene said, which saved me the trouble of inviting her.

   Kelly got under the water, and Darlene and I both soaped up her back. 
Then Darlene stood back and watched as I soaped up Kelly's front.  She knew
that Kelly had slept with me last night.  I started with her tits, just
slightly smaller than Tami's.  I soaped them good, paying special attention
to her already stiff little nipples.  It was a cleanliness thing.  You
know, the old saying, `Wash behind the ears, wash around the nipples.'

   Kelly kept saying, "You missed a spot," so I kept washing them.  Kelly
sighed and looked like she could stay that way for hours.

   "I keep missing spots.  You want to try?" I asked Darlene.  She looked
shocked, and I knew I'd gone a little too far.  Apparently Kelly's backside
was her limit.  I gave Darlene my it-was-only-a-joke grin and went back to
Kelly.  I moved up and soaped her shoulders, then down to the perfect tight
stomach that gymnastics had given her.

   I looked straight into her eyes as I soaped her pussy, my fingers
pushing between the folds of her outer lips.

   "Oh, you definitely missed a spot," she moaned, but I ignored her and
knelt to wash her legs.  Watching the soapy water drip down her body and
into her slit, then drip off was one of the sexiest sights I'd ever seen. I
closed my eyes and stood, the picture burned into my permanent memory.

   "Your turn," I said to Darlene as Kelly stood, breathing hard.

   "Oh, God," she said, but nodded.

   With Darlene I started on her shoulders and worked down, giving her a
chance to get used to my hands.  Her breasts seemed huge in comparison to
Kelly's, about the size of half-cantaloupes.  In fact, from what I'd seen
when we skinny dipped she had the largest in the group.  Then Robbie,
Mikee, and Tami.  I thought Traci's were a little bigger than Kelly's, but
I wasn't sure, not having seen Traci's up close.

   I moved my soapy hands down to her ribs, but she grinned and said, "You
missed a spot."

   I grinned back and returned to her tits, washing her nipples extra good
and listening to her purr.

   I reluctantly moved my hand down to her ribs, then her stomach, but
couldn't resist giving each nipple a little kiss.  They tasted soapy, but I
didn't give a damn.

   Like with Kelly, I looked straight into Darlene's eyes, moved my hand
onto her mound, and rubbed my whole hand against her.  She sighed and
opened her legs a little more.  I pushed one finger against her slit,
feeling a tiny bump where her clit extended slightly.

   "You were right," she moaned.  "This is a lot better than a shower by
myself."

   "Or with the rest of the girls," Kelly added.  I noticed she was soaping
her own slit.  I guessed I missed another spot.

   I could have stayed like that for a long time, but I was conscious of
the fact that if Traci had to turn away too many guys, the park rangers
would eventually get into the act.  I knelt and finished Darlene's legs.

   As I stood, Darlene took the soap and started rubbing my chest.  Kelly
lathered up her hands and went straight for Big Tony.  As her hand closed
on my cock, it spasmed and started shooting my juice at the younger girl.
Kelly giggled and worked her hand back and forth, draining every drop.

   "A little worked up?" she asked when she finally let go and started down
my right leg.

   "Just a little," I agreed, and Darlene giggled too.

   "Now we're going to have to wash her again," Darlene said with an
exaggerated sigh, nodding at the semen on Kelly's crotch and leg.

   "Somehow, I don't think she'll mind." I told her.

   Darlene nodded and started soaping my stomach.  Kelly started back up my
left leg and cupped my balls with her soapy hand.  Darlene looked me in the
eyes, "She missed a spot," she said and started soaping my limp noodle.  It
didn't stay limp.  As my cock came alive, Darlene wrapped her hand around
it and kept washing.  I do love a girl who likes clean.

   "Oh, fuck!" I said as I felt my second orgasm start to build.

   Kelly reached around and swatted my butt.  "Tony, you know I don't like
that kind of language," she said with a grin.  Payback's a bitch.

   With Kelly's hand kneading my balls and Darlene's hand stroking Big
Tony, it didn't take long.  The first ropey string spurted out and landed
on Darlene's pelvis, the second, much smaller, one on her pussy, and the
third, hardly more than a couple of drops strung together, on her right
leg.

   Darlene released my dwindling little friend and looked down at the mess
I'd made.  "You are going to clean up your mess, aren't you?  If we come
back from the shower stickier than when we went, people will talk."

   I grinned, soaped up my hands, and started on their legs, Kelly with my
left hand and Darlene with my right.  A few seconds later I moved up and
cupped their pussies.

   "You know," I mused.  "If schools really cared about education, they'd
offer co-ed showers to everyone with an A average.  I guarantee grades
would go up.  Way up."

   "Ugh, showering with Robert Taylor," Darlene said.

   Robert was a senior this year who had the highest grades in his class
and could make a bull dog's butt look pretty in comparison.

   "He's a nice guy," I pointed out.

   "I'm sure there's a few smart girls you wouldn't want to shower with."

   "Yeah," I agreed.  "But I'm shallow."

   * * *

   Traci gave us a strange look when we came out a few minutes later.  My
bundle had contained two towels and clean clothes for me.  And my electric
razor.  Shaving wasn't too much of a chore yet.  A quick once over with the
razor once a day and I was good.  I hoped it always stayed that way.

   "You look tired," Tami said as we walked back into camp.

   "I think I need a nap," I agreed, dropping into my chair.  Kelly took my
bundle of towels and tossed it into my tent before settling on my lap.

   "Some athlete you are.  Tired after a shower." Robbie always knew how to
make me feel better.  She just never did.

   "Hi," interrupted us before Robbie could pick on me some more.  I looked
up.  We had company, a boy about my age and a smaller version of him about
ten or eleven.

   "Hey, y'all.  How ya doing," I said.

   The bigger guy was eyeing the sexy little bundle in my lap and my hand
resting on the zipper of her cut-offs.

   "I'm Robby and this is my brother Greg," the older one said.

   I shook my head.  "Can't be Robby.  We already got us one of those."

   I smiled.  "You're a Robby too?"

   "Naw, but she-an is." I pointed at Robbie.

   He looked surprised.  "Your name is Robby?"

   I considered telling him that her name was Roberta but she went by
Robbie, but I decided that I needed more life insurance before risking it.
Robbie nodded.

   "I's Tony and this here's my fi-ance Kelly," I said, pronouncing the
word with two syllables instead of three.

   Robby's eyes bulged.  "She's your fiancee?  She's only twelve."

   "Kelly's thirteen." I shook my head.  "Ah know that's purty old, but her
mama wanted her to finish the fifth grade `fore she got hitched, and it
done took her three tries." Kelly brought her elbow back into my stomach. I
grunted, then added, "She don' like to talk about it, but I's loves her
anyall."

   From the corner of my eye I saw Tami rolling her eyes.

   "Y'all from around here?" I asked.

   "Sacramento," Greg said.

   "You're kinda cute," I told the younger boy.  "Traci over there ain't
found her a husband yet.  Why don't you ask her."

   Greg looked ready for a strategic retreat.

   "Where y'all, I mean where are all of you from?" Robby asked.  Amazing
how infectious a southern accent can be.  Even a phony one like mine.

   "Ark-and-saws," I said proudly.

   "Have a good day, we'll see you around," Robby said, and the two walked
quickly away.

   "Don't you ever get tired of messing with people's minds?" Tami asked
after they were out of earshot.

   I thought for a second.  "Not really."

   "You need to keep him on a short leash," Robbie suggested.

   "Like you weren't ready to join in and help him," Tami retorted with a
sigh.

   * * *

   "I need to go to town.  Want to come with me?" Tami asked a little
later.

   "What for?" I was comfortable lying on the grass soaking up solar
energy.

   "Just some errands."

   I raised up on one elbow to look at her.  What kind of errands does a
sixteen-year-old girl four hundred miles away from home have?  Tami smiled.
I guess there's only one way to find out.  "Sure," I said, standing.  "Just
let me grab a shirt and some shoes."

   "Awwww, I kinda like you topless."

   I flexed for my beloved, but I got a shirt anyway.

   We drove into Lincoln City, crossed the bridge over what the sign said
was the shortest river in the world, then back again when Tami realized
she'd missed the address she was looking for.  She found it across the
street from a local supermarket.  B & B Package Express.  I arched an
eyebrow, but she ignored me.

   I pulled in and parked.  Tami smiled and went in.  Through the front
window I watched her go in and talk to the woman at the counter.  Tami
showed her her driver's license and came out a minute later with a small
package.

   She got back in the van and pulled the seat belt across her, with the
package on her lap.  It was a little bigger than a paperback book and had
her name on the UPS label:

   TAMI SHARP

   Care of

   B & B PACKAGE EXPRESS

   LINCOLN CITY, OR 97367

   Who was sending Tami stuff in Lincoln City?  Who knew she was going to
be in Lincoln City?  Hell, I didn't know she was going to be here until
yesterday afternoon.

   "You got a package," I said as I started the van again.

   "Yep." She grinned.  "I love getting packages, don't you?"

   "Uh, sure." I hesitated.  "What'd ya get?"

   "Just stuff."

   Okay, this wasn't going to be easy.  "Who sent it, your mom?"

   She shook her head as I put the van in gear.  I pulled up to the street.
Tami had me turn North, away from the park.  "My mom?"

   She shook her head again.  "A guy.  Kind of cute too," she said with an
evil grin.

   I wasn't jealous, but I was curious as hell.

   We crossed over the short river again, and I looked for the Dairy Queen
we'd passed yesterday.  Tami had told me to turn there.  Lincoln City was a
strange town.  It was twenty miles long but only a few blocks wide on
either side of Highway 101.  I spotted the Dairy Queen and turned, thinking
an ice cream cone on the way back sounded like a good idea.

   We drove two blocks, and Tami had me park across from a ball field.  It
looked like a practice was going on.  Tami pointed.  "Go hang out.  You're
probably going through baseball withdrawal.  You haven't been on a ball
field since school got out."

   "Where are you going?"

   She pointed at the building we were parked in front of.

   "The Elks?  Are you an Elk?" I asked in surprise.

   "I always thought of myself more as a unicorn."

   It always amazed me how I could love someone and still want to wrap my
hands around her throat and squeeze tighter and tighter and...

   I got out, went around, and opened the door for her.  She got out and
set the package on the seat.  "You're going to leave it there?"

   She gave me another smile.  "I trust you."

   "You're not going to tell me what's in it?"

   "Make you a deal."

   "What?" I asked with more than a little suspicion.

   "You stop messing with people's heads, and you can open the package."

   I thought about it.  I'd been having a lot of fun meeting people who
didn't know anything about me and spinning whatever line I wanted.  "How
long?"

   "`Till we get home."

   "I don't think so." I'd find out someday, I'd just have to be patient.

   "A week," she countered.

   "Two days," I suggested.

   Our eyes locked.  "Four days," we said together.  I held out my hand and
we shook.

   She handed me the package.  "Knock yourself out," she said.  "I'll be
back in a while."

   I watched as she walked to the big building and in the front door.  I
looked down at the package.  The shipping label had Tami's name and the
Lincoln City address, but for a return address, all it had was a zip.  Our
zip.

   Okay, some guy in our town was sending stuff to Tami in a town no one
knew she was in.  I opened the package at the end.  Inside were three jewel
cases.  I pulled them out.  Each one had a gold CD-R in it.  One had an R
written by a green sharpie.  The next had a T, and the last one RT.  Well,
that was helpful.

   * * *

   I was playing just behind third base.  The batter hit a slow roller.  I
ran forward, dove, shoulder rolled, and fired to first from my knees.  The
ball beat the runner by at least three steps.  Okay, I admit I could have
scooped the ball and made the same play, but it never hurts to hot dog a
little.  Especially when Coach Calloway isn't around.

   The short stop came over and gave me a high five.  "That was awesome
dude."

   I shrugged.  "Just routine." I saw Tami sitting in the bleachers.  "Got
to go," I yelled to everybody.  "Have fun." They waved as I jogged off the
field and tossed my borrowed mitt into the dugout.

   "You looked like you were having a blast," Tami said as I jogged up and
kissed her."

   "Just remembering my glory years," I said with a heavy sigh.

   Tami shook her head.  "Tony you're a junior, not over-the-hill," she
said as she stepped down from the bleachers.

   "Haven't you heard?" I asked as I slipped my arm around her and we
started walking toward the van.  "It's all downhill from sixteen."

   Tami laughed softly.  "Poor baby.  Well maybe you can coach our kids in
little league.

   * * *

   It was almost two when we got back to camp.  Tami had called ahead, and
Darlene was just pulling some burgers off the grill as we pulled up.  "So
what are we doing tonight?" Darlene asked as we all sat down with our food.

   "Another movie?" Traci suggested.

   "Skinny dipping?" Mikee and Kelly said together, then looked at each
other and giggled.

   "More shopping at the mall?" Robbie added.

   "Nope, you have plans," Tami said around a mouth of burger.

   "We do?" we all said together.

   Tami nodded then concentrated on her burger.

   I decided that like most good things, surprises were best in moderation.

   * * *

   About six, Tami loaded us up in the van and drove us into town.  She
parked at the Dairy Queen and bought us all ice cream.

   "You going to tell us what's going on?" I asked.

   "Why do you think something's going on?" Tami said innocently.  "Can't I
just buy my friends some ice cream?

   Robbie looked at me.  "You hold her and I tickle or vice versa?"

   I grinned diabolically.

   "Look, a baseball game," Tami said, trying to change the subject.  I
looked.  The field up the street was surrounded by cars, and I could hear
the noises of a crowd.

   Robbie looked at me.  "We can always tickle her after."

   I nodded, and we started walking up the street, licking our cones.  I
don't know how Darlene, Traci and the sisters felt about watching a group
of twelve-year-olds play baseball, but Robbie and I loved it.  Traci and
Kelly checked out the guys, deciding which had cute butts and which had
potential.  Potential for what, I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

   Robbie and I hung on the fence and yelled our heads off for a bunch of
kids we didn't know.

   Robbie even got into with the umpires.  It was the bottom of the fourth
inning with no score, two outs and runners on first and third.  The pitcher
checked the runners, then came set, watching the batter.  The runner on
first took off.  The catcher jumped up and started pointing.  The pitcher
stepped off, turned, and fired the ball to the second baseman standing on
the bag.

   The runner reversed and headed back to first, and the runner on third
headed home.  He was halfway there before the kids trying to run down the
runner between first and second caught on.  Somebody fired the ball.  The
runner coming home slid.  There was a lot of dust.  When it cleared, the
runner was sitting on the base and the catcher was holding his glove with
the ball on the runner's hip.

   The ump hesitated with everyone staring, then finally threw his thumb
over his right shoulder.  "You're out."

   That's when Robbie started.  "Have you even seen a baseball game before?
You do know for safe you're supposed to wave your hands in front of you? 
Did you leave your bifocals at home?"

   The ump lost it.  He turned and looked at Robbie.  "You think you could
do better?" he yelled.

   "In my sleep," she yelled back.  "Take the gear off and I'll show you
how it's done." The crowd in the bleachers laughed.

   The umpire charged over.  "This isn't softball, little girl."

   I pointed my thumb at Robbie.  "Baseball, old man.  She made varsity her
freshman year and went all-district this year.  How'd you do?"

   He pointed over our heads.  "You're gone!"

   "You're ejecting us?" I asked surprised.

   "You're out-a here!" he yelled.

   "Just cause you don't know how to ump?" Robbie asked sweetly.

   "What happens if we don't go?" I asked.

   "Your team forfeits."

   "That could be a problem," Robbie told him sweetly.  "Our team's three
hundred miles that-a -way." She pointed north.

   "Yeah," I agreed.  "We've been rooting for both sides."

   The umpire looked confused.

   "That's okay, blue," Tami said, using a nickname for umpires.  "I'll
make them behave." She guided us away from the fence

   Traci grinned.  "We just can't take you two anywhere."

   `If I came back without her,' I wondered, `would Mom notice?'

   "You two have an appointment anyway," Tami said and steered us out of
the ballpark.

   "We do?" we said together.

   "Over there." She pointed at the Elks building she'd visited earlier.

   "I'm not an Elk," I protested.

   "That's okay.  They have guest memberships for jackasses."

   "Excuse me!" I said indignantly.

   Tami planted her fists on her hips and looked at us.  "Arguing with the
umpire.  I thought I brought you up better than that."

   "That kid was so safe.  Besides, she started it," I said, pointing at
Robbie.

   "Thanks," she said with a sharp look.  "And that kid was safe."

   "I know he was," Tami agreed.  "But yelling at the umpire won't change
his call.  You both know that."

   "Yes, Mom," we said in stereo, then looked at each other and laughed
because we'd both called her Mom.

   Tami smiled and looked at the other girls.  "They're good kids.  They
just get caught up in the game."

   "Does that mean they're not grounded?" Traci asked.

   Robbie and I exchanged nods, and a second later Traci was on the grass
next to the sidewalk.  Robbie was holding her legs and tickling her thighs.
I had her arms and was tickling her armpits.

   "Enough!" Tami said after a minute.  "We can't take her in the Elks if
she wets herself."

   Robbie and I stopped tickling but didn't let her go.  "We could leave
her in the van," I suggested.  Tami shook her head.  I looked down at my
loving sister, though the look I was getting wasn't particularly loving. 
"If Robbie lets go of your feet, are you going to kick her or try to get
revenge."

   "Yes!" she said struggling against us.

   I shrugged.  "Okay." Robbie and I started tickling again.  A few second
later, I repeated the question.

   "No."

   Robbie let go of her feet and jumped back, watching Traci suspiciously.

   "Okay, if I let go of your hands..."

   "I'll be good."

   I let go of her hands and got off my knees.  I held my hand down to
Trace, but she ignored it and got up by herself.  As she dusted herself off
she glared at me, and I knew that good was a relative term.

   As we walked into the lobby of the Elks I figured out Tami's surprise.
"No."

   "No, what?" she asked innocently.

   "I don't do karaoke." The sign said Kid's Karaoke contest, with today's
date and a picture of a kid about twelve singing into a mike.

   "What?  You're too good to sing karaoke?  What's the difference between
this and singing on stage?"

   "Canned music," I said.

   "Lame canned music," Robbie amended.

   Tami sniffed.  "Okay, if you want to waste Gram's money, since I already
entered you two.  I just thought..." Sniff.

   I looked at Robbie.  "Don't you just hate getting played?"

   Robbie cocked her head.  "But she's so damn good at it."

   I shrugged and looked back at Tami.  "Okay, we'll sing.  But we
shouldn't be the only ones."

   "I signed up Darlene too." Tami said with a grin.

   "You what?" Darlene looked surprised.

   "You sang in the play after all."

   "But..."

   "Go with it," I advised.

   "Or she'll pout," Robbie added.

   Tami grinned.  "Anybody else?" After a few seconds hesitation, Mikee put
up her hand.  Then Traci surprised me by putting up hers.  I didn't
remember ever hearing her sing.  "I'll get you two signed up," Tami said,
then handed the four of us papers from a stack by the sign.  "These are the
songs they have.  Robbie, you and Tony can also sing your talent show
choices.  I have your music in here."

   She lifted her purse, and I saw the package she'd gotten earlier.  I got
it.  R, Robbie.  T, Tony.  RT, Robbie and Tony.  She'd had somebody make
her music for the songs we'd chosen.  But why?

   Surely, not just for this lame contest.

   Were we going to karaoke our way around the country?

   Hell, I didn't even remember what songs I'd chosen.

   I looked at the list and spotted the perfect song right away.  Robbie,
Mikee, and Traci were still studying.  I watched Tami go over and hand the
receptionist a twenty dollar bill.  When she came back, we all went in what
the sign said was the ballroom.

   Inside it was packed.  There were probably a hundred families.  If every
kid was singing, we'd be here forever.

   A guy, twenty-something and wearing a tux, came out and walked to the
microphone.  The DJ, sitting off to the side, pushed a button.  A loud drum
roll got everybody's attention.

   "Good evening and welcome to the fourth annual Kids Karaoke contest,
sponsored by the Lincoln City Elks Club." There was a polite smattering of
applause.  "This contest is open to anyone who has not turned nineteen or
graduated high school.  Tonight we have thirty-seven singers ranging from
eleven to seventeen."

   I did the math.  Thirty-seven performances.  Figure three minutes a song
on average with another minute to get them on and off stage. 
Two-and-a-half hours.  It could be a long night.

   "The order has been selected at random," The announcer continued.  "Each
contestant can choose one of the regular songs or bring their own
instrumental music.

   "Our judges tonight: our beautiful and talented mayor, Linda Cheney." A
woman seated at the front center table stood up and gave the crowd a wave.
"Our chief of police, Dave Lincoln." A man in a uniform stood and waved. 
"He's promised not to arrest anyone who's off pitch.  And finally, manager
of KCRF radio, Hal Ferris." Another man stood and waved.

   "Our DJ, Ben Thomas." The guy sitting by all the sound equipment gave a
short wave.  "Grand prize tonight is two hundred and fifty dollars.  One
hundred for second place, fifty for third, twenty each for fourth, fifth,
and sixth.  In addition, our fine sponsors have some great gifts for all
the participants."

   Another smattering of applause.

   "Let's have a nice hand for our first contestant, Amy Rose." Amy was a
cute little blond about Mikee's age who sang Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

   We sat and watched for an hour.  Then the announcer called for a short
break.  The first fifteen kids, twelve girls and three guys, ranged from
should-have-stuck-to-singing-in-his-shower to
should-have-tried-out-for-American-Idol, with Amy being the last, though I
seriously questioned her choice of song.

   There was a bar on one side of the room for the adults and a soft drink
machine on the other side for the rest of us.  I went over and got drinks.
There was also a dessert cart making the rounds, and when I got back to our
table I found a piece of chocolate peanut butter pie sitting in front of
me. Tami and Robbie had coconut cream, while the others all had German
chocolate cake.

   "Next up," the announcer said, then waited for the room to settle.  "We
have Michelle Temple, visiting us from Washington State." Mikee almost
choked on the bite of cake she'd just taken.

   "He could have warned me before I started eating this cake," she
muttered, taking a drink of the Coke I'd brought her.  She stood, said,
"Wish me luck," and walked up to the stage.  Mikee sang Hilary Duff's
Someone to Watch Over Me.  I figured it was a toss-up between her and Amy
for first place so far.  Of course, I might be prejudiced.

   As luck would have it, Darlene was up next.  She did Dolly Parton's I
Will Always Love You.  Not bad, but I figured Amy and Mikee still had first
locked up.  Thirteen more performers and the announcer called another
break.

   I got another round of drinks, though we skipped the dessert this time
around.

   Robbie was third after the break.  She did one of the songs she'd chosen
for Tami's imaginary talent show: Bridge Over Troubled Water.  I think we
had a new first place.  She was awesome.

   I was sixth.  I dragged Tami to the stage with me, sat her on a stool,
and ignored the audience as I sang straight to her.

   "It's a little bit Funny, this feeling inside.

   I'm not one of those, who can easily hide.

   I don't have much money, but, boy if I did,

   I'd buy a big house where we both could live."

   "If I was a sculptor, but then again, no.

   Or a man who makes potions in a travelin' show.

   I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do.

   My gift is my song, and this ones for you."

   "And you can tell everybody, this is your song.

   It may be quite simple, but, now that it's done.

   I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind,

   That I put down in words, how wonderful life is, while you're in the
world."

   "I sat on the roof, and kicked off the moss,

   Well, a few of the verses, they got me quite cross.

   But the sun's been quite kind, while I wrote this song,

   It's for people like you girl, to keep it turned on."

   I knelt on one knee and took her hand.

   "So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do,

   You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue,

   Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean,

   Yours are the sweetest eyes, I've ever seen."

   "And you can tell everybody, this is your song.

   It may be quite simple, but, now that it's done.

   I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind,

   That I put down in words, how wonderful life is, while you're in the
world."

   "I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind,

   That I put down in words, how wonderful life is, while you're in the
world."

   I stood and pulled Tami to her feet and kissed her.  By the applause, I
was in first, or maybe Tami was.  Though to be objective, Robbie had
out-performed me.

   Traci was up last and did Climb Every Mountain from The Sound of Music.
When did my sister learn to sing?  And why didn't somebody tell me?

   I'm not sure how the Lincoln City Elks felt about it, but it was a sweep
for Washington.  Traci took first, and I beat out Robbie for second, with
Mikee taking fifth after Amy Rose.  Tami made four hundred and twenty bucks
on her fifty dollar investment.  I guess there's hope for Road-Trip-O-Six.

   I drove us home, wondering what other surprises my one-true-love had
planned.

   * * *

   "You can skip the moonlight walk with Tami and come straight to bed,"
Robbie suggested.  "It's my turn you know."

   "Or I could skip your turn and just sleep with Tam."

   "Nope, it's her turn," Tami said.  "I promised.

   "Well, she'll just have to wait until after our romantic walk."

   "She'll live," Tami agreed.

   "But our romantic walk will have to wait while I take an unromantic walk
with certain siblings of mine."

   "Traci, you're up," Mikee translated.

   * * *

   We got to the beach and walked up to the waterline.  I'd picked up a
handful of small stones and tossed a couple sidearm at the waves.  "You can
sing."

   "I guess," she said.  I didn't have to look at her to know she was
blushing.

   "How come I haven't heard you?"

   Traci kicked at the sand, then took a stone out of my hand and flung it
at the ocean.  "Singing was your thing."

   I smiled into the night.  The moon was out, but playing hide-and-seek
behind a large cloud.  "Afraid you'd show me up, or afraid you wouldn't?"

   "Yeah," she agreed, not specifying which or both.

   "You know, you and I aren't in competition.  That doesn't mean we may
not compete now and then, but we're not in competition.  If you like
singing, you should sing.  And if you're better than me, great.  And if I'm
better than you, even better.  But don't not do something because it's my
thing."

   "I guess."

   "Or is it easier hiding behind your saxophone?"

   "I don't hide," she said indignantly.

   "You know, in the seventies there was a girl singer.  I think she was
the best in the whole decade.  And Karen Carpenter said she'd rather be
behind her drums in the back corner instead of out in front of everyone. 
Not everyone likes being the center of attention."

   "You do."

   I grinned.  "You got that right.  So does Robbie.  But we're talking
about Traci.  Like I said, if you like singing, sing.  If not, play the
sax. You got to find your thing, not worry about anyone else's.

   * * *

   "You ready for this," Tami asked softly as we walked back into camp.

   "I'm not sure what this is," I whispered, then pulled her into an
embrace in front of the tents.

   "You know, fucking Robbie."

   "I know that.  I just meant Robbie and me.  Our relationship is like a
roller coaster, and I mean one of those really big exciting ones.  You
never know what to expect around the next turn."

   "Doesn't that keep it interesting?"

   "There's an old Chinese curse.  `May you live in interesting times.'"

   "Are you saying Robbie's a curse?" Tami asked.

   "No, all I'm saying is that life around Robbie is never boring, always
interesting, but sometimes it'd be nice to know what to expect."

   Tami smiled, kissed me, and slipped into her tent.

   I stared after her for awhile, then slipped into my own tent.  Robbie
was lying naked on my sleeping bag, watching me.

   "We don't have to do this," I said.  Robbie was my friend.  My pal.  And
we'd had so many problems.  I didn't want to blow it.

   "Spoken like somebody whose already been laid this week."

   "You did the brothers two nights ago," I accused.

   "Beginners," she said, dismissing them.

   "Robbie, I..."

   "You're Tony the worry-wart, and you're worried that this will come
between us."

   "I..."

   "Tony, you're my best friend.  I may forget that now and then, but you
are.  Sometimes, I wish you were more.  If you were anybody else but Tami
and Tony, I'd wait for my chance.  But with you two...  well, waiting for
eternity just doesn't seem like a good idea.  Then there was Zoe.  And as
much as I hated the idea of you hurting Tami, I thought maybe I had a
chance.  You were even exclusive with her."

   "It's what Zoe deserved.  It's what she understood."

   In the shadows inside the tent I could see Robbie nodding.  "So I
watched you go out with Zoe and waited for my turn.  I even got mad at Tami
`cause she didn't get mad at you.  I think I'm smart.  I should have
realized.  You know, she went out with a lot of guys, but never did
anything.  Just kissing, maybe letting them have a feel.  She knew.  I
didn't."

   "I'm sorry."

   "For being in love?  Don't be.  But your crazy girlfriend is either so
kinky or so understanding or so full of love that she doesn't mind sharing
you.  She told us all the very first day that we all got a turn to do with
what we wanted.  She also said that she didn't want you to sleep alone even
once on this trip." I could feel Robbie's eyes boring into me, trying to
figure that out.  I decided to help.

   "I've got a drinking problem."

   "You!"

   "I don't know how serious it is, or if it's still a problem, but I've
had a couple of drinks every night since Zoe died.  It helped me sleep.  To
deal with the ghosts."

   Robbie nodded.

   "I guess Tami's just finding you another way to get through the night."

   Now it was my turn to nod.

   "So what it comes down to, Anthony Marion Sims, my best friend in the
world, is that it's time for us to get in this sleeping bag.  Then you can
fuck me.  Or make love to me.  Or roll over and go to sleep."

   I stripped and we got into my sleeping bag.  Then I made love to my best
friend in the whole wide world.

   Chapter 7

   When I opened my eyes, Robbie was propped up on an elbow looking at me.
"Good morning, best friend," she said.

   "Good morning to you, too." My bladder was already calling for
attention, but I took time to kiss Robbie gently.  "I have to..."

   "Me too," she said.  "But I was waiting." We got up, dressed, and let
ourselves out of the tent.  It looked like we were the first.

   "How about a run on the beach," I suggested.  I figured I was getting
smarter.  This morning I wouldn't shower, then get sweaty.

   "Sounds good." Robbie hesitated.  She wasn't sure about something.  It
didn't happen often, but I could tell.

   "Yes?" I prompted.

   "Uh, tonight, with Darlene..."

   "Unh huh?"

   "Be gentle.  I think she's a..."

   "No way.  I have a very open mind.  I believe in leprechauns, Santa
Claus, and the Loch Ness Monster.  But an eleventh grade cherry
cheerleader, that boggles the mind."

   "I never thought you went in for stereotypes."

   "I don't," I protested.  "Well, maybe a little, with cheerleaders.  But
I don't think Darlene is..."

   "Just take it slow."

   I nodded and watched Robbie disappear into the girl's room.  I walked
around to the other side of the building to take care of my nagging
bladder.

   * * *

   "Did you beat my record?" Kelly asked as we walked into camp after our
five-mile run.

   Robbie pulled Kelly out of her chair, sat down, and pulled the younger
girl onto her lap.  "Sometimes you don't need to keep track.

   Kelly looked like she was about to argue, then nodded and whispered
something into Robbie's ear.  I couldn't hear most of it, but I did make
out the words `make love'.  Robbie nodded.

   "Okay, peoples, in two hours we hit the road," Tami announced.

   "Where to?" I asked.

   "Somewhere in North America.  I'll narrow it down when we're in the
van," Tami answered.  I decided she was having way too much fun with the
whole mystery thing.

   "Showers, then breakfast?  Or breakfast, then showers?" Darlene asked.

   "Well, they say you should wait two hours after eating before going in
the water," Robbie said.

   "Besides," Kelly added, "some of us really need a shower." She ran her
finger over Robbie's arms, then looked at the sweat on her fingertip.

   "Okay, everybody grab your stuff and we'll get showers, then figure out
whose turn it is to cook breakfast," Tami decided.

   Two minutes later we were trooping toward the rest rooms.  Traci jogged
on ahead.  When we got to the building I stepped toward the men's side, but
Robbie and Darlene hooked their arms in mine and turned me the other way.
Traci was sitting on a bench outside the women's showers.  She nodded, and
the girls pulled me in.

   The first thing I noticed was no graffiti on the walls.  The men's side
was covered in it, most of it sexual or sexual innuendo.  The second was
all the girls getting undressed.  Tami turned on the water and the girls
stepped in while I still stood in the changing area.

   "Don't you need a shower too?" Tami asked as she picked up a soap and
started lathering Kelly's back.

   "Trust me, you do," Mikee said as Darlene started soaping her.

   All I had to do was drop my shorts and kick off my shoes and I was
ready.

   So was Big Tony.

   "I think he likes us," Robbie said, pointing a soapy finger.

   "You should know," Tami said with a giggle.

   For just a second I wondered if this was one of my dreams.  It certainly
followed the pattern.  I decided not to worry about it.  I'd enjoy until I
woke up.

   I stepped under the water and started soaping Robbie's back.

   I was just getting to Robbie's butt when I felt arms encircle me.  Kelly
was behind me and had reached around to cup my balls and grab my cock.  A
good feeling started there and filled my whole body.  I closed my eyes and
enjoyed even as I pushed a soapy finger between Robbie's cheeks.  Then I
felt something else.  I opened my eyes and looked down.  Mikee was on her
knees in front of me, her mouth engulfing the head of my cock as her sister
rubbed the base.

   "Obviously some of us slept through the abstinence lecture during
health," Robbie said, turning around to watch.  I didn't bother replying. I
put my hand on the back of her neck and pulled her closer and kissed her.

   I saw an amused look pass between Tami and Darlene as they got out of
the shower and started drying off.  I thought I should say something but
had no idea what.  There should be an entry in the manual for
relationships, `What do you say when an eighth grader is playing with your
balls, a sophomore is sucking your cock, and a junior is trying to tickle
your tonsils with her tongue, and your girlfriend and the girl you're
supposed to sleep with that night are leaving?' I'm sure the situation
comes up all the time.  Why isn't it covered?

   Tami waved as she went out the door, and a second later Traci stepped
in, her eyes bugging as she took in the scene.  That's when I blasted the
back of Mikee's throat with my cum.

   Traci undressed and stepped into the water, still eyeing me as Mikee
milked my shaft of every last drop.  I was suddenly embarrassed, so I
turned slightly away from my sister and finished washing the three girls.
Though different hands tried, Big Tony decided to be shy.

   The four of us stepped out of the water, and I started drying off the
two sisters.

   Robbie grabbed her towel and started blotting her chest.

   I took a deep breath and stepped over to her, putting my hands on her
shoulders.  "Why don't you help Trace with her shower?  It'd be a shame if
she had to shower alone." I looked deep into her eyes.

   "I don't..." I knew the exact second that Robbie knew I knew about her
and Traci.  I didn't know if there had been more than that one time, and
right then decided that I didn't care.  And I meant it.

   "I didn't...  I mean, I wouldn't...  I..."

   I lowered my voice almost to a whisper.  "It's got to be real
frustrating to be the only girl that I'm not..." I couldn't finish the
sentence.

   Robbie nodded and stepped back into the shower.  I dressed and ushered
the girls out.  I sat down on the bench outside the door.  "I'll wait for
them.  You two head back to camp."

   "Why?" Kelly asked.  "They don't need a lookout.  They're both girls."

   "Of course not," I agreed.  "I just thought I'd wait."

   I don't know if Mikee got it, but she took Kelly's hand and they walked
away.

   I watched a squirrel as it scampered up and down a tree.  And I made
sure that I didn't think about anything but that squirrel.

   * * *

   I was in the back seat, propped up against the side of the van, my eyes
closed.  I wasn't asleep, but I wasn't awake either, somewhere in that
limbo between.  Tami was driving, and Robbie and Traci shared the passenger
seat.  Next to me I could hear Darlene's rhythmic breathing and was pretty
sure the gentle vibration of the van had knocked her out.  Mikee and Kelly
shared the middle seat.

   Something had gotten my attention, pulling me back from a daydream about
the morning's shower, but I didn't know what.  I decided it wasn't
important enough to actually open my eyes.  I listened.

   Tami had a Billy Joel CD playing, and she, Traci, and Robbie were
talking, something about the gymnastics team.  Mikee and Kelly were talking
too, but I could only make out a few words.

   "...tell me." That was Mikee, her voice just a little deeper than her
sister's.

   ...not important," Kelly said.

   "I just want to..." The rest of Mikee's sentence was drown out by the
CD.

   I didn't hear Kelly's reply.

   "You can't keep...  inside," Mikee said.

   I opened my eyes just in time to see a green sign on the road with
distances.  Ten miles to Coos Bay.

   "I don't want..." Kelly was saying.

   "Tami, stop the van!" I snapped.

   I think I scared her, but she smoothly brought the van to a stop along
the side of the highway.  Darlene woke, looking scared for a minute until
she oriented herself.  I stood, opened the side door, and grabbed Mikee's
arm, pulling her out.

   "You're hurting me," she complained.

   "Stay here," I told the others.

   "You're hurting me," Mikee repeated as I pulled her behind the van.

   "Good." I saw a boulder about fifteen feet away and pulled Mikee to it
and sat her down.  I stood over her and looked down.

   "What?" she said after a minute.

   "What did I say?"

   "About what?" she said defiantly.  I stared.  Mikee shifted and looked
away from me.  "You said not to ask Kelly about what happened."

   "So you did anyway."

   "I...  You're not the boss of me."

   "No, I'm not your boss, but I'm trying to help Kelly."

   "But, I'm her sister.  We're family.  You're not."

   "No, right now I'm her protector.  That makes me closer than family."

   "Her fairy godmother," Mikee said and giggled.

   I had to work hard not to smile myself at the image.  "It's important
that Kelly has someone to talk to about what happened.  Right now she has
me, she has your mom, and she has her therapist.  If she needs to talk to
anyone else, she needs to do in her time."

   "But, I'm her sister."

   "Right now she doesn't want to talk to her sister about it.  I heard her
telling you no."

   "But, why would she talk to you about it and not me?" I realized that
was the heart of the problem.

   "I'm sure you've seen movies and TV shows about rape.  Try to imagine
what it must feel like.  Someone else takes your body and does whatever he
wants with it.  Try to imagine being hurt and afraid to tell anybody
because you don't want the pity.  You don't want the shame.  You don't want
the knowing looks.  Can you imagine that it might be easier to talk to some
people instead of others?"

   "I guess."

   "Can you respect that?"

   "But, she's my sister."

   I could understand that.  If it had happened to Traci, I'd want to know,
`cause I'd want to help.  I understood it, but I couldn't allow it.

   "Tami!" I could see Tami check traffic, then get out of the van and come
around back.  "See if your cell has reception.  If it does, hook it to your
laptop, go to Greyhound dot com, and get a bus schedule from Coos Bay."

   Tami's eyes widened, but she nodded and went back to the van.

   "You can't send me home."

   "To protect Kelly, I can.  I will."

   "Kelly will have to go, too.  Mom won't let her stay without me," Mikee
said, her voice sounding panicked.

   "I'll call your mom and explain exactly why I'm sending you home.  I
think she'll understand."

   "I'll tell her what you and Kelly do."

   There it was.  All laid out.

   "You do what you gotta do," I said, more coldly than I meant to.  I
walked up to the van.  Robbie rolled down her window.  "Have you got that
schedule yet?" I asked Tami.

   "There's a bus at three thirty going to Portland, an hour layover, and
then an express to Seattle.  Another layover, forty minutes this time, then
an eastbound that goes all the way."

   "Thank you.  See if you can find out where the bus station is in Coos
Bay."

   "Tony?" Kelly said timidly from behind Tami.  "I don't want..."

   "I don't want either," I told her quietly.

   I walked back to Mikee.  She was sitting on that damn rock trying not to
cry.  "There's a bus at three thirty," I said.  "It's almost one now."

   She looked up at me.  "Don't make me go."

   I knelt so that we were eye to eye.  "Michelle, this is supposed to be
fun for everyone.  But there are rules.  Tami has rules about who does
what. I have rules about what we can't talk about.  This conversation is
off-limits.  If you can't accept that, none of us are going to have any
fun."

   "Would you really send me home?"

   "Yes."

   Mikee dropped her eyes.

   I gave her a few seconds, then reached over, cupped her face in my
hands, and used my thumbs to wipe away her tears.  "There's something I
want you to understand.  If something bad ever happened to you, I'd work
just as hard to protect you."

   "I know you would," she said and launched herself at me in a tight hug,
knocking me on my ass.  I held her and squeezed.  "I don't want to go home.
I promise, cross my heart, I won't ask Kelly any more questions."

   I pried her off me and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.  "You
know, you two have been sisters for more than thirteen years now.  More
than sisters, you've been friends.  Knowing you're there when she wants to
talk helps a lot.  And she will want to talk about it.  Maybe tomorrow,
maybe next week, maybe when you're old and grey, like thirty."

   Mikee smiled.  We stood and started walking back to the van.  "I'm sorry
about what I said.  Are we...  are we okay?"

   "Sure," I said, helping her in.  "We're fine." I hate when I lie.

   * * *

   "Are you okay?" Tami asked as we walked on the beach that night.  We
were camping in Harris Beach State Park near Brookings.

   "Why?"

   "You've just been kinda quiet since...  since lunch." I knew she meant
since my talk with Mikee before lunch.

   "Just that kinda day," I said.

   "You didn't even get excited when we skinny dipped tonight."

   "I guess I just wasn't in the mood." Mostly, I'd sat on the sand and
watched.

   "There's a beautiful cheerleader waiting for you in your tent.  She's
probably already naked.  Most teenaged guys would be turned on."

   I smiled, though it was half-hearted.  "I'm more turned on by you in
seven layers of clothes in winter than anyone else naked."

   Tami kissed me.  "You told Mikee that you and she were okay."

   "I lied."

   "You don't lie."

   "Everybody lies."

   Tami appraised me.  "There's more to it than Mikee asking Kelly about...
about what happened."

   I stopped and turned to look at her.  "Tami, you're my life and my love.
And I know that sometimes you can reach in and pull my thoughts straight
out of my head.  This time, don't."

   Tami stared for a long time, then nodded.  She kissed me again, and we
started walking back to camp.

   * * *

   "Hi," said a voice.  It was a dark night.  There were enough clouds to
hide the moon and most of the stars.  All I could see was her silhouette.

   "Are you lost?" I asked as I pulled off my shirt.

   "Lost?"

   "Yeah, your sleeping bag is in the other tent."

   "I..." Darlene was flustered.  I mean, what do you say in a situation
like this?  `I'm not lost, it's my turn to get laid.'

   I dropped my shorts and lay down beside her.  "As long as you're here,
you can help me."

   "Help you?"

   "Yeah, I'm doing an extra credit report for biology on female anatomy."

   "Report?"

   "Yep.  I thought I'd do it on what parts were most sensitive.  Is this
sensitive?" I reached down and cupped her pussy mound.  "Or this?" I cupped
her breast.

   "Lost!  God, I hate you." She reached down and stroked my cock.  Big
Tony jumped to attention.

   "Everybody does," I agreed.  `This is no virgin,' I thought as I felt
her body respond to my touch.  I pressed my lips against hers, and her
tongue literally exploded into my mouth.

   "Has anyone ever told you you have nice tits?" I asked a minute later.

   Darlene giggled.  "A few guys."

   I leaned down and kissed one nipple, then the other.  "Has anyone ever
told you they taste good?"

   "A couple guys."

   I pulled away.  "You've let other guys kiss your tits?" I asked in
pretend shock.

   "A couple."

   I rolled over, turning my back to her.  "You're used."

   "What?"

   "I don't like sharing." I tried to sound pouty.

   "You're doing every girl in the camp," she protested.

   "That's different.  They're sharing, I'm not.  Besides, I was first."

   That took a few seconds to penetrate.  "You've got to be kidding."

   "Well," I said, rolling onto my back.  "I suppose I could look at it as
you're not used, you're experienced."

   "Don't do me any favors."

   "And you are a cheerleader.  That's big bonus points."

   "Bonus points!  You're keeping score?"

   "I went too far?" I asked contritely.

   "You went too far," she agreed.

   "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

   Darlene rolled on top of me, using her hand to position my cock at the
entrance of her cunt.  "You can make love to me right now."

   I decided that right now might not be the best time for my lecture on
the difference between making love and fucking.

   Chapter 8

   I woke a couple hours later.  The only sound in the tent was Darlene's
soft breathing as she cuddled close, but still I felt a presence.

   "You look beautiful tonight, Zo," I softly greeted her, her image
waltzing through my mind.  I wondered what she thought of all this.  The
road trip.  A different girl every night.  "I miss you."

   I've never been certain of the afterlife, but I hoped their was a heaven
for Zoe's sake.  "G'night." I lay my head back on the pillow and closed my
eyes.

   * * *

   I woke when Darlene kneed me in the stomach.

   "Sorry," she said as she continued to wiggle her way out of the sleeping
bag.

   "Wouldn't it be easier to unzip?"

   "Zipper's behind you." I realized she was right.

   "I'll come with you," I said.

   "I don't need an escort to the bathroom," she said as she stepped into
her shorts and pulled them up.

   I slid out of the sleeping bag and found my own shorts.  "You're not the
only one with a bladder you know."

   Darlene giggled and nodded.  We walked to the restroom building and went
to our separate sides.  I could have gone with her, or guided her into the
men's room, but basically I had no desire to see her pee.  I used to read a
lot of stories on SOL and ASSTR, but now I just read a few from my favorite
authors.  When I was reading a lot, I was always coming across stories
where guys got turned on watching their sisters, cousins, neighbors,
girlfriends-please insert one-in the bathroom.  I just didn't get it.  And
when they went on to serious water sports, well, I found another story.

   I emptied my bladder, washed up, and went outside to wait for Darlene.

   "Nobody else is up yet.  Let's take a walk," she suggested.

   I thought for a second about getting her back to my tent so I could play
with those soft-but-firm mounds that decorated her chest some more, but I
nodded.  I took her hand, and we picked a trail we hadn't been on yet.

   "Were you talking to somebody last night?" She asked.

   "Just Zoe," I said as I ducked a low hanging branch.

   Darlene seemed startled.  "Does she visit you often?"

   "She's always with me."

   "She's haunting you?"

   "She's watching over me."

   "Oh." Darlene seemed at a loss for words.  I squeezed her hand, and we
walked on.

   "Did you ever have an experience that was so good that you wished it had
been your first experience, `cause your first time wasn't as good; in fact,
it was pretty bad?"

   I was glad they don't teach diagraming sentences anymore because I
wouldn't try to diagram that one.  "Not really," I said after I sorted it
out.  "Most of my experiences have been pretty good.  And even the bad
ones, well, you learn from them, either how to avoid them or how to handle
them.  Why?"

   "Well, I just wish that had been the first time I made love."

   "You mean it wasn't?" I said quickly.

   "Tony the diplomat." I decided it wasn't the right time to mention that
diplomats were only one step above politicians and two steps above lawyers
on the slime scale.  "Brad popped my cherry when I was twelve.  Six days
after my birthday, as a matter of fact.  He was seventeen."

   I didn't know what to say or what she expected, so I just gave her hand
another squeeze.

   "It wasn't bad.  It just, wasn't...  good.  The whole thing was over in
less than a minute.  I'd hear my girlfriends talking about how good fucking
was, but I thought it was better with my fingers, or my damn hairbrush."

   I wonder if the inventor of the hairbrush realized just how useful it
would be?

   "But you kept doing...?" I started.

   "Yeah, I kept doing Brad.  I mean, I was a sixth grader, he was a
junior. I couldn't believe he was interested in me.  After Brad was his
buddy Alan.  Then came his little brother Kyle.  And I still didn't get
off."

   Darlene stopped, then stepped in front of me.  "Last night was the first
time I've had an orgasm that wasn't self-inflicted."

   "That's sad." I put my hands on the sides of her head and pulled her
into a kiss.

   "Isn't it?" she agreed.  "I finally find a guy who wants me to get as
much out of it as he does, and the damn idiot is already in love.  Well, at
least Tami shares."

   "You know, there are guys out there who can do it right.  Don't settle.
Some of the rest can be retrained."

   "My new mission in life."

   "Everybody needs a hobby."

   * * *

   Tami had surprised us, `cause we packed up and headed south instead of
staying for a second day.  We stayed on Highway 101, stopped at a Pizza Hut
in Eureka for lunch, and got to the Van Damme State Park outside Mendocino
just before four.

   Just after I'd finished getting the tents up, Tami hauled out a huge
boom box.  I knew it wasn't hers and wondered where she'd gotten it and why
she hadn't taken it out until now.  The campsite had electricity, so she
plugged it in and set up a microphone too.

   "I suppose we should let Tony rest, so Robbie you're up."

   "Up to what?"

   Tami smiled.  "You get to entertain us." She put in three CD's, pushed
the play button, and an instrumental version of Bridge Over Troubled Water
started.

   Tami stopped the music.  "You missed your cue."

   "You really want me to sing?"

   Tami smiled again.  "That's the plan."

   Robbie shrugged and Tami started the music again.  This time, Robbie
came in right on cue.

   "Very nice," Tami said from her chair when Robbie finished.  We all
applauded.  So did the three spectators who had wandered over.  "Four
minutes and fifty-five seconds." She had a notebook and wrote that down for
whatever reason.  "Tony, you're up.  Daydream Believer."

   "With or without?" I asked, moving Darlene off my lap and standing up.
Robbie handed me the microphone.

   "With or without what?" Tami asked.

   "British accent." I'd learned the song listening to Davy Jones and could
do a passable English accent because of it.

   Tami laughed.  "With."

   She started the CD, and I sang Daydream Believer, complete with British
accent.  My applause was bigger than Robbie's if only because our audience
had grown by half-a-dozen people.

   "Three minutes and one second," Tami announced and made a notation in
her notebook.

   I handed the mike back to Robbie.

   "Traci, you're up."

   "Me?  I didn't choose any songs."

   "That's because you forgot to tell us you could sing," Tami said.  "Do
you know Unchained Melody?"

   "I think so."

   "Try it.  If you mess up they have wi-fi up by the visitors center, so I
can download the lyrics."

   Traci nodded and took the microphone from Robbie.  As Traci started
singing, I looked around.  Our impromptu audience had grown to a couple
dozen.  Traci finished and got the best applause so far.  If Tami timed it,
she didn't announce her findings.

   "Robbie on deck.  You're doing Puff."

   Traci gave Robbie the mike and sat on my lap.  "Have fun?" I asked.

   She grinned.  I nodded toward the audience.  "Maybe we should charge
admission and add to next year's roadtrip fund."

   Robbie did Peter, Paul, and Mary's Puff the Magic Dragon, then Frank
Sinatra's My Way.  I decided she should make that her anthem.  Then she and
I did If You See Him/If You See Her, which I thought of as our song.  And
Meet Me in Montana.  Tami kept calling out times and announcing what we'd
do next.  I wondered if she'd finally lost it.  Too much sex?  Or not
enough?

   Tami had me do Can't Help Falling in Love next, always one of my
favorites.  As I finished I noticed our audience had grown to about fifty,
all milling around in the street in front of our campsite.  "Hey folks,
glad you're enjoying the show," I said into the mike.  "If you want to get
out of the street, you're welcome to come on in and grab a seat on our
grass." They all started moving in.  "T-shirts and CD's on sale in the
lobby after the show."

   "Smart ass," Robbie said with a grin.

   "What's next, coach?" I asked Tami.

   "Traci, do you know Say a Little Prayer?" Traci nodded.  "You're on,"
she said as she fiddled with the boom box.  "Tony, here's your next one."
She handed me a sheet of music.

   "Lyrics?"

   "It's new.  By Rascal Flatts.  But I think it'll be special for you."
She handed me her MP3 player.  "It's cued up." I sorta kinda read music. 
By that I mean I can figure out a song by the music, but it's a hell of a
lot better if I can just hear it.

   I listened to the first part of Traci's song, then put the earbuds in my
ears and listened to the song.  Tami was right, it was special.  It
reminded me of Zo.  She was looking at me as it finished, and I nodded and
smiled, then cued it up again.

   Robbie was just finishing Love Child when I pulled the buds out of my
ears.  Without waiting for Tami's direction I took Robbie's place at the
microphone.  "I hope you're enjoying our impromptu concert," I said.  The
crowd was almost sixty people now.  Not bad for an unannounced concert in a
state park on a Friday afternoon.  "A few months ago I lost a good friend
to leukemia.  This song is for her."

   "Sarabeth is scared to death,

   To hear what the doctor will say.

   She hasn't been well,

   Since the day that she fell.

   And the bruise it just won't go away.

   So she sits and she waits with her mother and dad,

   And flips through an old magazine.

   Till a nurse with a smile stands at the door,

   And says will you please come to me.

   Sarabeth is scared to death,

   Cause the doctor just told her the news.

   Between the red cells and white,

   Something's not right,

   But we're going to take care of you.

   Six chances in ten,

   It won't come back again,

   With the therapy we're going to try.

   It's just been approved,

   It's the strongest there is,

   And I think we caught it in time.

   Sarabeth closes her eyes.



   I felt something in the corner of my eye, but I ignored it.  I could
imagine Zoe when the doctor told her, her own news.

   She dreams she's dancing,

   Around and around without any cares.

   And her very first love is holding her close,

   And the soft wind is blowing her hair.

   Sarabeth is scared to death

   As she sits holding her mom

   Cause it would be a mistake

   For someone to take

   A girl with no hair to the prom

   For just this morning right there on her pillow

   Was the cruellest of innocent cries.

   And she cried when she gathered it all in her hands

   The proof that she couldn't deny

   Sarabeth closes her eyes.

   I thought about the prom that Zoe never got to go to.

   She dreams she's dancing

   Around and around without any cares

   And her very first love is holding her close

   And the soft wind is blowing her hair

   It's a quarter of seven'

   That boys at the door

   And her daddy ushers him in.

   When he takes off his cap

   They all start to cry

   `Cause this morning where his hair had been

   Softly she touches just skin

   They go dancing

   Around and around without any cares

   And her very first true love is holding her close

   And the soft wind is blowing her hair

   For a moment she isn't scared."

   Zoe never showed that she was scared, but I knew she had been.  I hoped
she was somewhere without fear.  I hoped I'd see her again someday.  I set
down the mike and started walking toward the beach.  I knew Tami would
understand.

   * * *

   It was almost nine when we sat down at the picnic table to eat.  Steak
again, not that I was complaining.

   "So what's the plan tomorrow?" I asked around a bite of rib eye.  "Stay
or go?"

   "That would be telling," Tami said as she gnawed on a corn cob.  I
decided that no jury would convict me.  Not if there was at least one guy
on it, anyway.

   "The concert was fun," Traci said.  "We should do it again."

   "Tomorrow," Tami said as she set down her cob.

   "Tomorrow?" Traci and I said together.

   "Why not?" Tami asked.  "You got better plans?

   I cocked my head as I looked her.  "I may have plans.  You haven't told
me yet."

   Tami grinned.

   "Guess whose turn it is tonight big brother?" Traci said after a minute.

   I looked at her.  She couldn't really be suggesting...

   "Hey, Tam, I'll trade my turn for your Swiss roll," Traci said with a
smile.

   Tami looked down at the package in front of her.  "One or both?"

   "Just one.  I wouldn't want to cheat you."

   Chapter 9

   The world is a pretty good place.  I knew that because I awoke with my
Tami in my arms.  I even decided to forgive Traci for her crack about me
not being worth two Swiss rolls.  Even my bladder cooperated by not
nagging.

   I lay holding her close, feeling her warmth, her spirit.

   "What are you doing?" she asked when she woke almost half an hour later.

   "Just holding on to the most special girl in all the world."

   Tami giggled.  "I'll bet you say that to all the girls who trade their
Swiss rolls for you."

   "No one else ever thought I was worth a Swiss roll."

   "I'll tell you a secret," Tami whispered.  "I would have given both."

   I kissed her gently.  I knew we were only talking about a pair of Swiss
rolls worth maybe a quarter, but the way she said it made me feel warm all
over.  I half-remembered the Dr.  Seuss book, How the Grinch Stole
Christmas.  When he discovered the meaning of Christmas his heart grew
three sizes.  I think it was three.  Right then, my heart grew four.

   "I was just thinking," I said as we cuddled.  "If we get married for
fifty years, we can do this about eighteen thousand times."

   "Eighteen thousand two hundred and fifty," Tami corrected.  "I don't
want to miss a day."

   "Well, if you want to get technical, eighteen thousand two hundred and
sixty-three."

   "Sixty-three?"

   "Leap years."

   Tami laughed.  "Okay, Mr.  Math Whiz, but I want a hell of a lot more
than fifty years."

   "That's just the start, babe.  Just the start."

   * * *

   By ten o'clock we were on the road heading south.  Mikee drove as we
tooled down California-1.  She was getting a lot more confident behind the
wheel.  I wondered if Mom and Dad would thank me for that or want to kick
me in the ass.

   We had lunch at an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet in Oakland, then took
the ferry to our new home, Angel Island State Park, right in the middle of
San Francisco Bay.

   About five, Tami organized another concert.  Today we drew almost a
hundred spectators, but it was a Saturday afternoon, so the park was
already full.  I think we were the only ones who came in today.  Everybody
else got here yesterday.

   Afterward, she and I took a long walk.

   * * *

   The views from the beaches of Angel Island were fantastic.  The skyline
of San Francisco was impressive.  I've never wanted to live in any city,
but if I had to, San Francisco would be my first pick.

   Tami and I were heading back toward camp when I noticed Traci sitting on
a rock, staring out at the bay.  I gave Tami's hand a squeeze.  She kissed
my cheek and turned toward the trail back to the campsites.

   "Hey, brat, what you doing?"

   "Just thinking," she answered without looking up.

   There was a smaller rock next to the one Traci was sitting on.  I sat
down and stared out at the bay, wondering if Traci saw a different view
than I did.  "What'cha thinking about?" I asked after a while.

   "Nothing important."

   She sounded depressed, which surprised me, `cause when we did our little
concert, she'd been positively euphoric.  Especially after a couple of
teenaged guys asked her when she was trying out for American Idol.

   "Is there something I can help with?" I asked.

   "Haven't you done enough?" she snapped, then stood suddenly and walked
to the edge of the water.

   Okay, that narrowed it down.  The problem was me.  But I couldn't figure
out what I'd done.  I waited a couple of minutes, but when Traci didn't
turn around, I followed her to the water's edge.  "I don't understand," I
admitted.

   Traci turned to look at me.  "Do you have any idea how hard it is to be
your sister?"

   I had no idea how to answer that?  "I..."

   "You're so fucking good at everything.  School, sports, singing."

   I decided that it wasn't the best time to correct her swearing.  "I..."

   Traci turned back to stare at the water.  "You know, last year I got
most of the same teachers you had when you were in seventh."

   "So?"

   "They all wanted to know why I couldn't get A's like my brother."

   "You work hard at school," I said.

   "And get B's and C's."

   "And you did gymnastics last year."

   Traci nodded.  "And you've been a football and baseball star since you
could walk."

   "You're talking about things that come easy to me.  You work a lot
harder at school than I do.  And you busted your tail for that gymnastics
team.  And I still don't understand why I never heard you sing before."

   Traci looked back at me.  "I didn't want to be compared to you.  I
didn't want anyone asking why I couldn't sing as good as you."

   "That's ridiculous," I snapped.  "You're a much better singer than I
am."

   "I am?"

   "You are.  You want to know the main reason why I've been in every
show?"

   Trace nodded.

   "Because I'm not afraid to make a fool of myself.  And I only did the
first show because I was a little afraid of Monster Girl."

   Traci giggled.  "Only a little afraid?"

   "Okay, a lot afraid.  But big tough football players aren't supposed to
be afraid of girls, so don't spread that around.  The point is you're a
better singer, but you didn't sing because you were afraid that someone
would compare you to me."

   "I..."

   "You could be the second best singer in the school, the high school that
is, but nobody but the seven of us knows `cause you haven't shown them."

   "I'm sorry," she said contritely.

   I smiled.  "Don't be sorry.  If you like to sing, sing.  Don't worry
about what people say.  Or who they compare you to.  Look at it this way.
You love playing the sax, right?"

   She nodded.

   "Are you as good as Kelly Marshal?" Kelly was a girl in my class who'd
left last year because she earned a spot in Juilliard.

   "No."

   "So you should quit `cause people might compare you to her."

   "That's ridiculous.  She's a junior."

   "Guess what, Trace.  So am I."

   Traci blushed, and I guessed that I'd gotten through.  "Can I ask, my
beautiful and talented sister, what brought on this unique bout of
self-pity?"

   "I, uh, Kelly was talking about it being her turn again soon.  And I
started thinking about my brother sleeping with my best friend.  One thing
kind of led to another."

   "In my defense, I was sleeping with her before she was your best
friend."

   Traci stuck her tongue out at me, and I decided she was okay.  She
smiled up at me.  "You said I'd be the second best?"

   I nodded.  "Robbie's better."

   Her face fell.

   "You wanted me to lie just to make you feel better?"

   "No, I..."

   "Just remember, you may be the second best singer, but Robbie's also a
junior, besides she can't play the sax worth a damn."

   * * *

   As I drifted into sleep, I reflected.  I'd woken with Tami in my arms,
and now I was falling asleep the same way.  Life didn't get any better than
this.

   Chapter 10

   Mikee looked nervously at the guard rail as she eased the van off the
ferry.  I grinned, said nothing, and sent good vibes her way.  She hadn't
wanted to drive on and off the ferry, but some mean guy made her.

   Wait.  That would be me.

   At least we chose a good time.  It was just after ten.  The early birds
had left hours ago, and most of the rest of the campers were just starting
to stir.

   Mikee let out a sigh of relief and parked.

   "That wasn't so bad," I said with a big smile.

   The look she gave me wasn't friendly.

   We switched places.  A quick look showed the others had all nodded off.
In the middle seat Kelly was leaning against the side of the van, and Tami
had her head on Kelly's shoulder.  Traci was lying down, her head in Tami's
lap.

   It made a pretty picture.  Which reminded me that I still hadn't used my
camera.  I put the van in gear and headed out into San Francisco traffic.
At least it was Sunday.  That should help.

   * * *

   Tami must have enjoyed her night, because she was downright forthcoming.
Mikee asked if we were staying or going, and Tami told her right away that
we were packing up right after breakfast.

   When Robbie asked where, Tami even answered.  "East." Which at least
narrowed it down.

   So, I packed up the tents.  Again!  And we were, in the words of Willie
Nelson, "On the road again."

   * * *

   "We're heading east.  Maybe we can get out of California," I said as I
stopped for another red light.  They seemed to like me.

   "You don't like California?  I thought you used to live here," Mikee
said, glancing down at the driving directions Tami had printed off the
internet for me.

   "I did, though further south.  It's just, campers here get up too
early."

   "Too early?  What difference does...  Oh, poor baby.  You've had to
shower alone."

   "Worse.  With a bunch of hairy guys."

   Mikee laughed, and I guessed I was forgiven for making her drive onto
the ferry.

   We started out going west on the Embarcadero, turned left onto Powell,
then another left onto North Point Street, then right onto the Embarcadero
again.  And people wonder why I hate cities.  I mean, why not just drive on
Embarcadero?

   Howard Street, First Street, then I-80.  Now we were getting somewhere.
A few minutes later I merged on 580 heading towards Oakland.  Oakland? 
Wasn't Oakland north of San Francisco?  I mean we'd driven through it
coming down from Mendocino.  Why was I going north when I wanted to go
east?

   I decided that I didn't want to live in San Francisco.

   I turned off the interstate at the next exit and turned into a gas
station.  While I was filling the tank I checked the directions.  Mikee had
gotten everything right.  Now I was supposed to stay on 580 for sixty
miles. I folded the directions and handed them back to Mikee.

   "Hey, check it out," she said.  I followed her pointing finger.  It was
a record store.  But it was bigger than a supermarket back home.  "Can we?"

   I thought about it.  I had about a hundred miles of directions, but I
didn't know if there were more after that or if we were staying there.  But
most days, Tami didn't have us on the road more than six hours or so.  What
the hell?

   "What the hell?" I said and went to the kiosk to pay for the gas.

   Getting across the intersection was easier than I'd thought it would be,
though I wouldn't want to try it in weekday traffic.  Even though it was
Sunday, the parking lot was over half-full.

   "Should we wake them?" Mikee asked as I parked.

   I was tempted to say no, but the temporary satisfaction of letting them
sleep through this was outweighed by the sure knowledge of Robbie's
retribution.  They say Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but a woman
denied shopping...  I didn't even want to think about it.

   "Ladies!" I yelled.

   Slowly eyes popped open.

   "Are we here already?" Tami asked, lifting her head off Kelly's
shoulder.

   "I don't know where `here' is supposed to be, but we're somewhere.  I
made a detour." I pointed.

   "Holy...  nirvana!" Robbie yelped and was out of her seat and pulling
open the van door.

   I started wondering if this was such a good idea.  Robbie was a music
junkie.  We might have to cancel our reservations wherever and spend the
next week sleeping in this parking lot.  At least there was an In-n-Out
Burger next door.  We wouldn't starve.

   While I mused, Robbie was halfway to the store, the other girls not far
behind her.

   "This was a great idea," Tami said as she got out.  "How'd you find it?"

   I buffed my fingernails on the front of my t-shirt.  "I used to live in
California.  I know my way around.  Mikee cocked her head and looked at me
but didn't blow my cover.

   The record store took three hours, and that was only because Darlene and
I each grabbed one of Robbie's arms and pulled her up to the check-out
stand, then out the door.  We had lunch at the In-n-Out next door, then hit
the road again with Darlene driving this time.

   Everybody had new CDs they wanted to play, so I let the expedition
leader decide.  She did the only fair and equitable thing: she played hers.

   * * *

   An hour-and-a-half later we arrived.  San Luis Reservoir State Park.  I
was really beginning to appreciate the time that Tami must have put into
planning this thing.  She'd found all these great parks, made the
reservations, and printed out driving instructions, even breaking them down
into chunks to keep her surprises.  And she knew about the karaoke contest
in Lincoln City.  Now I knew what she was doing during my baseball
practices.

   Tami went in to the ranger station to check us in, and then we drove to
the North Beach campground on O'Neill Forebay.  Mental note: find out what
a forebay is.  It looked like a lake to me.  We should have set up camp,
but instead we changed into swimming suits in the van and hit the water
running.  The temperature was parked midway between ninety and a hundred,
and damn, that water felt good.

   We'd gotten here about three-thirty, but it was after six before I had
the tents up.  At first I thought we had this camping area to ourselves,
and thoughts of skinny dipping and other activities danced in my head, but
shortly after I got the tents up, people started showing up.  Just a couple
at a time, but nobody went to any of the other camping sites, they kind of
milled around the front of ours.

   "Tami!" I yelled into her tent.  "Is there anything you want to tell
me?"

   "What?" she said, then stuck her head out and saw the crowd.  "Shit! 
What time is it?" Apparently it was a rhetorical question, `cause a few
seconds later she announced, "We're late."

   "Late for what?" I asked, though I was pretty sure I knew the answer.

   "The concert.  I told them at the ranger station to pass the word that
we'd be performing about six-thirty." Tami came out of the tent carrying
the huge boom box.

   I stopped her and cupped her face in my hands.  "Oh love of my life, did
you ever consider asking us if we wanted to do a concert?"

   She grinned.  "Like you and Robbie would ever pass up a chance to play
to a crowd."

   She had me there.  Robbie and I were both USDA Grade A Prime ham.

   "Besides, you have to practice," she added.

   Practice?  Why did we have to practice?  I had a feeling there was
another karaoke contest or talent show in our future.

   "Ladies and gentlemen, Unrehearsed!" Tami announced a couple minutes
later.  We had a crowd of about a twenty campers and another dozen rangers.
Robbie and I started things off with Elton John's Don't Go Breakin' My
Heart.  Then Traci did a heart-pumping version of the King's Jailhouse
Rock. Damn, my little sister can rock the house.  Tami had found a karaoke
disk for it at the record store.

   Almost an hour-and-a-half later Tami took the microphone again.  "Hope
you liked our practice session.  Have a good..."

   "Just a minute!" I interrupted.  I slipped a disk I'd bought that
afternoon into the boom box and took the mike away.  "Folks, our tour
director is the girl I've asked to marry me, and though her mom says she
can't answer me until we graduate, every now and then, I like to remind her
just how I feel."

   I took Tami's hand and nodded to Traci to hit the play button.

   "When your body's had enough of me,

   And I'm lying flat out on the floor,

   When you think I've loved you all I can,

   I'm going to love you a little bit more."

   I slipped my other arm around Tami's back and into the back pocket of
her cut-offs.

   "C'mon over here and lie by my side,

   I've got to be touchin'' you.

   Let me rub your tired shoulders,

   The way I used to do."

   That reminded me: I still owed all the girls massages.

   "Look into my eyes and give that smile,

   The one that always turns me on.

   And let me take your hair down,

   `Cause we're stayin' up to greet the sun."

   Now that sounded like a plan.  Sunrise with Tami.

   "And when your body's had enough of me,

   And I'm lying flat out on the floor,

   When you think I've loved you all I can,

   I'm going to love you a little bit more."

   I stepped back and took both of Tami's hands in mine, looking deep into
her eyes.

   "Got to say a few things that have been on my mind,

   And you know where my mind has been.

   I guess I learned my lessons,

   And now's the time to begin.

   So if you're feeling all right, and you're ready for me,

   I know that I'm ready for you.

   We better get it on now,

   `Cause we got a whole life to get thru.

   And when your body's had enough of me,

   And I'm lying flat out on the floor,

   When you think I've loved you all I can,

   I'm going to love you a little bit more."

   Her eyes were like quicksand, pulling me deeper and deeper.  Not that I
was struggling.

   "And when your body's had enough of me,

   and I'm lying flat out on the floor,

   When you think I've loved you all I can,

   I'm going to love you a little bit more."

   I stood and stared.

   "You do realize we're done," Robbie said.

   "What?" Tami and I said together.

   "I said, the concert ended.  Everybody went home."

   I looked around.  Our audience was gone.  That was rude.  They must have
left before I was even half done.

   "You finished singing ten minutes ago," Darlene added.

   "They applauded like crazy, but I guess you didn't notice," Traci put
in.

   "Ten minutes?" Damn!  Those eyes are dangerous.

   * * *

   "I was surprised when you introduced us as Unrehearsed," Robbie said
when we sat down to dinner just after dark.

   "So was..." Something clicked.  I got up, walked to the boom box, and
changed it from Robbie's new Red Nichols jazz CD to one of Tami's mystery
disks.  I listened closely as it played one of Robbie's songs, Bridge Over
Troubled Water.  "That's them."

   "Them who?" Robbie asked while Tami concentrated on her chicken leg.

   "Unrehearsed.  That's Toby on piano and Sally on drums."

   "You're nuts," Robbie said with a laugh.  Tami stared deeply into her
potato salad.

   "Miss Sharp, who's on the CD?"

   "Have you ever noticed how the different sized chunks in potato salad
make every serving unique?" Tami said softly.

   I stepped up behind her.  "I don't like potato salad.  Who's on the CD?"

   "You really should eat it," she said looking up over her shoulder at me.
"It's very good for you."

   "I don't eat anything green either.  Who's on the CD?"

   "It's been a beautiful day.  I wonder how many stars will be out
tonight."

   "Six thousand, three hundred and thirty-two.  Who's on the CD?"

   Tami looked across the table at the other girls, who were all wearing
curious expressions.  "Think we should go swimming later?"

   I laid my hands gently on hr shoulders.  "Robbie, you want to hold or to
tickle?"

   Robbie stood, a sly smile on her face.

   "Okay, okay," Tami said.  "It's them.  It's Unrehearsed."

   Robbie leaned forward over the table.  "And how did you happen to have
CDs of Unrehearsed doing the songs that Tony and I chose a few days ago?"

   "Plus others?" I added.

   Tami shrugged.  "I kinda called them and told them to add them to their
CD."

   The sixty-four thousand dollar question.  "Why?"

   Tami shrugged again.  "Why not?"

   I wanted to wring her neck.  Not because she wouldn't tell.  I just
hated that answer, "Why not?" My freshman year in basic comp, for our final
quiz Mr.  Becker asked "Why?" In forty-five minutes I wrote a brilliant and
concise dissertation on `Why?' being the driving force of man in our quest
to understand our universe.  I got an A.  Twelve students wrote "Why not?"
They got A's too.  It still bugs me.

   "Mikee, how would you like to take a romantic walk on the beach in the
starlight?" I asked with a grin.

   Mikee jumped up and took my hand.

   "Kelly?" I invited.

   With a grin, Kelly was up and took my other hand.  I nodded to Darlene,
Robbie and Traci, and the three of us started toward the lake or forebay or
whatever it was.

   Behind me I heard Robbie ask, "Darlene, how would you like to take a
romantic walk on the beach in the starlight?  Traci?"

   Tami can be romantic with her secrets.

   * * *

   Tami was sitting on a log staring into the fire.  I stepped behind and
kissed her neck.

   "Your sister cheats," she said, still looking into the flames.

   "I know.  I just haven't been able to prove it." We'd come back from our
walks and played Monopoly.  Tami was the first one out.  Traci had won as
usual.  If they ever have a professional Monopoly League, I'm gonna get
rich managing her.  "Want to take a walk?"

   Tami looked up and over her shoulder at me.  "I thought you already had
your romantic walk for the evening."

   I grinned.  No, I leered.  "Ah, the Temple girls.  They really know how
to put the romance in a walk."

   Tami stuck her tongue out at me.

   "But that was a romantic walk.  I was hoping to take just an ordinary
end-of-the-day walk with you."

   "Well, I suppose I don't have anything better to do." She stood.  "What
about Mikee?  Won't she be waiting?  It's her turn."

   "She'll keep my sleeping bag warm till we get back."

   Tami sighed.

   "Lady, say the word, and I'll kick her out and install you forever and
always."

   Tami giggled.  "That wouldn't be fair to Mikee." She stepped over the
log and took my hand, and we headed for the water.

   "You know, I read a lot." I looked around conspiratorially.  "Don't tell
anybody, but sometimes I like a good love story."

   "You, the big tough football player?"

   "Shush.  I said don't say it so loud."

   "Like what?"

   "Oh, Summer of Forty-Two was good.  Harold Robbins early stuff.  The
Cheerleader."

   "Wasn't that a porno flick?" Tami asked slyly.

   I grinned.  "That was The Cheerleaders, plural." I'd seen it on video at
a friends house.  Good, but over-rated.  "The book was just The
Cheerleader. It was about a girl going to high school and discovering life
and love and sex and stuff."

   "That sounds familiar."

   "Except she beat us to it.  The book was set in the fifties.  Sock hops
and the whole nine yards."

   "That's your favorite?"

   "One of them.  My favorite is There Should Have Been Castles by the same
guy who wrote Summer of Forty-Two."

   "I'll have to read it."

   "You'll like it.  Two people who meet and fall in and out of love over
and over again.  I'll give you my copy when we get home."

   Tami laughed softly.  "You own it?  I thought you checked it out of the
library."

   "Too dangerous.  With the Homeland Security Act, the FBI can check up on
things like that."

   "Got to protect that macho image," Tami agreed.  I squeezed her hand.

   "I have another you'd like.  Not exactly a love story.  Letters I Wish
I'd Written to My Ex-Husband."

   "Is that a hint?  We're not even married yet, and you're getting me
ready for the divorce."

   "Well, I am spending the night with one of my mistresses."

   "That's not grounds for divorce.  I'm making you."

   I squeezed her hand again.

   We walked in silence for awhile, just admiring the stars and how they
all managed not to fall down.  We were almost back to camp, and it looked
like everyone had gone to bed.

   "You know, I was making a point about the love stories but got
sidetracked."

   "And your point, my literate one?" Tami asked with a giggle.

   "My point was, I've read a lot of love stories, and ours has to be the
strangest."

   Tami thought about that for a minute.  "But it works," she said finally.

   I smiled and kissed her gently outside her tent.  "I'll have to give you
that.  It works."

   Chapter 11

   I set up the tents for the, what, fifth time?  Fort Canby in Long Beach,
Beverly Beach in Lincoln City, Harris Beach in Brookings.  Then three in
California, Van Damme, Angel Island, and San Luis.  Now Mojave.  Seven. 
Seventh time.

   I had to admit this was different.  The first five were all on the
ocean. Then San Luis was a lake.  Well, a reservoir.  Now a desert.  Tami
was sure giving us our money's worth.

   I finished with the tents just as Robbie finished setting up the boom
box and a battery pack.  Darlene was unpacking our camp stove and cooking
supplies.

   We were staying in the Hole-in-the-Wall Campground.  I wondered if it
was the same hole-in-the-wall that Butch Cassidy, Sundance, and those types
hung out at.  I could have sworn that was Wyoming or one of the Dakotas.

   There were thirty-five campsites at Hole-in-the-Wall, and even though it
was Monday afternoon, they were all full.  Tami and the others were
visiting the neighbors.

   "Any idea what's on your girlfriend's devious mind?" Robbie asked as I
sat down in one of the camp chairs.

   "She wasn't devious until she met you, but no, I haven't.  Maybe she's
got the band and us signed up for American Idol."

   Darlene popped the top on a Coke and handed it to me.  I didn't know,
but figured the temperature was in triple digits.  They say the nights get
cold in the desert, but I didn't see how.

   "Ever thought about it?" Robbie asked as she pulled up a chair beside
me.

   "Thought about what?"

   "Idol.  Trying out."

   "I've daydreamed, but not seriously.  Simon would rip me up, and I think
I'd go for his throat the first time Randy called me dawg."

   Robbie laughed.  "What about Paula?"

   "She's a cheerleader, annoying but cute."

   "I heard that," Darlene said as she put a plastic table cloth on the
picnic table.

   "Check that out," Robbie said, saving me the trouble of getting my foot
out of my mouth.  Tami and the girls were coming down the road toward the
campsite and leading about seventy-five people of all ages.

   "I think it may be time to sing for our supper," I said.

   Kelly came running ahead and launched herself from about fifty feet
away, sailed through the air and landed on my lap.  Okay, it was about six
feet but it was still an impressive leap.

   Unfortunately, the chair didn't think so.

   I'm not sure which hit first, my back as I went over backwards or my
butt as the chair disintegrated beneath me.  I do know that I had a sudden
insight into what outer space was really like because there was no air in
my lungs, and I couldn't seem to make any come in.

   Kelly was sitting, stunned, on my lap, and the others were all standing
around me looking like angels with that halo effect you get when you look
at something framed in bright sunlight.

   "Are you okay?

   "Tony!"

   "What happened?"

   "Can you breathe?"

   "Do you need a doctor?"

   I didn't know who said what and really didn't care.  I forced myself to
relax and took a small sip of air, then a bigger one, then a normal one. 
It wasn't the first time I'd had the wind knocked out of me, but I still
hate that feeling of fighting for air.

   I pushed myself up on an elbow and looked at Kelly.  "That's coming out
of your allowance."

   * * *

   The concert was a success.  I think it was our best yet.  The acoustics
helped.  Hole-in-the-Wall is surrounded by volcanic rock walls.  We added
one song off my new CD.  Robbie and I sang Olivia Newton-John's Let's Get
Physical and had Kelly and Traci put on a little tumbling demonstration
while we sang.

   Afterward several people asked if we were a professional group and one
guy gave me his card, `HENRIE TIMMERS, ARTIST MANAGEMENT.' The guy looked
like a huckster so I filed it and forgot it.

   Mental note: sue the National Park Service for discrimination.  There
were about a dozen teenaged guys who fell all over themselves drooling
after the girls and not one female fan for me, unless you count the
fifty-something divorcee who thought I was cute and talented.  I didn't.

   * * *

   It was about ten.  I was sitting in another chair and keeping a wary eye
out for Kelly.  I was still working on digesting the dinner we'd had an
hour ago.  Steak and mounds and mounds of barbequed shrimp.  And baked
potatoes that were obviously the product of mutant growth experiments.

   Tami was sitting next to me.  I don't think we'd spoken in half-an-hour.
We were just enjoying the desert and each other's aura.  The others were
off hanging with the boys.

   Did I mention there were no girls?

   "Hi, Tony," Traci said as she walked up.  We didn't have a fire tonight,
mainly `cause you have to bring your own wood, and we didn't want to mess
with it.  But we had some lanterns.  Traci was standing just inside the
circle of light, and somebody was just out of it.

   "Hey brat.  What are you up to?"

   "Nothing." She stood, shifting from foot to foot.  "I was wondering..."

   "Yes?" Next to me I could sense Tami shifting to focus on my sister.

   "I, um, that is, I wondered if...?"

   I grinned.  "Squirt, you're my very favorite sister.  And aside from
your best friend trying to kill me and destroying my favorite chair in the
process, I'm having a very good day.  You can ask me anything."

   "I, uh, I..." She took a deep breath.  "CouldIborrowarubber?"

   "Can you borrow a what?" I asked a lot more loudly than I intended after
I figured out just what she said.

   "You heard her," Tami said quickly.  "Of course you can," she added to
Traci.

   "But who?" I stuttered.

   "His name is Gary," Traci said, pointing at the shadow just outside the
light.  "He's nice."

   "How old is he?"

   "Fourteen," Traci said as she scuffed her shoe on the ground.

   "How...?" I started.

   But Tami slapped her hand over my mouth.  "The inquisition is over."
With her hand she motioned Traci closer.  "Are you sure?"

   Traci nodded.  Tami nodded.  "They're in his gym bag in his tent.  Take
a couple."

   Tami held her hand over my mouth until Traci had disappeared with her
treasures.  I licked her fingers.

   "I just think.." I started when she took her hand away.

   "Anthony Marion Sims, you're not going to win, so you might as well
accept it."

   "But..."

   "How old were you the first time?  How old was I?  And I'll save you the
embarrassment of asking how old Kelly was."

   "But..."

   "You're not going to win.  You can accept it and sulk, or we can fight
about it, you'll lose, and then sulk."

   I pouted.  "But I had it all planned out," I explained.  "Traci was
going to be a virgin all her life.  She'd have my two nieces and one nephew
by immaculate conception."

   "Not happening."

   "Can I keep my irrational delusion?"

   Tami smiled.  "You can try."

   Chapter 12

   We left Hole-in-the-Wall at eight.

   I'd been sleeping peacefully, Kelly safely in my arms and not leaping at
anything, when Tami stuck her head in my tent and announced we were burning
daylight.  I was good.  I didn't tell her what she could do with her burnt
daylight.

   Forty-five minutes later we stopped at a 76 station in Ludlow for gas
and some breakfast stuff.  Twenty minutes later the girls in back were
asleep.  Traci had volunteered to ride up front and keep me company, but
another ten minutes and she was gone too.

   An hour later we left California.  As I drove through Arizona I could
imagine John Wayne galloping on his horse next to me.  Or maybe Clint
Eastwood accompanied by one of those Hugo Montenegro soundtracks.  About
one we stopped for lunch in Williams.  I'm not a big fan of Mexican food,
but I was intrigued by the name, Pancho McGillicuddy's Mexican.  I have to
admit the shredded beef burrito wasn't half bad.

   We pulled out of Williams on I-40 which a few miles later turned into
Arizona 64.  It was exactly three as we pulled into the south entrance of
the Grand Canyon National Park.

   "Why the Grand Canyon?" Robbie asked as we drove toward the ranger
station.  "Isn't it kind of touristy?"

   "My dad has been promising me a trip to the canyon since I was four,"
Tami said with a trace of a pout.  "But something always came up.  I
figured the only way to get here was to come myself, even if I had to
kidnap my friends to do it."

   Tami checked us in, and we drove to the Mather Campground where I set up
the tents again.  I guess if a career in coaching doesn't work out, I can
be a professional tent setter-upper. "Now, remember," Tami said as we
relaxed a few minutes later.  "There's only supposed to be six people per
campsite, so if the rangers ask, one of you is visiting from down the
road."

   "Which one?" Darlene asked.

   Tami gave her the I'm-sorry-you're-retarded look.  "The seventh one, of
course."

   I sipped my Coke and kept my mouth shut.

   "Are we singing?" Traci asked.

   "I talked to the rangers and told them we'd been doing little shows in
all the parks we'd been to.  They said we could set up in that grassy area
at the end of the row.  What time is it?"

   At the moment I was the only one wearing a watch, so I guessed the
question was meant for me.  "Three to four."

   "We could shoot for eight" Tami mused.  "It will still be light and
should be a little cooler then."

   "Are you kidding?  This is the arctic compared to Mojave." I guessed the
temperature was just above eighty.

   Tami stood.  "Ladies, I'm off to round up an audience.  Anyone coming?"
Mikee, Kelly, and Traci stood up.

   "What, I'm not invited?" I protested.

   "You just want to see if there are any cute girls," Mikee accused.

   "Like you're not going to scope out the guys," I shot back.

   Mikee blushed.

   "You were just complaining about all the hard work setting up the
tents," Tami said.  "I guessed you wanted to rest."

   I had my feet up.  I had my Coke.  I had some Girl Scout cookies. 
Peanut butter sandwich, my favorite.  Some Brownies had been selling them
outside the ranger station.  I decided not to complain.

   * * *

   "So stud, are you ready for some football?" Robbie asked in a voice that
sounded like it came straight from Monday nights.

   "It's not even July yet.  Talk to me in August." Then I had to think
about it.  I hadn't been keeping track of the date.  We'd left on Sunday
the nineteenth.  This was Tuesday, that made it about the twenty-eighth.  I
was right.  It wasn't July yet.  "By the way, love of my life, where are we
going to be for the fourth?"

   "It's a secret."

   "At least give us a hint," Traci cajoled.

   Tami hesitated.  "Buffalo Bill lived there for a year."

   "That's a big help," I said sarcastically.

   Tami smiled.  "You're welcome."

   It'd serve her right if I figured it out.  The trouble was, I didn't
remember a lot about the guy.  I was never big on western history, and Cody
had never sparked any interest.  He was a buffalo hunter, so that narrowed
it down to the middle of the country, say Texas to Montana.  But then there
was something about a wild west show.  I think that traveled all over the
east coast and even Europe.

   "Paris!" I announced.  "Independence Day in the land of a thousand
cheeses."

   Tami grinned.  "Damn!  You guessed it."

   I thought about sticking my tongue out at her, but decided I was too
dignified for that.

   "Disney World," Kelly guessed.

   Tami lifted her head and looked at the younger girl over the tops of her
sunglasses.  "Buffalo Bill lived in Orlando?"

   Kelly shrugged and flipped her head.  "I don't know, I just thought
Disney World would be cool."

   "Cape Kennedy," Mikee suggested.  "They have really big fireworks
there."

   Looking at Tami's face, I decided she was having way too much fun.  I
needed to start thinking about revenge.

   Robbie was lying on her stomach on a blanket next to my chair.  "Hey
stud, would you get me another Coke?"

   "I never said I was a stud," I said, not feeling like moving.  Wasn't
that what we had eighth graders for?  "I just have many stud-like
qualities." I looked at Kelly, snapped my fingers and pointed at the
cooler.

   Kelly stood and bowed deeply.  "What kind of stud-like qualities?" she
asked before walking to the cooler.  Apparently I wasn't the only one who'd
mastered a sarcastic tone of voice.

   "I had you purring last night," I said with a smug look.  She blushed
all the way down to her belly button.

   "Purring?" her sister said.  "She was yelling so loud I thought I'd
never get to sleep."

   I didn't think it was possible, but Kelly's blush got deeper.

   "So, Captain America, your super power is making girls purr?" Robbie
asked lifting herself up on one elbow.

   I grinned and lifted my hands up, palms to the sky, trying to look
modest.

   "Okay, go." Robbie said.

   "Go?"

   "Make us all purr."

   "I..."

   "I think that's a great idea," Tami put in.

   I decided that whatever revenge I came up with for her had to be really
good.  "I..."

   "Yeah." "Cool." "Do it." "Oh, man!" the other girls all said.

   "I..."

   "You said you had the power," Robbie accused.  "You know what Spider-Man
said: `With great power comes great responsibility.' You're responsible for
six very horny females."
I didn't check her math, but I should have.  "We can't.  There are

people..."

   "That's why they invented tents," Tami pointed out.

   "I..."

   "I'm first," Tami said, standing up and walking toward my tent.

   "I..."

   Tami stood at the opening to my tent and looked back at me.  "Coming?"
she asked and ducked inside.

   "I..." I stood and followed her.

   "This could get interesting," I heard Kelly say as I hesitated in front
of the tent.

   "Very interesting," her sister agreed.

   I slipped inside just in time to see Tami hook her thumbs in the
waistband of her nylon shorts and push them down.  There was nothing
underneath them.  She was facing away from me so I could admire her firm
ass and long legs.  A deep brown tan covered almost all of her except for a
small inverted triangle on her buttocks.  A very small triangle.

   "I don't know if this is such a good idea," I stammered.

   "A quickie in the afternoon?  Tony, I'm surprised.  Where's that
sex-crazed boy I've come to know and love?"

   "No, five quickies."

   "Afraid you can't handle it?" Tami challenged as she turned around and
let her bikini top slide down her arms and fall to the ground.  "I'm horny
now, so if you're not up to it, you mind sending Robbie in?"

   I have this problem with being too competitive.  The same thing I accuse
Robbie of.  I knew right then that I was going to do all five girls or hurt
myself trying.

   I stepped to Tami, kissed her, and with one hand pushed down my shorts.
I hadn't bothered with underwear either.  I turned her as I kissed her and
guided Big Tony, who lived up to his name, between her legs."

   "Ohhh, just like in the woods," she cooed as she grasped my favorite
appendage and eased it into her pussy.  "How many times have you done me
from behind in the woods?"

   "Not enough." I pushed my cock up deep inside her.  She'd been wet and
easy to penetrate.  "Never enough."

   I kissed her neck and shoulders as I pistoned deep within her.

   "Oh, God, sometimes I think you really do have a super power.  I'm gonna
cum already."

   "That's the plan." I slowed my pace, making each stroke take several
seconds."

   "I was almost there," she complained.

   "Beg for it," I whispered.

   "Please..."

   I picked up the pace, feeling her body clinging at my cock as I slammed
in deep into her womb.

   "Oh, God damn...  God...  oh, fuck.  I'm..."

   I figure if you can make them lose the ability to form coherent
sentences, you've done good.  I slid my still hard cock out of her, turned
her again, and kissed her deeply.

   "You are a super hero," she purred.  "Instead of Captain America, maybe
we should call you Major Orgasm."

   I grinned, wondering if she'd realized her play on words.  "How about
colonel?  I've always wanted to be a colonel."

   "Okay, Colonel Orgasm," Tami said as she picked up her shorts and bikini
top.  Who next, Robbie?  Or one of the young ones?"

   I lay down on my sleeping bag, Big Tony pointing proudly at the ceiling.
"Send me Monster Girl."

   Tami nodded and stepped out of the tent, her shorts only halfway up her
legs.

   This was every red-blooded American boy's dream.

   So why did I have a feeling of impending doom?

   * * *

   "Is that for me?" Robbie asked as she stepped inside and slid off her
shorts in one motion.  `Didn't any of the girls wear underwear today?' I
wondered.

   "If you think you can handle it," I said confidently.

   "You gonna make me purr?"

   I grinned.  "With Monster Girls, it's more of a low growl."

   Robbie stepped over my body and lowered herself toward my spear.  "Close
enough," she said.  She grabbed the base with one hand and spread her pussy
with the other.  With a single smooth motion, she enveloped me.

   I lay back and let Robbie set her own pace.  "I'm so glad I didn't have
to wait for tonight," she said as she picked up speed."

   I'd forgotten it was her turn.  I hoped I'd have something left for her.

   "You feel so good inside me," she said.  "So natural."

   I was tempted to ask if I was the best, but didn't.  I figured it was a
no-win question.  If she said no, I'd be hurt.  If she said yes, I'd wonder
if she was just trying to make me feel good.  I concentrated on making her
feel good, thrusting my hips upward to meet her pelvis as it came down.

   "I'm almost there.  I'm..."

   "Me, too," I groaned, feeling the old familiar feeling building in the
base of my cock and my balls.  I drove my cock upward as she pressed down,
and we both exploded.  It almost felt like she was draining my life-force
away as her body milked my fluids

   "Oh, yes.  Yes," she said as she savored the last of her orgasm.

   As she stopped she looked down at me, smiled, and purred, rolling the
sound off her tongue.  It was one of the nicest things she'd ever said to
me.

   * * *

   "Robbie said you wanted both of us?" Mikee asked shyly as she and Kelly
stepped in.

   I nodded, then glanced down.  Mr.  Happy had retreated to never-never
land.  I wondered if the store in Grand Canyon Village sold Viagra.  "My
favorite Temples," I said as I stood and hugged them.

   "What about Alana?" Kelly asked with a small giggle.

   "I wouldn't trade you two for Alana and her whole group." Alana was in
Greece this summer on a modeling contract with seven other girls.  She
hadn't decided if she was going back to school in the fall.

   "How about one of us?" Mikee asked coyly.

   "Well maybe one." I'd seen a picture of Alana's modeling crew.

   "Which one?" Kelly demanded.

   "I could never choose," I told them honestly.  "We'll flip a coin."

   "Do you ever think about Alana?  You know, fantasize?" Mikee asked.

   I tried to remember about the last time I'd had a fantasy about their
beautiful sister.  I couldn't.  Even after our evening in the wood, she
wasn't the one I dreamed about.

   "Not really.  My fantasies are about you and Tami and the other girls
here.  I guess I'm pretty happy.  If Diogenes had been looking for a
contented man, he could stop right here."

   "Who's Diogenes?" asked Kelly.

   I decided I needed to talk to Mr.  Reed about the quality of education
in the middle school.  Or lack there of.

   I turned the girls so that Mikee's back was resting against my right
shoulder and Kelly's back was resting on my left, then I slipped my arms
around them, gave them a quick squeeze, and slid my hands into their
shorts. Still no underwear.

   "Diogenes was a Greek dude..." or was he Roman?  Nope.  Greek. 
Definitely Greek.  "...who took a lantern and searched all over Greece for
one honest man.  Kind of like how Alana puts on a tight sweater and
searches for an honest orgasm."

   Both girls giggled, and not just because I was caressing the folds of
their pussies.

   "Alana should look at your house," Kelly said as she pushed her hips
forward toward my hand.

   "So should the Greek dude," Mikee added.

   "I'm not honest.  I lie like a rug.  For instance, you guys probably
think I like you, but I just pretend.  I'm just into doing sisters."

   "So do me, already," Kelly commanded as she rubbed her ass against my
leg.

   If I have one rule in life, it's `Never say no to a horny
thirteen-year-old.' I slid my middle finger into her wet, willing pussy. 
With my other hand I eased my forefinger into her sister.  Both girls gave
small shivers.

   I glanced down.  I had fingers in two willing pussies, and Big Tony just
sat there.  I wondered if I'd killed it doing Tami and Robbie both.

   "Oh, fuck!" one of them moaned.  I didn't bother correcting her.

   Kelly usually liked a short fast stroke, while Mikee liked a longer,
slower rhythm, but I had trouble doing both at once, so I did kind of a
compromise medium stroke to both.  It seemed to be working.

   "We should do this everyday," Mikee purred.  I kissed her neck.

   "Twice a day," Kelly corrected.  I nibbled on her ear.

   "Do you think Gary got Traci off," Mikee asked with a giggle.

   I had a sudden image of last night's shadow sticking his finger in my
sister's cunt.  I couldn't help wondering if her first time had been good.
Then I tried to shake the image out of my mind.  Have you ever really
wanted to know something, but at the same time really, really not want to
know?

   "Keep talking about Traci and you can wait outside while I finish your
sister off," I threatened.

   "Too late," Mikee yelled as her body tensed.  "Oh, God.  Oh, yeah.  Oh
yeah!"

   I speeded up my left hand as Mikee's sounds helped push Kelly over the
edge.  Kelly's hand reached down and cupped my shrunken cock and balls.  I
think she was surprised that I wasn't hard.  I know I was.

   Both girls sagged against me as their orgasms finished.  I was beginning
to feel like a real super-hero.  First I did two girls with one erection,
and now I'd done two at the same time.

   I used my tongue to tickle the insides of their ears.  "Go tell Darlene
it's her turn," I whispered.

   Kelly gave me another squeeze.  "You going to have anything for her?"

   I gave the girls a small push forward as I pulled my hands out of their
shorts, then I gave Kelly a swat on the butt.  "I'll figure something out."

   "I'll bet you will," Mikee said with a leer, so I gave her a swat too.

   * * *

   Darlene stepped into the tent, smiling shyly.

   I was lying on my sleeping bag, trying to look seductive.  Darlene
glanced at the ill-named Big Tony and sighed.  "You don't really want to do
this."

   I really hate self-doubt.  I was ready to put her over my knee and give
her a few swats, and not the playful kind I'd given the Temple girls.  Then
I remembered her introduction to sex.

   "You're a beautiful, sexy cheerleader.  What guy wouldn't want to do
this?" I said, sitting up.

   "But..." her eyes were looked on my useless appendage.

   "This is supposed to be about making you purr.  I don't need Big Tony
for that."

   "Big Tony?" she said and giggled, which didn't help the situation.

   I sat up on my knees and beckoned her closer with my finger.  As she
stepped up, I leaned forward and kissed her belly button.  Then I planted
dozens of my kisses all over her stomach.

   "You don't have to..." she said as I slipped her shorts down to reveal
her black thong.  Well, it was almost underwear.

   I ignored her and started to kiss her pelvis as I eased her thong over
her hips and down her legs.  I hadn't really seen her the other night.  It
had been too dark, but now I saw that her pussy hair was an almost perfect
diamond.  The hair on her head was a golden blond, but down below it was
darker, about as dark as you could get and still call it blond.  I kissed
the center of the diamond.

   "I know Robbie kind of made you..."

   I kissed her diamond again, then looked up at her.  "Would you shut up
and enjoy yourself?  I'm not doing anything I don't want to do." I kissed
the diamond again, then started exploring the valley beneath it.

   "I..."

   "Damn it!" I snapped.  "Would you get over it.  You're beautiful. 
You're sexy.  And I want to do this.  And if you don't believe me, check
out what you're doing to Big Tony." I pointed down to where my cock had
already regained most of it's former stature.  "Now, I'd really like to
teach you what fucking can be all about, but if you're going to whine, it's
distracting."

   Darlene looked startled, then dropped to her knees and hugged me.  I
twisted her around and onto her back, swinging my leg over to straddle her.
I looked down.

   "Have I mentioned you're beautiful?"

   She nodded, and I kissed her forehead.

   "Have I mentioned you're sexy?"

   She nodded and I kissed her nose.  I fumbled beside my sleeping bag for
a rubber and tried to roll it on without breaking the mood I was trying to
build.

   "Have I mentioned you're a cheerleader?  And you know how guys are about
their cheerleader fantasies."

   She nodded again, and I kissed her on the lips, gently, just barely
brushing my lips against hers.

   "How about a cheer?" I asked as I eased the cups of her bikini top off
her breasts.

   "Give me an F.  Give me a U.  Give me a C.  Give me a..."

   I gave her Big Tony.  I drove my cock deep inside her.  "Still think I
don't want to do this?"

   Darlene shook her head and, more, her face told me that she believed.

   I started stroking into her.  When I felt like I was on the edge, I'd
stop and play with her tits or just caress her face.  She had to cum first.

   "This feels so good," she said as I started again.  "The other guys..."

   To be honest, right then, I didn't want to discuss other guys.

   "The other guys would do me four or five times, cum, then want to roll
over and take a nap."

   "Like I said," getting drawn into her conversation whether I wanted to
or not.  "You've been with the wrong guys."

   `You just keep going."

   "The Energizer Bunny's my uncle."

   "Can we do this forever?" she whispered.

   I knew she was close.  So was I, but she had to be first.

   I laughed, "It might get a little crowded in her around bedtime, it's
Robbie's turn."

   I drove deep inside her.  She grabbed my hips and thrust her pussy up to
meet me, and we both exploded.  I slowed my pace and milked my wilting
dick, wondering if there would be anything left for Robbie tonight, and if
she'd hurt me if there wasn't.

   * * *

   Darlene and I stepped into the sunlight a few minutes later.

   "I'd say she's purring," Tami said with a grin.  Kelly and Traci
giggled, and I didn't have to look to know that Darlene was bright red.

   "Not bad, stud," Robby said as I sat back in my chair.  "Forty-five
minutes and you're almost done."

   "Almost?  I got everybody purring," I said with maybe too much pride.

   "Not everybody," Mikee said and glanced at Traci.

   "You've got to be kidding!"

   Traci was red, and I could feel the heat in my own cheeks.

   "She is part of the group," Robbie pointed out.

   "She's my..." I didn't finish, I knew it wouldn't do any good.  I stood
again and walked toward my tent.  I stopped at the doorway and looked back
at Traci.  "Coming?"

   Traci looked as confused as I felt, but she jumped up and raced inside
the tent.  I hesitated and looked back at the other girls.  "She's my
sister, I'm going to need some extra stimulation.  Mikee...  no, Robbie,
come on."

   Robbie looked surprised but stood and walked over.  I held the opening
for her, then followed her in.  Traci was sitting cross legged on my
sleeping bag looking worried, and now as she saw Robbie, surprised.

   I closed the opening, looked at Robbie and pointed at my sister.  "Make
her purr." I swear, Traci got even redder than she had outside.

   "That's your job," Robbie said.

   "I'm just supposed to make everyone purr.  No one said I couldn't
subcontract." I reached into my gym bag and pulled out a book.  I'd bought
Ben Bova's latest just before the road trip and hadn't even cracked it yet.
I sat in the corner, my back to the two girls and opened the book.

   Behind me I heard, "You can't.  Tony's right there."

   "Tony's in his own little world," Robbie said.

   "But..." Traci started, then moaned softly.  I shut her out and
concentrated on Dan Randolph and his quest for space.

   Chapter 13

   "You cheated, didn't you?" Tami accused as we walked later that night.

   "Cheated?"

   "With your sister?"

   I grinned.  "That sounds like a Jerry Springer show.  Guys who cheated
on their fiancees with their sisters."

   Tami didn't stomp her foot, but I think she wanted to.  "You know what I
mean."

   I grinned again.  "You wanted her to purr, and when she left my tent,
she was purring.  How could that be cheating?"

   "You're a sneaky bastard."

   "I'll have you know my parents were married at the time of my birth, and
I have the documents to prove it."

   Tami had kind of wrapped herself around my arm as we walked, and now she
laid her head on my shoulder.  "You ready for tomorrow?" she asked softly.

   "What's tomorrow?"

   "Didn't I tell you?"

   "No."

   Tami lifted her head and grinned at me.  "Cheater," she said and skipped
away towards camp.

   I watched the sway of her backside as she skipped away.

   I figure twenty years in a monastery, studying serenity and calmness,
and I might be ready to deal with girls.

   * * *

   "What are you doing here?"

   "You're disappointed."

   I took a deep breath.  `Cheerleaders are not supposed to have
self-esteem issues,' I thought as I looked down at the naked one lying on
my sleeping bag.

   "Lady, if you go all sensitive on me because I was surprised, I swear
I'll put you over my knee and spank you so hard they'll hear you crying on
the other side of the canyon."

   Darlene smiled.  "If that's how you get your jollies?"

   I sighed.  If I borrowed Tami's laptop, I could research monasteries and
leave in the morning.  "I thought it was Robbie's turn," I said as I pulled
off my t-shirt.  "That's the way you did it last time." I dropped my shorts
and underwear down to my ankles, then kicked them toward the tent wall.

   Even in the low light of the tent, I could see Darlene blush.  "Tomorrow
night might not be good for me.  It's, uh, well kinda..."

   "Inconvenient," I supplied.

   Darlene looked relieved and nodded.  "So Robbie and I traded."

   "I'm glad you did," I said, sinking to my knees.  "After this afternoon,
I'm not sure I could handle Monster Girl."

   Darlene's smile drooped a little.  "You mean I'm not as good."

   I swear I'm gonna slap her upside the head.  Then I'm driving back to
Washington to kick her step-dad in the ass.  I thought about just lying
down and going to sleep, but self-esteem issues weren't her fault, it was
her step-dad, and probably her real dad before him.  I had the advantage of
parents who always told me I could do anything and made me believe.  Of
course, they lied a lot; they told Traci the same thing.

   "I mean Robbie's more energetic.  I love making it with all of you.  I
don't compare, I just appreciate the differences.  I enjoyed being your
first last week..."

   "But you weren't my first.  I told you..."

   "Jerks who are only in it for themselves don't count.  I enjoyed being
your first last week, I enjoyed being your second this afternoon, and I'm
going to enjoy being your third in about two minutes."

   Darlene giggled.

   I took a minute to kiss her long and hard as I lay down beside her.

   "Are you smart?" I asked as I leaned down and kissed her nipple.

   ""Yes," she said, pushing her chest out at me.

   "Are you pretty?" I licked the valley between her breasts.

   "I guess."

   I stopped and looked her in the eye.  "Are you pretty?"

   Darlene blushed.  "I'm pretty."

   I kissed her and went back to licking her valley, my hand moving down to
stroke the soft downy hair above her pussy.

   "Are you athletic?"

   "I'm just a cheerleader."

   I stopped what I was doing and looked at her again.  "Cheerleaders
aren't athletes?  Just anybody off the street can come in and do those
routines?  Can work their asses off during an entire football or basketball
game?"

   "Well..."

   "Are you athletic?"

   "Yes," she said and, I think, believed it.

   "So why the fuck don't you think you're entitled to a good time?"

   Darlene pulled back.  "What?"

   I rolled her on her back and straddled her, looking down "Every time
we're alone, you've got this idea that I'm going to be disappointed.  Lady,
the only guys who'd be disappointed to be alone with you are gay or dead.
Probably both.  Why don't you think you're as good as everybody else?"

   "I do," she said defiantly looking up at me, then she turned her head
and looked at the wall.  "It's just..."

   "Keep talking," I told her.  "I can stay here all night.  I'm kinda
enjoying the view."

   Darlene looked back at me, blushed, and looked away again.

   "Are you as good as everybody?"

   "Almost everybody," she said without looking up at me.

   "Okay, we're making progress." Maybe I'll be a therapist, if I can have
all great-looking female patients and counsel them like this.  "So who
aren't you as good as?"

   "Just...  nobody, okay?"

   Suddenly I had an insight.  Maybe the mind reading thing was finally
kicking in.  "Are you as good as Mikee?" I asked as a lead-in.

   "She's a freshman.  Of course I am." Darlene said, jerking her face
toward me.

   "Okay, so you're into age discrimination as well as esteem issues."

   Darlene glared.

   "By the way, call her a freshman and she'll probably slap you.  She's
been a sophomore since she got her report card and passed all her classes.
Are you as good as Tami?  As Robbie?"

   A flicker of something crossed her face, and she looked away again. 
"I..."

   I leaned down and kissed her nose.  "Why aren't you as good as Robbie?"

   "I, uh, she's so damn good at everything."

   "She is, isn't she?" I agreed.

   Even in the dim light I could tell Darlene blushed.  I leaned down and
kissed her gently.

   "I mean she's better at football and baseball than any of the guys."

   I cleared my throat loudly.  "Most of the guys," I amended and polished
my fingernails on my bare chest.  Then for good measure, I polished them on
her left breast.  It must have tickled, `cause she giggled.

   "And she's so good at school.  And she sings.  And she..."

   "Stop!  You'll give me a complex next.  Look, Robbie's one in a million.
So what?  When I grow up--if I grow up--I'd like to be smarter than
Einstein, more athletic than Jim Thorpe and handsomer than Orlando Bloom.
It ain't gonna happen.  So I can get depressed, or I can be the best me I
can be."

   "Who's Jim Thorpe?"

   I looked at the ceiling of the tent and shook my head.  "Damn American
education system," I muttered.  I looked back down at Darlene.  "Jim Thorpe
was probably the greatest all-around athlete in history, but the point is,
I ain't him.  And you ain't her.  You're Darlene.  You're beautiful.  You
don't play football or baseball, but you're a damn good cheerleader.  You
may not be the best student in the school, but you're a good student, a
hell of a lot better than your step-brother.  You sing good.  I mean,
Robbie has something special, but you're good.  I've heard you sing. 
People like hearing you sing, and that's all it's about."

   I kissed her again.  First her mouth, then her eyelids, her nose, and
her forehead.  "For better or worse, you're Darlene.  Live with it." I
reached down and positioned my throbbing cock to enter her.  "Enjoy it." I
slid easily into her.  "Be the best Darlene you can be.  And..."

   My cock had been waiting too long.  As I drove it deeply within her, it
spasmed, and I shuddered as the first wave of pleasure hit me.  Damn!  I
not only didn't get her to finish, I barely got her started.

   She must have read my mind, `cause she pulled me down and hugged me. 
"It's okay, that was just the first one," she whispered.

   "Of many," I agreed.

   Chapter Fourteen

   "You're not glad to see me?"

   In the dim light of the tent I couldn't see her face, but the voice was
pouty enough.

   "I, uh..." I looked down my naked body at my cock, who apparently wasn't
coming out to play.  "I'm always glad to see you," I told Tami truthfully.
"And seeing you naked on my sleeping bag is a treat for my eyes.  I'm
just..." I knelt down next to her.

   "Oh shut up and hold me," she said, sitting up.  I wrapped my arms
around her and pulled her in tight.  "You can tell me about it later," she
whispered.

   "I don't know if I can." I wasn't sure if I spoke out loud or not, but
Tami held me tighter.

   * * *

   Yesterday had started pretty normal.  We had a lazy day, mostly just
hanging around the camp.  We walked to several of the viewpoints and
checked out the canyon, but mostly it's a big hole in the ground.  I
thought it might be cool to go down inside it, but Tami said she had no
intention of spending her day with her ass bouncing off another ass, and
that was that.

   About two I got the munchies, so Darlene and I walked up to the little
store in Grand Canyon Village, stopping a couple of times to make out.  I
could say that it was all part of her therapy, but the truth was, she made
a nice little bundle in my arms.  Plus, it made a few little old ladies
raise some eyebrows.  The exercise was good for them.

   Just before four I was lying on a towel in the sun and thinking
seriously about a nap when Tami jumped to her feet and announced we were
late.

   "Late for what?" several of us asked together.

   Tami grinned.  "We're late, we're late, for a very important date," she
sing-songed.  Before I could strangle her, she added, "Everybody into the
van."

   We drove back to Williams, where Tami had us entered in another karaoke
contest at another Elks club.  I wondered if karaoke was part of the Elks
creed, but I had to admire Tami's research abilities and wonder why she was
only a B student.

   I did Skin and Robbie did My Way.  With a little coaxing, Mikee did I
Say a Little Prayer, and after I dragged her on stage with me, Darlene and
I did Elton John's Don't Go Breaking My Heart as a duet.  But it was Traci
who brought the house down with Climb Every Mountain.  As Traci collected
her trophy, I was beginning to wonder if I'd given her too much
self-confidence.  I mean, she was my little sister.  I wanted her to do
good, but I didn't want her to start beating me.

   Traci had her trophy and a hundred bucks prize money, but the rest of us
got skunked by the locals.

   Personally, I think it was rigged.

   We grabbed dinner at a Taco Bell and headed back to the canyon.

   We got back about ten, and Tami and I took a walk along the rim while
the others settled down.

   "You know, tomorrow while we're on the road I need to find a wi-fi
hotspot and spend some time on the internet," Tami said as we started back
toward the camp.

   "Why?" I asked, sensing that I was being set-up.  I hadn't even known we
were back on the road tomorrow.  South to Mexico?  East to Texas?  North
toward Colorado, or maybe west, back the way we came?

   "I need to download some boilerplate."

   "Boilerplate?" The word sounded familiar but I couldn't make it fit the
context.

   "You know, standard contract stuff."

   I didn't look at her face, but I knew she was grinning.

   "What kind of contract?" I asked, knowing I was going to regret it.

   "Management contracts for you and the others.  I need to get you all
signed before that Timmers guy or somebody else beats me to it.  Don't
worry, I just get sixty percent off the top."

   "Sixty percent!"

   "It's standard."

   Oh well.  At least she'll be able to take care of me in my old age. 
Though with Tami as a manager, we'll still be touring in our nineties, just
like The Rolling Stones.

   I was shaking my head in wonder as I kissed her goodnight.

   * * *

   I watched Tami go into the big tent, then turned toward mine.  I
hesitated at the door, looking in the mesh window.  In the dim light I
could just make out the gentle curve of Robbie's bare hip.  She was turned
away from me, but that didn't stop me appreciating the lines of her body.

   I slipped in the flap of the tent and quickly pulled off my shorts and
shirt.  That was when I realized that Robbie was moving.  She was... 
what's the word?  Undulating.  I wondered if she was playing with herself,
which kind of ticked me off.  It was like inviting someone to dinner, then
starting without them.  On the other hand, it was a hell of a turn-on.

   * * *

   It took me a minute to realize that Tami wasn't hugging me anymore.  She
was holding me loosely and looking at me.  No, not looking: staring.

   Tami stood.  "Get dressed," she ordered and started picking up her own
clothes.

   "You're kicking me out of my own tent?"

   Tami smiled.  I couldn't see her smile, but I heard it in her voice. 
"I'm not kicking you out.  We're going to take a walk."

   "I just had a walk," I protested.

   "You do your best thinking when you walk.  You need to think."

   Wrong lady.  The last thing I need to do is think.

   * * *

   "Start the party without me?" I asked as I dropped to my knees.

   Robbie rolled onto her back, and I realized that there was something
attached to her tit.  Someone.

   My eyes adjusted to the darkness of the tent, and I could make out two
bodies.  Robbie's and someone who was sucking her tit for all it was worth.
Traci.

   I could kill Robbie and drop her body in the canyon.

   I could kill Robbie and leave her body in the desert to mummify.

   I could...  I could...

   "Would you two like to be alone?" I asked softly.

   Robbie was grinning.  I knew it without having to see her face.  "I
thought Traci deserved a reward after her song tonight."

   "I could leave," I offered.  Traci stopped what she was doing and lifted
her head toward me, though I couldn't see her face.

   "Don't be silly," she said.

   "Traci and I..."

   Robbie laughed softly.  "There is no Traci and you.  There's Traci and
me.  There's Tony and me.  There's no Traci and you."

   I wondered who was really getting rewarded.

   I suppose it was inevitable.  I mean, I'd brought my sister into my tent
to be molested...  ravished...  pleasured by my girlfriend...  my
mistress...  my alternate girlfriend.  Whatever the hell was Robbie to me?
My head hurt.

   I missed simpler times.

   I tried to tell myself that girls had cooties, but it didn't work.  One,
I still didn't know what a cootie was, and two, girls had attributes that
outweighed them, whatever they were.

   I decided the problem wasn't girls, it was sisters.  Aunt Patti always
liked Traci.  Maybe I could farm her out.

   "Hey, stud!  Waiting for an invitation?"

   I could kill Robbie and...

   I could...

   I crawled between her legs and started licking the second sweetest pussy
on the west coast.  Traci was still working on her tits.

   * * *

   As Tami and I walked along the road, I looked up at the sky.  The New
Mexico sky seemed different from last night's Arizona sky, or the
California, Oregon, and Washington skies before it.  I didn't know why, a
few hundred miles shouldn't make that much of a difference.  But it seemed
different.

   "Counting stars?" Tami asked.

   "No, I...  I don't know what I'm doing."

   "Want to talk about it?"

   "No, I..."

   "Okay."

   We walked on down the road.  I wondered if I'd feel it when Tami read my
mind.

   * * *

   I plunged my cock deeper into Robbie while my sister pressed her cunt
down on the redhead's face.  Now that's a sentence I never thought I'd use.
But after an hour, it seemed natural.  Well, maybe not natural, but a lot
less unnatural.

   I was lying along Robbie's body, and occasionally my head would brush up
against Traci's hip, but I didn't jerk it away like I had at first.

   I felt myself building toward a climax.  I knew that Robbie had cum two
or three times already, and I think that Traci had her beat.  I drove deep
one more time.  Then it felt like every muscle in my body seized at once.
The feeling lasted three or four eternities, then the spigot opened up.  I
started pumping gallon after gallon of sperm into her and I collapsed
against her.

   Just then Traci started thrashing next to my head.  I smiled as I lay on
Robbie.  It felt kinda good knowing my little sister was sharing the same
feeling I'd just had.  I guess I was getting used to the concept of my
sister, my baby sister, as a sexual being.

   I rolled to the side and was asleep before my head found the pillow I
was sharing with Robbie.

   * * *

   "So what did Traci do?" Tami asked after a long silence.

   "She didn't do anything.  She...  I...  Don't you know it's rude to read
other people's thoughts?"

   Tami squeezed my hand.  "Strangers, maybe.  Yours, never."

   * * *

   I woke from a very good dream that involved Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff,
and the back seat of a Volkswagen Bug.  Cramped but cozy.  I didn't open my
eyes, but could tell the tent was flooded with early morning sunlight.

   As I lay on my back, I wondered If could get back to sleep.

   Then I remembered that my life was as good as my dreams while Robbie's
hand caressed my early morning hard-on.  I realized that she was straddling
me, and decided to let her have her way with a sleeping man.  The little
pre-vert.

   In my mind I could picture her red-fringed pussy as she rubbed my cock
head along her warm moist lips.  I could picture the satisfied smile on her
face as she toyed with me, she thought without my knowledge.  I decided
that when we got back I was changing her nickname from Monster Girl to
Insatiable.

   Her lips separated, and I could feel the Big Tony's head slip barely
inside.  She held me there for a minute, then slowly enveloped my best
friend right to the root.

   I thrashed around a little as if reacting to sensations in my sleep.  I
let my arms flop out to the sides, my right hand settling on Robbie's tit.
Even in sleep her nipples seemed stiff and ready for play.  I tried not to
grin as I squeezed...

   Robbie's tit?!?!

   But Robbie was...

   Oh, my God!

   I opened my eyes and saw my sister...  my baby sister, mounted on my
cock.

   I had to stop...

   I had...

   I...

   Big Tony erupted.

   * * *

   "You had sex with your sister." When Tami said it, it wasn't an
accusation, just a calm statement of a fact.

   "Yeah," I admitted.

   "Now you're weirded out."

   "Weirded," I repeated.

   "That explains a lot.  I don't think you looked at her all day."

   "I couldn't."

   "You barely talked."

   "I didn't have anything to say."

   Tami squeezed my hand again, then turned us so we were walking back
toward our campsite.

   "So you're celibate?"

   "I..."

   "That's going to make the six kids you planned kinda difficult."

   "I..."

   "Of course there's a few guys who'd be happy to help out."

   "I..."

   Tami stopped.  She let go of my hand and cupped my face in her hands. 
She was looking into my eyes.  I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. 
"Tony, it's okay."

   "I had sex with my sister," I said, finally pulling my eyes away from
hers and looking down.

   Tami lifted my head and trapped my eyes again.  "It's okay."

   "I had sex with my sister," I said again, my voice barely a whisper.

   For a second, I thought she was going to slap me.  "Tony Marion Sims!"
her words were a slap.  "Did you force her?  Did you hold her down and
smash your battering ram into her virgin pussy?"

   "Of course not." I couldn't believe she'd even suggest it.  And Traci
wasn't a virgin, not since...  well, she wasn't a virgin.

   "Did you order her?  Or blackmail her?"

   "No!"

   "Was it your idea?  Or hers?"

   "It was...  it doesn't matter."

   "It does matter.  I know you'd never do anything to hurt Traci.  And so
does she." Tami pulled my face down and kissed me gently.  Then she took my
hand again and half-pulled me down the road toward our camp.

   "It's still my fault.  If I wasn't..."

   "If you weren't sleeping with her best friend?  And her best friend's
sister?  And your girlfriend?  And Robbie and Darlene?"

   "Yeah."

   "Did you ever consider that you may have saved her?"

   "Saved her?"

   "If she didn't have you around, if she didn't see how you treat women,
if she didn't see how you respect women, she might have fallen for some
slick bad-boy like Kenny Temple."

   Kenny Temple.  For a moment my mind filled with an image of him forcing
his sister down on a bed and...

   "Tony!" Tami said in distress.

   I realized I'd started to squeeze her hand as I thought about Kenny.  I
let go quickly. Tami rubbed her hand.  "I think the problem is you're not
talking to the right person." We'd gotten back to the edge of our campsite.
"Stay!" she ordered as if I were a puppy.

   * * *

   As my cock deflated, I pushed Traci off to the side and jumped to my
feet.  I grabbed my shorts from the floor of the tent and raced out.  I
stopped for a second to pull my shorts on, the image of Traci's face, her
eyes closed as I filled her cunt, burned into my mind.

   I started running.

   * * *

   Tami came out of the big tent, smiled, and went into mine.

   A minute later, Traci came out of the big tent, still rubbing sleep from
her eyes.

   "You're mad at me," she said as she stood in front of me.

   "I love you," I said and pulled her close and gave her a very
unbrotherly kiss.  "But it ain't happening again."

   "Robbie says you're a prude," she said with just a hint of a smile.

   "Robbie thinks Casanova and the Marquis de Sade are prudes."

   "Who?"

   "Never mind." I put my arm around my sister's waist and started us
walking down the road.  "It doesn't matter what Robbie thinks, it's what I
think.  And I'm not comfortable..."

   "But..."

   "I'm not comfortable with it.  Look, what if I said that you had to have
sex with Patrick Haney?"

   "Yuck!" Patrick was a boy in her class.  He was nice, but at thirteen he
was already about sixty pounds overweight and drooled.

   "There's nothing wrong with having sex with Patrick.  He's a nice kid,
but you're not comfortable about it."

   "Never."

   I smiled.  "That's how I feel about you.  I'm just not comfortable with
anything physical."

   "You think I'm ugly."

   I was tempted to slap her upside the head before she turned into another
Darlene.  "It's not about ugly.  I think Peter Temple's kinda cute, but I'm
not comfortable with bending him over the end of the sofa and having sex
with him."

   "Yuck!"

   I grinned.  "I think you're beautiful.  And I think you're sexy.  Seeing
you skinny-dip and seeing you with Robbie was a major turn-on, but I think
of you as my sister, not a girl."

   "But if I wasn't your sister?"

   I smiled to myself.  I'd known that question was coming.

   "If you weren't my sister, there's no way you would have waited till
this summer to lose your cherry."

   I hoped she had the grace to blush.

   * * *

   I ran for almost a half-an-hour, probably six or seven miles along the
trails next to the canyon.  I didn't stop until my lungs felt like an alien
was trying to claw it's way out of them.  I stopped, then, hands behind my
head to help my breathing get back to normal, I walked back toward camp.

   It was almost ten when I got back.  I'd been gone almost
three-and-a-half hours.  The girls all gave me quizzical looks, but they
didn't ask and I didn't tell.  The tents were down and sort of folded, so I
loaded them into the trailer while the girls gathered the rest of our
stuff.

   Without having said a word I slid into the driver's seat, started the
van and waited for the rest of the group.  Tami sat in the passenger seat
next to me, and I didn't bother to look where anybody else was.  I put the
van in gear and we hit the road again.

   It took about an hour to get down past the south end of the canyon and
onto I-40.  Tami sat and watched me without saying a word, which suited me
just fine.

   About one I pulled off the interstate toward Holbrook.  I found a KFC
right on Navajo Boulevard and pulled into the parking lot.  I hadn't
bothered asking anybody what they wanted.  I got a buffet, then found a
table and sat and ate.  The girls sat a few tables away respecting my mood.
We were back on the interstate half-an-hour later.

   It was almost five when we got to Sante Fe, and about five-thirty before
we found the Aspen Basin Campground.  It was small and rugged, but
beautiful.  There were only a few other campers since it was a Thursday,
and Tami didn't set us up with a concert.  I wondered if she planned it
that way or if she just decided that in my mood it wasn't worth it.

   * * *

   "Are we good?" Traci asked after we'd walked silently for a ways.

   "You tell me.  Can you live with my inhibitions?  Can you handle your
big brother the prude?"

   Traci stopped, then pulled me into a long and unsisterly kiss.  "You
don't mind if I keep trying to tempt you?" she asked seductively when it
was over.

   "I wouldn't have it any other way," I said, giving her ass a quick slap.

   My life might not be simple, but it was interesting.

   Chapter 15

   You must be Cinnamon," I said after admiring the view as long as I
thought I could get away with.

   The redhead in the center lifted her head and looked at me.  "I must,
mustn't I," she said with a tilt of her head.

   * * *

   After my talk with Traci I'd gone back to my tent and cuddled with Tami
all night.  This morning we'd hit on the road early, just a little after
eight, driving north into Colorado.

   We'd gotten to the mountain town a little after one and had lunch at a
Chinese buffet, The Golden Dragon, just off the highway.  Then Tami
consulted her laptop and drove to a residential section, parked in front of
a big house, and turned off the van.

   "What's going on?" I asked after a minute.

   "We're here," Tami announced with a grin.

   I was sitting in the front passenger seat.  I looked back at the other
girls.  From their expressions I think Robbie knew what was going on, but
the others were as clueless as me.  I looked at the house: 1020 Chaparral
Street.  Huge front lawn.  I guessed, both from the size of the house and
the well-kept look of the lawn and shrubs, that they had a gardener on the
payroll.

   I looked back at Tami.  "We can't afford to stay in any more state
parks, so we're camping on somebody's lawn?"

   Tami's grin got bigger.  So did Robbie's.  I was thinking about slapping
both of them.

   "Don't you feel like you're home?" Tami asked.

   "Home is about a thousand miles that-a-way," I said, pointing what I
hoped was northwest.

   "It's your cousin's house."

   I looked at Traci in the back seat.  We both shrugged.  Mom had one
sister, Patti, and she didn't have kids.  Dad was an only child.  I didn't
have cousins.  Not really.  There were some friends of Dad that Traci and I
called uncle so we called their kids cousins, but they mostly lived in
California.

   "Cinnamon," Tami said, looking exasperated.

   "Cinnamon?"

   Tami looked at me like I was stupid.  "The cute red-headed cousin in
Boston you wanted to add to your harem."

   Cinnamon!  She was like an eighth cousin seventeen times removed.  "And
didn't you kind of miss Boston.  It's over there." I pointed vaguely east.

   When had I mentioned Cinnamon anyway?

   Then I remembered.  It was the day three years ago that Tami and I had
first made love.  Grandma Vickie had just sent me a picture, and I
mentioned Cinnamon just to tweak Tami a little.  Let's see.  The rule is if
you share the same grandparent, you're cousins.  Great grandparent, second
cousins.  My Grandma Vickie was Cinnamon's grandmother's little sister. 
Millicent.  I think that was her name.  So that would make the redhead my
second cousin.  And there weren't any marriages in between, so there were
no removes.

   "You really should try to keep up," Tami told me, speaking slowly to
emphasize my limited mental abilities.  "Cinnamon moved over a year ago. 
Your mom told me."

   "A new girl for your harem, huh?" Robbie prodded.  "I don't know if we
can fit her in the van."

   "She's like..." I did a quick math.  "Like thirteen," I protested.

   "Hey!" Kelly yelled.  "What's wrong with thirteen?"

   "Nothing.  They should be seen and not heard."

   Kelly and Traci both pouted.

   "So what are we doing here?" I asked, turning back to Tami.  "And just
when did you talk to Mom about Cinnamon?  And why?"

   "She's on your list.  I figured you should meet her."

   I stared hard, and after a few seconds Tami fidgeted.  "This spring at a
baseball game.  Your mom and I were sitting together.  I was saying that
neither of us had very big families.  She said something about having a
whole side of the family that your family didn't keep track of, and I
mentioned that you'd told me about a cute cousin Cinnamon in Boston, and
she said that Cinnamon had moved to Colorado.  Then, when I was planning
this trip, I asked her for the address, and she got it from your
grandmother."

   I decided that letting my mother and my girlfriend get together
unsupervised was dangerous.  I thought about protesting that she wasn't on
my list, that my list was already overflowing, but I knew it wouldn't do
any good.  "What do you want me to do?  Walk up to a perfect stranger and
say, `Hi, I'm your cousin Tony'?"

   "Why not?"

   I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it again.  Why not?  Grandma
Vickie hadn't talked to her sister Millicent or most of the rest of her
family in over fifty years, not since Vickie married Grandpa Doug.  It
seems the family hadn't approved of a Marine Captain just back from Korea.
I knew Grams sometimes wrote to a few of Millicent's children.  She had
like a dozen.  That was probably how she got the girl's picture and
address. Maybe I could heal a family rift.

   "Why not?" I opened the door and marched up the walk before I could
change my mind.

   I rang the bell and waited.  The girls all got out of the van and
followed, making a semi-circle around me.

   The door opened, and a pretty Hispanic woman looked out.  I suddenly
hoped that Tami had gotten the right house, since I sure as hell didn't
know where cousin Cinnamon lived, and I was pretty sure this wasn't her.

   "Uh, hi.  I was looking for Cinnamon." I realized that I didn't even
know Cinnamon's parents' names, or even Cinnamon's last name.  If Grandma
Vickie had told me, I sure didn't remember.

   "Yes?" The woman was sizing me up.  At least she didn't say no Cinnamon
lived here.  I guessed she wondered what somebody my age, and surrounded by
girls, was doing looking for a thirteen-year-old.

   It didn't occur to me until that moment that since I was meeting
relatives I knew nothing about, I might have gotten the girls to dress a
little more conservatively.  Traci was dressed the most modestly.  She was
wearing a sports bra and a pair of bike shorts that had been painted on. 
The other girls were wearing bikini tops and very, very small shorts or
cut-offs.  At least they'd thrown on shirts when we had lunch.

   "I'm..." I turned and pointed at Traci.  "We're her cousins from
Washington.  We were passing through and thought we'd say hi."

   The woman's face brightened and she smiled.  I had a feeling that she
did that a lot.  "Oh, that's wonderful!  Dr.  Brees is at the hospital, but
Cinnamon's at the gazebo in the back yard with her friends." She pointed
toward the end of the house.  "You can go around that way.  The gate is
unlocked."

   "Thanks," I said, nodding, and turned toward the direction she'd
pointed. I guessed that Dr.  Breeze was Cinnamon's dad.  I wondered why the
maid--I guessed she was the maid--hadn't mentioned her mom.  Maybe mom was
out of town.  She must have thought I knew that.  I wasn't going to tell
her that I hadn't even known we were stopping.

   I walked around the house, the girls following a few steps behind.  The
fence was cedar, about a foot taller than me, which made it seven feet tall
since I'd finally gotten to six feet without having to cheat anymore.  I
opened the gate and ushered the girls through, then closed it behind us. 
We walked on around, the girls falling in behind me again.

   The back yard was great.  They definitely had a gardener.  The first
thing I noticed were the rock gardens with a fountain in each.  No, the
first thing I noticed was the huge redwood gazebo.  It must have been ten
yards wide.  Well, maybe twenty feet.  Actually I don't know what I noticed
first.  There was a large patio just behind the house with the biggest
barbeque I'd ever seen.  There were flowers everywhere, with large strips
around the patio and gazebo and baskets hanging from the eaves of the
gazebo.

   I really liked the rock wall that ran next to the gazebo, complete with
a waterfall into a pond.  There was something swimming in there, but I
couldn't tell from a distance whether it was goldfish, koi, or something
else.  If it was my house, it'd be trout.  Then I could just pull one out
and toss it on the barby.  After Traci gutted and cleaned it, of course.

   They even had a badminton net set up between one of the rock gardens and
the gazebo.  For a ritzy place like this, I would have expected something
more high-tone, like croquet.  The whole thing was surrounded by trees with
a mini-forest at the back.

   But the best scenery was right next to the gazebo.  Three girls lying
face down on loungers.

   I decided that my `Thirteen-year-olds should be seen and not heard' was
a universal law because these girls were decorative.  At least, I guessed
that Cinnamon's friends were also newly-minted-teenagers.

   A blond, a brunette, and a redhead.  What more could you ask for in
life? A dog rolled lazily on it's back between the brunette and the
redhead. At least I think it was a dog.  It seemed to be all legs.  The dog
rolled onto it's belly and looked at me.  It quivered but didn't bark.

   The blond's hair was in a ponytail and draped across her neck.  She wore
what I would call a typical girl's bikini.  The other two wore string
bikinis more in line with what my girls were wearing.  They didn't leave a
lot to the imagination, and from my vantage point I could see a lot of butt
crack on both of them.  The redhead seemed to have a lot of hair, but it
was all piled on the back of her head.  I guessed it was as long as
Robbie's used to be, maybe longer.

   "You must be Cinnamon," I said after admiring the view as long as I
thought I could get away with.

   The redhead in the center lifted her head and looked at me.  "I must,
mustn't I," she said with a slight tilt of her head to her right.  Her eyes
narrowed, and she stared unblinking at me, though I had a feeling she was
taking in the group behind me as well.  The intense way she looked at me, I
felt I knew what it was like to be studied under a microscope.  At least
she hadn't dissected me first.  Maybe that comes later.

   "I'm Tony Sims."

   The brunette sat up.  "Hey!  Can we keep him?" Her top had been untied
in the back, and as it flapped, I got a hint of a very small tit.

   Cinnamon sat up, too, and looked at each of the girls with me.  "I think
we'd have to get in line." Her top was untied but didn't flop open, which
was a shame cause the girl had a major set of tits.  I glanced back at
Darlene, who had the biggest set in our group, and decided that I'd need
more examination to make a call who was biggest.

   "I'm your cousin," I explained looking back at her.  I had to remind
myself to look at her face.

   "My cousin?" Cinnamon sounded slightly skeptical as she reached casually
behind her back and tied her top.  The blond stood up and tied the
brunette's top.  I wasn't sure I liked blondie, even if she was major-cute.

   "Second cousin, actually.  Your grandmother Millicent was my grandmother
Vickie's--Victoria's--big sister."

   "Grandmother Millie." Cinnamon processed that.  And I mean, processed.
Her face reminded me of the computers in those old-time sci-fi flicks,
where the grid of lights blinks a few times then the answer pops out. 
"Aunt Victoria." It probably only took a second or two, but it seemed to go
on for a long time.  I wondered if there was a black hole in the
neighborhood, it's event horizon distorting time.

   "Cousin Tony!" she squealed, and all of a sudden I had an armful of
teenaged girl.  And a mouthful of one, too, as her tongue went exploring. I
wondered if Miss Manners ever explained the proper etiquette for dealing
with a wayward tongue?

   I hadn't realized how small the girl was until she leaped at me.  As I
held her, her feet were at least six inches off the ground and probably
more like ten.  I didn't stop to look.  The dog had jumped to its feet as
the redhead lunged at me.  It was a greyhound, a full-sized one, not a
whippet or an Italian.

   "She's related all right," I heard Robbie say from behind me.

   The kiss lasted several seconds, then ended as abruptly as it began.

   Cinnamon looked at me, and I could have sworn she was still processing.
Then I noticed that her eyes flicked to each of us and back again.  The
greyhound came forward, and I slowly extended my hand, palm out, so he
could sniff.  I must have passed the test, `cause he licked it, then went
to check out the girls.

   "Then this would be your Cousin Hailey," she said, pointing at the
brunette without taking her eyes off mine.

   "Cousin Hailey?" Now it was my turn to be confused.  Well, more
confused. Gran hadn't mentioned her.

   "Yeah, her dad is my Uncle Gerry.  Cousin Gerry to you."

   "Cousin Tony!" the brunette squealed, and suddenly I had an armful of
teenager again.  I definitely wanted some advice from Miss Manners, `cause
now I had a tongue and a wandering hand to contend with.  Though Big Tony
didn't see the problem as she gave him a few rhythmic squeezes.

   When Hailey let go and stepped back I waved generally toward my back
row. "That's Traci," I said, pointing at Mikee in a bit of a daze.  "She's
my sister, so she's your cousin too, if you want to claim her.  I usually
don't."

   From the corner of my eye, I saw Robbie grin and step behind Mikee.  She
held her hand over Mikee's head, pointing down, and shook her own head
several times.  Then she stepped behind Traci, pointed down, and nodded
vigorously.

   Cinnamon slapped my arm with a backhand that I didn't see coming.  It
felt like the fastball I'd taken in the shoulder during playoffs.  The damn
pitcher from Olympia hit me in the same spot twice during the game.

   "Hold it, buster!  Have you ever stopped to consider just how lucky you
are to have a sister?" Her eyes jumped from mine to each girl's behind me
and back up to mine.  "Lots of people don't have siblings and would give up
an arm to have one." Her eyes did that thing again.  "Okay, maybe she's
sometimes an annoyance, but have you thought about how empty your life
would be if it were just you?" She thrust out an arm and extended two
fingers to point at Mikee and Kelly.  "Those two are sisters.  Ask them how
they would feel if they didn't have each other."

   How the hell did she know that Mikee and Kelly were sisters?  They
didn't look alike.

   Hailey frowned and nodded.  " Yeah, pickledick."

   Pickledick?

   Hailey leaped forward and grabbed Traci in a hug that lifted my sister
completely off the ground, though Traci was a little bigger.  She kissed
Trace on the cheek, then gave her a quick one on the mouth before setting
my startled sister back down on the ground.  Before Trace could recover,
Cinnamon was also hugging her, though her head blocked me from seeing if
Traci got another kiss, too.

   Cinnamon turned back to me and pointed index fingers at the blonde and
Hailey.  "The three of us didn't have brothers or sisters, so we had to
adopt each other just so we could know what it's like." She looked over her
shoulder at the blonde and held open an arm.  "Could you come here, please,
Sis?"

   Cinnamon curled an arm around the smiling blonde, did the eye thing
again, and glared at me.  "I was lucky.  I was able to adopt the best
sister I could ever find.  Maybe you recognize her face from the television
news a couple of years back?  This, as far as you are concerned, is also
your cousin, Wynter King."

   "I, uh..." I stammered.  How the hell could a little slip of a
thirteen-year-old put me on the defensive like that?  And what television
news?

   "The mine thing," Robbie said behind me.

   `What mine thing?' I thought as the blond, Wynter, smiled wider and
nodded.

   "You and some boy were trapped.  I remember your name, `cause I thought
what a great name it was.  I got stuck with Roberta."

   "I think Roberta's a nice name," the brunette said.  "I so like it
better than Whitney Gwyneth."

   Who was Whitney Gwyneth?  I couldn't make sense of that.  I was still
getting used to the blonde being Wynter King.  Winter King was a novel. 
Something about Arthur, though I couldn't remember who wrote it.

   A sudden flash of insight warned me that I should save my new cousin's
life.  "Anybody who values their health calls her Robbie," I offered.

   "You're afraid of a girl?" Hailey asked with just a trace of a sneer.

   "This one I am," I said.  "She's the meanest football player in the
state.  Washington state, that is.  They call her Monster Girl.  Also that
one." I pointed at Tami.  "And that one." I pointed at Traci.  "That one
bites," I said, indicating Kelly.  I considered adding Cousin Cinnamon to
my list.

   Wynter's eyes went wide.  "You play football?" I'd seen other girls
stare openmouthed at Robbie before, but on her it looked good.

   "She's the reason we were second in state last year.  We're not sure the
NCAA will let her play when she gets to college.  She might hurt too many
of the boys."

   Cinnamon smiled.  I think she liked the idea.

   "Wynter's a Future MD," Hailey added.

   "She's known she was going to be a doctor since forever," Cinnamon
explained.  The dog finished inspecting the troops and lay down next to
Cinnamon's feet.

   "Hi, Cousin Tony," Wynter said.  I didn't get a kiss, but the hug was
nice.  "Hi, Cousin Traci." Mental note: find time to wonder why Traci got a
bigger hug than I did.

   "She's, like, going to discover cures for cancer, AIDS, and
phillitosis," Hailey put in.

   "Phillitosis?" Tami asked.

   "It's, like, a disease they haven't even invented yet, and Wynter's
gonna cure it.  She'll discover it in some guy named Phil and name it for
him."

   Wynter rolled her eyes to Tami.  "Aren't you sorry you encouraged her?"

   Tami grinned and returned a small shoulder shrug.

   I shrugged and pointed to Robbie.  "Robbie's the future first female
commander of the Eighty-Second Airborne."

   Robbie grinned and waved at the new girls, then looked at me. 
"Eighty-Second Airborne?  I was thinking more of the First Cavalry
Division."

   I held my hands out in front of me in a balance.  "Fort Bragg, Fort
Hood."

   Robbie looked confused.  I kept balancing my hands.  "Falling through
the air over North Carolina, or riding around in a tin can during the
summer in Texas."

   Robbie made a fist and shook it at me.  "Airborne!"

   "Is this pickledick, like, your boyfriend?" Hailey asked.

   Robbie grinned.  "Only on alternate Mondays.  Darlene has him every
other Tuesday.  Mikee gets him on alternate Wednesdays and Kelly on
alternate Thursdays." Robbie looked straight at me.  "Traci has dibs on
Sundays." Robbie indicated each girl with a hand on the shoulder as she
said her name.  Then she looked straight at me.

   I decided that the Eighty-Second had just lost a brilliant commander,
`cause Robbie wasn't going to live long enough to finish high school, let
alone start Officer's Candidate School.

   "Who get's him on Fridays?" Wynter asked, looking suddenly serious, then
puzzled.  She suddenly blushed, seeming to be embarrassed by her own
question.

   "Tami gets him on Fridays and all the rest of the time," Robbie
explained.  "She lets him have his harem so she can get some well-deserved
rest."

   I felt like a piece of meat.  The way Hailey stared at me like a hungry
wolf didn't help the feeling.

   Wynter grinned, shook her head, and sat back down on her lounger.  "Sis,
why don't you invite Cousin Traci and the others to sit down in the gazebo?
Either that or offer them some SPF-45 lotion.  You can decide what to do
about Cousin Bozo." She picked up a tablet and pencil, grinned suddenly,
and left the rest of the family to its own business.

   Bozo?

   "Forty-five?  You have something against the sun?" Mikee exclaimed.

   Wynter looked up from her tablet and indicated the surrounding area with
a sweep of her pencil eraser.  "In the lower elevations, SPF-15 is
adequate. Here in the mountains, thirty is the recommended minimum.  You
have nice skin.  I thought you'd want to protect it with more than the
minimum, especially since ultraviolet wavelengths can cause carcinoma of
the skin, especially cutaneous melanoma, which can metastasize rapidly
throughout the body using the lymph system as its conduit.  Although the
melanoma is unlikely to appear until you are well into your adult years,
thickening and wrinkling of the dermal layer could have you looking thirty
by the time you are twenty.  Dermal abrasions or chemical peels to remove
the wrinkles in an attempt to regain the lost youthful appearance is both
expensive and painful.  And anyone who has something as deadly as Botox
injected into herself needs serious psychiatric counseling." Wynter smiled,
then looked back at her pad.  I had no trouble picturing Wynter standing in
a classroom lecturing a group of future dermatologists.

   Hailey grinned at the stunned look on Mikee's face.  "Did I mention that
she sometimes, like, makes rounds with Doctor Taylor at the hospital?"

   I wondered who led.

   Cinnamon winked at me, and then her smile erupted.  "Come on.  You can
join us, too.  I wouldn't want your harem to get lonely, and you need adult
supervision, anyway."

   Hailey placed one hand on a cocked hip, hooking her thumb under the
string that held her postage stamp in place, and gave me the hungry wolf
scan again.  "Hey, you can leave him out here, and I'll so supervise him."

   "Later," Cinnamon said, taking my hand and pulling me aside so that the
others could enter first.  The dog followed us up, his toenails clicking on
the wooden floor.  He sat between Traci and Kelly, who took turns
scratching behind his ears.

   "I forgot to introduce Ghost," Cinnamon said suddenly.  "Ladies and
gentle-sir, this is Colonel John Singleton Mosby."

   "The Gray Ghost," Robbie said, making the connection a half-second ahead
of me.

   Cinnamon nodded, pleased.  "I'd expect someone from eastern Tennessee to
recognize the name."

   Now how the hell did she know that?  I saw Cinnamon smiling and looking
at me in her curious way, but I sure as hell wasn't going to give her the
satisfaction of asking.

   We spent a few minutes on begots.  For Traci and me, it was easy. 
Vickie married Doug and begot Mom and Patti.  Mom begot me, then the
squirt.

   For Cinnamon and Hailey, it took longer.  It seems Grandma
Millicent--Millie--was a busy little bee.  There was Grenville in
forty-seven all the way through FitzGerald, Hailey's dad, in sixty-nine. 
Eleven kids.  Cinnamon's mom, Gwendolyn--I think she started to call her
The Bitch, so they must have had a fight--married her dad, Mitchell the
doctor, and that begot Cinnamon.

   "Daddy will want to meet you," Cinnamon announced.  "He says families
lose track of each other too easily." She giggled and looked at Hailey. 
"Especially mine."

   I had a feeling that there were things left unsaid but ignored it. 
Probably something like Grandma Vickie's being disowned.  "I don't know how
long we'll be here."

   "You don't know?"

   I hooked my thumb at Tami, "She hasn't told me yet."

   Cinnamon grinned at Tami.  "I like you.  We're going to be good friends.
If you want to stay until the thirteenth, you can come to my fourteenth
birthday party.  We can fix all of you up with some pretty good studs.  No
doubt you'd find them a welcome change."

   I found my mind wandering to happier times, when I had no cousins.  Or
at least thought I had no cousins.  I wondered how Cinnamon would know
about studs my age, but never doubted that she did.

   "We're staying over tonight.  We have reservations at a campground north
of town, the Lakeside.  Then tomorrow we push on toward Cheyenne.  Sorry
we'll miss your birthday."

   News to me.

   "No way!  A campground?" Hailey seemed surprised.  "Not a motel?"

   "We've been camping our way around the country," Robbie explained.

   "We've got a couple of tents.  A big one for us and a small one for
him," Traci added.

   "Just him?" Hailey asked with a leer that would have done a construction
worker proud.

   You know those nature documentaries where the antelope is just romping
around, having a good ole time, enjoying the sunshine, then realizes a lion
is watching?  Now I could empathize with the antelope.  "I think on the
thirteenth, Tami has us scheduled to drive to Hawaii," I said to change the
subject.

   "You so can't drive to Hawaii," Hailey blurted.

   I shrugged.  "Don't tell me, tell her.  I just drive where she tells
me."

   "You'd better," Cinnamon snapped.

   My retort, if I had, had one, was interrupted by the maid bringing out a
tray.  "I thought you and your friends might like something cold to drink,"
she said, setting the tray next to Cinnamon.

   "Thanks, Mom," Cinnamon said with a warm smile.

   Mom?  I knew she wasn't Cinnamon's mother, `cause from what Gran Vickie
had said over the years, Great Aunt Millicent was as whitebread as it was
possible to be, and this woman definitely didn't qualify as Cousin
Gwendolyn.  From what I'd heard about Great Aunt Millicent, this woman was
only coming in the house through the kitchen door, and then wearing a
uniform.  Besides, if Cinnamon sprang from this woman's loins, then Gregor
Mendel made up genetics as a joke on the world.

   "If any of you need anything, please feel free to ask Rosita, and we'll
accommodate you." She looked at the maid and pointed as she spoke.  "This
is Cousin Tony and Cousin Traci.  This is Future Cousin Tami, and the rest
help her provide adult supervision for Tony."

   I was getting a little tired of her adult supervision cracks.  She was
thirteen, not thirty.  Hell, I'd been doing a pretty good job of taking
care of myself, not to mention everybody else.  I opened my mouth to tell
her so, then closed it again.

   There was a guy named Pavlov who did lots of interesting things to rats
and dogs just to see how they'd react.  I had a sudden feeling that
Cinnamon might be related to him, too, and I was having my chain pulled for
experimental reasons.  I smiled.

   Cinnamon cocked her head in that curious way she had, then smiled back.
"Good!  Most guys don't realize it that quickly," she said.  "If at all."

   Why do I keep running into girls who can read my mind?  Maybe if I
watched more old Star Trek reruns, I could learn some of those Vulcan mind
shielding tricks.

   Cinnamon smiled again, and I had a feeling that she knew what I was
thinking now, too.

   Cinnamon whispered something to Rosita, who grinned and nodded.  Rosita
smiled at the group, then noticed Wynter sitting apart, still doing
something in her tablet.  She shook her head gently, picked up a glass, and
took it to her.  She spoke with Wynter for a moment, looked at whatever the
blonde was doing with the tablet, laughed, and grinned at me before
disappearing back into the house.

   Now what?

   Cinnamon passed out glasses of iced lemonade while Hailey passed a plate
of cookies.  I'd just had lunch, and I always eat too much at buffets, but
the cookies, chocolate chip, looked too good.  I took two.

   While we relaxed with our drinks we told Cinnamon and Hailey about
Washington, football, baseball, cheerleading, and our road trip.  Cinnamon
seemed intrigued by the fact that none of us, especially me, knew what was
going to happen.

   Then Cinnamon filled us in about the town, school, and some musical
group she and Wynter were in.  I missed part of the last when I realized
that Hailey was staring in the direction of Big Tony and had one finger
inside the bottom of her bikini.  One slowly moving finger.  She was just a
kid.  Kid's don't...

   When Cinnamon said it was her turn, Hailey looked around, slid her
finger out of the cloth, and told us about Hawaii and her parents' one-year
volunteer Antarctic job assignments .  Then she invited us to visit when
she went home at the end of the summer.

   Rosita came back out a little later and whispered something to Cinnamon.
Then she walked over to Wynter and looked down at her tablet, laughed, and
gave me another grin before pointing at me, saying something else to
Wynter, and going back into the house.

   "I have bad news," Cinnamon announced, drawing my attention away from
Wynter.  "Rosita called the Lakeside campground, and they're full.  They
don't have room for you."

   "But I have a reservation," Tami stammered.  "I paid a deposit."

   Cinnamon shrugged.  "They said they'd refund your deposit."

   "But..."

   I reached over, took Tami's hand, and gave her a squeeze.  "Tami, my
love, I think you'll find there's not a campground in the county that has
room for us," I said, looking Cinnamon in the eyes.

   "Four counties actually," Cinnamon said with a hint of a smile.  "I
don't have state-wide connections yet.

   "Well, I guess we'll just have to push on to Cheyenne," Robbie
suggested, getting into the spirit of things.

   "I'm guessing that the highway patrol will have an APB out on us before
we can get to the van," I said dryly.

   Cinnamon smiled.  "I do have connections with the police, but I wouldn't
do that."

   I stared.

   "Not to Tami," she amended after a minute.

   I turned and looked at Tami.  "I think you've been out-masterminded. 
This is Cinnamon's way of inviting us to stay the night."

   "What about your dad?  What will he say?" Tami asked, turning to my
conniving cousin.

   "Daddy will be okay with it.  In fact, he'll insist."

   I had a feeling that Daddy had a vote in family policy, but it was
purely ceremonial.  I decided that if I ever wanted to overthrow the
government, Cinnamon was going to be on my team, though I'd have to be
careful that it didn't become her team.

   "You can camp back here, or if you're tired of sleeping bags, we have
lots of beds," Cinnamon offered.

   Robbie caught my eye.  "I wonder if we're going to still be here on the
thirteenth," she whispered.  I shrugged, having accepted that women ran the
world and my life.

   "Hey, girls, I'm..." a voice interrupted.  "Holy shit!"

   Two boys were approaching from the side of the house where we'd come in.
They looked about thirteen and apparently were friends of Cinnamon and
company.  The taller one had red hair and freckles and, from a distance,
reminded me of Richie Cunningham on the old Happy Days show.  The other was
three or four inches shorter, with short brown hair.  From their
expressions, I knew it was the shorter one who yelled.

   I glanced around.  On the grass, Wynter looked satisfied.  In the
gazebo, Hailey looked hungry and Cinnamon looked...  er, Cinnamon looked...
I decided that Cinnamon could teach the Chinese a thing or two about
inscrutable.

   My group was checking out the new arrivals with interest, though Kelly
and Traci had looks that bordered on Hailey's hunger.  I hoped for the sake
of peace they were looking at different boys.  I decided that I hoped Traci
was checking out the redhead.  I didn't trust short stuff for some reason.
I wondered if she shared my taste for redheads, though to be honest, I
thought redheaded girls were sleek and sexy and redheaded boys were kind of
geeky.  There's a reason they made Howdy Doody a redhead.

   Cinnamon motioned and the boys started over, stopping first to exchange
words with Wynter.  The tall one leaned down to give her a kiss.  The short
one tried to look at what Wynter was doing in her tablet, but she covered
it with her arm, and the taller one gave him a quick elbow in the side.

   The boys came over and up the steps into the gazebo, stopping on the top
step.

   Cinnamon opened her mouth, but Hailey squealed, "I've got new cousins!"
The boys looked around.  The redhead took us all in, and I could see he
wondered if we were all cousins.  I doubt that short stuff could attest
from personal observation that any of the girls had heads.  He hadn't
looked that high.

   "Jimmy, Kenny, these are my cousins from Washington, Tony Sims and his
sister Traci." Cinnamon said.  There was just a hint of exasperation in her
voice, and I was sure she'd noticed short stuff's focus.

   I stood and offered my hand.  The redhead shook it, but the other one
just kept checking out cleavage through his crooked glasses.  Traci,
sitting on the other side of the gazebo, stood and waved.  I could feel
short stuff's focus change and had a feeling that he'd just calculated
Traci's vaginal opening to the millimeter.

   "Nice to meet you," the redhead said with an honest sincerity that
politicians wish they could fake.

   "These are our friends," I said, pointing to each in turn.  "Tami,
Robbie, Mikee, Darlene and Kelly." The redhead nodded politely to each. 
Short stuff just kept using his x-ray vision to undress them.

   "Everybody, this is Jimmy McCauley, our future scientist, and Kenny
Taylor." Cinnamon's voice showed irritation when she said short stuff's
name.

   "Our future G*Y*N," Hailey added.

   "I wonder why," Robbie said from behind me

   The kid, Kenny, at least had the courtesy to turn slightly red.

   I saw Cinnamon's focus narrow and looked back to see that Kelly had
whitened.  I walked over and hugged her, whispering, "It's not the name
that matters, it's the person behind it."

   She nodded.

   I kissed her forehead, then went back to my spot.  I sat back down, and
Hailey pulled Jimmy down between her and Cinnamon.  That kept me from
seeing how Kenny wound up sitting between Traci and Kelly.

   Tami started telling Jimmy and my cousins about our concert tour. 
Jimmy's eyes would watch her as she talked, but then find their way to
Wynter out on the lawn.

   Robbie tapped me on the shoulder.  "You asked me once what you looked
like when you looked at Tami," she whispered into my ear.  "Just like
that."

   "Don't be ridiculous," I whispered back.  "He's just a kid."

   From the corner of my eye, I saw Robbie give me her look.  It was a
special look that, I think, was reserved just for me.  Her
you-just-said-something-incredibly-stupid-but-I'm-too-polite-to-rub-your-fa
ce-in-it look.  I realized that Jimmy and Wynter were the same age as Tami
and I were when we fell in love.  I nodded, and Robbie looked satisfied.

   Cinnamon looked satisfied too.  I knew she couldn't have heard us, but
somehow she knew exactly what was going on.  I nodded to her, too, and she
smiled.

   Just then Wynter joined us.  She whispered something to my cousins and
Jimmy, then showed them her tablet.  All of them started laughing
uproariously, Cinnamon nodding at me at the same time and saying, "You have
to."

   Wynter walked in front of me, and with a hint of red in her cheeks said,
"I, um, try to draw sometimes, and I kind of..."

   "What Wynter is trying to say is that she is an artist, and you have
inspired her, and she'd like to give you something," Cinnamon interpreted.

   Wynter hesitated, then held out her tablet.  I took it and looked down.
She'd done a pencil drawing.  I was in the center, sitting on a large
cushion, dressed as a sultan, complete with crown.  All my girls, dressed
in harem costumes, sat around me on pillows, looking sated, except Robbie
who looked plaintive.  There was a speech bubble over Robbie saying, "Is it
my turn yet?" Tami was leaning on my leg with a snake charmer's flute, and
it was obvious what snake she was trying to charm.  Off to the side was
Hailey, also in a harem costume, saying, "What about me?"

   I started laughing and passed it to Tami.  She started laughing and
passed it to Robbie.  Robbie shot Wynter a dirty look, then grinned,
started laughing, and passed it to Mikee.  As the drawing passed around,
each fresh reaction made the rest of us start laughing again.

   Ever had a laugh attack where you just couldn't stop laughing?  We
weren't exactly rolling in the aisles, but I was laughing so hard that my
side hurt, and I was having trouble getting my breath.  I almost had it
under control, but Kenny pointed to Hailey and said, "What about me?" in a
high falsetto, and I started all over again.  I took a deep breath and held
it, but Robbie looked me in the eye, cocked her head, and said, "Is it my
turn yet?"

   I gave up and laughed.  I suppose there are worse ways to die.

   It was almost five minutes later before I had myself under control. 
Robbie looked at me and opened her mouth.

   "One word and I'll spank," I threatened.  Robbie nodded.

   "Ooh!" cooed Hailey.  She ran the tip of her tongue around her lips. 
"Kinky stuff!"

   I would have threatened to spank Hailey too, but I had a feeling that
she would have jumped on my lap and wiggled her cute little ass in
anticipation.

   Robbie grinned, then went to Wynter, who was now sitting in Jimmy's lap,
and put her arm around her shoulder, whispering something into her ear. 
Wynter giggled, nodded, and took back her sketch pad.  She carefully ripped
out the drawing and handed it to me, then whispered to Jimmy and returned
to her lounger on the lawn.

   I looked down at the drawing again, this time, admiring it for it's
style rather than it's humor.  She had captured each of us, without a
doubt.

   As we settled back down, I was amazed at how easy it was to talk to
cousin Cinnamon and the new kid, Jimmy.  Hailey and Kenny were nice too.  I
had a feeling from her lecture that Wynter could hold up her end, too,
except she was back in her own little world.

   "So if you're not too tired of explaining it, tell me about this mine
thing," I said after the conversation died down.

   Jimmy opened his mouth to say something but Robbie interrupted.  "It was
you."

   Jimmy grinned and nodded.

   "He was the one Wynter was trapped with," Robbie explained to me.

   "I can tell it," Kenny said.  "I was there too." And he launched into a
long drawn-out story about their adventures at the Hargus Mine.  I mostly
watched Jimmy's face as Kenny told it, and had a strong feeling that this
was one of those stories that got bigger every time it got told, like the
eight-inch fish that became a great white shark, and that Kenny would tell
it to anybody who would listen, especially if `any' included girls.

   I noticed that Kenny spent most of his time looking at Traci while he
talked.  About halfway through, Kelly came over and sat on my lap.  I gave
her a hug and a kiss on the nose, and I knew without looking that Cinnamon
was absorbing it all.

   I discounted about fifty per cent of what the kid said and was still
impressed.

   "The best part was hearing Suzie tell off the smelly old judge.  Hey, I
wish you could have heard it," Kenny said.  "The judge kind of slunk away
after that `cause of the newspaper and radio guys."

   I saw Robbie cock her head at that, but didn't know why.

   "No, the best part was when they brought Wynter and Jimmy out okay,"
Cinnamon corrected.  "And I wasn't even there."

   Kenny nodded.  "Well, yeah.  Duh."

   "My brother's a hero too," Traci said.  "He saved a family and was in
People Magazine."

   "Your turn," Cousin Cinnamon said with a smile.

   "You want the People version or the truth?" I asked.

   Cinnamon cocked her head in that curious pose she had.  "The People
version," she said as Wynter rejoined us, settling on Jimmy's lap.

   "I rushed into a burning building, picked up an entire family, and
carried them to safety just before the house was totally engulfed in
flames. I even had a picture."

   Cinnamon smiled and cocked her head the other way.  "And the truth?"

   "Robbie spotted a burning house and dragged me inside kicking and
screaming.  Robbie grabbed the Mom and the baby.  I was just trying to get
out, but these two kids jumped on me, and somebody snapped a picture while
I was running, screaming like a baby, from the house."

   Robbie back-handed me in the shoulder.  "The truth is somewhere in
between," she explained.

   Ghost, who had followed Kelly and was lying on my feet, suddenly perked
up, looking at the mini-forest in the back of the property.  Then I
understood why they raced greyhounds.  One second he was there, the next,
he was halfway to the trees.  I remembered the first Star Trek movie.  One
second the Enterprise was there, the next there was a rainbow where it had
been.

   After I watched the dog disappear in the trees, I looked back at Wynter.
"And you, young lady, do you have something for us."

   Wynter smiled.  I wondered if her teeth were natural or if some
orthodontist now had a fully-funded retirement plan.  "It was Robbie's
idea." She opened her tablet and showed Jimmy, Hailey, and Cinnamon.

   Jimmy looked at the drawing, then at Kenny, nodding.  Hailey giggled. 
Cinnamon took the pad and passed it to me.  I looked at it with Robbie and
Tami leaning in from the sides and Kelly's head almost in front of mine. 
The picture was of Kenny sitting behind a lemonade stand, though Kenny
looked a lot like Lucy Van Pelt in the Peanuts strip.  He was wearing a
white hospital lab coat, and there was a box on the counter with a rubber
glove sticking out the opening.  The sign on the stand said, PELVIC EXAMS
5¢

   Traci was standing in the front of the line, followed by Kelly, Hailey,
Cinnamon, Mikee, Darlene, Robbie and Tami.  Wynter was last.  Even Ghost
was there, sitting by Cinnamon, a food dish in his mouth and looking a lot
like Snoopy.  How she made a greyhound look like a beagle was beyond me. 
The girls were all Peanuts-styled characters dressed in little girl
clothes. The caption said, "Okay, then I'll pay you."

   I grinned and passed it to Darlene.  I decided that when I overthrew the
government, I wanted Wynter on my team, too.  Satire could be a hell of a
weapon.

   Tami reached around Kelly and picked up my wrist, then dropped it. 
"You're not wearing your watch," she accused.  I shrugged.  "Do you know
what time it is?" she asked Cinnamon.

   "Oh," Wynter said, retrieving her arm from behind Jimmy's back and
glancing at her watch.  "It's almost three."

   The intercom came on.  "Honey, will your cousins and their friends be
staying for dinner?"

   Cinnamon reached above her and flipped the switch on a box.  "I'll
check." She looked at Tami.  Obviously she knew better than to ask me.

   "We have to be at Otter Park by six."

   Cinnamon looked startled.  I know I was.  What the hell was an Otter
Park, and why did we need to be there?

   "And I have an errand to run before five," Robbie added.  I stared.  So
did Tami.  What kind of errand would Robbie have in a town she didn't even
know she was going to be in?

   "We were going to eat early tonight.  About five." Cinnamon explained.

   "I don't think so.  The last thing your..." I hesitated.  I still wasn't
sure what Rosita was to Cinnamon.  "...your mom needs is another seven for
dinner."

   "She wouldn't have offered if she wasn't prepared," Cinnamon said.

   "We don't want to impose.  We'll grab a burg..."

   "We'd be happy to," Tami said in a tone that indicated it was unanimous
decision.

   "Good.  That's settled," Cinnamon said, then keyed the intercom to tell
Rosita.  She fixed me in her stare.  "I guess I can call Joe Lopez and
cancel the APB."

   Lopez had to be the local fuzz.

   Wynter kissed Jimmy and stood.  "I need to get home now.  Cinnamon, I'll
see you..." I caught a small head shake from my cousin to Wynter. 
"...later." I had a feeling that Wynter had been going to use another word.

   Jimmy stood.  "Yeah, it's time."

   Wynter smiled.  She retrieved her tablet, took out the drawing of Kenny,
and handed it to me.  Then she gave me another hug before she and Jimmy
said goodbye to everyone and walked toward the house.  Wynter's hand moved
to the small of Jimmy's back as they walked.  The move was so natural it
was like sunrise.  The universe shifted both the sun and her hand to where
they belonged.

   "I'm going over to Kenny's house," Traci announced.

   "You are?" I was surprised.  At least she hadn't asked me for a rubber.

   "He has some of Wynter's cartoons he wants to show me."

   I looked hard at Kenny.  "Just remember, Cinnamon has reminded me just
how much I love and cherish my sister."

   Kenny nodded.

   "Kelly wants to go too," I added.

   Kelly looked at me, surprised.

   "Make sure they have zero fun," I whispered.

   She nodded before getting off my lap.  She reached down, cupped my face
in her hands, and kissed me.  Hard!  With a lot of tongue.  I was pretty
sure there was a message there, but I wasn't exactly sure what.  Or for
who.

   Kenny slipped his arm around my sister

   "Kenny!"

   He looked at me.

   "I've heard a lot about you," I said warningly.  I hadn't, but the look
on Hailey's face when I said it confirmed what I'd been thinking.  Kenny
reminded me a lot of my friend Luke.  But I had a sudden image of Traci
impaled on my cock and didn't say anything more.

   Kelly stepped to Kenny's other side.  His arm went around her waist, and
the three of them walked toward the side of the house.  I had the distinct
impression that my warning hadn't concerned him.

   Robbie stood.  "Now would be a good time to run my errand if I'm going
to be back in time for dinner." Robbie reached down, grabbed my arm just
below the armpit, and pulled me to my feet.  "Tony, you can drive me."

   "That's a good idea," Tami said before I could ask Robbie what had
happened to her license.  A quick look at Tami and Cinnamon convinced me
that the matter was settled.  I was pretty sure I'd been in charge of my
own life once.  It had been a good ten minutes, sandwiched in between when
Mom let go and Tami took over.  I wondered if I'd ever know that feeling
again.

   "What the hell was that about?" I asked Robbie as I let her through the
side gate.

   Robbie grinned.  "The future Mrs.  Sims and the future
leader-of-the-free-world wanted some girl-talk time.  You had too much
testosterone to qualify."

   I nodded and shut the gate.

   I had a feeling that what Cinnamon wants, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

   Chapter 16

   "Was she pretty?"

   "Was who pretty?" I asked, startled.  I'd been sitting in the gazebo,
watching the fish pond.  I hadn't been thinking about anything in
particular.  Robbie and I had gotten back fifteen minutes ago.  She and the
others were inside getting the grand tour.  I was enjoying this little
piece of sculpted nature.

   "The girl who died," Cinnamon said as she down next to me.

   I turned to look at her.  "How did...?  Who...?  Tami told you."

   Cinnamon smiled, and I knew that Tami hadn't.  "Was she pretty?"
Cinnamon asked again.

   I looked back at the fish pond and sighed.  "She was beautiful."

   "What was her name?"

   I looked back at Cousin Cinnamon.  "You mean you don't already know?"

   Cinnamon laughed.  "I can't read minds, you know."

   "Could have fooled me.  Tami can.  Maybe she can teach you."

   One of Cinnamon's eyebrows inched higher.  Somewhere in the back of her
mind was a dossier labeled, SIMS, ANTHONY.  And she'd just made a notation
that `Subject believes his girlfriend reads his mind.' I had a feeling
there was another notation, `Fact or paranoid delusion, question mark.'

   I smiled to myself and focused on the pond again.  "Her name was Zoe,
and she was a very special lady."

   "She must have been," Cinnamon agreed quietly.  I barely heard her as I
pictured my lost friend.  "Do you...?"

   I sighed again.  Everybody wanted me to talk about Zoe.  It got so old.
She was here, but now she's gone.  What more is there to say?  But as I sat
there staring into the light blue-green water of the pond, I discovered
that I wanted to talk about it.  I wanted to tell Cinnamon about this girl.

   I started with my first impressions.  Zoe was too loud, too brash, too
New Yawk.  But as I'd gotten to know her, I learned how much was veneer and
what the real girl was like.  I described finding out from Mikee that Zoe
was sick.  I told her about saying goodbye to Tami and starting my
relationship with Zo.  And even though she was only thirteen, or almost
fourteen, I corrected myself, I knew she understood what I'd done and why
I'd done it.

   Ghost came over, his toenails clicking on the wooden floor of the
gazebo. He jumped lightly onto the bench we were sitting on and lay down,
his head in my lap.  I scratched his ears and told Cinnamon about the first
time I'd made love to Zo.  It might seem weird, a sixteen-year-old telling
his younger cousin about one of his sexual conquests, but somehow, with
Cinnamon, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

   As I started talking about that last week, Cinnamon leaned against me,
her head on my shoulder, and my arm went around her.  I told her about the
hospital, and Zoe slipping back into her coma, and her hand slipping from
mine.  And about the doctors who decided there was no hope and let her go.

   "You still love her," Cinnamon said.  Not a question, just a simple
statement of fact.

   "I'll always love her."

   I told Cinnamon about Tami finding me at the playground and how she
helped me find myself again.

   "You and Tami have something very special."

   I grinned at the fish-ees in their pond.  "Almost as special as your
friend, I mean your sister, Wynter and Jimmy."

   "Almost," she agreed.

   We sat for several minutes, each with our own thoughts.  Then Cinnamon
and Ghost both seemed to perk up at the same time.  "Daddy's home," she
announced.

   * * *

   I glared across the table at Traci.  She dropped her eyes and studied
her smashed potatoes.  Next to her, Kelly did the same before I could shift
my glare to her.

   The table was crowded with my seven, my two second cousins, my first
cousin once removed Dr.  Mitch, and Rosita, but despite a few banged
elbows, dinner progressed.  I couldn't tell for sure with the tablecloth,
but it looked like one of those tables you could add leaves to, to make
bigger.  I guessed Rosita hadn't, to make it cozy.  It had surprised me
when Rosita joined us, but I was beginning to get the idea that she was
more than a housekeeper.  Mitch seemed almost affectionate toward her and
Cinnamon treated her like a real mother, which for the mother of a teenager
is a lot like being a maid slash housekeeper anyway.  I wondered what the
story was on Cinnamon's real, make that biological, mother.  I wasn't going
to ask, though my ears would perk up if one of the girls did.

   My other surprise was dinner.  I expected Mexican.  Definitely not my
favorite, but on the plus side, probably the second easiest cuisine, next
to Chinese, to whip up in a hurry when you have seven extra dinner guests.
I think the thing I hate about Mexican the most is the tendency to smother
good food in that gooey brown paste called refried beans.  My personal
theory is that it was the introduction of frying and refried beans that
doomed the Aztec Empire.  Cortez and smallpox just hurried it along.

   But no refried beans.  In fact, no Mexican.  Rosita instantly became one
of my favorite people, serving one of my all-time favorites, Chicken Kiev,
topping that off with garlic smashed potatoes, corn, and what I assumed was
homemade bread.  If the doc doesn't marry her, I may; then we can adopt
Tami and live happily and plumply ever after.

   I leaned back in my chair and grinned at the host.  If I'd been wearing
a belt, I'd have uncinched it at least two notches.  Mitch seemed like a
nice guy, but sure didn't look like a doctor.  He had red hair like
Jimmy's, and, in fact, I had an image of him and Jimmy hosting a Saturday
morning cartoon show together.

   * * *

   Mitch had seemed to take it in stride when he walked in his house and
found the living room filled with teenagers.  I had a feeling that with
Cinnamon in the family, taking things in stride was a survival trait.

   He looked to Cinnamon for an explanation, but it was Hailey who blurted
out, "We have new cousins!" A slight look of annoyance crossed Cinnamon's
face, and I wondered if Hailey was getting a spanking tonight.  I had no
trouble picturing Cinnamon putting her slightly larger cousin across her
knees.  I also had no trouble getting a boner from the image.

   Cinnamon filled him in on the family connections, and Mitch smiled big
when she mentioned Gran Vickie.  Seems Gran had sent a small Japanese jade
carving as a wedding gift, which Cousin Gwendolyn promptly boxed and put
away.  I was guessing that the Colonel had been stationed in Japan at the
time and probably wasn't a colonel yet.  After we'd all been introduced, he
even gave me one of his cards, which is when I learned it was Brees, not
Breeze.

   After we'd talked for awhile, I shanghaied Hailey to walk me over to
Kenny's house to collect the girls.  She kept an arm around me, squeezing
me tightly to her side so that I wouldn't wander off and get lost.  She led
me to the front door, and we knocked.  Another housekeeper answered the
door.  This one Hailey introduced as Mrs.  Holland.

   "Hi.  Kenny brought my sister and her friend over to see some of
Wynter's cartoons.  I need to collect them for dinner," I explained.

   Mrs.  Holland smiled.  "They're upstairs.  In Kenny's room.  Probably
drawing and coloring."

   Drawing and coloring?  Then I smiled and nodded.  I figured that Mrs. 
Holland was one of those people who lumps everybody under a certain age in
one category: kid.  And kids do kid things.  I wondered if I was in that
category, too, but really didn't want to know.

   "Thanks," Hailey said.  "I know the way."

   "Yes, dear, I know," Mrs.  Holland chuckled.  She reminded me of my
third grade teacher.

   Hailey led me upstairs to a closed door.  Loud music was coming from
behind it.  Britney Spears, I think.  I lifted my arm to knock, but Hailey
opened the door and walked in.

   Kenny was sitting on the edge of the bed with what looked like one of
Wynter's cartoons in his hand.  Of course, the fact that he was naked
detracted from what could have been an innocent scene.

   Traci was kneeling naked on the floor to his left and had her mouth full
of his cock.  Kelly was in her bikini bottoms and was similarly occupied
with his balls from the other side.  Kenny's head was back and his eyes
were closed, and it didn't take much imagination to realize that he was
thoroughly enjoying himself.

   For a second I occupied myself with an image of throwing Kenny out the
window, wondering if I'd get more bounces throwing him out on his head or
his ass.

   "Hey!  You, like, started without me!" Hailey accused.

   Traci and Kelly's heads snapped in our direction.  Kenny's eyes opened,
and from the look of pain that crossed his face, I guessed that one or more
of the girls hadn't disengaged without some teeth getting in the way.  I
hoped it was Traci.

   "Oh, shit," Kenny snapped.

   "It's dinner time.  Get dressed," I said coldly.

   Both girls were appropriately red-faced, though I didn't want to know if
it was the exertion or embarrassment.

   I stared at Kenny as the girls dressed.  He looked...  defiant.  Hell,
his little corn stalk hadn't even wilted despite the teeth.  "Downstairs!
Wait for me," I ordered without taking my eyes off Kenny after the girls
were covered.  "You too," I added for Hailey's benefit.

   I kept staring after we were alone.  I wondered how difficult it would
be to detach his little corn stalk and feed it to him.  Then I admitted to
myself that short stuff hadn't done anything I hadn't done, or at least
wanted to.

   I smiled.  "Nice to have met you Kenneth." I closed the door behind me.
Hell, at least it might keep him guessing.

   * * *

   I speared a last piece of chicken with my fork and used it to mop up the
last of my potatoes, then popped it into my mouth.  I wondered if Rosita
had any cute daughters she'd taught to cook.

   "Ladies," I said looking across the table at my two guilty-looking
companions, "if you're done with dinner, say thanks and go wait by the
van." The two girls glanced at each other, stood, mumbled something that
could have been `thank you,' and left.

   My other four followed suit one-by-one.  I stood.  "Rosita that was
wonderful." She smiled.  "I, uh, we, hate to eat and run, but Tami says we
need to be in Otter Park by six."

   Rosita nodded her understanding.

   "Cuz, I have a feeling that something is happening in the park tonight.
You might want to stop by."

   "Maybe we will," Cinnamon said with an interesting smile.

   "Wait a minute, pickledick!" Hailey said, jumping to her feet.  "You've
so been treating your sister terribly, just cause you're mad.  Cinnamon
will..."

   Pickledick again!  "Cinnamon won't do anything," I said simply.

   "She won't?" Hailey said, losing her head of steam.

   I shook my head.  "`Cause I'm not mad."

   Cinnamon stood and put her arm around Hailey's shoulders.  "It's just
some brotherly torture," she explained.  "How long?" she asked, looking at
me again.

   "Probably till we get to the park.  A guy's got to have some fun."

   * * *

   I was wondering what Tami had gotten us into.

   Otter Park was packed.

   I guessed we were going big time.

   The girls and I were sitting in a tent which served as a dressing room
behind the stage.  There were three other tents, I guessed for the other
acts.  The stage was kinda neat.  It was probably forty feet wide and
thirty deep and was covered by a concrete half-dome.  It was going to be
like singing in the Hollywood Bowl, except there were no seats, just grass.
Acres and acres of grass.  And people.

   Lets see, there five thousand two hundred and eighty feet in a mile.  So
square that for a square mile, that's, uh, twenty-seven million eight
hundred and seventy-eight thousand four hundred square feet.  There's
either six hundred and twenty or six hundred and forty acres in a square
mile.  I can never remember.  I think it's six-forty.  So divide all those
square feet by six-forty and you get...

   There should be Jeopardy music playing, or else smoke coming out my
ears. Maybe both.

   Forty-three thousand five hundred and sixty square feet in an acre.

   If each one of those families out front take up a space about ten feet
wide by ten feet deep, that's a hundred square feet.  That's more than four
hundred families an acre.  Figure there's at least six acres worth of grass
in front of the stage and that's...

   I reminded myself that I don't get stage fright.  Then I reminded myself
again.

   I got up and wandered out of the tent and into the left side wings.  I
knew the first act would be getting ready on the right.  On stage, a group
of guys were setting up their instruments.  An average-looking man in a
very loud jacket that had to be a joke stepped out in front holding a
microphone.

   "Tonight, Saturday, and Sunday, sixteen different bands and groups are
here for only one purpose, to entertain you.  And to earn your votes, so I
guess that's two purposes." There was some polite laughter, which was
probably more than the joke deserved.

   "I'm your host Junior Arnold!" There was some scattered applause.

   A girl about my age was watching the stage next to me.  She was wearing
a spangled midriff blouse and short, very short, skirt.  I guessed she was
one of the performers.  "Whose the guy?" I asked.

   She shrugged.  "I don't live here.  I think he's some local radio guy."

   "Now our talent show is a little different," the guy continued.  "First
the prize.  We could have offered hundreds of thousands of dollars, or a
recording contract.  Matching Ferrari's or maybe a trip around the world.
But we decided to do something really special for our winners.  They get to
do an encore!" he yelled.  This time the crowd laughed.

   Traci came up beside me.  I slipped my arm around her and gave her a
quick hug.

   "Our voting is different too.  We're not going to use some old lame
applause meter.  And we're not going to have you call or text some eight
hundred number like that upstart talent show on television." That got a few
laughs as people recognized Idol.  Even I chuckled.  "We decided that in
honor of the birth of our nation, we'd do things the American way.  Cold
Hard Cash."

   He took a deep breath and continued his spiel.  "During each group's
performance, members of our high school sports teams will be circulating
with donation cans.  If you hate the music, drop in a dollar, if you love
it, drop in a twenty.  Or any amount in between.  Cash, checks, money
orders, the deed to your grandfather's silver mine, we take it all.  If you
want to donate by credit card, Don Middleton and his team from the
Prospector's Bank are set up back by the statue of Jack Hargus, or you can
call him at five five five two seven eight one.  We'll tally the totals,
and the group that raises the most money wins."

   "And if you want to make any last minute votes, there are tables set up
around the edges where members of the Griffin Middle School band will be
happy to take your money...  I mean your votes.  Remember every penny, I
mean vote, counts."

   I saw maybe half-a-dozen card tables with American flags flying over
them set up around the crowds.  It looked like each table was manned by a
couple of kids Traci's age and an adult, with four decorated coffee cans
sitting on each table.

   I suspected Cinnamon was putting us on by pretending she didn't know
what was happening in the park.  She'd said something about being in the
school band.  She was probably sitting at one of the tables, laughing at
us.

   "And when we get all your loot, er, donations, International Ski and
Trail, the operators of Wizard's Basin, will not just match them but match
them two for one for our local school-er-ship fund.  I happen to know we
have a lot of very smart kids coming up through the schools, even some
future doctors, so be generous." I wondered if he knew Wynter or our future
gynecologist, Kenny.

   "Our goal tonight is ten thousand dollars, and we hope to have over
thirty for the weekend.  Don't forget, we have shows tomorrow at two and
seven, with The Brink of Disaster in the second show, and a final show
Sunday at five.  And Monday, Colorado's favorite band, Stampede.  will be
playing before the fireworks.  We hope you'll all come out."

   He paused briefly while scattered whooping and cheering subsided.

   "Tonight, we have Junior and the Twins!"

   Obviously they were a popular local band because the crowd exploded. 
Junior finally had to quiet them down.  "You keep that up and they won't
have any time left to perform," he reminded them.  I wondered if he was the
Junior in the band.  Probably not.

   "From Denver, we have Defiant Sheep.  All the way from Washington,
Unrehearsed, and first up tonight, from Fort Collins, Taco Jones and the
Enchiladas."

   Junior rattled off the names of the performers and ran off the stage. 
The lights in the back of the stage came up.  I got a good look at the
group.  Taco Jones was about forty and wearing a fringed cowboy suit that
would have made Dale Evans blush, let alone Roy Rogers.  His three
enchiladas were thirty-something and dressed the same way.  They were armed
with two guitars and a drum set.

   The less said about Taco Jones, the better.  They played country.  But
it was old country, and I mean oooooold.  They probably considered Conway
Twitty an upstart.  They played six songs, which was seven too many.  The
only one I recognized was Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin' which I'd heard
Grandma Carol play a few times.

   The Defiant Sheep were better.  Five guys my age on the instruments and
two very decorative girls on tambourines, including the girl I'd talked to
earlier.  They were hard rock, which isn't really my thing, and pretty
good.

   "Ladies and gentlemen, the Defiant Sheep!" Junior Arnold announced
running back on the stage.  The lights dimmed on the stage and the sheep
started moving off their equipment.  "I'd like to take a moment to remind
you that there are vendors wandering around selling pop, popcorn, and ice
cream.  The ice cream has been donated by the Elk Crossing Dairy Group. 
Silver Mountain Bottling Company has donated the pop, and the popcorn is
fresh from the Aspenleaf Triplex.  A quick thought: if you fill your kids
up with junk now, you won't have cook dinner when you take them home." That
brought Junior his best laugh of the night.

   "As many of you know, inflation is hitting the country hard.  So hard,
in fact, that bus companies have raised their fares so high that
Unrehearsed had to leave their instruments and instrumentalists behind. 
I'll announce their names as they perform.  From Seattle, Washington,
Unrehearsed!  Leading off: Robbie Tate!"

   Robbie started the show with Bridge over Troubled Waters, then Mikee did
Someone to Watch Over Me.  When it was my turn, I jumped off the stage,
grabbed a slightly plump little girl about Traci's age, pulled her back to
the stage with me, and sang her Your Song.

   "What's your name?" I asked when I finished.

   "Alyssa Erland," she said, though even with my holding the microphone in
front of her, I doubt anyone but me heard her.

   "Thanks for being part of the act," I said and kissed her on the cheek
before she ran back to her family.

   As I walked to the wings, Tami gave me her best glare, which was not
very intimidating, to be honest.  "I thought that was my song."

   "Not any more.  Now my heart belongs to Alyssa."

   Tami cocked her fist and it shot out toward my shoulder, but I was
ready. I grabbed her wrist, then snagged the other and twisted her around
as I pulled her close, ending in what I've always called the straight
jacket.  Tami, with her back against me, her arms pulled across her body
just below her tits, and me holding both wrists, was immobilized.  I
nuzzled her neck.  "Alyssa may have been on stage, but I was singing to a
girl from the trailer park."

   "Ummmm," Tami moaned as I nibbled and kissed along the side of her neck.
"Probably Kelly."

   "You know me so well," I agreed.

   "Hey, I have to at least pretend to get jealous now and then."

   I didn't answer.  I just kept kissing her neck.

   "Get a room," Robbie suggested, shaking her head.  I grinned and ignored
her.

   Traci kicked it up a notch with Jailhouse Rock and had most of the crowd
up and dancing.  Near the front, just below the stage, a pair of seven or
eight-year-old twins were doing a twist that would have made both Elvis and
Chubby Checker proud.

   Robbie and I did our If You See Him/If You See Her, and then Traci came
back with Climb Every Mountain.

   I was glad that Tami had actually given us a program tonight so that we
knew what we were singing before the music actually started.  It made
things easier.  For my second song, we'd set up a stool in the center of
the stage, and I sat on it.  A single spot came up, with a dark red gel. 
"A few months ago, we lost a very special friend.  This is for her."

   I watched Tami in the wings and waited for her cue like we'd practiced.

   "Sarabeth is scared to death..." I started.

   At the sound board, Tami slowly brought up the music behind me.

   I started the chorus,

   "She dreams she's dancing..."

   A boy in a suit and baseball cap and a girl in a party dress suddenly
started waltzing from the wings in front of me.  I almost lost it when I
realized that the boy was Darlene and the girl was Kelly.

   "Around and around without any cares.

   And her very first love is holding her close,

   And the soft wind is blowing her hair."

   They waltzed off as I started the next verse, but were back for the next
chorus.  They actually made a pretty cute couple.  This time they didn't
dance off stage, but stopped over by the side as I started the third verse.
A spot with a blue gel held them.

   "It's a quarter of seven,

   That boy's at the door,

   And her daddy ushers him in.

   When he takes off his cap,

   They all start to cry,

   `Cause this morning where his hair had been,

   Softly she touches just skin."

   As I sang, Darlene pulled off her cap.  She was wearing a skin cap over
her hair to look bald.  I smiled to myself as they started dancing again.

   "They go dancing...

   Around and around without any cares

   And her very first true love is holding her close

   And the soft wind is blowing her hair."

   "For a moment she isn't scared."

   The lights went down and the stage was in darkness.  Then they projected
an American flag on the back wall, which also projected some of the stripes
on me.  The stage had a cool light and sound system, and Tami had evidently
talked to them about staging, though why they got to know ahead of time and
I...

   Okay, I'm letting it go.

   The music started with a heavy violin.

   "Well, the eagle's been flying slow,

   And the flag's been flying low.

   And a lot of peoples saying

   That America's fixing to fall.

   But speaking just for me..."

   Robbie walked out holding a microphone and took over the song.

   "And some people from Tennessee,

   We got a thing or two,

   To tell you all."

   Mikee and Kelly entered from either side.  Kelly had changed out of her
dress and into jeans.

   "This lady may have stumbled,

   But she ain't never fell."

   Darlene, also back in jeans, and Traci joined the chorus from both
sides.

   "And if Al Quaida don't believe that,"

   We all joined in, and even Tami came out from the wings to stand with
us.

   "They can all go straight to hell.

   We're gonna put her feet back on the path,

   Of righteousness and then,

   God bless America again."

   "And you never did think that it ever would happen again.

   In America, did you?

   You never did think that we'd ever get together again.

   Well, we damn sure fooled you.

   We're walking real proud and we're talking real loud again

   In America.

   You never did think that it ever would happen again."

   My turn again.

   "From the sound up in Long Island,

   to the San Francisco Bay,

   And everything between them is our home."

   Traci, with a wink to me.

   "And we may have done a little

   Bit of fighting amongst ourselves,

   But you outside people,

   Best leave us alone."

   Mikee crossed over and put her arm across Kelly's shoulders, and they
sang,

   "Cause we'll all stick together,

   And you can take that to the bank."

   Darlene.

   "That's the cowboys and the hippies,

   And the rebels and the yanks."

   Robbie.

   "Just go and lay your hands

   On a Denver Broncos fan,"

   The crowd cheered when Robbie changed the song's original Pittsburgh
Steelers to the Broncs.

   "And I think you're gonna finally understand."

   All of us.

   "And you never did think that it ever would happen again.

   In America, did you?"

   Now we were starting to get some help from the audience.

   "You never did think that we'd ever get together again.

   Well, we damn sure fooled you."

   I signaled the sound guy to cut our microphones, but the song thundered
on from a couple hundred throats.

   "We're walking real proud and we're talking real loud again

   In America.

   You never did think that it ever would happen again."

   Even though the music was ending, I decided to repeat the verse again.

   "From the sound up in Long Island,"

   I signaled the others to join in.

   "To the San Francisco Bay,

   And everything between them is our home."

   The crowd got the idea.

   "And we may have done a little

   Bit of fighting amongst ourselves,

   But you outside people,

   Best leave us alone.

   Cause we'll all stick together,

   And you can take that to the bank."

   Most of the crowd was on it's feet and yelling.

   "That's the cowboys and the hippies,

   And the rebels and the yanks.

   Just go and lay your hands

   On a Denver Broncos fan,"

   I could make out at least half-a-dozen team names.

   "And I think you're gonna finally understand."

   "And you never did think that it ever would happen again.

   In America, did you?

   You never did think that we'd ever get together again.

   Well, we damn sure fooled you.

   We're walking real proud and we're talking real loud again

   In America.

   You never did think that it ever would happen again."

   It was too bad we weren't using an applause meter, `cause the crowd, as
they say, went wild.

   Junior came out while the crowd was still yelling and joined in himself.
The lights on the back of the stage went down, and we hurried off into the
wings, exiting, in the words of one of those Hanna-Barbera cartoon
characters, stage left.  Actually, I think Yogi, or whoever it was, always
went stage right, but here they had us set up to enter from stage right and
exit left.

   We could see workers and performers in the shadows setting up for the
next act.  Apparently this group was a lot smarter than the first two. 
They had their drums and keyboards all set up on wheeled platforms, and all
they had to do was wheel them out and plug into the stage's sound system.

   "That was incredible," Junior yelled at the audience.  "Ladies and
gentlemen, Unrehearsed!  Can you imagine what they'd be like if they ever
rehearsed?  What a way to start the Independence Day weekend.  I'm ready to
go join the Marines."

   "They won't take you," someone yelled and the crowd burst into laughter.

   "You're right," Junior agreed when they quieted again.  "I tried and
they refused me.  They said that their low standards weren't THAT low.  I
just wanted to tell you that even without our last band, we've already met
tonight's goal." And that brought more cheering.

   The shadows took their places.

   "Our final band of the night is a local group.  In fact, they feature
everyone's favorite drummer, the pride of Griffin Middle School!" The
drummer in the dark cut loose with a fifteen second exhibition to loud and
well-deserved applause.  Griffin Middle School.  That was where Cinnamon
and the others went.  She was in the band, so she probably knew him.

   "Ladies and gentlemen, I still don't know which is which, but Junior and
the Twins!" He started off the side of the stage, then added, "No
relation."

   Robbie, Tami, and I stood in the wings watching.  The others had gone
back to our tent.  A single blue spotlight came on, shining on an older guy
maybe dad's age as he began a series of sixteenth-notes on a guitar that
held for a moment, then began rising in pitch.  When he shifted into the
vaguely familiar background pattern, another blue spot came on,
illuminating a tall black kid on bass who matched the old guy's pattern. 
The drummer also kicked softly into the background but remained in
darkness. A white spot came on, lighting up an athletically-built kid as
the lead guitar started.  When the organ began echoing the lead, another
white light caught the familiar-looking red-haired kid playing it.  It was
loud, it was good, and it made me want to find a private beach for me and
the girls to go skinny dipping.

   The older guy seemed to be holding his own with the boys.  The boys were
dressed in beach shorts that hung beneath their knees and Hawaiian shirts
open to their belly buttons.  The old guy was wearing an honest to god wet
suit, with the top open to the middle of his chest.

   The drummer, however, supposedly the star of the band, remained in the
dark background where I couldn't see him yet, tapping out the unremarkable
beat.  I also couldn't remember the name of the damned song.  I knew it,
but what the hell was it?

   "Walk, Don't Run," Robbie supplied, seeing the look on my face, "the
second version from the mid-sixties." It was one of those things as soon as
she said it, I knew it and that it was the sixty-four version.  While I was
kicking myself for not remembering, and wondering if Alzheimer's had any
respect for youth, I missed the unexpected transition into the drummer's
solo.  The lights went out while another white spot caught the drummer.  He
was a she, long-haired, and really working those skins.  Long red hair. 
Very long red hair.

   "I'll be fucked!" murmured Robbie.

   I thought she was commenting on the drummer's skill.  I mean, they said
he, I mean she, was in middle school.  Then I realized the redhead was...
Cinnamon.  That was what Robbie meant.  The fucking drummer was Cinnamon. I
mentally kicked myself for the misuse of language, but I couldn't believe
that my cousin was out there.

   "That's Cinnamon," Tami said shocked.

   "I know."

   "And Jimmy," she added.  And I realized that the kid on keyboards who
looked familiar was the same kid we'd met that afternoon, Jimmy
Mac-something.

   Cinnamon brought the solo smoothly back into the tune, and it ended
unheard by the cheering crowd.

   Almost without pausing, the band kicked into their second number,
another beach song.

   Robbie grinned.  "Miserlou."

   "I know," I said peevishly.  I hadn't known, but Robbie can be so
superior sometimes.

   The third song was another beach one.  I grinned.  "I don't believe it,"
I said

   "What?" Robbie asked.  "That you don't know the name of this one either.

   "Sure I do.  It's Mister Something." Mister Baja?  Mister Malibu?

   "Mister Moto," she supplied.  "What don't you believe?"

   "We're in the middle of the damn Rockies, and they've put together a
damn surf band."

   Robbie nodded.  "You're quick."

   "That's what Darlene complained about." Tami added, then blushed.

   I took a step back and regarded my favorite person in the whole world.
"Et tu, Brutus?"

   Tami shrugged and looked back at Junior and the Twins.

   I was beginning to understand the guys who went off to live in a cave
all by themselves.

   The fourth song was familiar, but I didn't have a clue to the name. 
Robbie and I tried and discarded several titles, frustrated that we
couldn't remember it as the Cinnamon led the guitarist into an ever-faster
tempo.

   "It's Mr.  Rebel, pickledick," said a familiar voice behind me.  "Now,
shut up and enjoy the music."

   Hailey, with Wynter at her far side, stepped up beside Tami and
whispered in her ear.  The love of my life gave me a surprised look and
then nodded at Hailey.  "You're right," she said.

   Now what?

   Robbie recognized Diamond Head, the fifth number.

   The final number was Let's Go!, which I recognized by myself, and not
just because the band and the crowd screamed the words throughout the song.
It was unlike any version I'd ever seen before.  The first time the crowd
screamed, "Let's go!" Cinnamon tossed her drumsticks into the audience.  It
was like a home team pop fly into the stands during the World Series.  Two
replacements shot up from the floor and hovered in front of her.  She
grabbed them and continued as if they'd been in her hands the whole time.
Two more sets went into the audience.  After that she tossed them to the
sides of the stage, where crew collected them.

   I decided that we had some serious competition, especially when all but
one spotlight died, and Cinnamon launched her second, and even more
impressive, solo, complete with flying sticks.  From the crowd reaction, I
figured that the taco-boys were toast and the sheep were lamb kabobs.  But
the crowd had really liked us, and they clearly loved Cinnamon's group.

   If I was judging, I'd give it to Cinnamon, mostly because we'd used
canned music.  But you never know what will happen when you leave it up to
the public, and the audience had really gotten into In America.

   I studied our real competition.  The guitars and bass were good, but
what really impressed me was Jimmy on the keyboards and Cinnamon on the
drums.  I thought about Toby and Sally back home.  I think Toby was a
little better than Jimmy, which made sense since he was three years older.
But Cinnamon had Sally beat by a mile.  And every other drummer I knew.  I
wondered if she gave lessons.

   The band finished and ran off the stage toward us, holding up their
hands with the outer fingers extended.  As I watched, Jimmy ran to Wynter
and hugged her.  Cinnamon kissed the lead guitarist, and the old guy--I
wonder how he got in a kids band--ruffled Jimmy's hair.

   Robbie started toward the side door.  "Where are you going?" I asked.

   "To vote," she said, pulling a ten dollar bill out of her jeans.  "For
them."

   * * *

   Junior came back out and told some lame jokes.  I guessed he was
stalling for time while the last people voted and somebody counted the
money.  I noticed that Cinnamon's band's equipment was still on the stage.
I wondered if they were trying to tell us something, but decided it was
because we didn't have any.

   Cinnamon, breathing hard and covered in a sheen of sweat, grinned at me.
I thought about reaching over and slapping her head off, but I was afraid I
wouldn't get my hand back.  She was reading my mind again, `cause her grin
got bigger.

   "Might stop by the park tonight, huh?"

   Cinnamon shrugged.  "We had nothing better to do." She handed me a set
of drumsticks painted yellow, blue, and white with Griffin Middle School
Knights Band in printed in gold on one side and a hundred eighty degrees
around it, also in gold, Cinnamon Brees.  "Souvenir of the performance,"
she said, the grin growing wider as she handed another pair to Traci.

   I decided that losing a hand might be a fair price to pay to wipe that
smile off her face.  Wynter took pity on me and started introducing us to
everybody.  Before she could introduce the band to us Robbie came back and
started hugging everybody, telling them how good they were.  Robbie's a
music freak, and she likes almost everything, so when she says they're
good, end of story.

   After about ten minutes Junior was in the middle of a long and
apparently pointless story when his cell phone rang.  His ringtone was Mary
Had a Little Lamb.  He looked annoyed, but answered it.

   "I'm busy, what do you want?" he snapped.  His eyes got big and he
looked shocked.  "Yes, sir!  Sorry, sir.  It won't happen again, sir." He
hung up looking relieved, he opened his mouth and his phone rang again. 
"Yes, sir?" he said tentatively, then he smiled.  "Really?  That's very
nice.  I'll tell them."

   He hung up, grinned broadly, opened his mouth, and the phone rang a
second time.  "Yes, sir?  No, I haven't forgotten.  I was going to tell
them."

   He hung up a third time, opened his mouth, then looked down at the phone
in his hand.  It didn't ring.  He stuck it in his pocket.

   "Those were very important calls.  The first was my boss.  He said I
didn't tell you that tonight's concert has been simulcast on Colorado
Public Radio.  Also, if you would like a CD of tonight's bands, or any of
the acts this weekend, stop by the station.  All proceeds will go to Adrian
Black's Jamaican Vacation."

   Who the hell was Adrian Black?

   The phone rang again.  Junior answered it.  "Yes, sir?  No sir.  It was
a joke, sir.  Yes sir, not a very good one." He hung up, set his phone on
the ground, and jumped up and down.  From where I was, I saw him missing
it, but to the audience, it probably looked like he'd just smashed his
phone.  The sound of something crunching came from the speakers and added
to the illusion.

   "Small correction, all proceeds from the CD sales will go to the
scholarship fund." He looked around conspiratorially.  "But if Mr.  Black
and the other trustees happen to wind up in Jamaica for their meeting..."
He looked around again, then brought his forefinger to his mouth in the
universal sign for quiet.

   Apparently, Black was his boss at the station.  Something all the locals
knew.

   I slipped my other arm around Robbie."It's the big time kid.  Now we're
on the radio and have our own CD."

   Robbie was grinning so hard I thought she might crack her face.

   "I've already ordered some for all the parents," Tami said, showing
prior knowledge.

   "The second call was even more important," Junior continued.  "It was
Sheridan Motors with two important bits of information.  First, they voted
one thousand dollars for The Defiant Sheep." The crowd broke into rousing
applause.  "And one thousand dollars for Taco Jones and the Enchiladas."
Even louder applause.  "One thousand and one dollars for Unrehearsed."
Before the crowd could react he added, "And one thousand and two dollars
for Junior and the Twins." The applause was thunderous, and there was some
laughter that I didn't understand.

   "Aaaaaaand...." the crowd quieted in anticipation.  "Second, it's time
for my ten thousand mile oil change." There were a few groans and a couple
boos, but a few people laughed.

   "Wait!" He waived his hands over his head for quiet.  "The third call
was Principal Scott Peters from the middle school reminding you that if you
have any money left over after voting, souvenir drumsticks are on sale in
front of the right corner of the stage.  All proceeds go to the Griffin
Middle School Band Fund!"

   "Yours are free," my devious cousin said as the rest of the band huddled
for some conference behind us.

   "I've just been signaled that our crack staff of accountants has just
about got our final totals.  One minute." Junior walked off to the wings on
the other side and talked to a big guy in a red polo shirt.  I knew the
phone calls had been staged, but I wondered if Mary Had a Little Lamb was
really Junior's ringtone.

   "All I can say is wow," Junior said when he came back on stage five
minutes later.  "The people in this park have kicked in just under nineteen
thousand dollars in cash." There were ohs and ahs, then loud applause. 
"And our home audience listening on the radio have bettered that." More
applause.  "The Defiant Sheep and Taco Jones and the Enchilada have
together raised over twelve thousand dollars, which was over tonight's
goal." Applause.  "With thirteen thousand, all by themselves, in second
place, Unrehearsed.  And with sixteen thousand, tonight's winners, Junior
and the Twins."

   I demand a recount.  Better yet, if I call and pledge Traci's college
fund, we win.

   "Ladies and Gentlemen, Junior and the Twins!" Cinnamon and her friends
came out and took a bow.  "Lead guitar, Griffin Middle School's former
sports legend in his own mind, Huntly Sheridan!"

   I smelled a rat.  Could there possibly be a connection with the Sheridan
Motors who'd donated four grand?  Then I wondered what kind of sadist would
name his kid Huntly.  By the way he glared at Cinnamon and the way she
smiled back before he waved, I knew who had written his introduction.

   "Bass, formerly Griffin Middle School's and next season Dunn High
School's own star, LaMarcus Reed!" The black kid pantomimed dribbling and
shooting a basketball and then waved.

   "Rhythm guitar, Keith McCauley!" The old guy pantomimed riding a surf
board and then waved.

   "Keyboards, Jimmy McCauley!" McCauley, that was his name.  Well, that
explained how the older guy got in the group.  Must be Jimmy's dad.  Jimmy
raised one forearm below his ribs and bowed.

   "And on the drums, the pride of the Griffin Middle School Band, Cinnamon
Brees!" Cinnamon blew kisses and waved furiously with both hands before the
five of them turned and headed toward their equipment.

   That's when it dawned on me that he hadn't introduced them when they did
their set.  The game was rigged.  I grinned.  I had a feeling that the
organizers knew how popular these kids were, and for an ace-in-the-hole, if
we'd been winning, Sheridan Motors would just reorganize their donation.

   "Let me tell you, the organizers sweated whether a goal of thirty
thousand dollars for the weekend was realistic.  We didn't want to
embarrass ourselves our first time out, but you people have done forty-one
thousand and we've just started!  Which means, with the matching funds from
International Ski and Trail, we have over a hundred and twenty thousand for
scholarship." Massive applause.  "By the way, if you ski, I'm guessing that
after IST gets our bill, lift ticket prices will jump for next year, so you
may want to get yours early."

   Junior glanced back at the Cinnamon and the group, then looked down in
his hand at a note Cinnamon had passed him.  I smiled.  "Ladies and
Gentlemen, a classic!  Caravan!"

   I didn't know it by name, though Robbie seemed to by the smile that
flashed across her face.  I figured I'd probably recognize it.  I like the
surf music from the sixties, and Robbie plays it sometimes, but I don't
really know it that well.

   The lights came up with a different color gel for each one of the band.
Cinnamon's was purple, which seemed appropriate for the future empress of
the world.  The band started in, and it took a few measures before it
clicked.  It was an old jazz song from the thirties or forties that had
been `surfed up.' I decided it was a great choice for ending the night,
very upbeat and would probably send the crowd home humming.

   About halfway through, Cinnamon took off in a wild drum solo, complete
with more flying drumsticks.  Then, without missing a beat, Cinnamon
stopped and LaMarcus took off using the same underlying beat.  He then
moved into a wild solo of his own before coming back to the beat, with
Cinnamon accompanying him for a couple of bars, before he passed off to
Jimmy on the keyboards.  After Jimmy, Huntly got his turn.  He was
excellent, even if he hadn't been a middle schooler, but I still wondered
about his parents and their choice of name.  I guess Waldo and Mortimer
were already taken.

   After a pretty good solo Huntly brought it back to the main beat, and
Cinnamon took off for a second time, then brought it back around and the
whole group closed it.

   I was exhausted, and all I did was listen.

   Cinnamon and the guys took a bow, then rushed off the stage towards us.
The crowd was on its feet cheering, so Cinnamon gave me a grin as they ran
back out and took another bow.  Then another.  And the crowd wouldn't stop.

   Running back to the wings, Cinnamon yelled something I couldn't catch.
When the crowd kept cheering, she grabbed me and pulled me out with her for
her next bow.  I noticed that Jimmy had snagged Mikee and Traci, LaMarcus
had Darlene and Robbie, and Huntly had Tami and Kelly.  We bowed and ran
for the wings.  The crowd kept cheering, so we did it again.

   After our sixth bow, Cinnamon motioned to the others standing on the
other side, and Taco Jones and the Defiant Sheep all came out to join in
the accolades.  Then the sound and lights guys and the stage crew.  The
latter included one weird-looking redheaded kid with an attitude who was
her height.  She ran to him and held up one of his hands with her own.  The
crowd got wilder.

   For one of the crew?  I looked at Robbie, then Tami.  Both shrugged,
indicating they were as clueless as I was.

   Finally Junior came back with his microphone and shooed us all off the
stage and yelled at the crowd, "Go home!  Go home already.  Come back
tomorrow.  Next show at two." The crowd slowly quieted, and from the wings
I saw them start to pick up and leave.

   "And don't forget, tomorrow night, The Brink of Disaster!" he yelled at
the departing crowd.

   I guessed that was a rock group.  I glanced at Cinnamon, and for once
she wasn't inscrutable.  Her face was somewhere between annoyed and
disgusted.  It was good to know that she wasn't perfect.

   I grinned, thinking of the show.

   What a rush.

   Chapter 17

   The ice cream parlor had a nice feel to it.  Homey.  It was bright and
colorful, but not plastic and artificial.  We got lucky.  There were only
four people inside, a couple about my age and another about sixty years
older.  By the time we all trooped in we pretty much filled the place.  Me
and my six girls.  My cousins, Cinnamon's dad and Rosita.  Wynter and her
parents, along with Jimmy and his.  Then that Huntly dude and his dad and
LaMarcus and his mom.  And somewhere along the way, Kenny, his parents, and
his little brother got attached too.  Me and the other guys started
grabbing empty tables and wrestling them into two long ones.  We finally
sat down, the ten adults and Kenny's little brother at one table, and the
fourteen teenagers at the other.

   Kenny had looked at me funny the whole time after he joined us at the
end of the concert.  Finally, he came over.  "I'mmmm..." There was an
interesting mix of emotions on his face.  Apparently, Cinnamon hadn't
taught him inscrutable yet.  But he wasn't afraid of me, which was a little
annoying since I had a good six or eight inches on him.  He was
uncomfortable but not embarrassed.  For some reason I felt like he was more
afraid of Cinnamon than me, worried that she'd be mad cause he messed with
her new cousin.

   I glared at him for several seconds.  My glare is getting better, but it
never hurts to practice.  "You make the girls do anything they didn't want
to?" I asked quietly.

   Kenny shook his head, then used his forefinger to push his glasses back
up his nose.  It was kind of a loaded question, but I knew that when I
asked it.  "No," he said, "and I don't have any use for guys who do."

   I glared another couple of seconds until the meaning of his words soaked
in.  "We're cool," I said finally with a small smile.  I held out my hand
and he shook it.

   I liked all the parents, though LaMarcus's mom and Huntly's dad didn't
seem to be as much a part of the group.  Wynter's dad was cool.  He
reminded me of a baseball coach I'd had in California.  He was wearing an
ace bandage on his right wrist and had a big, and fresh looking bruise on
his right cheek.  No one seemed to pay any attention to it, so I asked
Wynter.

   She sighed.  "Daddy's a klutz.  In fact the town's emergency people all
know him and call him Senor Klutz.  This time, daddy was backing the lawn
mower out of the garage and tripped over the weed wacker he'd left on the
grass." She shook her head.  "He suffered an abrasion to..."

   "I get the picture," I said quickly, recognizing that she was going into
lecture mode.  Jimmy quickly turned away from her.  He was trying not to
laugh.

   Doctor Taylor had come up behind Wynter and laid his hand on her
shoulder.  "Wynter did the preliminary first aid, but was kind enough to
allow me to take the x-ray to see if anything was broken.  Though she
checked it herself to make sure I didn't make a mistake."

   Wynter looked up at him and smiled at the compliment.

   "She's my best GP intern, though I think Dr.  Brees wants to steal her
and turn her into an OB/GYN.  In fact, he's let her assist in several
deliveries."

   "I don't think that's what I want to do," she replied.  "OB/GYNs are
always too busy.  I wouldn't have time to do that and your job of running
the hospital, too."

   "I see," the doc replied.  "And just when to you plan to take over the
duties as the administrator?"

   Wynter checked her watch.  "It's too close to my bedtime tonight," she
said.  She smiled up at him.  "How's eight in the morning work for you?"

   The doc knew when to retreat in defeat.

   As we sat down, I asked, "So who's Junior?"

   Cinnamon and the others all glanced at each other.  "It's usually
assumed to be Jimmy," Cinnamon said.

   "So if Jimmy's Junior, then he and his dad can't be the twins," Tami
pointed out.  Jimmy looked a lot like his dad.  "So who're the twins?"

   "Wynter and LaMarcus," Jimmy said with a grin.

   I looked at Wynter, sitting next to Jimmy, and LaMarcus, sitting at the
end of the table and talking to Darlene.  "I can see it."

   "But Wynter wasn't even in the band," Traci pointed out.

   "Sometimes she is," Jimmy said.

   "But that's without Jimmy's dad, and then we're called the Wizards of
Wynter," Cinnamon added.  "Unless she's just performing with the Twins as a
guest artist."

   My head hurt.

   "If you stay until Sunday, you can see the Wizards," Wynter offered.

   "Complete with their way big special surprise guest star," Hailey
blurted out before Cinnamon gave her the evil eye.

   "Guest star?" Tami, Robbie and I said simultaneously.

   "It's a secret," Cinnamon explained.  Tami, Robbie and I nodded, but
Mikee, Kelly and Traci put on their puppy-dog looks.

   "It's a secret," Cinnamon repeated.  "Nobody even knows he's in town."

   "Who?" Kelly asked plaintively.

   Cinnamon seemed to consider, though I'd bet big money that she'd already
made up her mind.  She leaned forward, and all my girls did too.  Okay, so
did I.

   "Tyrone Hayes," she whispered.

   "Ty..." Mikee yelled before Robbie clamped her hand over the younger
girl's mouth.  It happened so fast I knew Robbie had anticipated the need.

   "Tyrone Hayes is going to sing with you?" Tami murmured.

   "How'd you do that?" Robbie wanted to know.

   "No way," I said.

   "Who do you think discovered him, pickledick?" Hailey said with a very
satisfied look on her face.  She pointed a finger down the table.  "And his
bass player?" She flipped her palm up-and-over in Cinnamon's direction, as
if introducing her.

   I remembered hearing something about him being discovered in a small
town in Colorado, but I hadn't put it together.  I don't really care about
celebrities.  I either like their music, or their movies, or whatever, or I
don't.  I don't care about their girlfriends, boyfriends, addictions or
anything in between.

   I looked at Cinnamon with a new appreciation.  So my little cuz had
discovered the next big thing.

   Two girls dressed in cute little pink and white uniforms came out from
behind the counter, and that put an end to conversation.  Robbie ordered
something called a suicide fudge brownie surprise, and the rest of my girls
all ordered double and triple scoop hot fudge sundaes.  I wondered if I'd
still be able to afford college after this.

   Then Wynter, who seemed to be the font of decorum for the group,
reintroduced everyone to make sure we all knew everybody.  She was just
finishing, "...and this is Robbie Tate." She looked especially at Huntly.
"She plays varsity football with Tony.  Their team came in second last..."

   Huntly had been sipping a glass of water.  He spewed it all over the
table.

   "Smooth going, shithead," Cinnamon said, using her napkin to blot up
some of the spilled water in front of her.  I recognized her tone of voice.
I'd heard it enough myself.

   Huntly didn't notice.  He just stared at Robbie.  "You're Monster Girl?"
he sputtered.  "But your hair...?"

   "What about her hair?" Hailey said quickly.  "I think it's so the cute."

   Huntly looked at Hailey, then back at Robbie.  "She cut it.  It was
long. Longer than Cinnamon's.  You're Monster Girl?" he repeated.

   Robbie nodded.  "That's what they call me.  Tony mostly.  I cut my hair
after football season last year.  I needed a change."

   Kenny had turned an interesting shade of green that I didn't understand.

   "How would you know, shithead?" Cinnamon asked.  "They play in
Washington."

   Huntly sat back in his chair, picked up his napkin, and started cleaning
his mess, his eyes never leaving Robbie.  "Bitch.  ESPN did a special on
the best football players in high school.  She was one of them."

   "I'm not that good.  They just included me because I'm a girl."

   "She's that good," Tami and I said together.

   "Tony's better," Robbie said.

   "I'm only fit to carry your shoulder pads, milady," I said with as much
of a bow as I could manage sitting down.

   Robbie looked ready to argue, then shrugged.

   Huntly grinned.  "In fact, I watched that special with Kenny.  He
said..."

   "Hey, when's that ice cream going to get here?" Kenny interrupted.

   There was a few seconds of silence, then Robbie got up and went around
to the other side of the table.  She stepped behind Kenny and lightly laid
her hands on his shoulders.  "And just what did the future Doctor Taylor
say?"

   "It wasn't important," Kenny said quickly.  Then his face changed, and I
knew that Robbie was pressing her thumbs into the muscles to the side of
the neck.  Hard.

   "He said, `I'd sure like to get tackled by her,'" Huntly answered, still
grinning.

   Robbie smiled and dug her thumbs in harder, then relaxed, tilted Kenny's
face up, and kissed hin quickly on the lips.

   I considered a comment about, `You don't know where those lips have
been,' but decided that Kelly and Traci would make my life difficult.

   More difficult.

   Robbie started back to her seat.

   "I said, that I'd like to huddle with you," Huntly added.

   "Shithead," Cinnamon said.

   "Bitch," he replied.

   Robbie moved behind Huntly.  "You know, Tony's like a brother to me.  He
got me on the football team in the first place.  So if Tony's an
almost-brother, that makes Cinnamon an almost-cousin.  You shouldn't talk
to my cousin that way.  Say you're sorry."

   Huntly tilted his head back and looked at Robbie, then he turned and
looked at Cinnamon.  "For what it's worth, I'm sorry I called you a bitch."

   If saying words can hurt, those did, not to mention registering negative
numbers on the sincerity meter.  Not that it mattered.  Robbie had listened
to the words but not the tone.  She'd missed the fact that for these two,
bitch and shithead were terms of endearment.

   "That's better," Robbie said.  She glanced at Cinnamon, then tilted
Huntly's head back and kissed him long and hard, stopping only when the
murmurings got louder from the adult table.  After all, she was sixteen and
he was thirteen.  Though his dad looked proud.

   I remembered the quick look at Cinnamon and wondered if she'd been
silently asking permission.  I didn't think these two were boyfriend and
girlfriend exactly, but they were something.  Maybe she'd picked up on
something after all.

   "How come you kissed him better?" Kenny complained.

   "`Cause he didn't try to change the subject," Robbie explained and came
back to her seat.  She stopped to kiss me first, though I didn't know why.
My kiss was somewhere in between Kenny's and Huntly's.

   The conversation centered on football for a few minutes as Huntly wanted
to know everything he could about Robbie and our football team, and Wynter
wanted to know why I had to get Robbie on the team.  Robbie was telling him
about our last game when the ice cream came.

   "Are you going to take state this year?" Huntly asked after everyone
finally had the right order in front of them.

   "We lost some good people," I said.  "But we've got a great core of
experience, and we've got Monster Girl.  It all comes down to...  who
knows," I finished with a shrug.

   I spooned up the last of my sundae, then looked back at Cinnamon.  "So,
you're a surf band drummer.  How come you guys didn't do Wipeout?"

   Cinnamon lost her inscrutability, looked pained, then looked up
beseechingly at the ceiling.  Robbie just shook her head.

   Hailey looked at me pityingly, then at Tami.  "If you keep him quiet and
still, the stitches can come out in a few days."

   Stitches?  What'd I say?  Is saying Wipeout bad luck?  Like saying the
name of the play when you're staging Macbeth?

   Robbie shook her head again, then looked at Cinnamon and Wynter.  "So
where's your friend Suzie?  I thought she'd come to watch you."

   Suzie?  Suzie who?  Then I remembered her from Kenny's story about the
mine.

   "She's in Colorado Springs," Cinnamon said.

   "She's helping Miss Jackson coach a swim camp." Wynter added.

   "She's coaching?" Mikee said.  "That's so cool."

   "My brother coaches too," Traci stuck in.

   "Yeah," Kelly agreed.  "He coached our gymnastics team this year.  So
did Tami."

   "Annnnd," Traci added, "he coached the middle school baseball team when
he was in eighth grade."

   "You coached the team when you were only fourteen?" Wynter said,
sounding impressed.  Though not as impressed as when she found out Robbie
played football.

   I shrugged.  "It's a long story."

   "He was suspended and couldn't play, so he coached," Traci supplied.

   Cinnamon laughed.  "I guess not that long."

   "You got suspended?" I think I shocked Wynter.

   "I got expelled," Kenny said, but nobody payed any attention.

   "It's a regular occurrence," Traci said with a grin.  I decided that
Cinnamon or no Cinnamon, I was becoming an only child in a few minutes.

   "It's not a regular occurrence," I defended myself.  "I didn't get
suspended last year."

   "You came close," Tami pointed out.

   "A couple of times," Robbie clarified.

   I closed my eyes.  A cave.  Way up in the mountains.  I could fish for
my dinner, sleep under the stars, hunt deer and moose.  Then I remembered
that I didn't like to hunt.

   I opened my eyes and sighed.  "I only got suspended twice," I explained.

   "And almost three more times."

   I figured I could bury Traci's body in one of the forests around town.
Mom and Dad might miss her for awhile, but they'd get over it.

   "I'm not sure you're a good influence for my daughter, cousin."

   I looked up.  All the adults were standing behind the kids on the other
side of the table.  Mitch was shaking his head.

   "Suspended twice and almost three more times.  Cinnamon, maybe we
shouldn't associate with that side of the family." The look on his face
said he was joking.

   "That's so okay.  Tony," Hailey said.  "I'll still associate with you."
I don't know how she did it, but she made associate sound like a dirty
word.

   Cinnamon looked solemn in her analytical way.  "I'll reserve judgement
till I hear the story."

   I opened my mouth to protest that it wasn't worth it, but Tami put her
hand on my arm.  "You might as well.  You know she'll find out somehow."

   I nodded.  "You should probably know that I was a good boy until the
eighth grade, when this redhead from Tennessee moved to town."

   "Hey!" Robbie yelled.

   "Quiet!" I ordered.  "I'm telling a story here.  Anyway, the first time
I almost got suspended, I was in the eighth grade, and a tenth grader came
down from the high school and tried to beat me up."

   "You got suspended because somebody beat you up?" Kenny didn't sound
convinced.

   "Well, I..."

   "Tony put him in the hospital," Robbie explained.

   "The second time..."

   "That's it?" Cinnamon asked.

   "Pretty much.  The principal wanted to suspend me for fighting, but I
had a lot of witnesses that said I didn't start it, and that I got hit
three times before I even fought back.  The second time was her fault," I
said and pointed to Robbie next to me.

   Robbie grinned.

   "The first time was my fault," Tami said, also grinning.

   I nodded.  "Robbie was mad at me and..."

   "Why was she mad?"

   I decided that was something that Hailey definitely didn't need to know,
since Robbie had been mad because she'd found out I was fooling around with
Mikee and Kelly.

   "Not important.  Robbie was mad, and I was trying to talk to her in the
hall, but Mr.  Parker, the vice principal, stuck his nose in.  I made a
comment, something about just because he didn't have a love life, he didn't
need to interfere in mine."

   "I'll bet that went over big," Wynter's dad said.

   "It was probably not my finest hour," I admitted.  "Then the third
time..."

   "Wait-a-minute," Traci almost shouted.  "That's not the best part."

   "Not by a long shot," Robbie agreed.  "Tony was home on chore duty, and
Mr.  Hollowell had been chosen to coach the middle school baseball team."

   "Robbie was on it too," Mikee put in.

   "And Hollowell didn't have a clue, so he talked to Mr.  Calloway, the
high school coach, and they arranged with Tony's mom for Tony to coach the
team without Parker knowing," Robbie continued.

   "Tony even got to play after Mr.  Mulino, the superintendent, lifted his
suspension," Traci finished.

   "Then the third time..."

   "Was my fault again," Tami interrupted.

   I sighed and nodded.  "I was a freshman, and Tami wrote an article that
was really good, but Mr.  Parker felt to be inappropriate for the school
newspaper.  I arranged to print it anyway."

   "What he means is, he got Kelly Dubrey to hack the school's computer and
inserted Tami's article on the front page in the stuff that was going to
the printer," Robbie explained.

   "Mr.  Parker was not amused," Tami added.

   "I'll bet," Cousin Mitch said.

   "He even banned me from all extra-curricular activities forever, but Mom
got that overturned."

   "Things got real interesting when Tami's article got nominated for the
Bothwell Award.  It's a national high school journalism thingy," Mikee
said.

   "Then last year, I almost got suspended three times."

   "The first one was Allie's fault," Darlene said.

   "Allie?" Hailey asked.

   "She's a cheerleader like me."

   "Yeah, she cheated," I agreed.

   "SHE DID NOT!"

   I grinned.  "Allie needed to bring her math grade up to stay on the
squad.  I helped her study for a week."

   "Ignoring me," Tami said.

   "And me," Robbie added.  "And not even telling us why."

   "Anyway, Allie took the test and brought her grade up.  Too much.  Mr.
Singara decided that she must have cheated.  I kinda organized a protest."

   Darlene shook her head.  "He did more than that.  Every kid in school
refused to take tests `cause teachers could accuse us without any proof. 
But the test happened on a Friday, and Tony got the other math teacher,
Mrs. Wayne, to give her a test to show she really and truly knew that
stuff. Then, since she was kicked off the squad for cheating, he arranged
for her to sit on the team bench during the game that night, even though
the coach almost threw him off the team."

   "He kinda started a mutiny," Robbie explained.

   "Then the second time, it was a disagreement over what makes good art,"
I said.

   "There had to be more than that, Cuz," Cinnamon insisted.

   "Well..."

   "Tony drew a picture in art class.  But it was a real picture, and the
teacher wanted something abstract," Tami said.

   "According to our hero, abstract art is a joke the artists are playing
on the rest of the world," Robbie added.

   "My picture was pretty bad, nothing like what Wynter does.  But Mr. 
Kincaid wanted an abstract, so I dripped some paint on a paper and called
it Portrait of a Failed Artist Who Teaches Instead, or something like that.
Kincaid took it personally."

   "I can't imagine why," Mitch said dryly.

   "Parker got into the act and said I had an attitude problem.  He was
probably going to suspend me again, but Mr.  Mulino, the superintendent,
bailed me out.

   "The last time, Parker and I had a disagreement over when it was
appropriate to use cellphones and leave school."

   "Yeah, Parker was subbing, and Tony got a call and got up and walked
out," Robbie explained.  "Parker tried to stop him, and I thought Tony was
going to put him through a wall."

   "Where'd you go?" Hailey wanted to know.

   "I..." The words froze in my throat.

   "Not important," Cinnamon said.  Hailey looked like she wanted to
protest, but a look and a raised forefinger from Cinnamon changed her mind.

   "Parker sounds like a..." Kenny started.

   "Kenneth," his mother said in that quiet, rising voice mothers have that
says your next words could mean the end of life as you know it.

   "...dedicated professional educator," Kenny finished with a grin.

   "You were right the first time," I said.

   Mitch looked at Wynter's dad.  "What do you think, Richard?  Should I
let my daughter associate with riff-raff like that?"

   Wynter's dad smiled.  "I think if Cinnamon gets any of Tony's ideas, the
Colorado school system may not survive."

   I glanced at Cinnamon, and she smiled back.  Personally, I think the
school system was in trouble even before I got here.

   Chapter 18

   "It's too bad your friend Suzie isn't here."

   I cocked an eyebrow.  That was the second time that Robbie had brought
up Suzie.  We were sitting in the gazebo, my girls and I, Hailey, and
Cinnamon.  Rosita and Mitch had lit a dozen tiki torches around the
backyard, and that was keeping the bugs away.  The gazebo had lights, but
Cinnamon hadn't turned them on.  There was no moon, but the torches and the
stars made it nice.

   "Why?" Cinnamon asked.

   "I had a present for her.  I guess I can mail it."

   I was looking at Robbie suspiciously.  I suppose everyone was.

   Tami put it into words.  "You have a present for Suzie?  But you've
never met her, have you?"

   "Never even heard of her until today," Robbie admitted.

   "So you bought a present for somebody you've never met, and only just
heard of," I said in an effort to clarify.  I was remembering that somebody
wrote a book, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.  I think he was on
the right track but just didn't go far enough.  When I got time I was going
to write my own book, Men Are From Andromeda, Women from the Milky Way.

   "Well, I didn't exactly buy it," she admitted.  "But when I heard about
Suzie, I knew this would be perfect."

   Okay, maybe Andromeda isn't far enough away.  Wait a minute.  "Your
errand!"

   Robbie nodded.

   "Where'd you go?" Cinnamon wanted to know.

   "Downtown," I said.

   "Where?"

   "How should I know?  I just followed instructions.  `Left, right, left,
park, stay in the van.' Robbie went up the street without me.

   Cinnamon turned back to Robbie, cocking her head in that analyzing way
of hers, but Robbie just smiled.  I wondered if my cousin had met her
match.

   "So, like, what'd you get her?" Traci asked.

   "It's Suzie's present.  I really shouldn't tell."

   I decided that while I was digging a shallow grave for Traci, I could
make room enough for Robbie too.

   "At least a hint," Hailey said

   "Wellllllll..." Robbie was wearing a denim shirt over her t-shirt, since
the night had cooled off.  She reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out
a cassette tape.  Even in the dim light, I could see that it didn't have a
manufactured label, so it wasn't pre-recorded.

   "Let's see," Tami mused.  "You went downtown and got a cassette, without
buying it, for a girl you don't know and only just heard of.  Where's
Sherlock Holmes when you need him?"

   "Or Ron Lopez," Cinnamon added softly.  Whoever he was.

   "Elementary, my dear Watson," I said in my best upper crust British
accent.  "During young future doctor Taylor's story this afternoon, we
learned that Suzie and young future doctor Taylor became for a time, as
they say, boyfriend and girlfriend.  Robbie, not wanting the young lady
irreparably scarred, found a hypnotist who recorded an hypnotic suggestion
to avoid short, horny kids with glasses.  Because no one in their right
minds would want to associate with such a cad." I was looking at Traci and
Kelly when I finished, but they were both busy looking at the stars.

   Tami, who was sitting across my lap, grabbed my face in both hands. 
"Love of my life, you are so full of it." She kissed me.  "And stop teasing
your sister." She slapped the top of my head.

   "Actually, he's close," Robbie said.

   "You're kidding!" Darlene and Tami gasped at the same time.  I grinned
and buffed my fingernails on my chest.  Then I got smart and buffed them on
Tami's.

   "I got the idea from Kenny's story," Robbie said.

   I mentally reviewed the kid's story.  Like I said before, I tossed out
about half of what he said as exaggeration.  I still didn't see the
connection.

   "Kenny got real animated when he was talking about Suzie's tirade. 
Maybe even more than when he was talking about his own actions."

   Like that was possible.  The kid was so full of himself.

   Robbie looked around waiting for us to get the connection.  I guess we
disappointed her.  Well, maybe Cinnamon didn't, but cuz let Robbie
continue.

   "Kenny said that after Suzie blew up, the judge didn't jump on her
because of the reporters right there.  The newspaper and radio reporters."

   Tami got it before I did.  "They taped it?"

   "He sure did," Robbie said smugly.  "Our emcee, Junior Arnold, was there
with his microphone.  I knew that radio reporters don't usually broadcast
live but tape everything.  Then they broadcast what they can, or what's
most interesting.  Obviously they couldn't use Suzie's little verbal
assault because of her language.  But radio stations are kind of like pack
rats.  They archive everything.

   Cinnamon grinned.  "You went down and asked if they taped it and if you
could have a copy?"

   Robbie grinned back.  "I did, and they did.  Mr.  Black was very nice
about it.  I figured from what I heard that Suzie would love it, and Jimmy
and Wynter would want to hear it, too."

   "And me," Cinnamon said.

   "Me, too," Hailey chimed in.

   Sometimes Robbie amazed me.  I decided that the shallow grave was for
Traci alone.  I could see Robbie now, in a gray tweed suit with a rumpled
raincoat and a deerstalker cap, a cross between Miss Marple, Columbo, and
Sherlock Holmes, solving the great mysteries of the world.  Where was Jimmy
Hoffa?  Who killed Cock Robin?  And how many licks does it take to get to
the center of a Tootsie Pop?

   "Have you heard it?" I asked.

   "Well, only for quality control purposes," she said, trying to hide a
smile.

   "And?"

   "The girl has excellent mastery of the language," she said pompously.

   Hailey jumped to her feet.  "I have a tape player in my room," she
announced and was gone almost as fast as Ghost earlier.

   Hailey was back within a couple minutes with a small cassette player
that she handed to Robbie.  Robbie hesitated.  "Suzie really should hear it
first..."

   "Stop teasing," Tami told her.  "Or I won't loan you my boyfriend
anymore."

   Robbie looked indignant.  "I can get my own you know."

   Tami just smiled and kept looking at her best friend.  I decided to stay
out of it.

   Robbie grinned and put the tape into the machine.  "It's cued up to the
good part.  The first part is the reporter's commentary as they bring Kenny
out of the mine.  Then you can hear part of him telling them what
happened." She pushed the play button.

   "SHUT UP!" a young girl screamed.

   "SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU SANCTIMONIOUS ASSHOLE!" she screamed a second
later.

   "Young lady!  You do NOT use..." a pompous voice said.

   "Goddamn it, shut UP you obnoxious old BASTARD!" the girl screamed
again. "Don't you DARE blame Kenny for what happened!  You wanna blame
somebody, fine.  Blame yourself.  It's YOUR fault!  If I fuck up, my
parents punish me.  I don't like it, but it makes me think before I do it
the next time.  But nothing ever happens to Will because YOU WON'T LET IT,
so he just does whatever he WANTS!  The only one who ever tried to teach
'em right from wrong was Ron!  I'm gonna be grounded for the rest of my
life after this, but I DON'T CARE, `cause I'm not gonna let Kenny take the
blame `cause you're too STUPID to be a parent!"

   I have to say, I was impressed.

   "I can't vote, but next election I'm gonna ask Mom and Dad to payroll me
from restriction long enough to tell everybody what a STUPID FUCKIN'
SHITHEAD you are and tell them to KICK YOU OUT!"

   I wondered if I heard right.  Payroll?  I knew she meant parole, but did
she actually say payroll?

   "They were gonna make Wynter 'n' me BLOW them, and then they were gonna
RAPE us and KILL us and throw us in a stupid hole in the floor!  You'da got
'em off on a JAYWALKING charge or something 'cause YOU DON'T CARE!  Kenny
cut Will's fingers off?  He shoulda cut his stupid PECKER off!  This is ALL
YOUR FAULT!"

   I decided that I like Suzie.  I liked her a lot.

   There was several seconds of background noise on the tape, and then the
girl continued, a lot calmer but still agitated.  "So go ahead and ground
me already.  I DON'T CARE!"

   Robbie clicked off the tape.

   Cinnamon grinned.  "Suzie is going to love that.  Kenny and Wynter and
Jimmy, too."

   I looked at Cinnamon.  "Tell her that Tami and I are getting married in
two years and we want to adopt her."

   "You just want her body, you pervert," Tami accused.

   I tried to look innocent.  "I haven't even seen her body.

   * * *

   "I need to recycle some of this Coca Cola," I said, standing and
stretching."

   "Me, too," said Hailey as she jumped to her feet.  "I'll escort you."

   I started to protest that I didn't need an escort to get to the
bathroom, but from the corner of my eye I saw Tami grin and shrug.  I bowed
to the inevitable.

   Hailey had her arm around my back by the bottom of the steps.  I'd
already accepted that Hailey had a crush on me.  Now I was beginning to
think it wasn't a cute schoolgirl crush but more like out-and-out lust. 
Hailey reinforced the lesson as her hand moved off my back and squeezed my
butt.

   I'd always thought I was pretty sexual.  I mean, I made love to Tami in
the seventh grade.  Now I had a harem that Hugh Hefner would die for.  But
I was starting to wonder if my two cousins might not put me to shame.

   I moved Hailey's hand up to my hip and left my hand on top of it.

   She'd been making small talk about the tape and what Suzie was going to
think and didn't even pause when I moved her hand.

   As we walked in the breakfast nook, she stopped us and moved from my
side to my front without ever breaking body contact.  Her hand had slid
under mine, across my butt, and to my other hip in one smooth motion.  I
was still being impressed by her feat when I found my mouth full of tongue
again and Big Tony getting another massage.

   I was too surprised to stop her.  I gave her ten out of ten for
technique, skill, enthusiasm, and difficulty level.  Big Tony gave her a
standing ovation.

   "Tony?" she said when she pulled back.  I was still trying to remember
why I was supposed to stop her.  "Robbie was serious when she said that
Tami shares you with the others, wasn't she?  And that this is Tami's
night? Well, do you think Tami would, like, share you with me tonight?"

   I half-remembered an old fable.  Something about an ant, or a squirrel,
or something like that.  It was spring and all the other squirrels wanted
to play and have fun, but one squirrel worked hard and gathered food for
the winter.  Maybe it was a grasshopper.  Anyway, I kind of felt like that.
There was one voice in my head that was saying run, don't walk, straight
back to Tami.  But all the other voices, including Big Tony's, and I didn't
even know he could talk, were saying, `Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!' And the
sad thing was, I couldn't even remember how the blasted story came out. 
The squirrel or ant or whatever was probably run over by a truck and his
buddies ate his food and partied all winter.

   "You're only thirteen," I stammered.  Mostly to buy time.

   "I'm fourteen-and-a-half," she corrected.  "My birthday was in January."

   "What would Unc...  I mean, Cousin Mitch say?" I asked thinking fast.  I
was kind of amazed I was thinking at all.  Her hand was still rubbing the
front of my shorts.

   She glanced at the kitchen clock.  "Uncle Mitch has to work tomorrow so
that he can be off for our picnic on the fourth.  He's rolled off Rosita by
now and is asleep."

   "WHAT?" I just couldn't picture Mitch screwing the maid while his wife
was away.  He didn't seem the type.

   She pulled back slightly from the waist up, but kept her grip on Big
Tony.  She gave me the first truly serious look I'd seen from her.  "You so
don't know about Aunt Gwendolyn, do you, Cuz?" She searched my eyes, not
with Cinnamon's intensity, but with more than Robbie had ever used.

   " I didn't think so," she said, answering her own question.  "She's
another example of how bogus this fucked up family is.  She inherited
Grandmother Millie's gene or chromosome or what ever it is that makes you a
drunk.  Only she started taking drugs with it.  They sent her to rehab in
Massachusetts.  She can't come back here, or she'll be arrested for the
drug charge.  She divorced Uncle Mitch last year.  It was the second best
thing that ever happened to him.  Cinnamon was the best."

   I tried to process that.  Aunt, no, Cousin Gwendolyn was an alcoholic?
And a druggie?  And the family has a gene for it?  I'd never seen Grandpa
Doug take more than two beers.  No, wait.  Wrong family.  I don't think
I've ever seen Grandma Vickie with anything alcoholic.  Mom says Patti
drank like a fish in college, but now she only has a couple glasses of
wine. In fact, about all I ever see Mom have is one or two glasses of wine,
though Dad said she was putting away the tequila pretty good at the New
Year's party.  But then there's me.  Tami thinks I could have a problem. 
Do I have the gene?

   She shushed me to stop my saying something.  "We call my aunt `Millie'
after Grandmother.  It is so not the compliment.  She's, like, an evil,
hateful bitch.  She damned near drove Uncle Mitch to suicide twice.  The
only reason he's still alive today is Cinnamon.  He so refused to leave her
in Aunt Bitch's care because she hated Cinnamon, and I'm not exaggerating
at all.  She blamed Cuz for everything that was wrong in her life.  The
woman so hated her own daughter."

   How could anyone hate their own daughter?  Especially a bright, talented
girl like Cinnamon?

   She took a deep breath and continued.  "And the only reason he is sane
today is Cinnamon.  You have no idea what she's been through with him.  I
know very little, but I know it was torture for both of them.  I couldn't
have done it in her place.  I'd have killed myself, I think, so that he
could, too."

   She pointed to a spot on the ceiling.  "That woman has been, like,
everything he deserves in a wife, everything Cuz so deserves in a mother,
everything they should have had in Aunt Bitch, everything that all of
Grandmother Millie's spawn should have been but weren't, except for my
father."

   It took me a second to realize that she was talking about Rosita.

   "I never realized..."

   "I know.  Wynter's told me a couple of things because she was there to
see them.  Cuz is so afraid to talk about almost all of it with others,
even with me.  I don't think she can, and I so don't blame her, but you are
family and, like, need to know.  I'll tell Traci later, or you can tell
her. You decide.  But you should also know that Rosita is, like, no longer
the maid.  She's now your cousin, too, and that's the third best thing that
ever happened to Uncle Mitch."

   I nodded.  I still wasn't sure if Mitch and Rosita were married, but
decided it didn't matter.  If Rosita was good for Cousin Mitch and
Cinnamon, then she could be my cousin anytime.  Besides, she can cook.

   I was still sorting everything out in my mind, and deciding that I
didn't need to know any more of my relatives, when I found my mouth full of
tongue again.

   "Now," she said as she pulled back, "what about my offer, Cuz?  I
guarantee that you'll so love every moment of it.  Three holes, no waiting,
and you can, like, do me all night if you want.  I'd so like that."

   "Well...  Uh...  What about Cinnamon?" I was still trying to talk my way
out of it, though I wasn't completely sure why.  But she was only thirteen.
I mean, fourteen.  I know Kelly was too, no, thirteen, but that was
different.  It was...  complicated, I finished with a mental sigh.

   Hailey shrugged and gave me a smirk, running a fingertip down my chest.
"If you want a threesome, she'll join us.  She likes them.  How about it?"

   Oh, God!

   "Hailey!  I'm your cousin!" It was the last argument on my list.

   "Second cousin, which means we could even get married if you want. 
You'd be, like, keeping it in the family.  Come on!  Traci is so the cute!
Don't tell me you've never thought about banging somebody in the family
before.  No way!"

   `Fuck!' I thought as a picture of Traci riding my cock flooded my mind.
But the picture shut off all the other voices, including Big Tony.

   "It's not going to happen," I said.

   Hailey finally released the big guy and took two steps backward, shoved
her shorts to her ankles, and lifted her shirt.  She wasn't wearing
anything else.

   Which is why, at that moment, the patio door opened, and Robbie and Tami
walked in.  The universe loves a good joke.

   Robbie grinned and shook her head.

   Tami smiled and sighed.  "Couldn't wait long enough to find someplace
more comfortable?"

   Have I mentioned I hate my life?

   The girls giggled and passed through.

   I stepped up to Hailey, leaned down, and grabbed her shorts and pulled
them up.  "Hailey, you're my cousin, and I love you.  But not like that," I
said pretty convincingly.

   But if I was so convinced, why was I still seeing her naked body as I
followed the girls to the bathroom?

   * * *

   I was playing with Ghost.  Or he was playing with me.  I wasn't sure.

   I was standing a dozen feet from the gazebo.  I'd throw a tennis ball
and, like a shot, he was after it.  He'd snag it, bring it back, then lie
down a few feet from me and grin.  I swear he was grinning.  And he
wouldn't give the damn thing back.  I'd walk over, grab the tennis ball,
we'd play tug-of-war for twenty or thirty seconds, then he'd let go and
we'd start all over again.

   It was almost midnight, and I was playing with the dog.  I was just too
pumped up to sleep.  It had been a hell of a day.

   Darlene, Robbie, and Traci had decided on beds.  They'd gone in to
settle down about half-an-hour ago.  Tami, Mikee, and Kelly were going to
sleep in the big tent that I'd set up on one side of the badminton net. 
The small tent was on the other.

   Tami, Mikee, Kelly, and Cinnamon were talking quietly on the gazebo.  I
had no idea what had happened to Hailey.  Maybe she'd gone to bed, too.  As
I played with Ghost, I picked up a word or phrase, but nothing interesting
enough to try and translate from girl-speak to boy-speak.

   I reared back and launched the ball hard into the mini forest on the
back of the property, and Ghost took off.  I hoped his night vision was
good enough that he wouldn't run head-on into a tree.

   "His name was Kenny, wasn't it?"

   I froze.  I think I even stopped breathing as I processed that.  It was
Cinnamon's voice, damn her.

   "What?" Mikee and Kelly said together.

   I willed myself to move like Ghost.  To run and clamp my hand over her
mouth before she...

   "The boy who..."

   I'd only turned and taken a step before the words were coming out of
Cinnamon's mouth.

   "...attacked you."

   Fuck!  Damn!  Shit!  Fuck!  I really needed a larger vocabulary for
situations like this.

   I was at the edge of the stairs, and even in the dim light I could see
the blood had drained from Mikee and Kelly's faces.  Fuck!  Fuck!  Fuck!

   Mikee surged to her feet.  "It was Kenny!"

   I jumped to the top of the stairs, and Mikee saw me.  "It was Kenny and
you didn't tell me!" she yelled as she leaped at me and smashed one fist
against my chin and the other against my chest.  Damn, the girl can hit.  I
think she loosened a tooth.  I grabbed her and pulled her into me, then
looked at Cinnamon.

   I think we'd finally managed to surprise her.  Maybe even shock her.  I
don't think she expected Mikee's outburst.  Holding Mikee tightly against
my chest, I stepped toward the stairs.  "Kenny's their brother," I
explained.

   I took Mikee down the stairs and back toward the trees, leaving Tami and
Cinnamon to deal with Kelly, though I didn't think she'd need that much
dealing with.  She'd mostly worked through her experience.

   I found a tree and slid down to the ground, my back against the trunk
and Mikee on my lap.  Ghost came over and lay a couple feet away, chewing
on the tennis ball.

   I held Mikee for awhile.  She didn't struggle; she hardly moved.  After
a few minutes I let go.

   SLAP!

   Mental note: add Mikee to the girls-I'm-afraid-of list.

   "Feel better?" I asked.

   SLAP!

   "I guess not."

   SLAP!

   "Mikee?"

   Mikee pulled her arm back to slap me again, but I grabbed her wrist.  "I
earned three, but that's enough." Why do I always let people hit me three
times?  Wouldn't two be enough?

   Mikee looked at me defiantly, trying to free her arm, then sagged and
started crying.  I let go of her wrist and pulled her close again and let
her cry.  As I held her, feeling her sob, I wondered if I should spank
Cinnamon, or maybe give her a kiss for getting it all out in the open.  I
decided on both.

   "You didn't tell me," Mikee said after a while, without lifting her
head. She was still crying, but not as hard.  "You didn't even tell me
she'd been raped."

   I held her without saying a word.  Mikee's a smart girl.

   "You were protecting her.  I know that," she said after a while.  "And I
love you for that." I held her a little tighter.  "But what about me?  He
lives in my house."

   I decided that silence worked once.  Besides, like I said, Mikee's a
smart girl.

   "He doesn't live in my house," she said a minute later.  She lifted her
head and looked at me.  "You sent him away.  That's why you wanted his
wallet.  You made them think he was dealing drugs."

   I could tell that Mikee wasn't sure what to feel.  On the one hand, she
knew I was protecting Kelly.  And her.  But on the other hand, Kenny was
her brother, and I sent him away.

   "Kenny was dealing drugs," I said finally.  "I just made sure he got
caught."

   "You set him up."

   "I had to make sure that Kelly was safe.  Not just physically safe, but
she had to believe she was safe.  And her sister, Michelle."

   I've said it before, Mikee is smart.  I could tell when she decided for
herself that I'd done the right thing.  "If you hadn't sent him away..."
her voice trailed off.

   "I would have had to hurt him.  Bad.  Like I said, I had to make sure
that Kelly and you were safe."

   Mikee leaned her head against my chest and sobbed again.  "How could he?
His own sister?  How..."

   Damn I really didn't want to do this now.  It had been such a good day.
But on the other hand, I wouldn't want to deal with this on a bad day
either.

   "I don't think he ever thought about it.  It's not like he planned it."
I couldn't believe I was defending Kenny Temple.  "He just...  your brother
was never big on self control.  The situation just kind of came up and
he... he..."

   Mikee lifted her head and kissed me gently, and we sat there for a long
time.

   * * *

   I gave Mikee a last kiss and held open the flap of the tent for her. 
The other girls had disappeared from the gazebo, and I guessed that Tami
and Kelly were already asleep in the tent.  I didn't know if Cinnamon had
gone back to her own room, or was sleeping with my girls.

   I grinned as an evil thought crossed my mind.  From what Hailey said
about threesomes, sleeping with my girls had a whole other meaning.

   "Tony?" A soft voice said.  It took every ounce of self control I had
not to jump a foot in the air.  I only jumped three inches.  I looked for
the source of the voice and saw nothing.  I decided that either Zoe was
trying to contact me from the other side, or I'd gone delusional.

   "Tony," the voice said again.  A shadow separated itself from the gazebo
steps and Cinnamon stood up.  "We need to talk.  I mean, I need to talk and
you need to listen.  Well, I need to talk."

   It was the closest I'd seen my young cousin to tongue-tied.

   "Cinnamon..."

   "Please, Tony?  Let me speak first?  It would help if you didn't say
anything until I finished, because some things are not going to end the way
you think when I start them.  For instance, I'm not going to make excuses,
though it may sound that way for a sentence or two.  I take full
responsibility for my actions.  Not everyone in this family does, you know.
I think the majority of those who do are standing here together."

   I figured she was going to apologize for Mikee and Kelly.  "You don't
need..."

   Cinnamon stepped forward and put a finger across my lips to stop me,
then took my hand and led me to the gazebo.  We went inside.  She flipped a
switch, and soft lights came on.  We stood in the center and looked at each
other.

   She looked like she'd just had a thought.  "You've seen me play drums
now.  Everything I do is a big production number like that.  And that
includes fucking up.  This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last,
and no, there's no comfort for me in that."

   A soft smile crept onto her lips.  "Tony, I know much more about you
than you might think.  Part of it was from talking to Tami and the others,
but most of it was from observation.  I really thought that I'd see a clue
from you saying that it was okay to ask Kelly about Kenny."

   Why would I...?

   She shook her head.  "No, that's wrong.  I thought I would see a clue
saying it was NOT okay.  I'm not blaming you, I'm paying you a compliment.
Not many people can hide things from me.  You're one of a select few, and
you can do it while appearing so transparent.  It's really quite disarming,
actually, and a weapon you need to keep honed in your arsenal.  It will
serve you well later in life."

   A thirteen-year-old was giving me advice about later in life?  Then
Hailey's words about Cinnamon's life came back to me.  `No,' I decided,
`she's only thirteen in physical age.'

   "I don't have to tell you how bad I feel right now.  I feel the same way
you would if our positions were reversed, and I have no more words to
describe it than you do.  I know that Hailey told you how seriously fucked
up this branch of your family is.  I thought I should spare you that.  I
was wrong, and I apologize for that, too.

   "Now: nobody told me this, mainly because I don't think any of them know
it.  Don't get excited and don't pee in your pants, just listen until I'm
finished.  What I have to say is between you and me, and I'm not going to
mention it to anyone else: not Wynter, not any of your friends, not even
Tami, and certainly not Hailey.  I am almost one hundred percent convinced
that Kenny Temple is in jail now thanks to a little help from you."

   She couldn't know.  She was guessing, I decided.

   Her eyes searched mine for a moment, and then she frowned.  "You need to
learn to control your pupil dilation.  They just confirmed what the rest of
your body did not.  Don't worry!  I'm not going to ask, and you don't have
to tell me.  I don't want you to tell me, so that I don't have to admit
that I know if anyone asks.  Want to hear a fairy tale?"

   I nodded because it seemed to be a rhetorical question anyway.

   "Once upon a time there was this town up in the Colorado Rockies.  In
this town lived a vile, disgusting eighth grader who preyed on youthful
innocence in the middle school.  Either by seduction through exploiting his
local fame as the school's star drummer or by blackmail or by intimidation,
he managed sixteen marks on the scorecard he kept in one of the school's
janitor closets.  He used the girls, marked his scores, and then dumped
them."

   "One day a new girl moved to town.  Instead of becoming number
seventeen, she made sure he never again added to that scorecard.  He's now
the guest of the State of Colorado."

   When she said nothing else, I connected the dots.  She'd `helped' him
the way I'd helped Kenny Temple.  "I understand," was all I said.

   "Yes," she replied.  "I see you do.  By the way, I know your feelings
about Kenny Taylor, and I'm sure I know why.  He does think too much with
the wrong head.  But remember him mentioning in the ice cream parlor that
he'd been expelled for fighting?  It was for protecting Suzie from the
school's star pupil when the shithead made his initial move."

   Now I understood why he had no use for those who forced themselves
others.  "It's not that I don't like him, it's that I don't trust him. 
Hearing that, I like him a lot more, but I still don't trust him."

   Cinnamon smiled.  "You do, you know."

   I shook my head.  She was right, but I wasn't going to admit it to her.

   "I know what you're going through with Kelly and now, thanks to me, with
Mikee.  I went through it with all sixteen girls, to one degree or another.
Especially with these two cousins in my class.  Tony, they are the
sweetest, kindest, shyest girls you could ever hope to meet.  I worked with
them individually and together.  And for weeks, almost every night after
our sessions together I cried myself to sleep.  I think you'd have done the
same."

   I didn't ask what she'd done to the bastard.  She wouldn't tell me if I
did.  But I knew that whatever it was, she hadn't done enough.  I did know,
however, that she hadn't killed him because that would have been too kind.
"Cuz, I think you're the exception that makes up for the rest of the
family."

   She shook her head.  "No.  We are.  Could I have a kiss?"

   It was a brief kiss, a show of respect for each other.

   "One last thing," she said as she pulled back.  "And nobody's told me
any of this, either, and again you have my word that I won't say anything
that I'm about to say to you now to anyone else.  Hailey's made her move on
you, and you turned her down.  I know that more from observing her than
from you because I've known her for so long.  Don't think that she's given
up.  You are now a challenge, and she expects to win."

   `She can expect all she wants,' I thought.

   "I asked myself why you'd turn her down.  Partly it's because of Tami,
but I'm not sure you'd do Hailey if Tami ordered you to because she came on
so strong.  Subtlety isn't a skill Wynter or I have been able to teach her.
It's a shame that her brain isn't as big as her heart or her libido. 
Anyway, fifty dollars at twenty-to-one says the other reason is that she's
your second cousin.  Well, I'm her first cousin, and I'm telling you that
you shouldn't worry about that."

   I thought about that.  Hell, I took that sentence apart and put it back
together again.  What the hell did Hailey and Cinnamon being cousins have
to do with anything?  "What do you mean?"

   The look she gave me reminded me of that antelope being watched by the
lion again.  "Well..." She gave me a playful look.  "The way that girl eats
pussy, you'd be leaving here without Robbie if she'd try Hailey.  And I'm
told she's just as good with the guys."

   Oh!

   I wondered if she'd used Robbie's name as a random example.  I was
deluding myself.  I knew better.  So how...  No!  She couldn't mean... 
could she?

   I decided I didn't want to think anymore about it.

   "Could I have one last kiss?" she asked.

   I wondered briefly if this was one of those run-don't-walk situations,
but decided, what the hell?  We'd been having a moment.

   When our lips touched, her arms rocketed around my neck and locked
there. Note for future reference: drummers have amazing arm strength. 
Before I could think of anything to say, not that I could speak with my
mouth full, she moaned and began convulsing.  She was having an orgasm from
nothing more than a kiss from me.

   Damn, I'm good!

   "I needed that," she said when she pulled away.  By the way, you
shouldn't feel guilty about that kiss.  And you should stop feeling guilty
about Traci, too."

   Damn mind readers.

   * * *

   I watched Cinnamon disappear into the house.  Then I shook my head to
clear my thoughts.

   They needed a lot of clearing both from her words and her kiss.

   I walked to my tent and let myself in.  `It's going to seem strange
sleeping alone,' I thought as I shucked my shirt, shorts and shoes.

   Big Tony had been in attendance most of the day and seemed glad to be
released from captivity.  I could hardly believe I hadn't cum during
Hailey's ministrations, but I was glad I hadn't given her the satisfaction.
Hell, I was even more surprised I hadn't cum during Cinnamon's kiss when I
realized she was cumming herself.

   I'd been expecting it earlier, when Tami told me that she wouldn't be
joining me tonight.  After all, we were camping in my uncle's, I mean my
cousin's, back yard.  It wouldn't be proper.  But then from what Hailey had
said, Cousin Mitch was doing the maid, so...  But Tami hadn't known that.

   Mitch and Rosita.  I grinned.  Hailey and Cinnamon.  Wynter and Jimmy.
Kenny and anything female.  Robbie and...  nope, not going there.

   I thought about trying to sleep.  I knew Tami's plan had been that I
wouldn't sleep alone, then I wouldn't need the booze.  I decided that booze
wasn't a factor anymore.  I didn't miss it, and I was sure I could sleep
without it.  What I couldn't sleep with was a throbbing boner.

   I reached down and lightly ran my fingertips along my shaft.  It had
been a long time since I'd needed to jack off, but I was sure it would all
come back to me.  I'd lie down, and half-a-dozen strokes while picturing my
two new cousins and I'd...

   "I could, like, do that for you."

   Hailey!  I couldn't see her, but I knew she was at the bottom of the
tent, lying on my sleeping bag.  And without seeing her I knew she was
naked.  If I thought I could spank her without her getting turned on, I'd
beat her butt black-and-blue.

   "Hailey, go to bed," I ordered.  My hand had jerked away from my cock
when Hailey spoke, and I really wanted to grab my cock again.

   The fourteen-year-old giggled.  "I'm in bed, silly."

   I realized that it was an argument I wasn't going to win.  But I wasn't
going to lose, either.

   "Fine," I agreed.  I knelt down, reached out, and started moving Hailey
to one side of the sleeping bag.  I felt some skin, lots of skin, but tried
not to think about what skin it was.  I slipped into the bag, then rolled
over, my back to the impetuous girl.  "Good night, Hailey."

   "Hey!" she shouted when she realized I intended to go to sleep.

   "Is for horses," I said, using a phrase Mrs.  Abbott, my first grade
teacher, had used a lot.  I'd always hated when she did it to me, but knew
it would annoy my cousin.

   "Now just a minute, Cuz.  I..."

   "I might have known I'd find you here," a new voice said.  The tent flap
was open, and a shadow filled the doorway.  The shadow came in, and the
flap closed.

   `There's two of them,' I thought and closed my eyes.

   "He's being mean to me, Cuz," Hailey complained.

   "What's he doing?" Cinnamon asked.  I could hear the grin in her voice.

   "Nothing!" she said with so much discouragement in her voice I almost
laughed.  "Now he's, like, pretending to sleep."

   "I'm not pretending.  I'm trying.  There's a difference," I defended
myself.

   "You have to understand, it's hard for him," Cinnamon said.  I wondered
if the pun was intentional, `cause with Hailey's warm front side molded to
my backside, it was hard all right.  Cinnamon's voice had gotten closer,
and I guessed she was standing right over us.

   "Tami said part of the reason for their trip was therapy.  That Tony
hasn't slept alone one night.  But tonight she just didn't feel right
sleeping with him in Dad's yard.  She said she really wished he didn't have
to sleep alone."

   She said that, huh?

   "But he so doesn't have to sleep alone," Hailey said, almost whining. 
"He's got me.  I mean, us."

   "Yeah, but he doesn't think cousins should do that sort of thing,"
Cinnamon explained.

   Damn right, I don't.  I tried to call up the image of Traci riding my
cock to stiffen my reserve, but instead remembered how snugly Big Tony had
fit in her pussy.  It wasn't my reserve that stiffened.

   Hailey giggled, and I remembered what Cinnamon had hinted at.  Hinted
at? Hell, she practically came out and said that she and Hailey were
lovers. Something about the way that girl ate pussy.

   "We'll just sleep with him for his therapy," Cinnamon said, slipping
into the bag.  My sleeping bag was made to sleep two adults comfortably. 
With Hailey and me, it was downright roomy.  But add Cinnamon, and it got
real cozy.

   Hailey moved, so that she wasn't molded to my backside.  Then I heard
the sound of kissing.  It didn't sound like lips on lips, but more like
lips on skin.  Hailey moaned, and an image of Cinnamon with her lips
pressed against Hailey's tit popped into my mind.

   I decided to forget about it and go to sleep.  After all, I was master
of my body.  I'd will Big Tony away and sleep peacefully, ignoring the two
nymphos behind me.  I sighed, ready for sleep.  Then I wondered what
Cinnamon's hands were doing while she licked Hailey's tit.  And with that
image flooding my brain, I knew sleep wasn't in my immediate future.

   Damn Tami!  Why'd she have to tell Cinnamon that I wasn't supposed to
sleep alone on this roadtrip?  And why'd she have to pick tonight to get
all proper?  Not wanting to sleep with me just because it was Cousin
Mitch's yard.  And then tell Cinnamon that she wished I wouldn't be alone.
Why...?

   Cue music.  In my brain, the Mission: Impossible music started.  Dah,
dah, dah-dah, dah, dah dah-dah...

   Cue fuse.  An image of a kitchen match being struck and held to the end
of a long fuse.  The fuse started burning.

   My baby set me up.

   Tami decided that I wanted to do one or both of my new cousins.  Well,
she was wrong.

   Behind me, Hailey started rocking.  Somehow I knew that Cinnamon's mouth
wasn't working her tits anymore but had moved south.  I remembered the look
of Hailey's pussy when she'd dropped her shorts for me.  Completely smooth.
Not a hint of stubble, so it didn't look like she shaved, but with those
tits, she must.

   Tami was wrong, I repeated to myself.  I had all I wanted.  I had Tami.
The others were more like a duty.  They were...

   Hailey started moaning.  More like whimpering, and I knew she was
cumming.

   Tami was getting too devious for her own good.  She'd just have to
understand that...

   "Deeper, deeper, deeper!" Hailey moaned.

   She'd have to understand that...

   Hailey's hand settled on my shoulder, and her nails started digging in.
"Oh fuck, yesssss!"

   I forgot what Tami would have to understand.

   You know, some scientists will tell you that pheromones won't work on
people because our ability to reason overcomes the instinctive reaction to
the pheromones.  Those scientists have obviously never shared a small tent
with two hot horny naked teenagers.

   I rolled over and faced my cousins.

   Cinnamon's head was worming it's way out of the sleeping bag.  She
looked at me.  "Sorry if we disturbed you.  I know you were trying to
sleep." She didn't sound sorry.  In fact, I could hear the grin in her
voice.

   For a second, I considered proving to Tami that she didn't need to
manipulate me.  I'd accept her apology, close my eyes again, and sleep the
sleep of the satisfied.  It was a long second.

   "Oh, shut up," I said, pushing Cinnamon off Hailey and rolling on top of
the two girls.  Big Tony found a warm slot, and I pressed forward, for the
moment not knowing or caring which one's it was.

   Chapter 19

   "I was wondering..."

   Part of my brain reacted to Tami's voice, but the rest just concentrated
on keeping the van between the lines on the road.  Hell, I was having
enough trouble just keeping my eyes open.

   "...how much Cinnamon is there in you?"

   That got my eyes open.  For a second I panicked.  Was Tami jealous?  I
mean, she'd given permission.  Or maybe I just thought she did.  Maybe I
read too much into a couple of off-hand remarks she'd made to Cinnamon.

   "I mean, how much of you is there in Cinnamon?"

   `About a cup and a half,' I thought, remembering the five separate
deposits I'd left in my redheaded cousin.  "Uh..."

   "I'm not saying it right," Tami said.  "When we have kids, how much
Cinnamon will they have?"

   It took a second, but I untangled her sentence, then applied real logic
to girlspeak and tried to anticipate the path of female logic that got us
here.

   "Well, half of me comes from my mom, so a quarter comes from Grandma
Vickie.  Vickie was Cinnamon's grandmother's sister, so an eighth comes
from Gran's mom.  Which means our kids will have a sixteenth of Cinnamon's
DNA." I don't think I'd pass genetics with that analysis, but I was pretty
sure I'd answered Tami's question.  "Why?"

   "I was just thinking how hard it would be to raise a girl like
Cinnamon."

   I grinned and concentrated on the road.  "Actually, I think she's
raising herself.  I don't think you have to worry.  Our kids are going to
have my looks and your brains.  They'll be a snap."

   Tami laid her hand on my thigh, which woke me up enough to avoid the
motorcycle that pulled off the shoulder without signaling.  "What if they
have my looks and your brains?" She asked.

   "Then we could be in trouble.  Maybe we'll get lucky, and they'll take
after their Aunt Traci.  She's kind of slow."

   "I heard that," came a sleepy voice from the back.

   * * *

   It had been a quiet morning.

   A little after nine I heard Rosita yelling about breakfast.  I opened my
eyes in time to see Hailey take a deep breath.  I clamped my hand over her
mouth and Cinnamon's too, for good measure, then yelled back that I was
awake and would be in in just a minute.  I didn't know if Rosita would be
surprised to hear either Cinnamon or Hailey in my tent, but figured I
didn't want to find out the hard way.

   Hailey licked my hand as I pulled it away.  Cinnamon just looked... 
amused.

   "Oooh, kinky stuff," Hailey cooed.  "Are we going to do ropes and gags
and things now?"

   While the bondage scene has never turned me on, I had no trouble
picturing Hailey naked and tied spread-eagled on a bed.

   "We are going to get dressed and go into breakfast like an ordinary and
dull set of cousins," I told her stiffly.

   Hailey pouted for three or four seconds, then stood, bending over again
to pick up her clothes.  "Pickledick," I heard her mumble.

   My hand, without bothering to wait for input from my brain, shot in the
air and slapped down hard on her bare ass.  It made a satisfying crack as
she jumped forward at least a foot.  And made an even more satisfying
handprint.

   Cinnamon grinned, shaking her head slowly.  "You know that'll just
encourage her." She pulled on her shirt, covering her magnificent tits. 
I'd decided that they were bigger than Darlene's, but just barely.  The
TVLand network sometimes ran old commercials.  There was one for a
cigarette that was `a silly little millimeter longer.  I decided that
Cinnamon's tits were a silly little millimeter bigger.

   I looked at Cinnamon and shrugged.  Or I should say I looked up from her
tits to her face and shrugged.  "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

   * * *

   Breakfast was pretty peaceful.

   Or as peaceful as could be expected with a table of nine teenagers.

   Rosita made omelettes to order and piled the table high with hash
browns, bacon and sausage.  Afterward, everybody hugged everybody else as
we said our goodbyes.

   I was loading the van and the trailer when Huntly and Wynter showed up,
and the hugging and the goodbyes started all over again.  Not that I
minded. Hugging cousins Cinnamon and Hailey was a treat, not to mention
adopted cousin Wynter.

   I noticed a look pass between Wynter and Cinnamon, and then Cinnamon
passed a half smile back, and somehow I had a feeling that Wynter had just
been fully briefed on last night's sleeping arrangements.  Damn female
telepathy.

   Huntly had brought a football for Robbie to autograph, and it didn't
take much persuasion to get her to throw a couple passes.  I was drafted to
receive.  Huntly wanted to see Robbie tackle someone, but Cinnamon put her
foot down and said it wouldn't be Huntly.  There was a short private
discussion, and I caught the words `knee,' `skiing,' and `shithead.'

   Then the universe smiled.  Kenny showed up.

   I looked over to where Huntly was still arguing with Cinnamon.  "Huntly,
watch this," I yelled, then nodded to Robbie.  "Kenny, head's up," I
yelled, then lobbed a short pass right into his surprised arms.  Robbie was
half-a-second behind it.  She hit him at the waist, and they sailed six or
seven feet before landing with a loud thud.

   I grinned at Huntly.  "That's how Monster Girl hits." I walked over to
the pile and offered Robbie a hand up.

   "That was mean," she said softly as I pulled her to her feet.

   "Why tell me?  You're the one who hit him."

   Robbie shook her head and walked over to Huntly and Cinnamon.

   Kenny looked slightly panicked as he fought to get air back in his
lungs. I knelt, put my palm on his sternum, and pressed, instructing him to
take small breaths.  A minute later he was breathing normally again, and I
helped him to his feet.

   He looked at me, then Robbie's back, then back at me.  "Holy shit!" he
said finally.

   I grinned and slapped him on the back.  I had to admit, I was impressed.
He'd held onto the ball.  "Want to do it again?"

   I was pretty sure it was the first time in his life that Kenneth Taylor
ever said no to playing with a girl.

   * * *

   It was almost an hour later before I put the van in drive and pulled
away.

   Now, another hour later, I was just trying to stay awake as I piloted us
down the highway toward Wyoming.  For some reason, I didn't get much sleep
last night.

   "Where are you going?" Tami asked.  "These aren't the directions I gave
you.

   "New plan," I said simply.  The idea that I had a little control back in
my life helped wake me up.

   "What new plan?"

   "Well, Robbie let it slip that were we going to Cheyenne today.  It
didn't take much imagination to figure out we're spending the night at Curt
Gowdy State Park." Not much imagination, just a few minutes on Cinnamon's
computer and my cell phone.  "I'll get us there."

   "How?  You're going the wrong way."

   "You know what they say, `All roads lead to Rome.'"

   "What's Rome got to do with it?  We're going to Wyoming."

   "Oops.  That could be a problem." I looked at her and grinned.

   Tami pouted.  Tami's not a world-class pouter.  She doesn't get enough
practice.  But she's good enough to let me know she's annoyed.  I grinned
at the back of her head and kept driving.

   * * *

   Half-an-hour later we pulled into the parking lot.  Cinnamon had given
me directions to miss most of the traffic and construction.  Tami had
fallen asleep pouting, but as I stopped the van she and the other girls all
starting waking up.

   "Where are we?" was mumbled in some form by all of them.

   "Check it out," I said, pointing at the amusement park off to our left.

   Personally, I think fifteen bucks for parking is a bit steep, especially
when they're going to charge us almost fifty bucks a head for admission,
but Six Flags/Elitch Gardens was supposed to be worth it.

   We all got out and stretched while the girls ohhed and ahhed over what
we could see.

   "Since you don't like me changing your plans, you can wait here," I
suggested to Tami.  I slipped my arms around Darlene and Robbie.  "We
should be back by three."

   Tami's replay was not suitable for children.  Or Arab sailors for that
matter.

   We headed for the gate.  Getting us in wiped out my cash.  In fact, I
had to borrow ten from Robbie, but I figured a place with prices like these
had more than one ATM inside.

   Inside, the problems started.  Elitch had dozens of thrill rides and
everybody wanted to start on something different.  That and the place was
packed because it was both a Saturday and the start of the Fourth of July
three-day weekend.  Finally, Tami and Mikee headed for the Tower of Doom,
Traci and Kelly choose The Halfpipe, and Darlene, Robbie, and I The Mind
Eraser.

   When we met up at the gate at three, I was almost glad the lines had
kept us to only five rides.  I was wondering if we should head back and
have Wynter check and make sure all my internal organs were back in the
right spots.

   "Let's hit the water park next," Robbie suggested.

   "Nope, time to go," I said, putting my foot down.

   If you can imagine six donkeys braying in your ear from about a foot
away, then you can imagine the next fifteen minutes.  But for once I got my
way, and twenty minutes later we were back in the van and Tami was aiming
us for I-25.

   `Meanie", was the nicest thing any of them called me.

   * * *

   We'd only been on the freeway five minutes when I heard, "Ut-O", from
the back.  Mikee, Kelly, and Traci were sitting back there, but I didn't
have a clue which one said it.  When I looked back, they were all turned
around and staring out the back window.

   "What'd you do?" I asked Tami, pointing to the flashing lights in the
rear-view mirror.

   "Shit!"

   Tami pulled over to the side and put the van in park.  She kept looking
from the mirror to me.  I shrugged and turned around to watch the Denver
Police cruiser pull in behind us.  A black cop got out of the driver's side
and a white one from the passenger side.  The black cop walked up to the
window.  Tami rolled it down.

   "License and registration please." I refused to believe that he sounded
like Jack Webb on Dragnet without practicing.

   Tami nervously starting looking through her purse while I opened the
glove compartment and looked for the registration.  "What's the problem,
officer?" she asked as she pulled out her laminated driver's license.  I
handed her the registration.

   The cop studied it, then opened the door.  "Step back here please." Tami
looked at me, then got slowly out of the car and followed the officer back
to his car.  I noticed the other officer was still standing by the
passenger door of the cruiser.

   "What's going on?" Robbie asked.

   I turned back toward the front and shrugged as I watched the traffic
whizz by us.

   "He's handcuffing her!" Mikee squealed.

   "We're getting out of here!" I slid into the driver's seat, pulled the
door closed, slammed the van into drive, and took off.  It would have been
a more impressive escape in my car instead of a mini-van pulling a trailer.

   "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Robbie yelled.  "Anthony
Marion S....  Wait a minute."

   I turned off the first exit, pulled around and got back on the freeway
going back.

   "That's Tami," Robbie said, as if that explained everything.  "If there
were a dozen flesh-eating zombies with machine guns, you wouldn't run out
on Tami."

   I grinned and took the third exit.

   "If you want to keep all your anatomy intact..." Robbie didn't finish
her threat, but I had no trouble knowing what part of my anatomy she was
threatening.

   "The other cop was daddy," I explained as I pulled back into the
Elitch's parking lot.  "He's taking her to an early dinner."

   "She's going to hurt you so good," Traci said, which pretty much summed
up the situation.

   "In the mean time, there's a water park with our name on it."

   * * *

   "Tell that thing you call your brother that I'm never speaking to him
again." Tami was standing at the head of the table, tapping her foot.  Me,
I was at peace with the world.  I'd just had one of the best hamburgers
ever.  An e-mail friend had told me about Fatburger in Aurora.  Now I owed
him big.  After two hours in the water park, we'd driven over.

   Traci looked at me.  "Tami says..." I nodded and grabbed the last onion
ring and popped it in my mouth.

   "Tell Tami the honeymoon will still be lots of fun."

   Traci looked as if delivering the message was on the bottom of her list
of things she wanted to do, right after poking her eye out with sharp
stick. Traci looked up at Tami.

   "Tell your brother I wouldn't go on a honeymoon with him if he was the
last man on Earth." Tami was getting louder, and by now we were the center
of attention in the crowded restaurant.  The place had a loud jukebox, and
I do mean loud, but it had turned off just before her entrance while the
attendant emptied the money or whatever.  I had to admire his timing.

   I looked over at Mikee.  "What about it?  After Tami and I get married,
want to go on the honeymoon with me?"

   Mikee held out both hands, palms towards me.  "Do I look stupid?  I
ain't getting in the middle of this."

   I stood, took a couple quick steps, and grabbed Tami's arm.  Then I
started at her hand and kissed my way up, a la Gomez Addams.  "You", kiss,
"are", kiss, "the", kiss, "most", kiss, "beautiful", kiss, "girl", kiss,
"in", kiss, "the", kiss, "world." Kiss, "How's", kiss, "your", kiss, "dad?"
I asked as I got to her shoulder.

   Tami looked like she wanted to stomp her foot or hit something.  "I hate
you," she said, then grabbed my head and pulled me into a long kiss.  "He
thinks you're wonderful.  I think you're mean."

   I stepped back and cocked my head.  "Don't you feel like you're home?" I
said in a high falsetto.  "She's on your list.  I figured you should meet
her." I added in the same voice.

   Tami looked stern for several more seconds, then her face broke and she
laughed.  "I guess that was pretty mean too," she admitted.  "But they
handcuffed me."

   I decided that pointing out that handcuffs were probably not out of the
realm of possibility with Cinnamon and Hailey was not in my best interests.
"When did you realize it was your dad?"

   Tami smiled.  "In the car.  He started laughing when Ray, his friend
from Denver PD, started talking about rubber hoses in the back room and
breaking up the Tami and Tony mob."

   I remembered the cop's Jack Webb voice and grinned.

   "Friends?" I asked.

   "That depends on who's in your sleeping bag tonight," Tami said
seductively.  Then she realized that we were still the center of attention.
"Oh, God!" she yelped as she turned bright red and ran out of the room.

   I grinned and bowed.  "Next show at eight," I announced and followed
her.

   Chapter 20

   "Do you think we'll survive?"

   I squeezed Tami's hand in response.  Actually, I squeezed her hand to
buy time.  Tami had a bad habit of asking questions without any clue to
context.  With Tami, the question could mean anything.  Would the human
race survive the threat of nuclear or biological war?  Or would our
relationship survive?  Maybe more specifically, would it survive my
cousins? Maybe it was about the group.  Would we all make it through this
road trip?  Hell, it could even be would the football team make it through
the regular season to play-offs?

   Before I could frame an all-encompassing reply, Robbie spoke up, "Of
course you won't survive.  Everything dies.  Even the thing between you
two. Even the Sun's gonna die.  I figure you'll last a week, maybe two
after that."

   I squeezed Tami's hand again.  A million years, give or take.  I guess I
can live with that.

   * * *

   The drive to Cheyenne and Curt Gowdy State Park had been routine.  Mikee
drove.  She was becoming a lot more confident, though she still liked Tami,
Robbie, or me to ride shotgun.  It took us a shade over two hours, though
we flew once we got to I-25.

   It was after eight when we pulled into our camp site, but with a lot of
help from the girls, the tents went up quickly.  Then I invited Tami for a
quiet romantic walk and wound up the center of a mob.

   Tami leaned her head against my shoulder as we walked, and I changed
hands from my left to my right, then slid my left around her back and into
the pocket of her cut-offs.  The world was not a bad place.

   "I was surprised that you didn't have us doing a show," Mikee said.  "I
mean, they have a cool amphitheater and everything."

   I felt, more than heard, Tami sigh.  "When I planned this, I figured
you'd want a break after the last show." From the corner of my eye, I
noticed Tami chewing her bottom lip.

   "I feel like finally winning a game of Monopoly," I announced.  "Why
don't you ladies head back and set it up, and we'll be there in a minute."

   Robbie gave me a look, one I felt like she'd stolen from Cousin
Cinnamon, then started herding the others back down the trail before they
could weigh in with opinions.

   "So what is wrong with having a night off?" I asked when we were alone.

   "Nothing.  It's just..." she trailed off.

   There was a log next to the trail.  I sat, pulling Tami onto my lap.  "I
have all night.  And we're not going anywhere until you tell me what's
wrong.  The trick with your dad?"

   Tami smiled, then tried to glare and broke into giggles.  "No.  That was
mean, and I'm never forgiving you, but that's not it."

   "Never's a long time," I pointed out and kissed her neck.

   Tami giggled again.  "It's just..."

   I kissed her ear and nibbled on her earlobe as I waited.

   "I mean, everything's going wrong."

   I froze, Tami's earlobe still between my lips.  `Cinnamon and Hailey,' I
thought.

   "No, that's not what I mean.  Not everything.  But I had this big finish
planned..."

   I relaxed, gave her earlobe a last lick, and asked, "Big finish?"

   Tami sighed.  "For the trip.  Then the show last night was so much
bigger than I expected and now..."

   I kissed her forehead.  "And now, you're worried that your big finish
will be an anti-climax."

   Tami nodded.

   I kissed her forehead again, then her nose, and finally her lips,
gently. "So what?"

   "But..."

   "But nothing.  Tami this trip has been fantastic.  And if everything is
downhill from here, who cares?  We're still having fun."

   Tami smiled and kissed me back.  "How'd you get so wise?"

   I grinned.  "Beverly Hillbillies reruns.  Jed Clampett is the greatest
philosopher of our era."

   Tami laughed, then climbed off my lap.  "Come on.  I feel like winning
at Monopoly for once."

   I stood, slipping my hand around her back and into it's accustomed place
in her pocket.  "Second, maybe.  I'm going to win."

   "In your dreams," she challenged as I felt her hand slip into my back
pocket.

   * * *

   I was the first one out of the game when I landed on one of Darlene's
reds.  Tami was second, but we didn't care.  We slipped quietly into the
small tent and left the others to their game.

   Chapter 21

   The next morning was beautiful.  I had to stop and think about it to
realize that it was Sunday.  I also realized that if Tami's original
schedule was holding, we only had four more days before we had to go back
to the real world.

   Maybe we could head north.  Just keep going and going.  Find a spot in
the Northwest Territories, build a cabin, and live happily ever after.  No
more school.  No more Parker.  No worrying about college and life after. 
Just Tami and me, and Robbie makes three.  Of course Darlene, Mikee, and
Kelly make four, five and six.  Traci we could use for bear bait.  I'd been
planing to bury her in the woods anyway, though at the moment I didn't
remember why.

   The girls started stumbling out around nine.  I'd already been up three
hours, run four miles, had a shower and cooked my breakfast-one of our
neighbors caught more fish than he needed.  I don't fish myself, but I was
happy to take four big trout off his hands.

   Robbie was first.  She made a smart-ass comment about me being too happy
this early in the morning and stumbled toward the restroom.  Darlene was
next.  She just glared as she passed.  Kelly and Traci never opened their
eyes but somehow made it down the trail.  Tami's was the only smiling face
I saw pre-bathroom.  I take personal credit for it, putting it down to
enthusiastic exercise before sleep and a safe secure feeling during.

   By the time the girls started coming back I had breakfast ready: trout,
eggs, and hashbrowns.  Darlene made a face at the trout, but I noticed it
was all gone when she brought back her plate.

   It was almost eleven before we'd packed up and hit the road.  I drove
from Cheyenne to Casper, where we hit an Outback for lunch.  Robbie took
over for the drive to Sheridan, then Mikee took the last leg.  We were
staying at the Prune Creek Campground in the Big Horn National Forest,
about an hour from Sheridan.

   An hour later I was sitting by the firepit-we didn't have a fire going
because it was too hot-a cold Coke in one hand and the other arm around
Mikee as she wiggled in my lap.  The tents were up, the gear unpacked, and
all was right with the world.

   "Hitting on freshmen now?" a voice said over my shoulder.

   "I'm a sophomore," Mikee said automatically before looking up.  I saw
the shock on her face.

   I twisted around and looked, then stood, dumping Mikee on the ground. 
"What the hell are you doing here?" I almost shouted.  I reached down and
helped Mikee to her feet, mumbling an apology.

   "She wanted someone to keep her company.  Said her brother was boring."
Chad Davis hooked his thumb back over his shoulder at the two siblings
standing twenty feet back.

   I laughed.  "I'm guessing this has something to do with the mysterious
calls and e-mails the future Mrs.  Sims has been sending.

   "We were sworn to secrecy," Sally said, stepping up next to Chad.

   "She threatened to rent me to Robbie for a tackling dummy if I breathed
a word," her brother Toby added.

   I grinned, "Having been tackled by Monster Girl a couple of times, I
understand your decision," I said with a grin.  "Mikee, why don't you see
if you can track down the rest of the group?" They'd gone for a walk a few
minutes before.  Mikee nodded, then jogged down the trail they'd left on. I
stepped forward and shook hands with the two boys and hugged Sally.

   We were sitting and talking about our summers when the girls came back.
Mikee had evidently not told them, because they all looked surprised. 
There was a lot of hugging, and I made a mental note to remind Chad that my
sister was only an eighth grader.  And remind Trace that Chad was a senior.

   The guys and I sat down, and Tami settled in my lap.  Chad looked at us,
then glanced at Mikee.  I'm pretty sure that Robbie noticed the look,
`cause a second later she made herself at home on Toby's lap, not that he
looked like he minded.  Then Darlene settled on Chad.

   Sally looked around.  "I feel left out."

   "Can't have that," Robbie and I said at the same time.  Robbie got up,
walked over, and sat in her lap.

   "Not exactly what I had in mind," Sally said in surprise.

   "Be that way," Robbie said huffily and returned to her brother.

   I stretched my legs out in front of me and gave Tami a small push.  She
slid down to the ground.  I looked at Sally.  "Do you want me to go there,
or you come over here?"

   Sally looked surprised, though not as surprised as Tami.  Then she
giggled and moved over onto my lap.

   "Well!" Tami said in a way that reminded me of Jack Benny on the old,
old reruns.  She stood and dusted herself of with exaggerated motions.

   Traci and Kelly got up and hugged her.  "We still love you."

   We talked for about a half-an-hour while the girls played musical laps
with Chad and Toby.  I think the guys were in shock, and Sally, on my lap,
could barely restrain herself from laughing.

   Tami stood up.  "Everybody ready to rehearse?"

   "I thought we were Unrehearsed," Chad said, enjoying a lapful of Mikee.

   Robbie, sitting next to him, laughed.  "Ever see the movie Fame?"

   He nodded.

   "Remember the slave driving dance teacher?"

   He nodded again, looking a little confused.

   "Meet her cousin, Tami."

   Tami grinned and took a bow.

   * * *

   I turned the van into a park and was surprised to see a half-dome stage
like we played in Otter Park, though a lot older and not quite as big. 
Tami directed me to follow the road that circled the park, passing a
playground with an ice cream stand that I decided was worth coming back to.
Eventually we came back around to the stage.

   "Ever feel like you've been set-up?" I asked Robbie, who was sitting
behind me.

   "Only when I hang out with your girlfriend."

   Over the stage was a banner proclaiming a week of concerts in the park.
Most of the groups I didn't recognize, but apparently Unrehearsed was
playing on Sunday.

   I glanced at Tami, but she was pointedly looking out the side window. 
We'd all been surprised when Tami suggested a drive before rehearsal,
especially when Tami's directions took us all the way back to Sheridan and
Kendrick Park.

   I parked behind the stage and turned off the van.  Toby, who'd been
following, pulled his van in next to us.  "Madame tour director," I said,
turning toward Tami, who at least looked at me.  "I know how you hate to
ruin your little surprises, but would it be too much to ask when the
concert is supposed to start?"

   Tami smiled.  "Seven-thirty."

   I looked at my watch.  A little less than two hours.  I looked back at
the others.  "It's a good thing that Sally's kit isn't as big as Cinnamon's
or we'd never make it, but we're still going to have to hustle to get
everything set up and some kind of program arranged.

   "I've got the program here," Tami said, pulling a sheet of paper out of
her purse.

   I ignored her.  "Let's check out the stage, then get Sally and Toby's
stuff unloaded."

   We got out, leaving Tami sulking in the van, and walked around to the
front of the stage.  They had it blocked off with some panels on wheels
like you use for scenery in a play, which made sense.  On an outdoor stage,
a curtain would rot away in no time.

   I started onto the stage.  "You kids can't go back there!" a voice
announced behind me.  A big guy in an sport shirt and spandex shorts was
hurrying towards us.  Spandex should be outlawed on guys and women over
twenty.

   "It's okay, we're Unrehearsed," I shouted at him and kept going.  Behind
the panels I stopped.  There was already a full drum kit and a pair of
keyboards.  "Those look familiar."

   Sally laughed.  "You've seen my drums before.  Why so surprised."

   I looked back at Robbie.  "I guess because I'm a slow learner."

   Robbie nodded at Tami, who'd gotten out of the van and followed us to
the stage.  "You hold and I'll tickle?"

   I grinned.  "I think it's more like you hold and I'll spank."

   We both looked at Tami.

   "What?" she said, shrugging.  The picture of innocence.

   * * *

   "Tami, my love."

   "So, I'm your love again?"

   I slid my arm around her and my hand into her back pocket.  "You've
always been my love, though I'll admit I was slightly annoyed with you."

   Tami sighed.  "At first I thought you were playing, then I realized you
were really annoyed.  Why?"

   Now it was my turn to sigh.  "First, you need to realize that I've loved
this trip.  And I've loved your surprises.  Mostly."

   "But?"

   "The idea of having Toby, Sally, and Chad show up and then doing a
concert three hours later was not your best one."

   "Why?"

   "Music is easy.  But performing music is harder, especially without
practice."

   "That's why I had us get there early."

   "But..." I stopped.  I knew this was going to be hard to explain.  Tami
loved music, but didn't sing, not even in the shower.  "I want you to
listen to something." I pulled my MP3 player out of my pocket and handed it
to her.  "It's cued up.  All you have to do is push play."

   Tami put the earbuds in her ears and pushed the play button.  We walked
as she listened to the two songs.  "I don't get it," she said, pulling the
earbuds out after it was over.

   "Same song, same singer," I explained, and she still looked puzzled. 
"That was Michael Johnson with a song he did called This Night Won't Last
Forever.  The first one, he did around seventy-eight as a single, then he
re-recorded it ten years or so later.  That was the second song."

   "But it was so different."

   "Yeah," I agreed.  "Actually, I don't like the second version at all,
but the point I'm trying to make is, that's the same song with two very
different arrangements."

   Tami looked puzzled.

   "Imagine that you decided that you wanted me to do that song.  I learn
the first version.  Then you e-mail Chad that you want the group to learn
the song.  He goes on the internet and pulls up the music for the second
version.  Then we meet in beautiful Sheridan, Wyoming, and without
practice, perform."

   Tami giggled.  "Okay, so no more surprises?"

   "I hope you'll never stop surprising me, but just be careful when
audiences are involved." Tami nodded and we walked some more.

   Actually the concert had gone better than I would have expected.  We'd
had almost two hours to run through the music and work out the kinks.  We
did most of the songs that we'd been performing.  Evidently Tami had kept
Sally and guys informed when we added new ones.  I was kinda surprised that
Tami didn't have us do In America, since it had gone over so big in Otter
Park.  Maybe the guys hadn't learned that one.

   The ice cream stand had closed by the time we finished and packed the
band's gear.  I decided that finding roadies needed to go on my to-do list.
And groupies.  So we headed back to the campground and barbequed
hamburgers. It was almost midnight before Tami and I got our walk.

   "You know," I said as we started back, "Robbie was more annoyed than I
was."

   "Robbie?  She didn't look annoyed."

   "She kept it inside.  Remind me to find her something to tackle
tomorrow."

   "But..."

   "Tami, you may not have noticed, but Robbie is something of a
perfectionist."

   "I know, but..."

   "We weren't perfect.  Not even close.  We were good.  And the audience
liked it, but we weren't where Robbie wanted us to be."

   "Should I apologize?"

   "Nope.  Wouldn't hurt, but wouldn't help.  She'll get over it."

   "Especially if you have her tackle something."

   "But you might let her in on any other musical plans you have."

   Tami nodded.

   "And if you wanted to tell me too..."

   "Like that's going to happen," she said with a laugh.  She jumped away
from me, then pushed me into a large bush.  "Race you back to camp," she
yelled, breaking into a run.

   I untangled myself from the bush and followed, wondering if a dog might
be a better idea than a girlfriend.  Affectionate, loyal, and you can slap
them on the nose with a rolled up newspaper.

   Chapter 22

   The applause was almost deafening.

   I'd just finished Skin with Darlene and Kelly dancing around me, and the
audience loved it, especially when Darlene pulled off her skincap and took
her second bow.

   "Thank you.  Thank you," I said, and waited for the applause to die out.
"You've been a great audience, and I wish the show could go on forever."
Then I had to wait again for the applause.  "The fireworks start in about
ten minutes, so we'd like to finish with one last..."

   "Tony!" someone whispered from the side of the stage.  I looked over. 
Tami was holding up two fingers.

   "Sorry," I told the audience.  "Two last songs."

   * * *

   It had been a good day.  No, a great day.  I hadn't climbed out of
Tami's arms and my sleeping bag until after nine and wasn't all that
surprised to find out I was the first.  I was surprised that Sally was the
first girl out of the big tent.

   "Good morning," I called as she stumbled toward the rest rooms.  The
others all appeared in the next ten minutes.  I started breakfast, and Chad
and Toby showed up from their tent in the next space before I was done.

   "I see the girls have you well trained," Toby said with a grin as I
stirred my scrambled eggs.

   I grinned right back.  "I'm traveling with six of the sexiest girls in
Washington, only one of which is my sister.  You're traveling with your
sister and him." I pointed my spatula at Chad.  "Want me to teach you to
cook?"

   The bright red color in his cheeks was all the answer I needed.

   After breakfast we loaded up and headed back to Sheridan.  Robbie had
met a guy at last night's concert and arranged to borrow his warehouse, so
by eleven we were practicing.  We put in five hours with only a small break
when Robbie sent me and Tami to Wendy's for burgers.

   While we ate, Tami set-up her laptop to check e-mail or whatever.  She
was eating a burger with one hand and typing with the other when she
choked. I'd been sitting between Sally and Robbie, talking about one song
that we were having trouble with.  I jumped to my feet, but before I could
get to her, the choking turned to laughter.

   "Stay!" she said as she saw me coming forward, holding her palm out to
reinforce her command.

   "What?"

   "Robbie, I need your advice." She pointed at her laptop screen.  "Do we
tell him now and ruin his day, or wait till after the show?"

   Ruin my day?

   Robbie came around and read whatever was on the screen.  She didn't
laugh, but there was a sadistic feel to the grin on her face.  "It would be
better for the show to wait until later, but this is to good to keep.  But
first," she motioned Traci and Kelly over.

   It took the two younger girls over a minute each to read what was on the
screen.  I knew from their big grins that it wasn't good.  Traci walked
over, leaned up on tip-toes, and kissed me on the cheek.  "You're still my
favorite brother."

   I knew I was going to hate whatever it was.

   "Can I read it to him?  Please?  Please?  Pretty please?" Robbie begged,
sounding like a five-year-old asking for candy.

   Tami nodded.

   "Do I need to sit down?" I asked.

   "Maybe you'd better."

   I sat, but before Robbie could start reading, Kelly came over and sat
across my lap.  The gentle way she sat down instead of her usual running
jump made me wonder who'd died.  But I knew Tami wouldn't be so callous
about something like that.

   "You don't have to tell me," I said.  "I know already."

   "You do?" Tami and Robbie asked together.

   "Yep.  Last night some bigwig from Virgin Records was in Otter Park,
heard the Wizards play, and signed them to a hundred million dollar
contract with a movie deal on the side."

   "Close," Tami agreed.

   "Close?" Kelly wiggled to get comfortable and I decided that a good
lap-warmer was almost as good as a hundred million dollar contract. 
Almost. Mostly.

   "Cousin Cinnamon e-mailed me."

   "Why'd she e-mail you?" I asked.

   "Probably cause she knew I was checking my e-mail and didn't know if you
were.  She sent me a link to an article in the Rocky Mountain News..."

   "The Rocky Mountain News?" I interrupted.  "Wynter's won the damned
Nobel prize."

   "Not for five or six years," Traci said from behind me.  She laid her
hands on my shoulders and started rubbing.  "She's only thirteen."

   Tami grinned, turned sideways, and held both hands out at Robbie as if
presenting her.

   Robbie put on a straight face, cleared her throat and started reading.
"Dateline...  we can skip that.  This small mountain community was shocked
not so much by a robbery attempt at the Community Schoolership Fund's
concert at Otter Park as by the way it was foiled.  Twelve-year-old Kenny
Taylor, son of Doctor and Mrs.  Kevin Taylor, offered himself as a hostage
to save two classmates and their chaperone when Carl Garrett held a knife
to Brinkly Ward's throat and demanded the proceeds from their donation
table.  Ward has been confined to a wheelchair for several years as a
result of a condition related to ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

   "Taylor was able to talk Garrett into leaving the table and other
hostages on the pretext of robbing several other tables during the
distraction caused by the surprise appearance of Tyrone Hayes at the
concert.  Taylor, with the help of sixteen-year-old Ron Lopez, son of a
local policeman, then disarmed the robber when safely away from the crowd.
Lopez, who has been instructing Taylor in karate, hapkido, and kung fu,
said his star pupil was unranked but probably about the equivalent of a
brown belt."

   Karate?  No wonder the little punk hadn't been afraid of me.

   "Garrett was taken into custody," Robbie continued, still straight
faced, "by police officers Bill Hlavacek and Evan Peters and off-duty State
Patrolman W.  T.  "Red" Swingle, who said the suspect appeared to be high
on one or more narcotics.

   "This isn't Taylor's first opportunity to play hero.  Last year he was
instrumental in the capture of convicted cocaine dealer Juan de Ramirez y
Sanchez, along with two kilos of cocaine.  The year before, he was
instrumental in the rescue of two friends from the Hargus Mine."

   "Ward, a singer with Brink of Destruction was checked by paramedics and
released after giving her statement."

   Robbie finished and looked up.  I realized every eye was on me, though
Sally, Toby and Chad couldn't have a clue what was going on.

   "Kenny is going to be so pissed that they called him a twelve-year-old,"
I said after a few seconds.

   "Is that all you have to say?" Tami asked.

   "Okay, I'm impressed.  But I still ain't leaving him alone with my
little sister."

   * * *

   A little after four we packed up again and headed east of town to the
Polo Grounds.  Personally, I refuse to believe that anyone in Wyoming had
ever seen a polo match, let alone played one, but the Polo Grounds were
where the big annual fourth-of-July celebration was held.

   Several hundred cars were already there when we arrived.  Families
parked, barbequed, and played football, soccer and other things. 
Fortunately we were able to park near the stage, where a rock band was
playing.

   "These guys play till five," Tami explained.  "Then there's another
group from five-thirty to seventy-thirty.  Then we've got the prime spot
from eight until the fireworks."

   "How'd we manage to get the prime spot?" Robbie asked with a wink to me.

   "Well, I happened to mention our five state concert tour..."

   I've really got to keep Tami away from Robbie.

   With nothing to do until seven-thirty, we wandered the Polo Grounds. 
Robbie and I even managed to find a touch football game.  She didn't get to
tackle anything, but it helped.  That and the practice.

   At seven we barbequed steaks, then set up the band's equipment.  At
eight Traci started things off with Jailhouse Rock.  There were maybe fifty
people by the stage when we started, but by nine, the crowd had grown to
several hundred.  Robbie was doing Bridge Over Troubled Water when I
noticed three guys setting up extra microphones in front of a stage.  One
of them came over to me and handed me a note.  `WE'RE BROADCASTING NOW, SO
INTRODUCE THE GROUP.'

   I handed the note to Tami.  She shrugged innocently.

   "I hope you at least got us royalties this time," I whispered as Robbie
finished her song.  I took a mike and walked out on stage.  "That was
Robbie Tate with Bridge Over Troubled Water," I said.  I'd considered
introducing her as Roberta, but I wanted to see my mom and dad at least
once more before I died.  "Her newest CD, Live from Otter Park is available
now.  And this is Unrehearsed.  On the keyboards, Toby Reyes.  On drums,
his slammin' sister Sally.  And the man on the strings, Chad Davis."

   "Next up, we have Darlene Carter with I Will Always Love You."

   * * *

   The concert went great.  By the time I finished Skin, we probably had a
thousand people, easy, and who knew how big a radio audience.  I finished
my lead-in, then jogged off the stage.  Traci walked out, said something to
Toby, walked to the front of the stage, and sat down, her feet dangling
over the edge.

   Toby started playing.  One of his keyboards sounded like a piano, the
other, like a whole string section.  The song was...  haunting and sad.  I
thought I recognized it, but I didn't know from where.  He told me later it
was called Nadia's Theme and they used it on one of the soaps.  He played
real softly.

   "A couple weeks ago, one of my friends sang a song at a show," Traci
said softly into her microphone.  "I hadn't heard it before, but it kind of
summed up how I felt about one special guy.  I'd like to try it tonight."

   I wondered who the special guy was.  Peter?  The kid who got her cherry?

   And when did she learn the song?  Then I remembered how Robbie had
suggested that I make the Wendy's run.

   She looked back at Toby, and he switched to the intro of a different
song.  Chad and Sally came in behind him.  Traci started out softly, almost
a whisper.

   "Found myself today.

   Oh, I found myself and ran away.

   Something pulled me back,

   A voice of reason I forgot I had."

   Her voice was getting stronger.

   "All I know is you're not here to say,

   What you always used to say,

   But it's written in the sky tonight."

   Now she was really belting it out.

   "So I won't give up, No I won't break down.

   Sooner than it seems, life turns around.

   And I will be strong, even if it all goes wrong.

   When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe,

   Someone's watching over me."

   I recognized the song as the one Mikee had done at the first karaoke
contest.  She'd said it from some Hilary Duff movie.

   "Seen that ray of light,

   And it's shining on my destiny.

   Shining all time,

   And I won't be afraid,

   To follow everywhere it's taking me.

   All I know is yesterday is gone,

   And right now I belong,

   To this moment, to my dreams."

   "So I won't give up, No I won't break down,

   Sooner than it seems, life turns around.

   And I will be strong, even if it all goes wrong.

   When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe,

   Someone's watching over me."

   She switched tempo.

   "It doesn't matter what people say.

   And it doesn't matter how long it takes,

   Believe in yourself and you'll find

   It only matters how true you are.

   Be true to yourself and follow your heart."

   Robbie and Tami had walked up and were standing beside me.  "So who's
the special guy."

   Robbie gave me one of her looks, then glanced at Tami.  "You know, I
used to wonder which one of us was smarter."

   Tami smiled.

   "So I won't give up, no I won't break down,

   Sooner than it seems, life turns around.

   And I will be strong, even if it all goes wrong.

   When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe,

   That I won't give up,"

   Her voice was strong and almost defiant.

   "No I won't break down,"

   Mikee, Kelly and Darlene stepped out and joined in.

   "Sooner than it seems, life turns around,

   And I will be strong, even when it all goes wrong.

   When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe,

   That someone's watching over...

   Someone's watching over...

   Someone's watching over me."

   "Someone's watching over me."

   Damn!  Just when you're ready to bury your sister deep in the woods, she
does something like this.

   I was supposed to go out and introduce and start the last song, but I
stood, watching Traci, and she smiled and enjoyed the applause.  Robbie
grabbed her mike and walked out.  "That was Traci Sims with a special song
for a very special guy." The applause started again and lasted several
minutes.  Traci came off the stage, and I gave her a big hug.

   "You know," Robbie continued when the clapping died down, "it's easy to
forget why we're here, with the fireworks, and the football, and the
barbeques and the music.  We'd like to finish with a song that reminds us."

   She started singing, then Chad came in behind her.

   "Well, the eagle's been flying slow,

   And the flag's been flying low.

   And a lot of peoples saying

   That America's fixing to fall.

   But speaking just for me..."

   I came in on, what should have been Robbie's part..

   "And some people from Tennessee,

   We got a thing or two,

   To tell you all."

   The song was an even bigger hit than at Otter Park.  Maybe because it
was the fourth.  Or maybe Wyomians are more patriotic that Coloradans. 
Hell, I don't know.  But when I sang those last few lines, a tthousand
voices sang me.

   "Just go and lay your hands

   On a Denver Broncos fan,

   "And I think you're gonna finally understand."

   "And you never did think that it ever would happen again.

   In America, did you?

   You never did think that we'd ever get together again.

   Well, we damn sure fooled you.

   We're walking real proud and we're talking real loud again

   In America.

   You never did think that it ever would happen again."

   We took seven bows, and the applause didn't let up.  The only thing that
stopped it was the first fireworks going off.

   I think at that moment, watching the people turn toward the fireworks
that represented the bombs bursting in air over Fort Sumter-no, that was
wrong; Sumter was the Civil War-Fort McHenry, I understood for the first
time, more than any history book could teach me, why we'd never lost a
fight we believed in.

   Note to the politicians: get the people to believe, then get the hell
out of the way.

   * * *

   The next morning we were up by nine, had the van loaded, and were on the
road by ten after saying goodbye to the others.  We had almost six hundred
miles to Missoula, but they were only going a hundred and twenty to
Billings.  Toby and Sally had cousins there, and Chad was tagging along.

   After lunch Tami and I were sitting in the back seat while Mikee drove
and Robbie kibitzed.  I took her face in my hands.  "By the way, Tami.  The
show last night?  Definitely not an anti-climax."

   Tami grinned and kissed me.  Hard.

   "They're at it again." Kelly said with a giggle from the seat in front
of us.

   "Leave them alone," Robbie said from the front.  "Tomorrow night they
have to go back to being normal teenagers, sleeping alone and only thinking
about sex."

   * * *

   We camped that last night at Beavertail Hill Park just east of Missoula.
Tami slept with me, as she had the last three nights.  Like Robbie said,
soon we all had to get used to being normal teenagers again, and the others
were letting me enjoy Tami as much as possible.

   Our last leg was just a hair over three hundred miles.  We stalled
around the campground till noon, then reluctantly left.

   The drive home was the most subdued of all.  Somehow, it was even
quieter than when everyone was sleeping.  We got to town about five and
dropped Darlene first, with me ducking down so that her step-dad wouldn't
spot me, then Robbie.

   I was happy to see the Trailer Park.  It was home.  But I was sad too.
The trip was over.

   * * *

   "Is it too early to start planning the trip for next year?" I asked Tami
as we took our walk around the park that night.

   "Never too early."

   "I think your grandmother would be happy about how everything turned
out."

   "I think so too," Tami agreed.  "So tell me Mr.  Sims, how many bottles
have you got hidden?"

   I was glad the dark covered my blush.  "A couple." Well, four.

   "Now what?"

   I didn't hesitate.  "I dump them and get on with me life," I said,
meaning every word.  I didn't need them anymore.

   "What about Zoe?"

   I looked up at the sky.  It was crystal clear, with every star trying to
outshine the others.  "I guess she gets on with her death."

   [Author's Note: In this story, I waited until Russell Hoisington was
busy scoping out the new crop of girl scouts hawking their cookies, then
stole, that is, borrowed, er, creatively acquired some of his best
characters.  For more on his characters in this story, please read Wynter
King, Wynter & Jimmy, Wynter & Cinnamon, and the forthcoming Wynter &
Hailey.  Then don't send him e-mail demanding more.  He spends too much
time answering e-mail now when he should be writing.  Gently enter REM
sleep and point your alpha waves his way.]

   [His characters are used with his express permission and cooperation,
please do not use them without consulting with the author.  (Not that I
plan to give them back.)

   [Chronological Note: This story takes place about a year after the
events in Russell Hoisington's Wynter & Cinnamon.]

   Tony and the rest return in The Trailer Park: The Fifth Year.  Coming
soon.