Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Title: Colleen Ch.  03


Summary: Bobby and Colleen's love will never end.


Keywords: inc,fic





   "I'm ready for the rest of my birthday present."

   Colleen closed the bedroom door behind her and watched at me lying on
the bed.  If I didn't love her so much I would have been terrified at the
grin on her face.  The look in her eye was that of a starving predator and
I was tonight's entrée.  She slipped off her shoes and walked over to stand
by the side of the bed looking down at my mid-section.

   "Oh my, and you went to all the trouble of wrapping it too."

   I lay on the bed, hands clasped behind my head, completely naked except
for a large red ribbon tied in a bow around my cock.

   "I wonder what could be inside.  I guess I better unwrap it."

   With that she bent over and grabbed the end of the ribbon with her
teeth. She raised her head to untie the bow and pulled the ribbon the rest
of the way off with her hands.

   "It looks absolutely lovely but what am I supposed to do with it?"

   From the second she had told me earlier at the restaurant that she was
not wearing any panties, my brain started pumping blood into my dick.  At
this point it was about to burst as Colleen slowly stroked it with her warm
smooth hand.  She said nothing, her eyes smiling as she waited for my
answer.

   "I don't know.  It didn't come with an instruction manual."

   Colleen turned her head slightly, looked at the alarm clock on the
nightstand biting her lower lip, and then looked back at me.  She climbed
up onto the bed, straddling my ankles.  She walked on her knees up my body
until she was directly over my cock.  Colleen bent over and placed her
hands on either side of my head and whispered in my ear.

   "I love you so much Bobby."

   Colleen took a soft nibble of my ear lobe and began gently kissing down
the side of my neck until she reached the crook of my neck and shoulder. 
She straightened back up then reached down and took hold of the hem of her
dress.  With agonizingly slow movements Colleen raised her dress until it
was up over her hips and around her waist.  Her silver stockings were thigh
highs that were held in place by a large band of black elastic lace.  This
was in contrast to the creamy texture of her thighs and stomach.

   By this time all of her pussy hair had grown back after having been
shaved off for Brigid's birth.  Once again there was the thick mass of dark
silk threads that covered her pubic area and continued down between her
legs.  My cock had been hard since the restaurant and now I was about to
pass out from lack of blood to my brain.

   Colleen reached down between her legs and wrapped her fingers around my
cock.  My cock was so stiff that it almost hurt as she gently pulled back
until it was pointing straight up towards her.  She lowered herself until
the tip of my cock came into contact with her pussy.  She slowly rocked her
hips back and forth, pushing my cock through the thick forest until I could
feel the lips of her cunt.  Still holding my cock, she slowly slid it back
and forth against herself until I could feel the juice begin to drip out of
her.  Slowly her pussylips opened and I slid the tiniest fraction of an
inch up inside of her.

   Colleen kept her eyes focused on mine and continued to rock her hips,
slowly working my cock deeper inside of her.  I felt her cunt begin sucking
on me as the head moved past her pussylips, following the path to its home.
Colleen's eyelids made small fluttering movements as she pulled her hand
away from my dick.  With a sigh she relaxed her leg muscles and slowly let
gravity pull her down forcing me further up inside of her.  When I felt my
balls nestled in the dense forest of her hair I knew that I was deep as I
could possibly get.

   Colleen stopped moving and was breathing deeply.  She bent forward
again, leaning on one arm.  With the other hand she kissed the tips of her
fingers then gently pressed them against my lips, slowly stroking my face
then sat back up.

   She began a small slow gentle rocking motion with her hips, back and
forth, not even an inch in distance.  I slowly slid my hands along the tops
of her thighs.  Colleen placed her hands on top of mine and slid one of my
hands to the inside of her thigh and pulled it up until it was tangled in
the thick mass of her hair.  She pushed down on my middle finger until it
lay between the lips of her pussy, rubbing against the nub of her clit. 
Colleen showed me the slow rhythm she wanted then let go.

   As she continued the slow undulation of her hips, Colleen looked to the
side and studied the clock again for a moment.  She turned her face back to
me and smiled.  Still rocking back and forth, she raised herself ever so
slightly and then lowered herself back down.  Her cunt kept a slow rhythmic
sucking, gently squeezing and releasing.  I could feel the pulsating
motions of her cunt walls against my cock.

   I raised my hips to drive my cock deeper into her as she pushed herself
down.  Her hips were constantly in an agonizingly slow movement, her cunt
grasping and releasing my cock while my fingers slid around and against her
clit.  I placed my hands on her hips to pull her down tighter against me
and began to force myself even harder and faster into her.

   Colleen put her hands on my wrists and pulled my hands away.  She was
breathing deeply and her eyes were starting to glaze over when she looked
at the clock again.  She looked back to me and panted, "Not yet...it's not
time yet...slow down."

   She stopped the movement of her hips but I could feel her increase the
pressure of her cunt gripping my cock.  Her silk clad thighs closed even
tighter on my hips as she reached around behind and I heard the sound of
the zipper on the back of her dress.  Slowly the shoulder straps began to
slide down her arms and the bodice of the dress gently fell away from her
breasts.  She pulled her arms free from the dress and pushed it down until
it lay at her mid-section.  The dress was now just a band of black velvet
wrapped around her waist.

   Colleen's breasts were full and heavy with milk for Brigid.  The
slightest movement, each breath, each twitch of her body as her cunt
continued to suck my cock caused the breasts to ripple and wobble before my
eyes.  I raised my head up until I was close enough to kiss and lick along
the side of each breast.  Colleen put both of her hands on the back of my
head and pulled me to her until my face was buried in the valley between
those two glorious fountains of motherhood.

   Dear God I love doing that.

   Gently she pulled me away from her chest and quickly glanced at the
clock.  Slowly, ever so slowly she began the rhythmic rocking of her hips
again, raising herself up on my cock and then sliding back down in an
effort to push me even further, deeper inside of her.

   I could feel the pressure building in my balls, ready to explode large
streams of sperm deep into my sister.  The pace of pushing ourselves
against each other was becoming more rapid.  Colleen's breath was deep and
heavy and her eyes were starting to become unfocused.  Her head started
wobbling around on her neck when she looked at the clock again.  In a voice
filled with frustration and anguish she said, "Not...time...yet...oh
God..."

   Colleen stopped all of her movement and looked into my eyes.  Her look
was one of hunger and need and she was almost incoherent.

   "Not time yet Bobby...oh sweet Jesus I love you..."

   As her breathing began to slow down I made my cock twitch inside of her.
She moaned and began the gentle undulation of her hips again.  Again she
started the torturously slow rhythm of our fucking, building up the tension
inside of us both until we were both ready to explode.  Again she looked at
the clock and with voice filled with pain that came from deep inside of her
soul she wailed, "Not time yet...not time..." and almost began to cry as
she stopped all movement.

   If I had been capable of rational thought at that moment I would have
gotten up and thrown the clock out the window but the only thing my brain
could process was my need to cum.

   That was the pattern of our love making over the next hour.  The slow
gentle cadence of pushing our hips together as Colleen slid up and down my
cock, gradually picking up speed almost to the breaking point and then
stopping all motion just before the explosion when Colleen would look at
the clock and her voice would weep as she moaned, "Not time yet..."

   Over and over we did this until I was ready to throw her onto her back
and continue fucking whether she wanted to or not.  I placed my hands on
her hips and pulled down in an effort to shove my cock deeper inside of my
sister when she looked at the clock and grunted, "Now Bobby...now...it's
time...put your sperm inside me...oh God yes cum inside me..."

   That was all it took.  I don't know how many orgasms I have had in my
lifetime, but none have ever been as intense as that one.  So intense that
it was almost painful.

   The second Colleen's cunt felt my sperm rocketing out the end of my
cock, it clamped down hard to squeeze the life out of it.  Her thighs
gripped me tighter as her hips began uncontrollable spasms and her body
began to convulse.  She frantically grabbed the pillow that was lying next
to her and brought it to her face.  She bit down hard and began screaming
into the pillow in an effort to not wake the girls that were sleeping just
across hall from us.

   Colleen's body gave one last major shudder and then stopped all movement
completely.  The pillow fell from her hands and she slumped forward to lie
on my chest.  I wrapped my arms around her and held her close.  Slowly the
blood began to drain from my cock and return to my brain.  The only thing I
was physically capable of doing was the slow stroking of my hands on her
back while her face was buried in crook of my neck.  Gradually my heart
rate began to slow down and the ringing in my ears stopped.

   My hands slid up until I could cradle her head between my two palms.  I
kissed her on the lips and looked deep into her eyes.  All of the love that
we have for each other could be felt in that look.

   "What the hell was going on with you watching the clock?" I asked.

   Colleen began to grin and then laugh.  She placed her lips next to my
ear and through the laughter she said, "Let's just say that right now Mike
and Jimmy are two very happy campers."

   Colleen woke me in the middle of the night by pulling on me until I was
laying on top her.

   "What are you doing?"

   "I want to play with my birthday present again."

   "Ok...but don't you dare look at the clock..."

   I was down in the depths of a well deserved sleep when someone dropped a
20 pound sack of sugar onto my chest.  The air rushed out of my lungs and
my eyes popped open.  There in front of me, no more that two inches away
were the dark smiling eyes of Noelle.  She threw her arms around my neck
and began chanting half of her thirteen month old vocabulary.

   "Daddy...DaddyDaddyDaddyDaddy...DADDY!"

   She bent her head down to give me a kiss and in the process smacked her
forehead into the bridge of my nose.  My eyes immediately unfocused and one
eyelid slammed shut as I moaned out something that sounded like
"owgranabunakeek."

   Noelle began sliding away from me as Meghan grabbed her ankles and
pulled her backwards on her tummy.  When she was close enough, Meghan
picked up her sister and held her on her lap.

   My eyes were tearing as I struggled to sit up and look around.  Colleen
was still next to me but she was propped up by a large pile of pillows
leaning against the headboard.  She was smiling as she held Brigid to her
breast and I could hear the quiet sucking noises as mother and daughter
continued to cement their bond.  Meghan and Molly were sitting at the end
of the bed with their legs crossed Indian style.  Noelle was settled into
Meghan's lap, leaning back against her chest.  She would occasionally
bounce up and down while babbling something and then settle back down
against her big sister.

   Everyone was smiling except for me.  I was struggling to get my brain
and both eyes to focus on the same thing while uttering a series of
unintelligible sounds.  I was finally able to wiggle and scoot around until
I was sitting up and leaning against the headboard myself.  By the time I
got my body into a comfortable position the girls were snickering at my
efforts.

   "Mom, is daddy always this funny when he wakes up?" Molly asked.

   "Yes, he is and now you see what I have to put up with every morning,"
Colleen replied.

   Brigid had finished nursing so Colleen handed my daughter to me.  I held
her on my shoulder and was gently rubbing and patting her back.  Brigid
made a sound like a small hiccup and then let loose with a belch that was
loud enough to rattle windows in the next block.  This sent everyone into
an explosive fit of giggles and laughter.  Even Brigid had a smile on her
face.

   As everyone began to settle back down I looked at my family and made an
executive decision.

   "All right campers, everybody up.  Girls, take your sisters and get
dressed while your mother and I take a shower.  We'll meet you at the front
door in exactly thirty minutes.  We're going to Waffle World."

   Meghan and Molly popped up and began shouting and jumping on the bed. 
Noelle just laid back laughing and clapping her hands.

   "OK girls, get going.  Let's get this show on the road."

   The girls headed out of the bedroom, Noelle hopping while holding onto
Meghan's hand and Molly holding Brigid on her shoulder.

   "Bobby, we don't need to go out, I was going to..."

   "Nope, not going to happen," I interrupted Colleen.  "There's a stack of
waffles out there with my name on them.  I'm going to find them and eat
them and not think twice about it."

   I got out of the bed and walked around to Colleen's side.  I reached out
and took her by the hand, tugging until she stood in front of me.  She slid
her arms around my waist and pulled me close, slowly rubbing her nipples
against my chest.

   "Watch it woman, don't get anything started.  The girls could come back
in here any second."

   "Ok, but you're going to owe me big time tonight."

   I reached down and squeezed one of her ass cheeks.  "You know that I
always pay my debts."

   Holding hands, we walked into the bathroom and got in the shower.

   Meghan and Molly had Noelle and Brigid dressed and were waiting for us
at the front door by the time we came out of the bedroom.

   "What took you guys so long?  You said thirty minutes and we've been
waiting forever.  We're hungry."

   Colleen leaned over and whispered loud enough for the neighbors to hear.
"We would have been here twenty minutes ago but your father couldn't make
up his mind about his wardrobe."

   Meghan looked at me with total amazement.  "And that's what you picked
out?  Dad you need some serious help."

   I had grabbed the first pair of jeans and sweatshirt I could find.

   Colleen was wearing my favorite pair of jeans, the ones that hugged her
ass and thighs and always left me imagining naughty thoughts about my
sister.  She was wearing sandals that left her toes bare for me to see the
red nail polish and a light blue scoop neck T shirt.  She was still wearing
the necklace and earrings that I had given her the night before.  Meghan
and Molly were buckling Noelle and Brigid into their car seats while I was
locking the front door.

   As I pulled the key out of the lock Colleen whispered in my ear.

   "I'm still not wearing any panties."

   "Wife, you're trying to kill me."

   Colleen just smiled and pulled me towards the minivan.

   Breakfast at Waffle World was uneventful except when Noelle discovered
that the metal tray on her high chair made an interesting sound when she
slammed her spoon down on it.  She found this so intriguing that she began
slamming it down repeatedly until we had to take the spoon away from her.
This brought a collective sigh of relief from the rest of the patrons in
the restaurant.  Noelle crossed her arms on her chest then stuck out her
lower lip and pouted for the next ten minutes until Molly began poking her
in her ribs and made her start laughing.

   We finished eating our late breakfast and got out of the restaurant just
as the lunch crowd started showing up.  When we got settled into the van I
asked the question, "Where to?" The vote was 5 to 0 in favor of the park
(Brigid was abstaining because at two months she didn't care where we
went.)

   In the van we always kept one of Meghan and Molly's soccer balls and an
old blanket that we used for picnics.  After we got to the park, Colleen
and I spread the blanket out in the shade of a tree while the girls began
practicing some of their soccer drills.  At the tender age of thirteen
months Noelle was able to demonstrate that she had a firm grasp of the
three basic fundamentals of soccer.

   One - chase the ball until you collapse on top of it.

   Two - grasp the ball firmly in both hands and throw it straight up in
the air.

   Three - chase the squirrel that just ran in front of you.

   After an hour of chasing the squirrel and her two older sisters, Noelle
toddled over and sat down next to me on the blanket.  She very slowly
crumpled over sideways until her head was in my lap, her eyes closed with a
tiny line of drool escaping from the corner of her mouth.  Colleen
carefully picked up Noelle and laid her next to Brigid who was already
passed out on the blanket on the other side of me.  Colleen sat between my
legs and leaned against me, her back against my chest and my arms around
her as we watched Meghan and Molly play a pickup game of tag with several
of their friends from school.

   When the girls began to show signs of running out of steam, we packed up
and went home.  After getting a snack and resting for a few minutes,
Colleen stayed home with Noelle and Brigid while I took Meghan and Molly
downtown to the library so they could get the books they needed for their
school projects.  By the time we got back, Colleen was minutes away from
having dinner ready for us.

   In twenty-four hours we had gone from a limousine and dinner at Gypsy
Sally's to hotdogs and chips at the kitchen table.  If I am given the
choice I will choose Café O'Conner every time.

   Afterwards I cleaned up the kitchen while Colleen supervised personal
hygiene activities for the girls.  Finally all four kids were tucked into
bed and it was time for Colleen and I to turn out the lights and head for
bed ourselves.

   With the door firmly closed we began to undress each other, all the
while kissing and gently stroking, caressing.  Colleen folded the sheet and
covers back and then lay down with her legs spread.  I carefully lay on top
of her, my hips settling between her thighs.

   Last night the sex had been about celebration, celebrating Colleen's
birthday, celebrating the closeness of family, celebrating the end of two
months mandatory celibacy.  As I slowly slid inside of her, we recognized
that tonight was about experiencing the love just between Colleen and I. 
There were no wild gyrations or bouncing around on the mattress, just slow
and gentle movements and soft murmurs of unconditional love for each other.
When our orgasms came they were slow, small and barely noticed, but the
emotional exchange was greater than anything that happened the night
before.

   The next morning was Sunday and we actually made it to church with five
minutes to spare.

   Following her birthday, Colleen began spending a lot of time talking
with Sharon and Mi Lin.  At first I didn't pay any attention to it but when
I saw the phone bill and the long distance charges were almost ten times
higher that they were the month before, I knew something was up.  When I
asked her about it, she just gave me one of her half smiles and was very
evasive saying, "Oh you know, some times I just feel like talking to my
sister-in-law."

   Two months after her birthday I was woken up by Colleen getting out of
bed.  With one eye barely open I glanced over at the window to see that the
sun was just beginning to come up.  Colleen went into the bathroom and I
heard the now all too familiar sounds.  I lay on my back staring up at the
ceiling waiting for her to come back to bed.  She came in and sat on the
edge of the bed and I reached out to place my hand on the small of her
back.

   After a moments' pause Colleen scooted back then twisted around and
cuddled against me, her head on my chest and my arms around her.  Her head
was just below my chin so I bent my neck slightly and kissed her on the top
of her head.  Her lips were against my chest and I could feel her begin to
smile.  After several moments I whispered.

   "Pregnant?"

   "Yep." She whispered back.

   I continued slowly stroking her back and then whispered again, "Ok, I'll
take the girls to school this morning."

   "Thanks," she replied.

   After several minutes Colleen spoke.

   "Don't."

   "Don't what?"

   "Don't take the girls to school today."

   "Why not?"

   "Today is Saturday and they'll be the only ones there and the cafeteria
will be closed and the entire world will know about it after they write
their Mommy and Daddy Dearest books."

   "Ok," I said as I kissed the top of her head again.  "Do you want a test
kit?  I think we have one left over in the bathroom cabinet."

   "No, there's no point.  I'll call Dr.  Chan on Monday for an
appointment."

   "Ok," another kiss on the top of her head.  "Go back to sleep."

   Colleen lay still for a second and then turned over onto her side, her
back to me.  She reached back and took hold of my wrist, pulling on my arm
until I was lying spooned against her, my arms around her just below her
breasts.  In unison we quietly said to each other, "I love you," then we
both faded off to sleep.

   A couple of hours later we were up and had breakfast with the girls. 
Afterwards I was sitting on the couch in the livingroom with my cup of
coffee reading the morning paper.  The weather was nice so Molly took
Noelle out to the backyard for a little while.  Meghan was heading out to
join them when she stopped and looked through the doorway into the kitchen.
She walked over and hugged me then kissed me on the cheek.  She put her
finger against her lips in a signal for me to be quiet then took my hand
and pulled me after her.  When we were in the place where she had been
standing before, she signaled again to stay quiet and pointed into the
kitchen.

   Colleen was standing in front of the kitchen cabinets pulling out the
ingredients to make a batch of oatmeal cookies, a particular favorite in
our household.  She had her gentle half smile and was softly humming to
herself.  Meghan tugged on my arm until I bent over so she could whisper in
my ear.

   "Isn't mom beautiful?  I think you make her happy."

   That said, Meghan turned and went to join her sisters.

   I looked back into the kitchen and watched Colleen.  Meghan was right;
her mother was beautiful, so beautiful it literally made my heart ache.  I
must have made a sound because Colleen turned her head and looked over her
shoulder.  Her smile got just a tiny bit bigger.

   "What?  Did you need something?"

   "Yes...I do." I walked into kitchen and stood in front of her.  "I need
this," and kissed her.  "You've been ignoring me and I haven't had a kiss
in at least twenty minutes."

   Colleen placed her hand against my chest and laughed as she gently
pushed me away.

   "Get out of here and let me get my work done."

   When I turned around to go back to the livingroom, she reached out,
pinched my butt and said with her half smile, "We'll take care of this
later."

   Once the cookies were in the oven, Colleen came into the livingroom and
pulled the newspaper out of my hands.  She turned sideways and sat in my
lap with her arms around my neck and my arms around her waist.  She gave me
a little kiss on my ear lobe and said, "Hey, you know what?  If this one is
another girl, you'll be able coach your very own women's basketball team."

   "Well, if she's can't pass the ball any better than Noelle, we'll never
make the playoffs," I told her as I kissed along the side of her neck.

   Actually the odds were pretty good that we would have another girl. 
Jimmy had two children - daughters.  Mike had three children - daughters.
Colleen and I had four children - again, daughters.  Mom had nine
grandkids, not one grandson.  This didn't bother any of us except when it
came time for dad to deal with the public restrooms.  Why can't those kids
ever go before we leave the house?

   Monday morning I passed Miss Jennings' desk on my way into my office. 
She stuck out her arm and handed me my cup of coffee without looking up. 
It doesn't matter what time I arrive in the mornings, Miss Jennings is
already at her desk and hands me my coffee as I pass by.  I have tried
varying my arrival time by as much as an hour either way...unannounced...I
have even tried sneaking in the back door...and she is still there with hot
coffee.

   I sat at my desk and was studying my appointment calendar when Miss
Jennings came in and dropped some papers into my in-basket.  She was about
to turn and leave when she looked at my face and did a double take.  She
placed both her hands on the edge of my desk and leaned over to take a
closer look.

   "Jesus, Robert, you just can't keep it in your pants, can you. 
Honestly, I don't know how Colleen puts up with you."

   How in the hell does she do that?

   I opened my mouth to speak but she held up her hands to stop me.

   "I know...I know, I won't say anything but have you guys EVER talked
about birth control?"

   Then she turned and went back to her desk.

   There was something different about Colleen being pregnant this time.  I
couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was, just different somehow. 
When Colleen was pregnant the first time with Noelle we were ecstatic with
joy and anticipation.  I was so excited I wanted to do back-flips all the
time.  The second pregnancy came as such a shock to us that we were both in
a state of confusion for weeks after we found out.  And now a third
pregnancy...

   Everything about it had a feeling of...I don't know, maybe
predestination is the only word to describe it.  It felt as though this is
the way the universe wanted things to be.  We had a sense of serenity, of
contentment almost to the point of casualness about the whole thing.  Don't
get me wrong, I was excited and very, very happy, but there in the
background was a voice saying, "Yes, but don't worry, this was meant to
be."

   Just like before we waited awhile before telling anyone about being
pregnant.  But by three months we couldn't put it off much longer and as
always we started with the kids.  We flipped a coin and Colleen won (or
lost depending on your perspective) and got to tell Meghan and Molly. 
Noelle and Brigid's language comprehension skills were not advanced enough
to understand just yet.

   One evening after diner, Colleen brought out the lemon meringue pie
again.  She set the plates down in front of us and then sat down in her
chair with Brigid in her arms.  Meghan and Molly looked down, staring at
the pie and then looked up at each other.  Noelle watched this from her
high chair, leaned over and stared at their pie just like her sisters then
looked at their faces when they looked up.  In unison all three kids turned
and looked at me then Colleen with questions written all over their faces.

   Colleen opened her mouth to speak when Meghan raised her hand just like
she would in school.  Colleen looked at her for a second and then said,
"Yes Meghan?"

   "Mom, are you pregnant again?"

   Meghan, Molly and Noelle sat staring at Colleen, waiting for her answer.
Colleen was caught off guard and had a startled expression on her face.

   "Uh...yes, I am."

   "OK"

   Meghan and Molly looked at each other again then shrugged their
shoulders and began to eat their pie in silence.  After a few moments Molly
looked up at me and quietly said, "Dad, it's OK if we have a brother this
time."

   Our kids will always amaze me.

   Next was telling Mom and the twins.  When I brought it up, Colleen got
her slow, soft smile and said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

   The next day when Colleen was kissing me good-bye at the door in the
morning she informed me that she was going to call mom and give her the
news.  Just before lunch Miss Jennings stuck her head in the door and said,
"Your mother is on line 6."

   I picked up the receiver but before I could say anything Mom spoke. 
"Robert, this is your Mother."

   This was not a good sign.

   Mom only calls me Robert when she is upset; and when she identified
herself as my mother I knew the ship I was sailing was going down fast.

   "What exactly do you and your brothers talk about when no one else is
around?"

   My brain was scrambling to make sense out of that question.

   "Is something wrong Mom?"

   "I didn't say anything was wrong, just that you and your brothers have a
very strange sense of humor."

   "Mom you're losing me here.  What are you talking about?"

   "Sharon and Mi Lin are here with me and I just got off the phone with
Colleen.  How long have you boys been planning this?"

   "Planning what?"

   "Making your wives pregnant on the same night?"

   "WHAT?"

   In the background I could hear Sharon and Mi Lin giggling.

   "Mom, I don't know what you're talking about.  Are you saying that
Sharon and Mi Lin are pregnant?"

   "Of course they are.  Now which one of you boys first had this bright
idea?"

   "This is all news to me."

   "Are you saying that you didn't plan this?"

   "If this was planned I had nothing to do with it...and tell them to stop
laughing so loud, I'm having trouble hearing you."

   There was a moment of silence and then Mom said, "I have to call Colleen
back."

   I could hear hysterical guffaws in the background then a click followed
by a dial tone.  I sat paralyzed at my desk staring at the receiver in my
hand.

   When I got home after work that day, I found Megan and Molly on their
hands and knees in the dining room chasing Noelle who was laughing and
running around the chairs and under the dining table.  Brigid was sitting
in her highchair with a pacifier clinched between her gums, watching all
the action taking place in front of her.  She looked like the line judge in
some obscure game that only children could understand.

   Those that were capable of speech yelled, "Hi Daddy." Noelle darted out
from under the table and hugged my knees before running back under the
table.

   "Hi girls, where's your mother?"

   "She's working; we're watching Noelle and Brigid until dinnertime."

   I headed down the hallway towards the back of the house.  Colleen had
converted the small bedroom across the hall from ours into a small studio
where she could work on her illustration projects and still be close at
hand to keep an eye on the kids.  The door was open and I stopped to watch
her at work for a second before I interrupted her.

   She was sitting on her stool with her back to me, leaning over her
drawing table.  She sat up and put her hands on the small of her back and
pushed in an effort to get her spine into a straight line up and down. 
When she did this I walked in and put my arms around her from behind and
rested my chin on her shoulder.  She turned her head slightly and gave me a
quick kiss on the cheek.

   "Hi sweetie, I didn't hear you come in." She glanced at the clock on the
wall as she stood up.  "Oh Lord, I didn't realize it was so late, the girls
are going to be staving."

   Colleen started to pull my arms from around her waist but I kept them
there so she couldn't get away.  I slid one hand down to her lower belly
and started to slowly stroke the small bump that was growing there.  You
could only see the bulge if you knew to look for it, but I loved to touch
and feel what would soon be our next child.  I nibbled along her neck for a
moment before I whispered into her ear.

   "I doubt the girls are in danger of passing out from lack of food any
time soon."

   I kissed along the other side of her neck before I spoke again.

   "I had an interesting phone call from Mom this morning."

   I could hear the smile in Colleen's voice as I continued kissing towards
her ear.

   "Is that so...what did she have to say?"

   "Turns out that Sharon and Mi Lin are both pregnant too.  You wouldn't
know anything about that would you?"

   "I don't know...I might have heard a rumor to that effect somewhere. 
Why do you ask?"

   "Mom accused me and the twins of planning this...I don't remember
exactly...she may have used words like sick, and what was that other
one...oh yeah, perverted."

   Colleen gave a soft giggle and pressed back against me.  My other hand
slid up her chest until it was caressing and gently squeezing her breast.

   "I assured her that I was still her baby boy and didn't know anything
about where babies come from.  I always thought they came from the cabbage
patch.  Do Mike and Jimmy know any thing about this?"

   Colleen turned around inside my arms until she was facing me.  She put
her arms around my neck and gave me a quick kiss before answering.

   "They do now." Colleen punctuated this with another kiss.

   "So neither one knew about the other's wife being pregnant?"

   "Nope, not until today; just like you."

   "And what you're saying is that Mom was right.  This group pregnancy
thing was planned all along, just not by her sweet and innocent sons."

   "Well DUH." Colleen pulled her head back with a look of concern on her
face.  "You're not upset are you?"

   "Hardly..." this time I kissed Colleen.  "...is it safe to assume that
you and Sharon and Mi Lin came up with this little plan all on your own?"

   "Actually Sharon and Mi Lin had already decided to do it before they
talked to me.  Sounded like the thing to do at the time so I said 'what the
hell,' count me in."

   I couldn't stop myself from grinning.  I already knew the answer to my
question but I had to ask it anyway.

   "And exactly when did all this planning take place?"

   "My birthday party at Gypsy Sally's.  Remember when we took so long in
the restroom?" She put her lips next to my ear and whispered.  "Now you
know why girls go to the restroom in a group."

   Colleen gave me a short kiss under my earlobe, then took me by the hand
and led me into the kitchen so we could start fixing dinner.

   One Tuesday night we decided that we needed to have some grown-up alone
time for ourselves.  When there are this many kids in the house you have a
constant craving for adult conversation with your lover.  Debbie the
teenager across the street was available to sit with the girls so we headed
out for dinner.

   We didn't have to discuss where to go, it was the Shanghai Garden.  The
restaurant was the scene of our first date and had become our favorite
destination for date nights.  Just like the first time, the waiter was
showing us to our table, Colleen following the waiter and me following
behind, watching Colleen's backside.  She was about seven months along; her
stomach was huge and her hips had begun to widen but she had not yet
reached the waddling stage.  Once again I was reminded of what I had
observed on our first date.

   My sister has a fantastic ass.

   After dinner we were relaxing over coffee and talking.  The conversation
was meandering all over the map when it ventured into the subject of our
dating experiences in high school.  We pondered what the reaction would
have been back then if we actually had dated each other...probably not very
positive.  But according to Mike, everyone in school thought we were doing
it anyway, so it probably wouldn't have mattered.

   "Bobby, I know that I had a lot of dates, but they never went any where.
I never had what you could call a real boyfriend, just guys that would take
me out a couple of times and then move on to someone else.  I bet I was the
only girl in high school that never got taken out to Miller's Pond."

   Miller's Pond was a small body of water outside of Santa Teresa that was
somewhere between a large pond and a small lake.  Every Friday and Saturday
night all of the available parking spaces would be taken by cars filled
with teenage couples and steamed up windows.  It was estimated that
Miller's Pond was responsible for half of the teen pregnancies in Santa
Teresa.

   "Of course you didn't, no guy in his right mind was going to take you
Miller's Pond."

   "Was I that ugly?"

   "No!  You were gorgeous.  It's just that none of the guys in school had
a death wish."

   Colleen was frowning.

   "What, were they afraid I might have cooties?"

   "Of course not."

   Colleen was beginning to show her irritation.

   "Then what was it?  Is there something you're not telling me?"

   I had to laugh.

   "You mean you don't know?"

   "Bobby, you had better tell me right now what you're talking about or
you're going to regret it tonight when you try to go to bed."

   "You don't know, do you?  Everybody else in school knew."

   Colleen had the same expression on her face that Mom always had just
before she lost her temper.

   "Bobby, I'm going to count to three and then..."

   "Ok, just calm down.  No guy would take you to Miller's Pond because
they were all scared to death of Mike and Jimmy."

   "WHAT!"

   "I'm guessing that means that you don't know about Butch Woodcock."

   Colleen sat back with a confused look on her face.

   "Butch Woodcock?  Are you talking the about that jock from high school?"

   "That's right, he was a senior when you were a freshman.  Do you
remember what happened to him?"

   Colleen knitted her eyebrows together as she thought.

   "I think I remember.  He was a quarterback and had a scholarship to one
of those big name football schools then he got beat up by a gang from
another school.  His knee was banged up pretty bad and he lost the
scholarship.  The last I heard he was working on his dad's dairy farm."

   "Yeah...only the other school was the junior high and the gang was Mike
and Jimmy."

   Colleen sat with her mouth open in astonishment.

   "Why would they do that?"

   "Butch was an asshole.  He was bragging to the football team and all of
his friends that he was going to take you to the homecoming dance then out
to Miller's Pond and turn you into his personal slut.  Mike and Jimmy found
out about it so one evening after practice they explained to him that was
not the sort of thing they wanted to hear about their sister."

   "Why didn't Mike and Jimmy get into trouble over this?"

   "Because Butch didn't want any one to know that a couple of eighth
graders beat the crap out of him.  So he made up the story about the gang,
but everyone knew anyway.  Once the story got around, every guy in school
knew what would happen if they didn't show you a whole lot of respect. 
They didn't care who you went out with but anybody that tried any funny
business was dead meat.  I'm surprised you never found out."

   "And you knew about all of this?"

   I was a little sheepish when I answered her.

   "Well, I guess you could say I was sort of a lookout for them...and I
might have kicked him the balls once or twice.  But Mike and Jimmy did most
of the work."

   Colleen smiled then leaned over and patted my cheek.

   "My big strong hero."

   "Besides, I don't know why you're complaining.  I never got to take a
girl to Miller's Pond either...and it wasn't because I didn't ask."

   Colleen sat back in her chair with a smile and began to laugh.  Her
laughter made me smile along with her.

   "What's so funny?"

   "It's the irony of it all.  I told the cheerleading squad that I would
hunt down and scratch out the eyeballs of any girl that went to Miller's
Pond and defiled my innocent brother."

   Colleen had a thoughtful look on her face.

   "Funny thing is, I only said that about you, not Mike or Jimmy."

   We were both sitting quietly, contemplating what we had been discussing
when an idea began to form in my mind.  I looked at Colleen and almost
telepathically I knew that she was having the same thought.  She raised her
eyes and looked directly into mine.  Her small smile began to grow until it
was spread across her face and up into her eyes.

   "Are you thinking..."

   "...the Bluffs."

   I stood up and threw a fistful of money on the table.

   "I'll bring the car around.  Call Debbie and tell her we'll be an hour
late...no, better make two hours...oh hell, just tell her we'll be late."

   The Bluffs was San Miguel's version of Miller's Pond.  Outside of town
was an old farm road that was lined with large oak trees.  At one spot
there was a break in the line of trees and the ground fell away sharply,
almost straight down about twenty feet.  At this particular location there
was enough room for about ten or twelve cars to park and look out at the
lights of San Miguel in the distance.

   It was very popular with the high school crowd.

   When we pulled up to park at the Bluffs we were pleased to see that we
were the only couple there.  Colleen looked around with a grin and
muttered, "School night."

   She looked at me expectantly.  "What do we do now?" she questioned.

   "How am I supposed to know?  I've never done this before." I thought for
a second.  "How about a kiss?  You can never go wrong by starting with a
kiss."

   "Works for me.  Come here baby," she said as she started to slide her
arms around me.  We got only as far as touching lips when we both pulled
back.

   "Just a second, let me get this out of the way."

   Colleen leaned back and I pushed the center arm rest up and into its'
place between the two seat backs.  Once again we came together with our
arms around each other and moved in for a kiss when Colleen yelped.

   "O-W-W-W!"

   "What?"

   "The gearshift just poked me in the stomach...see if you can turn a
little more sideways and scoot closer towards me."

   "Can't, my legs are trapped under the steering wheel."

   "Well this is not working.  Why did you have to buy a Japanese car?"

   We sat back in frustration.  I was trying to visualize the correct
positions our bodies would have to be in to achieve this endeavor when I
looked at Colleen.  We both said the same thing in unison.

   "Back seat."

   I got out of the car and went around to the passenger side; lately I had
to help Colleen get in and out of the car.  We both stood at the open rear
door looking in.

   "Now what?"

   "One of us has got to get in and lay down...you do it."

   "Me?  Why me?"

   "Because dear brother, you know that you can't get far enough inside me
any more unless I'm on top.  Now get in there before I loose interest.  I'm
getting cold standing out here." Colleen issued this last command as she
stood stroking her distended belly.

   I backed into the open car doorway and sat down, then leaned back and
scooted towards the other side of the car.  When I was far enough in I lay
the rest of the way down and with a loud thump and a muffled groan I
smacked the back of my head on the armrest.

   "Are you ok in there?"

   "I'm alright but let's get this show on the road.  Just remember we're
paying Debbie by the hour."

   Colleen crawled into the car headfirst and wiggled forward until she was
lying nose to nose on top of me.  She put her lips against mine then her
tongue slithered out and began exploring the inside of mouth.  My left arm
came up and embraced her, stroking her back and caressing her ass.  My
right arm was pinned between my body and the back of the seat.  Colleen
pushed her hand between us and gently stroked the front of my slacks.  My
cock was standing rigid by this point.

   Colleen brought her hand up a few inches and began to fumble with my
belt buckle.  After several very unsuccessful attempts to undo my pants she
said, "There's just not enough room.  I'm going to back out and you pull
your pants down."

   Once she was out she bent over at the waist and peered in to watch what
I was doing.  I undid my belt, the buttons on my pants and pulled down the
zipper.  I raised my butt off of the seat and begin to shove my slacks and
jockeys down my legs.  When I got them as far as my knees, Colleen stuck
her head in and started to crawl back on top of me.  She gave me a long and
deep kiss and began moving her hips around to find the best position when I
screamed.

   "STOP!  GET OFF ME QUICK!"

   Colleen scrambled backwards until she was out of the car and looking
back in at me.

   "What?  What happened?"

   I raised my butt up and began to feel around underneath.  After a second
I found it.  It was a large narrow piece of plastic that was wedged down
between the seat and the back sticking straight up.  I yanked it free and
stared at it for a moment before I handed it to Colleen.

   "Here...Barbie just tried to shove her head up my ass."

   Colleen looked at the doll in her hands.  "Why that cheap slut.  I have
a good mind to tell Ken what a tramp his girlfriend is." She tossed the
doll onto the front seat.  "Thanks, Molly's been looking for that all
week."

   "Considering where it's been you should probably soak it in some
disinfectant for a while before you give back to her." I was gingerly
massaging my ass check where I found a large dent in my skin.

   One more time Colleen began her entry to the backseat.  She was part way
in when she stopped and backed out.  This time I asked the question.

   "What now?"

   In the moonlight I could barely see the smile on her face.

   "Just thinking ahead this time."

   Colleen raised the hem of her skirt up over her hips.  She hooked her
thumbs into the waistband of her panties and began to wiggle her hips as
she worked them down her legs.  When they were at her ankles she stepped
out of them and picked them up from the ground.  Given her lack of balance
that was caused by her large stomach, this was no mean feat.  She balled up
the panties and tossed them onto the front seat on top of Barbie.  Colleen
left her skirt up around her hips and crawled back on top of me.

   With a grin on her face she said, "I think we're ready to do this now."

   Colleen was finally in place on top of me and with some strange twisting
and reaching behind her she managed to get the car door shut.  She settled
her hips against mine and my cock that was still hard as a board could feel
her thick mat of hair.  She wiggled her hips until my cock slipped up
between her thighs.  Slowly she began humping her ass backwards until I
felt the tip of my dick start to slide between the lips of her cunt.  With
one last push of her hips backwards I was buried to the hilt inside of her.

   My neck was bent, my head on the armrest.  My knees were going straight
up with my heels almost touching my ass, toes touching the door.  Colleen's
knees were almost in my armpits and her ass was wedged into the angle
formed by my hips and thighs.  Very slowly she began to rock her hips up
and down, and side to side.  This time I had kept my right arm out so that
I would be able to use it.  Even with Colleen's huge belly I could still
get my arms around her...but just barely.  I tried to push my hips up in an
effort to drive my cock deeper into her but I was pinned in so tightly that
I wasn't having much luck.  We were jammed together, we couldn't move and I
was starting to get a cramp in my right leg.

   This was one of the greatest sexual experiences of my life.

   The only movement was the rocking of Colleen's hips and the flexing of
her cunt muscles as it sucked and pulled on my cock.  The slightest
movement sent shock waves of pleasure racing up my spinal column to my
brain and looped back down to my testicles that were now trying to crawl up
inside Colleen's cunt all by themselves.  Colleen was moaning into my ear
as she began experiencing the same intense sexual pleasure.  Even though
her hips could only slide up and down on my cock an inch or less, she began
increasing the cadence of her movements.  Soon we were vibrating at ninety
miles a minute until we both screamed out "OH FUCK" in an explosion of
orgasm.  My balls were pumping sperm out the end of my cock toward
Colleen's womb that was already occupied by our baby.

   Every muscle in our bodies contracted and we lay rigid, smashed together
in the back of the small car.  Gradually we relaxed, melting together and I
could feel the mixture of my sperm and Colleen's juice begin to ooze out of
Colleen's cunt and around my cock that was still stuffed up inside of her.
Colleen was giving me small delicate kisses on my neck and face then
whispered in my ear.

   "Damn, if I had known it would be this good I would have dragged you out
to Miller's Pond myself when we were in high school."

   "I would have been the happiest boy in the freshman class."

   "I would have made a permanent reservation for a parking spot and had
you between my legs every night...oh Jesus, now I'm talking like a
slut...I'm as bad as Barbie."

   I gave her a kiss on the end of her nose.  "Sweetheart, nobody can be as
bad as Barbie."

   After several minutes of wiggling around and breaking the plastic cover
on the dome light with my elbow, Colleen and I were sitting upright in the
backseat putting ourselves back together.  Colleen rose up a fraction of an
inch and was able to work the hem of her skirt back down over her ass.  I
pulled my pants up and got them fastened but I couldn't find where my belt
had gone.

   We were sitting there in the dark, in the back seat of my car, resting,
catching our breath and letting our heart rate drop back down to normal. 
My arms were around Colleen as she leaned against me.  She turned her head
towards me and gave me a gentle kiss.

   "Bobby..."

   "Yeah?"

   "Have I ever told you I love you?"

   "And you waited all this time to tell me?  You could have at least..."

   I didn't finish my sentence because she had slid her tongue into my
mouth.  We spent the next ten minutes enjoying some plain old fashioned
necking and fondling of each other.  The interior of the car was suddenly
filled with a bright light and there was a sharp rap on the window of the
door next to me.

   "Sheriff's Department, would you step out of the car please."

   I very nearly wet myself.

   I got out the car and stood next to the door.  There were two patrolmen
standing there, their flashlights shining as bright as air raid
searchlights.  Colleen had one leg out of the car when the officer spoke.

   "You can stay inside the car miss."

   Colleen pulled her leg back in and sat still.  The officer shone his
light up and down my body and as he did so I looked down at my disheveled
appearance.  My collar was unbuttoned and the tie was shoved to one side.
The shirt was completely wrinkled and the shirttail was half way tucked in
the front and hanging out in the back.  My belt was missing and my pants
had started to sag down around my hips.  The zipper on the fly was partway
down and a corner of the shirt was sticking out.

   "You folks having any trouble here?"

   "No, we just stopped to see the lights of the city.  Never been here
before and thought we'd stop see what it looked like."

   "I see.  May I see some identification please?"

   I pulled my wallet out of my back pocket, fumbled around with it then
handed my license to the officer.  He shown his flashlight on the license,
up into my face and back down to the license again.

   "Mr.  O'Conner are you aware that...wait a minute...Robert O'Conner...I
know you.  You're Sergeant O'Conner's brother.  And the young lady in the
car is...?"

   "My wife."

   The patrolman switched off his flashlight.  In the moonlight I could see
a smile on his lips and after a moment he handed the license back to me. 
Trying to suppress a laugh he said, "You folks be careful out here, we
don't want any accidents to happen..."

   He looked over at the open car where his partner's flashlight still
shown on Colleen.  Her face was hidden by the roof of the car but her seven
month pregnant mid-section was shining like a beacon.  He turned back to me
to finish.

   "...but we may be too late for that.  Phil, there's nothing here for us,
let's go."

   As the two men walked back to their patrol car I could hear them talking
quietly to each other then start laughing as they got in.  By this time
Colleen had gotten out of the car and was standing next to me.  We stood in
the moonlight and watched as the car pulled back onto the road and
continued off into the night.  We turned to face each other and Colleen
slid her arms around my waist.

   With a kiss she said, "The next time we come up here we're bringing the
minivan."

   The next time?

   The next morning I got into the office and sat at my desk with my cup of
coffee.  I heard a noise and looked up to see Miss Jennings standing in the
doorway with a panicked look on her face.

   "The Sheriff's Department is on line three and they asked to talk to
you."

   "Relax Miss Jennings; it's probably just my brother."

   She gave me a look of relief then went back to her desk as I picked up
the phone.

   "This is Robert O'Conner."

   "Bobby, it's Jimmy."

   "That's what I thought; you just scared the hell out of my secretary."

   "Oh...sorry about that.  Listen, I had a very interesting conversation
with one of our deputy's this morning.  Fellow by the name of Shaffer, you
know him?"

   "Don't think so."

   "Tall blond guy, working the night shift this month...patrols the area
just south of San Miguel...ring any bells?"

   "Oh..."

   "Yeah...oh..."

   There was silence on the line before Jimmy continued.

   "...I can't believe that I'm about to say this.  If that was not Colleen
in the car with you last night you're a dead man."

   I started to laugh.

   "No, that was Colleen.  You can call the house and talk to her if you
want."

   "What the hell were you guys doing out there in the middle of the
night?"

   There was a tone of exasperation in his voice.  Still laughing, I
replayed the evening to Jimmy, except for all the intimate details about
Colleen and I in the back seat of my car.  By the end of the story Jimmy
was laughing along with me.

   "How could she have not known?  Everybody in school knew.  And you're
not any better; even I knew when Colleen told the cheerleading squad what
would happen if you went out to Miller's Pond.  You two were just oblivious
to rest of the world around you."

   "Listen Jimmy, if you're smart, you won't mention to Colleen that we had
this little conversation.  She was ok with it last night but I don't want
you or Mike to set her off about it.  Remember, I have to live with her."

   There was silence then with a quiet voice Jimmy replied, "Please...don't
remind me."

   Miss Jennings had begun working for Willis, Goldman & Reed the week
after she graduated from high school.  She is smart and dedicated in
everything that she does and in less than three years she had been promoted
several times until she was my personal secretary.  Miss Jennings is living
proof that the universe has a sense of humor.

   Miss Jennings' full name is Sarah Jane Jennings.  The manager in the
Accounting Department is named Sara Jane Jennings, the only difference
being the letter H.  To the delight of everyone in the building, on her
first day of work, Sarah Jane Jennings was introduced to Sara Jane
Jennings. It was quickly decided that during working hours, Sarah would be
Miss Jennings and the other would be SaraJane.  They agreed to have lunch
together that first day and thus began one of the great friendships of all
time.

   Miss Jennings is tall, slender, and graceful with very small breasts and
to this day still looks as though she had just graduated from high school.
The word willowy was created just for her.  SaraJane is five years older
than Miss Jennings and much shorter, probably five foot two with large
breasts and is three pounds away from being classified as plump.  One look
at her and you think earth mother.

   They are both reserved in their public persona but each one possesses an
imposing presence that commands attention and respect.  Both are
intelligent and exact in all that they do.  SaraJane always seeks consensus
and is a team builder while Miss Jennings has a sharp and biting wit and is
not afraid to use it, wielding it like an ice pick.  On more than one
occasion I have seen grown men back away from Miss Jennings with a look of
fear in their eyes and their hands unconsciously protecting their groin
area.

   Both women have a quiet demeanor but when they are in the company of the
other they become animated and down right garrulous.  They have so much fun
entertaining each other that soon anyone around them gets sucked into their
joy.  Whenever they attend any type of social event, their dates usually
end up being an after thought.

   Several months after their first meeting, the lease on Miss Jennings
studio apartment was up and SaraJane invited Miss Jennings to move into her
three bedroom apartment and split the expenses.  By paying only half of the
rent, it was a cost savings for both women.  Then one year later, they
surprised everyone when they announced they were going to jointly purchase
a four bedroom house on the edge of town as an investment.  Everyone in the
office volunteered to help, showed up with their vans and pick-ups and
moved the two Sara's in a single day.  That evening they hosted a barbeque
in the back yard of their new home.

   With the encouragement of SaraJane and the direct orders of Harold
Peterson, Miss Jennings began taking evening and weekend classes until she
graduated with a BA in Business Administration.  When she had finally
achieved this goal, Miss Jennings and SaraJane celebrated by taking a well
deserved vacation and left for two weeks in the Bahamas.  They returned
well rested, relaxed, tan and wearing matching gold bands...third finger,
left hand.

   What can I say, this is California.

   Not long after returning from their vacation, Sarah and Sara had a long
term visitor.  SaraJane's younger brother Ryan had recently graduated from
college and had a six month break before starting Princeton Medical School
in the fall.  Because all of his med school expenses were being paid for by
their grandparents, he came to California to relax and enjoy life because
he knew it would be his last chance for the next eight years.

   Like his sister, Ryan was a quiet and easy going person and everyone at
the office quickly adopted him as part of the family.  He had an infectious
smile with a willing ear to listen and walking away from him you felt that
you had a new best friend.  Sarah and Sara were gently teased about being
Ryan's harem and they responded with a quick smile and said that we were
all jealous.  At the end of the summer, SaraJane and Miss Jennings held a
barbeque at their house to both celebrate and mourn Ryan's leaving for New
Jersey the next day.

   The week after Ryan left, I was coming back from the conference room and
noticed that Miss Jennings was not at her desk.  This didn't mean anything
and I walked into my office when the phone on my desk rang and I picked it
up.

   "Robert, it's Harold, would you come down to my office for a few
minutes?"

   Being summoned to Peterson's office was nothing out of the ordinary, he
did it at least twice day, but there was a tone to his voice that implied
this was something important.  When I stepped into his office he said. 
"Close the door if you would please and have a seat," pointing at the chair
at the side of his desk.  Miss Jennings and SaraJane were sitting in front
of the desk directly across for Peterson.  He made a small gesture with his
hand and said, "Ladies, go ahead."

   SaraJane and Miss Jennings were quiet for a moment and then SaraJane
spoke.

   "Thank you for letting us meet with you Harold.  There is something we
need to discuss with you and since it will affect both you and Robert we
thought it would be simplest if we told you both at the same time."

   Peterson and I looked at each other and it was obvious from the
expression on his face that he had no better clue than I what was going on.
We looked back at the two ladies and waited.  Finally Harold said,
"Yes...what is it that you wanted to say to us?"

   SaraJane seemed to be struggling to find the right words so Miss
Jennings, being Miss Jennings, jumped right in.

   "We're pregnant."

   Peterson sat there expressionless then he suddenly sat up straight and
looked as though he had been slapped in the face.

   "Whoa, whoa, whoa, would you back up there a minute and repeat what you
just said?"

   The two Sara's looked at each other and then back at Harold and I with
that same soft smile that I recognized from Colleen's face each time she
was pregnant.  Again, Miss Jennings spoke.

   "SaraJane and I are both three months pregnant."

   From the corner of my eye I could see that Peterson was trying to do the
same mental calendar calculation that I was trying to perform.  I opened my
mouth to say something but Harold caught my attention and with a sharp
negative shake of his head indicated that this was not a direction the
conversation should take.  We sat waiting for the other shoe to drop when
SaraJane spoke.

   "Since Sarah and I are both due on the same day..."

   Peterson's jaw visibly dropped.

   "...and we will be going on maternity leave together, we thought we
should give you enough time to prepare for our absence."

   Harold's shoulders relaxed and he slumped back in his chair.

   "Oh thank god.  I thought you were going to imply that Robert and I were
responsible for this."

   This time it was the two ladies who jerked up straight in their chairs
with a startled look, then started to giggle.

   "Harold...perfect gentleman...you and Robert...best bosses anyone could
ever hope to have...the idea that you and I could...that we would ever...I
mean...ridiculous..." the sentence just faded off into uncontrolled
laughter.

   They certainly knew how to build up a guy's self image.

   The two Sara's were wiping the tears from their eyes as they stood to
leave.  When they reached the door they turned and opened their mouths to
say something else then stopped and looked at Harold and I.  This sent them
into a new round of giggles and we could hear them reach a crescendo of
laughter as they walked down the hall.

   Peterson and I sat there staring at each other, uncertain as to what to
think.

   "Who do you suppose was responsible for..."

   Harold raised his hand to cut me off before I could speak any further.
He looked me square in the eye and spoke.

   "Robert, there are some subjects that are best left alone."

   Later that night after the kids were in bed, I shared the news with
Colleen about Miss Jennings and SaraJane.  Although we could only speculate
about who the father might be, I remembered the relaxed and satisfied
expression I had seen so many times on Ryan's face.  But as Harold said
"...there are some subjects that are best left alone."

   Colleen and I had always enjoyed the company of the two Sara's and had
frequently socialized with them outside of the office.  But now that the
three of them were pregnant at the same time, it was like there was some
type of tribal bonding thing going on.  Because Colleen had the most
experience, this being her fifth time around, they were constantly talking,
sharing even the slightest nuance of the experience.  It got to the point
where it felt like Colleen was conducting a pregnancy support group meeting
every Saturday in our living room.  Our neighbor Linda was also pregnant
and then there were the times that Mi Lin and Sharon would show up and the
six of them would be there and...

   Sweet merciful crap, I was drowning in a sea of pregnant women.

   I found myself spending a lot of Saturday afternoons next door, having a
cup of coffee with Frank on his back deck, desperate for the company of an
adult that didn't possess a uterus.  I was so desperate I began accepting
the invitations to pay golf with the twins and Harold, an activity I loath
with every fiber of my being.  But everytime I came back into the house,
Colleen would stop what she was doing, kiss me on the cheek and whisper in
my ear, "I missed you."

   Miss Jennings going on maternity leave did create a problem for me, a
huge problem.  When she returned she would no longer be my secretary.  She
would still be working for me, but because she had obtained her college
degree, she was being promoted to an account rep position.  Finding a new
secretary was going to be one horrific pain in the ass.

   I was spoiled.  The entire time I had been working for Willis, Goldman &
Reed I had only two secretaries, Mrs.  Lopez in Chicago and Miss Jennings
here in San Miguel.  They were two distinctly different personalities but
they shared a common trait.  They knew exactly what needed to be done and
could probably do my job better than I.  They anticipated every thing I
ever needed or wanted.  I could have skipped going to the office for six
months and no one would have known the difference.  Miss Jennings took her
leave about two months before Colleen's due date and this started the
process of finding a replacement.

   And so the nightmare began.

   I am a flexible and easy going person.  I don't think I'm a difficult
boss to work for, but with the responsibilities that I had, the person who
sat at the desk outside of my office door had to meet the standards set by
Mrs.  Lopez and Miss Jennings or it just wasn't going to work.  At the end
of six weeks I had gone through eleven secretaries.  Two of them simply
went to lunch on their first day and never came back.

   On Friday afternoon I was leaving for the day when Peterson called out
to me from across the lobby.

   "Your new secretary starts Monday morning, don't be late."

   "Ah geez, is this never going to end?  How long is this one going last?"

   Peterson's face was one large grin.

   "Don't worry Robert; I think this one is going to be a keeper."

   "Why, who is it?"

   "Don't even worry about it.  Just go home and have nice weekend.  I'll
see you Monday morning."

   I followed Harold's orders and didn't think about it that weekend,
knowing that the situation was hopeless.

   Monday morning I decided to go into the office an hour early to try and
get some work done before I had to greet the next batter up in the endless
line of minor league players known as "Robert's Secretaries." As I headed
towards my office door I noted that someone was already sitting at the
desk. Her head was bent down as she was going through the desk drawers.  I
thought that I would dump my briefcase inside before I sent the new person
off down the path of failure.  As I walked past she raised her head and
smiled.

   "Good morning Robert."

   "Good morning Mrs.  Lopez."

   I got as far as the door when I dropped everything in my hands and
literally sprinted back to her desk.

   "Mrs.  Lopez...what are you doing here?"

   "I wanted to get settled in a bit before I started work.

   "But...but you're in Chicago."

   "No, unless we took a wrong turn somewhere I believe that I'm here in
San Miguel.  I am still your secretary aren't I?"

   "Oh please dear God, tell me this isn't a dream." I grabbed a chair and
pulled it up next to her desk.  "Now tell me everything, exactly what's
going on here?"

   After thirty years with the Chicago City Police Department, Detective
Sergeant Ramon Lopez retired, turned in his badge and his gun and told his
wife to start packing.

   "Where are we going?"

   "I don't care; as long as it's sunny and a thousand miles away from this
frozen corner of hell."

   John Gordon didn't want to loose his secretary and trusted friend but he
made the necessary phone calls and Mrs.  Lopez was transferred to the San
Miguel office.  Harold Peterson had kept it a secret from me for the past
five weeks saying, "It will brighten his day."

   If only he knew.

   I heard a sound behind me and turned my head to look.  Peterson was
standing there grinning from ear to ear.

   "Harold you rotten bastard, why didn't you tell me Mrs.  Lopez was
coming.  You could have saved me all this grief."

   "What, and miss the expression on your face?  It was worth every minute
of it.  Welcome to San Miguel Mrs.  Lopez, I believe you already know this
fine gentleman that just sullied my family's good name."

   "Yes I do Mr.  Peterson..."

   "Hey now, none of that, my name is Harold."

   "Ok Harold.  Yes I do know him and he's always had a potty mouth so
don't listen to anything he says."

   "What makes you think I listen to him now?"

   Harold and Mrs.  Lopez were enjoying a good laugh at my expense but I
didn't care.  Now my life at the office would regain a sense of stability.

   "Robert, introduce Mrs.  Lopez around and then we can get back to
business.  If John Gordon was telling me the truth, your unit should be
back to normal by lunchtime."

   Still smiling, Harold clapped me on the shoulder and headed off to his
office.

   Harold wasn't far off the mark.  By the afternoon break Mrs.  Lopez was
functioning as if she had spent the previous twenty years here in San
Miguel instead of Chicago.  During our conversations through out the day we
were both surprised to discover that she and her husband had bought their
new home just five blocks away from Colleen and I.  Somehow we had missed
running into each other after they had moved in last week.  I called
Colleen to let her know that we would be having two guests for dinner.  She
immediately picked up on my excitement.

   "Sounds like the new secretary is going to work out."

   "Sweetheart I'll explain it all to you when I get home, but yeah, this
is the one."

   When I got home, Colleen was putting the finishing touches on dinner and
Meghan and Molly were setting the table.  I barely had time to get my
welcome home hugs and kisses from what Colleen and I were now calling the
"Gang of Four" when the doorbell rang.  I ushered Mrs.  Lopez and her
husband into the livingroom where the kids were lined up to greet our
guests.

   Molly has holding Brigid who was squirming but immediately settled down
and smiled in the presence of the new adults.  Noelle was standing and
holding on to Meghan's hand, hiding halfway behind her but still peeking
out with her smile as I began the introductions.

   "These are our children.  That's Molly holding our youngest, Brigid. 
This is Meghan, she's oldest and the shy one is Noelle, but this is the
last time you will see her standing still tonight.  Girls, I want you to
meet Consuela and Ramon Lopez."

   At that moment Colleen came in from the kitchen.

   "And this charming yet provocative woman is my wife, Colleen."

   At this point Colleen was one week away from her due date.  She was
dressed in her maternity overalls and her stomach had that beach ball look
as she waddled over to shake hands.

   "Mrs.  Lopez, it's a pleasure to meet you."

   "Please, I'm Connie and he's Ray.  Colleen?  What a coincidence, that's
the same name as..."

   Mrs.  Lopez stopped mid-sentence as she turned her head towards me with
a puzzled look.  Colleen and I glanced at each other quickly then back at
Mrs.  Lopez.  I could see the wheels turning inside Mrs.  Lopez' head as a
sudden feeling of panic gripped the pit of my stomach.  I had two
photographs on my desk in Chicago, one was a picture of Barbara and the
other was my favorite photo of my sister Colleen taken when she was in
college.  Mrs.  Lopez had seen the photo of Colleen a thousand times. 
Colleen and I were holding our breaths.

   "Connie, what were you saying?  It's the same name as who?" her husband
asked.

   Mrs.  Lopez was still staring at me with her mouth open then she broke
into a smile.

   "I have a very dear friend who has a sister named Colleen..."

   She turned to Colleen and instead of shaking hands; she put her arms
around Colleen in an embrace.

   "...but I never had a chance to meet her.  I am so glad to meet you."

   There was an audible sigh of relief from Colleen and I as Ray stood
there looking confused.

   By the time we had finished eating dinner; our immediate family had
increased by two.  The Lopez's had no children of their own so our girls
instantly adopted Connie and Ray.  The die was cast when Ray got down on
his hands and knees in the middle of dinner to give Noelle a pony back
ride. The Gang of Four insisted on good night hugs from Uncle Ray and Aunt
Connie before they would head for bed.

   Once the kids were down for the night, we were sitting in the livingroom
talking.  Colleen and Connie were talking as though they were best of
friends who had not seen each other for years.  I went into the kitchen to
make a fresh pot of tea and Ray wandered in behind me a couple of seconds
later.

   "So Ray, how do you like San Miguel so far?"

   "Very nice place.  You know, I've never lived anywhere but Chicago, and
now I'm starting to wonder why we stayed there so long."

   Ray turned his head and watched Connie and Colleen through the kitchen
door for a moment then turned his attention back to me.

   "Listen Robert, there is something I want to tell you but you can't let
Connie know about it.  She won't talk to me for a week if she finds out I
told you."

   "Sure, what is it?"

   Ray quickly looked at his wife again before continuing.

   "I thought you should know about Derrick Andrews."

   My insides immediately tightened up.

   "What about him?  I haven't heard anything about him since...since that
day."

   "Connie said everything happened so fast that she barely saw what
happened but you must've done a number on him, he was in the hospital for
four days.  When he got out and went home to his apartment I was there to
greet him."

   "What?  Why would you do that?"

   Ray smiled.

   "Strictly business.  John Gordon had the auditors working night and day
going over Andrews' accounts.  The morning he was released from the
hospital the D.  A.  issued an arrest warrant and I got assigned to pick
him up.  Nobody at the station knew that my wife worked for you."

   "Arrest?  What for?"

   "Embezzlement, he stole over three hundred thousand dollars from the
company.  Gordon said that it would have been spotted immediately during
the next annual audit.  The fool left his tracks all over the place.  I
only met him once before that day but I knew then he was an asshole.  The
auditors were with me and we had a search warrant.  They found a complete
set of his records five minutes after we walked through the door."

   "I didn't hear anything about this."

   "Nobody did.  It's not the sort of thing the company wanted the
stockholders to read about on the front page of the Tribune; it would be
bad for business.  Anyway, Andrews tried to blame it all on Barbara and the
other women in the office, but he was such a moron about how he did it that
the D.  A.  didn't bother to interview anyone else."

   "So what happened?  Did the company get the money back?"

   "In cash and assets, they got it all except for about twenty thousand.
Apparently Derrick Andrews was a big tipper.  John Gordon must have a lot
of influence in the company.  He found out who sent Andrews to Chicago and
some vice president in New York was fired the week after you left town."

   I had to stop and digest this.  I was feeling a little overwhelmed.

   "So what was the end result?  How did it all end?"

   "Well, my partner and I took him in.  We were taking him up to the
second floor to be booked and when we got to the top, he slipped and fell
down the stairs...broke his leg in a couple of places."

   "Bummer," I said with a tight grin of satisfaction.

   "Yeah...everyone at the station house felt real bad about it.  We took
up a collection to send flowers when he went back to the hospital."

   Ray said this without cracking a smile.  Then he continued.

   "The schmuck was going to plead innocent but there was no way he could
beat the charge.  His lawyer finally convinced him to accept a plea
bargain. He got five years and that meant he would get parole in two."

   "So is he out now?"

   Now Ray smiled.

   "No...well, sort of.  You know those cheesy prison movies where they
tell the new guy to grab the first person they see and start pounding on
him to prove that he's not somebody to mess with?  Andrews actually fell
for that crap and punched out some scrawny dude in the yard the day he went
in.  Only problem was he picked the wrong guy.  They found Andrews' body in
the exercise yard the next day with a three foot piece of pipe sticking out
of his chest.  He was such an asshole that the prison doctor put down
natural causes on the death certificate.  The arrogant prick didn't even
last twenty-four hours.  Just in case you're wondering, no one came to the
funeral."

   There was silence while I tried to take this all in.

   "Thanks for telling me Ray, I appreciate it.  I promise I won't let
Connie know you told me."

   "I hope knowing helps a little bit."

   "Yeah, it does...a little bit," I said as we returned to the livingroom.

   A while later Connie and Ray were standing in the door way making their
good byes when Connie stopped and looked at Colleen.  She was smiling when
she spoke.

   "Robert, you have a beautiful family.  I think coming to San Miguel may
be the smartest thing you have ever done."

   "I couldn't agree with you more," I replied.

   Now Colleen spoke, "I'll call you Saturday morning.  You can't possibly
be finished settling in until you and I do some serious power shopping."

   "It's a date.  Good night guys, Robert I'll see you in the morning."

   As the door closed, Colleen slid her arms around my waist and pulled me
close.

   "I love you husband."

   "I love you wife."

   "Bobby, you have some very loyal friends."

   "I can see that.  It's nice to know."

   Colleen took my hand and began slowly pulling me towards the bedroom.

   "Come with me husband.  We have some serious cuddling to do tonight."

   The next morning I was in my office thinking about the things Ray had
told me the night before.  I suppose that I should have been feeling happy
or satisfied that Derrick Andrews had ended the way he did.  But I wasn't,
the news left me feeling numb and a little depressed.  I simply can't find
any joy at anyone's death although I probably had every right to.  It was
revisiting in my memory all of the incidents that led up my leaving Chicago
that had resurrected that small piece of depression.  Mrs.  Lopez brought
in the morning mail and was returning to her own desk when I stopped her.

   "Mrs.  Lopez, wait just a minute.  Can I ask you something?"

   "Sure, what do you want to know?"

   I waited for her to sit in the chair at the side of my desk before I
continued.

   "After I left Chicago, you were John Gordon's secretary...how well did
you know him?"

   "You can't be someone's personal secretary without getting to know them
pretty well, why do you ask?"

   I paused, staring at the picture of Colleen on my desk, the same picture
that had sat on my desk in Chicago, before I spoke.

   "The last time I saw him I asked him why he was helping me.  He said,
'Because I was in your position myself a long time ago.' I've always
wondered what he meant.  If it's not betraying any confidences, do you know
why?"

   Mrs.  Lopez sat looking down at her lap, a look of concentration on her
face.  Her head was making a slow, small nodding motion as she was
internally going through the decision making process.  When she looked at
me again she had a small smile and her eyes were focused over my shoulder
at a memory.

   "A couple of days after I started working for him, I asked the same
question, why was he helping you, and he told me the story.  It's not
something he wants the entire world to know, but I don't think he would
mind you knowing.  You're probably not aware of it but John Gordon has a
very high opinion of you."

   "He does...why?"

   "John is always on the lookout for smart and talented people that can be
an asset to the company.  He told me he had been watching you even before
Derrick Andrews showed up.  When everything blew up, he recognized his own
story in yours so he made arrangements with Harold for you to come to San
Miguel.  Do you know about Harold and John?"

   "Harold mentioned that they had been roommates in college but that's all
he's ever said."

   "And they've been best friends ever since.  They were even married to
their college sweethearts in a double ceremony right after they graduated.
They started the same day at Willis, Goldman & Reed in the Omaha office."

   "What happened was almost a cliché.  John came home early from a
business trip and Harold picked him up at the airport and took him home. 
John and Harold both walked into the house and found John's wife and his
supervisor on the couch, right in the middle of...in the middle of doing
it. I guess the affair had been going on for some time.  From John's
description the supervisor was the same type of arrogant jerk as Derrick
Andrews and he started laughing at John.  That was when John threw the
supervisor out of the bedroom window...oh, and the window was closed at the
time.  John and Harold packed up all of John's clothes and personal
belongings and moved John into Harold's guest room."

   "What happened afterwards?" I asked.

   "Everything turned to crap for John before it got better.  Apparently
his wife thought the supervisor was the better meal ticket.  She called
John a loser and said that she was going to marry the supervisor. 
Unfortunately for her the supervisor's wife didn't see it the same way.  By
the time the wife's lawyers finished with him in divorce court the
supervisor was bankrupt and penniless.  Harold had some very heated
discussions with management in the Omaha office, but in the end the
supervisor was fired and would never be able to get a job anywhere in the
industry again."

   "What about John's wife?"

   "Oh, she tried to get back together with John but John is not a fool. 
They had only been married for a couple of years so they didn't have many
assets to speak of, and because John and Harold had caught her in the
middle of an adulterous act, plus some of the things she had testified to
in the supervisor's divorce trial, she got no alimony.  Basically John
walked away from his marriage without it costing him a penny.  But it did
cost him a lot of pain...but you probably already know what John was
feeling."

   "Yeah, I know exactly what he was going through."

   "Well, John lived with Harold and his wife Caroline for a long time and
they helped him keep going.  But there is that one good thing about crap."

   "What's that?" I asked, slightly confused.

   "It helps beautiful things to grow.  Couple of years after the divorce,
John married Caroline's older sister Diane.  They've been happily married
for over thirty years now."

   "Oh wow, John Gordon is Harold Peterson's brother-in-law?  I had no
idea."

   "Not many people do.  Do you know about Harold's wife Caroline?"

   "Only that she passed away, he doesn't talk much about his personal
life."

   "I'm not surprised.  According to John, Harold and Caroline had decided
to wait a few years before having children but before they could, she was
diagnosed with ovarian

   Mrs.  Lopez stopped for a minute and looked at me before continuing.

   "And that's why Harold is here in San Miguel."

   "Ok, you just lost me there."

   "John knew Harold well enough to know that he needed a change of scenery
and something to focus on if he was going to keep his sanity.  John had
worked his way up in management far enough that he was able to pull some
strings and get Harold transferred here to San Miguel as head of the
office. At the time this office was leaking red ink like a sieve.  Harold
was given one year to turn things around or they were going to shut the
place down.  He did turn it around and in a big way.  Harold has been here
for twenty-five years and refuses to leave.  The company has been after him
for years to go to headquarters at probably twice or three times the salary
but he won't budge..."

   Mrs.  Lopez smiled.

   "...and sometimes he's not very polite when he declines their gracious
offer."

   I had to smile at this because it was exactly what I pictured Peterson's
reaction would be to the suggestion of moving to New York.

   "Thanks for telling me Mrs.  Lopez.  You know, I'm probably the closest
thing to a friend that Harold has here in the office and I hardly know
anything about him.  After twenty-five years no body knows anything at all
about his personal life; you've just explained quite a lot about Harold. 
I'll respect his privacy and keep this to myself."

   We both sat quietly for a few moments, wrapped up in our own thoughts,
when Mrs.  Lopez looked directly into my eyes.

   "Robert.  Is there anything else you want to know about Chicago?"

   I knew exactly what she was saying.  In a perverse sort of way, I did
want to know, but I also knew that if she told me, a lot of memories I
didn't want to see again would come back to haunt me.  Sometimes, ignorance
is bliss.  I turned my head to look at the picture of Colleen again.  When
I finally answered her my voice was barely above a whisper.

   "No.  I think I have every thing I need to know about Chicago."

   She sat for a minute studying me before she spoke.

   "Well then, I guess I better get back to my desk."

   Mrs.  Lopez stood up and started to leave my office but stopped at the
door.  She stood with her hand on the doorknob for a moment then turned
back around and stared at me.  She came back and sat down once again at the
side of my desk.  She didn't say anything, just sat watching me.  She then
looked at Colleen's photograph as she spoke.

   "When John Gordon arranged for you to come to San Miguel, neither he nor
Harold knew anything at all about Colleen..."

   At this point Mrs.  Lopez paused and looked directly at me.

   "...and as far as I know, no one is aware of it to this day..."

   Again she paused for a second before continuing.

   "...and no one ever will."

   I opened my mouth but she continued before I could speak.

   "Robert, you don't owe me any explanations.  In Chicago you were like a
son to Ray and I and we will never say, or do, anything that might harm you
or your family.  And especially after last night, I can see that you and
Colleen love each other very much."

   I took a deep breath and exhaled before I spoke.

   "I can't tell you what a load off of our minds that is."

   Mrs.  Lopez stopped and looked at Colleen's picture again before
speaking.

   "Last night I told you that coming to San Miguel was the smartest thing
you have ever done.  That was my opinion when you left and that's my
opinion now.  If you had stayed in Chicago it would have been a complete
disaster for both you and Barbara...and everyone else around you.  Your
children are delightful and I can see that Colleen loves you very deeply.
Robert, you are a lucky, lucky man.  I hope you realize that."

   She was smiling as she said that.

   "I do, I realize it every morning when I wake up next to her."

   Now it was my turn to smile.

   She gave a small laugh.

   "I think that's all the personal information I need to know.  And now I
really do need to get back what to work."

   She stood up and then did something totally unexpected.  She placed both
hands on my shoulders then leaned down and kissed me on the forehead.  She
smiled and walked towards the outer office.  When she got as far as the
door I stopped her again.

   "Mrs.  Lopez..."

   "Yes?"

   "Thank you."

   "You're welcome...oh, and by the way, Ray confessed to me he that he
told you about Derrick Andrews.  He may have been the toughest cop on the
force but I can still break him like wet paper bag."

   Still smiling, she exited the office and closed the door behind her.

   I don't think Colleen knew anything about what Ray and Connie had told
me.  But for some reason she was a little more attentive than usual that
night when I got home...or maybe I had been reminded once more of just how
special she is.  It is amazing to me how she can tell Molly to eat her
green beans and no funny business young lady; and lovingly stroke the back
of my hand at the same time.

   After dinner I was sitting on the sofa enjoying a brief period of "Brain
Dead" time when I was invaded by the Gang of Four.  Noelle and Brigid both
ended up in my lap.  They were playing a private game of their own that
involved taking turns touching each other's nose then both them touching my
nose at the same time and laughing hysterically.  This kept them occupied
for at least twenty minutes.  Meghan and Molly were on the floor at my feet
doing their homework.  Eventually Noelle and Brigid were asleep in my arms
and Meghan and Molly ended up on the sofa, leaning against me as we watched
a little bit of television.

   Colleen came in after cleaning the kitchen and stood in front me, her
protruding belly in my face, smiling down at the kids.

   "Here, let me take one of those so you can relax."

   I pulled the two sleeping bodies a little closer to me and smiled back
at her.

   "It's ok; they feel pretty good right where they are."

   Colleen sat in the rocking chair.  She watched, contemplating me and our
daughters with her contented half smile.  We sat there in silence for a
while and by the time the TV program was over, Meghan and Molly were also
asleep, slumped against me like matching bookends.  Colleen stood and
walked from the room.  As she was coming back into the room, I was leaning
my head over sideways and kissed Meghan on the top of her head.

   Click

   I looked up to see Colleen holding the camera.

   "What are you doing?" I whispered, trying not to wake the girls.

   "That's a picture I want to look at forever," she whispered back.

   Three days later, I was coming back from a meeting in the conference
room when I saw Mrs.  Lopez walking out of my office.  In one hand she was
holding my jacket and my car keys in the other.  She saw me and started
speaking in an excited voice.

   "Good, you're here.  I was just coming to get you."

   "What's going on?"

   "Colleen just called and her water broke."

   "Oh shit, I've got to go." I grabbed my jacket and keys.

   "Just calm down for a second.  Your neighbor Linda is there and will
stay with the girls.  I called Ray because he's at home and can get there
quicker.  He'll take Colleen to the hospital and they'll meet you there. 
I'll close up here then Ray and I will be at your house and stay with the
girls, don't worry about them.  Just call later and let us know what's
happening...now GO!"

   By the time she had finished saying this I was already on a dead run for
the front door.

   When I walked through the doors of the maternity ward I saw Colleen and
Ray standing at the admitting counter.  Colleen was filling in forms and
Ray saw me first.

   "Robert, over here.  Colleen was..."

   "A-A-A-H-H-O-O-W-W-W..."

   Colleen had cut off what ever Ray was starting to say with a sound that
was somewhere between a moan and a scream.  She was holding her stomach and
had a panicked look on her face.  Two nurses were there instantly putting
Colleen into a wheelchair.  They began pushing her down the hall as quickly
as they could without braking into a run.  As they turned the corner one of
the nurses yelled out, "Let's move it people.  It's show time."

   I was right behind them.

   The birth process for Noelle and Brigid had been leisurely affairs; go
to the hospital, sign forms, get settled into the pre-natal room, shave
Colleen as part of the pre-op preparation, suck on some ice chips, do
Lamaze breathing, time the intervals between contractions...

   Screw that stuff this time around.

   The nurses were lifting Colleen onto the delivery table as I followed
them through the doors.  A second behind me was the doctor.  He was moving
in low speed casual mode and asked, "How far is she dilated?"

   "Twenty-one centimeters."

   "HO-LY CRAP!" he yelled and jumped to the stool that was positioned at
the end of the delivery table.

   The nurse looked at me and barked, "You...get a mask on."

   There hadn't been time for Colleen to get into a hospital gown; she was
still wearing the dress she had on this morning when I left for work.  The
nurses lifted Colleen's legs into the stirrups and raised the hem of her
dress onto her stomach.  The doctor was sitting on his stool and looked
between Colleen's legs when he screamed.

   "Somebody get a catcher's mitt...NOW!  Ok mom, when I count three I want
you to push, but not until I tell you."

   As soon as someone shoved something into his hands he looked at
Colleen's face with a smile in his eyes.

   "Here we go; it's time to become a mother.  Remember; wait until I tell
you then push as hard as you can.  One...two...three...push."

   Colleen was holding my hand and when she squeezed I thought I could hear
bones cracking.  Her eyelids were clamped shut and she emitted one long
loud combination grunt and groan through gritted teeth.  When she finished
she was panting heavily and her bright red face was covered in a heavy film
of sweat.

   I was deliriously happy.

   Colleen's eyes were glazed and she asked in between her labored breaths,
"How soon before I have to push again?"

   The doctor gave a short laugh.

   "We can wait a minute before the second act.  Here, I've got something
you might want to see."

   One nurse laid a towel across Colleen's chest then the other laid down a
tiny bundle of humanity that had a thick coating of disgusting body fluids.

   I have never seen a more beautiful sight in my life.

   Colleen looked down at who was lying on her chest then she looked at me,
her face beaming.  She spoke with a large grin.

   "Sorry Bobby, your basketball team is going to have to be co-ed."

   I grinned back at her.

   "That's ok wife, every team needs a good outside shooter."

   Just then a nurse lifted our son...our son...I would have to get used to
saying the word son...off of Colleen.

   "We need to send this little fellow out for dry cleaning.  We'll have
him back to you in ten minutes."

   They whisked him across to the other side of the room where they began
cleaning the goop off of him then measuring and weighing and all of the
other stuff that had to be done following a birth.  True to their word, ten
minutes later Colleen was holding our son as they wheeled the gurney down
the hall to her room.

   Colleen was sitting up in bed watching our baby's face as he slept while
I sat in the chair next to her.  She was smiling and without looking up she
said, "He looks like Daddy."

   "Good, maybe he'll get a date in high school."

   Colleen looked at me with a smile.

   "Oh come on, you had dates in high school."

   "Yeah, but I was a horny teenager, I could've used a lot more."

   Colleen only grinned at me.

   I sat in the chair holding our son and glanced over at Colleen.  She had
closed her eyes and her soft regular breathing told me she was asleep. 
Looking down into the face of this little miracle my thoughts were
wandering all over the place.

   A son...I'm going to have to learn a whole new parent
vocabulary...coaching little league can't be all that hard...maybe his
sisters will teach him soccer instead...can't coach soccer, don't
understand it well enough...we have a minivan, I can drive on field
trips...Colleen is right, he does look like Dad...I wish he were here to
meet his grandson...he has four sisters; he's either going to be the little
prince or the goat boy...we're out of bedrooms, where is he going to sleep?

   I don't know why, and I suppose there is some deep psychological
explanation, but no matter how many children you already have, that first
time you hold your new child...in the quiet by yourself, you begin to think
about your own past and your child's future.  We all begin with a clean
slate and we almost never end up where we thought we were going to be.

   Every child deserves to have parents and family that love them.  Parents
that are Married/Unmarried/Gay/Straight, it makes no difference.  The child
should grow up knowing that they are loved and cherished and in a home
where they feel safe.  In the end, I hope that our children know how deeply
Colleen and I love them, and how much we love each other.

   There is a simple elegance to every aspect of Colleen, but especially in
the way she loves me.  We were inseparable as children and now as adults we
were continually learning together what true happiness and love is all
about.  I was the pillar that she leaned on when Bill died and she was
there to hold my hand in the aftermath of my marriage to Barbra crashing
down in flames.  We had helped each other survive our own individual
separate corners of hell and our love for each other grows stronger every
day.

   Our life together has been nothing but a blessing for both of us, but we
have also had to make some sacrifices too.  By making our choices we have
had to cut ourselves off from our past in Santa Teresa so that we can have
a future together.  We will never be able to attend any of our high school
reunions.  Friends that were so dear to us we could no longer stay in touch
with, only keep them locked away in our memories.  But our love for each
other and our children is so great that none of that matters.  Any part of
the individual hell that we went through, any loss of our past; we would go
through it again a hundred times over if we had to so we could end up where
we are today, together with our children.

   There has been a rapid turnover of the people in our neighborhood.  One
generation dying, or retiring and moving away to make room for the next
generation of young families to move in.  By this time no one in San Miguel
had any memory of us as anything other than Mr.  and Mrs.  O'Conner.

   There was a country western song on the radio years ago; I can't
remember the name of it and don't ask me who the singer was.  But I do
remember one line...

   "Don't ask me where she came from;

   All I know is she gave me back my life."

   I am thirty years old...I am married to my sister...We have five
children; I have adopted my nieces and my sister and I now have three
children together under the age of twenty-two months...

   I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

   The nurse came and took the baby back to the nursery so that both he and
Colleen could have their much needed rest.  While she was sleeping, I
decided to go downstairs to get a sandwich and coffee plus call home to
tell everyone the news that there would now be two males in the O'Conner
house.  Mrs.  Lopez answered the phone and was excited to hear that Colleen
and the baby were doing well.  She told me not to worry; she and Ray would
spend the night at our house with the girls and would see us tomorrow. 
Then she handed the phone to Meghan.

   "Hi daddy, what's our new sister look like?"

   "Sorry sweetie, it's not a sister.  You have a brother."

   There was a second of hesitation as Meghan processed what I had just
told her.

   "Really?...Molly, we have a brother!" she yelled across the room to her
sister.  In the background I could hear Molly's laughing cries of "yippee"
and the squeals of Noelle and Brigid as they mimicked their sisters.

   "Listen sweetheart, I'm going to stay here tonight with your mother and
the baby, but Aunt Connie and Uncle Ray are going to spend the night with
you guys.  We'll bring your brother home tomorrow."

   "That's ok, Aunt Connie promised she would make tacos and Uncle Ray is
being funny.  Daddy, I have to go now.  Molly and I need to help Aunt
Connie get the girls ready for their nap but Grandma called and wants you
to call her back.  She's at the hospital with Aunt Sharon and Aunt Mi Lin."

   Hospital?

   We ended the phone call with Meghan promising to spread hugs and kisses
all around.  I immediately called the hospital in Santa Teresa and got
passed around and put on hold for a long time before I finally got a hold
of Mom.

   "Mom, is everything ok?  Meghan told me Sharon and Mi Lin are in the
hospital."

   Mom laughed.  "Didn't she tell you the rest of it?  They had their
babies this morning, two new granddaughters.  How's Colleen?  Meghan said
that Colleen is having her baby too."

   "Had...she already had the baby.  Mom, are you sitting down?  You have a
grandson."

   I could hear the surprise in her voice.  "Are you sure?  Did you look? I
don't know how to buy presents for a grandson."

   "Yes I looked; the doctor looked too and he was almost positive it's a
boy."

   "Eleven granddaughters and one grandson, the poor boy's going to have
his work cut for him." Mom paused and I could literally hear her thinking.

   "Bobby, what time was your baby born?"
11:07...eight pounds eleven ounces, twenty-two inches."

   There was silence on the other end then Mom laughed.

   "They really planned this right down to the minute didn't they?"

   "Planned what, what do you mean?"

   "Bobby, Sharon's baby was born at 11:11 and Mi Lin's baby was born at
11:17."

   Mom stopped talking to let this bit of news sink in.  I was stunned; all
three babies had been born within a span of ten minutes.

   "Bobby, you need to get back to Colleen.  Tell her I'll call her at home
tomorrow."

   With that, we ended the conversation and I went to tell Colleen about
the other babies.

   By luck of the draw, we had the same nurse three years in a row for the
birth of our children.  The next day as we were gathering up our things to
leave she said, "So will we be seeing you folks again next year?"

   Colleen looked at her with a straight face and responded, "I don't think
so, we just found out what's been causing all these babies."

   The look on the nurse's face was priceless.

   Colleen and I had decided that we had added enough to the world's
population and would take steps to insure that we would not be returning to
visit the delivery room any time in the future.  During the period that we
would not be having actual sex, I would get a vasectomy and Colleen would
have her tubes tied.

   Although not enthusiastic about getting a vasectomy, I was willing to do
it without complaining or whining.  However I could not see any good reason
for Colleen to go through the process of getting her tubes tied, a much
more difficult and complex procedure.  But she was adamant.

   "I don't care how many vasectomies you have.  If you so much as sneeze
in my direction I'm going to end up pregnant.  This uterus is going out of
business for good."

   The trip home was uneventful.  Meghan and Molly were excited about
meeting their brother, and Noelle and Brigid were too young to understand
what was going on, just another baby in the house.  Even with all the
excitement around the three births at the same time, it was the next
weekend before we could get to Santa Teresa so that Mom could meet her only
grandson.

   It was quite a family gathering that weekend.  We met at Mike's place
because he had the largest house.  When you own the construction company,
you get a pretty good deal on the house of your dreams.  Even Harold
Peterson was there.  Ever since meeting at the wedding, Harold had been
playing golf with the twins once or twice a month.  They had forged a
friendship that seemed to be based a competition to see who could play the
worst round of golf in the history of the game.  He was playing with them
that morning and they convinced him to stick around and have lunch with us.

   When we arrived Mom was already there with Sharon and her kids and Mi
Lin arrived just minutes behind us with her kids.  We were waiting for the
twins to finish their game and get back before starting lunch.  The cousins
were running in all directions without any obvious purpose, but they were
having one hell of a good time.  Needless to say, babies were being passed
right and left by the adults.

   Mom immediately latched on to her grandson and took him into the
livingroom.  She sat down on the sofa and was rocking him gently back and
forth in her arms.  She was smiling and rubbing the back of her forefinger
on his cheek when she asked her question.

   "What did you name him?"

   The ship was filled with immigrants as it steamed from Dublin toward New
York and Ellis Island.  On board were four children named, Brigid, Fiona,
James and Michael who had never met before the journey.  They were five
years old and like all five-year-olds quickly formed an alliance to protect
themselves from the older kids.  Shortly after landing and then another
long day of train rides, they were ecstatic to learn that all four of the
families had ended up living on the same block of an Irish neighborhood in
Boston.

   The four became inseparable and basically indistinguishable to the rest
of the world.  At St.  Catherine's School everyone, including the teachers,
thought of them as a single entity.  The future held little promise for
people in their position, to be servants or day laborers like their
parents. The day after graduating from high school, they met on the banks
of the River Charles to discuss what they were going to do.  They talked
all afternoon and late into the evening and didn't stop until everyone was
in agreement.  It was settled.

   One week later, with their families' blessings, James married Fiona and
Michael married Brigid.  They packed their bags and headed west, eventually
settling in San Francisco, living in houses next door to each other.  After
a while James and Fiona had their only child, a son they named Christopher.
Ten years later Michael and Brigid had their only child, a daughter named
Margaret.  As the infant Margaret became aware of the world around her, the
first face she began to recognize other than her parents was the face of
Christopher.  For some inexplicable reason it made Christopher very happy
every time that Margaret smiled at him.

   When Margaret had graduated from college and began her career as a
second grade teacher, the agony of waiting was over and Christopher Patrick
O'Conner and Margaret Louise Murphy were married.  They had four children;
Colleen, twins James and Michael, and Robert.

   "What did you name him?"

   "Mom, this is your grandson, Christopher Patrick O'Conner."

   Mom held him on her lap looking down at his sleeping face, not speaking.
Colleen and I watched as two tears fell onto the blanket tightly wrapped
around Chris' tiny body.  Mom raised her head and with the happiest smile I
had seen on her face since Dad had died, silently mouthed the words, "thank
you."

   "Grandma, why are you crying?"

   Mike's daughter Patricia, now five years old, was standing in front of
Mom with a look of deep concern on her face.  Holding Chris in one arm, Mom
pulled Patricia into a hug with the other.

   "Because sweetheart, sometimes Grandmas cry when they are happy."

   Patricia's face showed confusion at this bit of information but accepted
it with out comment.  She turned her head and looked at Colleen and I.

   "Aunt Colleen, can I hold Christopher?"

   "Of course you can honey.  Sit down right here beside Grandma."

   Patricia sat on the sofa between Mom and Colleen.  Mom placed the
sleeping Chris onto Patricia's lap and arranged him carefully to make sure
that he wouldn't slide off.  Mom, Colleen and I started talking amongst
ourselves when Patricia squealed.

   "He's smiling, he's smiling at me.  Uncle Bobby, Christopher is smiling
at me."

   She was literally shaking with excitement.  We all looked down at
Christopher and Patricia was right.  Chris's eyes were wide open and he was
studying Patricia's face.  He had that open mouth, toothless grin that only
looks good on a newborn.  Chris closed his eyes with a small sigh and began
to wiggle around trying to burrow in closer to Patricia.  She turned her
head and looked at her Grandmother with a tear in her eye.

   "I'm happy too Grandma."

   About a year after Chris was born I was promoted to Senior Manager. 
This made me second in command of the San Miguel office of Willis, Goldman
& Reed.  One morning Harold Peterson called me into his office.  As I
walked into his office and sat down, Harold was staring out the window with
a frown.

   "Harold, you're not wearing your happy face.  What's going on?"

   Peterson slowly turned to face me.  He seemed to be studying me for a
moment and then he spoke slowly.

   "I just got off of the phone with Jamison.  Corporate is sending me a
new Senior Manager.  He will be here on Monday the 17th."

   I opened my mouth to say something but he cut me off.

   "I don't know what's going on but I intend to find out.  We'll talk
about this after I know more, but I wanted to let you know right away
because it will directly affect your position here.  Right now I need to
make some phone calls."

   With that I understood it was time to return to my office.

   Jamison was a vice president at corporate headquarters in New York and
head of the Human Resources Division.  This was a highly unusual move on
the part of headquarters.  Under normal circumstances, it would be the
field office that requested a new senior manager, not the other way around.
Something was not right.

   That night I told Colleen what was happening and she was as concerned as
I about what it might mean to my job with Willis, Goldman & Reed.  She
pulled me into her bosom and was gently stroking the back of my head when
she said, "Try not to worry.  Everything will work out all right and we'll
be fine."

   But I did worry, and the next few days were not productive for me.  The
memories of Derrick Andrews being suddenly thrust into the Chicago office
came rushing back to haunt me and sleep was a precious commodity.

   The next afternoon, Harold walked into my office and sat in the chair
next to my desk.  He leaned back and stretched his legs out straight.  He
clasped his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling for a moment
before he spoke.

   "The new guy's name is Jack Cartwright and is supposed to be a hot shot
at management.  He's already been to the Atlanta and St.  Louis offices and
now some jackass thinks we need to have him here.  This corporation has
ninety-seven offices and San Miguel isn't even half the size of most of
them.  We have the highest profit margin in the company and we're number
eleven in terms of real dollars generated.  The idea that we need
management help is horseshit.  I don't like what's going on but I guess
that we'll have to wait until he gets here and see what happens."

   At 7:55 AM on the morning of Monday the 17th Harold and I were in the
lobby of the office.  The office begins work promptly at 8:00 and we were
waiting to greet Cartwright.  Mrs.  Nelson is a charming lady in her
sixties and had been our receptionist for almost forty years.  She had
already settled in behind the counter and was preparing for the new work
week to begin.  By 8:20 Harold was fuming when we heard someone walk
through the front door.

   He appeared to be in his late twenties and made a quick visual survey of
the lobby then walked towards us.  Even from ten feet away we could tell
that his suit was incredibly expensive and with his hair slicked back he
looked like he had just stepped off the cover of GQ Magazine.  He regarded
us with the beginnings of a sneer at the corner of his mouth and stood
there saying nothing.  Harold put out his hand and said, "Good
morning...Jack Cartwright?"

   Cartwright looked down at Peterson's hand but didn't shake it.  "You
must be Peterson," was the only thing he said.

   Harold pulled back his hand and I could see the color of his face slowly
begin to turn red.  He gestured towards me and said, "This is Robert
O'Conner.  He is the Senior Manager here."

   Cartwright glanced over at me for less than a second then back at Harold
and spoke.

   "We'll see about that.  Now let's get started, there's a lot I want to
get accomplished today." He turned and leaned over the reception counter
and spoke to Mrs.  Nelson who was smiling sweetly at him.

   "Listen sweetheart, why don't you make yourself useful and get me a cup
of coffee.  I take it cream no sugar and you're going to want to remember
how I like it."

   Harold was standing directly behind him.  He reached out and grabbed the
back of Cartwright's pants at the waist and yanked up as hard as he could.
This produced a wedgie of epic proportions.  Cartwright went up on his
toes, eyes bugging out, and he emitted a shrill screech that began going up
in pitch until it reached a frequency of sound that only dogs could hear.

   Still holding Cartwright up on his toes, Harold grabbed his coat and
shirt collar at the back of his neck and pushed down until his torso was
parallel to the ground.  Keeping him in that position, Peterson spun him
around and began marching him across the lobby towards the front door. 
Marie from housekeeping was polishing the glass and stopped to open the
door as they approached.  Harold bodily threw Cartwright out the door and
we watched as he bounced once on the sidewalk and skidded towards the
gutter.  Harold pointed to his left and said, "The unemployment office is
six blocks that way," then came back into the building.

   As soon as Harold had grabbed Cartwright, Mrs.  Nelson picked up the
phone and began punching in numbers.  By the time Harold got back to us he
was breathing heavy and reached out to take the receiver that Mrs.  Nelson
was offering to him.

   This was obviously a routine they had participated in before.

   "Hello, Jamison?  This is Peterson...that's right, your boy Cartwright
showed up...no, I fired his ass and threw it out on the street...  Jamison,
you're stuttering again.  Just shut the hell up and listen...I don't give a
rat's ass what you think...well whose bonehead idea was it...listen very
closely; I have two things to say to you.  Derrick Andrews and Tony
Patterson...just calm down before you wet yourself...if they've got a
problem with it, tell them to call me directly...listen; don't ever send me
an asshole like that again.  If you do, I am personally coming to New York
and explain to the Board why that's not such a good idea...that's right, I
knew you would see it that way once I explained it.  You have just a peach
of a day."

   At that moment I truly and absolutely knew that Harold Peterson is one
of the good guys.

   Harold hung up the phone then rubbed the bridge of his nose, lost in
thought for a moment.

   "Mrs.  Nelson, if you would be so kind as to file a sexual harassment
charge against Mr.  Jack Cartwright, I would greatly appreciate it."

   During this whole time, Mrs.  Nelson had been smiling pleasantly as she
watched the proceedings.

   "Right after lunch Harold," she said, and then she smiled in my
direction.  "Usually they last until at least Thursday.  This one was a
record."

   By this time Harold had calmed down and turned to me.

   "Did anyone else smell liquor on his breath?  Robert, I'm going to need
you to sign the claim form that you witnessed Jack Cartwright sexually
harassing Mrs.  Nelson.  By the way, I'm playing golf with your brothers on
Saturday and we need a fourth, do you think you can make it?"

   "Uh...yeah...sure...I'll have to check with Colleen but I think I can
make it."

   As much as I get nauseous from the mere thought of playing golf, at that
moment I would crawl on my hands and knees bare assed naked across a field
of broken glass for this guy.

   I begged Colleen to not let me play golf but I ended up going and
actually had a blast.  For the first time in my life I scored below 220 for
eighteen holes and still won the match.  Mike and Jimmy spent the entire
morning laughing after I told them what Harold had done to Cartwright.

   Mom and Dad were each the "only child," so Colleen and the twins and I
grew up without any aunts, uncles or cousins of our own.  Because we live
in San Miguel and out of necessity had to limit our contacts in Santa
Teresa, our extended family grew through adoption.

   Miss Jennings and her partner SaraJane became the sisters that Colleen
never had growing up.  When we are at the office she will always be Mrs. 
Lopez but our kids love their Uncle Ray and Aunt Connie to death.  And
Harold Peterson...

   Harold is a smart businessman with a gruff exterior and when the need
arises, can exhibit a take-no-prisoners approach.  But he is fair and
gracious in all his business dealings, highly respected by his peers.  He
is an intensely private person with a crusty exterior as a public face, but
in reality he is a considerate and compassionate man, especially regarding
his employees.  When Linda Stewart's husband was injured in an industrial
accident and hospitalized for eight months, Harold authorized a ten
thousand dollar third quarter bonus for Linda that kept their home out of
foreclosure.

   But his particular weakness is children.

   Harold has spent countless hours pulling strings and calling in favors
to get the children of his employees into the college of their choice or
arranging scholarships for those that had no hope of going to college at
all.  Every three year old that wanders into the building knows that Harold
is a soft touch and keeps a dish of chocolate drops on the corner of his
desk.

   But there is a special connection between Harold and our kids.  Even
with the grumpy look on his face and his habit of barking out his
sentences, the kids knew instantly that on the inside Harold is as tough as
a chocolate soufflé.  The second time she met him Meghan called him Uncle
Harold and he has been that ever since.

   Mom and the twins had met Harold and the two Sara's at the wedding and
accepted them as part of the family.  Mike and Jimmy immediately bonded
with Harold over an irrational love of the game of golf.  Mom and Sharon
and Mi Lin simply pulled the two Sara's into their circle as if they had
always been there.  After Connie and Ray moved here from Chicago, the
circle grew a little bit larger.  With law enforcement as a commonality,
Jimmy and Ray instantly connected and as always, Mike came along for the
ride.

   One day the twins and Harold cornered Ray and was trying to harass him
into playing golf with them.  Ray did not have a look of amusement on his
face when he said, "I shot the last guy that asked me to play golf with
him."

   There was a brief moment of silence until Mike responded, "So-o-o...can
we take that as a maybe?"

   You would think that living in a house with five kids would be sheer
bedlam twenty-four hours a day but this was not the case.  From the very
beginning, all five worked together, running like a well oiled piece of
machinery.  I have never seen another group of sisters and brothers
establish a set of relationships quite like theirs.  Colleen and I did not
overtly push them into any particular behavior pattern; they just worked it
out on their own.  There were squabbles and the typical sibling flare ups,
but the pouting and hurt feelings never lasted more than a couple of hours
and then the participants were back to helping each other finish the
household chores and struggle with tonight's geometry homework.

   Meghan and Molly were inseparable, constantly finishing each others'
sentences.  Noelle and Brigid are the same way.  Two pairs of best friends
completely devoted to each other.  Meghan and Molly took their role as
older sisters very seriously.  They were constantly there for Noelle and
Brigid, holding hands, kissing boo-boo's, offering comfort and teaching
them how to fold napkins for dinner.  All four of them insisted that Meghan
and Noelle share a room and Molly and Brigid share the other.  They
wouldn't have it any other way.  I don't think anyone of us would have
survived if the Gang of Four had not had the bond that they do.

   The Gang of Four absolutely adored their brother and worshiped the
ground he walked on.  But they were not at all hesitant to slap him on the
back of the head and tell him to "stop acting like an idiot!" This kept him
from developing any exaggerated sense of self importance.

   With the Gang of Four paired up this left Christopher as the odd man out
but it never seemed to affect him.  One day when he was about four, Chris
was sitting at the dinning table, deeply engrossed in drawing pictures on
the back of some used sketch paper that Colleen had given him while his
sisters were having a conspiracy meeting in one of the bedrooms.  As I sat
down next to him, I studied him for a moment wondering how he fit in as an
individual into this web of best friends.

   "Hey Chris, who is your best friend?"

   He didn't even bother to look up when he answered.

   "Patricia."

   Patricia?  Mike's daughter?

   Chris raised his head to look at me and his expression told me that was
the dumbest question he had ever heard.

   Patricia.

   As soon as I thought about it, it made sense.  From the very moment they
first met, they insisted on being together as often as they could.  When
the family would get together, Chris would run to Patricia first before
acknowledging the existence of anyone else.  They would play together and
tune everyone else out.  Many times Mike or Sharon would bring Patricia to
San Miguel to be with Christopher just so that she would smile again.  It
was not uncommon for her to spend a week or more at our house in the summer
and literally became a sixth child for us.

   Truth be told, there were times when Colleen and I were not at all sure
how many kids actually lived in our house.  Frank and Linda Martin were our
close friends that lived next door.  Their daughters were the same age as
Meghan and Molly and their son Keith had been born a couple of weeks before
Christopher.  The back and forth traffic between the two houses became so
constant that Frank and I finally took down the fence between the two
backyards.  This gave the kids a much larger area to play in and we didn't
have to constantly nag them about closing the front door.

   Somewhere along the way our two houses became neighborhood central for
every kid in a ten block radius.  Down to the very last one, they were
unfailingly polite and well mannered although at times the decibel level
was excruciatingly high.  God only knows how many kids were in this group,
a number that was constantly fluctuating, with an age span of about ten
years.  Colleen and I loved the commotion these kids created but it also
meant that we had to pay special attention to the task of finding time just
for ourselves, time for just the two of us to remind ourselves why we love
each other so much.  We had to be imaginative in ways to create these
moments.

   One morning about 10:30 I was sitting in my office when my phone rang.
When I answered, all I heard was Colleen's voice.

   "I'm lying on the bed and I don't have any clothes on...don't make me
start without you."

   And then a dial tone.

   By the time I walked through the bedroom door, I had already taken off
my shirt and was working to get my pants off.  Colleen was lying on the bed
with her legs parted and a look of frustration on her face.

   "Jesus Bobby, what took you so long?"

   "I got a speeding ticket over on Balboa Avenue.  I've never seen a cop
write so slow in my life."

   As I lay on top of her and my hips fell between her thighs, Colleen
lightly held my face between the palms of her hands and gently kissed me on
the lips.  She smiled and whispered, "I'm glad you could make it."

   I will agree that being married to your sister is not the conventional
approach to marriage.  But in the end, it makes no difference if you are
married to your sister, the girl next door or the woman you met at the bar
last night.  The marriage is doomed to failure if both of you don't work
together and individually to keep the love alive, the love that made you
want to get married in the first place.  A good marriage is a lot of hard
work.

   Colleen and I make love to each other twenty-four hours a day, seven
days a week.  Please note that I said that we make love, not have sex.  We
make love to each other in little tiny ways all the time that does not
involve sex.

   We are not embarrassed to express genuine affection for each other.  We
hold hands in public.  Our shoulders touch when we sit in the pew Sunday
mornings.  At neighborhood parties Colleen stands next to me with her arm
around my waist, my arm around her shoulders.  It is against the laws of
nature for Colleen and I to walk past each other without stopping for a
quick kiss or a gentle touch and then continue on our way.  One of our
favorite ways to tease the kids is to wait until we are all in the same
room together.  Colleen will sit in my lap and we start kissing and hugging
until the kids run from the room screaming, "Oh gross!" When she got older
Meghan's comment as she left the room was always, "Would you two just go to
a motel...PLEASE!"

   I suppose that the frequency of our sexual encounters is higher than the
national average, but we are not constantly tearing at each other's clothes
every moment of the day.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We were
forced to slow down considerably out of necessity when the kids were young.
When you have three children under the age of two and a half, exhaustion is
a way of life.  The only thought that sits there in your head all day is
knowing that at the end of the day you will crawl into bed with your lover
and then sweet, delicious, glorious sleep.

   One occasion sticks out in my memory and I will never forget it.

   Colleen and I had not had sex for over two weeks.  Meghan and Molly were
squabbling about something and for the first and only time the bad feelings
had spilled over to a second day.  Christopher was teething and both Noelle
and Brigid had killer ear infections.  The constant bickering and crying
from all five of the kids had us completely frazzled.  Just as we were
starting to get them down for the night, Colleen pulled me aside out the
kid's range of hearing.  She gave a quick kiss and whispered in my ear.

   "You better get yourself ready because in exactly twenty minutes you are
going to crawl between my legs and do what you do best."

   It was actually two hours before we finally got into bed.  Colleen
wrapped her legs around my waist and sighed, "I've been looking forward to
this all day."

   I could tell that this moment had been on her mind as soon as I slid
into her.  I had missed this as much as she.  That velvet feeling of being
inside of her only increased the flow of blood to my cock.  She moaned
deliriously as I felt her pubic hair begin to caress my balls.  I slowly
pulled my hips back and then reversed direction as we began the journey to
our ultimate pleasure.  As I began to pick up speed, I realized that
something didn't feel quite right.  I heard a sound escape from Colleen's
mouth and I looked down into her face.

   Colleen's eyes were closed and she was snoring.

   My only thought at that moment as I rolled us over onto our sides was,
"Oh thank you God!  I don't think I have the strength to finish this."

   Life is not, as they say, "just a bowl of cherries." You can't live with
someone as long as we have and not get on each others nerves at least once
and a while.  But Colleen and I are luckier than most married couples.  Any
arguments that we've had have always been the simple little ones that
usually began with statements like, "How could you forget to pick up the
dry cleaning?  It's right next door to the hardware store." Or "I told you
two weeks ago I had this meeting.  I even wrote it on the calendar." Or
more frequently, "Could you PLEASE keep the kids quiet.  I have to get this
done by tomorrow morning."

   But these flare ups are very infrequent and so minor that within the
hour we are hugging and doing what we need to do to make sure that we are
back on track with each other.  I firmly believe that these types of
incidents are necessary to remind ourselves that if we are not diligent
about keeping the love alive, it can all turn into a living hell overnight.

   I pulled the minivan into the driveway and turned the engine off.  I
can't remember what started it but for the last five minutes Colleen and I
had been snapping at each other over something that was of absolutely no
importance in the grand scheme of things.  Colleen and I turned toward each
other, mouths open, ready to speak the words that would begin World War III
when a tiny voice drifted up from the back of the minivan.

   "All right children, let's all go to our happy place"

   Our heads snapped around and we stared at the back of the van.  There we
saw five innocent, expressionless faces staring back at us.  Colleen began
to giggle and soon we were all roaring with laughter.  I had no other
option but to start the car and drive to our favorite burger joint.

   There was only one time when things came close to getting out of hand.

   I will admit that draining the oil out of the lawnmower into Colleen's
favorite casserole dish was not the smartest decision I have ever made. 
But I felt that her reaction was way out of line when I told her that yes,
I did in fact know it was something that she cooked food in and I had every
intention of rinsing it out before I put it back.  I then calmly informed
her that the lawnmower would not fit where she told me to put it...no
matter how far I bent over.  I also knew that it was going to take me all
afternoon to replace the porch light that fell off when she slammed the
back door.

   I stared at the door for a minute then turned around to find all five
kids lined up in stair step fashion looking at me, faces devoid of any
expression.  You don't know true humiliation until your five year old son
looks you directly in the eye and says, "Gee dad, that was really dumb."

   The kids did a right face and marched off.  As they were leaving, Meghan
turned and looked over her shoulder at me and said, "You know dad, this is
really going to cost you."

   When I slid into bed that night, Colleen was lying with her back to me.
For the only time in our lives, when I placed my hand on her hip she shoved
my arm away.  I don't know about Colleen but I didn't get much sleep that
night.  In the morning I woke to find Colleen staring at me with tears in
her eyes.  Her lip was trembling as she spoke.

   "Who was that crazy woman you let get into our bed last night?"

   "I don't know but her brother is a complete imbecile."

   Colleen wiped her eyes and sniffed as she asked, "Are we ok now?"

   I pulled her close and held tight as I whispered into her ear, "Yeah,
we're good."

   Meghan was right, it did cost me.  That afternoon I bought Colleen a
brand new set of gourmet cookware, a very small price to pay to make the
woman I love happy.

   Meghan and Molly invented a game we all love to play that they named Dog
Pile on Daddy.  In this game Colleen would surprise me by leading a gang of
five screaming and squealing kids, chasing me around the house or yard
until I was gang tackled.  The winner was the first person to steal my
shoe. The winner also got to choose what we would have for dinner that
night.

   There is a variation of this game that Colleen and I play in the bedroom
late at night after the kids are asleep.  The name of this game is Dog Pile
on Mommy.  The rules of this game are that I chase Colleen around the
bedroom until someone steals her panties.

   I am always the winner.

   Then one day it happened.

   Dad had told my brothers and I to expect it, it happens to all men.  But
being forewarned did nothing to lessen the panic that I felt.

   It was a Saturday morning and the kids were out somewhere which left
Colleen and I alone in the house.  I was standing in the dining room going
through the mail that had just arrived when Colleen walked in from the
bedroom, turned her back to me, looked over her shoulder and asked "THE
QUESTION."

   "Does this dress make my ass look fat?"

   There is no correct answer to this question.  If you answer "yes,"
you're a dead man.  If you answer "no," you're immediately called a liar
and your parents' marriage is questioned.  This is typically followed by a
long series of slamming doors.  If you try to waffle and resort to vague
and ambiguous comments, she turns into a starving wolf and you are the
wounded lamb.  She will be relentless until you collapse from exhaustion
and give an answer.

   This question is the root cause of 90 % of all the divorces in America
today.  (Ok, I made up that statistic, but I am dead certain the number is
at least 80 %.) Dad had also given the twins and I the key to survival in
this situation.  The secret had been passed down to him from his father and
from his father before him going back thousands of generations.  There is
only one thing that can save both your marriage and your life.

   Distraction.

   Many men have faked a heart attack at this point.  But that is only good
for one time and after you return from the hospital with a clean bill of
health, she will be standing there in the same dress, asking the same damn
question.

   "Does this dress make my ass look fat?"

   I turned Colleen around to face me and pulled her close.  When she
opened her mouth to speak I immediately shoved my tongue in as far as it
could go.  My hands slid down and started to caress her ass.  When I pulled
my tongue away from her tonsils she asked, "Bobby!  What are you doing?"

   I continued stroking and squeezing her ass.  Colleen moaned "that feels
good," and began to kiss me along the side of my neck.  I slowly pulled up
her dress up until I could feel the silkiness of her panties and slid both
hands down inside, stroking the satin smooth skin of her cheeks.  I pulled
her closer to me until we were rubbing our groins together and Colleen
softly whispered as she nibbled in my ear.

   "Are you trying to start something here?  Because it's working."

   I pushed her panties down her legs then lifted her up and sat her ass on
the edge to the dining table, spreading her knees apart and standing
between her thighs.  Colleen put her arms around my neck and then it was
her turn to slide her tongue down my throat.  At the same time I was
undoing my belt and shoving my pants down to my ankles.  I pulled her dress
up further until it was above her waist letting me see and feel the thick
fur of her pussy.  With one hand I was running my fingers through her pubic
hair and the other hand was on my cock, lining it up with the opening
between her legs.

   "Baby, you have the most delicious ass in the world.  Every time I see
it or even think about it, I can't control myself."

   My brain was screaming "MAY-DAY, MAY-DAY" to my dick.  If I didn't give
a world class performance, my testicles would be separated from the rest of
my body without the use of anesthesia or surgical tools.  But that has
never been a problem for me.  Everytime I see the dark forest of hair
between Colleen's legs, my cock is as hard as a concrete pillar.  As soon
as the tip of my dick touched the lips of her cunt, Colleen moaned and put
her hands on my hips to pull me deep into her.  When I was completely
inside of her, she gave a big sigh and lay back on the table.  She was
breathing heavily and groaned out, "Don't stop now."

   I put my hands under Colleen's thighs and lifted them until they were
around my hips.  She crossed her calves behind my ass and tried to pull me
in even deeper.  I began to work my hips, sliding in out of Colleen.  As I
started to pick up speed, I leaned over and braced myself with both arms on
either side of her head.  Colleen's mouth was open and her eyes rolled back
in her head.  My hips were doing 100 RPM's as Colleen was slapping her
palms on the tabletop.  Within minutes Colleen and I both screamed "OH DEAR
GOD" and went into convulsions as semen shot out the end of my cock.

   We were both gasping for air as the tremors of our orgasms began to fade
away.  I leaned down and quickly kissed Colleen on the lips.  As I pulled
my head back she whispered, "I love you husband."

   "I love you wife."

   I paused, my mind scrambling.  "Listen, I have to...uh...go to...um...go
to the hardware store.  I need to...need to get some...uh...nails.  I need
to get some nails for...the thing.  I'll be back later." As I was talking I
was pulling up my pants and moving towards the front door.

   Colleen was still lying on the table, completely relaxed and panting
heavily with her panties dangling off one of her ankles.  She was smiling
as she spoke.

   "Ok, don't be long."

   It was less than fifteen minutes from the time Colleen asked the
question to the moment I exited out the front door.  As I stepped out onto
the front porch and closed the door behind me, I was still fastening my
belt and zipping up my pants.  I flew down the steps towards the car.  By
the time the car door was closed and the seat belt was buckled, I was
already turning the corner at the end of the block.

   I actually did go to the hardware store and bought the first bag of
nails that I saw on the shelf.  Now I was going to have to remember where I
left the hammer in the garage the last time I used it, probably sometime
last year.  After the hardware store I stopped at the bakery, got a Danish
and café mocha to go then wandered across the street to the park and
watched a little league game for a while.  After a couple of hours had
passed I decided it was time to go home.

   When I walked back into the house I was a little apprehensive about what
the fallout might be from what had happened that morning.  I was standing
in the middle of the livingroom nervously looking around when I heard
Colleen come down the hall from the bedroom and step into the livingroom.

   She was as naked as the day she was born.

   Wordlessly she walked up to me and began to unbutton my shirt.  She gave
me little bites on my nipples as she slid the shirt off my shoulders and
down my arms.  Next she unbuckled my belt, lowered the zipper on my pants
and pushed them to the floor.  When she had me completely undressed, she
took my hand and led me down the hall to the bedroom.  At the door she
stopped and gave me a gentle kiss then whispered in my ear.

   "The kids are spending the night with Connie and Ray.  We don't have to
pick them up until ten o'clock tomorrow morning."

   With that she gently pulled me into the bedroom and closed the door
behind us.

   We were late picking up the kids.

   After thirty-five years, Mom decided that it was time for the next
generation to take over the responsibility for teaching the second grade.
There were seven teachers retiring that year so a large banquet was held at
the Santa Teresa County Club.  All the friends from San Miguel were invited
but Harold was the only one who could make it to help Mom celebrate.

   The food was superb, the speeches were dreary, the music was smooth, the
dancing was good and the bar was open.  There were tears and laughter from
co-workers who would no longer be seeing each other on a daily basis.

   Late in the evening Harold pulled me aside and said, "I was just talking
to your mother about her trip..."

   For years before he passed away, Mom and Dad had talked about visiting
Alaska and now she was going to fulfill that dream.  She was leaving next
month for a cruise that started in San Francisco and sailed up the coast
stopping in Vancouver and several other spots in Canada and then Alaska,
returning two weeks later.  As soon as she returned Mom was traveling back
east to visit an old friend from college.

   "...and it got me to thinking.  I've been in San Miguel for thirty years
and built up more vacation time than God himself.  I think it's time that I
get the hell out of Dodge for a while."

   "What are you going to do?"

   "I don't know, travel I guess, definitely go visit John Gordon and give
him some golf lessons.  Mostly relax and not think about the office."

   "I'm envious, that sounds fantastic."

   "Anyway, that means that you will be in charge of the office while I'm
gone but don't go crazy.  I don't want to have to re-train everyone when I
get back." It was a rare moment, Harold was smiling.

   "When are you going?"

   "First I want to make sure that the Gibson nonsense is taken care of and
then tie up some other loose ends.  I don't know, three...four weeks
maybe."

   Harold had an odd look on his face.  I just chalked it up to
anticipation about getting away.

   So on a Friday afternoon, Harold shook my hand, said, "Good luck, don't
call.  If anything happens I don't want to hear about it." And headed out
the door.

   It seemed like the second that Harold left the building, every
conceivable crisis scenario mankind could possibly envision popped up.  But
with everyone in the office functioning like the precision machine that
Harold had built over the years, everything was running smoothly when he
returned.

   On a Thursday night Mom called to tell us that she had just returned
from her trip and would see us soon.  There was a tone in her voice that
showed she was tired but definitely relaxed and happy.  After thirty-five
years of being the kiddy wrangler for 25 eight year olds, Mom had earned
the right to relax.

   The next morning we were all up and getting ready for the day.  At 6:30
AM the doorbell rang.  Colleen and I looked at each other, who could
possibly be coming to our house this early in the morning?  Still in my
robe I got up to answer the door.  When I opened it, there standing in
front of me was my mother.

   "Mom, what are you doing here this early?"

   "I came to have breakfast with my grandkids."

   By this time all five kids came on a dead run and threw their arms
around their grandmother.

   Colleen was standing in the doorway to the kitchen and called out,
"Kids...come on...let go of your grandmother long enough for her come
inside." Mom came in and sat at the kitchen table to eat breakfast with us.
She explained that Mike and Jimmy's children were in and out of her house
all the time but she didn't get to see our kids nearly as often.  Now that
she was retired she was going to make up for lost time.

   When I got home from the office Mom was still there in the kitchen
helping Colleen prepare dinner.  After we had eaten dinner, the kids were
settling down to do homework when Mom looked at her watch and said, "Oops;
getting late, gotta go," and was out the door.  Colleen and I just stared
at each other.

   "That was weird."

   "I know, what just happened?"

   Over the next few weeks Mom began showing up at the house unannounced at
odd hours of the day but usually early in the morning.  In order for her to
get to our house from Santa Teresa in time for breakfast she had to be
getting up at 4:00 in the morning.

   About that time Mike called me at the office and got straight to the
point.

   "Jimmy and I were talking and I need to ask you a question.  Have you
and Colleen noticed anything strange about Mom lately?"

   I hesitated before answering.  "What do you mean?"

   "Well, it's like she disappears for a while, a couple of days at a time
and when we asked her about it she just brushed it off...said she was
visiting you guys but when I talked to Colleen she said she hadn't see Mom
all week."

   "I don't know Mike, Mom has been showing up at all kind of oddball
hours; early in the morning or late at night and then rushing off like she
has to be somewhere else right away.  Colleen and I were going to talk to
you and Jimmy about the same thing.  Do you think she's ok?"

   Mike paused before he answered.

   "I think so, but...it's just not like her at all."

   The day Harold came back from his vacation, he was in the office early
and didn't come out.  After things had settled down for the morning I went
in to welcome him back and bring him up to speed on everything that had
happened in his absence.  When I stepped into his office he was sitting in
his chair with his back to his desk staring out the window at the San
Grigorio Mountains in the distance.  I had to call his name a couple of
times to get his attention.

   "Harold, welcome back.  How was the vacation?"

   "It was good.  I could get used to not coming into the office."

   "So where did you end up going?"

   "Oh...went up into Canada for a little bit...always wanted to see
Canada...spent a week with John Gordon...stopped off and saw my nephew in
Santa Fe, haven't seen him in quite a while; he's got some great kids."

   I started telling Harold all the gritty details of what had been
happening in the office but from the expression on his face I wasn't sure
that he had heard a single word I said.  Over the next few weeks Harold was
still on top of things but he seemed to be distracted most of the time and
we all felt that we had to work hard to keep his attention.  Mrs.  Lopez
spoke to me about it late one afternoon.

   "Robert, have you noticed anything different about Harold since he got
back from his vacation?  Do you know what's going on?"

   "Yeah I have noticed and no I don't know what's going on.  I wish I did.
If I didn't know any better, I say he's acting like he's happy.  The other
day I actually caught him smiling."

   Six weeks after Harold retuned from his vacation, the regularly
scheduled annual audit of the San Miguel office occurred.

   Once a year, the suits from the New York Headquarters would pay a visit.
They would show up early Tuesday morning then spend all day Tuesday and
Wednesday going over the annual reports with the local managers.  Thursday
mornings was spent meeting the rest of the employees individually and in
groups.  It was a pro forma visit but it did help to create a bond between
the field office and headquarters.

   This year the visit was different.  The folks from headquarters spent
all of Tuesday and Wednesday morning in the conference room with Harold
alone.  They didn't meet with the rest of the managers until that afternoon
and even then it was brief and perfunctory.  The Thursday morning session
went as usual and then just before lunch the announcement was made.

   On Friday, the next day, a meeting of all employees would take place
promptly at 11:30 AM at the Sheraton Hotel.  Attendance was mandatory for
all personnel and failure to attend would result in disciplinary action. 
When they were asked about what was going on, the suits were tight lipped
and didn't respond.

   The next morning everyone was walking on eggshells.  The New York people
and Harold were not in the building.  At 11:15 people started streaming out
of the office and headed over to the Sheraton.  In the hotel lobby was a
sign that said the Willis, Goldman & Reed meeting was in the Sequoia Room.

   When I walked into the Sequoia Room I was surprised by several things.
The room was set up for a formal banquet with white linen on the tables
with gleaming silverware and crystal.  But a bigger surprise was Colleen
and Mom standing in the back of the room talking to Mrs.  Lopez.  As soon
as she saw me Colleen broke away and came over to me.

   "Bobby, what's going on?"

   "I was going to ask you the same thing.  What are you doing here?"

   "I don't know.  Harold called me this morning and told me to be here. 
He made it sound like your job was at stake.  I haven't had a chance to ask
Mom why she's here."

   Just then a waiter came by and informed us that it was time to sit down
for lunch.  There was one long row of tables for managers in San Miguel and
the New York visitors.  Colleen was told to sit next to me and Mom sat in
between me and Harold.  Then came the next surprise.  John Gordon was
sitting on the other side of Harold with Mrs.  Lopez and Ray.

   The meal was excellent, just as you would expect and every one was
having a good time but there was an underlying current of confusion and
tension as we all waited for the other shoe to drop.  When everyone was
almost finished with dessert, the speeches began.

   Mercifully they were short.

   We were congratulated for our teamwork and it was announced that several
people from our office were going to be assigned to visit other field
offices to help train personnel in some of the process changes we had
developed in San Miguel.  We all cheered when it was announced that once
again San Miguel had the highest profit margin and had moved from eleventh
to ninth place for real dollars generated during the last fiscal year.

   Then John Gordon stood up and walked to the podium.  Gordon had been
appointed CEO of the company several years before and was now living in New
York.  Everyone immediately fell silent.  We knew that we were about to be
told what this was all bout.

   Gordon looked at the managers table for a moment and then turned to
address the rest of the employees.

   "I want to add my congratulations for another stellar year by this
office.  Although it amazes me how you continue do this year after year
when someone like Harold Peterson is in charge.  Just think what you could
accomplish if you had someone who actually knew what they were doing."

   There was an audible gasp from everyone in the room.

   "Harold Peterson has been a dead weight on this company since the day he
was hired.  I'm surprised that he's lasted as long as he has.  We will be
making some changes around here and get this place producing like it really
should."

   Harold stood up and threw his napkin on to his plate and stormed over to
where Gordon was standing.

   "Listen you jackass, I've taken all the crap I'm going to take from
you."

   The veins on the side of Harold's neck were standing out.

   "I haven't even begun to hand out the crap...and you're going to go back
and sit down just like the sissy you always have been," Gordon yelled back.

   Everyone on the room was paralyzed in shock at what they were
witnessing.

   "I've had to carry you're ass on my back and fix every screw up you made
since the day we met and I'm not going to do it anymore," Harold thundered.

   "The only mistake I ever made was letting you be my roommate in
college...and believe me when I say that I've regretted it ever since,"
Gordon bellowed.

   Everyone sat immobilized in fear except for Mom.  She was calmly leaning
slightly forward with her elbows on the table and her chin resting in her
hands.  She had a look on her face that suggested that she was slightly
amused by this whole episode.

   "You know what?  You and this company can take this office and shove it
up your collective asses."

   Harold pulled something out of his pocket then turned and tossed it in
my direction.  It landed with a thud on the table in front of me.  I looked
down to see Harold's office keys.

   "I've had it with this chicken shit outfit.  O'Conner, it's your problem
now, I'm out of here."

   "That's right Peterson, you always were a quitter."

   Harold spun around to face Gordon and they stood nose to nose.  With a
roar the two men lunged at each other.  Ray and I both stood up ready pull
them apart before they killed each other, and then stopped.

   They weren't wrestling; they were hugging and slapping each other on the
back.  When they broke apart and turned to face the room they were laughing
and had tears in their eyes.  Everyone except Mom sat in absolute
bewilderment about what they had just witnessed.

   After they had caught their breath, John Gordon wiped the tears from his
eyes and began to speak, his arm around Harold's shoulder.

   "I apologize for that little charade, but the timing was too good to
pass up.  I have known Harold Peterson for over forty-five years and I
consider it a privilege and an honor to call him my friend.  You don't know
what true friendship is until you experience Harold in your life."

   Gordon paused to allow everyone time to relax back in their chairs.

   "I came here today to make two announcements."

   Gordon now had everyone's undivided attention.

   "First; I am here to announce that after forty-one years, as of eight
o'clock this morning, Harold Peterson has officially retired from Willis,
Goldman & Reed..."

   There were more gasps and a few soft cries of "oh my God."

   "...and I am extremely jealous.  Secondly; I am pleased to introduce the
newest vice-president of Willis, Goldman & Reed and the new head of the San
Miguel field office...Mr.  Robert O'Conner."

   It took a moment for what Gordon had said to sink in and then the
applause began.  I was too stunned to react.  Colleen threw her arms around
me and Mom reached over and squeezed my hand.  I stood up and waved my hand
as a sign of acknowledgment.  I opened my mouth to say something but no
sound came out so I sat back down.

   Harold and Gordon were still standing at the podium, still smiling as
people began to settle back once more in their chairs.  Gordon rapped his
knuckles on the podium to get everyone's attention and then spoke once
more.

   "This morning I asked Harold if he wanted to say a few farewell words to
all of you.  Good manners prevent me from repeating what he said.  Mr. 
O'Conner's first official act as vice president is to give everyone
administrative time off for the remainder of the day in celebration of the
changes here in San Miguel and as CEO of this corporation I
enthusiastically support that decision.  And that ladies and gentleman
concludes the annual review of the San Miguel field office."

   I sat in my chair completely stunned.  Colleen couldn't stop hugging me
and people were streaming by with congratulations.  I turned to talk to Mom
but she wasn't there anymore.  I looked around and finally spotted her.  A
group of people had gathered around Harold, and Mom was standing next to
him wearing that contented half smile that the O'Conner women have.

   Colleen and I started to make our way over to Harold and Mom, but we
were constantly being stopped and congratulated with a handshake or a slap
on the back from all the men and a quick peck on the cheek from all the
women.  Colleen was next to me with her arm around my waist smiling from
ear to ear.

   By the time we got to the other side of the room the crowd around Harold
had thinned and we stopped in front of Harold and Mom.  Mom still had that
small, amused smile and spoke before we had a chance to.

   "Harold was just telling me about this fantasy he has.  He thinks that
since we're both retired he's going to teach me to play golf.  I told him
that he's delusional but medication and a good therapist could take care
that."

   Colleen laughed, "That's not a good idea Harold.  Dad tried that once
and trust me, you wouldn't be happy with the experience."

   We all laughed and I asked Harold, "Why didn't you tell anyone you were
going to retire?"

   "I didn't want anyone to make a big deal out it."

   Harold gestured out towards the now almost empty banquet room.

   "This was bad enough but John insisted on doing it.  Sometimes it's just
easier to humor him."

   This was typical Harold Peterson but as he said it his face was beaming.

   At that moment John Gordon and a couple the New York folks walked up us.

   "Robert, could I speak to you and Colleen for a moment."

   "Of course Mr.  Gordon..."

   Before I could continue, Gordon laid his hand on my shoulder and
interrupted me.

   "Robert, if you want to keep your new position, the first thing you have
to remember is to never call me Mr.  Gordon.  My name is John.  John, never
Jack...I hate that name."

   "Ok...John...I want to thank you for everything you've done for me.  I
will do my best to not disappoint you."

   "I know you won't; you've been trained by the best man there is.  What I
wanted to tell you is that next month you and Colleen are coming to New
York for a week.  There is a ton of things that have to be taken care of
before this transition can be completed."

   "But why am I coming to New York?" Colleen asked.

   "It's company policy, spouses always travel with our executives."
Gordon's eyes almost twinkled when he added, "Plus my wife Diane wants to
meet you, we've heard quite a bit about you."

   This last statement left Colleen and I with more questions than answers.

   "Anyway Robert, I'll just say congratulations once again and be on my
way.  I promised to have dinner with the Lopez's and then I fly back to New
York late tonight.  I'll see you in two weeks."

   As Gordon walked out of the room it slowly registered that he had said
"see you in two weeks," not next month.

   Colleen and I turned around to talk to Mom and Harold but they were
gone. There were only a few people in the room besides the hotel staff that
was starting to clean up.  We went out to the lobby and looked around but
couldn't find either Mom or Harold.

   I walked Colleen out to the parking lot to her car.  Mom's car was still
parked in the space next to Colleen's and I saw Harold's car three spaces
down from Mom's.  I turned to look around but Colleen and I were the only
people in the parking lot.

   "Where could Mom and Harold have gone off to?"

   Colleen gave me a quick kiss on the lips and then said as she got into
her car, "I don't know sweetheart but I'm going to go home..." She was
smiling as she added, "...and I think it could work out nicely for both of
us if you follow me."

   I raced to my car and was behind her by the time she was ready to pull
out onto the street.  When we got home we made love very slowly in the
middle of the afternoon and then had to scramble to get dressed before the
kids got home from school.  Once everyone was home, we told the kids about
my promotion.  Everyone was excited and there was a mass of confusion as we
discussed where we would go to dinner to celebrate when the doorbell rang.

   After opening the door I was surprised to see Mike and Sharon, and Jimmy
and Mi Lin.

   "Hey guys, come on in.  What's up?"

   "We were hoping that you could tell us."

   "What do you mean?"

   Mike and Jimmy looked at each other then back at Colleen and I.  It was
Jimmy who spoke.

   "Mom called us last night and told us to be here exactly at 5:30 dressed
for dinner or there would be hell to pay."

   Everything about this day was confusing.

   We were all standing in the livingroom.  Colleen and I had begun to tell
the twins about my promotion when the doorbell rang a second time.  After
everything that had happened today I wasn't all that surprised to see Mom
on our porch, but I had no idea why Harold was standing there with her.  I
was caught off guard so I didn't even say hello, just stepped aside and let
them walk into the house.

   It was one of those awkward moments when no one knows what is going on
or what to say.  We were all standing in a large circle staring at each
other, no one talking.  Mom was standing with her hands lightly clasped in
front of her with her half smile.  Harold stood next to her with his hands
in his pockets slowly rocking back and forth on his heels, head down
studying something on the floor in front of his shoes, not looking at
anyone in the group.  The rest of us were looking at each other trying to
figure out what was going on.

   This was getting weirder by the moment.

   Gradually our collective attention drifted to Mom and Harold.  Suddenly
Sharon and Mi Lin gasped and Colleen exclaimed, "MOM!  You
didn't...no...yes...yes you did, didn't you?"

   Mom didn't answer, she just continued to smile.

   Sharon and Mi Lin's eyes were bugging out and their hands were clapped
against their mouths.  Colleen's eyes were large circles and her jaw was
hanging down in shock.

   The twins and I were totally mystified about what was happening.

   "What?  What did Mom do?"

   Colleen turned to look at the twins and then me before she answered.

   "Our mother just had sex."

   The blood was draining from Mike and Jimmy's faces and I was beginning
to get light headed.

   Mother just looked at us with her smile for a split second before she
spoke.

   "That's correct dear.  Harold and I spent the afternoon in a room at the
Sheraton."

   I was starting to see spots swimming in front of my eyes.  Mom and
Harold?

   Mike's lips were moving but no sound was coming out.  Jimmy was staring
at Mom and Harold but the expression on his face indicated that all of his
neural systems were beginning to shut down.

   Harold is definitely one of the good guys...but Harold and my Mother?  I
thought my head was going to explode.

   Suddenly the light bulb went on for me.

   "Harold, you said that you went to Canada on your vacation.  Does that
mean you were on the same cruise ship as Mom?"

   "Yes Robert, I was on the same ship as your mother."

   It seemed bizarre to see Harold smiling so much.

   Then Mom spoke.

   "As a matter of fact, Harold and I were in the same cabin."

   Mike was gasping for air when he croaked, "Please tell me there were two
beds in the cabin."

   Mom was smiling broadly when she answered.

   "No dear, there was only one bed in the cabin."

   Jimmy placed both of his hands on the side of his head and sank down on
to the sofa, softly moaning.  It was then that I noticed that Mom and
Harold were standing very close to each other holding hands.  I was
struggling to cope with the fact that everything I knew about the natural
order of the universe up to this point in my life had suddenly taken a
sharp left hand turn.

   Colleen's eyes began blinking in rapid succession.  I had seen this
before when she was processing some new information.  I could see the gears
turning in her head and she asked, "So all those mornings that you came to
have breakfast..."

   Harold was still smiling when he said, "Your mother spent the night at
my condo."

   Everyone was quiet as we stared at Mom and Harold.  Finally Mi Lin asked
the question that was hanging out there in the air in front of us but no
one was brave enough to ask.

   "How long have you guys been...uh...you know...umm...?"

   Her question faded off into an embarrassed silence.

   Mom and Harold smiled at each other then Mom answered.

   "A little over two years."

   None of us were emotionally equipped to handle this bombshell.

   At some point each of us opened our mouths to say something, but nothing
would come out.  Slowly we became aware that Christopher was standing in
front of Harold.  With the innocent curiosity that only an eight year old
can express he asked, "Uncle Harold, do you love my grandmother?"

   Harold quietly and seriously answered, "Yes Chris, I love her very
much."

   Christopher wrinkled his forehead in thought then asked his next
question.

   "Does that mean we should call you grandpa from now on?"

   Harold slowly smiled and looked at Mom.  Mom bent over and kissed
Christopher on the top of his head.  She gestured to the gang of four to
come and join Christopher in front of her.

   "Kids, I think that it would be appropriate for you to call him Grandpa,
after all we are getting married."

   Please dear God, make the surprises stop.

   The kids broke out in grins and began to hug Harold as a group.

   Mom spoke again.  "Kids, would you mind giving the grown-ups a little
time so that we can finish talking?"

   One more hug for Harold and Mom then the kids left the room.  Everyone
was staring at me and waiting.  Somehow I had ended up being the designated
spokesman for the group.

   "Married?"

   "Yes Robert..."

   That was as far as Harold got before I interrupted him.

   "For God's sake Harold, if you're going to sleep with my mother, the
very least you could do is have the decency to call me Bobby."

   It took a second for Harold to fully comprehend what I had just said. 
My family was the only ones who called me Bobby.  I was beginning to like
this new Harold, the one that smiled all the time.

   "Yes...Bobby...I asked Margaret to marry me and she said yes.  We're
getting married two weeks from tomorrow."

   So that was what Gordon had meant by "see you in two weeks."

   "Harold, if you love my mother, why did you hide it for two years?"

   "Oh, I've loved Margaret much longer than that.  I fell in love with her
the day I met her at your wedding."

   Mom turned her head and looked at Harold.  Now it was mom's turn to look
surprised.

   "Why didn't you say anything to me sooner?"

   Harold's natural bluster was gone and in its place was a different
Harold.  Someone who was shy and uncertain when he said, "I didn't think
you would be interested in someone like me."

   Mom hugged Harold and kissed him gently on his cheek.  She softly told
him, barely loud enough for the rest of us hear, "Well, you were wrong."

   Harold and Mom stood holding hands looking at each other for a minute
before Harold turned to face the rest of us and continue his story.

   "Two years ago I was in Santa Teresa one Saturday.  I finished what I
was there for and didn't feel like eating lunch alone so I took a chance
and called your mother.  I can't tell you how surprised ...and happy I was
when she said yes."

   "But why did you hide it from us for so long?" Sharon asked.

   "We had to.  Six months after Bobby came here from Chicago it was
obvious to everyone that he would be my replacement; it was only a question
of when.  If word had gotten around in the company that I was in love with
his mother, it would have had the odor of nepotism and probably pulled the
plug on any chance of his promotion.  We did it to protect Bobby's career.
John Gordon was the only person who knew."

   Harold paused for a second and his eyes were moist when he spoke again.

   "We want you to remember that your mother still deeply loves your father
and I will always love and miss Caroline.  But today, I can't imagine my
life without Margaret."

   Mom smiled and kissed Harold's cheek again and said to us, "Harold is
the only person I know who can measure up to the standard that your father
set.  I love this man very much, but no matter how much I love him..."

   Mom's smile moved into a full blown grin.

   "...I will never, ever play golf so don't even ask."

   This last statement was directed to Mike and Jimmy.

   Harold insisted that the only thing that could complete the day for Mom
and him would be to take all of us out to dinner.  By this time Meghan and
Molly were old enough to baby-sit so we ordered a combination of pizza and
Chinese food to be delivered for the kid's dinner.  While at the restaurant
we were able to see with our own eyes the love and affection that Mom and
Harold had for each other.  It was a good thing that Mom is left handed
because she and Harold held hands all the way through dinner.

   Later, after Mike and Sharon, and Jimmy and Mi Lin had left to return to
Santa Teresa, Harold and Mom stayed at our house for a cup of coffee before
going to Harold's condo for the night.  Colleen and Mom were having a deep
discussion about the details to have a wedding two weeks from now when
Harold and I wandered out on to the back deck.  We spent several minutes
sitting just enjoying the quiet and stillness of the night.

   "Bobby, I wanted to let you know that I know about you and
Colleen's...shall we say unique situation.  I can't say that I completely
understand it, but I look at you and Colleen and I can see how much you
love each other so it's very easy for me to accept.  The look that I see in
your eyes every time Colleen walks into the room is exactly the same way I
feel about your mother.  You and Colleen are special to me and I will never
say anything to anyone about it."

   "Did Mom tell you?"

   "Oh no, she's never said anything about that, only how much she loves
her children.  I don't think she is even aware of the fact that I know.  I
figured it out not too long after Brigid was born.  It was the little
things, a few comments Mike and Jimmy made to each other on the golf course
and I finally put it all together.  I don't know if you fully understand
just how much your brothers love you and Colleen.  I feel very lucky to be
marring into a family that actually likes each other."

   The next morning Mike and Jimmy were back with one of the large trucks
from Mike's company and with Ray Lopez's help, we moved Harold out of his
condo and into Mom's house in Santa Teresa.  At first I was afraid that it
would be strange to have Harold living in the house where we all grew up,
but when we saw Mom's beaming face, we knew it was the right thing.

   Mom and Harold asked Colleen and I if they could have the wedding in our
back yard.  We were happy to do that for them but we had to ask why here
and not in Santa Teresa?  Harold simply said, "Because that's where I met
Margaret."

   Several months after the wedding, Colleen announced that she had a major
project she had to complete.  For the first time ever she would not allow
any of us to see what it was.  When she was working she kept the door to
her studio closed and when she finished for the day she locked the door
behind her.  When I asked her about what she was doing she would only say,
"You can see when it's done."

   What ever the project was it must have been large because it seemed like
she worked on it forever.

   Mom and Harold were going to celebrate their first wedding anniversary
with a family barbecue in their backyard.  As we were getting ready to go
to Santa Teresa, Colleen said.  "I have a present for Mom and Harold, could
you put it in the car please?"

   There was large package wrapped in brown paper on the floor leaning
against the wall in the hallway.  When I picked it up I found that it was
not heavy at all, just bulky.

   It was one of those perfect afternoons.  The weather was perfect.  The
food was perfect.  The company was perfect.  The kids were perfect.  The
family stories everyone was retelling for the hundredth time were perfect.
Perfect, Perfect, perfect.  One of those magical days that a family will
remember forever.

   We were sitting around the dining table finishing dessert and coffee
when Colleen leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Go get the present out
of the car and put it in the livingroom."

   Colleen was waiting for me in the livingroom when I brought the package
in.  She pointed to where I should set it down and said, "Go back in the
dinning room and don't let anyone come in here."

   As I walked back into the dinning room, everyone was laughing and
talking over each other and Mom looked at me with a questioning expression.
All I could do was shrug my shoulders.  I could hear Colleen tearing off
the brown paper and then the sounds of her moving things around.

   After a few moments of this Colleen was standing in the doorway.  She
looked a little nervous as she said, "I'm sorry to interrupt but Mom,
Harold, would you mind stepping into the livingroom for a minute?"

   We all stood to follow Mom and Harold but Colleen raised her hands to
stop us and said, "Just them for a minute."

   Colleen's nervousness seemed to grow as Mom and Harold walked past her
and into the other room.  Seconds after they entered the room we could hear
Mom gasp.  Moments later Mom came out of the room followed by Harold.  Mom
was crying when she threw her arms around Colleen and said, "Thank you so
much dear.  It's so ..." Her voice just faded off into nothing.

   Harold had a tear running down the side of his face and he was
struggling to control his voice when he said, "I don't know what to say. 
It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He looked over at me and
asked, "Did you know about this?"

   "No.  What is it?"

   With the tear tack still visible on his face, Harold was smiling broadly
when he gestured for us to follow him into the other room.  He and Mom went
to stand together beside the fireplace and we could see why they were both
so emotional.

   We were stunned.

   Placed on the mantle, leaning against the wall were three canvases about
18 inches by 24 inches that Colleen had painted.  Two of the paintings I
recognized immediately.  The one on the left was a copy of a photograph, a
studio portrait that Mom and Dad had taken a couple of years before Dad
passed away.  The twins and Colleen and I had a copy of the same photograph
in a rosewood frame resting on each of our own mantles.

   The painting on the right was a copy of a photograph that I had seen a
thousand times.  It was the portrait of Harold and his wife Caroline taken
over thirty years before and had sat on the corner of Harold's desk for as
long as I had known him.

   The painting in the middle was the surprise.  It was of Mom and Harold.
They had not yet had any portraits taken of them so Colleen had painted
them out of her own imagination and memory.  Instead of looking out at the
viewer, Colleen had painted Mom and Harold looking at each other.  Mom had
that contented O'Conner half smile.  It was the same smile that I was now
starting to see every day on each of my daughters.  Harold's face had that
ear to ear grin that he had worn ever since the day he married Mom.

   Each portrait had been painted in excruciating, realistic detail but
that was not what was so breathtaking.

   In each portrait Colleen had captured in the eyes, the evidence of the
deep love that each person felt for each other.  We had obviously never
meet Caroline, but the expression that Colleen had captured in her face and
Harold's face left no doubt about their love.  To once again see our father
and mother looking at each other with so much love, to one more time feel
the happiness they gave to each other was a moment of joy.

   But it was the portrait of Mom and Harold that was overwhelming.  What
Colleen had done was to tell the story of the love between these two
wonderful people.

   I was never more proud or in awe of my sister as I was at that moment.

   One by one the kids began to grow up and go away to college.  Colleen,
the twins and I had all graduated from the University of California, Santa
Teresa so it was only natural that all twelve of Mom's grandkids attend
there themselves.  None of them were forced to go there, or even
encouraged. They chose the school on their own because it is one of the
best in the nation and it is an O'Conner family tradition.

   The summer between Christopher's junior and senior year of high school,
Mike got a contract to build a small office building in San Miguel.  So
Chris went to work for his Uncle Mike in hopes of saving enough money to
buy a car when he went off to college himself.  This was the summer that
Christopher found his calling.

   Mike made sure the crew knew that Christopher was his nephew.  He also
made sure they understood that they were not to go easy on him and I
suspect that the crew worked him twice as hard as everyone else.  The
foreman took him under his wing and even as he had Chris doing the dirtiest
jobs, he and the other members of the crew were patient and began teaching
Chris everything they knew about construction.  By the end of the summer,
Christopher had matured both physically and emotionally to the point that
we hardly recognized him.

   At the end of the summer when Christopher started his senior year of
high school he knew what he had to do to get into the engineering
department at UCST.  He approached everything he did at school with a focus
that we had never seen in him before.  He had always been a good student;
in fact all of his sisters had been too, each one of them the valedictorian
of their graduating class, but now the intensity of his studying was going
to push him past the mark that his sisters had set.

   It was the spring of Christopher's senior year and he was the only one
of the kids left in the house full time.  Frank and Linda and their son
Keith, Chris's buddy, were all over for a Saturday afternoon barbeque.  We
were sitting on the back deck relaxing when Linda asked the boys if
everything was set for the senior prom the next week.  They were quiet for
a moment then Keith said, "We decided not to go to the prom."

   "Why not?"

   Chris shrugged his shoulders and answered, "Can't find anybody to go
with."

   Frank laughed, "You two can't find anyone?  You guys have girls
following you around all day long.  What gives?"

   Keith smiled, "It's not a question of getting someone to go with us.  We
want to go with someone special."

   "This is a pretty big deal and if we went, we want it to be with someone
we'll actually want to talk to the day after it's over.  It's just not
worth the effort if we can't find someone like that and right now we don't
see anyone out there that fits the bill," Chris added.

   Colleen spoke up.  "You should go; these are the kind of things you'll
remember for the rest of your lives."

   Both boys just shrugged their shoulders and were quiet for a moment then
Christopher spoke.

   "Yeah, I know, but most of the people are going to be spending a
gazillion dollars just to get drunk afterwards and then try to have sex in
the back a rented limo.  That's not what we're interested in."

   I could see Colleen's eyes blinking as she began to think.  Chris and
Keith stood up and Chris said, "We've got to get going, we need to pickup
Jerry pretty soon if we're going to get to the movie before it starts."

   As they took a step towards the door Colleen held up her hand in a
signal for them to stop.

   "You boys stay right there.  Linda, can I talk to you inside for a
minuet?"

   "Mom, we really need to get going, we're going to be late."

   Colleen got that look in here eyes and pointed at the chairs they had
just vacated.

   "Sit."

   Colleen and Linda walked into the kitchen and we watched them through
the window.  We couldn't hear what Colleen was saying but we could see the
expression on Linda's face.  At first it was one of surprised interest and
then she broke out into a huge smile.  Colleen picked up the phone and
began dialing as Linda came back outside.

   "Can we go now?" Keith asked.

   "No, just wait.  We'll tell you when it's time to go."

   "But Mom, we're late already.  Dad..."

   Frank held up his hands in defense.

   "Son, it's time you learned that when the women in your life tell you to
do something, life is a lot simpler if you just do it in the first place."

   Linda leaned over and kissed Frank on the cheek.  "I was so proud of you
when you finally figured that out dear."

   Frank kissed Linda back then looked at the boys.  "And it's a lot less
painful too."

   Ten minutes later Colleen came back outside and looked towards Linda. 
"Everything is all set.  Bobby, tomorrow you and Frank take these two out
and get some tuxedos; they are going to the prom."

   "But Mom, we don't have dates.  Keith is a nice guy and all but I'm not
going to hold his hand and get a prom photo taken with him."

   We laughed at this then Colleen said, "Don't worry about it, your dates
have already agreed to go with you."

   "Who is it?"

   "That, dear son, will be your prom surprise."

   Keith was grinning.  "Cool, mystery dates...this might turn out ok."

   The next day after church, Frank and I took the boys to the mall to rent
tuxedos.  Christopher and Keith were both very mature for their age but
when they get together they turn into a couple of ten year old goofballs.
Frank and I both said an emphatic "NO" when they tried to rent powder blue
tuxes with the peach color ruffled shirt and white patented leather shoes.

   The prom was that Friday night.  Christopher and I were sent next door
where Frank and I were under very detailed instructions to make sure the
boys were dressed and presentable, and bring them back at our house by 6:30
to meet their mystery dates.  Linda had already gone over to help Colleen
get the girls ready.

   We were standing in the living room making small talk with Chris and
Keith getting more nervous by the second when I heard Linda's voice say. 
"Keith, it's time to meet your date." At that same moment I saw Keith's
face explode with happiness and a smile.  I turned to look and there
standing next to Linda was my daughter Brigid.

   Keith had a grin on his face as he walked over and his hands were
shaking as he presented her with a corsage.  His smile was getting bigger
by the second as he looked first at Chris and then me.  He only spoke two
words, "Someone special."

   Christopher had the palm of his hand pressed against his forehead and
was moaning, "Please dear God, tell me I'm not taking Noelle to the prom."

   I heard footsteps in the hallway then saw Christopher's eyes widen and a
tiny smile creep into the corner of his lips.  I looked over my shoulder
and standing next to Colleen was Christopher's date for the prom, his best
friend.

   Patricia.

   I looked back to Christopher to see that he had changed.  Instead of the
goofy fidgeting teenage boy here was a calm, confident adult who was
prepared to take on the world.  There was a light in Chris' eyes that I
can't begin to describe, this was a man who knew that his dream was about
to become reality.  There was a serenity that seemed to flow out of him and
enveloped all of us in the room.  I turned around to look at Patricia again
only this time I saw her through Christopher's eyes.

   She was a Viking goddess.

   Patricia had inherited almost all of her mother Sharon's Norwegian
genes. She was six feet tall and wearing her low heels put her eye to eye
level with Christopher.  Her hair is the color of honey and falls to the
middle of her back.  Tonight it was loose instead of her usual pony tail.
Her eyes are almost violet in color and were now sparkling as she looked at
Chris.  Patricia is not a slender woman but no one would ever consider of
her fat.  Her curves make you think of the pinup girls of World War II.

   Christopher never took his eyes off of Patricia as he walked over to
give her the corsage.  It was a small flower on a wrist band and after he
slid it on he lightly kissed the back of her hand.  He leaned forward and
put his lips next to her ears.  I was the only one close enough to hear him
whisper, "I'm glad it's you."

   Christopher and Patricia suddenly realized that they weren't the only
people in the room.  Chris had a slightly embarrassed look as he asked, "I
completely forgot...Dad, is it ok if I borrow your car tonight?"

   Patricia took a hold of Chris' hand and gave him a quick kiss on the
cheek.  "Don't worry; transportation is all part of the package.  C'mon
Brigid, let's show the guys what we're taking."

   Chris and Keith had confused looks as their smiling dates pulled them
out the front door.  The rest of us followed and the small crowd stood on
the front porch looking towards the street.  There parked at the curb was
Mike's band new silver Mercedes Benz.

   The Mercedes was Mike's pride and joy.  He was fanatical about the car;
he valued it second in his life right after his family and just ahead of
his business.  Colleen and I were surprised that he had let Patricia take
it for the weekend.  It was later the next week that Sharon told us she and
Patricia had worked on Mike for three solid days before he collapsed from
the pressure and allowed his daughter to take the car.

   We used a whole roll of film taking pictures of the two couples and as
Colleen was reloading the camera, Christopher spoke up.

   "Mom...enough...we need to go."

   The two couples went down the porch steps and when they reached the car,
Patricia gave her best friend Christopher a hug and handed him the keys as
she slipped into the passenger's seat.  He was grinning from ear to ear
when he slid behind the wheel.  He leaned over and kissed Patricia on the
cheek and started the car; in the backseat, Brigid was leaning against
Keith who had his arm around her shoulders.  As they pulled away from the
curb to go to the prom, the only words to describe to the expression on
Keith and Christopher's faces was "idiot grin."

   Patricia and Brigid looked pretty happy also.

   We watched them move down the street and I asked Colleen, "are you sure
this is the right thing for them to do?"

   Colleen gave me the smile that always melts my heart then slid her arm
around my waist and said, "Yes Bobby, this is exactly the right thing for
them...all of them."

   Later that night after Colleen and I had gone to bed, I was awoken by a
noise in another part of the house.  As I got out of bed I looked at the
clock and saw that it was 12:30.  I walked down the hall toward the light
that was coming from the kitchen then stopped at the doorway and peeked in.

   The four kids were sitting at the kitchen table in their prom dresses
and tuxedos.  The table was strewn with sodas and chips and they were
engrossed in playing our battered copy of the board game "Chutes and
Ladders" that someone had dug out.  They were using it as an excuse to talk
and laugh and I suspect they were having more fun here in our kitchen than
they did at the prom.  Chris was seated on the same side of the table as
Patricia and I could see them holding hands under the table.

   I started to stick my head in and say hello but thought better of it and
went back to bed without disturbing their fun.

   The next morning Colleen and I were in the hall headed to the kitchen
when we passed Chris's bedroom.  His door was partially open and we looked
in to check on him.  He was lying face down with one leg sticking out from
under the covers and his arm hanging limp off the side of the bed.  Colleen
smiled then turned to the door across the hall.  She opened it and we
looked in.  Brigid was in her bed and Patricia was sleeping in Molly's bed.
The contrast between the two rooms couldn't have been any greater. 
Christopher's room looked as if a small piece of military ordinance had
been detonated in his bed.  Brigid and Patricia's beds looked liked the
sheets had just come back from the laundry, freshly starched and pressed.

   When Colleen went into the kitchen to start the coffee, I went into the
livingroom.  An unconscious Keith was sprawled on the couch, covered in a
blanket, his tuxedo crumpled on the floor.

   For the rest of the weekend the four of them were inseparable.  Colleen
helped Brigid and Patricia pack a big lunch for a picnic out by the river.
Christopher and Patricia stayed next to one another the entire day, so
close that daylight could not pass between them, never letting go of each
other's hand.  Brigid and Keith showed no signs they would even consider
being separated from each other for longer than five minutes.

   Late in the afternoon, Colleen fixed a pot of tea and she and I took our
cups out onto the back deck to relax.  Keith had recently learned to juggle
and was standing at the bottom of the steps entertaining the rest of them.
Brigid was sitting at the bottom giving him words of encouragement and
laughing at the jokes he made as he dropped the red rubber balls every
thirty seconds.  Christopher and Patricia were sitting on the top step, her
arm hooked through his, watching but not commenting.

   There is one genetic trait that is visible in all of the O'Conner women.
It is obviously embedded in the X chromosome because it shows up in Mom and
her daughter and all eleven of her granddaughters.

   It is the smile.

   It would be more accurate to classify it as a half smile, pushed
slightly to the left side of the face.  Even though it is barely
discernible to the eye, the contentment that flows out of it can be felt on
the other side of the river.

   This was the smile that was on Patricia's face as she rested her head on
Christopher's shoulder.

   The next day after church, Brigid and Patricia had to return to Santa
Teresa and start their final push to finish the semester at UCST.  Frank
and Linda, and Colleen and I were standing on the front porch and made our
good byes to the girls then Chris and Keith walked the girls down to the
sidewalk.  We couldn't hear what they were saying but this good bye was
taking much longer than ours.

   Finally they couldn't put it off any longer.  Chris gave his sister a
quick hug and said something that made her laugh.  And then Patricia...

   Christopher and Patricia held on to each other with an intensity and
desperation that was difficult to describe but was very plain to see.  The
kiss was long and slow and you could see that they didn't want to let go.

   There was one last wave good bye and the car pulled away from the curb.
Chris and Keith stood and watched the car as it rolled down the street. 
You could visibly see their bodies slowly slump as the fact that the girls
were leaving began to sink in.  They stood watching long after the car had
turned the corner and was no longer in sight.

   They turned and looked at each other, both at a loss for words.  Finally
Keith spoke.

   "Hey, I have to take the car to school in the morning.  I can give you a
ride if you think you can drag your ass out the door by 7:30."

   "Sounds good, I'll see you in the morning."

   Keith turned and walked back to his house.  Chris walked into our house
and I doubt that he even knew we were standing there as he went past.  He
spent the rest of the day in his room with the door closed, only coming out
for dinner.

   On the second Friday in September that year we loaded everything that he
needed into Colleen's minivan and moved Christopher into the dorm room that
he would be sharing with his buddy Keith the day before freshman
orientation at UC Santa Teresa.  Once that was done, Chris was very patient
with his mother but was giving visual cues that it was time for his parents
to head for the door so that he could get on with the business of starting
college.

   I had taken the following week off and we planned to casually drive up
the coast toward San Francisco, stopping when we got tired and have a quiet
non structured vacation.  But first we stopped and had lunch with Mom and
Harold before going back home to pack.  Just as we were finishing up, Mom
looked at us with a thoughtful expression.

   "Now that Christopher is out of the house, will you two be able stand
all that quietness?"

   Slowly the impact of what Mom had just said began to dawn on me.  It had
been twenty-one years since I first came to San Miguel and moved in with
Colleen and the girls.  In all of that time Colleen and I had never
experienced a time where she and I were alone for any extended period of
time.  Now for the first time in our lives we had the opportunity to be
alone, to focus on just ourselves and not anyone else.  No more driving the
taxi to soccer practice or cello lessons...just Colleen and
I...alone...together.

   I was contemplating this thought, causing my heart rate to go up when
Colleen snapped her fingers in front of my face to get my attention.

   "Bobby, we need to get going, there's a lot stuff we need to take care
of this afternoon."

   I was glad Colleen had been able to cut the lunch short and graciously
get us on the road to San Miguel.  As we pulled away from Mom's house I
asked Colleen, "Exactly what is it we have to do this afternoon?"

   Colleen's brown eyes were shining and the grin was spread across her
face as she leaned over and whispered in my ear.

   "You, dear husband, are going to get into my panties."

   We were half a block from the house when Colleen reached up under her
skirt and began wiggling her hips as she worked her panties down her legs.
She pulled them off of her feet and left them lying on the floorboard as
the car came to a stop in the driveway, tires squealing and brakes
screeching.  Throwing the doors open we got out of the car and she said. 
"Jesus Bobby, we could have been here a lot sooner if you didn't drive like
an old lady."

   Under normal conditions, the drive time from Mom's house to our house is
one hour and five minutes.

   Today I had done it in forty-six minutes.

   We held hands as we raced up the steps to the front door.  Colleen was
grabbing at my belt as I fumbled around trying to get my key into the lock.
When I finally got the door open, Colleen pulled me inside by the waist
band of my pants as I kicked the door closed behind me.  She was
frantically shoving my pants down my legs as she went over backwards,
pulling me on top of her.

   My cock was buried to the hilt in Colleen's cunt before her ass hit the
floor.

   Ten minutes later we were both screaming "OH FUCK OH GOD SWEET JESUS
YES!" as we exploded in orgasm.

   I will admit, and proudly so, that we went just a little bit crazy.  We
were alone and didn't have to worry about anyone hearing us scream or grunt
in ecstasy.  Over the course of the next four days we went at each other
like a couple of demented rabbits.  We didn't put any clothes on until I
went back to work the following Monday.  Luckily we had food in the house
and didn't need to go out.

   We fucked.

   There is no polite way to say it.

   We fucked.

   We fucked all over the house.

   We fucked in every room of the house, all of the rooms more than twice
including the laundry room, the kitchen pantry, and most of the closets. 
Down and dirty, nasty, screaming, grunting, sweaty, belly slapping against
belly fucking.  After it got dark on Tuesday night, I grabbed Colleen by
the wrist and pulled her out the backdoor.

   "Where are we going?"

   "The garage, it's the only place where we haven't done it yet."

   "Ok, but hurry up before Linda turns on the porch light."

   We were buck naked, holding hands as we raced across the backyard headed
to the side door of the garage.  Once we were finished in the garage, we
raced back into the house and collapsed on the bed in exhaustion.  We were
both unconscious for eighteen hours before we woke up.  For the rest of the
week it was nothing but sweet, gentle, softly making love.  Always
caressing, always touching.

   We never did make it to San Francisco that week.

   There was one thing that had worried us over the years.  We knew at some
point, the kids would learn that Colleen and I were brother and sister. 
But to protect them we wanted to control the time and circumstances of when
they were told.  Because of the age gap between Meghan and Molly and then
Noelle, Brigid and Chris, we decided to do it in two phases after they were
in college.

   The first phase was in the fall after Molly started her freshman year of
college.  Mom helped us by having them to lunch at her house and then she
and Harold withdrew to another room near by so that Colleen and I could
talk to the girls in private.  We were talking in circles around the fact
when I finally got to the point and told them straight out that their
parents were brother and sister.  When I finished talking, Meghan and Molly
sat impassively looking at us with that contented half smile on their
faces.

   Meghan's smile got a little bit bigger when she said, "We already knew
that.  We wondered if you were ever going to talk to us about it."

   "How did you know?"

   "Oh come on Dad.  When you came here from Chicago, we were little kids,
we weren't idiots.  Besides, Aunt Sharon and Aunt Mi Lin told us."

   "WHAT!  When was this?  Why did they do that?"

   This time it was Molly who spoke.

   "Right after I started high school.  And they didn't want to tell us, we
kind of forced them to.  We knew there was something about our parents that
we didn't understand so we just kept asking until they told us."

   "How did you feel after you found out?"

   "Aunt Mi Lin helped us the most with that.  She asked us two questions.
Did we think you and mom loved us any less than someone else could because
you were bother and sister?  And did we love you guys any less now that we
knew?  The answer to both questions was no.  No one could love us as much
as you two and if it's possible, we loved you even more."

   Everyone was quiet for a moment when Meghan asked, "When are you going
to tell the others?"

   Colleen answered, "We'll wait until Chris is in college.  We want them
to be old enough to be able to cope with news like this."

   "When it's time to do that, wait until Molly and I can be there.  We
want to help them understand." She paused for a moment.  "Hey, with news
like this aren't we supposed to get lemon meringue pie?"

   Mom and Harold came back into the room to ask what we were laughing
about.

   Now that the other three were in college, it was time to talk to Noelle,
Brigid and Christopher.  Meghan and Molly came down for the weekend to be
there when their brother and sisters would need them the most.

   To say that they were stunned would be an understatement.  The three of
them sat, not moving, their eyes wide and mouths open.  Meghan and Molly
began talking to them telling them everything they knew, sharing how they
felt and what everything meant to them in their lives.  The three kept
shifting their attention from Meghan and Molly to Colleen and I then back
to their older sisters.

   At last they were silent and Christopher realized the others were
staring at him.  He sat up straight and looked at the gang of four and
said, "I'm sorry girls, it's just not going to happen."

   It was Noelle who snorted, "You wished it would happen."

   Now that the bother and sister thing was out of the way, Colleen and I
had to tell them the rest of the story.  I think the three of them were
more astounded to find out that I was not Meghan and Molly's biological
father than they were by the news about Colleen and I.  The news that
Colleen and I had both been married before sent all five of them reeling.
Even Meghan and Molly didn't know about Barbara and I told that story very
quickly with out giving them any of the harsh facts.  Without commenting,
they sensed that it was a painful period in my life and didn't press for
any details.

   The last part was telling them about Bill.  Over the years Meghan and
Molly had never asked about him and had forgotten that it was another man
who had given them half of their DNA.  Curiously it was Noelle and Brigid
who asked all the questions for their older sisters, gently drawing out
bits and pieces of information from Colleen and I to paint a picture of
their father.

   We told them how Bill was such a good friend to me, how much he and
Colleen loved each other and how his death nearly destroyed Colleen.

   The five of them were in a group hug when Chris looked at his sisters
then his parents and with a soft smile said, "Good lord, what kind of
family was I born into?"

   Our children are normal every day, run of the mill kids, no different
than most other kids.  There were times when I felt that I could strangle
them and no jury in the world would convict me.  And then there are the
times that they will commit an act of such rare beauty and sensitivity that
it brings tears to our eyes at the memory of it.

   Early the next morning after "the talk" Noelle, Brigid and Christopher
left the house before Colleen and I came out of the bedroom.  Meghan and
Molly were up but had no idea where they had gone.  We assumed they had
gone off somewhere to be alone and talk things through for themselves.

   The three of them came back right after lunch.  They rushed into their
rooms to change and get cleaned up.  They were only at the house about ten
minutes when they grabbed Meghan and Molly, loaded them into the car and
took off again without telling us where they were going.

   Several hours later they returned and Meghan and Molly came through the
front door and rushed over with tears to hug Colleen and I.  They were both
so emotional that it took a lot for their mother and I to get the story out
of them.

   It was Christopher's idea but Noelle and Brigid immediately jumped on
board when he presented his plan.  When they left the house that morning,
they drove to the cemetery where Bill is buried.  There was no one around
so it took them a while to find his grave.  Once they found it, they spent
a long time cleaning up around it, pulling out the weeds the cemetery
workers missed and trimming the grass away from the grave marker.  In this
cemetery there are no headstones, only rectangular bronze markers that lay
flat on the ground.  They went to a hardware store and came back with a can
of Brasso and some rags.  The three of them spent the next hour carefully
cleaning and polishing the marker until it literally glowed in the
sunlight.

   When they were done, they came home to get Meghan and Molly and took
them to the cemetery.  The three had already bought flowers so the only
thing that Meghan and Molly had to do was to place them in the container
that was waiting by the marker for the man that had given them life. 
Noelle, Brigid and Christopher had done this out of love for their older
sisters and to honor the memory of someone who meant so much to their
parents.

   During Christopher's first semester at college, he started to struggle
in his freshman English class.  For our five kids, struggling meant that
they were getting a B+ instead of an A.  So Chris turned to the most
logical place to get help.

   Patricia had just gotten her teaching credential from UCST that spring
and was starting her first year teaching English at a junior high.  She had
taken an apartment two blocks from Chris's dorm so he began going to her
for extra tutoring.

   Mom and Harold, plus Mike and Jimmy all had our kids over for dinner at
various times during the school year so they wouldn't feel so isolated
being away from home, even if it was only an hour away.  It was Mike who
told us about Patricia and Christopher spending most of their free time
together and that she and Chris were practically joined at the hip.

   As soon as Mike said this, alarm bells began ringing in my head.

   I looked at Colleen but she only gave me that half smile and stroked the
back of my hand as she whispered in my ear.

   "Don't worry Bobby, it's the right thing."

   Christopher was getting his Bachelor of Science in structural
engineering.  Every waking moment was spent studying and the classes he had
to take his last year were the most difficult of the degree program. 
Because he needed a more quite study environment than he could possibly get
in the dorms, he looked for somewhere else to live.  We were not at all
surprised when he told us that Patricia had invited him to move into her
apartment for his senior year.  She had a spare bedroom and it was still
close to campus and the library.

   In late October of that year, Colleen greeted me at the door when I came
home from the office.  She does this every day but there was something
different about the way she hugged and held me before taking me by the hand
into the livingroom.

   "Christopher called me this afternoon to tell me that he's coming home
tonight."

   There was nothing unusual about this except none of the kids ever called
to tell us, they simply showed up, spent the weekend and went back to
school.  Then Colleen continued.

   "Patricia is coming with him."

   "Oh?"

   "She said that she hadn't seen Uncle Bobby and Aunt Colleen for a long
time and wanted to come visit." She saw the expression on my face and said,
"It's ok Bobby, I think it's time."

   I didn't ask her to explain that last statement.  This was making me
apprehensive but Colleen was smiling.

   "Are they going to be here for dinner?"

   "No, he said they had to take care of something in Santa Teresa this
evening and would be here late tonight."

   Christopher and Patricia didn't walk through the door until almost 11:30
that night.  They both looked exhausted so we didn't try to keep them up.
Colleen hugged them both and said, "Patricia you can stay in Brigid's room.
Let's all go to bed and we can talk in the morning."

   I closed up the house and turned off all the lights for the night before
heading to the bedroom myself.  As I walked down the hall I noted that the
door to both Chris's room and Brigid's bedroom were firmly closed.

   I was lying on top of Colleen after we finished making love when Colleen
whispered, "Quiet...listen."

   I didn't move and could faintly hear footsteps in the hallway and a
hushed voice say, "Sh-sh-sh..." followed by a door being closed as quietly
as possible.

   I looked Colleen in the face and saw her half smile.  She wrapped her
thighs around my hips and pulled my head down until my ear lay next to her
lips."

   "Bobby, I need you to make love to me again..."

   I was happy to oblige her request.

   The next morning Colleen and I stood in the hallway and looked at both
doors.  They were closed tightly so we shrugged our shoulders and went into
the kitchen to start breakfast.  Colleen was just taking a coffee cake out
of the oven when Chris stumbled in.  He staggered over to the counter and
poured himself a cup of coffee then kissed his mother on the top of her
head and sat down at the kitchen table.

   Just as Chris was sitting down, Patricia walked in.  She was wearing a
pair of flannel boxers with the logo of Christopher's high school and one
of his t-shirts.

   "Morning Uncle Bobby."

   She gave me a quick hug and then one to Colleen before getting her own
cup of coffee and sat down next to Chris.  It was clear that the two of
them were still tired and sleepy so the conversation at breakfast was
sparse and limited to one or two word answers from their side of the table.

   After we had finished eating Colleen cleared the plates from the table
then poured everyone a fresh cup of coffee and sat back down.  Everyone was
quiet, Colleen looking over the top of her coffee cup, first at the two of
them across from her then at me.  I could only raise my eyebrows in a
questioning look as she looked back at Chris and Patricia.  Colleen cleared
her throat before she spoke.

   "So...have you two picked a date for the wedding?"

   Christopher's face turned white as the blood began to drain from his
face.  He slowly started to slide down in his chair and I had the distinct
impression that any minute I would look under the kitchen table and find
Christopher on the floor curled into a fetal position.

   Patricia gently placed her hand on Chris's arm and he stopped his
descent.  She had her own version of that half smile on her lips when she
answered.

   "Christopher is done with his semester finals on December 15th, that's a
Wednesday, and my school gets out the next day for the winter break so we
thought that Saturday the 18th is best.  That way we could have two, almost
three weeks before we both have to go back to school."

   Patricia had a serene look in her eyes as she bent over and kissed Chris
on the cheek before looking back at us.  For his part Chris had stopped
fidgeting and clamed down.  The expression of love in his eyes when he
looked at Patricia was an emotion that I was very familiar with.  We sat in
silence until Colleen asked her next question.

   "Do you know yet when the baby is due?"

   There was a look of absolute panic and terror on Chris's face.  He
started to stand up and run for the door when Patricia moved her hand to
his shoulder and he sank back down into his chair.  The look on Patricia's
face was the same expression I had seen so many times before on Colleen's
face.  Her other hand had unconsciously slid down and was gently caressing
her lower stomach.

   "I just went to the doctor for the first time this past Monday and so
far the due date is June 11th.  That works out pretty good for us.  Chris
graduates the end of May and my school gets out for the summer the
following week.  That way I won't have take any time off from work.  And
Daddy said that Christopher can go to work for him full time once the baby
comes."

   Colleen reached over and took both Christopher's and Patricia's hands
and gently squeezed with a smile.

   "I'm glad you two didn't take as long as Bobby and I did.  We're very
happy for you.  I better call Sharon so we can plan another wedding."

   Colleen and Patricia got on the phone together and called Sharon and
Mike.  I wandered into the living room with my coffee secure in the
knowledge that Colleen would let me know when my input was
required...probably never.

   After a couple of minutes Chris came into the livingroom and sat in the
chair opposite from me with a look of uncertainty on his face.  He sat
biting his lip and then started to speak.  I gently stopped him before his
words could come out.

   "Son, I only have one thing to say to you.  What ever you do, don't ever
let Patricia get more than twenty feet from a bathroom or you will live to
regret it."

   Chris's face changed from a look of trepidation to one of confusion when
he said, "That's the same thing Uncle Mike said last night."

   There is nothing in this world that Mom likes more than to be surrounded
by her grandkids and great-grandkids.  Mom was telling this to Colleen and
lamenting the fact that they had all scattered away in every direction with
their own families, their own lives.  Mom and Colleen called Sharon and Mi
Lin and together they planned the first ever all family reunion.  Rio Linda
is a large regional park about half way between San Miguel and Santa Teresa
so last summer on the Fourth of July the entire O'Conner clan came together
in the same spot.  All of our family plus each one of Mike and Jimmy's kids
and their spouses and children came.

   Lunch turned into an orgy of food and we all committed the sin of
gluttony.  After we had finished eating and things were put away, everyone
spread out to spend the rest of the afternoon having fun.  I was sitting on
a picnic table that was in the shade with my feet on the bench in front of
me watching my family.  Mom and Harold were sitting in lawn chairs in the
shade of a tree with Colleen, Sharon and Mi Lin resting on blankets that
were spread out on the ground next to them.  They were all talking and I
could hear laughter and squeals from every direction as the afternoon went
on.  Occasionally Colleen would look at me then smile and wave or blow me a
kiss and go back to the conversation.

   Some of the group was trying for an afternoon nap while the rest were
playing in the meadow, running until they out of breath and collapsing from
exhaustion.  Years ago Meghan and Molly had taught all of their cousins how
to play Dog Pile on Daddy.  From the number of little children that were
running around, I think they had figured out how to play Dog Pile on Mommy
all by themselves.

   Mike and Jimmy came and sat on the table next to me.  We were probably
thinking and feeling the same things as we sat and watched our families,
not speaking.  There was nothing to say out loud; watching our children and
grandchildren was enough.

   Six years ago Jimmy was elected County Sherriff in a landslide.  Two
years ago he was re-elected for a second term.  Mike's construction
business has tripled in size in the last five years and he is making money
hand over fist and works hard for every penny of it.

   It was Jimmy who broke the silence.

   "I don't think there is anyone in this world that is luckier than we
are. I wouldn't trade this family for anything." He was quiet for a moment
then turned his head and looked at me.

   "Way back when you and Colleen got started, I thought you were a
complete bonehead and I was ready to kill you.  I meant it when I told you
that, and I would have if you had hurt Colleen in any way...but I think you
and Colleen are the best thing that has happened to each other.  Looks like
you two are going to make it last after all." This last part was said with
a smile and genuine affection in his voice.

   Mike had been sitting on the other side of me during this with an
expression on his face that told me he had something on his mind.  I waited
and let him tell it in his own time.

   "Jimmy has two more years left on his term of office.  We've always said
that we would retire together so when his time is up, we're both done." He
looked at me with a grin and continued.

   "This year for Chris and Patricia's wedding anniversary, I'm going to
make Chris a full partner in the business and when I retire, I'll sell him
my interest in the company for a dollar."

   This was a huge surprise.

   "Good lord Mike, are you sure about that?"

   "Yeah, Sharon and I have been talking about it for a long time.  Chris
is practically running the business by himself anyway and my other kids are
terrified that I will make them take over the business.  They're all a
bunch of doctors and lawyers and will never need the money.  Besides, Chris
is the hardest working guy I know and has earned it.  He works hard at the
company and works even harder to make Patricia happy.  A father can't ask
for any more than that.  It's the right thing to do."

   Mike paused for a moment in thought, and when he spoke it was more to
himself than to me.

   "It will still be O'Conner Construction.  I like that," then he fell
silent.

   "Have you told anyone else?"

   "No, Sharon and I want to keep it a secret until their anniversary."

   After a few minutes Mike and Jimmy got up and started to walk across the
meadow to try and organize a softball game.  Mike put his arm around
Jimmy's shoulders and said something that made him stop and raise his face
to the sky in laughter.

   When Colleen saw the twins walking away, she got up and came to sit next
to me.  Like her two brothers she sat in silence, her arm around my waist
and her head on my shoulder as we watched our family.

   These days it is difficult to get our kids and their families together
at the same time so we were enjoying it while we could.  The other members
of our extended family were there also.

   The two Sara's came with their kids and SaraJane's brother Ryan.  Ryan
had finished med school and Harold called in a favor to get Ryan into the
residency program at San Miguel Memorial Hospital.  After that he opened
his own family practice in town.  As a low paid intern, Ryan had moved in
with Sara and Sarah and never left.

   Sara and Sarah now have four kids.

   Mrs.  Lopez came too.  Ray passed away the year before and we all
mourned his not being with us but we celebrated his memory and laughed at
the stories each of us told about him.  All five of our kids call their
Aunt Connie at least once a week to make sure that she is ok.

   John Gordon and his wife Diane were there.  John retired the year after
Harold and he and his wife bought a house on the beach in Santa Teresa. 
For the first time in thirty-five years, Harold and John lived in the same
town.  Mom had become close friends with Diane and they generally referred
to their husbands as "The Rover Boys," or "those two goofballs." John
living in Santa Teresa was a direct benefit to me.  I no longer had to be
the fourth man when Harold and the twins played golf.

   Let there be dancing in the streets.

   Mom and Harold are in their eighties now and still going strong.  Mom is
just as beautiful as she always has been.  If she is any indication of what
Colleen will look like at Mom's age, I am a very lucky man.  The only sign
of age in Harold is the arthritis in his right knee.  For the past year he
has had to use a cane and had to give up playing golf.  He still goes out
to the course with Mike and Jimmy but now he rides in the golf cart and
yells out words of encouragement and tips from twenty yards away.

   Meghan and Molly took their roll as protectors of their baby siblings
seriously and it has shaped their lives every since.  Today they are both
registered nurses and work at San Francisco Children's Hospital.  Besides
being sisters they are such close friends that it was inevitable they marry
two brothers.  I believe that God is out there watching over children and
fools.  I also firmly believe that he has an endearing sense of humor.  The
whole family enjoys the quirk of fate that Meghan and Molly O'Conner would
end up marrying James and Michael O'Conner from Victoria, British Columbia
and live in houses next door to each other.  Their husbands are both
doctors; Michael is a cardiologist and James specializes in pediatric
oncology at UCSF Med Center.  They have given Colleen and I two grandkids
each.

   Noelle inherited the teaching gene from her grandmother and teaches the
second grade.  She is married to Robert Kwan, her Aunt Mi Lin's god-child.
Robert is a high school principal and they live in Crowley.  Crowley is a
small community about thirty miles off the main highway between San Miguel
and Santa Teresa.  Very few people actually live in Crowley.  It is in the
center of a large agricultural area and most of the people are farm
laborers and only come into Crowley to go to school or shop at the grocery
store.  Last month Noelle and Robert announced that she is pregnant with
their third child.

   Brigid is the only one of the five kids to get any of Colleen's artistic
talent.  Just last month she and her mother finished their first children's
book together that will be published next spring.  Colleen has turned over
all of her illustration work to Brigid and now only paints when she gets
the inspiration.

   Keith, Christopher's buddy from next door, graduated from UCST and was
taken seventh in the first round of the NBA draft.  He had the sweetest
three-point shot as any you could ever hope to see.  He stunned the
sporting world two weeks later when he announced that he would not be
seeking a professional basketball career for personal reasons.

   Brigid Fiona O'Conner and Keith Alan Martin were married on August 28th
at the First United Methodist Church in San Miguel.  Two weeks later Keith
entered the Pacific School of Religion.  Three years later after his
ordination, Keith was appointed by the bishop as pastor of the church in
Crowley.  When Brigid and Keith first moved to town there were twenty
parishioners but now Sunday morning services average about four hundred and
they are fundraising to build a new sanctuary that will seat nine hundred.
Brigid and Keith have two children and are talking about a third.

   What can I say about Christopher and Patricia?  They are so special to
Colleen and I.  Chris's sisters continue dote on him but his wife and the
gang of four are still ready to tell him to stop acting like an idiot. 
Patricia is taking a leave from teaching junior high but will return as
soon as the last of their kids is in kindergarten.  Patricia was now seven
moths pregnant with their fourth child and while we were eating lunch,
Chris said, "If Dad can have a basketball team, I'm going for a soccer
team."

   Patricia was not smiling when she said, "Christopher, we really need to
talk."

   Colleen and I continued sitting there on that picnic table, not saying
anything, just watching our family at play.  I slipped my arm around
Colleen's shoulders, pulled her a little closer and whispered into her ear,
"I love you wife."

   Well, that's pretty much our story, the story of Colleen and Bobby. 
It's been thirty years since I moved from Chicago to San Miguel.  After
five kids, eleven grandchildren with three more on the way I can honestly
say that I am more in love with Colleen today than I was the day I got off
the plane and saw her standing there with Meghan and Molly with their red
balloons.

   We had quite a scare a few years ago when Colleen discovered a lump in
her breast.  It turned out to be benign but we spent a couple of terrifying
days while we waited for the final report from the lab.  The lump was
removed at the hospital as an out patient procedure but the celebration
that night was not as joyous as you would think.  We had dodged a bullet
this time but we are painfully aware of the possibility of it reoccurring,
or worse.  Colleen goes in for a checkup every three months and so far we
have had five years of perfectly clear results.  We thank God every day for
the time we have had together and treasure every moment and every memory.
We hold each other a little closer and a little longer each night when we
go to bed.  We will probably be one of those couples that you read about in
the newspaper.  One of us will die and the other will die the next day of a
broken heart.

   But we are nowhere close to being at that stage.  That is unless one of
the grandkids asks us to read "Curious George" for the ten thousandth time
and make our head explode.  But we'll take our chances and read it to them
anyway.

   We celebrated Colleen's sixtieth birthday last week.  After the party
was over and everyone had gone home, Colleen and I made love slowly and
sweetly.  I was still lying on top of her gently kissing her forehead and
cheeks when she held my head in both of her hands and looked me in the eye.


   "Bobby, enjoy this while you can.  Once I turn ninety I'm not going to
be doing this any more."

   "What?"

   "I said, after I have my ninetieth birthday party, I'm not going to let
you fuck me anymore."

   "But what about me, I'll have three more years before I turn ninety. 
It's not fair."

   "Sorry pal, it's not your call."

   I thought for a moment.

   "But what about birthdays?"

   Colleen scrunched up her eyebrows in thought.

   "Well...Ok, we can make love on birthdays, but that's it."

   "Just ours?  Do the kids count too?"

   "Of course they count.  We can't celebrate their birth unless we
celebrate the conception."

   "How about the grandkids?"

   "We didn't have anything to do with their births, but I love them so
much, so all right, I guess we can include them too."

   "What about Jimmy and Mike?  What about all the nieces and nephews? 
They're family too you know."

   "All right Bobby, you can fuck me on any birthday you can find, but it
has to be family.  I'm not celebrating a total stranger's birthday."

   I paused to kiss her on the lips before I continued.

   "Holidays?"

   "What?"

   "Can I make love to you on the major holidays?  You
know...Christmas...Thanksgiving...Fourth of July...Arbor Day, Ground Hog
Day..."

   "Ok, birthdays and holidays, but I'm drawing the line there."

   Again I kissed her.

   "What about special days?"

   "What special days?"

   "Well, every morning that I wake up in bed with you is special."

   "Yeah, mornings in bed are pretty special so mornings are ok too."

   "What about nights?  You know how I feel about watching you take your
panties off at bedtime, that's special to me."

   "Well, if we're going to do mornings we might as well include nights."

   "Evenings?  What if I want to take you to the Bluffs some evening?"

   "Yeah, going to the Bluffs is fun, but I will not allow you to take me
to the Bluffs more than twice a week.  I've got my reputation to think of."

   This time Colleen kissed me as I asked.

   "Afternoons...how do you feel about afternoons?"

   "What about them?"

   "Suppose we get the urge in the afternoon, what do we do about that?"

   Colleen wrinkled her forehead in thought again before she answered me.

   "If we both get the urge we'll have to do something about that so
afternoons are in.  But only Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays."

   "But what if we get the urge on a Thursday, or a Saturday or Sunday?"

   "Ok they're in too, but not Tuesdays.  Tuesday afternoons are absolutely
out.  I will not make love with you on Tuesday afternoons, this is non
negotiable."

   One more kiss and a hug.

   "So let's review here for a minute.  Once you turn ninety, I will only
be allowed to make love with you on family birthdays, all the holidays that
I can find, any morning or night, I'm limited to two trips to the Bluffs
each week and any afternoon that we get the urge except Tuesdays."

   "That's right."

   "What's wrong with Tuesday afternoon?  Why can't we do it then?"

   "For God's sake Bobby, I'll be ninety years old.  A girl has to get her
beauty rest sometime."

   "It's a harsh schedule but it appears I don't have any options left so I
guess I have no choice but to agree."

   "That's right, you don't have any choice."

   Colleen wrapped her thighs around my hips and pulled me in closer.

   "Bobby..."

   "Hmmm?"

   "You're hard again.  I'd really like to feel you sliding in and out of
me one more time tonight."

   "I can't think of anything I'd rather do."

   "I love you husband."

   "I love you wife."

   Maybe in another thirty years I will write the final chapter of our love
story, but until then, I will hold her close in my arms and try to keep the
idiot grin off of my face.

   I love Colleen.

   I love Colleen more than life itself.

   P.S.

   To this very day, Colleen refuses to let me fuck my date, but yes, I
still make love to my sister all night long.


   pics---->> http://bit.ly/1D1q3qp