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Blending Our Lives.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Chapter 20.The next morning I was awakened by a beautiful sensation on my hardened shaft. Carrie was licking and sucking me. When my hand caressed her face, she popped off of it and looked at me. “I couldn't help it Babe. It was so hard and wanting attention. Lay back and enjoy.”I smiled at her and said, “You know, if you are quiet, I too, could be licking and sucking something as you do that.” She smiled and moved so we could 69. As her damp panty clad cunt came down to me, my fingers moved the fabric to the side and I began enjoying her sexy slit.It wasn't long before Carrie's body stiffened and she began to cum. I have no idea how she kept from yelling out, like she usually does, but she managed. I was already close when she started cumming, and that just helped me along, because about a minute later I was ejaculating into her mouth, which she somehow kept in and swallowed. After taking one last lick, she came off of me and moved so we could kiss. It was a very passionate kiss, that we both could taste our handy work. After kissing, she looked at me and said, “Good Morning Honey. I like this new mouthwash we use.”, then giggled softly.After resting a bit, I had to get up and pee. Carrie just snuggled back under the covers and smiled at me. It was only 6:30 in the morning, but I was up now. I told her I needed some coffee. She said that I should make two cups and bring one back for her. I looked down at her and said, “You getting used to this morning service young lady?” “You betcha Baby.” then directed me to where the coffee pods were for her Keurig.As I entered the kitchen, lo and behold, Chief was sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. I didn't even think that the paper was even delivered anymore. I red the news online. “Morning Chief” He looked up and said, “Morning Mark.” Good sign I thought. At least he didn't call me Shitbird, or any other name.I got my coffee and started to get Carrie her's. John cleared his throat and told me to take a seat. “So Mark. Tell me what's up with my little girl. I know they found some spot on one of her ovaries.”“Trust me John. That's about all I know. It took some prying to get that out of her. Hell, she was going to send me packing because of this. No way would I walk away from her, especially with something like that. But, I think it is just a cyst, that time and some meds will take care of.”He just stared then said, “Mark. Honestly, I am an overprotective father, and grandfather. I just want only the best for my two girls. I know you and I like you. You have always been a man about things and someone I can trust, unlike that fuck knuckle she was married too. I never trusted that guy from the first day I met him. I know from just looking at Carrie, she is in love with you, and judging how you look at her, the same is true for you. All I ask, is don't play games with her. Either be all in, or all out. I don't want her hurt again. As for her cyst, or whatever it is, I'm sure it is nothing. Connie has had those in the past.”“Sir. And I mean sir as respect as her father. We both know that we had to call officers sir, but we both know they couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag, with a knife and directions on where to cut. But John, truthfully, this is the real deal for us and me. I have never let a woman into my life before. I saw too much when I was in. How they were in love but deployment after deployment, took a toll on those marriages and most ended in divorce, so I never got into that situation. But your daughter has my heart and soul now and I will do anything for her.”He chuckled then said, “Well, I am not complaining. I've seen the same as you. I got real lucky with Connie. We have been together almost 43 years now, married 42 of them. She is the love of my life. Best thing that ever happened to me. How she endured all of my deployments, I'll never know. But I never took her for granted. Every time I was gone, I hurt inside, but I'd never show you assholes that side of me. I made sure when I was home, that she, and Carrie were the only things important to me. And I always acted like we were dating. We had date night a couple times a week. I don't mean sex either. Taking her to dinner, or a movie, or anything that she had an interest in. You do that, and you'll have a very happy home life. And, the sex is great too, even to this day.”“Yeah Chief, Really? Last night?” I said and laughed. He just chuckled and told me “Hey. When she wants it, who am I to deny her”, then laughed again.“Deny Who?” we both heard, and there, standing near us was Carrie. She walked over and behind her dad. Put her arms around him and kissed his head. “Morning Daddy. So who weren't you denying.”“Nothing Princess. Some things you don't need to know.” then laughed. She looked at me and said, “Glad I wasn't dying of thirst Honey” then shot me a glare. “Sorry Babe. But your dad wanted to speak with me. Here, let me get yours now.”, then laughed. Her dad then chimed in, “Christ Carrie, you broke him already. 20 years in the Marines and never broke the man, and you do it in two weeks.”“Mwah? Not me. But you know those Gyrene's, they sometimes need direction. They're not as cool as us Navy people.” then laughed, which made us all laugh. I was glad to see her sense of humor back, and the twinkle in her eye.We were gone most of the day. There was a huge craft show at this one park they we stayed at for most of the afternoon. I did learn that John got into woodworking as a hobby now. He said he always wanted to do that, but being away so long, he never found the time. At one point, I found myself with Connie, while Carrie was with her dad, looking at something a few booths down from us.“Mark. I am so happy you came into Carrie's life. I have never seen her this alive before, except when she took in Jenny. I know that you are worried about her, with whatever this growth is. As I told her last night, it is probably nothing, but a simple cyst. I have had 4 in my lifetime, and they always go away. The specialist will know better on Tuesday. I bet they don't even do an exploratory on her. Her lab results will tell the tale. Her doctor should have eased her mind some, but some reason didn't. Just be there for her, no matter what. That's all I ask.”I told her I would. After a bit we headed to this little Italian place her parents knew of, for dinner. John picked up this tab, although I was willing too, but he told me my money was no good tonight. I did invite them to join us the next day at my sister's, but Connie said they already had made plans to spend the day with Jenny and Alan.After dinner we headed back to Carrie's. I stated I needed to go home and get some clothes. Carrie offered to go with me. But I told her stay and enjoy her time with her parents. I wouldn't be long. Just needed to shave and shower and get some more clothes. I was back within an hour. We stayed up some and chatted more, then we all retired to bed. After the I love you's, Carrie said she wished we were alone right now, and that she needed me inside her. I just held her close and told her soon Baby, soon.Chapter 21.We left for my sister's around noon. The get together was to start at 1pm, but I wanted to see Ann before any others arrived. I knew she would just love Carrie, there was no question in my mind. She'd probably love any woman who could tie me down. Ann and my brother in law have been married 18 years. They have two kids, Kyle, who will turn 16 in November, and Katie, who turned 14 yesterday. They have a very nice and modern house, which they moved into a few years back.Ann met us at the door, when we pulled into the drive. She is 41, same as Carrie, and stands 5'6, 130 pounds. She has dirty blond hair, and blue eyes. She is a spit fire too. Never afraid to speak her mind and tell you like it is. She has tried, unsuccessfully, to fix me up with a multitude of her friends or single neighbors. Nothing ever came to pass with them. A few became sex buddy's, but that was it. None ever made my heart beat fast, or my stomach tighten up in a knot, like Carrie does.After the introductions were made, and a few cracks about how Carrie somehow managed to corral me in, the girls went off to the kitchen, while Brad, Kyle and I went to the family room to watch some football. Eventually, my uncle and aunt showed up, along with 2 of their kids and grandkids. Also was some of my sister's neighbors and friends too. Two of which I had dated, but nothing was ever said around Carrie. At one point, Ann got me alone and said, “I love that woman. She is so right for you. You better not fuck this up little brother.”We stayed until after eating and cake was served, and presents opened. I did not what to get a 14 year old, so I went the safe way and got her a card with $100 visa gift card. She loved that. I signed the card from Uncle Mark and Carrie. When she gave me a hug and a kiss, she whispered in my ear, “I like her Unc. I hope she will be my aunt one day.” I just smiled at her, knowing full well that was my plan too.Carrie's parents left Tuesday morning, to visit, and stay with Connie's sister Bev. Connie did tell me to call her if there was anything wrong, after the doctor visit. I did not stay Monday night at Carrie's. I figure they all needed a break from me. Of course Carrie really did not like that, but I thought it best. We've laid a lot on her parents by being together as a couple and actually sleeping together.I went with Carrie to the doctor's office and sat with her in the waiting room. The whole time, I held her hand and at times, felt as though she was crushing mine, because she was so nervous. Once she was called, I stayed in the waiting room. About forty minutes later, a nurse called for me to come with her. She led me to an office that had Carrie and the doctor.I looked at Carrie and she was smiling. The doctor introduced himself to me, and I did the same. He then looked over some papers, then looked at Carrie.“Ms. Reynolds, you can rest assured that you do not have any tumor, benign, or cancerous. It is what we call a functional cyst. It is a sack that usually contains an egg, then releases that egg during your monthly cycle. The sack normally then goes away. Well this one did not, as of yet. They sometimes don't, which is what has happened to you. It may take a few weeks, but it will go away, and when you come back in three weeks, if it hasn't, we'll give you some medication that will help with that process. Otherwise, you are very healthy. If you have stopped having intimate relations, like many women do at this time, you are very safe to resume, and did not need to stop in the first place. I only say this, because that is the first question I am usually asked.” he said with a slight chuckle.As we were driving home, Carrie was all smiles. This was a huge relief for her, and me too. Maybe our lives could get back on track, after this slight derailment. I asked her if she was hungry, but she said no. She just wanted to get home.After arriving, she excused herself and went upstairs. Lord knows what she was doing, but I finally heard heard coming down the stairs. When I looked up, there she stood, with this white lace Baby doll outfit on. You talk about sexy looking. “Oh My Sweetie. You look absolutely beautiful and very sexy”“Thank you Honey. I feel absolutely sexy right now and I need you to make love to me all afternoon.”She grabbed my hand and led me upstairs to her bed. I did not waste any time in disrobing. My cock was as hard as a rock, before my boxers hit the floor. As I stripped, Carrie got on the bed and lay there, with her legs spread wide, inviting me to take her. Her white thong barely covered her moist sex, and the top did not hide the excitement she felt , with her nipples already hard as pebbles on her beautiful tits.I kneeled between her legs and slipped my fingers under her thongs waistband and gently tugged them down and off of her body. Her labia was glistening in the afternoon sunlight, filtering through the window. I leaned in and blew on her sex, which elicited a moan from her. Then lightly licked her swollen lips. “Later Baby. I need you inside me now” she softly said.I rubbed my head all over her soaking wet slit and then slowly inserted the head. “Oh Gawd” she moaned out. I slowly inched my way into her inner being, which was so soft, and so hot. “God. You feel so good Carrie.”My mouth lowered to her chest, as I sucked in one fabric cover tit. She arched her back some, like she was giving me her tit. I then sucked the other one, which made her moan so loud. Then I moved up and started kissing her. Her legs wrapped around me and we made slow, and very passionate love to one another. Neither of could hold back though. We were like teenagers doing it for the first time, and erupted in orgasm. I shot first. As I was shooting my love juice deep inside her, Carrie crushed me with her legs as this set her off on her own orgasm. Her nails dug into my back, but neither of us cared. My grip around her neck was tight as well. I felt like I hadn't cum in ages. As we settled down, we lay in each other's arms, panting from our euphoric bliss.I was still inside her, and surprisingly, still hard as well. I gently rolled us over, so she was now on top. Our lips still together. Our tongues exploring every inch of tongue. I loved her kisses, but best of all, I loved her more than ever. She sat up on me and looked down at me, smiling. Then slowly removed her teddy from her body, exposing her beautiful tits to me.“My God. You are so beautiful Carrie. You can stay her all day like this.” I told her. She smiled then said, “I had all intentions of doing this all day.” then she started to giggle. I asked what was so funny.“Last night, after we went to bed, I was laying here missing the hell out of you by the way, but I had to endure another night of my parents going at it. You have no idea how horny that made me.” she exclaimed. I asked, “Did you take care of that?”She sort of blushed, then laughed and said, “Yeah. I did. All I could think of was you, making love to me. This sure beats my fingers, or any toy I have.”I chuckled and said, “Wish I could have watched that. That would be so sexy to see.”“Maybe one day I will let you watch. But right now, Fuck me Babe. Fuck me so good”Later that evening, after napping and then showering together, we headed out to dinner at a local bar and grill. Afterwards, I brought her over to my house for the first time.She was in awe of it, just coming down the driveway. The house is big. It is 4 bedroom, Victorian style farm house. It was, at one time, 5 bedrooms. But my grandfather combined two bedrooms into one and made a new master bath in one portion of it. Otherwise, it only had one bathroom.When we entered the house and I turned on the lights, Carrie sort of gasped. I asked what was wrong, but she just smiled and said, “I'm waiting for June Cleaver to come out of the kitchen with her pearls and high heels on. God Mark, this is so 60's looking.”“I know, but it serves it purpose for me, at this time. I do plan on buying furniture, just never got around to doing it. Ann bitches at me all the time. Come on with me, while I gather some clothes for the morning.”We went upstairs to the master bedroom. When she saw the furniture up there, she really gasped. “Oh My Mark. This stuff is gorgeous. Please don't replace this. This stuff has to be from the 20's. I just love the bed.”“Yeah. Gramps said his father built it.” The bed was a big four poster and had matching dressers and nightstands. It was old, but finely built and well maintained.As I was gathering things, she laid out on the bed. “You know, maybe this weekend, we stay here and let the kids have the condo. I'd love to make love to you right here. Also, pack up some underwear and some shirts and pants, so you can leave them at my place.”“Sounds like a plan to me. Where does Alan live anyways?” I asked“He actually lives with his mom. Close by campus. She is divorced for years now. I am actually pretty friends with her. We have gone out for drinks a few times and have had dinners at each other's places. She just adores Jenny, which makes it a whole lot nicer.”After a few more minutes, we left and went back to Carrie's. Of course we made love again that night, and early the next morning, before she had to leave for work. This arrangement worked out quite well for us.Chapter 22.By Thanksgiving time, we were comfortably into our relationship. Most nights were spent at her place, and most weekends were spent at mine. There wasn't a night we did not spend together. I was hooked on her. I never, in a million years, could believe I could wake up every morning with someone. This felt awesome to me and so special. I loved looking at her while she slept. I also enjoyed just sitting with her at night reading, or just watching TV, then retire to bed. The best part is when she folds herself into me and falls asleep. I love that most.Thanksgiving is time for family. This year though, I was spending dinner with Carrie, Jenny and Alan, and Alan's mom, Brenda. I usually would be at Ann's, but she understood. I did tell Ann we would be over after dinner to visit.Carrie and Brenda did all the cooking. Alan and I set the table, but then retired to the couch to watch some football. Jenny was out with the ladies, so this left only Alan and I alone. As we watched, Alan and I would talk some. He was a nice young man and had his head together. He told he would be graduating in the spring and already had a job lined up. He wanted to work a while before he went for his Masters.Then he looked around to see where the ladies were, and saw they were still very busy in the kitchen. “Mr. Roberts, Mark. I… I want to ask Jenny to marry me this Christmas. Do I ask her mom beforehand?”“Well Alan. To be honest, I think that would be a great idea. Are you absolutely sure of this? This is a huge step in your life?” He smiled and said, “Oh yeah. I have never been sure of anything like this. I love her so much and can't wait to start our lives together.”“Tell you what. You get Carrie alone one day soon and ask her. I'm sure she will give her blessing. But, she's not the one you need the blessing from. You know who that belongs to.” I told him.He chuckled, then said, “Yeah. I kind of had a feeling you would say that. But I don't know when I will ever see them before Christmas. That's not something you ask over the phone.”I laughed, then said back to him. “Oh you are so right there. That old bastard would kill you if you did it like that. When can you get a Friday off in the next couple of weeks?”He shrugged his shoulders, “I guess any Friday. I usually have labs on those days, so no biggie, why?”I shook my head. “Between you and I, and I mean this, you don't say a word to Jenny. I too, plan on asking Carrie to marry me. So pick a Friday. We'll tell our fine ladies we are doing a guy thing that day, which we are. But we'll fly down to Florida, and ask the Chief and Connie in person.”“Oh wow Mark. But I can't afford that. Heck, the ring I want to get is a bit over my budget.”“Don't worry about the flight, I'll handle that. Where did you get the ring, or see it?He smiled and said, “Over at the mall, at Kay Jewelers. It's only a half carat, but one day, I'll get her a bigger one.”“Look, tomorrow, the girls are going shopping with my sister, god help me. So why don't you come with me. A friend of mine is a jeweler and has a lot of nice rings. We'll figure it out from there.” He just nodded, and as he was about to speak Jenny popped in.“What are you two talking about. It looks like a very deep conversation.” We both laughed and said football.Dinner was excellent, but the people really made it nice. By the end of the meal, we were all tired. I helped, as did Alan, wish dishes. We figured the girls spent all morning in there fixing it, it's the least we could do. Thank God for dishwashers.That night and Ann's, Carrie and Ann talked nonstop. Jenny and Alan had also come along, but weren't staying long. I was very happy that Carrie and her family were so accepted by my family. Ann and Brad made them feel right at home. I announced that Christmas Eve dinner was at my house this year. Ann, of course, had to bust my balls and ask what take out I was using.“I'll have you know, I am a pretty damn good cook, huh Honey?” Carrie smiled, “Oh Yeah. He actually is. I was very surprised. Jarheads usually know only a couple of things. Walk, March, shoot guns and eat.” then laughed. “Nice Squid. Real Nice”Katie then asked, “Mom? What's a Jarhead?” which made us all start busting out in laughter.“Well Pumpkin, it's like this. See a Marine is a very special person. He, or she, is the very best and people in the other services are very jealous of us. So they call us very derogatory names, to make them feel better about the lowly service they belong too, like the Navy. Squids are so jealous.” then laughed.Carrie was rolling her eyes, then said “Dream on Jarhead. We are just smart enough to stay on a boat, while you get all the crap jobs on land. But, I still love ya.”Once home and lying in bed, Carrie told what a great day she had. She just loves my sister and feels rather close to her. She also said she was so glad that they even accepted Jenny and Alan. I told her that I was glad that they have accepted her as well, and that spending the day with her and Jenny, and Alan's family made this pretty special to me.“Carrie. I don't want any secrets between us, so I need to tell you this.” “Uh Oh” was her response. “It's not bad, not bad at all. Alan is going to come ask you for permission to marry Jenny”Carrie got to her knees, “Really? When? Oh my God. I knew that they would do this.”“Not sure when he is going to ask you, but I do know it is Christmas time he asking her. He's pretty much laid out his life and how he sees it, and he does have a good head on his shoulders. He said they would wait until Jenny graduates in a year and a half.”Carrie was still on her knees, but crying now. “I am so happy for them. Jenny wants to marry him, that I am sure of. She loves him as much as I love you. I just told her when the time comes, be smart, and wait on having kids. Enjoy being a couple, because once kids come, it's whole new ballgame.”“Now you better act surprised about this. He is so scared of what you may say.”“I will. I promise. He has nothing to fear from me, it's gonna be a YES”, then leaned down and kissed me. That kiss turn into a hot, passionate kiss, which led to a love making session. Can't wait to see what she is like when I ask her the same thing.Chapter 23.The next morning Carrie was up and out the door by 7am. I knew I had most of the day to myself, so I got dressed and headed over to my place. Alan and I were to meet at the jewelers around noon.Alan was right on time as we entered the building, which was in one of those strip style shopping centers. My friend, John, was behind the counter when he saw me walk in. After a few good minutes of catching up he directed us to the engagement ring area . Alan stated he had $1200 to spend. John showed him quite a few rings in that price range. He was looking for a pear shaped style. I saw one that was one carat and asked the price. John said he could let that one go for $1800. Alan said it looked great, but he couldn't afford it.“Do you think Jenny would like it?” “Yeah. She's love that.” he said. “Well then, get it. I'll make up the difference. My future stepdaughter should have the best.” “Mark. I promise to repay you as quick as I can.” “You pay me when you can afford too, and nothing sooner. We'll be family for many years to come.”Then John directed me to this one ring. It was marquis shaped with 6 small diamonds around it. It just screamed Carrie to me. It was set in a platinum band, which I already knew she liked. It wasn't to pretentious, or gaudy. John said I could have that one for five grand , normally $6500 for it. He said it was a size 8, but I am not sure of her size. He said, no matter, just bring it in after I give it to her and he would resize it, unless I could find out her size. I chuckled to myself, and thought, I should call her ex and ask.After leaving there, we grabbed a sandwich and beer at this one bar and grill I knew. Then headed over to my house to see about flights to Florida. Alan was so excited, and kept thanking me over and over. I knew now the kid's father had very little to do with him, since the divorce. He's been gone from their lives for almost 12 years now. So this felt pretty good, acting like a father figure to him. Kids coming out of boot camp are kind of like this. They look up to the sergeants when you get them in your platoon. So I know the look all too well, except I'm not going to yell at this one.Once at my house, we went online and found a flight, non-stop to Pensacola, that got us there by 10am, and then one returning at 2:30, arriving back here at 5pm. Before I made the purchase, I called Connie. She had given me her cell number before they left back in October.After the obligatory how are you's and how's Carrie. I told her my plan. I really wanted to surprise them both, but had to make sure they would be home that day. It would have sucked to fly down and find they were gone.“Oh Mark. You are such a good man. John will be so happy you did this. I know he likes and respects you. He has been hoping you would do something like this, marrying his little girl. But to fly all the way down here to ask his permission, well, you'll be at the top of his list. You already are on mine. I promise I won't say a word either.”We hung up after that, and I hit the button to buy the tickets. I didn't tell Connie about Alan coming or his question too. That should make the old man really feel good. Tickets for both of us, just set me back a grand, but it was worth it. I told Alan this one is on me, which he protested too, but I told him tough, get over it.Later that night, while in my bed, Carrie told me about her day with Ann, and shopping. She said she thinks this will be the best Christmas ever for her. Ann told her what she thought I needed and clothes sizes and such. I can just imagine what Ann helped her pick out. I got to admit, when it comes to clothes for me, Ann knew what I liked.Since that few days back in October, when I thought she wanted to call this whole thing off, we have grown closer. Although we are not in our early twenties, we still made love quite a bit. Four or five times a week. But just going to bed with her and waking in the morning and see her next to me, was like heaven. I could care less about the sex actually. That was the bonus. Great thing too, is that she loves sex and on the weekends, it was two or three times a day, unless her monthly friend showed up, but even then, when it first starts, she isn't opposed to doing it in the shower. That has happened twice since we started.Weekends too, was when naughty Carrie comes to play. She is very boisterous, and loves talking dirty. She is always a lady outside of the home, but inside, she gets down right slutty. One evening I let her tie me up to the post of my bed. She teased quite a bit that night. 69ing with me, but having her sex hover above my face, where I couldn't reach it. While she played with my cock. Then she'd lower herself down to let me lick her for about thirty seconds, then pull away again. It drove me insane with lust. When she finally turned around and lowered herself onto me, she rode me like a bull. The whole time asking me how her cunt felt and did I want to cum, and things like that. It was fun and adventurous for us, and we both love it. I really think she has a Domme side to her, deep down.Chapter 24.A few nights before Alan and I took off to Florida, I fibbed a bit and told Carrie that on Friday I was going to help Brad close up their cabin, that he and Ann have by a lake near us. Ann knew of my plans and was willing to go along with it. I told her that Alan was going to help too and that we should be back by 6 that evening. Since the cabin is only 20 minutes from the airport, I was going to swing by before our flight, and move a few chairs on the porch, to a shed he had. That way, I really didn't lie. I hate lying to her.We arrived in Florida about ten minutes early, which was good. I rented a car and was at John and Connie's in no time, thanks to GPS. The look on John's face was priceless when he opened the door and saw both of us standing there. Of course, he thought something was wrong.“What in the world are you two doing down here? Are the girls  okay?”I laughed and said all is fine with them. He let us in and we took a seat on the couch. “Well? What's up. You didn't fly down here for your health.”“John. Connie. I came down here to ask permission to marry your daughter.”“You flew down here just to ask that? What the hell, you could have called on the phone and saved time and money Shitbird.”“No John. You deserve more respect than that. If I am doing this, I want to do it right. So, do I have your permission?”He looked at Connie, who shook her head yes, then said, “Mark. I would be proud to call you my son in law. I may seem gruff at times, but I do like you and respect you, and I know you will treat my daughter good, which is all I can ask for. Connie and I want only the best for her, and Jenny too. So yes, you have our permission.”We shook hands and he actually gave me a hug, and of course Connie did too. Then John asked,“Did you need a wingman, bringing Alan down with you?”“No sir”, Alan said. “I would like permission too, to ask your granddaughter to be my wife.”“Jesus H. Christ. Both of you? Well son, are you sure you are ready for a step like this. That is one person I never want to see hurt, besides my wife and daughter.”“Sir. I have never been so sure of anything in my life. I graduate in May and have a job already lined up and Jenny graduates the following year, and then we would marry.”After looking at his wife again, who stood there smiling, he spoke, “Then I guess I see no point in denying you her hand. Promise me you will always take care of her and love her with all your heart, like we do.”“I promise Mr. Reynolds, I swear.” He chuckled, “I bet you were as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs to ask me this. Both of you clowns, so help me God, if you ever hurt those girls, I will hunt you down and hurt you real bad, and if I am too old, I still know people who can do it. You know the last one Carrie was with, the asshole, the best I could do is have him shipped to San Diego. I wanted to have him put on that team in the Aleutians (Alaska), but the CO thought that would not be a good fit for that team.”We stayed and had lunch with them, then got back to the airport with plenty of time. We did ask if they could come up for Christmas. They had plans for a few days later that week, but said they would be up on Christmas Eve, which I thought was perfect. We also planned on surprising the girls with their presence , that evening at my house since I was cooking dinner that night. John did make a crack about eating before he got there, in case my meal sucked.I got to Carrie's around 6:30, and we went to eat, then to my place. We just cuddled on the couch that night, then went to bed. I was pretty tired, and she completely understood, so we just fell asleep in each other's arms.The next day, we met Jenny and Alan back at Carrie's and headed over to this tree farm to cut down two Christmas tree's They take you out on a wagon, then when you find and cut it down, pick you up and bring you back to the Chalet, where you pay. The four of us had a great time and Carrie, and Jenny were giddy most of the day. I dropped the kids off at Carrie's and helped put the tree in its stand. Jenny was going to start decorating it, while Carrie and I did the same at my place. This is the first tree I have decorated in over twenty years. I was usually never home for the holidays, or if I was, it was for a few days and it was spent with mom and Ann.It took most of the afternoon and part of the evening to string lights and attach the antique ornaments my grandmother had at the house. Carrie did run out to the store and bought ribbon and bows, and some garland too. While we did this, she had Christmas music playing in the background and I had a fire lit in the fireplace. What was real nice, was that it was now snowing some. Not heavy, but a nice downfall, just like you would see in any Christmas movie.We were both dressed in jeans and sweaters, but she looks a lot cuter than I do, in hers. After we finished and ate delivered pizza, we retired to the couch, which faces the fireplace, and the tree, all lit up, standing in the corner by it. Carrie sat next to me, sipping wine, with her legs curled under her. We talked about what we needed to get for people. I had told her I wasn't sure what to get Ann and Brad, or even Jenny and Alan. I did buy the kids laptops for each of them. Ann had only one computer, which they all shared, so this would help out in that department. I know Ann and Brad were going to buy Kyle a used truck, for when he passed his driver's license test. He was taking the driver's ed course now.Carrie said she would help with Ann and Brad, but I didn't need to get Jenny anything. I told her to stop there. She is part of you and she deserves presents as well. Carrie did tell me she is going to get Jenny a car, after the first of the year. Right now, she didn't have one, but she was taking an internship at this one accounting agency, and needed one for that. Then we started kissing, which led to more kissing. I stopped, and got up.“Hold that thought”, I said. Then went to the back closet and pulled out my sleeping bag. I came back in and unrolled it, and unzipped it. I laid it out over the oval rug in front of the fireplace and went and took her by the hand and had her stand up.“Umm, I like how you think Mr. Roberts.” I slowly removed her sweater, then her bra. Of course I had to suck her tits a few times, before unbuttoning her jeans and slowly peeled them down, exposing her black thong. With me now on my knees, I used my teeth to pull her thongs down, and when they hit the floor, she stepped out of them. I didn't even bother with her socks. Now naked, I leaned in and lightly licked her sex, tasting her juices that she was already emitting. God, I love how she taste.She pulled me up then and pulled my sweater over my head and then my t-shirt. She now got on her knees and removed my jeans and then my boxers. When my engorged member sprung free, she licked it a few times, especially on the tip. “Yummy” she said.I had her lay on the sleeping bag, and she readily spread her legs for me, letting me gaze at her beauty. The Christmas lights, and the glow of the fire made her especially beautiful. I wasted little time in going down on her. I wanted her to orgasm in my mouth. I needed to taste her. I stayed down there for a long while. Bringing her off two times, before I kissed my way back up to her mouth, stopping along the way to such each tit into my mouth, which I knew she loved having done.As I kissed her passionately, I made sure my weight was not fully on her, and my hardened member lay at her opening, ready to enter paradise. Her hips gyrated below me, trying hard to have me enter her.“Baby. Please put it in. I need you so bad. I love you”I too, couldn't wait any longer and slid in. Once I was fully in, we both moaned out. We then proceeded to make slow love to one another. We had no rush to this, just two people, deeply in love, joined together, making us one. I have no idea how long we made love for, but it had to have lasted at least a good fifteen minutes. We were lost in each other, until Carrie finally moaned out “Oh God, I'm cumming Baby.” I didn't last too much longer and started shooting my seed deep within her. “I love you baby.” I said as I was cumming.After we calmed a bit, I noticed I was still hard and rolled us over so she was on top. I looked at her, as she sat up. The firelight danced over her skin. She looked incredible to me. “My God Baby, you look so beautiful” I said. “You are beautiful Mark. I love you so much. This is going to be the best holiday ever.” I smiled, and thought, “If you only knew my Love”Chapter 25.The next two weeks flew by. I had talked with Connie a couple of times. She said she told Carrie that they were going to New Orleans to visit with friends down there, from their Navy days. Carrie was a little bummed, but understood. Connie said their flight got in at 4pm that day. Jenny was going to pick them up and bring them over a little past 7, on that evening, along with Alan's mom. Ann was going to meet them out front, so they could follow her up the drive, without lights on. Very clandestine like. I had told Ann to wait until I turned the kitchen and dining room lights out, before sneaking in the back door, and to stay in the dining room until I actually proposed to Carrie. God I was nervous now. This to me, was the biggest leap of faith I would ever take in my life.Carrie came over around 5, on Christmas Eve. She was wearing this beautiful red dress that made her look like a Goddess. Had no one been coming over, I would have taken her then and there.“My God. You are more beautiful than I have ever seen you Ms. Reynolds.” I told her. She smiled and said, “You are just biased, and you want to get into my panties JH. Thank You though. Compliments are always welcome. I love you.”She helped me prepare the rest of dinner. We were having Standing Prime Rib, mashed potatoes, rolls, gravy, and a bean casserole that Carrie prepared. We then set the table for 8, on the dining room table. This table was big enough to feed a platoon on. Everything was almost ready.It was now just coming on 7pm. The roast was done and I removed it from the oven, to let it sit a while before carving. Carrie was standing near me, sipping a glass of wine. I reached the light switch and turned it off, and then walked into the dining room and did the same there. The only light was from the tree and fireplace.I went to the stereo and put on Carrie's favorite artist, Shania Twain. I took Carrie's hand and led her to the middle of the living room, as the music started. I took her glass and set it down, then pulled her into my arms and started to dance to “From This Moment On”As we danced, I made sure her head was not turned so she could see into the dining room. Towards the end of the dance I softly sang the lyrics to her.You're the reason I believe in loveAnd you're the answer to my prayers from up aboveAll we need is just the two of usMy dreams came true because of youFrom this moment as long as I liveI will love you, I promise you thisThere is nothing I wouldn't giveFrom this momentI will love you as long as I liveFrom this moment on.As the music started to end, I looked into her eyes, which were now glazed over with tears, and got to my knee. With her one hand in my, I looked up at her, then reached into my sport coat, and pulled out the ring.“Carolyn Ann. I love you more than life itself, and like the lyrics said, I can't wait to start living my life with you. Would you do me the honor and be my wife, and I your husband?”Her whole body tremble as I awaited her answer. “Oh My God Sweetheart, Yes”I stood and pulled her into me and we kissed a long and very passionate kiss. Just then, our combined family's started clapping and cheering. Carrie broke the kiss and saw her mom and dad coming towards us, with Jenny and Alan, then Ann and her family.Carrie broke from me and ran to her mom and hugged her tight, then her dad. She was now full out crying, and since she yes, it must be from joy. Connie then hugged me and told me how beautiful that scene just was. Jenny and Carrie were hugging and crying together now. Brad and Alan both shook my hand. Ann went up and hugged Carrie and welcomed her to the family, then she came to me.“Brother. You sometimes shock the hell out of me. I never knew you could be this romantic” Then kissed me and told me she loves me and I better take care of that woman, always.John finally came over to me, “Mark. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be calling you son. But you know what, I am glad I am. You are the type of man I would want for a son. Welcome aboard to our family Son.” then hugged me. I could have sworn I saw a tear in his eye.Dinner was excellent and everyone was in a very festive mood. Carrie made a toast, after saying grace before dinner. “To the best Christmas ever. To Ann and Brad, and the kids, I am so grateful to be part of your lives now. You have made me feel part of your family since the day I met you. To you, mom and dad, and you Jenny, for always being there for me and teaching what love really is, so I can now share that with my future husband Mark, who I plan on growing very old with. I love you all”After dinner, the girls shooed us away and told us to relax while they did the dishes. Connie said it was only fair, since I did the cooking. It was well past 9pm when we were all together in the living room. Carrie and I already decided we would open our gifts the next morning, at her place with Jenny and Alan, and now her dad and mom. But we still had to exchange gifts with Ann and the family.Carrie handed out our gifts to them. To Ann, Carrie picked out a couple of sweaters and we got her a $200 visa gift card, so she could buy what she wanted for herself. We got Brad a new fishing reel and a $200 visa gift card. The gift cards were in a Christmas card signed Mark and Carrie. The kids each got a laptop and $100 gift cards. When they opened the cards, their mom asked what was written. Of course they could care less about what was written but said it was from “Uncle Mark and Aunt Carrie” I had signed all of the cards, but Carrie had no idea I wrote that. She squeezed my hand tightly then.Alan and Jenny were sitting by the tree and had opened their presents from my sister. Then Alan reached around the tree and produced a box, and handed it to Jenny. “Please open this Honey.”Jenny was now sort of kneeling and slowly opened the box. Inside was a figurine of a bride. Around the head and neck, was the ring he bought a few weeks back. Jenny just Gasped. Alan was kneeling now too and took her hand.“I was going to wait until the morning, but I just can't. I want everyone to see and hear this. Jennifer Lynn, would you marry me and become my wife and the mother, someday, to our children”Jenny broke down and started crying, but finally said “Yes”, then actually tackled him and started kissing him. Jenny was over the moon now, as was Carrie and Connie, and Alan's mom. Lots of excitement this night, that's for sure. I went out to the fridge and took out 2 bottles of champagne that I had snuck in the back and opened them. With John's help, we gave everyone a glass, including the kids and toasted to a merry Christmas.Katie made me chuckle when she asked if Jenny was now their cousin. I said officially, no, not until Carrie and I marry, but yeah, she is. “Oh Cool. I don't have any girl cousins”, which made us all laugh.I was sitting in the one arm chair, and Carrie in my lap. Of course she had to wiggle her ass a few times, which wasn't the best thing to do, because Mr. happy liked the attention and started to rise. I whispered in her ear, “Keep it up and I'll take you upstairs and take care of this problem I am having.” She giggled and said, “Promises. Promises”Then Carrie asked, “Mark. Did you ask my dad for permission?” I just smiled and said, “Oh Yeah. I'm not that dumb. Actually. Remember two weeks ago when I was helping Brad at the cabin?” she nodded, “Well, Alan and I did go there at 5:30am. I can see Alan is not the type that likes getting up at Oh Dark Thirty either, but, we did go over there. Moved three things to the shed, then left for the airport. We flew down to Florida, got to your parents by 11, had lunch, asked Chief and your mom for their blessings, then back up here by 5 that evening, and you two fine ladies weren't the wiser. So before you say anything, we did not lie, but did not disclose our whole agenda. No way could I lie to you Babe.”John was laughing as I was recounting that day. “Oh yeah, I open the door to find these two Shitbirds. My first thought was something happened to one of you, but then Mark sorted it out for me. Connie already knew he was coming. But I'll tell you. I couldn't ask for two finer men to take care of my girls, than these two.After that, everyone started to leave. We told them we'd be over in the morning, and to not open stuff without us there. As soon as we saw the lights of their cars fade away, Carrie turned off the lights and pulled me upstairs.Carrie turned on the lamp, next to the bed, then turned off the overhead lights. She seductively stripped down for me, and I just stood there in amazement. Once naked, she stood there. So I stripped as well. Not as seductive as she had done, but still slow. I stood a foot away from here and she took both of my hands in hers.She smiled at me, “Baby, you have no idea how lucky I feel and so loved right now. What you see in front of you, is yours, until the day we die. I am all yours.”I smiled at her then, and said, “Babe. For the life of me, I don't know how I ever got as lucky to be with a beautiful person, as you are. I don't mean just in looks, but the whole essence of you. You are my life, and no one will ever come between us. I Love you Carrie”She led me to the bed and we lay beside each other. Her newly ringed hand reached around the shaft of my member and held it gently. “I love this ring Baby. And, quite frankly, it looks really good right now. When did you know you wanted to marry me?”My eyes looked into hers, “Honestly, I wish I could say that first kiss on Whiteface Mountain. But it wasn't then. I knew at that point I had a shot with you though. But, it was the night I made you dinner and drew your bath. I knew then, when you said I love you back to me, that this was it. And, it's gotten better every day since.”She crawled up on top of me, and without any help from our hands, slipped my hard member into her waiting sex. Looking up at her, after we both moaned, “When did you know this was real for us?”“When we kissed on that rock. There was just something about it. But when we made love that Saturday night in the cabin and professed our love to each other. I knew in my heart then. But finally, when you stuck by me, with that stupid ordeal back in October, I knew this man was it.”“Baby, there was no way I was walking away from you. Not then , not ever. Were you surprised this happened tonight?” I asked.She grinned, “Yes and no. I thought maybe tomorrow, and if not then, then Valentine's Day. But tonight threw me. But picking one of my favorite songs to dance too, then asking me then, well it made me speechless. Then to have our whole family here too. You made this the best Christmas I have ever had.”Carrie started pumping up and down on me now. She didn't want to talk anymore. She wanted to complete our love making. It really did not take us long either. Throughout the whole time, our lips were locked together, until we were both ready to cum.“Oh God Baby. I have to cum” I spoke out loudly. “Cum Baby. Give me it all. I Love You Mark”I started cumming deep inside her, and about half way through, she started cumming. My hands were holding her ass as she did. I could feel goosebumps on her cheeks, as she let loose with her orgasm. It was very powerful too. Her whole body was wiggling around as our orgasms continued.We kissed one last time, then both told each other I love you. I wouldn't let her leave me though and she settled in on top of me and we both fell asleep.Chapter 26.Christmas Day saw us going all over the place. First, I took Carrie out to the barn out back. Inside was my old 93 Ford Mustang Boss. I bought this right after boot camp. It was rarity that I got to drive it much. Sometimes, six months would elapse before it got driven. The most use I got out of it was when I was stationed at Quantico. When I moved back here, after getting out, I bought my truck. So this car just sits, except for an occasional spin. It's silver with black interior, and has the 5 liter engine, which is a small V8. The only enhancement it has, is a new radio that has Bluetooth for the phone. It is in mint condition and only has 22,000 miles on it.Carrie asked where did I get this. So I told her about its history. Then I told her I was going to give this to Jenny. “Oh My God Mark. You can't do that. This is an antique, isn't it?”“No. Not yet. Couple of more years. But she needs a car and I never use it. So why not let someone, who I happen to like and is going to be my daughter one day, have it.”“You amaze me JH. You don't have a selfish bone in your body. And you are right, she is going to have you for a father one day. I know she likes that idea too. The ex was never really close with her in the first place, and when I kicked him out, he has never even tried to contact her. Just be patient with her and love her Mark. That's all I ask.”I knew I was going to do this too, after Carrie said she had to buy a car for her. So I had it checked out at the garage I go too, and had new tires put on it. So it was good to go. She'll just have to watch driving in snow. Rear wheel drive and snow don't always mix well.When we arrived that morning, everyone was up. Connie had made cinnamon buns and coffee, which we all enjoyed, while opening presents. After all the presents were opened, I handed Jenny a small gift bag. “From us” I said. Her eyes got real big when she saw they keys. Then ran to the front door and opened it. When she saw the car, she squealed with excitement. This girl was in a fuzzy robe and put on sneakers and ran out to it. Then came back inside and ran up to me and hugged me.“Thank You so much Mark” then planted kisses all over my cheeks. Then she thanked her mom. I told her it was hers to use and to be careful with it. I then told her we would help with insurance and stuff like that. But it is her responsibility to maintain it. “You guys are the best. Come Papa. let me show you my new car.” she said. Jenny, Alan, and John trudged out into the cold. I told Connie that the car is old, but nowhere near the mileage that the old Seadog has on him. Connie winked at me and said, “You know Mark. I think you are going to make one great father.”That New Year's Eve, we were invited to a couple of parties, but we begged off and stayed home. We made dinner together. Watched some movies, then made love at midnight. We did talk about Carrie moving in here, with me. She readily agreed, and two weeks later, she moved in. Jenny and Alan moved into her condo. All Carrie asked of them was to make sure no babies were produced yet. At some point, once the kids were established, and found their own place after they were married, she would sell the condo. Luckily for us, this was not a drain on finances. She made almost $100 grand a year at her job and mine was bringing in almost double that, and this house was paid for.We did settle down and bought new furniture for all over. I let that up to her, and Ann helped out. Those two become thick as thieves. If I was to ever argue with Carrie, I'd never win, but we never argue. We do discuss stuff and come to common ground. One thing was constant though, and that was our love making. I made sure we had at least one date night a week, and I always try to be romantic.The first weekend in October, Carrie and I married. When Carrie got married the first time, it was in front of a judge. So she never had a real wedding, and, her parents weren't there for it, depriving her dad the chance to give her away.The one thing she did ask me to wear was my dress blues. I had to check to make sure that I was still allowed, and found out that it was  okay for that. I had to bring that out of mothballs. I even had the sword. MY uni had 5 gold service stripes indicating 20 years, plus a lot of ribbons and medals on the pocket area.John too, wore his dress blues, or winter uniform. Now he had 9 gold sleeve stripes, since he was just shy of 40 years in. His front pocket area had to weigh a ton with all the service ribbons and medals. He wore blue, so he wouldn't upstage his daughter, in her white dress.Seeing her come down the aisle, with her father, was one of the best days of my life. She was radiant and so beautiful. She picked From This Moment On as her entrance song, instead of the traditional wedding march. Jenny served as her maid of honor, and Brad served as my best man. Alan and Ann were in it as well, as was Kyle and Katie. We both have a small circle of friends, and limited family, so the reception wasn't really big, maybe 50 people in all, but we all had a great time. We spent our first night of the honeymoon, in my uncle's cabin, after climbing up Whiteface Mountain and kissed on that very same rock, where we did the first time.I do remember, as I stood there, at the altar, holding Carrie's hands and was reciting her vows to me, all I thought was,“All this, because I bumped into a this beautiful woman at the ranger's station, who just happened to be a bit clumsy and sprain her ankle later, on a path near the cabin I was staying at. Life is good.”by T. Foxal.

गृह मंत्री ने बताया पहलगाम हमले के आतंकी मारे गए, राज्यसभा में आज ये कांग्रेस नेता बोलेंगे, सुप्रीम कोर्ट करेगा 12 अगस्त से SIR मामले की सुनवाई, नेशनल हेराल्ड मनी लॉन्ड्रिंग मामले में 7-8 अगस्त को सुनवाई, मध्य प्रदेश विधानसभा में कांग्रेस विधायकों ने किया अनोखा प्रदर्शन, दिल्ली में भारी बारिश के कारण कई जगहों पर ट्रैफिक जाम, हिमाचल प्रदेश के मंडी में दो लोगों की मौत और थाई आर्मी करेगी फ्रांसीसी निर्मित VL MICA शॉर्ट-रेंज एयर डिफेंस सिस्टम का इस्तेमाल, सिर्फ़ 5 मिनट में सुनिए दोपहर 1 बजे तक की बड़ी ख़बरें

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 6 Lab Results and Quarantines Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.   The Docs signed off, leaving me alone in the little meeting room again. Not knowing when I would be able to leave, I decided to try and fall back on one of my old military instincts; sleep when you can. So I got comfortable in the chair, closed my eyes, and let myself drift into a fitful, not-quite-soothing sleep. "Harri," someone said, and I woke with a start as my shoulder was touched. "Urm," I grunted, and sniffed in a breath as I blinked rapidly and looked around. I was still in the room, and Miriam was smiling at me. She was dressed in fatigues here in the military office complex instead of her service dress blues and her hair was up in a standard military bun hidden beneath the standard issue cap. "Just like a grunt to take any reason for a nap," she grinned at me. "Come on. We can talk in my office." I stood, yawned and stretched, feeling something pop in my back and my shoulder from the uncomfortable position I'd been in. "Lead the way, Lieutenant Colonel," I said. She rolled her eyes at me a little but didn't say anything, just opening the door and walking through. I followed her back into that hallway where Brent had clocked me. He wasn't in the waiting room at the end of the hall. "Is Brent,” I started to ask. "He's waiting on another floor," Miriam said. "Refuses to leave until he sees his daughter is alright. It's making operations slow down over at the construction site, but I can't blame him." "Neither can I," I said, touching the tenderness of my black eye. Miriam led me through several very plain corridors lined with doors. None of them had windows to see in, and most had nameplate mounts but lacked names, and instead were labelled with numbers. It struck me as secretive, and that meant I was probably in the Air Force part of the building and not the Vaccine Test Center part. If they were trying to make people feel at ease joining an experimental program, these plain walls and doors forming a maze were not the way to do it. Confounding an enemy trying to sneak through this part of the building, though? It was perfect. I followed Miriam until she stopped at a seemingly random door and opened it, leading me into a large office. It had a large bank of windows, but extra-heavy curtains had been hung over them and were drawn shut to the point I wondered if they were nailed in place. One wall was entirely covered in a whiteboard with all sorts of coded writing on it. There were two desks in the room; the main desk was scattered with papers and a computer terminal, with a plush office chair tucked in behind it. The second desk had more stuff on it, but in neater piles, and Captain Bloomberg was sitting behind it at work. She glanced up at us as we entered and gave me a slightly judgmental look, before going back to the printout she was reading. The rest of the office space was dominated by file shelving units, a gun safe, and a leather couch that looked uncomfortable but was probably soft as hell. "Captain, could you give us five?" Miriam asked. "Of course, Ma'am," she nodded, set down the papers face-down and stepped around her desk to the door. She shot Miriam a quick look, and Miriam gave her one back, and the Captain left. If I had to guess it was to do with the fact that the office was probably full of classified material and information and the Captain was silently reminding her superior officer not to let me poke around or leave me alone in there. "Sit, please," Miriam sighed once the door was closed and we were alone, gesturing at the couch. I did, instantly sinking into it, and she sat on the other end and turned to me. "So, now that we know it's not life-threatening, you feel ready to get teased yet?" I snorted a little and scratched at my beard. "It's still a little raw," I admitted. "Just like how you fucked her?" Miriam asked with a grin. "Sorry, that's the only one." I shook my head and chuckled. There were few kinds of people who could be as morbidly crude and insulting, and mean it in the best way, as a military friend. "Seriously, Harri," she said. "I got a briefing on it. She's fine, you're fine. No one is in trouble." "Tell that to her father," I said. "And I can't blame him for probably wanting to kill me." "Yeah, well, tough shit for him," Miriam said. "We've expanded his Need to Know status and gave him some more info on the vaccine to calm him down. He's not happy, but he's not worried anymore. Seriously though, did you have to go and fuck my lead civilian contractor's daughter?" "We were friendly with her," I said, and let out a long breath. "Erica said she thought Vanessa might be a little interested. I don't think either of us expected her to show up on our proverbial doorstep and ask for a foursome." "I always did think Erica was a smart woman after we met," Miriam said. "Though I figured you'd lost a few brain cells since you weren't dating her at the time." "There's a whole story behind that," I said, waving her off. "I'm sure there is," Miriam smiled. "Doesn't mean it's a good excuse though." "Well, Vanessa seems to think you have a crush on me after she met you for all of two minutes," I shot back at her. Miriam flushed for a moment but didn't look away from me, still in command in her own office. "Vanessa might have been doing a bit of projecting," she said. "I'm not into hillbillies with bushy beards and big guts." "Ouch," I laughed, holding my stomach. Sure, I wasn't in the peak physical form I'd been in coming out of the military, but I hadn't gone that soft. Miriam and I continued to chat and laugh for a few more minutes until the Captain came back and then Miriam let me borrow some sound-cancelling headphones and hang out on their couch while they were working. They had food ordered in and Miriam and I ate dinner together while Captain Bloomberg ate as she kept working at her desk. It wasn't until I noticed that the faint bit of light leaking around the edges of the curtains was dimming that it had been a long day and I hadn't been able to contact Erica and Ivy. I asked Miriam if I could have my phone back just to update them, and she and the Captain had to discuss it for a long moment before they decided they could probably do the texting for me, but for security protocols I couldn't be given control of the phone. When my phone powered on it took a long moment for it to connect to service, and then it started buzzing like crazy and a bunch of messages came in. Miriam was holding it, and her eyes went a little wide as the message notification scrolled by. "Um," she said. "Well, it looks like you and your partners are... happy together." "Oh no," I groaned. "What did they send?" "Well, you have a whole bunch of messages from Brent Peters chewing you out, so there's that," Miriam said. "But, uh, well, there are photos from your partners." "Sorry," I shrugged, once again finding my face heating up at the exposure of my sex life. "It's fine," Miriam said. "It was my idea to do the texting anyways." She tapped around on the phone for a moment. "Alright, I'll just say 'Harri isn't allowed to use his phone right now. This is Miriam Abarbanel. He is fine, no trouble. Vanessa is also fine and healthy. They will return tomorrow.'" "That's fine," I said with a nod. I would have liked to tell them more, and that I loved them. And that they shouldn't have been trying to send me whatever scandalous photos they had considering I was in military custody at the moment. Miriam hit send and a minute later another text came through and she opened it, immediately rolling her eyes and setting my phone down. "What?" I asked. "Erica sent another photo, and I think it was for me," she said. "What? Really?" I asked. Miriam opened the photo again and turned my phone around to show me. Erica and Ivy were both sunbathing in the chairs, topless. The third Adirondack had a name tag written on a piece of paper and taped to the back of the chair that red 'Vanessa.' Beside it, they had put out another lawn chair and had quickly put another nametag on it that said 'Miriam.' I couldn't help the little snort of laughter that came out of me, and I covered my mouth to try and stop from giggling a bit. "I'm sorry," I said. Miriam laughed once and set my phone down. "You know, Erica is the right kind of trouble for you I think," she said. "You haven't spent enough time with Ivy," I countered. "That girl is mischievous. I bet the Vanessa one was Erica's idea to try and cheer her up, and the other one was Ivy." "If you've got any pictures from that Danielle woman, I wouldn't mind checking those out," Captain Bloomberg said from over at her desk. "Laura," Miriam said, a little shocked. "What? I told you when we first saw her, that woman could turn a bigoted granny gay," Laura said. "That's fair," Miriam said thoughtfully. "Hey, no arguments from me," I said. Miriam and the Captain ended up finishing their work days, though Miriam told me that she was on call 24/7 anyways and they stayed in apartments lower in the building. She offered to try and find me a free one to rest overnight, but I asked her if I could see Vanessa and stay in whatever medical room she was in. I didn't want her to wake up from the process and be alone. This started a silent conversation of sharp looks between Miriam and Laura, until Laura sighed. "She's not alone. Her father hasn't left her side since we let him see her. This is... let's call it a legal grey area at the moment. Technically you're not even extended family, so he would get precedent on deciding who can be there," she said. "But under the circumstances of the Vaccine imprinting, there's been some debate going around the legal circles of what constitutes a civil union. The matter's still up in the air, but there's a case to be made that you and she are now more intimately connected than she and her father. So I guess the question is do you want to push the issue?" "Oh, fuck," I groaned, and had to massage the bridge of my nose. "On the one hand, yes I want to see her. On the other, Brent deserves to be pissed at me and worried about her. Can I just talk to him?" "Honestly, Harri," Miriam said. "I think you should probably leave that whole conversation to Vanessa and how she wants to have it. Doesn't matter how much you defend yourself, you're still the guy that fucked that man's daughter in a pretty... degenerate seems too strong, but pervy is too weak. Anyways, you fucking her like that brought her here, and he's now aware that she's going to be intimately connected to you for a while." I puffed out my cheeks and let the air blow out slowly, unsure of what to do. "I can try talking to him," Laura offered. "But honestly, I don't know if it would do any good." "It's fine," I finally conceded. "He can be there, just find me another room where I can crash, and let me know when she's awake?" "I'll leave a standing order with the nurses," Miriam nodded. So, as Miriam and Laura finished up for the day, they sent for the night sentry who patrolled the floor and let him know I would be in the staff break room and was allowed to eat out of the cupboards and use the washrooms. Once the airman was gone Laura excused herself and left me with Miriam. "It was nice having you around, Harri," she grinned, dropping her command facade again. She put her hand on my upper arm and grinned, giving me a wink. "And I was joking when I called you fat." "Yeah, well, you really hurt my feelings," I fake-cried, making her laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow before you leave, alright? And I still expect that beer next time I'm up at the site," she said and gave me a peck on the cheek. "You got it," I said, and pecked her back. "And thank you for all of this today, by the way." "Happy to help," she said, and then escorted me to the room where I would spend the next seven hours. The sentry woke me up around four in the morning. I had Cheeto dust on my shirt and fingers, the bag I'd found in the staff room cupboard almost empty and crumpled up on my chest. "Sir, I've been asked to bring you down to the medical wing," he said. "Fuck," I said, blinking awake and standing up. "Uh, give me a second." I went into the men's washroom and quickly washed my hands and my face, and tried to get myself straightened out. Looking in the mirror, I could tell that I'd been running on empty for a bit, but I didn't look as bad as I might have if I hadn't been getting in some light napping at least. The airman brought me to the elevator and punched a button for about a dozen floors down, and when we stepped off of it, it was clear that we were in a more public-facing area, though the number of armed airmen on guard was actually higher. The floor was still quiet, this early in the morning, and generally featured a lot more stuff. There were glass panes and windows everywhere and the place looked like what I would picture a medical bay would in a not-too-distant future medical show. There were a few nurses around, but most of the rooms and beds were empty. We passed by one room that was sealed up with a little yellow light near the handle flashing 'Quarantine Active.' That got me gulping and moving. We turned a corner and I saw her. Vanessa was sitting up in a hospital bed, an IV drip hooked in to one arm. She was in a hospital gown and didn't have any of her usual makeup on, so she looked... sick wasn't the right word. She looked different enough that I noticed it, but it was like seeing Erica without her makeup that first time. It was different but I liked seeing the natural her. "Vanessa, I'm,” I started, but then she threw a magazine at my head. "Harri, I swear to God if you try and apologize to me, I'll throw another one," Vanessa said. She had a stack of a few of them on a little rolling bedside stand, where she also had a tray from a shitty cafeteria meal. "You look good, Vee," I said, changing my mind. She blushed and smiled. "No, I don't. Liar." "Okay, you look as good as someone in a hospital bed can," I said. "Come sit, Harri," she said, shifting herself in the bed and patting beside her. I did, and she took my hand in one of hers and lifted the other to brush a finger against my bruised eye. "The night nurse told me what happened when I woke up." I opened my mouth to apologize again but remembered what she'd said and clicked it shut. She smirked and squeezed my fingers. "Good, you're learning." "So you're not pissed off?" I asked. Vanessa leaned her head back on the pillows propping her up, taking a deep breath. "Maybe at the world, a little. But at you? Or Erica and Ivy? No. I went in there knowing what I was asking for, and you told me the risk. I decided getting off with you three was worth it." She broke into a small smile. "And from what I remember, it was pretty fantastic." "It was," I chuckled. "I mean, wild and filthy, but fantastic." She was looking at me, searching my face for something. I couldn't tell if she found it or not. "I spoke to my Dad. He told me he decked you pretty good but I wasn't expecting a full-on shiner." "He definitely got me," I said, touching my eye. "Wasn't as bad as I felt I deserved." "Yeah, well I told him if he does it again I'll deck him," she said. "And that if he tries to take any revenge on you, he's just punishing me." "Does that mean what I think it means?" I asked. She brought my hand up to her chest and put it over her heart. "Harri, I'm stuck with you no matter what at this point, but if you guys will have me I'd like to move into your crammed RV life. I thought you and Erica were cool since we met, and we know we're sexually compatible. The way I see it, I can either fight this thing just for the sake of fighting, or I can get on board the Harrison train and enjoy the ride." "Vanessa, I; God, I wish I had my phone right now," I said. "There's a picture the girls sent that you'll want to see." Vanessa rolled her eyes and her smile grew. "Oh, I got several pictures," Vanessa said. "I've already seen them. Why don't you have your phone?" "I was up on a secure floor," I said. "Lieutenant Colonel Abarbanel was actually the one to see them when she helped me message back that we were Okay." "Then you have some surprises waiting for you I think," Vanessa grinned. "But for now, you're all mine." She pulled me towards her and guided me into a kiss. Then she whispered into my lips as our noses rubbed against each other. "Pull the privacy screen around us." "Here? Really?" I asked. "My nurse actually encouraged it," Vanessa said. "She said we just need to try and keep it down." I stood up and went to the curtain built into the rolling track around Vanessa's bed and pulled it around us, blocking out the rest of the room, and the hallway beyond the glass observation doors. When I turned back to her, Vanessa was shrugging out of her hospital gown, her cute little tits jiggling. I kicked off my shoes and got up on the hospital bed with her, picking her up a bit and sliding her down into a laying position and tucking my head down to suck on one of her nipples. "Oh, Harri," she crooned, her hand running through my hair. Her nipples got hard quickly as I played my tongue over them, feeling the little boob around it tug and pull as I moved around. I popped off and raised my lips to hers again, giving her a kiss. "I didn't get to spend that much time telling you how beautiful and sexy I think you are," I said between kisses. "Harri, you don't need to lie," she said. "My boobs are tiny. I'm used to; Ah, fuck!" I cut her off by grabbing the tit I hadn't sucked on, squeezing it hard enough to make her hiss a little bit. I'd seen she liked a little rough pawing and play during the foursome, so I used it now to make a point. "If you ever tell me these aren't perfect, I'll spank you so hard you'll have my handprint on your ass for a week." "Fuck, Harri; Fuck," she groaned as I let my grip on her tit loosen, and then bent down and took that nipple into my mouth as well. "Fine. You like my tits. I believe you." "Don't just believe me," I said. "Vanessa, you said you thought Erica and I were cool when we first met. Well, I thought you were fascinating. This gorgeous, tough woman who knew how to take charge and make things happen. Beautiful from head to toe even when you were trying to downplay it for work. Now, you're going to lay back so that I can explore every inch of your gorgeous, perfect body." She looked like she was somewhere between beaming happily and crying, but she nodded. I started back up at her lips and kissed around her jaw and down her neck to her collar bone. Then down to her chest, where I teased her nipples some more, rolling one between my fingers while I tongued and lightly nibbled on the other. Once they were both standing proud and weren't about to go down, I helped her pull the hospital gown off until it was hanging from the arm with the IV in it, revealing the rest of her body to me. I kissed down her stomach to her bellybutton and pressed my forehead against her, kissing her fit stomach softly, then moving lower. I got to the point between her belly button and her mound where her scar was, and the Strength tattoo. I took my time there, kissing it, and tracing my finger along the letters of the tattoo. I turned back to look up at her face and she was pensive, staring at me with this worried look like I was going to change my mind about her. "Perfect," I told her again, "And strong as hell." My lips went further, down onto her mound where a smattering of hairs were poking out. She'd obviously shaved herself in the past, but not as recently as I bet she would have liked. But I didn't care, and I kissed along the stubble of her pubic hair, letting it play against my lips as my beard played against her skin. She spread her legs for me, and I slipped around on the bed so I was laying between them on my stomach, looking up at her. "Do you want me to do this here?" I asked her. "Harri, I want your cock inside me like nothing else," she said. "We'll get there," I grinned, and began to explore her cunt with my lips and tongue. I took my time, softly kissing and licking, searching every nook and cranny of her outer and inner labia. Then I did it again, sucking a little harder, nibbling just a touch, finding the sweet spots that made her legs quiver or her breath catch in a hiccup or gasp. Then I went deeper, peeling her open with my fingers to see the soft pink of her hole, and tasted and teased her. She mewled for me, clawing at the bed. I kept needing to move her leg back as it came up and wanted to curl in towards me until I just planted my hand on her thigh and pushed her open, holding her leg wide. Then I did the same to the other leg, pushing them back further, and I slowly licked from her hole up her lips to her clit hood, teasing the tip of my tongue under it before pushing it back with my upper lip and prodding her clit softly. "Making me... ugh!" Vanessa grunted with a girlish tone, gasping for air. I did it again and watched as another little orgasm rolled through her, her cunt flexing as her abdominal muscles clenched. Moving lower I kissed the inner curve of her ass cheek and looked up from between her legs to meet her gaze. She watched me, a little surprised, as I practically buried my nose in her cunt so that I could drive my tongue against her asshole. Her brow furrowed as I did it, and one eye twtiched as I teased the outer ring, then centered on it and nudged the tip of my tongue a little deeper. "Not here," she gasped suddenly, and I stopped. "I; not here," she said again. "Okay," I said, moving up from her ass and kissing the crook of her thigh. "Just like that?" she asked. "What kind of guys have you been seeing that don't stop when you say no?" I asked back. She blinked. "The kind who don't eat ass, and rarely eat cunt," she said. "So the wrong kind." "Then let me ask you; what do you want me to do now?" She closed her eyes and blew out a long breath through pursed lips, before opening them. "Get your pants off and fuck me while we make out. I want to feel you on top of me." I grinned and slipped off the bed, undoing my belt and kicking my pants off. I was already hard, and she was wet from my exploratory oral, so I got back up on the bed and got over her in a standard missionary position. "Like this?" I asked her. She reached down and got my cock in position, and wrapped a leg around my waist and ass to pull me into her. "Like this," she said with a grin as I slowly penetrated deeper into her. Vanessa was hot and clenched my cock in a rippling sensation as I drove in, slowly fucking into her until I was buried to my root. She grabbed my beard in her hand and pulled me into a kiss as we stayed still and connected. "Ow," I muttered into the kiss. "Sorry," she laughed, releasing my beard. "It's fine," I said and kissed her deeply. We made out, our tongues doing more work than my cock for a long moment, until we started grinding against each other. The rhythm built up slowly, less a pounding than a sensuous back and forth that felt more like dancing. Well, the best kind of dancing where my cock was inside of a beautiful woman. Our kiss broke as we panted against each other. "More," she gasped. "More what?" "More weight," she said. "I want to feel you." I lowered myself from my elbows, letting my body press down against hers like a too-heavy weighted blanket. "Umm," she groaned somewhere at the back of her throat. Her body felt tense under mine, but slowly loosened. I kissed the side of her neck, and she ran the heel of her foot down my leg and then back up to my butt. The soft whoosh of the glass door opening outside of the privacy curtain made us both stop moving. "Vanessa, you good in there?" asked a woman. "Yep," she said. "So good. Perfect." There was a long moment of silence, and then, "Oh. Sorry for interrupting. If you and Mr. Black can finish up, your Father was hoping to see you. I can stall him for ten minutes?" "Thanks," Vanessa called back, biting her lips. Two soft footsteps and the door whooshed again, settling closed. "Oh my God," Vanessa groaned. "I can do a lot in ten minutes," I said with a grin. "No, we have less than that," she sighed. "I need to get cleaned up and dressed first, and you need to be out of here before he gets here. But first I need you to fuck me hard and fast and give me your cum." So that's what I did. I raised up higher again to gain the leverage I needed and I started pounding into her with hard, steady strokes. Vanessa gasped, and soon we were back in that rolling rhythm of our hips except it was way more fucking than dancing. Our eyes never left each other, and when I went in for another kiss she bit my lip as she started to come. That pushed me towards my own edge, and I got myself there by reaching down and strumming my thumb against her clit just as she was coming down, pushing her right back into a second wave of orgasm as her body clenched and I released. "Fuck," I growled, thrusting my hips forward and emptying my balls into her. "Fuck, Vanessa!" She arched her back, silently screaming before she exhaled hard and released the tension. We both lay there panting for a long moment. "I really want to fuck you again," I said. "Right now. I'm still hard as a rock for you." "I can feel that, you fucking caveman," Vanessa laughed, cock drunk for the moment. "But I need to clean up and you need to go." "One more thing," I said, and kissed her again. I got my clothes on first and then helped her find and put on her pants. She hadn't worn underwear when she had come to visit us the morning before when this whole thing kicked off, so now she was going to be leaking my cum into her jeans. Her shirt was there as well, but she was still hooked up to the IV, which meant I had to leave the room and send a nurse to help her. I stopped at the edge of the privacy curtain, looking back at her. "Go," she motioned to me. "I'm not leaving. You can see my tits any time you want." Maybe I was cunt drunk, but I wanted to tell her I loved her. I just grinned and blew her a kiss and a wink before slipping out. Once she couldn't see me, I shook my head. I thought orgasms were supposed to give you post-nut clarity, I thought. I almost blurted that out, and no matter how compatible we were sexually I knew that wasn't the right thing to say at the moment. I found the nurse, who went to help Vanessa, while another one brought me back to the elevator where I was met by the night sentry again. He brought me back up to the waiting room I'd been in before, and I flopped onto the couch. "Harri. Harri, we need to stop meeting like this," Miriam said, and I blinked awake again as she was standing over me and smirking. "Fuck," I grunted. "What time is it?" "Just past 0600," she said. "We've got a couple of cars ready to drive you back home." "A couple?" I frowned. "Brent left earlier in his own vehicle," Miriam said. "But we're sending you back with two more partners for your friend Leo. I already spoke with Vanessa and she said she wanted to ride with them to try and help them stay calm through their vaccination." I closed my eyes again as I parsed what she was saying. "Okay, hold on. Leo is getting two new partners?" "From what I red they are a bisexual couple who wanted to stay together," Miriam said. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and sucked in a big breath through my nose. "Well, at least mine isn't the only RV that's going to be packed to the gills." Miriam brought me down to the underground garage for the building and handed my phone back to me. Two black SUV were idling, the windows all tinted to the point that I couldn't see a single thing inside including the drivers. I turned back to Miriam. "Just another day?" I asked her. "Hell no," she smirked. "You, Harrison Black, as the biggest pain in my ass since I took this posting." Then she pulled me into a hug. "But I wouldn't change a God damn thing about it. I'll see you once our on-site office is up and running." "I'm looking forward to it," I said, giving her a squeeze back. "Lieutenant Colonel." "That's Miriam to you, soldier," she said, pulling back with a smirk and kissing me on the cheek. The elevator bingled and I was shocked, or really mildly surprised, to see Agent Sourpuss leading two women bundled up in hooded jumpsuits with masks on. Sourpuss took one look at me and sneered, directing the two women to the front SUV and climbing in with them. "What was that about?" I asked. "Oh, she's pissed off because she keeps getting seconded to us for transportation detail," Miriam said. "I have no idea why, but she isn't happy about it." "No; Technically I'm pretty sure that was my fault, actually. But I meant the whole bundled up get up." "First, why am I not surprised you're a pain in the ass for other people as well? And second, it's new protocols coming up from California and the first testing area. I guess there have been some questions around whether vaccinated but unbonded women could contract or become carriers for the virus. It's the latest back and forth between the scientists." "Speaking of which," I said. "I know why I don't need to be all bundled up, but why don't you? Are you imprinted on someone?" "Me? No," Miriam said. "Not yet, anyway. I'll do it when they push the order out, for now we're still technically in the testing phase for a bit longer. Everyone who leaves the building and re-enters without being vaccinated is getting blood tested and quarantined; it sucks, but it leaves us able to work functionally instead of talking to each other through hazmat suits." The elevator bingled again, and this time it was Vanessa who stepped out as a sentry gestured her towards the front SUV. She saw me immediately and veered off course, coming to me. I wrapped her up in a hug and noticed Miriam giving me a hard-to-read look. "Hey," I said to Vanessa. "I hear you're playing therapy animal for Leo's new partners." "They asked me to," Vanessa said. "From what I understand, the nurses don't think the woman who is supposed to be doing it does a very good job at calming nerves." Miriam snorted a little but covered it with a cough, looking at me. "Well, I feel like I'm missing out on some more alone time with you, but I understand why," I said. "Do me a favor and try and feel them out a bit, see what they're like." "I will," she smirked and went on her tiptoes to give me a peck on the lips. "They're going to be our neighbors, after all." "Yes they are," I grinned and patted her butt. "See you at home?" "Fuck. Home," Vanessa said, backing away from me. "I haven't had one of those in a while. It's gonna be weird." She turned and strode to the SUV and got in the back. "That one might be trouble," Miriam said. "They're all trouble," I laughed. "See you sooner than later?" "Sooner than later," she grinned and winked. I went to the back SUV, which was apparently my personal chauffeur for the sole reason that Agent Sourpuss couldn't find an ounce of empathy in her. Hopefully there's a partition between the front and the back, I thought. I can check those pictures Erica and Ivy were sending me. When I opened the back door of the SUV to get in I had to stop. "Ah," I said. "That explains a lot." I slid in and shut the door. "Agent Grierson." The craggy-faced Agent smirked and nodded. "Harrison. When I heard there was an anomalous vaccination issue, I decided to check it out and lo and behold, it's my favorite redneck." "Did you just come to check-in, or are you looking to offload some more government cash on me?" I asked. The SUVs started moving, pulling out of the garage and into downtown Portland. "Kid, you know I don't need to come to see you to check in," he said. "And I don't have the time to just come shoot the shit, no matter how much I'd enjoy a good fuckin' day off once in a while. I'm here to ask a favor." "Well now you're just being coy," I said. "You know that I know you didn't have to let that lease thing through instead of a flat purchase, so you've got me cornered." "Well, the good news is that I'm not asking you to do anything underhanded," Grierson said. "I noticed you've recently taken on a security consulting contract and your clearance has been restored. I'm going to open it up a little bit more here, if that's alright with you." "Playful, then coy, then asking my permission? Jesus fuck, what are you about to ask me to do?" "Alright, kid. Here's the deal," Grierson sighed. "Sometime in the next few days you're going to get a new partner delivered to you. What I need you to do is keep an eye on her. She's the daughter of the Ambassador from the Philippines, and officially we've run her through the Oracle matching system as a diplomatic courtesy. What no one else knows, including people in that building we just left, is that her Oracle results didn't matter. I'm placing her with you, and scattering a few other Filipino nationals in safe little corners of the country, as a deal with the NICA." "Wait, that's the..." I had to wrack my brain going back to my Military Police training. "Isn't that the CIA of the Philippines?" "A much lesser version, yes," Grierson said. "On the official unofficial paperwork, it's a spy deal. We're going to take care of some of their valuable people who are here, and they're going to take care of some of our valuable people who are over there. The unofficial unofficial deal is that we don't have anyone over there, and the government of the Philippines is going to let us stage our latest espionage attempts into China from their shores. There's a fucking information blackout coming out of China right now, and other than satellite images we've got nothing on what's going on in there." "Okay, hold on," I said. "So am I taking in this Ambassador's daughter as payment for the US Government?" "No, you're taking her in because Kyla Bautista is also secretly a spy who just graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in dance, and while she was there we suspect she turned at least four different Professors and research assistants into assets for NICA for Intellectual Property espionage. I'm scooping her up and putting her with you because you're so far off the radar that no one would think you're keeping an eye on her, and so that the Chinese can't find her if they figure out what's going on and want some revenge. But most of all, I'm putting her with you because, despite your record and stupid career choices after you left the military, you have the mindset to keep an eye on her without her or anyone else knowing that's what's going on." "This is all well and good, Grierson," I said. "But I've got three women imprinted on me already, one of them by mistake. How the hell am I supposed to add a fourth woman into the mix?" Grierson snorted. "Kid, I got news for you. By this time next year, I'd bet all that money I just put into your bank account that you'll look back and think what a naive question that was." I sighed and shook my head slowly. "What does her father think of her getting matched off like that? Does he even know?" "Oh, he was pissed until he got cut in on an early vaccination as well for his wife, along with his long-time second in command who he's been having an affair with, and his additional American mistress who is very black and very formidable, neither of whom the wife knows about. He seems to think it'll be fine." "Jesus," I sighed, shaking my head. "So what, is the OGA offering to pay me for spy sitting?" "No," Grierson said. "But there is an upside." "What's that?" "Like I said, Kyla Bautista graduated with a degree in dance. If I wasn't too fucking busy being ethical, I'd have just put her in my house. The woman is something else." "That's gross," I said, my face twisting in mild disgust. "It's reality, kid. Game it out; people need to fuck to save their lives. Even before this shit show people put a value on beauty over pretty much anything else. What do you think it's going to be like when the entire country is getting matched up?" "I don't know," I sighed. "That's; I don't even want to think about it." "And that's why they pay me and my people the big bucks," Grierson said. He tapped on the glass partition that separated us from the front seat, and the SUV began to pull over. "I'm not asking you to do anything you wouldn't have anyways. Just keep an eye on her for me, alright?" "Fine," I said. "But if she takes one look at me and asks for someone else, I can't do anything about that. I'm not forcing some woman into this." "Won't be a problem," Grierson said. The SUV came to a stop, and he stepped out. "Grierson," I said, and he turned back. "Miriam said someone pulled some strings to get her assigned where she is. Was that you?" "What?" Grierson raised an eyebrow. "You think I like you that much, kid?" "That wasn't an answer," I said. "Well, if it was me, I think maybe you owe me another one still," he said, then shut the door. Another car had pulled up behind us, which he got into, and it pulled a big U-turn in the middle of the empty street and drove back the way we'd come. The driver of my ride pulled back onto the street and sped up to catch the other SUV in our mini convoy, and I was left to my thoughts. I sighed and opened my phone. I didn't want to think about this Grierson thing. If it happened, then it happened and we'd deal with it. I went to my messages and opened the ones from Erica and Ivy. "Fucking hell," I sighed, looking at the lewd pictures and knowing that Miriam had seen them. "What am I going to do with three women?" Or four? Or more? I was going to need a bigger bed, and quickly. I stretched, feeling several somethings in my back and shoulders pop, as I got out of the back of the nondescript black SUV and felt the gravel of the construction site crunch under my boots. The place was bustling since we'd arrived mid-morning, and I saw more than a few of the workers taking looks over at me and starting to talk to each other. The rumor mill must have been burning hard since Vanessa had gotten carted off in a military helicopter and flown away. First things first, however, was to not unload two vaccinated-but-unbonded women into the middle of a construction site. I flashed a quick thumbs up through the passenger side window at whoever my driver had been; I'd never seen a face or heard a voice; and jogged up to the other vehicle and knocked on the passenger window. Agent Sourpuss rolled it down a moment later, scowling at me from the driver's seat. "What?" "I know you haven't been here for a bit," I said. "But if you drive around to the right over there you'll see our RVs and our little compound. Dropping the ladies off there would probably cause less of a, uh, scene." I could tell she wanted to argue with me but knew I was right. Instead of answering she just stabbed her finger down on the window button beside her and closed it in my face, then pulled the SUV around and headed in the direction I'd pointed. I walked along behind, and we rounded the second big bunkhouse building that was looking just about finished now and headed towards our compound. By the time Agent Sourpuss put the vehicle in park Erica and Ivy were already ducking out from behind the sheets hung between the corner of the RV and the storage container that we'd deemed the 'front door.' Leo and Danielle were right behind them. I wanted to go to my women, but I held myself back and instead opened the rear door of the SUV. Inside I saw that Vanessa was sitting in the middle row bucket seat, and I leaned in and kissed her quickly before offering her a hand down. "Don't go getting all chivalrous on me now, Harri," Vanessa grinned as she accepted my hand and swung out onto her feet. She looked back into the vehicle. "Come on, ladies. Leo's out here waiting for you." The two women, practically swimming in their baggy, hooded coveralls and masked up to boot, unbuckled and started climbing between the seats. I, however, was suddenly a little busy as I was hugged from behind by a small form that could only be Ivy. Beside me, Erica was pulling Vanessa into a hug as well. "I'm so sorry, hon," Erica said, squeezing the shorter woman tightly. "If I'd had any reasonable idea that this would happen,” "It's fine, Erica," Vanessa said, squeezing her back and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Seriously. We'll talk about it, but I'm Okay with it if you are." "Hey you," I said in the meanwhile, turning at the waist to wrap my arm around Ivy's shoulder and hug her to me. "Hello, mon amour," Ivy sighed. "I missed you." "I missed you too, I've," I said, and leaned down and gave the short blonde a quick kiss. The first of the women had reached the door of the car, and Ivy let me go so that I could offer her a hand down. All I could see of her were her eyes and the skin around them; she was white but tanned heavily, and had soft grey eyes that were flicking around. "Let me help, miss," I said. She accepted, her gloved hand taking mine for a moment to step down, and I ushered her directly towards Leo and Dani. "This is Leo, and his better half Danielle." "Hey," Leo scolded me playfully, giving me a little punch on the arm as he grinned. "Hey, hon," Dani said, pulling the woman into a hug that seemed to surprise her. I turned back and Erica was helping the next woman down; she was white and paler than the first, and had dark green eyes. Soon she was getting the same hugging welcome as the first from Dani, as Leo looked both a little bashful and a little excited. "How about we head in and talk?" Erica suggested to everyone. "Ladies, Leo is my brother so I might be biased, but you're in good hands. And if he ends up sucking, then Dani's got you." "Hell yeah I do," Dani chuckled, nudging Leo with an elbow. "I wouldn't mind getting handled by either of you," the tan woman said through her mask. "God damn, girl. Your tits don't quit." "Thanks for noticing," Dani grinned and winked. She took both women by the hand and started leading them into the compound. "Come on, let's get you two fucked and settled." "Now that's one hell of a welcome offer," the other woman laughed. I laughed a little too, hearing the two as Leo quickly jogged ahead to hold the fabric door open for them. "Seriously, those two are gonna be something else," Vanessa said, shaking her head. "You got to talk with them?" Erica asked. "The whole ride here," Vanessa said. "Their names are Aria and India. Aria seems a little sweeter and the more rational one, while India is a hippy kid from hippy parents. They said they've been girlfriends for three years, and up until last year they 'worked' as sugar babies while Aria was finishing up her master's of communications." "Jesus," Erica sighed with a rueful smirk. "They're going to eat Leo alive."

Blending Our Lives.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Chapter 20.The next morning I was awakened by a beautiful sensation on my hardened shaft. Carrie was licking and sucking me. When my hand caressed her face, she popped off of it and looked at me. “I couldn't help it Babe. It was so hard and wanting attention. Lay back and enjoy.”I smiled at her and said, “You know, if you are quiet, I too, could be licking and sucking something as you do that.” She smiled and moved so we could 69. As her damp panty clad cunt came down to me, my fingers moved the fabric to the side and I began enjoying her sexy slit.It wasn't long before Carrie's body stiffened and she began to cum. I have no idea how she kept from yelling out, like she usually does, but she managed. I was already close when she started cumming, and that just helped me along, because about a minute later I was ejaculating into her mouth, which she somehow kept in and swallowed. After taking one last lick, she came off of me and moved so we could kiss. It was a very passionate kiss, that we both could taste our handy work. After kissing, she looked at me and said, “Good Morning Honey. I like this new mouthwash we use.”, then giggled softly.After resting a bit, I had to get up and pee. Carrie just snuggled back under the covers and smiled at me. It was only 6:30 in the morning, but I was up now. I told her I needed some coffee. She said that I should make two cups and bring one back for her. I looked down at her and said, “You getting used to this morning service young lady?” “You betcha Baby.” then directed me to where the coffee pods were for her Keurig.As I entered the kitchen, lo and behold, Chief was sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. I didn't even think that the paper was even delivered anymore. I red the news online. “Morning Chief” He looked up and said, “Morning Mark.” Good sign I thought. At least he didn't call me Shitbird, or any other name.I got my coffee and started to get Carrie her's. John cleared his throat and told me to take a seat. “So Mark. Tell me what's up with my little girl. I know they found some spot on one of her ovaries.”“Trust me John. That's about all I know. It took some prying to get that out of her. Hell, she was going to send me packing because of this. No way would I walk away from her, especially with something like that. But, I think it is just a cyst, that time and some meds will take care of.”He just stared then said, “Mark. Honestly, I am an overprotective father, and grandfather. I just want only the best for my two girls. I know you and I like you. You have always been a man about things and someone I can trust, unlike that fuck knuckle she was married too. I never trusted that guy from the first day I met him. I know from just looking at Carrie, she is in love with you, and judging how you look at her, the same is true for you. All I ask, is don't play games with her. Either be all in, or all out. I don't want her hurt again. As for her cyst, or whatever it is, I'm sure it is nothing. Connie has had those in the past.”“Sir. And I mean sir as respect as her father. We both know that we had to call officers sir, but we both know they couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag, with a knife and directions on where to cut. But John, truthfully, this is the real deal for us and me. I have never let a woman into my life before. I saw too much when I was in. How they were in love but deployment after deployment, took a toll on those marriages and most ended in divorce, so I never got into that situation. But your daughter has my heart and soul now and I will do anything for her.”He chuckled then said, “Well, I am not complaining. I've seen the same as you. I got real lucky with Connie. We have been together almost 43 years now, married 42 of them. She is the love of my life. Best thing that ever happened to me. How she endured all of my deployments, I'll never know. But I never took her for granted. Every time I was gone, I hurt inside, but I'd never show you assholes that side of me. I made sure when I was home, that she, and Carrie were the only things important to me. And I always acted like we were dating. We had date night a couple times a week. I don't mean sex either. Taking her to dinner, or a movie, or anything that she had an interest in. You do that, and you'll have a very happy home life. And, the sex is great too, even to this day.”“Yeah Chief, Really? Last night?” I said and laughed. He just chuckled and told me “Hey. When she wants it, who am I to deny her”, then laughed again.“Deny Who?” we both heard, and there, standing near us was Carrie. She walked over and behind her dad. Put her arms around him and kissed his head. “Morning Daddy. So who weren't you denying.”“Nothing Princess. Some things you don't need to know.” then laughed. She looked at me and said, “Glad I wasn't dying of thirst Honey” then shot me a glare. “Sorry Babe. But your dad wanted to speak with me. Here, let me get yours now.”, then laughed. Her dad then chimed in, “Christ Carrie, you broke him already. 20 years in the Marines and never broke the man, and you do it in two weeks.”“Mwah? Not me. But you know those Gyrene's, they sometimes need direction. They're not as cool as us Navy people.” then laughed, which made us all laugh. I was glad to see her sense of humor back, and the twinkle in her eye.We were gone most of the day. There was a huge craft show at this one park they we stayed at for most of the afternoon. I did learn that John got into woodworking as a hobby now. He said he always wanted to do that, but being away so long, he never found the time. At one point, I found myself with Connie, while Carrie was with her dad, looking at something a few booths down from us.“Mark. I am so happy you came into Carrie's life. I have never seen her this alive before, except when she took in Jenny. I know that you are worried about her, with whatever this growth is. As I told her last night, it is probably nothing, but a simple cyst. I have had 4 in my lifetime, and they always go away. The specialist will know better on Tuesday. I bet they don't even do an exploratory on her. Her lab results will tell the tale. Her doctor should have eased her mind some, but some reason didn't. Just be there for her, no matter what. That's all I ask.”I told her I would. After a bit we headed to this little Italian place her parents knew of, for dinner. John picked up this tab, although I was willing too, but he told me my money was no good tonight. I did invite them to join us the next day at my sister's, but Connie said they already had made plans to spend the day with Jenny and Alan.After dinner we headed back to Carrie's. I stated I needed to go home and get some clothes. Carrie offered to go with me. But I told her stay and enjoy her time with her parents. I wouldn't be long. Just needed to shave and shower and get some more clothes. I was back within an hour. We stayed up some and chatted more, then we all retired to bed. After the I love you's, Carrie said she wished we were alone right now, and that she needed me inside her. I just held her close and told her soon Baby, soon.Chapter 21.We left for my sister's around noon. The get together was to start at 1pm, but I wanted to see Ann before any others arrived. I knew she would just love Carrie, there was no question in my mind. She'd probably love any woman who could tie me down. Ann and my brother in law have been married 18 years. They have two kids, Kyle, who will turn 16 in November, and Katie, who turned 14 yesterday. They have a very nice and modern house, which they moved into a few years back.Ann met us at the door, when we pulled into the drive. She is 41, same as Carrie, and stands 5'6, 130 pounds. She has dirty blond hair, and blue eyes. She is a spit fire too. Never afraid to speak her mind and tell you like it is. She has tried, unsuccessfully, to fix me up with a multitude of her friends or single neighbors. Nothing ever came to pass with them. A few became sex buddy's, but that was it. None ever made my heart beat fast, or my stomach tighten up in a knot, like Carrie does.After the introductions were made, and a few cracks about how Carrie somehow managed to corral me in, the girls went off to the kitchen, while Brad, Kyle and I went to the family room to watch some football. Eventually, my uncle and aunt showed up, along with 2 of their kids and grandkids. Also was some of my sister's neighbors and friends too. Two of which I had dated, but nothing was ever said around Carrie. At one point, Ann got me alone and said, “I love that woman. She is so right for you. You better not fuck this up little brother.”We stayed until after eating and cake was served, and presents opened. I did not what to get a 14 year old, so I went the safe way and got her a card with $100 visa gift card. She loved that. I signed the card from Uncle Mark and Carrie. When she gave me a hug and a kiss, she whispered in my ear, “I like her Unc. I hope she will be my aunt one day.” I just smiled at her, knowing full well that was my plan too.Carrie's parents left Tuesday morning, to visit, and stay with Connie's sister Bev. Connie did tell me to call her if there was anything wrong, after the doctor visit. I did not stay Monday night at Carrie's. I figure they all needed a break from me. Of course Carrie really did not like that, but I thought it best. We've laid a lot on her parents by being together as a couple and actually sleeping together.I went with Carrie to the doctor's office and sat with her in the waiting room. The whole time, I held her hand and at times, felt as though she was crushing mine, because she was so nervous. Once she was called, I stayed in the waiting room. About forty minutes later, a nurse called for me to come with her. She led me to an office that had Carrie and the doctor.I looked at Carrie and she was smiling. The doctor introduced himself to me, and I did the same. He then looked over some papers, then looked at Carrie.“Ms. Reynolds, you can rest assured that you do not have any tumor, benign, or cancerous. It is what we call a functional cyst. It is a sack that usually contains an egg, then releases that egg during your monthly cycle. The sack normally then goes away. Well this one did not, as of yet. They sometimes don't, which is what has happened to you. It may take a few weeks, but it will go away, and when you come back in three weeks, if it hasn't, we'll give you some medication that will help with that process. Otherwise, you are very healthy. If you have stopped having intimate relations, like many women do at this time, you are very safe to resume, and did not need to stop in the first place. I only say this, because that is the first question I am usually asked.” he said with a slight chuckle.As we were driving home, Carrie was all smiles. This was a huge relief for her, and me too. Maybe our lives could get back on track, after this slight derailment. I asked her if she was hungry, but she said no. She just wanted to get home.After arriving, she excused herself and went upstairs. Lord knows what she was doing, but I finally heard heard coming down the stairs. When I looked up, there she stood, with this white lace Baby doll outfit on. You talk about sexy looking. “Oh My Sweetie. You look absolutely beautiful and very sexy”“Thank you Honey. I feel absolutely sexy right now and I need you to make love to me all afternoon.”She grabbed my hand and led me upstairs to her bed. I did not waste any time in disrobing. My cock was as hard as a rock, before my boxers hit the floor. As I stripped, Carrie got on the bed and lay there, with her legs spread wide, inviting me to take her. Her white thong barely covered her moist sex, and the top did not hide the excitement she felt , with her nipples already hard as pebbles on her beautiful tits.I kneeled between her legs and slipped my fingers under her thongs waistband and gently tugged them down and off of her body. Her labia was glistening in the afternoon sunlight, filtering through the window. I leaned in and blew on her sex, which elicited a moan from her. Then lightly licked her swollen lips. “Later Baby. I need you inside me now” she softly said.I rubbed my head all over her soaking wet slit and then slowly inserted the head. “Oh Gawd” she moaned out. I slowly inched my way into her inner being, which was so soft, and so hot. “God. You feel so good Carrie.”My mouth lowered to her chest, as I sucked in one fabric cover tit. She arched her back some, like she was giving me her tit. I then sucked the other one, which made her moan so loud. Then I moved up and started kissing her. Her legs wrapped around me and we made slow, and very passionate love to one another. Neither of could hold back though. We were like teenagers doing it for the first time, and erupted in orgasm. I shot first. As I was shooting my love juice deep inside her, Carrie crushed me with her legs as this set her off on her own orgasm. Her nails dug into my back, but neither of us cared. My grip around her neck was tight as well. I felt like I hadn't cum in ages. As we settled down, we lay in each other's arms, panting from our euphoric bliss.I was still inside her, and surprisingly, still hard as well. I gently rolled us over, so she was now on top. Our lips still together. Our tongues exploring every inch of tongue. I loved her kisses, but best of all, I loved her more than ever. She sat up on me and looked down at me, smiling. Then slowly removed her teddy from her body, exposing her beautiful tits to me.“My God. You are so beautiful Carrie. You can stay her all day like this.” I told her. She smiled then said, “I had all intentions of doing this all day.” then she started to giggle. I asked what was so funny.“Last night, after we went to bed, I was laying here missing the hell out of you by the way, but I had to endure another night of my parents going at it. You have no idea how horny that made me.” she exclaimed. I asked, “Did you take care of that?”She sort of blushed, then laughed and said, “Yeah. I did. All I could think of was you, making love to me. This sure beats my fingers, or any toy I have.”I chuckled and said, “Wish I could have watched that. That would be so sexy to see.”“Maybe one day I will let you watch. But right now, Fuck me Babe. Fuck me so good”Later that evening, after napping and then showering together, we headed out to dinner at a local bar and grill. Afterwards, I brought her over to my house for the first time.She was in awe of it, just coming down the driveway. The house is big. It is 4 bedroom, Victorian style farm house. It was, at one time, 5 bedrooms. But my grandfather combined two bedrooms into one and made a new master bath in one portion of it. Otherwise, it only had one bathroom.When we entered the house and I turned on the lights, Carrie sort of gasped. I asked what was wrong, but she just smiled and said, “I'm waiting for June Cleaver to come out of the kitchen with her pearls and high heels on. God Mark, this is so 60's looking.”“I know, but it serves it purpose for me, at this time. I do plan on buying furniture, just never got around to doing it. Ann bitches at me all the time. Come on with me, while I gather some clothes for the morning.”We went upstairs to the master bedroom. When she saw the furniture up there, she really gasped. “Oh My Mark. This stuff is gorgeous. Please don't replace this. This stuff has to be from the 20's. I just love the bed.”“Yeah. Gramps said his father built it.” The bed was a big four poster and had matching dressers and nightstands. It was old, but finely built and well maintained.As I was gathering things, she laid out on the bed. “You know, maybe this weekend, we stay here and let the kids have the condo. I'd love to make love to you right here. Also, pack up some underwear and some shirts and pants, so you can leave them at my place.”“Sounds like a plan to me. Where does Alan live anyways?” I asked“He actually lives with his mom. Close by campus. She is divorced for years now. I am actually pretty friends with her. We have gone out for drinks a few times and have had dinners at each other's places. She just adores Jenny, which makes it a whole lot nicer.”After a few more minutes, we left and went back to Carrie's. Of course we made love again that night, and early the next morning, before she had to leave for work. This arrangement worked out quite well for us.Chapter 22.By Thanksgiving time, we were comfortably into our relationship. Most nights were spent at her place, and most weekends were spent at mine. There wasn't a night we did not spend together. I was hooked on her. I never, in a million years, could believe I could wake up every morning with someone. This felt awesome to me and so special. I loved looking at her while she slept. I also enjoyed just sitting with her at night reading, or just watching TV, then retire to bed. The best part is when she folds herself into me and falls asleep. I love that most.Thanksgiving is time for family. This year though, I was spending dinner with Carrie, Jenny and Alan, and Alan's mom, Brenda. I usually would be at Ann's, but she understood. I did tell Ann we would be over after dinner to visit.Carrie and Brenda did all the cooking. Alan and I set the table, but then retired to the couch to watch some football. Jenny was out with the ladies, so this left only Alan and I alone. As we watched, Alan and I would talk some. He was a nice young man and had his head together. He told he would be graduating in the spring and already had a job lined up. He wanted to work a while before he went for his Masters.Then he looked around to see where the ladies were, and saw they were still very busy in the kitchen. “Mr. Roberts, Mark. I… I want to ask Jenny to marry me this Christmas. Do I ask her mom beforehand?”“Well Alan. To be honest, I think that would be a great idea. Are you absolutely sure of this? This is a huge step in your life?” He smiled and said, “Oh yeah. I have never been sure of anything like this. I love her so much and can't wait to start our lives together.”“Tell you what. You get Carrie alone one day soon and ask her. I'm sure she will give her blessing. But, she's not the one you need the blessing from. You know who that belongs to.” I told him.He chuckled, then said, “Yeah. I kind of had a feeling you would say that. But I don't know when I will ever see them before Christmas. That's not something you ask over the phone.”I laughed, then said back to him. “Oh you are so right there. That old bastard would kill you if you did it like that. When can you get a Friday off in the next couple of weeks?”He shrugged his shoulders, “I guess any Friday. I usually have labs on those days, so no biggie, why?”I shook my head. “Between you and I, and I mean this, you don't say a word to Jenny. I too, plan on asking Carrie to marry me. So pick a Friday. We'll tell our fine ladies we are doing a guy thing that day, which we are. But we'll fly down to Florida, and ask the Chief and Connie in person.”“Oh wow Mark. But I can't afford that. Heck, the ring I want to get is a bit over my budget.”“Don't worry about the flight, I'll handle that. Where did you get the ring, or see it?He smiled and said, “Over at the mall, at Kay Jewelers. It's only a half carat, but one day, I'll get her a bigger one.”“Look, tomorrow, the girls are going shopping with my sister, god help me. So why don't you come with me. A friend of mine is a jeweler and has a lot of nice rings. We'll figure it out from there.” He just nodded, and as he was about to speak Jenny popped in.“What are you two talking about. It looks like a very deep conversation.” We both laughed and said football.Dinner was excellent, but the people really made it nice. By the end of the meal, we were all tired. I helped, as did Alan, wish dishes. We figured the girls spent all morning in there fixing it, it's the least we could do. Thank God for dishwashers.That night and Ann's, Carrie and Ann talked nonstop. Jenny and Alan had also come along, but weren't staying long. I was very happy that Carrie and her family were so accepted by my family. Ann and Brad made them feel right at home. I announced that Christmas Eve dinner was at my house this year. Ann, of course, had to bust my balls and ask what take out I was using.“I'll have you know, I am a pretty damn good cook, huh Honey?” Carrie smiled, “Oh Yeah. He actually is. I was very surprised. Jarheads usually know only a couple of things. Walk, March, shoot guns and eat.” then laughed. “Nice Squid. Real Nice”Katie then asked, “Mom? What's a Jarhead?” which made us all start busting out in laughter.“Well Pumpkin, it's like this. See a Marine is a very special person. He, or she, is the very best and people in the other services are very jealous of us. So they call us very derogatory names, to make them feel better about the lowly service they belong too, like the Navy. Squids are so jealous.” then laughed.Carrie was rolling her eyes, then said “Dream on Jarhead. We are just smart enough to stay on a boat, while you get all the crap jobs on land. But, I still love ya.”Once home and lying in bed, Carrie told what a great day she had. She just loves my sister and feels rather close to her. She also said she was so glad that they even accepted Jenny and Alan. I told her that I was glad that they have accepted her as well, and that spending the day with her and Jenny, and Alan's family made this pretty special to me.“Carrie. I don't want any secrets between us, so I need to tell you this.” “Uh Oh” was her response. “It's not bad, not bad at all. Alan is going to come ask you for permission to marry Jenny”Carrie got to her knees, “Really? When? Oh my God. I knew that they would do this.”“Not sure when he is going to ask you, but I do know it is Christmas time he asking her. He's pretty much laid out his life and how he sees it, and he does have a good head on his shoulders. He said they would wait until Jenny graduates in a year and a half.”Carrie was still on her knees, but crying now. “I am so happy for them. Jenny wants to marry him, that I am sure of. She loves him as much as I love you. I just told her when the time comes, be smart, and wait on having kids. Enjoy being a couple, because once kids come, it's whole new ballgame.”“Now you better act surprised about this. He is so scared of what you may say.”“I will. I promise. He has nothing to fear from me, it's gonna be a YES”, then leaned down and kissed me. That kiss turn into a hot, passionate kiss, which led to a love making session. Can't wait to see what she is like when I ask her the same thing.Chapter 23.The next morning Carrie was up and out the door by 7am. I knew I had most of the day to myself, so I got dressed and headed over to my place. Alan and I were to meet at the jewelers around noon.Alan was right on time as we entered the building, which was in one of those strip style shopping centers. My friend, John, was behind the counter when he saw me walk in. After a few good minutes of catching up he directed us to the engagement ring area . Alan stated he had $1200 to spend. John showed him quite a few rings in that price range. He was looking for a pear shaped style. I saw one that was one carat and asked the price. John said he could let that one go for $1800. Alan said it looked great, but he couldn't afford it.“Do you think Jenny would like it?” “Yeah. She's love that.” he said. “Well then, get it. I'll make up the difference. My future stepdaughter should have the best.” “Mark. I promise to repay you as quick as I can.” “You pay me when you can afford too, and nothing sooner. We'll be family for many years to come.”Then John directed me to this one ring. It was marquis shaped with 6 small diamonds around it. It just screamed Carrie to me. It was set in a platinum band, which I already knew she liked. It wasn't to pretentious, or gaudy. John said I could have that one for five grand , normally $6500 for it. He said it was a size 8, but I am not sure of her size. He said, no matter, just bring it in after I give it to her and he would resize it, unless I could find out her size. I chuckled to myself, and thought, I should call her ex and ask.After leaving there, we grabbed a sandwich and beer at this one bar and grill I knew. Then headed over to my house to see about flights to Florida. Alan was so excited, and kept thanking me over and over. I knew now the kid's father had very little to do with him, since the divorce. He's been gone from their lives for almost 12 years now. So this felt pretty good, acting like a father figure to him. Kids coming out of boot camp are kind of like this. They look up to the sergeants when you get them in your platoon. So I know the look all too well, except I'm not going to yell at this one.Once at my house, we went online and found a flight, non-stop to Pensacola, that got us there by 10am, and then one returning at 2:30, arriving back here at 5pm. Before I made the purchase, I called Connie. She had given me her cell number before they left back in October.After the obligatory how are you's and how's Carrie. I told her my plan. I really wanted to surprise them both, but had to make sure they would be home that day. It would have sucked to fly down and find they were gone.“Oh Mark. You are such a good man. John will be so happy you did this. I know he likes and respects you. He has been hoping you would do something like this, marrying his little girl. But to fly all the way down here to ask his permission, well, you'll be at the top of his list. You already are on mine. I promise I won't say a word either.”We hung up after that, and I hit the button to buy the tickets. I didn't tell Connie about Alan coming or his question too. That should make the old man really feel good. Tickets for both of us, just set me back a grand, but it was worth it. I told Alan this one is on me, which he protested too, but I told him tough, get over it.Later that night, while in my bed, Carrie told me about her day with Ann, and shopping. She said she thinks this will be the best Christmas ever for her. Ann told her what she thought I needed and clothes sizes and such. I can just imagine what Ann helped her pick out. I got to admit, when it comes to clothes for me, Ann knew what I liked.Since that few days back in October, when I thought she wanted to call this whole thing off, we have grown closer. Although we are not in our early twenties, we still made love quite a bit. Four or five times a week. But just going to bed with her and waking in the morning and see her next to me, was like heaven. I could care less about the sex actually. That was the bonus. Great thing too, is that she loves sex and on the weekends, it was two or three times a day, unless her monthly friend showed up, but even then, when it first starts, she isn't opposed to doing it in the shower. That has happened twice since we started.Weekends too, was when naughty Carrie comes to play. She is very boisterous, and loves talking dirty. She is always a lady outside of the home, but inside, she gets down right slutty. One evening I let her tie me up to the post of my bed. She teased quite a bit that night. 69ing with me, but having her sex hover above my face, where I couldn't reach it. While she played with my cock. Then she'd lower herself down to let me lick her for about thirty seconds, then pull away again. It drove me insane with lust. When she finally turned around and lowered herself onto me, she rode me like a bull. The whole time asking me how her cunt felt and did I want to cum, and things like that. It was fun and adventurous for us, and we both love it. I really think she has a Domme side to her, deep down.Chapter 24.A few nights before Alan and I took off to Florida, I fibbed a bit and told Carrie that on Friday I was going to help Brad close up their cabin, that he and Ann have by a lake near us. Ann knew of my plans and was willing to go along with it. I told her that Alan was going to help too and that we should be back by 6 that evening. Since the cabin is only 20 minutes from the airport, I was going to swing by before our flight, and move a few chairs on the porch, to a shed he had. That way, I really didn't lie. I hate lying to her.We arrived in Florida about ten minutes early, which was good. I rented a car and was at John and Connie's in no time, thanks to GPS. The look on John's face was priceless when he opened the door and saw both of us standing there. Of course, he thought something was wrong.“What in the world are you two doing down here? Are the girls  okay?”I laughed and said all is fine with them. He let us in and we took a seat on the couch. “Well? What's up. You didn't fly down here for your health.”“John. Connie. I came down here to ask permission to marry your daughter.”“You flew down here just to ask that? What the hell, you could have called on the phone and saved time and money Shitbird.”“No John. You deserve more respect than that. If I am doing this, I want to do it right. So, do I have your permission?”He looked at Connie, who shook her head yes, then said, “Mark. I would be proud to call you my son in law. I may seem gruff at times, but I do like you and respect you, and I know you will treat my daughter good, which is all I can ask for. Connie and I want only the best for her, and Jenny too. So yes, you have our permission.”We shook hands and he actually gave me a hug, and of course Connie did too. Then John asked,“Did you need a wingman, bringing Alan down with you?”“No sir”, Alan said. “I would like permission too, to ask your granddaughter to be my wife.”“Jesus H. Christ. Both of you? Well son, are you sure you are ready for a step like this. That is one person I never want to see hurt, besides my wife and daughter.”“Sir. I have never been so sure of anything in my life. I graduate in May and have a job already lined up and Jenny graduates the following year, and then we would marry.”After looking at his wife again, who stood there smiling, he spoke, “Then I guess I see no point in denying you her hand. Promise me you will always take care of her and love her with all your heart, like we do.”“I promise Mr. Reynolds, I swear.” He chuckled, “I bet you were as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs to ask me this. Both of you clowns, so help me God, if you ever hurt those girls, I will hunt you down and hurt you real bad, and if I am too old, I still know people who can do it. You know the last one Carrie was with, the asshole, the best I could do is have him shipped to San Diego. I wanted to have him put on that team in the Aleutians (Alaska), but the CO thought that would not be a good fit for that team.”We stayed and had lunch with them, then got back to the airport with plenty of time. We did ask if they could come up for Christmas. They had plans for a few days later that week, but said they would be up on Christmas Eve, which I thought was perfect. We also planned on surprising the girls with their presence , that evening at my house since I was cooking dinner that night. John did make a crack about eating before he got there, in case my meal sucked.I got to Carrie's around 6:30, and we went to eat, then to my place. We just cuddled on the couch that night, then went to bed. I was pretty tired, and she completely understood, so we just fell asleep in each other's arms.The next day, we met Jenny and Alan back at Carrie's and headed over to this tree farm to cut down two Christmas tree's They take you out on a wagon, then when you find and cut it down, pick you up and bring you back to the Chalet, where you pay. The four of us had a great time and Carrie, and Jenny were giddy most of the day. I dropped the kids off at Carrie's and helped put the tree in its stand. Jenny was going to start decorating it, while Carrie and I did the same at my place. This is the first tree I have decorated in over twenty years. I was usually never home for the holidays, or if I was, it was for a few days and it was spent with mom and Ann.It took most of the afternoon and part of the evening to string lights and attach the antique ornaments my grandmother had at the house. Carrie did run out to the store and bought ribbon and bows, and some garland too. While we did this, she had Christmas music playing in the background and I had a fire lit in the fireplace. What was real nice, was that it was now snowing some. Not heavy, but a nice downfall, just like you would see in any Christmas movie.We were both dressed in jeans and sweaters, but she looks a lot cuter than I do, in hers. After we finished and ate delivered pizza, we retired to the couch, which faces the fireplace, and the tree, all lit up, standing in the corner by it. Carrie sat next to me, sipping wine, with her legs curled under her. We talked about what we needed to get for people. I had told her I wasn't sure what to get Ann and Brad, or even Jenny and Alan. I did buy the kids laptops for each of them. Ann had only one computer, which they all shared, so this would help out in that department. I know Ann and Brad were going to buy Kyle a used truck, for when he passed his driver's license test. He was taking the driver's ed course now.Carrie said she would help with Ann and Brad, but I didn't need to get Jenny anything. I told her to stop there. She is part of you and she deserves presents as well. Carrie did tell me she is going to get Jenny a car, after the first of the year. Right now, she didn't have one, but she was taking an internship at this one accounting agency, and needed one for that. Then we started kissing, which led to more kissing. I stopped, and got up.“Hold that thought”, I said. Then went to the back closet and pulled out my sleeping bag. I came back in and unrolled it, and unzipped it. I laid it out over the oval rug in front of the fireplace and went and took her by the hand and had her stand up.“Umm, I like how you think Mr. Roberts.” I slowly removed her sweater, then her bra. Of course I had to suck her tits a few times, before unbuttoning her jeans and slowly peeled them down, exposing her black thong. With me now on my knees, I used my teeth to pull her thongs down, and when they hit the floor, she stepped out of them. I didn't even bother with her socks. Now naked, I leaned in and lightly licked her sex, tasting her juices that she was already emitting. God, I love how she taste.She pulled me up then and pulled my sweater over my head and then my t-shirt. She now got on her knees and removed my jeans and then my boxers. When my engorged member sprung free, she licked it a few times, especially on the tip. “Yummy” she said.I had her lay on the sleeping bag, and she readily spread her legs for me, letting me gaze at her beauty. The Christmas lights, and the glow of the fire made her especially beautiful. I wasted little time in going down on her. I wanted her to orgasm in my mouth. I needed to taste her. I stayed down there for a long while. Bringing her off two times, before I kissed my way back up to her mouth, stopping along the way to such each tit into my mouth, which I knew she loved having done.As I kissed her passionately, I made sure my weight was not fully on her, and my hardened member lay at her opening, ready to enter paradise. Her hips gyrated below me, trying hard to have me enter her.“Baby. Please put it in. I need you so bad. I love you”I too, couldn't wait any longer and slid in. Once I was fully in, we both moaned out. We then proceeded to make slow love to one another. We had no rush to this, just two people, deeply in love, joined together, making us one. I have no idea how long we made love for, but it had to have lasted at least a good fifteen minutes. We were lost in each other, until Carrie finally moaned out “Oh God, I'm cumming Baby.” I didn't last too much longer and started shooting my seed deep within her. “I love you baby.” I said as I was cumming.After we calmed a bit, I noticed I was still hard and rolled us over so she was on top. I looked at her, as she sat up. The firelight danced over her skin. She looked incredible to me. “My God Baby, you look so beautiful” I said. “You are beautiful Mark. I love you so much. This is going to be the best holiday ever.” I smiled, and thought, “If you only knew my Love”Chapter 25.The next two weeks flew by. I had talked with Connie a couple of times. She said she told Carrie that they were going to New Orleans to visit with friends down there, from their Navy days. Carrie was a little bummed, but understood. Connie said their flight got in at 4pm that day. Jenny was going to pick them up and bring them over a little past 7, on that evening, along with Alan's mom. Ann was going to meet them out front, so they could follow her up the drive, without lights on. Very clandestine like. I had told Ann to wait until I turned the kitchen and dining room lights out, before sneaking in the back door, and to stay in the dining room until I actually proposed to Carrie. God I was nervous now. This to me, was the biggest leap of faith I would ever take in my life.Carrie came over around 5, on Christmas Eve. She was wearing this beautiful red dress that made her look like a Goddess. Had no one been coming over, I would have taken her then and there.“My God. You are more beautiful than I have ever seen you Ms. Reynolds.” I told her. She smiled and said, “You are just biased, and you want to get into my panties JH. Thank You though. Compliments are always welcome. I love you.”She helped me prepare the rest of dinner. We were having Standing Prime Rib, mashed potatoes, rolls, gravy, and a bean casserole that Carrie prepared. We then set the table for 8, on the dining room table. This table was big enough to feed a platoon on. Everything was almost ready.It was now just coming on 7pm. The roast was done and I removed it from the oven, to let it sit a while before carving. Carrie was standing near me, sipping a glass of wine. I reached the light switch and turned it off, and then walked into the dining room and did the same there. The only light was from the tree and fireplace.I went to the stereo and put on Carrie's favorite artist, Shania Twain. I took Carrie's hand and led her to the middle of the living room, as the music started. I took her glass and set it down, then pulled her into my arms and started to dance to “From This Moment On”As we danced, I made sure her head was not turned so she could see into the dining room. Towards the end of the dance I softly sang the lyrics to her.You're the reason I believe in loveAnd you're the answer to my prayers from up aboveAll we need is just the two of usMy dreams came true because of youFrom this moment as long as I liveI will love you, I promise you thisThere is nothing I wouldn't giveFrom this momentI will love you as long as I liveFrom this moment on.As the music started to end, I looked into her eyes, which were now glazed over with tears, and got to my knee. With her one hand in my, I looked up at her, then reached into my sport coat, and pulled out the ring.“Carolyn Ann. I love you more than life itself, and like the lyrics said, I can't wait to start living my life with you. Would you do me the honor and be my wife, and I your husband?”Her whole body tremble as I awaited her answer. “Oh My God Sweetheart, Yes”I stood and pulled her into me and we kissed a long and very passionate kiss. Just then, our combined family's started clapping and cheering. Carrie broke the kiss and saw her mom and dad coming towards us, with Jenny and Alan, then Ann and her family.Carrie broke from me and ran to her mom and hugged her tight, then her dad. She was now full out crying, and since she yes, it must be from joy. Connie then hugged me and told me how beautiful that scene just was. Jenny and Carrie were hugging and crying together now. Brad and Alan both shook my hand. Ann went up and hugged Carrie and welcomed her to the family, then she came to me.“Brother. You sometimes shock the hell out of me. I never knew you could be this romantic” Then kissed me and told me she loves me and I better take care of that woman, always.John finally came over to me, “Mark. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be calling you son. But you know what, I am glad I am. You are the type of man I would want for a son. Welcome aboard to our family Son.” then hugged me. I could have sworn I saw a tear in his eye.Dinner was excellent and everyone was in a very festive mood. Carrie made a toast, after saying grace before dinner. “To the best Christmas ever. To Ann and Brad, and the kids, I am so grateful to be part of your lives now. You have made me feel part of your family since the day I met you. To you, mom and dad, and you Jenny, for always being there for me and teaching what love really is, so I can now share that with my future husband Mark, who I plan on growing very old with. I love you all”After dinner, the girls shooed us away and told us to relax while they did the dishes. Connie said it was only fair, since I did the cooking. It was well past 9pm when we were all together in the living room. Carrie and I already decided we would open our gifts the next morning, at her place with Jenny and Alan, and now her dad and mom. But we still had to exchange gifts with Ann and the family.Carrie handed out our gifts to them. To Ann, Carrie picked out a couple of sweaters and we got her a $200 visa gift card, so she could buy what she wanted for herself. We got Brad a new fishing reel and a $200 visa gift card. The gift cards were in a Christmas card signed Mark and Carrie. The kids each got a laptop and $100 gift cards. When they opened the cards, their mom asked what was written. Of course they could care less about what was written but said it was from “Uncle Mark and Aunt Carrie” I had signed all of the cards, but Carrie had no idea I wrote that. She squeezed my hand tightly then.Alan and Jenny were sitting by the tree and had opened their presents from my sister. Then Alan reached around the tree and produced a box, and handed it to Jenny. “Please open this Honey.”Jenny was now sort of kneeling and slowly opened the box. Inside was a figurine of a bride. Around the head and neck, was the ring he bought a few weeks back. Jenny just Gasped. Alan was kneeling now too and took her hand.“I was going to wait until the morning, but I just can't. I want everyone to see and hear this. Jennifer Lynn, would you marry me and become my wife and the mother, someday, to our children”Jenny broke down and started crying, but finally said “Yes”, then actually tackled him and started kissing him. Jenny was over the moon now, as was Carrie and Connie, and Alan's mom. Lots of excitement this night, that's for sure. I went out to the fridge and took out 2 bottles of champagne that I had snuck in the back and opened them. With John's help, we gave everyone a glass, including the kids and toasted to a merry Christmas.Katie made me chuckle when she asked if Jenny was now their cousin. I said officially, no, not until Carrie and I marry, but yeah, she is. “Oh Cool. I don't have any girl cousins”, which made us all laugh.I was sitting in the one arm chair, and Carrie in my lap. Of course she had to wiggle her ass a few times, which wasn't the best thing to do, because Mr. happy liked the attention and started to rise. I whispered in her ear, “Keep it up and I'll take you upstairs and take care of this problem I am having.” She giggled and said, “Promises. Promises”Then Carrie asked, “Mark. Did you ask my dad for permission?” I just smiled and said, “Oh Yeah. I'm not that dumb. Actually. Remember two weeks ago when I was helping Brad at the cabin?” she nodded, “Well, Alan and I did go there at 5:30am. I can see Alan is not the type that likes getting up at Oh Dark Thirty either, but, we did go over there. Moved three things to the shed, then left for the airport. We flew down to Florida, got to your parents by 11, had lunch, asked Chief and your mom for their blessings, then back up here by 5 that evening, and you two fine ladies weren't the wiser. So before you say anything, we did not lie, but did not disclose our whole agenda. No way could I lie to you Babe.”John was laughing as I was recounting that day. “Oh yeah, I open the door to find these two Shitbirds. My first thought was something happened to one of you, but then Mark sorted it out for me. Connie already knew he was coming. But I'll tell you. I couldn't ask for two finer men to take care of my girls, than these two.After that, everyone started to leave. We told them we'd be over in the morning, and to not open stuff without us there. As soon as we saw the lights of their cars fade away, Carrie turned off the lights and pulled me upstairs.Carrie turned on the lamp, next to the bed, then turned off the overhead lights. She seductively stripped down for me, and I just stood there in amazement. Once naked, she stood there. So I stripped as well. Not as seductive as she had done, but still slow. I stood a foot away from here and she took both of my hands in hers.She smiled at me, “Baby, you have no idea how lucky I feel and so loved right now. What you see in front of you, is yours, until the day we die. I am all yours.”I smiled at her then, and said, “Babe. For the life of me, I don't know how I ever got as lucky to be with a beautiful person, as you are. I don't mean just in looks, but the whole essence of you. You are my life, and no one will ever come between us. I Love you Carrie”She led me to the bed and we lay beside each other. Her newly ringed hand reached around the shaft of my member and held it gently. “I love this ring Baby. And, quite frankly, it looks really good right now. When did you know you wanted to marry me?”My eyes looked into hers, “Honestly, I wish I could say that first kiss on Whiteface Mountain. But it wasn't then. I knew at that point I had a shot with you though. But, it was the night I made you dinner and drew your bath. I knew then, when you said I love you back to me, that this was it. And, it's gotten better every day since.”She crawled up on top of me, and without any help from our hands, slipped my hard member into her waiting sex. Looking up at her, after we both moaned, “When did you know this was real for us?”“When we kissed on that rock. There was just something about it. But when we made love that Saturday night in the cabin and professed our love to each other. I knew in my heart then. But finally, when you stuck by me, with that stupid ordeal back in October, I knew this man was it.”“Baby, there was no way I was walking away from you. Not then , not ever. Were you surprised this happened tonight?” I asked.She grinned, “Yes and no. I thought maybe tomorrow, and if not then, then Valentine's Day. But tonight threw me. But picking one of my favorite songs to dance too, then asking me then, well it made me speechless. Then to have our whole family here too. You made this the best Christmas I have ever had.”Carrie started pumping up and down on me now. She didn't want to talk anymore. She wanted to complete our love making. It really did not take us long either. Throughout the whole time, our lips were locked together, until we were both ready to cum.“Oh God Baby. I have to cum” I spoke out loudly. “Cum Baby. Give me it all. I Love You Mark”I started cumming deep inside her, and about half way through, she started cumming. My hands were holding her ass as she did. I could feel goosebumps on her cheeks, as she let loose with her orgasm. It was very powerful too. Her whole body was wiggling around as our orgasms continued.We kissed one last time, then both told each other I love you. I wouldn't let her leave me though and she settled in on top of me and we both fell asleep.Chapter 26.Christmas Day saw us going all over the place. First, I took Carrie out to the barn out back. Inside was my old 93 Ford Mustang Boss. I bought this right after boot camp. It was rarity that I got to drive it much. Sometimes, six months would elapse before it got driven. The most use I got out of it was when I was stationed at Quantico. When I moved back here, after getting out, I bought my truck. So this car just sits, except for an occasional spin. It's silver with black interior, and has the 5 liter engine, which is a small V8. The only enhancement it has, is a new radio that has Bluetooth for the phone. It is in mint condition and only has 22,000 miles on it.Carrie asked where did I get this. So I told her about its history. Then I told her I was going to give this to Jenny. “Oh My God Mark. You can't do that. This is an antique, isn't it?”“No. Not yet. Couple of more years. But she needs a car and I never use it. So why not let someone, who I happen to like and is going to be my daughter one day, have it.”“You amaze me JH. You don't have a selfish bone in your body. And you are right, she is going to have you for a father one day. I know she likes that idea too. The ex was never really close with her in the first place, and when I kicked him out, he has never even tried to contact her. Just be patient with her and love her Mark. That's all I ask.”I knew I was going to do this too, after Carrie said she had to buy a car for her. So I had it checked out at the garage I go too, and had new tires put on it. So it was good to go. She'll just have to watch driving in snow. Rear wheel drive and snow don't always mix well.When we arrived that morning, everyone was up. Connie had made cinnamon buns and coffee, which we all enjoyed, while opening presents. After all the presents were opened, I handed Jenny a small gift bag. “From us” I said. Her eyes got real big when she saw they keys. Then ran to the front door and opened it. When she saw the car, she squealed with excitement. This girl was in a fuzzy robe and put on sneakers and ran out to it. Then came back inside and ran up to me and hugged me.“Thank You so much Mark” then planted kisses all over my cheeks. Then she thanked her mom. I told her it was hers to use and to be careful with it. I then told her we would help with insurance and stuff like that. But it is her responsibility to maintain it. “You guys are the best. Come Papa. let me show you my new car.” she said. Jenny, Alan, and John trudged out into the cold. I told Connie that the car is old, but nowhere near the mileage that the old Seadog has on him. Connie winked at me and said, “You know Mark. I think you are going to make one great father.”That New Year's Eve, we were invited to a couple of parties, but we begged off and stayed home. We made dinner together. Watched some movies, then made love at midnight. We did talk about Carrie moving in here, with me. She readily agreed, and two weeks later, she moved in. Jenny and Alan moved into her condo. All Carrie asked of them was to make sure no babies were produced yet. At some point, once the kids were established, and found their own place after they were married, she would sell the condo. Luckily for us, this was not a drain on finances. She made almost $100 grand a year at her job and mine was bringing in almost double that, and this house was paid for.We did settle down and bought new furniture for all over. I let that up to her, and Ann helped out. Those two become thick as thieves. If I was to ever argue with Carrie, I'd never win, but we never argue. We do discuss stuff and come to common ground. One thing was constant though, and that was our love making. I made sure we had at least one date night a week, and I always try to be romantic.The first weekend in October, Carrie and I married. When Carrie got married the first time, it was in front of a judge. So she never had a real wedding, and, her parents weren't there for it, depriving her dad the chance to give her away.The one thing she did ask me to wear was my dress blues. I had to check to make sure that I was still allowed, and found out that it was  okay for that. I had to bring that out of mothballs. I even had the sword. MY uni had 5 gold service stripes indicating 20 years, plus a lot of ribbons and medals on the pocket area.John too, wore his dress blues, or winter uniform. Now he had 9 gold sleeve stripes, since he was just shy of 40 years in. His front pocket area had to weigh a ton with all the service ribbons and medals. He wore blue, so he wouldn't upstage his daughter, in her white dress.Seeing her come down the aisle, with her father, was one of the best days of my life. She was radiant and so beautiful. She picked From This Moment On as her entrance song, instead of the traditional wedding march. Jenny served as her maid of honor, and Brad served as my best man. Alan and Ann were in it as well, as was Kyle and Katie. We both have a small circle of friends, and limited family, so the reception wasn't really big, maybe 50 people in all, but we all had a great time. We spent our first night of the honeymoon, in my uncle's cabin, after climbing up Whiteface Mountain and kissed on that very same rock, where we did the first time.I do remember, as I stood there, at the altar, holding Carrie's hands and was reciting her vows to me, all I thought was,“All this, because I bumped into a this beautiful woman at the ranger's station, who just happened to be a bit clumsy and sprain her ankle later, on a path near the cabin I was staying at. Life is good.”by T. Foxal.

Pastor John Ryan Cantu brings this week's message, “A Conversation." John 4:4-26 NLT: “He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” “But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to get water.” “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don't have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You're right! You don't have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it's here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”" If you enjoyed the podcast, please subscribe and share it with your friends on social media. For more information about PNEUMA Church, visit our website at mypneumachurch.org. Connect with Us: Instagram: https://instagram.com/mypneumachurch YouTube: https://youtube.com/mypneumachurch Facebook: https://facebook.com/mypneumachurch Time Stamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:30 - Welcome 02:58 - John 4:4–26 NLT 06:42 - A Conversation

Abhishek Tiwari joins Sanjay Dixit after the Kanwar Yatra to decode how SIR in Bihar rewrites the game, scaring Tejashwi & Congress alike

Carrie and Mark settle in to everyday life.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.“Oh Mark. I have never been made love to like that ever. It was perfect. Everything you have done so far has been perfect for me. I don't think you have one selfish bone in your body. I need to know though, are you scared of all of this?”“Carrie, I have never been more scared in my life. Not even over in the sandpit, with bullets flying all around. Had you not said I love you back to me, when I made my declaration, I would have been crushed. I've never, ever let anyone into my heart, like I have let you in. Am I scared now? A little. I know you said it the other night. Well, you told me to catch up with you because you were already there. But over time, I thought you may have some misgivings for saying, since we were in the heat of the moment then. But all the little things you have been doing, or saying, led me to believe you really were. And, I wanted to make it special for you. This whole day when you weren't around me, all I could think of was you. I wondered what you were thinking when you took your bath before, or what you were doing and thinking when you left this morning. Let's face it, we haven't been alone with our own thoughts for a week now.”She leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips, then said, “Mark. I knew from that first kiss. Then when we made love the first time, I was in heaven. It wasn't sex between us. It was more. Since that time, we have done nothing but make love and my heart races every time I see you. I was so scared when I said that the other night. Did I push you away from me? Would you just say, screw this, I'm outta here. But the big thing for me was when we were at the winery, and you went up to the bar to get us those samples. Your eyes smiled at me the whole time. You didn't even look at that girl, who I thought was really hot, but just kept looking at me. You made love to me right then. Am I scared. Yes. I want this more than anything, but I don't want to be hurt again. I lived that. But, you are not him. You are so much more than he could ever be. I was eye candy for him, and a fuck, and nothing more. My heart is now yours, please don't hurt it.”I rolled to my side and looked deep into her hazel eyes, then kissed her. “You know what turned me on the most today?” “No, Baby, I don't” “When I saw you after you came back from your day in town. My God, you looked so sexy and stunning to me. You are such a beautiful woman, and not just physically, but all around. I wanted to take you then, but then that would have downplayed this evening. I never tried to be romantic with anyone before, and I so wanted to seduce you tonight.”She giggled. “Well Mr. Marine. You succeeded in every way tonight. I'll tell you. When I saw the robe, then the candles lit by the bathtub, I got super horny. I wanted you so bad then. Then when I shaved down there, I felt incredibly sexy. I even came after that. But when we took off our robes and I saw you in those boxers, I damn near raped you. But dancing really did me in. I almost told you then I loved you. But I am glad I waited now.”As she talked, her hand was now on my cock, stroking it back to life. When I was hard again, she leaned in and kissed me, then pushed me to my back. She kneeled and straddled me and slowly sat down on me, engulfing me with her velvet like inner walls of her sex.“Baby?” she whispered. “This has been an amazing night. But now I need to be a little naughty. A couple should be able to let loose some and enjoy sex too. I love lovemaking, but I also love to fuck Mark. But only with someone I want to give myself too, completely. I want to fuck your beautiful cock. I want to feel your cum spray deep inside me and, I want cum all over it. Fuck me Baby. Make me your Lover.”I arched my back up and drove in deep in her. “Oh Fuck. You are so deep.” She started moving up and down, faster and faster. “Oh god I love this. My favorite position too.”She leaned down and started smothering me with kisses. Moaning as we fucked. I did too. Her head slipped to the side of mine and whispered. “You like my tight little cunt, don't you Babe. Your cock is a perfect fit for it. My cunt loves your cock. Oh God Mark. ““Oh God Babe. Your cunt is so tight. I love it and always will. Fuck me Carrie.”She sat up and started grinding hard on me now. Neither of us was going to last long. I sat up and took her one tit in my mouth and sucked hard.“Oh Christ. Suck my tits Baby. I Love that so much”She started pounding me harder now, as I continued sucking it, then switched to the other. Her arm went behind my head and pulled me in tighter. My hands were holding her luscious ass as I did this. My one hand went exploring and touched her ass, which made her moan really loud. I slipped it down to her cunt and got it wet as the finger rubbed against her lips and my cock. Then I brought it up to her brown hole and slipped it in.“Oh Fuck Baby. Yes. God I love you”She started cumming a minute later. Her head and body shook as she came hard, but somehow, she maintain the rhythm we had going. I was now getting close myself and could feel my balls tighten up, signaling my impending orgasm. “Oh Shit Carrie, I'm going to cum” I yelled out.She slammed down one last time, and then jumped off. Her mouth was over my cock in no time and was starting to suck me, when I erupted in her mouth. I had to have shot 5 or 6 good ropes into her hungry mouth. She didn't spill a drop, except at the end, a little dribbled out the side.She was kneeling now, getting ready to wipe her mouth, when I grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her to me and I licked it off of her face and then kissed her. The kiss was so hot and passionate. We were lost in that kiss for minutes, until she broke away, panting hard.We both lay on our backs now, still in a euphoric bliss from our love making. Carrie was very quiet. At first I thought she fell asleep, until I felt her hand grasp mine and squeeze it.“Are you  okay Carrie?”, I asked. “Actually, I am on cloud nine, as they say. I've never been made love too, like this, then opening up and letting go like that. I just hope you don't think I am some sort of slut. I want to explore all there is with you sexually and lovingly too.”“Babe. You are hardly a slut. Sex to me, is supposed to be fun too. You were amazing. But our love making, well, it's beyond words. To me, you are an angel. Quite the lady too. In bed, we can do whatever we please, as long as we both agree on whatever we do. One thing though, I can never share you with anyone. I don't believe I get jealous, but I could never share you with anyone, man or woman. I knew a couple in the service that did that. Got into swinging. No way. Not with someone I love and respect, like I do you. But just so you know, I really enjoyed the naughty Carrie. She is fun.”“Umm.. I may have to let her out more often then. Cuz naughty Markie, was turning me on too. But, you will never have to fear me wanting another. I am quite happy with who I am with. I will never deny you in bed either. Except, when I am sick, or you are sick. Sex just doesn't seem like fun then. But that's about it.”“Yeah, being sick and wanting sex, just doesn't seem to go hand in hand. I will never deny you as well. But, I'm a guy, so the prospect of me saying no is quite low.”She giggled, then said, “Well. Mister. You better never hold out in the oral department anymore. Oh Christ. That was unbelievable. I could take that all day long. And, I love giving too. I love how you taste.”“You're turning me on again Honey. How do you feel right now?” I asked“Horny” she giggled then. “Honestly. And don't freak when I say this. But I feel as though I am on a Honeymoon and you took your virgin bride to sexual highs she never knew existed.”I did chuckle. “Nothing wrong with that. To me, you are a virgin, or at least were. I don't care about your past. You are my first, and dare I say, only love for me.”“I like that” she replied. Then said, “Where do you see us in a year?”“Honestly. I never look to the future too much. But, I have been lately. I hope that you will be with me in a year, and maybe, just maybe, if you haven't tired of my Jarhead ass, we are right back here, spending it as a true honeymoon”She folded into my arms and kissed my cheek. “I think that could be a real possibility. This Squid actually has thought about it, and she doesn't think she'll ever tire of you. Piss me off at times, Yes, but never tire.”I then laughed, and she asked what was funny. “God, if your Dad could see us right now. He'd hang me.”“Nah. He knows I like you a great deal. He doesn't know we professed love yet. But he does like you, Mom told me that. Jenny knows too. I talked with her this morning. I sent her a selfie, after I got my hair done. She called right after seeing it. Then she starts out by saying, “Damn Mom, you look hot. I think someone is in love.” She's a pretty smart girl actually. I was supposed to face time with her earlier, but someone had me a tad busy. She wants to see you and talk with you.”“Oh great. She's the one person that scares me the most, and I want on my side. More so, than even your parents. Go ahead and call her now. It's only 10pm.”She giggled again. “Uh No. We better wait until tomorrow. This is the first time her and her boyfriend Alan have been alone for a long time. He was with his family last weekend. They have dated for a year now, so I am pretty sure, they are in the same place you and I are right now, naked and in bed.”“You  okay with that? I asked. “Oh yes. I like him a lot. He treats her with so much respect and I know they love one another. He's a good kid and dotes after Jenny. His world revolves around her. He is studying to become a food scientist. If they can last the ups and downs of college and still remain in love, I could easily see them married one day. Only time will tell. And don't worry about her liking you, she will. She knows I do, and so far have made me extremely happy.”She got up then and walked to the bathroom. Then came back with our robes. “Let's go cuddle on the couch, enjoy some wine and TV, before we call it a night.” And so we did.Chapter 15.It was morning now, almost 8:30. I never sleep this late. The only reason I was up was because I had to pee so bad. Carrie was still sound asleep. She was curled up and looked so peaceful. My thought was, “What in God's name does she see in me. I'm nobody special. Yes, I am in good shape and I do treat her with respect, but she is absolutely beautiful and had I known of her, somewhere else, I would have never even attempted to approach her. I wasn't in her league, or so I thought”But here I am, one week after meeting her, and totally in love. I could not even fathom life without her in it. But reality would soon be creeping up on us. I knew she would be leaving mid-week. Would this all end after she left, and had time to really think this through? Only time will tell.I padded to the kitchen and made coffee. As it brewed I stood looking out the back door window. The skies were an ugly gray. Rain was falling. We knew this was coming, after viewing the weather report last night. Today and tomorrow, rain.I then toasted a few bagels, and got out the cream cheese. Made us both coffee, and took it to the bedroom. As I walked in, Carrie was yawning and stretching. Her tit were in plain view, and look so delicious to me. She sat up, not bothering to cover up. “Good sign” I thought.“Good Morning Sweetheart. I thought you may enjoy some breakfast in bed” I said to her.“Oh Wow. I could definitely get used to this. Especially if you lose that robe.”We sat and enjoyed our breakfast. We also started talking about this coming week. Since it was raining today, we decided to go into town and take in a movie and then dinner at some restaurant. On Monday, we were to hike Algonquin Peak, but if it is raining, we'll need to find something else to do.She then said, “You know I leave Wednesday. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday that I made months ago, and I can't reschedule. It just takes so long to get in to see her.”“I know you were leaving then. But, I also am going to leave that day, with you. No sense hanging around here. Be bored to death, and I know me, all I'll think of is you the whole time.”“Awe. You are so sweet to me. But this is your vacation and you had it all planned out. Stay and at least hike some more of these mountains. I'll feel bad if you miss out on that.” she said with a pouty face.I just smiled at her and told her no, it was best I do head home. I had some major cleaning to do at my place. The house I have is actually an older farm house that was my grandparents. My grandmother outlived my mom and when she died, it was left to me and Ann. Ann didn't want it, so to be fair, I paid her the half she would have received, if we had sold it.The house was nice, but very outdated. Even the furniture was from the 60's. To me, it was cool, but my needs are simple. Ann has been bugging me for almost a year now to at least get some new furniture, if not update the whole place. My office is actually the dining room.I tell you this because I have never brought anyone there, especially a date. So bringing Carrie there, as it looks right now, is totally out of the question. As I told her this, she just laughed. She asked if I keep it clean, or was I a typical guy, and let things go until I can't stand it anymore. I told her I always keep it clean, it's just very outdated.“You big lug, I don't care about stuff like that. I will care if it smells like the gym on board a ship smells like. That is so gross.” and we both laughed.We finished our coffee and bagels, and set our cups and napkins on the nightstand. She pulled the cover down and asked me to slide in. We started kissing and making out some, when her phone rang. “Perfect timing” I thought. She looked at the phone and said, “It's Jenny. Hope all is alright. She is never up this early.”“She hit some button and I saw Jenny's face appear on the screen. Luckily, Carrie had the sheet up above her tit, and I was safely off to the side.“Hi Sweetheart”“Hi Mom. Hope I am not disturbing you.”“No Sweetie. You're good. We were just having breakfast.”“Oh. In bed too. I take it Marine guy is nearby.”Carrie laughed, “If you must know young Jen, he is right here, and his name is Mark, not Marine guy. But you knew that” “Hey just giving you a hard time. Hi Mark.” Carrie moved the phone over to where I could see her and she see me. I had just put the robe back on, so I was decent.“Hi Jenny. Very nice to meet you. I must say, you are as pretty as your mother.”Jen smiled; “Thank you. I hope to get to meet you when you two get back from your little vacation.”“I would say that is a very good possibility, unless your Mom gets rid of me by then. Lots of mountain tops she could push me off of, up here.” I said with a laugh.Carrie turned the phone back to her and said, “What did you two do this weekend? Is Alan still there?”Jen smiled this sly smile “Yeah. He is still asleep. We went to dinner and a late movie, then came back here. The main reason I am calling is that Papa called a bit ago, or I'd be sleeping too. He and grandma are coming up next weekend”My eyes got real big, but Carrie just chuckled, “That's great. When are they coming in?”“Friday evening, and staying here for a few days, then going to aunty Bev's for a few days. And Mark. Papa had a message for you. “Don't crap where you eat son.” He said you'd understand completely.”I just shook my head. Great. He's gonna shit when he hears his daughter and I are now dating.Carrie was laughing now. Jen wanted to know what that was about. Carrie said she'd tell her when she sees her this week. They carried on for a few more minutes as Jen filled her in on stuff. Now Jen did look somewhat similar to her mom, from what I could see on the phone. That same light caramel color, with long flowing brown hair, and a gorgeous smile. Alan should consider himself a very lucky man. They signed off then after saying goodbye's and Jen saying bye to me too, telling me to take very good care of her mother, or else.I asked, “Are you sure she isn't your blood daughter? You two look so much alike.”“I wish she was. But No. Her parents were Puerto Rican, so the skin color is close. She shorted too, only 5 foot 3. She is an angel. You think Dad dotes over me? Wait till you see him around Jenny. I feel bad for Alan. He's met Dad twice now and is scared shitless of him. But Daddy wants only the best for his girls.”“Yeah, well, I am wondering now what is he going to say about us being together. He still scares the shit out of me.”She laughed, “Oh I don't know. I'll let you know after I tell him how you been having your way with me this whole week.” then laughed some more. She then opened his robe, grabbed his semi stiff member and stroke it.She giggled, the looked at him and stated, “Umm, I wonder what he'd say if he knew I was doing this.”, as she lowered her head to my manhood and sucked the head in.“Oh God Carrie.”The PromiseCarrie and Mark settle in to everyday life, once they return from their week and a half camping and hiking trip, after finding love in those mountains.I asked, “Are you sure she isn't your blood daughter? You two look so much alike.”“I wish she was. But No. Her parents were Puerto Rican, so the skin color is close. She shorter too, only 5 foot 3.. She is an angel. You think Dad dotes over me? Wait till you see him around Jenny. I feel bad for Alan. He's met Dad twice now and is scared shitless of him. But Daddy wants only the best for his girls.”“Yeah, well, I am wondering now what is he going to say about us being together. He still scares the shit out of me.”She laughed, “Oh I don't know. I'll let you know after I tell him how you been having your way with me this whole week.” then laughed some more. She then opened my robe, grabbed my semi stiff member and stroke it.She giggled, the looked at him and stated, “Umm, I wonder what he'd say if he knew I was doing this.”, as she lowered her head to my manhood and sucked the head in.“Oh God Carrie.”Chapter 16.The rest of that day, and into Monday, it did nothing but rain. So exploring any of the mountain tops was curtailed. We pretty much hung around the cabin in just our robes that day. The only time we dressed was to go to dinner, down into town. Neither of us felt like cooking. It was very hard for me to resist getting Carrie naked and just making love all day, but she needed to know that our relationship, that we both professed our love for each other, was more than just a physical thing, but also emotional.You see Carrie is a very beautiful woman. She is 5 foot 7, 130 pounds, with caramel colored skin, almost like Halle Berry skin tone. Her hair is short now too, with blonde highlights mixed in with her brown hair. Totally sexy in my eyes. She has amazing legs that are long and toned and a great ass. What turns me on the most is her tits. They are a large A, or small B cup. I love a woman with small tits.I am 5 foot 10, 175 pounds, and been told by many, a handsome man. I keep in shape, and that is because after spending 20 years in the Marines, you get used to working out. It's just ingrained into your fabric. I was single too, for all of those years. Never had a serious relationship, except for a semi one, back in my 20's, when I lived with a girl for a few months. But she didn't enjoy my deployments too much and wanted more. It was mostly a sex thing for us, and a place for us both to crash, when we were screwing.But now, a week and a half later, I am totally in love with this goddess, and she with me as well. What is funny too, I know her parents, or to be more specific, her father. He was a Master Chief in the Navy, and was on the aircraft Carrier Lincoln at the same time I was, years ago, when I was a Staff Sergeant in the Marines. Great guy too, but could scare the hell out of you. Carrie too, was in the Navy back then, but I do not think we ever crossed paths, since she worked on base, and, was also married back then to a Seal, which she now divorced from.Like I said earlier, we only got dressed that Sunday for dinner, then that Monday, a day we were supposed to visit another Adirondacks peak, it rained as well. We did go driving around and admired the countryside and had a fine dinner at the Italian restaurant we found the previous week.Then on Tuesday, we decided to go horseback riding. We found a place about 20 minutes from the cabin, near Lake Clear. We had a great time exploring the area by horseback. I have to admit, my ass was quite sore by the time we got through, as was Carrie's. There was a few times I would hang back, behind her and admire her ass as it bounced up and down in the saddle.She looked back one time and caught me. “God, don't you ever tire of looking at my big ass?”I just chuckled and told her, “Hell No. I love your ass, and it is hardly big. Remind me later to massage it for you, because if mine is sore, I know yours has to be.”“Maybe I will let you. Not sure if I want you touching it later. Now get up her next to me.” then whispered to me, after I got close, “You be a good boy, and I'll let you see it naked later.”, then laughed and rode away from me.After our ride, we stopped in this tavern that also featured home cooked meals. We both decided on burgers and fries. Normally, we both try to stay away from fried foods, but, as we both found out from talking, we like to cheat on occasion.By the time we got back to the cabin, nighttime was upon us and this was our last night together. I know we both pledged our love to one another, but after tonight, she may get a dose of reality when she got back home, and say, “No way” to being in a relationship. For me, I was all in. I never wanted anything more in my life, than to be with this beautiful, smart, witty and energetic woman.After getting into the cabin, I started a fire in the fireplace and Carrie went off to the bedroom, to get ready to shower. After I had a nice fire going, she came out in her robe and asked me to join her. As we washed each other down, removing the horse smell from our bodies, we kissed and held each other. We both took turns drying each other, then donned our robes and made our way to the couch. Before I sat down, I went and got us each a glass of wine.“Mark?” she said, and I looked at her. She had a tear on her cheek, for which I lightly brushed away. “What's wrong Honey?” I asked.“This is our last night here. This has been the best vacation I have ever experienced. Had you told me two weeks ago that I would meet the man of my dreams, I would have said you are so full of shit. But here I am, sitting next to you. I am so in love with you and I am also scared silly about tomorrow.” she explainedI knew what she meant, when she said she is scared. I am too. We get back to our real lives and the fantasy just fades away. She was deeply hurt all those years ago and opening up and allowing someone in, has to be tough for her to do. For me, it is a new experience. One I have never had before. If it does end, it will hurt, but I know I can move on from it, I think.“Carrie. I'm scared too. Once we are home and reality sets in for you, you may say, screw this. I have never opened up to anyone in my life, except for you. I just hope that you will grow with me. I'm going to make mistakes. You may want something, but I'm too stupid to know and understand, but like anything in life, you learn. One thing I will promise you and this is I will always be true to only you. I love you and will never do anything to hurt you.”“Oh Mark. No man has ever made me feel this way. We'll take each day as it comes and just know I will never hurt you as well. But be forewarned now, I can get bitchy. I don't mean to be, but it happens and when it does, just leave me be, and I will be fine. I think the hardest part of tomorrow is going to be not being with you, especially at night. After a week of sharing a bed together, and feeling so close to you, it is going to suck not having your arms around me tomorrow night, or this weekend. If I didn't have that appointment Thursday, I'd let you stay with me tomorrow, but I know us, we make love, and since this is a gynecologist I am seeing, sex wouldn't be the most prudent thing for me to do. And then this weekend, with my parents in town, I'm not sure what they'd say about us sleeping together.”I laughed, “Yeah, I could just see the look on your dad's face when we told them goodnight and padded off to bed. As for sex. We don't always have to have it you know. I mean I'll never turn it down, but I also know there is more to us than just sex. But tomorrow after we get home, and then at night, we'll probably both be too tired to do anything. Plus, like I said, I need to straighten up the place. One thing though. On Thursday, I would like to take you and Jenny to dinner, Alan too. That way, she has someone there who she is comfortable with, just in case she can't stand me.”“Oh Stop. She is going to love you. I'll call her tomorrow and set it up. Now! Take me to bed for the last time here and hold me Baby. I want to fall asleep in your arms.”Chapter 17.We got up early for some reason, and took a shower together. I still marvel at this exceptionally beautiful woman. She makes my heart race anytime I am near here. And when we are naked, it quadruples in magnitude. We did not have sex, but we did hold and caress each other until the water started turning cold.We were then packed and on our way home. She drove in front of me for the next 4 hours. We did talk on the phone a couple of times. The last time was just before my exit, which is a couple before hers. I called her and told her I would call her later and that I loved her. I could hear in her voice, a hitch, just like I had in mine. I missed her already and I had just exited from the roadway.Once I was home, I did a load of laundry, then went and started dusting and vacuuming the place. Not a thing I do a lot of. Of course my sister always comes over and does it at times, and bitches me out when she does. I then cut the grass, which was needed after two weeks of not touching it. It takes two hours to cut this lawn, and that's with a tractor. While I was cutting, I did miss a call from Carrie. She also texted me, just saying she was thinking of me and loved me. I texted back apologizing that I didn't answer her and explained why, and that I would call her later.We did talk around 6 that evening. She too was busy with housework and laundry. She strip the beds, not knowing which bed Jenny and Alan slept in. I had to laugh at that. She chuckled too but said, “It's one thing to sleep in our wet spot, but I'm surely not sleeping in theirs.” Which made me laugh hard.About 10 that night, I called her. She was lying in bed, reading a book. She conveyed to me that Jenny was ecstatic over meeting us for dinner and really happy I had included Alan. They were going to meet us at Carrie's at 6pm tomorrow. I told Carrie we would try Delmonico's Steakhouse, which was kind of close to her.She chuckled and said, “Oh fancy place. You know, you don't have to take us there. There's a nice restaurant right down the street from us.”“That's cool. But I want too. How many college kids can go to a place like this. Plus I have always wanted to try it, but, I'm not going alone. Ann said the food is excellent there.”“Speaking of Ann, did you call her and inform her that you are bringing someone Sunday?” she asked.“Oh yeah. She is so excited now. She can't wait to meet you. I told her that your parents were going to be in from Florida and I didn't know what plans they had that day. She said to bring them along too. The more the merrier.”Carried giggled, then said, “I don't know if your sister has a clue what Dad can be like. Just don't bring up politics. He thinks they are all thieves and liars.” which made me laugh.Then she got quiet. “Anything wrong? You are quiet now “ She sighed, “No, just missing lying next to you, with your arms around me. I feel so safe then. I love you Mark”“I love you too, Carolyn, and I do miss being with you. It was a very long day without you near me.” I told her.“It was a long day for me as well. I don't know how or why this happened between us, but I am so happy that you are in my life now. Maybe tomorrow night, you can spend it here with me, if you want too.” she said.“I think that can be arranged. You know what I do miss? You calling me Jarhead. When you say it, it means something to me.”“I told you, after last weekend, I was done calling you that, but if you insist, I'll just call you JH.”“I insist Squid. Now get some sleep. Just know, I love you Carrie and I am holding you in my dreams tonight.”Chapter 18.I knew Carrie had an appointment at 11am, so I didn't want to bother her, but did send her a text, after I got up and said good morning and I love you. She replied instantly to it, saying she was about to shower and get ready and she loved me too.I was pretty proud of myself. I dusted and swept the whole house. Not that I am a slob, but those are two jobs I really don't enjoy doing. Hell, living alone and never having people over, except for my sister, afforded me the luxury of not caring too much to do that. But with Carrie in my life, I guess I need to change my way of thinking.I then immersed myself in a project that I had been working on for this one company. I needed to do something to keep my mind occupied, since I would not be seeing her until later in the afternoon. I was surprised though, that by 3pm, I hadn't heard anything from her. I hope all went well with her doc appointment.I had told her that I would be over by 5:30, so we could spend some time alone, before Jenny and Alan showed up. By 4:30, I was shaved, and showered, then dressed for the evening. Since it was cool out, I wore dark blue pants, and lighter blue shirt, with a dark blue sport coat. I wanted to look good for when I met Jenny, and convey, I'm not some unkempt slob, who was dating her mother. I'm generally a jeans and t-shirt, or sweatshirt, kind of guy.I couldn't stand the wait any longer and decided to arrive a bit sooner. I got to her house at 5:15, so just a little bit early. After ringing the doorbell a few times, Carrie finally opened the door. Although she smiled when she let me in, I could tell something was amiss with her. After a brief hug and quick kiss on the lips, we stood back from one another.Carrie was wearing a burgundy pleated dress. It came to just above the knees. The neckline plunged just a bit, with white lace around the edges, with short sleeves as well. She looked radiant.“Wow. You look absolutely beautiful Sweetie.” I told her. She just said thanks, but that was it. Then said she had to finish getting ready. My antennae was now up. I could sense something was wrong. This girl was always so bubbly, and that definitely was not the case now. So I just walked around her living room, looking at pictures on the wall of Jenny, and her parents, and some people I had no clue of who they were. Then just took a seat and waited for her.For me, this was something new. I did not know what to say or do. Did I do something wrong, that may have upset her? Who knew, but this was not the Carrie I just spent almost two weeks with, had fun with, and made love too on many occasions. So I'm basically a fish out of water now. I made up my mind to just go with the flow, and when she is ready to talk, I'll be there, and hopefully, understand what is going on.Of course, my fear was she was going to end this between us. She had time to reflect and said that this wasn't worth it. If that is how she felt, then who was I to pursue it any further. I don't want to be with someone who did not want the same as me. Sitting there waiting, makes your mind think weird ass things, like I just did. Then again, maybe it wasn't anything and she is just having a bad day, or is nervous about me meeting Jenny.She finally emerged from wherever she was in her condo. When I saw her, she looked the same, so I have no idea what else she could have been doing. She walked into her kitchen and got a bottle of water, then asked if I wanted one too, which I kindly said no too.I finally got the courage to ask, “Is there something wrong?”She looked at me and had a sullen look on her face, then finally said “No. Guess I am just tired from all the prodding and poking today. I'm sorry I am not more upbeat.”I got up and went to her and wrapped my arms around her, “If you want to cancel tonight, that would be okay with me. We keep go out with them some other time, when you are feeling more up to it.”“No. No. I am fine. It will be fine. We'll go have a fun night with them. Jenny is so looking forward to meeting you.” she said, as she pulled away from me and went into the living room. “We'll talk later tonight, when we get back.”I knew from how she stated it, something was wrong. But, being a dumb man, I have no clue as to what. I didn't want to piss her off by asking questions. Maybe something at the doc's. I guess when she is ready, she will let me know. I walked up next to her and grabbed her hand, just to let her know I was there for her. At that point, her front door opened and in walked Jenny and Alan.Jenny was definitely a looker. I would say 5 foot 3, maybe 110 pounds, brown hair and eyes, and the cutest dimples. She did have bigger boobs than her mom, but since she was adopted, that made sense. But the irony of how much the two looked alike was uncanny. Alan was a good looking guy too. He had that German look to him. Blond hair, blue eyes, chiseled face and stood about 6 foot, but maybe weighed 170 pounds, if that.After making the introductions and some small talk, we left her condo and headed to dinner in my truck.At dinner, Carrie seemed to be her normal self. Well, at least the normal I had seen for the last two weeks. Jenny was regaling us with stories from her college life and some of things her and Alan had been doing of late, except for the sex part. I don't think Carrie, or myself, needed or wanted to know those details.As dinner was finally coming to an end, I had to admit, I was kind of quiet. I just let the three of them guide the evening and the conversation. Jenny did inquire what I actually did for a living, so I explained it to her. She was impressed, as was Alan. I tried not to let my concerns for Carrie, or our budding relationship ruin the evening. In my heart though, I had a bad feeling, this would be the last time I would see these three people.Near the end of dinner, Carrie announced that she needed to use the ladies room. Alan also said he need to use the facility, which then left just me and Jenny. I wasn't sure what to say to her, so I let her make the first move on talking.  “okay Mark. What's up with mom? Did you two have an argument or something?” Jenny asked.I shook my head, “Jenny. I have no idea what is wrong tonight. When I arrived this evening, she was down for some reason and won't tell me why. Yesterday we were fine, but ever since her doctor visit, she has changed. Maybe she has done some thinking and decided a relationship is not what she wants. Until she tells me, I am in the dark.”Jenny reached over and touched my arm. “I don't know either, but I do know that she and I talked last night for an hour and she is head over heels in love with you, and says you are with her as well. Are you Mark? Are you in love with my Mom?”“Nothing has changed for how I feel for your mother Jenny. I am in love with her. But, if she has had a change of heart, then I will abide by her wishes. Maybe we moved too fast. I don't know. To be honest Jenny. I have never been in love before, so this is a new territory for me. But if she had time to reflect now, and feels this isn't what she wants, well, I don't want to force anything like that on her. I just want her happy.”Jenny just shook her head, “I can't believe her mind could change like that. Something must be wrong and she just needs time to process it. Maybe you two can talk later. When we get back to my mom's, Alan and I are going to leave, and give you two some space to talk. Oh, and by the way, Papa really does like you. He thinks you are a good man.”Just as she said that, Carrie was walking back. Alan came a minute later. The waitress came around and asked if any of us wanted dessert, but we all begged off, since our meals were so filling.On the way home, Carrie was pretty quiet. In fact, you could probably cut the tension with a knife, that was between us. Jenny and Alan were pretty quiet too. I'd have done anything to hear some funny story either of them may have had right then.After arriving back at Carrie's condo, we all got out and Jenny said that they needed to get going. Carrie said she wished they could stay longer, but the kids said they had some homework they needed to finish up, but would see us this weekend. Of course my mind didn't think I would be involved with this family get together.As they left, Carrie turned and headed to her door, and I followed. Once inside, she asked if I wanted anything to drink, which I kindly declined. She went to the kitchen and got a bottle of water then rejoined me in the living room. I wanted to get this over with, so I started it off.  “okay Carolyn, please tell me what is wrong. I need to know.” I said in a somber voice.“Let's sit” she said, and we both did. She faced me and I could see a tear starting to form in her eye. My stomach became a knot now. My fears were now becoming reality, at least in my mind.“I wish I knew where to start, but I have to say, that no man has ever made me feel the way you make me feel. But I really think we need to step back and take a break for now.”, then she started crying. I reach for her, but she backed away. That made it feel like a knife was just plunged into my heart.“Carrie. How can you go from being so in love, to wanting to take a break, just like that. There is more than what you are telling me. So please tell me what has caused this sudden change in feelings.”She was still sobbing, trying to get her emotions under control, then finally looked at me and said, “Mark. They found a growth on one of my ovaries today. After the Pelvic exam, she did and ultrasound and found it. They want me to see a specialist next Tuesday then do some testing.” then started crying again. This time she let me pull her towards me. I knew this isn't good, but this is also something that can be taken care of. I had a cousin once have something similar to this and they removed a cyst the size of an egg from her, and she was fine then.“It's  okay Carrie. I'm sure it's nothing that medicine or an operation can't take care of.” I told her.“And what if it isn't Mark? What if it is cancer. Why should you be saddled with that in your life. We've known each other not even two fucking weeks. Although the best two weeks of my life. But this is not something you need to be part of. Your best bet is to turn around, walk away and get on with your life, like I never existed.” and started crying again.I pulled her into me again and held her tight. Her head was buried in my shoulder, and I caressed her hair and let her cry. I mean, if I was in her position, I'd probably tell her the same things. But I may not know her completely, but what I know of her already, she has a fierce loyalty to people she cares for and loves, and I know she wouldn't walk away either.After letting her sob some more, I gently moved her back, and away from me, so I could speak to her. “Sweetheart. There is no way I am letting you do this alone. Granted, we have only known each other for two weeks, but in these two weeks, you have captured my heart with every fiber of your being. I am in love with you Missy. People who love one another don't turn tail and run because of something traumatic happens to the other person. You stand with them, be their support and showed them love, for that is the only thing that can help get you through this. I have been a Marine for all of my adult life and one thing that is ingrained in us, from the time of our first day in boot camp, is that you never let the man next to you, or when you are a sergeant, your platoon, you never abandon them. No man is ever left behind. You're wounded Honey, so I will not leave you behind, so get used to that. When this is all over and you still feel this way, then you can tell me to hit the bricks.”She just stared at me, and while trying to compose herself, she gripped my hand in hers. “It's not fair to you Mark. What if it is cancer and it can't be fixed, then what? You going to just wait around and watch me die? You could be out finding that right person, instead of babysitting me.”“Stop it Carrie. You have no idea what it is. It could be a simple cyst, that meds could take care of. But one thing I do know, I will be with you this Tuesday, and any other day you need to have something done. I will be the first person you see when you wake up. But I will be there and I will always be there for you. I love you.”“Mark. It's not fair.” she shouted, then started crying again. “You're right. It's not fair. But who said life is. But I am not walking away. In fact I am more in love with you now, than I was 20 minutes ago. I don't know about you, but I have every intention of growing old with you. We have too much to do with our lives. So baby doll, I am not leaving you, Not ever.”“Carrie. Do you love me?” I asked. “Damn you Jarhead. You know I do.” she said. “Good. Don't you ever hold back something like this again from me. I won't either from you. But Babe, we can only help one another if we are open and honest with each other. Why don't you go get ready for bed. I'm not going home tonight, but I will sleep on the couch.”She shook her head and got up. As she did, she reached for my hand, “You are not, nor will you ever sleep on the couch. Your place is beside me in bed. I'm so sorry for ever thinking you would want out of this. I do love you Mark. More than you will ever know”She led me up the stairs to her bedroom. We both stripped off of our clothes. I had on the white silk boxers she got me. She put on this long t-shirt with a Minion on the front. She looked cute. We both used her bathroom then climbed into bed, where she snuggled up to me and let me hold her close. Her head rested on my chest.“Mark?” she said softly. “Carrie?” I answered back. “I am sorry. I promise never to do that to you again. I'm also sorry I was a Debbie Downer tonight at dinner, and even before. I'm sure Jenny could tell something was wrong.”“Oh yeah she could. She thought that you and I had an argument. Your daughter is quite perceptive. After meeting her now, I have to say, you two do favor one another. Alan is one lucky man and judging how he dotes on her, he knows it too. They do make a nice couple. I just hope I made a good impression with her. I wasn't to talkative tonight.”“Well, I think you'll get a few more chances this weekend to really win her over. But I can tell she likes you already. If she talks a lot, she likes you. Had she just sat there and not talked much, then that means she doesn't want anything to do with you.”“You know, last night, I was so lonely without you next to me. I hugged my pillow thinking it was you. Except your body is a bit more muscular. I had so many plans for tonight, with us ending the night in bed making love. I want too, but I don't want to do that until we know what is going on down there.”My hand was stroking her back, when I said, “I don't know about you, but this is making love Baby. I'm not in this for the sex. I'm in this because of love. Holding you close, telling our feelings to each other, that is true love making in my book. I'm not too good with stuff like this, but I have never felt this way for another human being. We'll have plenty of time for lovemaking, and dare I say, some naughty sex.”She snuggled even closer and let her hand rub on my chest and belly. “Thank You. You make me feel so loved. I love you Mark. Oh and I like what you wore under your pants. You do look sexy in these boxers.”“I love you too Carolyn. Now get some sleep. We have a long weekend ahead of us. That is if you want me around all the time.”“Of course I want you around the whole time. Not sure about sleeping together. Daddy may have a hard time with that one.” then giggled.Chapter 19.In the morning we agreed to take separate showers instead of together. We both agreed it would be too tempting, had we gone in together. She did tease me though by removing her shirt and slowly saunter into the bathroom, giggling the whole way. I would say My Carrie was back.Her parents flight was due in at 4pm. I told Carrie I needed to catch up on a few things at the house, but would be back in time to go with her to pick them up. She must have texted me twenty times, just saying I love you. That made me feel good.I picked Carrie up at 3pm and went to the airport to meet her parents. She was very happy today. A far cry from yesterday's somber mood she was in. She was wearing a maroon cashmere sweater and black slacks. I too had black slacks on and a blue crew neck sweater. The whole trip there she held my hand, as she did once we were there and waited.Like all airports now, you had to wait down in the baggage area. It took about 10 minutes after their plane arrived, before we saw them coming down the escalator. Once Carrie spotted them, she pulled me along until they were on top of us, and went and hugged her mom, then her dad.Then Mrs. Reynolds gave me a hug and a kiss, and said I still looked like I did when we met in Norfolk all those years ago. Chief shook my hand then said, “You ain't giving me no damn hug son.” I just laughed and told him, “Not in your life you crotchety old bastard.” which made us all laugh.After arriving back at Carrie's, we saw that Jenny was there waiting for us. Alan was with her, but I could see the tension in his face. The old man did scare the shit out of him. I took him aside and told him, just to relax, but show no sign of fear to the chief. He eats that shit up. He sort of laughed and said, oh sure, easier said than done Mr. Roberts. I told him for now on, call me Mark. Save the mister for the other guy.We all then went to dinner, after the couple relaxed a bit after their flight. It was one of those chain restaurants. We all had a good time and of course, Chief had to regale us with stories when I was aboard the Lincoln. That's when Jenny asked about the “don't shit where you eat comment”, but cleaned it up some because of her mom and grandma there. Chief went on to explain about this one newly appointed petty officer I had an eye on. After he finished, everyone laughed, only because he made sound more colorful than it actually was.After we got back to Carrie's, the girls busied themselves in the kitchen, leaving myself, Alan, and the Chief alone in the living room. I could see Alan was a bit apprehensive about being in there. I'm sure he was never prepared for anything like this in college.  “okay you two Shitbirds.” chief started out. “Those three fine ladies in there mean the world to me. And two of them, for some ungodly reason happen to like you two. All I ever wanted for those two is complete happiness. If you can't give them that, leave now, otherwise, I need a promise to never ever hurt them, no matter what.”“You have my word on that Chief. Never doubt that.” I said, as the chief then nodded once to me. Alan then looked at him and said, “Sir, my only intention is to make Jenny happy, so I promise.” Chief just glared at him. Alan was unsure of what he said, but knew he didn't like something. I looked at Alan and said, “Alan. Relax. Just don't call Mr. Reynolds sir. Non Com's, noncommissioned officers, like we both were, do not like getting called sir, by anyone. And Chief, chill out, he isn't military.”Chief just chuckled. “Yeah, and don't call me Mr. Reynolds. Makes me feel old. Call me John for now on, or at least until you guys make it legal between those gals in there, then we'll figure out what you call me then. And Alan, you did good kid. You didn't break, like so many Seaman have, right out of boot camp.” then just smiled.Just then the girls came back from the kitchen with drinks. From that point on, the mood was light and cheerful. I just sat back and watched how this family interacted. They are like most families, I guess. Since it is just my sister and myself, except for an uncle and aunt and three cousin's, I really couldn't tell you what a big family is like. Mine though, is quite boisterous and not afraid of speaking their minds on any subject.About an hour went by when Jenny and Alan said their goodbye's. They were going to the football game the next afternoon and wanted to get some sleep. We sat up a bit more with John and Connie, telling a lot of what we did up in the mountains. Well, not everything, or I am sure, he'd have killed me by now.I was getting up, so I could make my leave too, when Carrie asked me to join her in the kitchen. I had no idea what she wanted, but went with the flow and followed her in.“I don't want you going back to your place tonight. You are sleeping with me, unless you don't want too.” she said, giving me her little pouty face she likes to do now and then.“I'm not sure how your parents will feel about that. I don't want to cause any trouble for you, or me either.”Carried just chuckled, “Don't worry about them. I am 41 you know. Plus, me and mom talked out here. She knows you and I have slept together from almost the beginning of us meeting. She is fine with it, and she'll take care of dad. As she put it, “That boy is over the moon for you Honey. Treat him good and he'll treat you like a queen.” So don't worry. But, we can't play around. That would be too weird.” and we both laughed softly at that.Carrie then grabbed my hand and walked towards the stairs, to go upstairs. “Night you two” she said as she passed by them. Her mom said night, but Chief just grunted something. I am pretty sure I will get an earful, next time we are alone.Once in the bedroom, Carrie went to her dresser and opened a drawer, pulled out pajamas. They were blue, red, and white checkerboard style print. She said she went shopping today and got these. She is wearing the top and the bottoms were for me. She stripped down to just her panties, which for once, were not thong style. She still looked sexy as all get out. I stripped too to my boxers and t-shirt. She then went to the bathroom and came out a few minutes later. I followed suit and did my business. She let me know there was a toothbrush on the sink for me, that she just got too.When I came back out, she was already in bed and awaited me. I crawled in next to her. We kissed and held each other close. Like I said when the first time we slept in a bed together, I could definitely get used to this.“Mark Honey. I need to apologize for yesterday. I was so wrong to try and push you away from me. I would have been crushed had you just said  okay, and left. But you didn't. That told me right there how much you love me. So thank you for being here for me. I love you Mark. It grows stronger every minute of the day. I wish right now we could make love, but until I know what is really up with this, we're going to have to take a rest from that. I hope you understand.”I leaned in and kissed her forehead and pulled her tighter to me. God, I love the way she feels.“Sweetheart, you need not apologize for anything. It has to be a shock to you, that is for sure. But, I will always be there for you, no matter what. We'll see this through, together. As for making love right now. This is making love, I believe. The sex is just the icing on the cake, so to speak. Plus, if you think I would have sex with you, with your parents just down the hall, you are crazy.”Carrie was just about to say something, when we both heard a light thumping sound. I started to chuckle, but Carrie said shush. It was definitely a rhythm thump going on.I chuckled and said, “You're kidding right?” Carrie laughed quietly and said, “Oh yeah. I think dad and mom are doing the horizontal hula. Trust me Hun. As far back as I can remember, they are one horny couple. I hope when I am their age, I still want it that much.”Carrie's hand reached under the waistband of my bottoms and boxers and started playing with Mr. happy. “God, I wish this was inside me now. “ She stroked it a few times so it was now almost hard. Then she rolled over on her side, so we could spoon. I too lay on my side and pulled her into me, so our bodies melded together. My hardness nestled up against her beautiful ass, which she then wiggled a bit. My arm lay over her and rested on her tummy. She took that hand and brought up, and inside her top and placed it on her one tit. My hand instantly enveloped her tit and held it gently. “God. I love your hand there” she cooed. “Night Mark. I love you” “I love you too Carrie”To be continued, by T. Foxal.

लोकसभा में आज ऑपरेशन सिंदूर पर चर्चा, कांग्रेस को मिला चर्चा के लिए लगभग 3 घंटे का समय, जस्टिस यशवंत वर्मा की याचिका पर सुनवाई, SIR को चुनौती देने वाली याचिकाओं पर सुप्रीम कोर्ट में सुनवाई, उत्तराखंड में त्रिस्तरीय पंचायत चुनाव के दूसरे फेज़ का मतदान आज, उत्तर प्रदेश के एक शिव मंदिर में भगदड़, बिहार का कुख्यात अपराधी मारा गया और अमेरिका-यूरोपीय संघ के बीच बनी व्यापार समझौते पर सहमति, सिर्फ़ 5 मिनट में सुनिए सुबह 10 बजे तक की बड़ी ख़बरें

राजनाथ सिंह लोकसभा में बोले ऑपरेशन सिंदूर पर, विपक्ष की तरफ़ से की गौरव गोगोई ने बहस की शुरुआत, सुरक्षा बलों ने की 'ऑपरेशन महादेव' के तहत बड़ी कार्रवाई, सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने SIR पर रोक लगाने से किया इनकार, अमानतुल्लाह खान की मुश्किलें बढ़ी, टाटा कंसल्टेंसी सर्विसेज ने अपने करीब 2 फीसदी तक कर्मचारियों की छंटनी की, थाईलैंड में हुई फायरिंग और एंडरसन-तेंदुलकर ट्रॉफी के पांचवे मुक़ाबले के लिए इंग्लैंड ने टीम का ऐलान किया, सिर्फ़ 5 मिनट में सुनिए शाम 4 बजे तक की बड़ी ख़बरें

Carrie and Mark settle in to everyday life.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.“Oh Mark. I have never been made love to like that ever. It was perfect. Everything you have done so far has been perfect for me. I don't think you have one selfish bone in your body. I need to know though, are you scared of all of this?”“Carrie, I have never been more scared in my life. Not even over in the sandpit, with bullets flying all around. Had you not said I love you back to me, when I made my declaration, I would have been crushed. I've never, ever let anyone into my heart, like I have let you in. Am I scared now? A little. I know you said it the other night. Well, you told me to catch up with you because you were already there. But over time, I thought you may have some misgivings for saying, since we were in the heat of the moment then. But all the little things you have been doing, or saying, led me to believe you really were. And, I wanted to make it special for you. This whole day when you weren't around me, all I could think of was you. I wondered what you were thinking when you took your bath before, or what you were doing and thinking when you left this morning. Let's face it, we haven't been alone with our own thoughts for a week now.”She leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips, then said, “Mark. I knew from that first kiss. Then when we made love the first time, I was in heaven. It wasn't sex between us. It was more. Since that time, we have done nothing but make love and my heart races every time I see you. I was so scared when I said that the other night. Did I push you away from me? Would you just say, screw this, I'm outta here. But the big thing for me was when we were at the winery, and you went up to the bar to get us those samples. Your eyes smiled at me the whole time. You didn't even look at that girl, who I thought was really hot, but just kept looking at me. You made love to me right then. Am I scared. Yes. I want this more than anything, but I don't want to be hurt again. I lived that. But, you are not him. You are so much more than he could ever be. I was eye candy for him, and a fuck, and nothing more. My heart is now yours, please don't hurt it.”I rolled to my side and looked deep into her hazel eyes, then kissed her. “You know what turned me on the most today?” “No, Baby, I don't” “When I saw you after you came back from your day in town. My God, you looked so sexy and stunning to me. You are such a beautiful woman, and not just physically, but all around. I wanted to take you then, but then that would have downplayed this evening. I never tried to be romantic with anyone before, and I so wanted to seduce you tonight.”She giggled. “Well Mr. Marine. You succeeded in every way tonight. I'll tell you. When I saw the robe, then the candles lit by the bathtub, I got super horny. I wanted you so bad then. Then when I shaved down there, I felt incredibly sexy. I even came after that. But when we took off our robes and I saw you in those boxers, I damn near raped you. But dancing really did me in. I almost told you then I loved you. But I am glad I waited now.”As she talked, her hand was now on my cock, stroking it back to life. When I was hard again, she leaned in and kissed me, then pushed me to my back. She kneeled and straddled me and slowly sat down on me, engulfing me with her velvet like inner walls of her sex.“Baby?” she whispered. “This has been an amazing night. But now I need to be a little naughty. A couple should be able to let loose some and enjoy sex too. I love lovemaking, but I also love to fuck Mark. But only with someone I want to give myself too, completely. I want to fuck your beautiful cock. I want to feel your cum spray deep inside me and, I want cum all over it. Fuck me Baby. Make me your Lover.”I arched my back up and drove in deep in her. “Oh Fuck. You are so deep.” She started moving up and down, faster and faster. “Oh god I love this. My favorite position too.”She leaned down and started smothering me with kisses. Moaning as we fucked. I did too. Her head slipped to the side of mine and whispered. “You like my tight little cunt, don't you Babe. Your cock is a perfect fit for it. My cunt loves your cock. Oh God Mark. ““Oh God Babe. Your cunt is so tight. I love it and always will. Fuck me Carrie.”She sat up and started grinding hard on me now. Neither of us was going to last long. I sat up and took her one tit in my mouth and sucked hard.“Oh Christ. Suck my tits Baby. I Love that so much”She started pounding me harder now, as I continued sucking it, then switched to the other. Her arm went behind my head and pulled me in tighter. My hands were holding her luscious ass as I did this. My one hand went exploring and touched her ass, which made her moan really loud. I slipped it down to her cunt and got it wet as the finger rubbed against her lips and my cock. Then I brought it up to her brown hole and slipped it in.“Oh Fuck Baby. Yes. God I love you”She started cumming a minute later. Her head and body shook as she came hard, but somehow, she maintain the rhythm we had going. I was now getting close myself and could feel my balls tighten up, signaling my impending orgasm. “Oh Shit Carrie, I'm going to cum” I yelled out.She slammed down one last time, and then jumped off. Her mouth was over my cock in no time and was starting to suck me, when I erupted in her mouth. I had to have shot 5 or 6 good ropes into her hungry mouth. She didn't spill a drop, except at the end, a little dribbled out the side.She was kneeling now, getting ready to wipe her mouth, when I grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her to me and I licked it off of her face and then kissed her. The kiss was so hot and passionate. We were lost in that kiss for minutes, until she broke away, panting hard.We both lay on our backs now, still in a euphoric bliss from our love making. Carrie was very quiet. At first I thought she fell asleep, until I felt her hand grasp mine and squeeze it.“Are you  okay Carrie?”, I asked. “Actually, I am on cloud nine, as they say. I've never been made love too, like this, then opening up and letting go like that. I just hope you don't think I am some sort of slut. I want to explore all there is with you sexually and lovingly too.”“Babe. You are hardly a slut. Sex to me, is supposed to be fun too. You were amazing. But our love making, well, it's beyond words. To me, you are an angel. Quite the lady too. In bed, we can do whatever we please, as long as we both agree on whatever we do. One thing though, I can never share you with anyone. I don't believe I get jealous, but I could never share you with anyone, man or woman. I knew a couple in the service that did that. Got into swinging. No way. Not with someone I love and respect, like I do you. But just so you know, I really enjoyed the naughty Carrie. She is fun.”“Umm.. I may have to let her out more often then. Cuz naughty Markie, was turning me on too. But, you will never have to fear me wanting another. I am quite happy with who I am with. I will never deny you in bed either. Except, when I am sick, or you are sick. Sex just doesn't seem like fun then. But that's about it.”“Yeah, being sick and wanting sex, just doesn't seem to go hand in hand. I will never deny you as well. But, I'm a guy, so the prospect of me saying no is quite low.”She giggled, then said, “Well. Mister. You better never hold out in the oral department anymore. Oh Christ. That was unbelievable. I could take that all day long. And, I love giving too. I love how you taste.”“You're turning me on again Honey. How do you feel right now?” I asked“Horny” she giggled then. “Honestly. And don't freak when I say this. But I feel as though I am on a Honeymoon and you took your virgin bride to sexual highs she never knew existed.”I did chuckle. “Nothing wrong with that. To me, you are a virgin, or at least were. I don't care about your past. You are my first, and dare I say, only love for me.”“I like that” she replied. Then said, “Where do you see us in a year?”“Honestly. I never look to the future too much. But, I have been lately. I hope that you will be with me in a year, and maybe, just maybe, if you haven't tired of my Jarhead ass, we are right back here, spending it as a true honeymoon”She folded into my arms and kissed my cheek. “I think that could be a real possibility. This Squid actually has thought about it, and she doesn't think she'll ever tire of you. Piss me off at times, Yes, but never tire.”I then laughed, and she asked what was funny. “God, if your Dad could see us right now. He'd hang me.”“Nah. He knows I like you a great deal. He doesn't know we professed love yet. But he does like you, Mom told me that. Jenny knows too. I talked with her this morning. I sent her a selfie, after I got my hair done. She called right after seeing it. Then she starts out by saying, “Damn Mom, you look hot. I think someone is in love.” She's a pretty smart girl actually. I was supposed to face time with her earlier, but someone had me a tad busy. She wants to see you and talk with you.”“Oh great. She's the one person that scares me the most, and I want on my side. More so, than even your parents. Go ahead and call her now. It's only 10pm.”She giggled again. “Uh No. We better wait until tomorrow. This is the first time her and her boyfriend Alan have been alone for a long time. He was with his family last weekend. They have dated for a year now, so I am pretty sure, they are in the same place you and I are right now, naked and in bed.”“You  okay with that? I asked. “Oh yes. I like him a lot. He treats her with so much respect and I know they love one another. He's a good kid and dotes after Jenny. His world revolves around her. He is studying to become a food scientist. If they can last the ups and downs of college and still remain in love, I could easily see them married one day. Only time will tell. And don't worry about her liking you, she will. She knows I do, and so far have made me extremely happy.”She got up then and walked to the bathroom. Then came back with our robes. “Let's go cuddle on the couch, enjoy some wine and TV, before we call it a night.” And so we did.Chapter 15.It was morning now, almost 8:30. I never sleep this late. The only reason I was up was because I had to pee so bad. Carrie was still sound asleep. She was curled up and looked so peaceful. My thought was, “What in God's name does she see in me. I'm nobody special. Yes, I am in good shape and I do treat her with respect, but she is absolutely beautiful and had I known of her, somewhere else, I would have never even attempted to approach her. I wasn't in her league, or so I thought”But here I am, one week after meeting her, and totally in love. I could not even fathom life without her in it. But reality would soon be creeping up on us. I knew she would be leaving mid-week. Would this all end after she left, and had time to really think this through? Only time will tell.I padded to the kitchen and made coffee. As it brewed I stood looking out the back door window. The skies were an ugly gray. Rain was falling. We knew this was coming, after viewing the weather report last night. Today and tomorrow, rain.I then toasted a few bagels, and got out the cream cheese. Made us both coffee, and took it to the bedroom. As I walked in, Carrie was yawning and stretching. Her tit were in plain view, and look so delicious to me. She sat up, not bothering to cover up. “Good sign” I thought.“Good Morning Sweetheart. I thought you may enjoy some breakfast in bed” I said to her.“Oh Wow. I could definitely get used to this. Especially if you lose that robe.”We sat and enjoyed our breakfast. We also started talking about this coming week. Since it was raining today, we decided to go into town and take in a movie and then dinner at some restaurant. On Monday, we were to hike Algonquin Peak, but if it is raining, we'll need to find something else to do.She then said, “You know I leave Wednesday. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday that I made months ago, and I can't reschedule. It just takes so long to get in to see her.”“I know you were leaving then. But, I also am going to leave that day, with you. No sense hanging around here. Be bored to death, and I know me, all I'll think of is you the whole time.”“Awe. You are so sweet to me. But this is your vacation and you had it all planned out. Stay and at least hike some more of these mountains. I'll feel bad if you miss out on that.” she said with a pouty face.I just smiled at her and told her no, it was best I do head home. I had some major cleaning to do at my place. The house I have is actually an older farm house that was my grandparents. My grandmother outlived my mom and when she died, it was left to me and Ann. Ann didn't want it, so to be fair, I paid her the half she would have received, if we had sold it.The house was nice, but very outdated. Even the furniture was from the 60's. To me, it was cool, but my needs are simple. Ann has been bugging me for almost a year now to at least get some new furniture, if not update the whole place. My office is actually the dining room.I tell you this because I have never brought anyone there, especially a date. So bringing Carrie there, as it looks right now, is totally out of the question. As I told her this, she just laughed. She asked if I keep it clean, or was I a typical guy, and let things go until I can't stand it anymore. I told her I always keep it clean, it's just very outdated.“You big lug, I don't care about stuff like that. I will care if it smells like the gym on board a ship smells like. That is so gross.” and we both laughed.We finished our coffee and bagels, and set our cups and napkins on the nightstand. She pulled the cover down and asked me to slide in. We started kissing and making out some, when her phone rang. “Perfect timing” I thought. She looked at the phone and said, “It's Jenny. Hope all is alright. She is never up this early.”“She hit some button and I saw Jenny's face appear on the screen. Luckily, Carrie had the sheet up above her tit, and I was safely off to the side.“Hi Sweetheart”“Hi Mom. Hope I am not disturbing you.”“No Sweetie. You're good. We were just having breakfast.”“Oh. In bed too. I take it Marine guy is nearby.”Carrie laughed, “If you must know young Jen, he is right here, and his name is Mark, not Marine guy. But you knew that” “Hey just giving you a hard time. Hi Mark.” Carrie moved the phone over to where I could see her and she see me. I had just put the robe back on, so I was decent.“Hi Jenny. Very nice to meet you. I must say, you are as pretty as your mother.”Jen smiled; “Thank you. I hope to get to meet you when you two get back from your little vacation.”“I would say that is a very good possibility, unless your Mom gets rid of me by then. Lots of mountain tops she could push me off of, up here.” I said with a laugh.Carrie turned the phone back to her and said, “What did you two do this weekend? Is Alan still there?”Jen smiled this sly smile “Yeah. He is still asleep. We went to dinner and a late movie, then came back here. The main reason I am calling is that Papa called a bit ago, or I'd be sleeping too. He and grandma are coming up next weekend”My eyes got real big, but Carrie just chuckled, “That's great. When are they coming in?”“Friday evening, and staying here for a few days, then going to aunty Bev's for a few days. And Mark. Papa had a message for you. “Don't crap where you eat son.” He said you'd understand completely.”I just shook my head. Great. He's gonna shit when he hears his daughter and I are now dating.Carrie was laughing now. Jen wanted to know what that was about. Carrie said she'd tell her when she sees her this week. They carried on for a few more minutes as Jen filled her in on stuff. Now Jen did look somewhat similar to her mom, from what I could see on the phone. That same light caramel color, with long flowing brown hair, and a gorgeous smile. Alan should consider himself a very lucky man. They signed off then after saying goodbye's and Jen saying bye to me too, telling me to take very good care of her mother, or else.I asked, “Are you sure she isn't your blood daughter? You two look so much alike.”“I wish she was. But No. Her parents were Puerto Rican, so the skin color is close. She shorted too, only 5 foot 3. She is an angel. You think Dad dotes over me? Wait till you see him around Jenny. I feel bad for Alan. He's met Dad twice now and is scared shitless of him. But Daddy wants only the best for his girls.”“Yeah, well, I am wondering now what is he going to say about us being together. He still scares the shit out of me.”She laughed, “Oh I don't know. I'll let you know after I tell him how you been having your way with me this whole week.” then laughed some more. She then opened his robe, grabbed his semi stiff member and stroke it.She giggled, the looked at him and stated, “Umm, I wonder what he'd say if he knew I was doing this.”, as she lowered her head to my manhood and sucked the head in.“Oh God Carrie.”The PromiseCarrie and Mark settle in to everyday life, once they return from their week and a half camping and hiking trip, after finding love in those mountains.I asked, “Are you sure she isn't your blood daughter? You two look so much alike.”“I wish she was. But No. Her parents were Puerto Rican, so the skin color is close. She shorter too, only 5 foot 3.. She is an angel. You think Dad dotes over me? Wait till you see him around Jenny. I feel bad for Alan. He's met Dad twice now and is scared shitless of him. But Daddy wants only the best for his girls.”“Yeah, well, I am wondering now what is he going to say about us being together. He still scares the shit out of me.”She laughed, “Oh I don't know. I'll let you know after I tell him how you been having your way with me this whole week.” then laughed some more. She then opened my robe, grabbed my semi stiff member and stroke it.She giggled, the looked at him and stated, “Umm, I wonder what he'd say if he knew I was doing this.”, as she lowered her head to my manhood and sucked the head in.“Oh God Carrie.”Chapter 16.The rest of that day, and into Monday, it did nothing but rain. So exploring any of the mountain tops was curtailed. We pretty much hung around the cabin in just our robes that day. The only time we dressed was to go to dinner, down into town. Neither of us felt like cooking. It was very hard for me to resist getting Carrie naked and just making love all day, but she needed to know that our relationship, that we both professed our love for each other, was more than just a physical thing, but also emotional.You see Carrie is a very beautiful woman. She is 5 foot 7, 130 pounds, with caramel colored skin, almost like Halle Berry skin tone. Her hair is short now too, with blonde highlights mixed in with her brown hair. Totally sexy in my eyes. She has amazing legs that are long and toned and a great ass. What turns me on the most is her tits. They are a large A, or small B cup. I love a woman with small tits.I am 5 foot 10, 175 pounds, and been told by many, a handsome man. I keep in shape, and that is because after spending 20 years in the Marines, you get used to working out. It's just ingrained into your fabric. I was single too, for all of those years. Never had a serious relationship, except for a semi one, back in my 20's, when I lived with a girl for a few months. But she didn't enjoy my deployments too much and wanted more. It was mostly a sex thing for us, and a place for us both to crash, when we were screwing.But now, a week and a half later, I am totally in love with this goddess, and she with me as well. What is funny too, I know her parents, or to be more specific, her father. He was a Master Chief in the Navy, and was on the aircraft Carrier Lincoln at the same time I was, years ago, when I was a Staff Sergeant in the Marines. Great guy too, but could scare the hell out of you. Carrie too, was in the Navy back then, but I do not think we ever crossed paths, since she worked on base, and, was also married back then to a Seal, which she now divorced from.Like I said earlier, we only got dressed that Sunday for dinner, then that Monday, a day we were supposed to visit another Adirondacks peak, it rained as well. We did go driving around and admired the countryside and had a fine dinner at the Italian restaurant we found the previous week.Then on Tuesday, we decided to go horseback riding. We found a place about 20 minutes from the cabin, near Lake Clear. We had a great time exploring the area by horseback. I have to admit, my ass was quite sore by the time we got through, as was Carrie's. There was a few times I would hang back, behind her and admire her ass as it bounced up and down in the saddle.She looked back one time and caught me. “God, don't you ever tire of looking at my big ass?”I just chuckled and told her, “Hell No. I love your ass, and it is hardly big. Remind me later to massage it for you, because if mine is sore, I know yours has to be.”“Maybe I will let you. Not sure if I want you touching it later. Now get up her next to me.” then whispered to me, after I got close, “You be a good boy, and I'll let you see it naked later.”, then laughed and rode away from me.After our ride, we stopped in this tavern that also featured home cooked meals. We both decided on burgers and fries. Normally, we both try to stay away from fried foods, but, as we both found out from talking, we like to cheat on occasion.By the time we got back to the cabin, nighttime was upon us and this was our last night together. I know we both pledged our love to one another, but after tonight, she may get a dose of reality when she got back home, and say, “No way” to being in a relationship. For me, I was all in. I never wanted anything more in my life, than to be with this beautiful, smart, witty and energetic woman.After getting into the cabin, I started a fire in the fireplace and Carrie went off to the bedroom, to get ready to shower. After I had a nice fire going, she came out in her robe and asked me to join her. As we washed each other down, removing the horse smell from our bodies, we kissed and held each other. We both took turns drying each other, then donned our robes and made our way to the couch. Before I sat down, I went and got us each a glass of wine.“Mark?” she said, and I looked at her. She had a tear on her cheek, for which I lightly brushed away. “What's wrong Honey?” I asked.“This is our last night here. This has been the best vacation I have ever experienced. Had you told me two weeks ago that I would meet the man of my dreams, I would have said you are so full of shit. But here I am, sitting next to you. I am so in love with you and I am also scared silly about tomorrow.” she explainedI knew what she meant, when she said she is scared. I am too. We get back to our real lives and the fantasy just fades away. She was deeply hurt all those years ago and opening up and allowing someone in, has to be tough for her to do. For me, it is a new experience. One I have never had before. If it does end, it will hurt, but I know I can move on from it, I think.“Carrie. I'm scared too. Once we are home and reality sets in for you, you may say, screw this. I have never opened up to anyone in my life, except for you. I just hope that you will grow with me. I'm going to make mistakes. You may want something, but I'm too stupid to know and understand, but like anything in life, you learn. One thing I will promise you and this is I will always be true to only you. I love you and will never do anything to hurt you.”“Oh Mark. No man has ever made me feel this way. We'll take each day as it comes and just know I will never hurt you as well. But be forewarned now, I can get bitchy. I don't mean to be, but it happens and when it does, just leave me be, and I will be fine. I think the hardest part of tomorrow is going to be not being with you, especially at night. After a week of sharing a bed together, and feeling so close to you, it is going to suck not having your arms around me tomorrow night, or this weekend. If I didn't have that appointment Thursday, I'd let you stay with me tomorrow, but I know us, we make love, and since this is a gynecologist I am seeing, sex wouldn't be the most prudent thing for me to do. And then this weekend, with my parents in town, I'm not sure what they'd say about us sleeping together.”I laughed, “Yeah, I could just see the look on your dad's face when we told them goodnight and padded off to bed. As for sex. We don't always have to have it you know. I mean I'll never turn it down, but I also know there is more to us than just sex. But tomorrow after we get home, and then at night, we'll probably both be too tired to do anything. Plus, like I said, I need to straighten up the place. One thing though. On Thursday, I would like to take you and Jenny to dinner, Alan too. That way, she has someone there who she is comfortable with, just in case she can't stand me.”“Oh Stop. She is going to love you. I'll call her tomorrow and set it up. Now! Take me to bed for the last time here and hold me Baby. I want to fall asleep in your arms.”Chapter 17.We got up early for some reason, and took a shower together. I still marvel at this exceptionally beautiful woman. She makes my heart race anytime I am near here. And when we are naked, it quadruples in magnitude. We did not have sex, but we did hold and caress each other until the water started turning cold.We were then packed and on our way home. She drove in front of me for the next 4 hours. We did talk on the phone a couple of times. The last time was just before my exit, which is a couple before hers. I called her and told her I would call her later and that I loved her. I could hear in her voice, a hitch, just like I had in mine. I missed her already and I had just exited from the roadway.Once I was home, I did a load of laundry, then went and started dusting and vacuuming the place. Not a thing I do a lot of. Of course my sister always comes over and does it at times, and bitches me out when she does. I then cut the grass, which was needed after two weeks of not touching it. It takes two hours to cut this lawn, and that's with a tractor. While I was cutting, I did miss a call from Carrie. She also texted me, just saying she was thinking of me and loved me. I texted back apologizing that I didn't answer her and explained why, and that I would call her later.We did talk around 6 that evening. She too was busy with housework and laundry. She strip the beds, not knowing which bed Jenny and Alan slept in. I had to laugh at that. She chuckled too but said, “It's one thing to sleep in our wet spot, but I'm surely not sleeping in theirs.” Which made me laugh hard.About 10 that night, I called her. She was lying in bed, reading a book. She conveyed to me that Jenny was ecstatic over meeting us for dinner and really happy I had included Alan. They were going to meet us at Carrie's at 6pm tomorrow. I told Carrie we would try Delmonico's Steakhouse, which was kind of close to her.She chuckled and said, “Oh fancy place. You know, you don't have to take us there. There's a nice restaurant right down the street from us.”“That's cool. But I want too. How many college kids can go to a place like this. Plus I have always wanted to try it, but, I'm not going alone. Ann said the food is excellent there.”“Speaking of Ann, did you call her and inform her that you are bringing someone Sunday?” she asked.“Oh yeah. She is so excited now. She can't wait to meet you. I told her that your parents were going to be in from Florida and I didn't know what plans they had that day. She said to bring them along too. The more the merrier.”Carried giggled, then said, “I don't know if your sister has a clue what Dad can be like. Just don't bring up politics. He thinks they are all thieves and liars.” which made me laugh.Then she got quiet. “Anything wrong? You are quiet now “ She sighed, “No, just missing lying next to you, with your arms around me. I feel so safe then. I love you Mark”“I love you too, Carolyn, and I do miss being with you. It was a very long day without you near me.” I told her.“It was a long day for me as well. I don't know how or why this happened between us, but I am so happy that you are in my life now. Maybe tomorrow night, you can spend it here with me, if you want too.” she said.“I think that can be arranged. You know what I do miss? You calling me Jarhead. When you say it, it means something to me.”“I told you, after last weekend, I was done calling you that, but if you insist, I'll just call you JH.”“I insist Squid. Now get some sleep. Just know, I love you Carrie and I am holding you in my dreams tonight.”Chapter 18.I knew Carrie had an appointment at 11am, so I didn't want to bother her, but did send her a text, after I got up and said good morning and I love you. She replied instantly to it, saying she was about to shower and get ready and she loved me too.I was pretty proud of myself. I dusted and swept the whole house. Not that I am a slob, but those are two jobs I really don't enjoy doing. Hell, living alone and never having people over, except for my sister, afforded me the luxury of not caring too much to do that. But with Carrie in my life, I guess I need to change my way of thinking.I then immersed myself in a project that I had been working on for this one company. I needed to do something to keep my mind occupied, since I would not be seeing her until later in the afternoon. I was surprised though, that by 3pm, I hadn't heard anything from her. I hope all went well with her doc appointment.I had told her that I would be over by 5:30, so we could spend some time alone, before Jenny and Alan showed up. By 4:30, I was shaved, and showered, then dressed for the evening. Since it was cool out, I wore dark blue pants, and lighter blue shirt, with a dark blue sport coat. I wanted to look good for when I met Jenny, and convey, I'm not some unkempt slob, who was dating her mother. I'm generally a jeans and t-shirt, or sweatshirt, kind of guy.I couldn't stand the wait any longer and decided to arrive a bit sooner. I got to her house at 5:15, so just a little bit early. After ringing the doorbell a few times, Carrie finally opened the door. Although she smiled when she let me in, I could tell something was amiss with her. After a brief hug and quick kiss on the lips, we stood back from one another.Carrie was wearing a burgundy pleated dress. It came to just above the knees. The neckline plunged just a bit, with white lace around the edges, with short sleeves as well. She looked radiant.“Wow. You look absolutely beautiful Sweetie.” I told her. She just said thanks, but that was it. Then said she had to finish getting ready. My antennae was now up. I could sense something was wrong. This girl was always so bubbly, and that definitely was not the case now. So I just walked around her living room, looking at pictures on the wall of Jenny, and her parents, and some people I had no clue of who they were. Then just took a seat and waited for her.For me, this was something new. I did not know what to say or do. Did I do something wrong, that may have upset her? Who knew, but this was not the Carrie I just spent almost two weeks with, had fun with, and made love too on many occasions. So I'm basically a fish out of water now. I made up my mind to just go with the flow, and when she is ready to talk, I'll be there, and hopefully, understand what is going on.Of course, my fear was she was going to end this between us. She had time to reflect and said that this wasn't worth it. If that is how she felt, then who was I to pursue it any further. I don't want to be with someone who did not want the same as me. Sitting there waiting, makes your mind think weird ass things, like I just did. Then again, maybe it wasn't anything and she is just having a bad day, or is nervous about me meeting Jenny.She finally emerged from wherever she was in her condo. When I saw her, she looked the same, so I have no idea what else she could have been doing. She walked into her kitchen and got a bottle of water, then asked if I wanted one too, which I kindly said no too.I finally got the courage to ask, “Is there something wrong?”She looked at me and had a sullen look on her face, then finally said “No. Guess I am just tired from all the prodding and poking today. I'm sorry I am not more upbeat.”I got up and went to her and wrapped my arms around her, “If you want to cancel tonight, that would be okay with me. We keep go out with them some other time, when you are feeling more up to it.”“No. No. I am fine. It will be fine. We'll go have a fun night with them. Jenny is so looking forward to meeting you.” she said, as she pulled away from me and went into the living room. “We'll talk later tonight, when we get back.”I knew from how she stated it, something was wrong. But, being a dumb man, I have no clue as to what. I didn't want to piss her off by asking questions. Maybe something at the doc's. I guess when she is ready, she will let me know. I walked up next to her and grabbed her hand, just to let her know I was there for her. At that point, her front door opened and in walked Jenny and Alan.Jenny was definitely a looker. I would say 5 foot 3, maybe 110 pounds, brown hair and eyes, and the cutest dimples. She did have bigger boobs than her mom, but since she was adopted, that made sense. But the irony of how much the two looked alike was uncanny. Alan was a good looking guy too. He had that German look to him. Blond hair, blue eyes, chiseled face and stood about 6 foot, but maybe weighed 170 pounds, if that.After making the introductions and some small talk, we left her condo and headed to dinner in my truck.At dinner, Carrie seemed to be her normal self. Well, at least the normal I had seen for the last two weeks. Jenny was regaling us with stories from her college life and some of things her and Alan had been doing of late, except for the sex part. I don't think Carrie, or myself, needed or wanted to know those details.As dinner was finally coming to an end, I had to admit, I was kind of quiet. I just let the three of them guide the evening and the conversation. Jenny did inquire what I actually did for a living, so I explained it to her. She was impressed, as was Alan. I tried not to let my concerns for Carrie, or our budding relationship ruin the evening. In my heart though, I had a bad feeling, this would be the last time I would see these three people.Near the end of dinner, Carrie announced that she needed to use the ladies room. Alan also said he need to use the facility, which then left just me and Jenny. I wasn't sure what to say to her, so I let her make the first move on talking.  “okay Mark. What's up with mom? Did you two have an argument or something?” Jenny asked.I shook my head, “Jenny. I have no idea what is wrong tonight. When I arrived this evening, she was down for some reason and won't tell me why. Yesterday we were fine, but ever since her doctor visit, she has changed. Maybe she has done some thinking and decided a relationship is not what she wants. Until she tells me, I am in the dark.”Jenny reached over and touched my arm. “I don't know either, but I do know that she and I talked last night for an hour and she is head over heels in love with you, and says you are with her as well. Are you Mark? Are you in love with my Mom?”“Nothing has changed for how I feel for your mother Jenny. I am in love with her. But, if she has had a change of heart, then I will abide by her wishes. Maybe we moved too fast. I don't know. To be honest Jenny. I have never been in love before, so this is a new territory for me. But if she had time to reflect now, and feels this isn't what she wants, well, I don't want to force anything like that on her. I just want her happy.”Jenny just shook her head, “I can't believe her mind could change like that. Something must be wrong and she just needs time to process it. Maybe you two can talk later. When we get back to my mom's, Alan and I are going to leave, and give you two some space to talk. Oh, and by the way, Papa really does like you. He thinks you are a good man.”Just as she said that, Carrie was walking back. Alan came a minute later. The waitress came around and asked if any of us wanted dessert, but we all begged off, since our meals were so filling.On the way home, Carrie was pretty quiet. In fact, you could probably cut the tension with a knife, that was between us. Jenny and Alan were pretty quiet too. I'd have done anything to hear some funny story either of them may have had right then.After arriving back at Carrie's condo, we all got out and Jenny said that they needed to get going. Carrie said she wished they could stay longer, but the kids said they had some homework they needed to finish up, but would see us this weekend. Of course my mind didn't think I would be involved with this family get together.As they left, Carrie turned and headed to her door, and I followed. Once inside, she asked if I wanted anything to drink, which I kindly declined. She went to the kitchen and got a bottle of water then rejoined me in the living room. I wanted to get this over with, so I started it off.  “okay Carolyn, please tell me what is wrong. I need to know.” I said in a somber voice.“Let's sit” she said, and we both did. She faced me and I could see a tear starting to form in her eye. My stomach became a knot now. My fears were now becoming reality, at least in my mind.“I wish I knew where to start, but I have to say, that no man has ever made me feel the way you make me feel. But I really think we need to step back and take a break for now.”, then she started crying. I reach for her, but she backed away. That made it feel like a knife was just plunged into my heart.“Carrie. How can you go from being so in love, to wanting to take a break, just like that. There is more than what you are telling me. So please tell me what has caused this sudden change in feelings.”She was still sobbing, trying to get her emotions under control, then finally looked at me and said, “Mark. They found a growth on one of my ovaries today. After the Pelvic exam, she did and ultrasound and found it. They want me to see a specialist next Tuesday then do some testing.” then started crying again. This time she let me pull her towards me. I knew this isn't good, but this is also something that can be taken care of. I had a cousin once have something similar to this and they removed a cyst the size of an egg from her, and she was fine then.“It's  okay Carrie. I'm sure it's nothing that medicine or an operation can't take care of.” I told her.“And what if it isn't Mark? What if it is cancer. Why should you be saddled with that in your life. We've known each other not even two fucking weeks. Although the best two weeks of my life. But this is not something you need to be part of. Your best bet is to turn around, walk away and get on with your life, like I never existed.” and started crying again.I pulled her into me again and held her tight. Her head was buried in my shoulder, and I caressed her hair and let her cry. I mean, if I was in her position, I'd probably tell her the same things. But I may not know her completely, but what I know of her already, she has a fierce loyalty to people she cares for and loves, and I know she wouldn't walk away either.After letting her sob some more, I gently moved her back, and away from me, so I could speak to her. “Sweetheart. There is no way I am letting you do this alone. Granted, we have only known each other for two weeks, but in these two weeks, you have captured my heart with every fiber of your being. I am in love with you Missy. People who love one another don't turn tail and run because of something traumatic happens to the other person. You stand with them, be their support and showed them love, for that is the only thing that can help get you through this. I have been a Marine for all of my adult life and one thing that is ingrained in us, from the time of our first day in boot camp, is that you never let the man next to you, or when you are a sergeant, your platoon, you never abandon them. No man is ever left behind. You're wounded Honey, so I will not leave you behind, so get used to that. When this is all over and you still feel this way, then you can tell me to hit the bricks.”She just stared at me, and while trying to compose herself, she gripped my hand in hers. “It's not fair to you Mark. What if it is cancer and it can't be fixed, then what? You going to just wait around and watch me die? You could be out finding that right person, instead of babysitting me.”“Stop it Carrie. You have no idea what it is. It could be a simple cyst, that meds could take care of. But one thing I do know, I will be with you this Tuesday, and any other day you need to have something done. I will be the first person you see when you wake up. But I will be there and I will always be there for you. I love you.”“Mark. It's not fair.” she shouted, then started crying again. “You're right. It's not fair. But who said life is. But I am not walking away. In fact I am more in love with you now, than I was 20 minutes ago. I don't know about you, but I have every intention of growing old with you. We have too much to do with our lives. So baby doll, I am not leaving you, Not ever.”“Carrie. Do you love me?” I asked. “Damn you Jarhead. You know I do.” she said. “Good. Don't you ever hold back something like this again from me. I won't either from you. But Babe, we can only help one another if we are open and honest with each other. Why don't you go get ready for bed. I'm not going home tonight, but I will sleep on the couch.”She shook her head and got up. As she did, she reached for my hand, “You are not, nor will you ever sleep on the couch. Your place is beside me in bed. I'm so sorry for ever thinking you would want out of this. I do love you Mark. More than you will ever know”She led me up the stairs to her bedroom. We both stripped off of our clothes. I had on the white silk boxers she got me. She put on this long t-shirt with a Minion on the front. She looked cute. We both used her bathroom then climbed into bed, where she snuggled up to me and let me hold her close. Her head rested on my chest.“Mark?” she said softly. “Carrie?” I answered back. “I am sorry. I promise never to do that to you again. I'm also sorry I was a Debbie Downer tonight at dinner, and even before. I'm sure Jenny could tell something was wrong.”“Oh yeah she could. She thought that you and I had an argument. Your daughter is quite perceptive. After meeting her now, I have to say, you two do favor one another. Alan is one lucky man and judging how he dotes on her, he knows it too. They do make a nice couple. I just hope I made a good impression with her. I wasn't to talkative tonight.”“Well, I think you'll get a few more chances this weekend to really win her over. But I can tell she likes you already. If she talks a lot, she likes you. Had she just sat there and not talked much, then that means she doesn't want anything to do with you.”“You know, last night, I was so lonely without you next to me. I hugged my pillow thinking it was you. Except your body is a bit more muscular. I had so many plans for tonight, with us ending the night in bed making love. I want too, but I don't want to do that until we know what is going on down there.”My hand was stroking her back, when I said, “I don't know about you, but this is making love Baby. I'm not in this for the sex. I'm in this because of love. Holding you close, telling our feelings to each other, that is true love making in my book. I'm not too good with stuff like this, but I have never felt this way for another human being. We'll have plenty of time for lovemaking, and dare I say, some naughty sex.”She snuggled even closer and let her hand rub on my chest and belly. “Thank You. You make me feel so loved. I love you Mark. Oh and I like what you wore under your pants. You do look sexy in these boxers.”“I love you too Carolyn. Now get some sleep. We have a long weekend ahead of us. That is if you want me around all the time.”“Of course I want you around the whole time. Not sure about sleeping together. Daddy may have a hard time with that one.” then giggled.Chapter 19.In the morning we agreed to take separate showers instead of together. We both agreed it would be too tempting, had we gone in together. She did tease me though by removing her shirt and slowly saunter into the bathroom, giggling the whole way. I would say My Carrie was back.Her parents flight was due in at 4pm. I told Carrie I needed to catch up on a few things at the house, but would be back in time to go with her to pick them up. She must have texted me twenty times, just saying I love you. That made me feel good.I picked Carrie up at 3pm and went to the airport to meet her parents. She was very happy today. A far cry from yesterday's somber mood she was in. She was wearing a maroon cashmere sweater and black slacks. I too had black slacks on and a blue crew neck sweater. The whole trip there she held my hand, as she did once we were there and waited.Like all airports now, you had to wait down in the baggage area. It took about 10 minutes after their plane arrived, before we saw them coming down the escalator. Once Carrie spotted them, she pulled me along until they were on top of us, and went and hugged her mom, then her dad.Then Mrs. Reynolds gave me a hug and a kiss, and said I still looked like I did when we met in Norfolk all those years ago. Chief shook my hand then said, “You ain't giving me no damn hug son.” I just laughed and told him, “Not in your life you crotchety old bastard.” which made us all laugh.After arriving back at Carrie's, we saw that Jenny was there waiting for us. Alan was with her, but I could see the tension in his face. The old man did scare the shit out of him. I took him aside and told him, just to relax, but show no sign of fear to the chief. He eats that shit up. He sort of laughed and said, oh sure, easier said than done Mr. Roberts. I told him for now on, call me Mark. Save the mister for the other guy.We all then went to dinner, after the couple relaxed a bit after their flight. It was one of those chain restaurants. We all had a good time and of course, Chief had to regale us with stories when I was aboard the Lincoln. That's when Jenny asked about the “don't shit where you eat comment”, but cleaned it up some because of her mom and grandma there. Chief went on to explain about this one newly appointed petty officer I had an eye on. After he finished, everyone laughed, only because he made sound more colorful than it actually was.After we got back to Carrie's, the girls busied themselves in the kitchen, leaving myself, Alan, and the Chief alone in the living room. I could see Alan was a bit apprehensive about being in there. I'm sure he was never prepared for anything like this in college.  “okay you two Shitbirds.” chief started out. “Those three fine ladies in there mean the world to me. And two of them, for some ungodly reason happen to like you two. All I ever wanted for those two is complete happiness. If you can't give them that, leave now, otherwise, I need a promise to never ever hurt them, no matter what.”“You have my word on that Chief. Never doubt that.” I said, as the chief then nodded once to me. Alan then looked at him and said, “Sir, my only intention is to make Jenny happy, so I promise.” Chief just glared at him. Alan was unsure of what he said, but knew he didn't like something. I looked at Alan and said, “Alan. Relax. Just don't call Mr. Reynolds sir. Non Com's, noncommissioned officers, like we both were, do not like getting called sir, by anyone. And Chief, chill out, he isn't military.”Chief just chuckled. “Yeah, and don't call me Mr. Reynolds. Makes me feel old. Call me John for now on, or at least until you guys make it legal between those gals in there, then we'll figure out what you call me then. And Alan, you did good kid. You didn't break, like so many Seaman have, right out of boot camp.” then just smiled.Just then the girls came back from the kitchen with drinks. From that point on, the mood was light and cheerful. I just sat back and watched how this family interacted. They are like most families, I guess. Since it is just my sister and myself, except for an uncle and aunt and three cousin's, I really couldn't tell you what a big family is like. Mine though, is quite boisterous and not afraid of speaking their minds on any subject.About an hour went by when Jenny and Alan said their goodbye's. They were going to the football game the next afternoon and wanted to get some sleep. We sat up a bit more with John and Connie, telling a lot of what we did up in the mountains. Well, not everything, or I am sure, he'd have killed me by now.I was getting up, so I could make my leave too, when Carrie asked me to join her in the kitchen. I had no idea what she wanted, but went with the flow and followed her in.“I don't want you going back to your place tonight. You are sleeping with me, unless you don't want too.” she said, giving me her little pouty face she likes to do now and then.“I'm not sure how your parents will feel about that. I don't want to cause any trouble for you, or me either.”Carried just chuckled, “Don't worry about them. I am 41 you know. Plus, me and mom talked out here. She knows you and I have slept together from almost the beginning of us meeting. She is fine with it, and she'll take care of dad. As she put it, “That boy is over the moon for you Honey. Treat him good and he'll treat you like a queen.” So don't worry. But, we can't play around. That would be too weird.” and we both laughed softly at that.Carrie then grabbed my hand and walked towards the stairs, to go upstairs. “Night you two” she said as she passed by them. Her mom said night, but Chief just grunted something. I am pretty sure I will get an earful, next time we are alone.Once in the bedroom, Carrie went to her dresser and opened a drawer, pulled out pajamas. They were blue, red, and white checkerboard style print. She said she went shopping today and got these. She is wearing the top and the bottoms were for me. She stripped down to just her panties, which for once, were not thong style. She still looked sexy as all get out. I stripped too to my boxers and t-shirt. She then went to the bathroom and came out a few minutes later. I followed suit and did my business. She let me know there was a toothbrush on the sink for me, that she just got too.When I came back out, she was already in bed and awaited me. I crawled in next to her. We kissed and held each other close. Like I said when the first time we slept in a bed together, I could definitely get used to this.“Mark Honey. I need to apologize for yesterday. I was so wrong to try and push you away from me. I would have been crushed had you just said  okay, and left. But you didn't. That told me right there how much you love me. So thank you for being here for me. I love you Mark. It grows stronger every minute of the day. I wish right now we could make love, but until I know what is really up with this, we're going to have to take a rest from that. I hope you understand.”I leaned in and kissed her forehead and pulled her tighter to me. God, I love the way she feels.“Sweetheart, you need not apologize for anything. It has to be a shock to you, that is for sure. But, I will always be there for you, no matter what. We'll see this through, together. As for making love right now. This is making love, I believe. The sex is just the icing on the cake, so to speak. Plus, if you think I would have sex with you, with your parents just down the hall, you are crazy.”Carrie was just about to say something, when we both heard a light thumping sound. I started to chuckle, but Carrie said shush. It was definitely a rhythm thump going on.I chuckled and said, “You're kidding right?” Carrie laughed quietly and said, “Oh yeah. I think dad and mom are doing the horizontal hula. Trust me Hun. As far back as I can remember, they are one horny couple. I hope when I am their age, I still want it that much.”Carrie's hand reached under the waistband of my bottoms and boxers and started playing with Mr. happy. “God, I wish this was inside me now. “ She stroked it a few times so it was now almost hard. Then she rolled over on her side, so we could spoon. I too lay on my side and pulled her into me, so our bodies melded together. My hardness nestled up against her beautiful ass, which she then wiggled a bit. My arm lay over her and rested on her tummy. She took that hand and brought up, and inside her top and placed it on her one tit. My hand instantly enveloped her tit and held it gently. “God. I love your hand there” she cooed. “Night Mark. I love you” “I love you too Carrie”To be continued, by T. Foxal.

听前提示一、每期提供10个单词，每个单词都会有2-3个例句，方便理解记忆。二、每个单词和句子都会重复5遍，其中第2遍为慢速，有助于识别。三、本材料的整体难度较低，可以用来听力磨耳朵和单词查漏补缺。Day 1121111.Helpv.帮（援）助；有助于；救命n.帮助（手）Please help me take this lid off.请帮我摘下这个盖子。'Can I help you?' he asked pleasantly.“我能帮你吗？”他愉快地问道。Good morning, Sir. How can I help you?早上好，先生。我能帮你什么？1112.Helpfula.有帮助的，有益的，有用的Your advice is always helpful to me.你的建议对我总是有帮助的。She thanked him for his helpful advice.她感谢他的有益建议。1113.Heread.在这里；这时；在这一点上I've lived here all of my adult life.我成年后都住在这里。Her work is superior to anyone else's here.她的作品比这里的其他任何人都要好。If it's convenient, please come here tonight.如果方便的话，请今晚过来。1114.Heron.英雄，勇士；男主角，男主人公You guys are my heroes.你们是我的英雄。1115.Herspron.她的（所有物）The red pants are hers.红色裤子是她的。His income is double hers.他的收入是她的两倍。She insists the money is hers.她坚称钱是她的。1116.Herselfpron.她自己；她亲自，她本人She could see herself reflected in his eyes.她可以从他的眼睛里看到自己的影子。She is proud of herself for finishing college.她为自己完成大学学业而感到自豪。She wrote a note to remind herself about the appointment.她写了一张纸条提醒自己这次约会。1117.Hesitatev.犹豫，踌躇；含糊，支吾He hesitated a moment before answering.他在回答之前犹豫了一会儿。1118.Hidev.隐藏，躲藏；隐瞒n.皮革，兽皮I have nothing to hide.我没什么好隐瞒的。Let's play hide and seek.让我们玩捉迷藏。She couldn't hide her disappointment.她无法掩饰自己的失望。1119.Higha.高的，高度的，高级的 ad.高高地How high is the Eiffel Tower?埃菲尔铁塔有多高?We only sell high quality products.我们只销售高质量的产品。The building is over 100 meters high.这座建筑高度超过100米。1120.Highlyad.高度地，很，非常；赞许地I highly doubt that.我对此非常怀疑。Fever is highly contagious.发烧具有高度传染性。This gas is highly poisonous.这种气体毒性很强。

पीएम मोदी के तमिलनाडु दौरे का दूसरा दिन, मनसा देवी मंदिर में मची भगदड़ के बारे में सीएम पुष्कर सिंह धामी ने क्या बताया, 6 साल बाद मातोश्री पहुंचे राज ठाकरे, धर्मांतरण को लेकर इलाहाबाद हाईकोर्ट का फ़ैसला, छत्तीसगढ़ के बीजापुर में 4 नक्सली ढेर, कल से शुरू लोकसभा की कार्यवाही, सुप्रीम कोर्ट में कल SIR को चुनौती देने वाली याचिकाओं पर सुनवाई, ब्रिटेन पीएम कल मिलेंगे डोनाल्ड ट्रंप से, थाईलैंड-कंबोडिया के बीच सीमा विवाद को लेकर आज चौथे दिन भी लड़ाई जारी और भारत-इंग्लैंड के बीच मैनचेस्टर टेस्ट का आखिरी दिन, सिर्फ़ 5 मिनट में सुनिए शाम 4 बजे तक की बड़ी ख़बरें

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A Hiking Accident brings Mark and Carrie Together.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Mark and Carrie never met before, until an accident to Carrie, brought them together, and now maybe for good.Chapter 1.I'm Mark. 39 years old, single, a computer geek who is lucky enough that I can work from home, and make my own hours. I wasn't always like this. When I was 18, I had a choice, jail or join the service. I just made some bad decisions back then, doing drugs and getting in fights. So I opted for the Marines. I spent 15 years with them, and advanced to Master Sergeant, which is the fourth highest position an NCO can go. Served 3 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are true shit holes. Great thing about the service, besides 3 square meals a day and a place to sleep, you can be taught almost any useful job in the world, which is where I learned computer programing.Now I pretty much free-lance my abilities out and make a good wage. Most times I have jobs to do, but sometimes I don't and have lots of free time. If I do have jobs, I can make my own hours.I don't have a steady woman at this time, and I am  okay with that. Being deployed all the time, whether it was in the Middle East, or on some ship with a bunch of Squids, I really had no time for a relationship.I had been out almost a year this past August, when I decided I needed some down time. I decided I was going to the Adirondacks and do some hiking. I grew up outside of Syracuse NY., and have always wanted to go there. My one uncle owns a cabin up there and offered it to me when he heard I wanted to go hiking up there. He told me it had one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen, and a living room with fireplace. It had running water and electricity. He warned me that I would need to turn on the hot water tank, since they shut it down last fall, after they used it last.I had decided that I would take two weeks to explore all the different mountain ranges this area had, finishing up at Mt. Marcy, the highest of them all. Since it was just after Labor Day, tourism should be at a low, with vacationers and school kids back into their routines. My plan was to hike daily, a different range, and if need be, camp out at night. Being a Marine, we are taught all types of survival skills, so this would be no problem for me. One thing my uncle did ask me to do, is stop at the Ranger station and let them know I would be occupying the cabin for a length of time. People sometimes like to use squatter rights and just use cabins, regardless if they are allowed, or not.I also like that the temperature doesn't get to warm up there either. I prefer cool nights and just warm days. Maybe it's because of my time in that hell hole of the middle east. My trip took almost 4 hours to get to where I wanted to go.Chapter 2.The skies were quite cloudy when I pulled into the Ranger Station. I got out of my truck and headed to the stations door, and when I opened it, a woman was coming out at the same time and we bumped into each other. We both apologized, then laughed, and then she continued on to her vehicle.After letting a ranger know where I was going and for how long, I exited the station and headed back to my truck. That's when I noticed her again. She was 5 '7, maybe 130 lbs., caramel colored skin, hair just past her shoulders, when she let it down. From the side, she did not look like she had very big boobs, they were smallish medium, just the way I actually like them. She was wearing camo style shorts, and a tan polo shirt. Boy, she had nice legs, long and muscular, very toned. If I had to guess her age, early 30's. Whoever was getting lucky with that, was one lucky son of a bitch. One thing I did notice, she was wearing white running shoes, and not hiking boots. Judging from the backpack she was attempting to put on, she was going hiking and camping out. Running shoes are not the smartest thing to wear hiking. No ankle support what so ever.As I drove off, I stole another look at her, as I drove by. Great looking ass. Bigger than a model would have, but smaller than many of the women I have seen in my lifetime. I exited the parking lot and started heading up Whiteface Mountain. My uncle's cabin is up about 4 miles from this point, on a long and windy road. If I had to guess, it would be about a third of the way up the mountain, and only because of the road, which I believed was cut out by a snake.Once I arrived, I unloaded everything into the cabin. Found the circuit breaker and turned them on, especially the hot water tank. Too many cold showers in my life, so no need to suffer this time now. One thing I did notice too, the temp was cooler up this high. It was around 70 down by the station, but I bet it dropped a good 10 degrees.Next, I unload my coolers, which had meats and eggs, butter, and all of the necessities needed to eat well. I had enough for 2 weeks, if not more. Also brought along two 12 packs of beer as well, and water. Man I love roughing it.After stowing away my gear and food, I checked the place out. Nice queen size bed, in the bedroom. They even had TV, which I could care less about. May to use for the weather is all I can see a use for it. I'm not one to sit and watch TV much, except for football and maybe playoff baseball.I then went and checked the area out. The back porch had a gas grill on it, plus what looked like a cord of wood. I figured if I used any, I could go into town and buy some to replenish, unless Unc had a chain saw, then I would do my own. I then went for a small hike just around the area.I did not want to venture to far today. It was already after 4pm, and the skies were really getting dark, so some rain, if not storms, were moving in soon. About a 1/4 mile into the woods, was a hiking trail, well used too. I wondered if that lady was on this trail, if she even made up this far yet. If she did, she better start preparing her campsite for the weather that was due in soon. I kept hiking for another 30 minutes before heading back to the cabin. I figured a good early start in the morning, may get me to the top by the afternoon, early evening.Chapter 3.I was now back from my little hike and relaxing, but also getting hungry. I settled on frying up some home fries and grill up some Polish kielbasa. I cooked up the potatoes first, and then set the pan in the oven and set it to warm. Then took the meat out to the porch and fired up the grill.It was a little after 6 now and the wind had really picked up and the skies hung low, full of rain that to start shortly. As I waited for the grill to heat up some, I thought I heard someone cry out. At first I thought it could be just the wind, but then I heard it again.I stepped off the porch and headed towards the trail, behind the cabin. As I got on the trail, I heard the cry again, but this time could make out the word Help. I yelled out for the person to keep yelling, so I could judge where it was actually coming from.Whoever it was, must have heard me because the Helps were coming more quickly. I was at least a good half mile now from the cabin when I came upon a woman, lying on the ground, holding her foot. It was the lady I saw down by the ranger station when I first arrived.When she saw me coming she said, "Oh Thank God. I wasn't sure anyone could hear me.""What happened?" I asked. "Oh stupid me wasn't watching where I stepped and then all of a sudden, I'm on the ground from twisting my ankle." she explained, then went on,"I tried walking on it, but damn, it hurts. I don't think it is broken." I kneeled in front of her and took off her shoe, then her wool sock, and could see the ankle was swollen and just starting to turn a little purplish. I'm no doctor, nor was I corpsman in the service, but I have had my share, and have seen many a sprained ankle, and this sure did look like one.After looking at it, I looked up at her face and could see the pain written all over her gorgeous face. I then gently removed her backpack, which had to weigh a good 25 to 30 pounds. "Christ, what the hell is she carrying in this.", I thought. Then I put the backpack on over my shoulders. Just then, the rain started. "Great, just what I needed", I thought."Oh damn. This isn't good. What are we going to do now?" she asked."First off, grab my arm and let's get you up, then we'll hike back down to my cabin, which I think is about a 1/2 mile from here." I said. "By the way, my name is Mark" She retorted back to me "Carolyn, or Carrie to my friends, which you are fast becoming."With my help, she stood up, using her good leg. Now I am not a tall man, 5' 10 175 lbs., and still in great shape, since I work out 4 times a week. I then asked her to put her right arm around my neck and I would hold her waist, and we would try and keep all the weight off of the foot.We did quite well actually, and she didn't complain one time. Only twice did we have to stop and rest a minute. That didn't matter, we were both soaked to our skin by now, and it was quite chilly out. What should have taken maybe 5 minutes to walk, turned into almost 25 minutes, by the time we got back to the porch of the cabin. At one point, I felt I should have just carried her fireman's style, just to speed this up.We then entered the cabin. Luckily it was still pretty warm in there, but I knew that wouldn't last long. I guided her over to a leather chair and had her sit. Then went and got some towels to at least dry off some of the rain.I then went into the bathroom and saw that my uncle had 2 inch wide medical tape and some gauze. I went into my pack and pulled out some Aleve. I came back out, got some water and then handed her the medicine. Then I knelt down and removed her shoe again, sans the sock, since we didn't put that back on. I carefully dried her foot and ankle, and then wrapped gauze around it, then taped it up.After I finished, I could see she was shaking from being cold now. Both of us were soaked to the skin. I went into my uncles dresser and looked around. My aunt had a set sweats in there. I hope they fit her. My aunt is only 5'4, but is big chested, so the top should be fine. I also pulled out some socks for her as well. I then looked in the closet, and in the back, found a pair of crutches. Uncle's family comes up here a lot to ski, so crutches would be a wise investment, especially for my one cousin Carol, she is a klutz.I came back into the living room and looked down at her. " How does that feel now Carrie""Still hurts, but not like it was, and thank you." she said. I extended a hand to her and told her to grab it, then pulled her up. "I got you some clothes to change into, and these crutches. The shower is down the hall. A good hot shower should help you warm up a bit . Also, take this baggie and wrap it around your foot and ankle and tape off the top, to keep it dry.""Oh My God, you are so nice. I am so sorry for being a pain in your ass, but thank you so much."She trudged down the hall to the bath. I couldn't help but look at her great legs and chubby ass as she went. I did notice she wore no wedding, or engagement ring, so that was a good thing. Just before she opened the bathroom door, I told her I was going to finish making dinner. She just grinned, but said nothing. Before I did that though, I pulled out some sweats. Both the top and the bottoms had the Marine logo on it. Those sweats last forever.I had to reheat the fried potatoes and then went and relit the grill. The kielbasa was done in about 10 minutes. So when I came back in, she was still not out of the shower. "Women", I thought. They take so friggin long to get clean. Although I did have some thoughts about how she looked in the shower.I had just finished setting the table, when she arrived back out in the living room. The sweat top was definitely too big for her, yet looked cute. The sweat pants were a little snug and stopped short about two inches from the top of her feet. She was like staring at me, but didn't speak."Is something wrong?" I asked. "No, not a thing, except for those Jarhead sweats you have on.""What? You don't like Marines?" She laughed and said, "They are okay, but to a Navy gal, they don't get my motor running""Oh shit. I helped a god damn Squid? Christ sakes", then laughed, and so did she. "Come on, let's eat"I asked her what she would like to drink, which was limited to beer or water. She chose a water, as I did too, and sat down to our little feast.Chapter 4.She was quiet at first, so I broke the silence and asked her "So Miss Carrie, and I presume Miss, what has you up here by yourself?"She chuckled then spoke " I love hiking and always wanted to come explore these mountains. And Yes, I am a miss. Divorced actually, 5 years now. I have a 20 year daughter too, who attends Syracuse University.“Good God” I interjected; “How the hell did you ly you way into the navy as a 10 year old? You can't be past your early thirties!”I spent 14 years in the Navy. I was also a Navy brat too. My dad and mom live in Pensacola, after he retired from the Navy as a Master Chief. I left the Navy 7 years ago, but that's another story."She took a drink of water, then continued. " I live right outside of Syracuse now, mostly to be close to my daughter. We adopted her when she was 3 years old. I couldn't have kids, and she was orphaned when her parents were killed in an auto accident in Norfolk. What about you Mr. Mark?"I smiled at her and looked her right in the eye, which were hazel in color. "Let's see, I spent 20 good years in the Navy, and then retired from it. I did pick up a good vocation, programming computers, so that's what I do now. Mostly free-lance myself out. I make a good wage doing it. My uncle owns this cabin and I needed a vacation, so I too, wanted to explore here. I took the next two weeks off and hope to finish up on Mt. Marcy. I grew up just east of Syracuse and moved back there. Both of my parents are deceased now, and I have one sister, who is two years older than me"She then asked, "What did you end up at?""An E8, Master Sergeant,” I answered. “and you?"She chuckled and said, "E8 as well, Senior Chief. How many deployments?""3 tours in the sandpit, then countless boat rides. Served on the George Washington and the Lincoln, and ended my career at Quantico.""Oh shit. My dad served on the Lincoln too, John Reynolds. Master Chief of the Boat."I laughed and said, "I know your old man. I served with him on the Lincoln for 6 months. At the time I was a E6 (Staff Sergeant), but I got to know him well. I even got to meet your mom too, when we got done at Norfolk. Beautiful lady and not being forward, I can see where you get your looks. Your old man had a way with the crew. They all respected him and did anything he told them to do. I can still remember his one saying, "Son. Don't fail me, or I will open a can of whoop ass on you.” Usually scared the shit out of some teenage kid"She laughed and said, "Yeah, he did have their respect, but at home he was a teddy bear, at least to me and mom. I remember in high school, any boy I would date, he would just stare at them, which usually scared the shit out of them"We laughed and told stories about our time in the service. Then I did the dishes up while I had her go relax on the couch. When I finished, I asked if she would like a beer now, which she gladly accepted. Before I came out with the beers, I wrote down my name, address and phone number, and handed it to her."What's this for?" I told her, "Look. You were injured and I would like you to call your family and tell them and that you will be staying here tonight. Plus give you peace of mind that you are not bunking with some crazy guy in the woods. So let them know that info, and all should be good."She chuckled then said, "Well, for one. all of you jarheads are crazy, so I am not too sure how safe I am with you, but so far, you haven't shown any craziness. But I will call my daughter and let her know."She then called her daughter and explained the situation to her. They chatted for about 10 minutes or so. Her daughter must have asked her if I was cute, because she softly spoke, "yeah. pretty cute" After that she hung up her phone and sat back on the couch."I want to thank you again for saving me from a very bad situation. I know I have to be a pain in the ass to you, and you weren't planning on someone screwing up your vacation like this." Carrie said."Number one, you are not a pain in the ass at all, and two, you haven't screwed anything up. I rather enjoy your company, if I am being honest here. Granted, I came up here alone, but now I have made a friend, or at least, an acquaintance, and if I may add a very beautiful one at that..Carrie blushed, "Thank you. I mean for a Gyrene, you are pretty nice, and a bonus, you can cook too. How come some pretty woman hasn't snatched you up?"I just chuckled at that, "Well, you know how it is in the service. Always deployed to some ungodly place, or never being able to put roots down in one place. That's not fair to anyone. Plus, there has been no one who really rocked my world. The closest I came was living with this one girl for like 6 months, but she opted out after seeing me off to Iraq, and just couldn't handle the unknown. When I got back 8 months later, she was long gone. Never heard a word from her either, except for the letter she left behind. So from that point on, I just dated here and there, nothing steady. And now, I haven't really looked. You say you are divorced, what happened there, if you don't mind telling."She smiled, and when she did, her whole face smiled. Her almond shaped eyes were to die for. A man could get lost in those eyes. I know I was. I also wondered if she had a special man in her life. If so, he was a complete idiot for letting her go on this by herself. Not to keep her safe, or anything like that, but just to be with her."We met at Pensacola when I was just 2 years into my first term. He was a Seal. So of course he hung the moon and stars. But growing up Navy, I knew what this entailed. We had a great marriage, at least I thought we did. Only when he got deployed, did I get scared. You know how it is with them, they are not going to some amusement park. When he got transferred to a base, I got one too, since I worked in procurement and distribution, it was no big deal."She took a swig of her beer and breathed out, then continued. "We tried having kids, but I came to find out that my tubes were closed and I couldn't have any. So we started looking at adoption and then about a year later we were informed about Jenny. Her parents killed in an auto accident and she had no living relatives. We took her in as a foster child and then about a year after, we adopted her. Things were going good for us. We both got transferred to Norfolk, and luckily, Dad was stationed there too, but as usual, out on a boat. Then Jack started to change. He became withdrawn and started drinking more."I put my hand on her shoulder and told her she didn't have to continue. I knew this story well, which was one of the reasons I never settled down. Seen to many start drinking, and relived the action in their heads, and shut out their loved ones."No. I'm good. Any ways, about 9 years ago, he went on deployment and was gone a month. Who knows where, but called the night before and said he'd be home around 1700 hours. I was excited, yet nervous too. So, and I can't believe I am telling you this, (chuckled), but I left work early that next day. I wanted to make it special for him. Jenny was going to stay with my mom. So I left around 2 and went home. When I got there, his car was already in the drive. We lived off base then. So I rushed from the car and went inside. I didn't see or hear him, so I thought he was upstairs. Oh God... (chuckling again), I stripped down and figured I would surprise him being nude. I walked silently up the stairs and saw the bedroom door closed. Then I heard muffled sounds, so I opened the door, and there he was, on the bed. But he wasn't alone. Our neighbor Joann, who lives two doors down, was there too. She was on top of him fucking him.""Oh shit Carrie, I am so sorry" This must have been bad for her, because tears were streaming down her face now. I didn't know what to do actually. I am not good with women crying, and since I hardly knew her, I knew not to reach out and try and hold her.She fought through it and smiled a little, "It's  okay, it really is. Joann was a divorcee and always flirted with the husbands around her. Lord knows how many time she and Jack fucked before I caught them. I shouted at them, which startled them both and I told her to get her skanky ass out of my bed. Then I told Jack to pack his things and get out. He did too, never saying a word to me as he did. About a month later, he was transferred to San Diego. I know in my heart, my dad had something to do with that. He had many big wig contacts. It took 2 years for the divorce to be finalized because he was never in the area. I had just ended my time in the service and wanted to get away from there. Dad and mom had already moved down to Florida, so I had really no one, so why stay. The next 5 years, I lived down near my parents, so I could give Jenny a new start, like me. Then she said in her senior year she got accepted to Syracuse. I was working for a big fabric company, in logistics and put in for a transfer, since they had a big distribution center up here. Another good thing is, my mom's mother still lives in Syracuse, and I have lots of cousins I never knew I had until now.""Wow", is all I could say at first. "Now you see why I never married? Could have easily happened to me, but I come home and find her sleeping with some asshole." Then I chuckled, which turned into a laugh. "What's so funny?""When I was aboard the Lincoln, I was hitting on this young petty officer. Your dad took notice and pulled me aside. "Son. One thing you never do is shit where you eat. So keep your cock in your pants and stay away from them broads. Remember, you knock one up and they'll throw you in Leavenworth for destroying government property." I took him to heart too, that, and the fact your old man scared the shit out of me."She sat there and laughed and laughed, "Yep, that's my dad. Gruff and to the point. He must have liked you, otherwise he'd let you screw up on your own and not say anything to you."It was now going on 10 pm, and she was getting real tired. I went into the bedroom and found a sheet and a blanket, and took one of the pillows off the bed. I came back out and threw them in a chair. I reached my hand out to her, so I could help her stand.  “okay Squid lady, you take the bunk in the bedroom and I'll be out here." She shook her head, "No way Mark. I'll sleep out here.""Please just take the bed. You'll be much more comfortable in there, than on this couch. I'll be fine. In the morning we'll have breakfast and see how your ankle is. Maybe you should take a couple more Aleve too.""See. I told Ya. I am a pain in the ass." and huffed, as she got her crutch and started moving towards the bedroom. I just stared at her ass as she hobbled away from me. "God damn, what an ass", I thought to myself.After she went to the bathroom, I heard the bedroom door shut. I got my area ready for sleep. As I lay there, I could just think how sexy she had to have looked coming into the bedroom naked, ready to fuck her husband silly too. My cock started growing then, just thinking how hot I bet she looks naked. But, there was no way I was going to pound one off now, with her just down the hall.Chapter 5.I awoke the next morning around 6 am, which is about normal for me now. It used to be 4:30am, when I was in the service. But I don't run and do workouts like that anymore. I still work out, but nothing crazy like that. After relieving myself, and getting rid of the piss hard, I went out to the kitchen and opened the back door. It was quite chilly out and still raining. Now that could put a damper on the day. I thought I should check the weather a little later, once Carrie got up.I was on my second cup of coffee, and had bacon in the oven when I heard the bedroom door squeak open. Then a few minutes later, the toilet flushed. So I got up and started the stove to cook some eggs. As I was preparing to cook, Carrie came into the kitchen. I turned when she said good morning, and was awe struck. All she was wearing was a red, plaid flannel shirt that came about mid-thigh on her. Of course my depraved mind wondered how sexy she looked without it, but I'll take this any day.One thing my mind did wonder about, was if she was wearing anything under it. When I went to pee last night before bed, she had draped her shirt, shorts and a black pair of thongs over the top of the shower curtain bar. Oh well, one thing to ponder over and never find out."Morning Squid. How did you sleep and how is the ankle?""I slept really well, actually. It throbbed at first, but this morning it feels so much better. Not even using the crutch. That bed is so comfy. Thank you again for letting me use it. And, thank you again for everything you have done for me. Even if you are a bonehead Jarhead.""Ouch. That hurts. And here, I thought you liked me", then chuckled. "Sit. Let me get you some coffee and the eggs will be done in a minute or so."We sat and ate, with little talk between us. Once we were finished, she made a remark about the weather looking quite shitty out. I agreed with her on that and told her I checked the weather channel, and it said it was going to rain all day today and finally move out this evening, then the next few days it would be clear and cool, up in the mountains."Well, I have another favor I am going to ask of you. Could you possibly drive me down to my car? Then I am going to rent a room for tonight and see how my ankle feels tomorrow. If all is well, I'll try and tackle this mountain again." she said.I looked up at her and smiled, "I was thinking." She laughed, "Now that will be a first. A Marine that thinks. No. Go on"I grinned at her, "I see you have your dad's wit too.... I was thinking, why don't we do this together. I mean, we get along well, and it would probably be more fun doing it together, than alone. Your virtue would be safe with me. And, not sure if you know this, but there are quite a few animals out there that don't really care for humans. Having a buddy around would make it safer."She sat and pondered for a moment, then after a bit, finally spoke. "You know, that isn't a bad idea really. But understand, I am not going to cook everything and do the cleaning, we share duties. As for my virtue, I think I am pretty safe with you. Plus, I have been around 41 years and done quite well, taking care of my own virtue. Plus, if I know Jenny, she was on the phone with dad and mom last night telling them everything that went on here. And daddy would hunt you down, if you hurt his little girl." then laughed at her remark.I started laughing, and shook my head. "What?" she asked. I calmed a bit and said, "Well, I should never try and do that age guessing game at carnivals. I'd lose big time." She grinned and asked what I thought she was. "When I saw you at the ranger station, I put you in your early 30's, not 40. Just a tad off I'd say."She laughed and said, "Yeah, just a little bit off, but thank you. I might like you more now."I told her the rest of my thoughts. After cleaning up and showering, we could go into Lake Placid. I need to get more tape and gauze, for her ankle. Some more food. And, she needed to buy some hiking boots, so her feet and ankles had better support. Depending on the time, maybe grab dinner down there too. Then pick up your car and drive it up here and we'll make this our base of operation. She laughed at the last statement and I asked what was so funny."Oh nothing, except, you can take the Jarhead out of the Marines, but you will never take the Marine out of the Jarhead, that's for sure. Base of operations? sheesh.", then laughed again.I started doing the dishes, and she joined me. Drying as I washed. I told her she didn't have to, but she said to shut up. I was beginning to like her more and more. I like a woman with spunk, and speaks her mind. Granted, I like a woman who is also feminine too, which I believe she is. There is 3 things I find so sexy in a woman. Her eyes. They hold the keys to her being. Next is her attitude. If she doesn't wilt when faced with conflict and then the sexiest is her ass and legs. If she has that, she is the total package to me. I just never found one yet. But now, I think I may have found one. Only time will tell.We decided to take off around noon, and about 20 minutes before we left, my phone chimed. It was a text coming through. Only a handful of people knew I was going up here, and any of the companies I was working with knew I was on vacation and wouldn't be available.I was sitting in the leather chair when I opened the text. It stated, "You fucking Devil Dog. Thank You for taking care of my baby girl. Just remember who her old man is and not take any liberties that I would not approve of." I sat there and started laughing. Carrie came out of the bathroom and asked what was so funny. So I showed her the text. She too started laughing."See. I told you Jenny would call them. She even gave them your number. Too funny."I texted him back. "You fucking OLD sea dog. Shock was an understatement when I found out who her old man was. Small world. We are going to tackle these mountains together. She'll be in good hands Sir." and I hit send.A minute later, the phone rang. Carrie laughed, then I answer it. "Sir? you fucking idiot. You save that for those weenie ass officers, who still need their mommy's to wipe their asses.""Aye Aye, Master Chief.""Mark. Not sure how you two stumbled onto each other, but actually I am glad. She's a tough girl, but knowing you are there makes my stomach calm a bit. I wasn't too keen on her doing this alone as it was. I know those woods. Lots of animals up there that don't take to humans, especially the cougars and bears. So please be careful.""We will Chief. No harm will come to either of us. Your daughter will be in good hands.""Now why'd you have to say that shithead. Remember what I told you back when you were eyeing up that young PO. It definitely goes for now (laughing). Seriously Mark. I know she is. Just keep my baby girl safe. And for now on, call me John. We served our time."  “okay John. I will. I'll let you speak to Carrie." and handed the phone to her. They chatted for a few minutes. I caught her rolling her eyes a few times, but she was also glad her dad had called.I wish I had a dad that care, like he did. Mine was a cruel SOB. I am not sure why my mom ever stayed with him. Hell, when he died, I did not even make an attempt to go home for the funeral. My sister did, but only because she wanted to be there for mom. I did go home for mom's, when she died a few years later.Carrie said her goodbye's, then handed the phone back to me. She just shook her head and then laughed. She kept on laughing then too. I was perplexed, as to what she found so funny.She calmed a bit, then said, "God Mark. When you answered the phone and heard his voice, you went parade dress attention. I bet you didn't even know you were doing it. It was so cute. But you know what, now that I really think of it, you are a lot like him in so many ways""Is that a bad thing?" I asked. "Hell no. Just funny though. He never liked Jack. Jack would never look him in the eye, and that bothered dad. Can't trust a man who won't look you in the eye, he used to say. Guess he was right. He must like you some, or he wouldn't have called you like that."Chapter 6.Carrie was dressed in tight jeans and a sweat shirt, This sweat shirt hugged her body nicely, and judging from the two peaks I saw, she wasn't wearing a bra either. Her ass was like a dream to me. Nice and full, and the way the seam disappeared into her as, just made me think of badly I would love to be those pants right now.We got the Lake Placid and found a sporting goods store. Inside, she tried on a few pairs of boot, until she found one she said really fit her nicely. Even the swollen ankle fit into it, which kind of surprised me. She also bought some socks. A couple of thin one's to use on her bad foot and some thicker woolen type socks. Of course they matched.Carrie also bought a new rain slicker, with hood, and I figured, what the hell, and bought one too. Mine was old and ragged looking. After our purchases, she sat down in a chair at the front of the store and put on her new socks and boots. She said she wanted to start breaking them in. Of course I asked how they felt around her injured ankle, and she said great, but who knows for sure.The rest of the afternoon, we did the basic sightseeing around town. Every once in a while, we found a place to sit, that was out of the weather, so she could rest her ankle. She said it felt fine, but never complained when I suggested a rest.By 5pm, we were both pretty hungry, so we started looking for a place to eat. We found this quaint little restaurant that served American flavor. I opted for a steak, and she did too. The girl could eat, but lord knows where it goes on her. We had a really good time while eating. We found out stuff about our early lives. Of course, hers was moving from base to base, and mine was not really giving a crap about school and getting into stupid trouble. She also found out how I detested my father when I was a teen.For me, this felt like a date. I usually am tongue tied during these events. But with her, I felt really at ease and conversations moved smoothly, like we have known each other our whole lives. One thing I did notice, that anytime her parents were mentions, she had this twinkle in her eye. She adored them, which was hard for me to understand. My parents weren't all that interested in what I did, and I pretty much gave up trying to get them to show me any affection or love when I hit 14, it just wasn't going to happen. To my mom, my sister was an angel, and I was the devil. For Carrie, she was their parents whole world, especially her dad.She had me in tears with some of the dumb things her dad used to do with her. Playing dress up and Barbies and such. If you knew her dad the way I know him, you would never think in a million years he would do things like this. For some reason, the more she talked, the more I was beginning to really like her, and I mean like in how a man wants to be with a woman. To share things with, and be with.We left the restaurant about an hour and a half later. The rain had stopped, so we decided to just walk around a little more. As we walked, she took my hand in hers, like two teens would do. Now I am not the type that shows public displays of affection. I never did that, only because I really never saw it from my parents when I was growing up. But, her hand in mine felt so good to me. Then she just leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.I looked at her with a questioning look. "Thank you again. My vacation could have been ruined, or even worse, still stuck up on that mountain side.""Actually" I said, "Maybe it is fate, we found each other. But I will say this. I really like being with you" She just looked at me and smiled, and gave my hand a little squeeze in acknowledgement."Mark? Weird question." she paused, then asked, "What's your perfect woman to be with?""Oh God" I said, "Actually, I don't want a perfect woman. I want one that when we are together, we can laugh, or cry, without feeling it's not right to do. I'd want one who is independent, and doesn't need me to keep her happy, but also, wants me in her life because I do make her happy, and she makes me happy too. She should be one with a strong mind and not afraid to speak her mind, or argue. But if we do argue, it is about something important in our lives, and not something petty, like I see so many do nowadays. When I commit to someone like that, I want that same commitment in return. It's either all or nothing, because I only want to do this once in my life, and as you can see, I have never found her, nor have I really looked all that hard either. And lastly, when we are apart, she is the only person I am thinking of, and wishing I was with her, even if it is occupying the same room with her...... What's your perfect man you want to be with ?"She laughed, then got a very serious look on her face. "To be honest, I am not sure anymore. I thought when I met, and then married Jack, he was the perfect man. Rugged, good looking, and always attentive, when he wasn't deployed. But as time wore on, he quit being attentive and acted like I was there to serve him. I felt as though I was raising two kids at times. I guess I want what you want, but in a man. I want it an equal partnership, and I base that on dad and mom, because they have that and always have, and it is what I grew up with. I want him on my mind 24 / 7 when we are apart, and when we are together, there is no one else alive that makes us happy, well except Jenny. I want to be able to look across the room at him and just make love with our eyes. I know, sounds corny, but that's what I want. As for love making, that's exactly what I want, love making. Pleasuring my man like no other woman can, and he pleasure me in the same way. To that end, it is a two way street. If you give 100%, expect to receive 100%. back. The last couple of years of marriage, now that I think back on it, it was mostly I gave, he took, and could care less about my needs at all, and I doubt highly he was even thinking of me then."With that, I just looked at her and said, "Well, sounds like we have some things in common again. As silly as this sounds, but this feels like a date we are on. But you know, it feels good. I'll be honest Carrie. I have never been in love before. I am not sure what that feels like. But I won't lie either, never have since being in the service, and I never will either, I like being with you.""Good to know Jarhead. I like being with you too. But, does my race bother you at all?""You're kidding right? I think you are one beautiful woman. And if I may be so bold, a very sexy one too. Granted, you have a better tan than me, but that's only because of my Irish blood. We don't tan well. All kidding aside, why would you ever think that it would bother me?""Oh Mark. I didn't mean it in a bad way but, when I was growing up, kids weren't so nice about, from both races. About 4 years ago, I was dating a guy and he met my parents. Even though mom comes from a mix race parents, she is darker than me, and when he saw that, he sort of just couldn't handle that. Since then, I haven't dated at all."I chuckled, then said, "Good thing I already know your parents and I like them. I definitely respect them even more. Back when they got together, and hell, even your grandparents, that was a lot harder to live with. People are so judgmental and mean. But No, your race means nothing to me. To me Squid, you are one Hot looking woman.""Keep talking like that Jarhead, and I just may let you stick around me another day or two."After driving back up to the cabin, our talk turned to our hike in the morning. We decided to look over the maps and see how we would tackle it and what to bring. I asked her if she minded sharing a tent with me. I told her it was a 4 man tent, and would lighten the load of the pack. She even agreed to that. My backpack was almost as big as the one I had in the service, which is called a rucksack. I will be able to get the tent and my sleeping bag in it, along with a small shovel and then a lighter, and food. If I pack right, I can get her sleeping bag into it and give her the lighter things like a coffee pot and water, and her carry the food. Just take enough for the day, and no more. Plenty of food bars and the such and canned stew. After eating M R Ees most of my life, canned stew is gourmet eating.Once we got back to the cabin, we laid out the map and plotted our course. Once that was done, I went and showered, then packed my pack. Carrie was showering then. I changed into just running shorts and a t-shirt. When Carrie finished, she came out wearing just a flannel shirt again. Last time she had it on, she had it buttoned all the way to the top, except for the last button. This time, the top 3 buttons were left undone. "Damn. She does look sexy like that." I thought.We packed up her backpack, with food and such, and even a change of clothes for the both of us. I recommended sweats for at night, since it will be chilly up there, but she also pack a flannel, which she said she prefers sleeping in. One thing I did pack in my pack, was my 9millimeter Glock. I have a permit for it, and I did inform the rangers that I was carrying it up there. Way too many wild animals that could prey on us. But, I did not tell Carrie this. Not sure how she would react. Hopefully, we'll never have to use it. One thing I did pack, was a roll of toilet paper. Carrie laughed at that one. But once you are in the field, like I have been on patrol, it's a comfort of home you want more than anything, and it beats leaves.After packing, we retired to the living room, where Carrie turned on the TV. Checking the weather first, then some sappy movie she liked. I got us some beers, to which she toasted, "To a great adventure tomorrow.", as we clinked bottles together. I then pulled out the ace bandage we bought earlier that day.As she sat on the couch, she placed her bad leg over her good one and let me take off the tape, It ankle was a bit swollen, but not like it was yesterday. It was very hard to keep my concentration on her foot, because of her sexy legs right there. "God, I wish we were lovers. I would love nothing more than to kiss my way to heaven right now." is all I could think about. But I pushed those thoughts aside, knowing my chances of that were quite slim, for now.Once I had her all wrapped up, I suggested she use the thinner of the socks tomorrow. She said her ankle feels really good wrapped like this. She then patted the couch seat next to her, for me to join her. She was sitting next to me with her legs folded under her. As we watched the movie, not much was said. We just enjoyed each other's company. I wondered if this how couples spent evenings together. I had never been in one before, and still am not in one, but this is close, I guess.I have never let a woman get that close, even the one I lived with. To her, I was a place to live and a fuck. And I viewed her pretty much the same way. We never got mushy or even showed PDA. We just existed together and pretty much fucked. Of course, back then, I was in my 20's and sex was all I had in mind. Not once was, I love you, ever spoken between us.... When the movie ended, Carrie stretched and said she was tired and needed some sleep."So Jarhead, you take the bunk tonight and I'll use the couch.""No. You take the bed. Please. I am fine out here. This couch is pretty comfortable actually." though I was lying through my teeth. The couch sucked. But I was raised with some manners, mostly obtained in the Marines."God. You Gyrene's are so bull headed. Next time, I take the couch."I don't know what possessed me, but I leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, and as I got close, she turn her face to me and it landed on her lips. It was a quick one, intended for her cheek.I stammered then saying, "Sorry. That was meant for your cheek. And thank you for a great day. I really like being with you"She giggled, then grabbed my face with both of her hands and kissed me on the lips."I prefer the lips to a cheek, any day of the week Grunt." then stood and walked towards the bedroom. I couldn't help but watch her fine looking legs and ass, as she disappeared down the hall, saying good night to me, softly.Chapter 7.I was up at 6am. I got coffee going and changed into jeans and a polo shirt. About an hour later, I heard the toilet flush, so I started breakfast, It was best to eat a big breakfast, since lunch would consist of power bars and water.Carrie came out in the same flannel that she had on the night before. "God this woman makes me crazy for her. " I thought. One thing I have noticed, she is not big with wearing make-up. She doesn't need too. She's one of those women who could easily go without it. I bet she is smoking hot when she is made up.After eating, I did the dishes up, and she went and changed. The weather called for a daytime temp of 70 and tonight in the 50's. But on the mountain top, it would be in the 40's.Carrie came back to the living room, dressed and ready to go. She had on a pair of khaki shorts, that hugged her frame nicely and a light green shirt, and judging from the way the nipples were poking through, no bra. This could be a long hike today. I must keep my mind out of the proverbial gutter.I asked how her ankle felt, and she said fine, just a little bit of stiffness. I told her we would rest as many times as she thought it was needed. It should take about 4 or 5 hours to get to the top. After putting on our gear, which included now, a thermal mat to put under the sleeping bags my uncle had, we left, making sure the cabin was secure.The trail we chose was not all that hard, compared to some of the places I had to climb in Afghanistan. Carrie was keeping up too without a problem, If her ankle hurt, she surely didn't say. Most times I would let her lead, and got to watch not only the scenery, but also her lovely ass and legs. Now that was picture perfect. Her body could put 20 something year olds to shame.We stopped for lunch about a mile and a half from the top. There was a clearing that overlooked a valley below, and the sight was breathtaking to say the least. Carrie was all giddy about this and took out her phone and started taking pictures, commenting how beautiful it was. I too, took a few photo's with my phone as well.After a brief rest period, we continued our trek up the mountain. The higher we climb, you could feel the air getting cooler, but not cold. That would come later this evening, but we were prepared for that.I was letting Carrie lead us this time, and I could not help but watch her body as she walked up the trail. She had asked the previous day, what my perfect woman would be. Well, if it was just the body, then hers would be it. Toned legs, and a great ass. Slim waist line, and a shocker to most, but small boobs. I have always preferred a woman with smaller chests. I just think they look incredibly sexy. So Carrie fit that build to a tee.Would I like to be her lover? Hell yes. Who wouldn't want too. But, there was no way I would ever make the first move. Not only out of respect for her, but also for her dad, who I respected a great deal. If sex was in the cards for us, she would have to initiate it. But in reality, any time you have sex with a woman, it is always her call, unless you are a complete asshole.As we continued our climb, a couple, not more than 25 I'd say, was descending from the top. They greeted us and told us what an awesome view we were to behold, once we made it to the top. We found out too, that they were on their honeymoon. They, like us, camped overnight up there and said it was the most romantic place on earth. They then departed after a short rest, and we wished them well on their journey down.Finally, around 3 in the afternoon, we were at the top. The air was cool, but not too bad actually. With the sun beating down, I would venture to say it was in the 50's. I saw a clearing and put my rucksack down, and took Carrie's from her. She ran up another 1000 feet to the top and a clearing. One thing about up here, it is a tourist attraction and has manmade lookout observatories, which takes away from the place. We are going to camp right by a wooded area, away from the trails.Chapter 8."Mark, Mark" she yelled. "Come up and see this."I dropped what I was doing and trekked up to her and she grabbed my hand, pulling me along faster. She was so excited, almost like a kid on Christmas morning. Once up there, we could see all around, and off in the distance, loomed Mt. Marcy, the tallest of these over 40 high peak mountains that made up this range. It was a majestic sight to behold.She skipped up and onto a rock formation to get a better view, and left me with another beautiful view, her. God she was intoxicating to look at."God. This is so awesome. What a beautiful site. Don't you think Mark?"I chuckled to myself, then said, "Yes. It is a gorgeous sight to behold" Now I was staring at her body, and had no thoughts of the surrounding area then.She turned her head, back towards me, and just smiled, and motioned me to join her. She was right, it was breathtaking to look out over the area. Ponds and streams below us. We could actually see a herd of Moose below, by one of the streams. We both took out our phones and took pictures. Carrie cursed herself for not bringing her digital camera. I don't own one, and thought may be when we got back down, we could go to a store and buy one.I suggested she explore a bit while I set up camp. One great thing about this place, it had bathrooms. One for men, and one for women. I figured they were outhouses, but was wrong when I went to relieve myself. Actual running toilets and sinks. I knew some of the other areas we were not going to be that lucky.About an hour later, she came strolling back to where I set up the tent. I had just finished laying out the pad, and placed the sleeping bags on top of it. I wasn't too sure how she would feel about being right next to me, but the pad was only so wide, like the width of a queen size bed.She came inside and looked around. "That looks cozy", then smiled at me. That made me feel a little better. I surely did not want her to get the wrong ideas, like I wanted to do something with her, even though I really did.I got us a fire going then and cooked up a scrumptious dinner of beef stew, and canned corn. We even had bread for dipping. We ate without complaint. In fact, it was quite good. Trust me, after eating M R Ees (meals ready to eat) in the service, your own boot would taste good.After cleaning up, which included taking our bowls, and the pan to the bathroom and washing them in the sink, I came back and made sure the fire stayed nice. We again sat and talked about our adventure so far."Mark. This has been so amazing today. I cannot believe the sights I have seen so far. And being totally honest. I am so glad to be spending this time with you. God. I love it up here.""I'm glad you feel that way. I am not sure I would find this as amazing as I do now, with you with me. What I am really looking forward too, is the night sky, with all the bright stars. It has to breath taking. Just like you."I think the comment just flew over her head, because she made no remark at all about it. Then said, "I bet sunset is really cool looking up here. Especially when it starts dipping behind these mountain peaks all around us."We finished cleaning up the area. No need for unwanted guest later. I suggested going back up to the top and watch the sunset. I was surprised because as we walked, she hardly limped at all. I figured with the rest we just had, her ankle would be screaming to her.We reached the summit again and surprisingly, no one was there, except for us. We sat on this crop of rocks and just marveled at the sight. The majestic mountains all around us, and the sun slowly setting in the west. A big orange ball.Carrie grabbed her phone again, turned it on and took a picture. Then she asked me to sit close to her and face away from the sun, so she could do a selfie of us, with the sun behind us. That took a good minute to set up, and get it just right in the picture.As we were doing this, a lady ranger just happened to be walking up our way. She was checking the area out, making sure all was fine up here."Would you guys like me to take the picture of you two, with this gorgeous sunset?" she asked."Oh God, would you please?" Carrie answered back.Carrie set the camera back to take normal pictures and handed it to her. The lady gladly took a couple for us, then asked, "How about you two love birds kiss while the sun is behind you. It's so romantic like that."I looked at Carrie, and she at me. I raised my eyebrows like Groucho Marx used to do in his movies. That made Carrie giggle, but then she leaned in and softly kissed me on the lips. I so wanted to part her lips and taste her tongue, but why ruin a good moment. The only lasted a few seconds, when we heard the ranger say she got it. But during that time, Carrie's hand rested on my one thigh. The kiss alone brought a strange sensation to me. One I have never felt before. Maybe it was fear if her dad found out we kissed up here. "Christ", I thought to myself, "I'm acting like some dumb teenager.When we broke away, she smiled a very bright smile. I smiled too, then thanked the ranger for helping us out. She did caution us on making sure we take care of the fire we had, and to make sure all food was secure, and away from our sleeping area.Her hand was still on my leg as the ranger walked back down the hill, towards her car. I looked back at Carrie and she sort of had her head down, like she was embarrassed. I surely wasn't. The kiss brought me alive actually, and if her hand was any closer to my crotch, she may notice that something else enjoyed her lips."Sorry about that" she said. "What. I found the kiss very nice. You have soft lips. Very kissable lips in fact. If given the opportunity again, I would jump at the chance." I boldly stated.We turned again and sat there and watched the sun start to sink behind the mountain tops. As it did, we just talked about our work lives, and things we did during the course of a normal day. Mine is pretty boring actually. I work a great deal. I don't go out much. I am not a bar type of person and have just a few select friends. It's been ages since I went out with a woman. Most that I do know are either married, or divorced with young kids. It's not that I don't like kids, I just don't relate well with them. The only two I get along with are my niece and nephew, but they are teens now and could care less about old Uncle Mark.To be continued, by T. Foxal.

A Hiking Accident brings Mark and Carrie Together.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Mark and Carrie never met before, until an accident to Carrie, brought them together, and now maybe for good.Chapter 1.I'm Mark. 39 years old, single, a computer geek who is lucky enough that I can work from home, and make my own hours. I wasn't always like this. When I was 18, I had a choice, jail or join the service. I just made some bad decisions back then, doing drugs and getting in fights. So I opted for the Marines. I spent 15 years with them, and advanced to Master Sergeant, which is the fourth highest position an NCO can go. Served 3 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are true shit holes. Great thing about the service, besides 3 square meals a day and a place to sleep, you can be taught almost any useful job in the world, which is where I learned computer programing.Now I pretty much free-lance my abilities out and make a good wage. Most times I have jobs to do, but sometimes I don't and have lots of free time. If I do have jobs, I can make my own hours.I don't have a steady woman at this time, and I am  okay with that. Being deployed all the time, whether it was in the Middle East, or on some ship with a bunch of Squids, I really had no time for a relationship.I had been out almost a year this past August, when I decided I needed some down time. I decided I was going to the Adirondacks and do some hiking. I grew up outside of Syracuse NY., and have always wanted to go there. My one uncle owns a cabin up there and offered it to me when he heard I wanted to go hiking up there. He told me it had one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen, and a living room with fireplace. It had running water and electricity. He warned me that I would need to turn on the hot water tank, since they shut it down last fall, after they used it last.I had decided that I would take two weeks to explore all the different mountain ranges this area had, finishing up at Mt. Marcy, the highest of them all. Since it was just after Labor Day, tourism should be at a low, with vacationers and school kids back into their routines. My plan was to hike daily, a different range, and if need be, camp out at night. Being a Marine, we are taught all types of survival skills, so this would be no problem for me. One thing my uncle did ask me to do, is stop at the Ranger station and let them know I would be occupying the cabin for a length of time. People sometimes like to use squatter rights and just use cabins, regardless if they are allowed, or not.I also like that the temperature doesn't get to warm up there either. I prefer cool nights and just warm days. Maybe it's because of my time in that hell hole of the middle east. My trip took almost 4 hours to get to where I wanted to go.Chapter 2.The skies were quite cloudy when I pulled into the Ranger Station. I got out of my truck and headed to the stations door, and when I opened it, a woman was coming out at the same time and we bumped into each other. We both apologized, then laughed, and then she continued on to her vehicle.After letting a ranger know where I was going and for how long, I exited the station and headed back to my truck. That's when I noticed her again. She was 5 '7, maybe 130 lbs., caramel colored skin, hair just past her shoulders, when she let it down. From the side, she did not look like she had very big boobs, they were smallish medium, just the way I actually like them. She was wearing camo style shorts, and a tan polo shirt. Boy, she had nice legs, long and muscular, very toned. If I had to guess her age, early 30's. Whoever was getting lucky with that, was one lucky son of a bitch. One thing I did notice, she was wearing white running shoes, and not hiking boots. Judging from the backpack she was attempting to put on, she was going hiking and camping out. Running shoes are not the smartest thing to wear hiking. No ankle support what so ever.As I drove off, I stole another look at her, as I drove by. Great looking ass. Bigger than a model would have, but smaller than many of the women I have seen in my lifetime. I exited the parking lot and started heading up Whiteface Mountain. My uncle's cabin is up about 4 miles from this point, on a long and windy road. If I had to guess, it would be about a third of the way up the mountain, and only because of the road, which I believed was cut out by a snake.Once I arrived, I unloaded everything into the cabin. Found the circuit breaker and turned them on, especially the hot water tank. Too many cold showers in my life, so no need to suffer this time now. One thing I did notice too, the temp was cooler up this high. It was around 70 down by the station, but I bet it dropped a good 10 degrees.Next, I unload my coolers, which had meats and eggs, butter, and all of the necessities needed to eat well. I had enough for 2 weeks, if not more. Also brought along two 12 packs of beer as well, and water. Man I love roughing it.After stowing away my gear and food, I checked the place out. Nice queen size bed, in the bedroom. They even had TV, which I could care less about. May to use for the weather is all I can see a use for it. I'm not one to sit and watch TV much, except for football and maybe playoff baseball.I then went and checked the area out. The back porch had a gas grill on it, plus what looked like a cord of wood. I figured if I used any, I could go into town and buy some to replenish, unless Unc had a chain saw, then I would do my own. I then went for a small hike just around the area.I did not want to venture to far today. It was already after 4pm, and the skies were really getting dark, so some rain, if not storms, were moving in soon. About a 1/4 mile into the woods, was a hiking trail, well used too. I wondered if that lady was on this trail, if she even made up this far yet. If she did, she better start preparing her campsite for the weather that was due in soon. I kept hiking for another 30 minutes before heading back to the cabin. I figured a good early start in the morning, may get me to the top by the afternoon, early evening.Chapter 3.I was now back from my little hike and relaxing, but also getting hungry. I settled on frying up some home fries and grill up some Polish kielbasa. I cooked up the potatoes first, and then set the pan in the oven and set it to warm. Then took the meat out to the porch and fired up the grill.It was a little after 6 now and the wind had really picked up and the skies hung low, full of rain that to start shortly. As I waited for the grill to heat up some, I thought I heard someone cry out. At first I thought it could be just the wind, but then I heard it again.I stepped off the porch and headed towards the trail, behind the cabin. As I got on the trail, I heard the cry again, but this time could make out the word Help. I yelled out for the person to keep yelling, so I could judge where it was actually coming from.Whoever it was, must have heard me because the Helps were coming more quickly. I was at least a good half mile now from the cabin when I came upon a woman, lying on the ground, holding her foot. It was the lady I saw down by the ranger station when I first arrived.When she saw me coming she said, "Oh Thank God. I wasn't sure anyone could hear me.""What happened?" I asked. "Oh stupid me wasn't watching where I stepped and then all of a sudden, I'm on the ground from twisting my ankle." she explained, then went on,"I tried walking on it, but damn, it hurts. I don't think it is broken." I kneeled in front of her and took off her shoe, then her wool sock, and could see the ankle was swollen and just starting to turn a little purplish. I'm no doctor, nor was I corpsman in the service, but I have had my share, and have seen many a sprained ankle, and this sure did look like one.After looking at it, I looked up at her face and could see the pain written all over her gorgeous face. I then gently removed her backpack, which had to weigh a good 25 to 30 pounds. "Christ, what the hell is she carrying in this.", I thought. Then I put the backpack on over my shoulders. Just then, the rain started. "Great, just what I needed", I thought."Oh damn. This isn't good. What are we going to do now?" she asked."First off, grab my arm and let's get you up, then we'll hike back down to my cabin, which I think is about a 1/2 mile from here." I said. "By the way, my name is Mark" She retorted back to me "Carolyn, or Carrie to my friends, which you are fast becoming."With my help, she stood up, using her good leg. Now I am not a tall man, 5' 10 175 lbs., and still in great shape, since I work out 4 times a week. I then asked her to put her right arm around my neck and I would hold her waist, and we would try and keep all the weight off of the foot.We did quite well actually, and she didn't complain one time. Only twice did we have to stop and rest a minute. That didn't matter, we were both soaked to our skin by now, and it was quite chilly out. What should have taken maybe 5 minutes to walk, turned into almost 25 minutes, by the time we got back to the porch of the cabin. At one point, I felt I should have just carried her fireman's style, just to speed this up.We then entered the cabin. Luckily it was still pretty warm in there, but I knew that wouldn't last long. I guided her over to a leather chair and had her sit. Then went and got some towels to at least dry off some of the rain.I then went into the bathroom and saw that my uncle had 2 inch wide medical tape and some gauze. I went into my pack and pulled out some Aleve. I came back out, got some water and then handed her the medicine. Then I knelt down and removed her shoe again, sans the sock, since we didn't put that back on. I carefully dried her foot and ankle, and then wrapped gauze around it, then taped it up.After I finished, I could see she was shaking from being cold now. Both of us were soaked to the skin. I went into my uncles dresser and looked around. My aunt had a set sweats in there. I hope they fit her. My aunt is only 5'4, but is big chested, so the top should be fine. I also pulled out some socks for her as well. I then looked in the closet, and in the back, found a pair of crutches. Uncle's family comes up here a lot to ski, so crutches would be a wise investment, especially for my one cousin Carol, she is a klutz.I came back into the living room and looked down at her. " How does that feel now Carrie""Still hurts, but not like it was, and thank you." she said. I extended a hand to her and told her to grab it, then pulled her up. "I got you some clothes to change into, and these crutches. The shower is down the hall. A good hot shower should help you warm up a bit . Also, take this baggie and wrap it around your foot and ankle and tape off the top, to keep it dry.""Oh My God, you are so nice. I am so sorry for being a pain in your ass, but thank you so much."She trudged down the hall to the bath. I couldn't help but look at her great legs and chubby ass as she went. I did notice she wore no wedding, or engagement ring, so that was a good thing. Just before she opened the bathroom door, I told her I was going to finish making dinner. She just grinned, but said nothing. Before I did that though, I pulled out some sweats. Both the top and the bottoms had the Marine logo on it. Those sweats last forever.I had to reheat the fried potatoes and then went and relit the grill. The kielbasa was done in about 10 minutes. So when I came back in, she was still not out of the shower. "Women", I thought. They take so friggin long to get clean. Although I did have some thoughts about how she looked in the shower.I had just finished setting the table, when she arrived back out in the living room. The sweat top was definitely too big for her, yet looked cute. The sweat pants were a little snug and stopped short about two inches from the top of her feet. She was like staring at me, but didn't speak."Is something wrong?" I asked. "No, not a thing, except for those Jarhead sweats you have on.""What? You don't like Marines?" She laughed and said, "They are okay, but to a Navy gal, they don't get my motor running""Oh shit. I helped a god damn Squid? Christ sakes", then laughed, and so did she. "Come on, let's eat"I asked her what she would like to drink, which was limited to beer or water. She chose a water, as I did too, and sat down to our little feast.Chapter 4.She was quiet at first, so I broke the silence and asked her "So Miss Carrie, and I presume Miss, what has you up here by yourself?"She chuckled then spoke " I love hiking and always wanted to come explore these mountains. And Yes, I am a miss. Divorced actually, 5 years now. I have a 20 year daughter too, who attends Syracuse University.“Good God” I interjected; “How the hell did you ly you way into the navy as a 10 year old? You can't be past your early thirties!”I spent 14 years in the Navy. I was also a Navy brat too. My dad and mom live in Pensacola, after he retired from the Navy as a Master Chief. I left the Navy 7 years ago, but that's another story."She took a drink of water, then continued. " I live right outside of Syracuse now, mostly to be close to my daughter. We adopted her when she was 3 years old. I couldn't have kids, and she was orphaned when her parents were killed in an auto accident in Norfolk. What about you Mr. Mark?"I smiled at her and looked her right in the eye, which were hazel in color. "Let's see, I spent 20 good years in the Navy, and then retired from it. I did pick up a good vocation, programming computers, so that's what I do now. Mostly free-lance myself out. I make a good wage doing it. My uncle owns this cabin and I needed a vacation, so I too, wanted to explore here. I took the next two weeks off and hope to finish up on Mt. Marcy. I grew up just east of Syracuse and moved back there. Both of my parents are deceased now, and I have one sister, who is two years older than me"She then asked, "What did you end up at?""An E8, Master Sergeant,” I answered. “and you?"She chuckled and said, "E8 as well, Senior Chief. How many deployments?""3 tours in the sandpit, then countless boat rides. Served on the George Washington and the Lincoln, and ended my career at Quantico.""Oh shit. My dad served on the Lincoln too, John Reynolds. Master Chief of the Boat."I laughed and said, "I know your old man. I served with him on the Lincoln for 6 months. At the time I was a E6 (Staff Sergeant), but I got to know him well. I even got to meet your mom too, when we got done at Norfolk. Beautiful lady and not being forward, I can see where you get your looks. Your old man had a way with the crew. They all respected him and did anything he told them to do. I can still remember his one saying, "Son. Don't fail me, or I will open a can of whoop ass on you.” Usually scared the shit out of some teenage kid"She laughed and said, "Yeah, he did have their respect, but at home he was a teddy bear, at least to me and mom. I remember in high school, any boy I would date, he would just stare at them, which usually scared the shit out of them"We laughed and told stories about our time in the service. Then I did the dishes up while I had her go relax on the couch. When I finished, I asked if she would like a beer now, which she gladly accepted. Before I came out with the beers, I wrote down my name, address and phone number, and handed it to her."What's this for?" I told her, "Look. You were injured and I would like you to call your family and tell them and that you will be staying here tonight. Plus give you peace of mind that you are not bunking with some crazy guy in the woods. So let them know that info, and all should be good."She chuckled then said, "Well, for one. all of you jarheads are crazy, so I am not too sure how safe I am with you, but so far, you haven't shown any craziness. But I will call my daughter and let her know."She then called her daughter and explained the situation to her. They chatted for about 10 minutes or so. Her daughter must have asked her if I was cute, because she softly spoke, "yeah. pretty cute" After that she hung up her phone and sat back on the couch."I want to thank you again for saving me from a very bad situation. I know I have to be a pain in the ass to you, and you weren't planning on someone screwing up your vacation like this." Carrie said."Number one, you are not a pain in the ass at all, and two, you haven't screwed anything up. I rather enjoy your company, if I am being honest here. Granted, I came up here alone, but now I have made a friend, or at least, an acquaintance, and if I may add a very beautiful one at that..Carrie blushed, "Thank you. I mean for a Gyrene, you are pretty nice, and a bonus, you can cook too. How come some pretty woman hasn't snatched you up?"I just chuckled at that, "Well, you know how it is in the service. Always deployed to some ungodly place, or never being able to put roots down in one place. That's not fair to anyone. Plus, there has been no one who really rocked my world. The closest I came was living with this one girl for like 6 months, but she opted out after seeing me off to Iraq, and just couldn't handle the unknown. When I got back 8 months later, she was long gone. Never heard a word from her either, except for the letter she left behind. So from that point on, I just dated here and there, nothing steady. And now, I haven't really looked. You say you are divorced, what happened there, if you don't mind telling."She smiled, and when she did, her whole face smiled. Her almond shaped eyes were to die for. A man could get lost in those eyes. I know I was. I also wondered if she had a special man in her life. If so, he was a complete idiot for letting her go on this by herself. Not to keep her safe, or anything like that, but just to be with her."We met at Pensacola when I was just 2 years into my first term. He was a Seal. So of course he hung the moon and stars. But growing up Navy, I knew what this entailed. We had a great marriage, at least I thought we did. Only when he got deployed, did I get scared. You know how it is with them, they are not going to some amusement park. When he got transferred to a base, I got one too, since I worked in procurement and distribution, it was no big deal."She took a swig of her beer and breathed out, then continued. "We tried having kids, but I came to find out that my tubes were closed and I couldn't have any. So we started looking at adoption and then about a year later we were informed about Jenny. Her parents killed in an auto accident and she had no living relatives. We took her in as a foster child and then about a year after, we adopted her. Things were going good for us. We both got transferred to Norfolk, and luckily, Dad was stationed there too, but as usual, out on a boat. Then Jack started to change. He became withdrawn and started drinking more."I put my hand on her shoulder and told her she didn't have to continue. I knew this story well, which was one of the reasons I never settled down. Seen to many start drinking, and relived the action in their heads, and shut out their loved ones."No. I'm good. Any ways, about 9 years ago, he went on deployment and was gone a month. Who knows where, but called the night before and said he'd be home around 1700 hours. I was excited, yet nervous too. So, and I can't believe I am telling you this, (chuckled), but I left work early that next day. I wanted to make it special for him. Jenny was going to stay with my mom. So I left around 2 and went home. When I got there, his car was already in the drive. We lived off base then. So I rushed from the car and went inside. I didn't see or hear him, so I thought he was upstairs. Oh God... (chuckling again), I stripped down and figured I would surprise him being nude. I walked silently up the stairs and saw the bedroom door closed. Then I heard muffled sounds, so I opened the door, and there he was, on the bed. But he wasn't alone. Our neighbor Joann, who lives two doors down, was there too. She was on top of him fucking him.""Oh shit Carrie, I am so sorry" This must have been bad for her, because tears were streaming down her face now. I didn't know what to do actually. I am not good with women crying, and since I hardly knew her, I knew not to reach out and try and hold her.She fought through it and smiled a little, "It's  okay, it really is. Joann was a divorcee and always flirted with the husbands around her. Lord knows how many time she and Jack fucked before I caught them. I shouted at them, which startled them both and I told her to get her skanky ass out of my bed. Then I told Jack to pack his things and get out. He did too, never saying a word to me as he did. About a month later, he was transferred to San Diego. I know in my heart, my dad had something to do with that. He had many big wig contacts. It took 2 years for the divorce to be finalized because he was never in the area. I had just ended my time in the service and wanted to get away from there. Dad and mom had already moved down to Florida, so I had really no one, so why stay. The next 5 years, I lived down near my parents, so I could give Jenny a new start, like me. Then she said in her senior year she got accepted to Syracuse. I was working for a big fabric company, in logistics and put in for a transfer, since they had a big distribution center up here. Another good thing is, my mom's mother still lives in Syracuse, and I have lots of cousins I never knew I had until now.""Wow", is all I could say at first. "Now you see why I never married? Could have easily happened to me, but I come home and find her sleeping with some asshole." Then I chuckled, which turned into a laugh. "What's so funny?""When I was aboard the Lincoln, I was hitting on this young petty officer. Your dad took notice and pulled me aside. "Son. One thing you never do is shit where you eat. So keep your cock in your pants and stay away from them broads. Remember, you knock one up and they'll throw you in Leavenworth for destroying government property." I took him to heart too, that, and the fact your old man scared the shit out of me."She sat there and laughed and laughed, "Yep, that's my dad. Gruff and to the point. He must have liked you, otherwise he'd let you screw up on your own and not say anything to you."It was now going on 10 pm, and she was getting real tired. I went into the bedroom and found a sheet and a blanket, and took one of the pillows off the bed. I came back out and threw them in a chair. I reached my hand out to her, so I could help her stand.  “okay Squid lady, you take the bunk in the bedroom and I'll be out here." She shook her head, "No way Mark. I'll sleep out here.""Please just take the bed. You'll be much more comfortable in there, than on this couch. I'll be fine. In the morning we'll have breakfast and see how your ankle is. Maybe you should take a couple more Aleve too.""See. I told Ya. I am a pain in the ass." and huffed, as she got her crutch and started moving towards the bedroom. I just stared at her ass as she hobbled away from me. "God damn, what an ass", I thought to myself.After she went to the bathroom, I heard the bedroom door shut. I got my area ready for sleep. As I lay there, I could just think how sexy she had to have looked coming into the bedroom naked, ready to fuck her husband silly too. My cock started growing then, just thinking how hot I bet she looks naked. But, there was no way I was going to pound one off now, with her just down the hall.Chapter 5.I awoke the next morning around 6 am, which is about normal for me now. It used to be 4:30am, when I was in the service. But I don't run and do workouts like that anymore. I still work out, but nothing crazy like that. After relieving myself, and getting rid of the piss hard, I went out to the kitchen and opened the back door. It was quite chilly out and still raining. Now that could put a damper on the day. I thought I should check the weather a little later, once Carrie got up.I was on my second cup of coffee, and had bacon in the oven when I heard the bedroom door squeak open. Then a few minutes later, the toilet flushed. So I got up and started the stove to cook some eggs. As I was preparing to cook, Carrie came into the kitchen. I turned when she said good morning, and was awe struck. All she was wearing was a red, plaid flannel shirt that came about mid-thigh on her. Of course my depraved mind wondered how sexy she looked without it, but I'll take this any day.One thing my mind did wonder about, was if she was wearing anything under it. When I went to pee last night before bed, she had draped her shirt, shorts and a black pair of thongs over the top of the shower curtain bar. Oh well, one thing to ponder over and never find out."Morning Squid. How did you sleep and how is the ankle?""I slept really well, actually. It throbbed at first, but this morning it feels so much better. Not even using the crutch. That bed is so comfy. Thank you again for letting me use it. And, thank you again for everything you have done for me. Even if you are a bonehead Jarhead.""Ouch. That hurts. And here, I thought you liked me", then chuckled. "Sit. Let me get you some coffee and the eggs will be done in a minute or so."We sat and ate, with little talk between us. Once we were finished, she made a remark about the weather looking quite shitty out. I agreed with her on that and told her I checked the weather channel, and it said it was going to rain all day today and finally move out this evening, then the next few days it would be clear and cool, up in the mountains."Well, I have another favor I am going to ask of you. Could you possibly drive me down to my car? Then I am going to rent a room for tonight and see how my ankle feels tomorrow. If all is well, I'll try and tackle this mountain again." she said.I looked up at her and smiled, "I was thinking." She laughed, "Now that will be a first. A Marine that thinks. No. Go on"I grinned at her, "I see you have your dad's wit too.... I was thinking, why don't we do this together. I mean, we get along well, and it would probably be more fun doing it together, than alone. Your virtue would be safe with me. And, not sure if you know this, but there are quite a few animals out there that don't really care for humans. Having a buddy around would make it safer."She sat and pondered for a moment, then after a bit, finally spoke. "You know, that isn't a bad idea really. But understand, I am not going to cook everything and do the cleaning, we share duties. As for my virtue, I think I am pretty safe with you. Plus, I have been around 41 years and done quite well, taking care of my own virtue. Plus, if I know Jenny, she was on the phone with dad and mom last night telling them everything that went on here. And daddy would hunt you down, if you hurt his little girl." then laughed at her remark.I started laughing, and shook my head. "What?" she asked. I calmed a bit and said, "Well, I should never try and do that age guessing game at carnivals. I'd lose big time." She grinned and asked what I thought she was. "When I saw you at the ranger station, I put you in your early 30's, not 40. Just a tad off I'd say."She laughed and said, "Yeah, just a little bit off, but thank you. I might like you more now."I told her the rest of my thoughts. After cleaning up and showering, we could go into Lake Placid. I need to get more tape and gauze, for her ankle. Some more food. And, she needed to buy some hiking boots, so her feet and ankles had better support. Depending on the time, maybe grab dinner down there too. Then pick up your car and drive it up here and we'll make this our base of operation. She laughed at the last statement and I asked what was so funny."Oh nothing, except, you can take the Jarhead out of the Marines, but you will never take the Marine out of the Jarhead, that's for sure. Base of operations? sheesh.", then laughed again.I started doing the dishes, and she joined me. Drying as I washed. I told her she didn't have to, but she said to shut up. I was beginning to like her more and more. I like a woman with spunk, and speaks her mind. Granted, I like a woman who is also feminine too, which I believe she is. There is 3 things I find so sexy in a woman. Her eyes. They hold the keys to her being. Next is her attitude. If she doesn't wilt when faced with conflict and then the sexiest is her ass and legs. If she has that, she is the total package to me. I just never found one yet. But now, I think I may have found one. Only time will tell.We decided to take off around noon, and about 20 minutes before we left, my phone chimed. It was a text coming through. Only a handful of people knew I was going up here, and any of the companies I was working with knew I was on vacation and wouldn't be available.I was sitting in the leather chair when I opened the text. It stated, "You fucking Devil Dog. Thank You for taking care of my baby girl. Just remember who her old man is and not take any liberties that I would not approve of." I sat there and started laughing. Carrie came out of the bathroom and asked what was so funny. So I showed her the text. She too started laughing."See. I told you Jenny would call them. She even gave them your number. Too funny."I texted him back. "You fucking OLD sea dog. Shock was an understatement when I found out who her old man was. Small world. We are going to tackle these mountains together. She'll be in good hands Sir." and I hit send.A minute later, the phone rang. Carrie laughed, then I answer it. "Sir? you fucking idiot. You save that for those weenie ass officers, who still need their mommy's to wipe their asses.""Aye Aye, Master Chief.""Mark. Not sure how you two stumbled onto each other, but actually I am glad. She's a tough girl, but knowing you are there makes my stomach calm a bit. I wasn't too keen on her doing this alone as it was. I know those woods. Lots of animals up there that don't take to humans, especially the cougars and bears. So please be careful.""We will Chief. No harm will come to either of us. Your daughter will be in good hands.""Now why'd you have to say that shithead. Remember what I told you back when you were eyeing up that young PO. It definitely goes for now (laughing). Seriously Mark. I know she is. Just keep my baby girl safe. And for now on, call me John. We served our time."  “okay John. I will. I'll let you speak to Carrie." and handed the phone to her. They chatted for a few minutes. I caught her rolling her eyes a few times, but she was also glad her dad had called.I wish I had a dad that care, like he did. Mine was a cruel SOB. I am not sure why my mom ever stayed with him. Hell, when he died, I did not even make an attempt to go home for the funeral. My sister did, but only because she wanted to be there for mom. I did go home for mom's, when she died a few years later.Carrie said her goodbye's, then handed the phone back to me. She just shook her head and then laughed. She kept on laughing then too. I was perplexed, as to what she found so funny.She calmed a bit, then said, "God Mark. When you answered the phone and heard his voice, you went parade dress attention. I bet you didn't even know you were doing it. It was so cute. But you know what, now that I really think of it, you are a lot like him in so many ways""Is that a bad thing?" I asked. "Hell no. Just funny though. He never liked Jack. Jack would never look him in the eye, and that bothered dad. Can't trust a man who won't look you in the eye, he used to say. Guess he was right. He must like you some, or he wouldn't have called you like that."Chapter 6.Carrie was dressed in tight jeans and a sweat shirt, This sweat shirt hugged her body nicely, and judging from the two peaks I saw, she wasn't wearing a bra either. Her ass was like a dream to me. Nice and full, and the way the seam disappeared into her as, just made me think of badly I would love to be those pants right now.We got the Lake Placid and found a sporting goods store. Inside, she tried on a few pairs of boot, until she found one she said really fit her nicely. Even the swollen ankle fit into it, which kind of surprised me. She also bought some socks. A couple of thin one's to use on her bad foot and some thicker woolen type socks. Of course they matched.Carrie also bought a new rain slicker, with hood, and I figured, what the hell, and bought one too. Mine was old and ragged looking. After our purchases, she sat down in a chair at the front of the store and put on her new socks and boots. She said she wanted to start breaking them in. Of course I asked how they felt around her injured ankle, and she said great, but who knows for sure.The rest of the afternoon, we did the basic sightseeing around town. Every once in a while, we found a place to sit, that was out of the weather, so she could rest her ankle. She said it felt fine, but never complained when I suggested a rest.By 5pm, we were both pretty hungry, so we started looking for a place to eat. We found this quaint little restaurant that served American flavor. I opted for a steak, and she did too. The girl could eat, but lord knows where it goes on her. We had a really good time while eating. We found out stuff about our early lives. Of course, hers was moving from base to base, and mine was not really giving a crap about school and getting into stupid trouble. She also found out how I detested my father when I was a teen.For me, this felt like a date. I usually am tongue tied during these events. But with her, I felt really at ease and conversations moved smoothly, like we have known each other our whole lives. One thing I did notice, that anytime her parents were mentions, she had this twinkle in her eye. She adored them, which was hard for me to understand. My parents weren't all that interested in what I did, and I pretty much gave up trying to get them to show me any affection or love when I hit 14, it just wasn't going to happen. To my mom, my sister was an angel, and I was the devil. For Carrie, she was their parents whole world, especially her dad.She had me in tears with some of the dumb things her dad used to do with her. Playing dress up and Barbies and such. If you knew her dad the way I know him, you would never think in a million years he would do things like this. For some reason, the more she talked, the more I was beginning to really like her, and I mean like in how a man wants to be with a woman. To share things with, and be with.We left the restaurant about an hour and a half later. The rain had stopped, so we decided to just walk around a little more. As we walked, she took my hand in hers, like two teens would do. Now I am not the type that shows public displays of affection. I never did that, only because I really never saw it from my parents when I was growing up. But, her hand in mine felt so good to me. Then she just leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.I looked at her with a questioning look. "Thank you again. My vacation could have been ruined, or even worse, still stuck up on that mountain side.""Actually" I said, "Maybe it is fate, we found each other. But I will say this. I really like being with you" She just looked at me and smiled, and gave my hand a little squeeze in acknowledgement."Mark? Weird question." she paused, then asked, "What's your perfect woman to be with?""Oh God" I said, "Actually, I don't want a perfect woman. I want one that when we are together, we can laugh, or cry, without feeling it's not right to do. I'd want one who is independent, and doesn't need me to keep her happy, but also, wants me in her life because I do make her happy, and she makes me happy too. She should be one with a strong mind and not afraid to speak her mind, or argue. But if we do argue, it is about something important in our lives, and not something petty, like I see so many do nowadays. When I commit to someone like that, I want that same commitment in return. It's either all or nothing, because I only want to do this once in my life, and as you can see, I have never found her, nor have I really looked all that hard either. And lastly, when we are apart, she is the only person I am thinking of, and wishing I was with her, even if it is occupying the same room with her...... What's your perfect man you want to be with ?"She laughed, then got a very serious look on her face. "To be honest, I am not sure anymore. I thought when I met, and then married Jack, he was the perfect man. Rugged, good looking, and always attentive, when he wasn't deployed. But as time wore on, he quit being attentive and acted like I was there to serve him. I felt as though I was raising two kids at times. I guess I want what you want, but in a man. I want it an equal partnership, and I base that on dad and mom, because they have that and always have, and it is what I grew up with. I want him on my mind 24 / 7 when we are apart, and when we are together, there is no one else alive that makes us happy, well except Jenny. I want to be able to look across the room at him and just make love with our eyes. I know, sounds corny, but that's what I want. As for love making, that's exactly what I want, love making. Pleasuring my man like no other woman can, and he pleasure me in the same way. To that end, it is a two way street. If you give 100%, expect to receive 100%. back. The last couple of years of marriage, now that I think back on it, it was mostly I gave, he took, and could care less about my needs at all, and I doubt highly he was even thinking of me then."With that, I just looked at her and said, "Well, sounds like we have some things in common again. As silly as this sounds, but this feels like a date we are on. But you know, it feels good. I'll be honest Carrie. I have never been in love before. I am not sure what that feels like. But I won't lie either, never have since being in the service, and I never will either, I like being with you.""Good to know Jarhead. I like being with you too. But, does my race bother you at all?""You're kidding right? I think you are one beautiful woman. And if I may be so bold, a very sexy one too. Granted, you have a better tan than me, but that's only because of my Irish blood. We don't tan well. All kidding aside, why would you ever think that it would bother me?""Oh Mark. I didn't mean it in a bad way but, when I was growing up, kids weren't so nice about, from both races. About 4 years ago, I was dating a guy and he met my parents. Even though mom comes from a mix race parents, she is darker than me, and when he saw that, he sort of just couldn't handle that. Since then, I haven't dated at all."I chuckled, then said, "Good thing I already know your parents and I like them. I definitely respect them even more. Back when they got together, and hell, even your grandparents, that was a lot harder to live with. People are so judgmental and mean. But No, your race means nothing to me. To me Squid, you are one Hot looking woman.""Keep talking like that Jarhead, and I just may let you stick around me another day or two."After driving back up to the cabin, our talk turned to our hike in the morning. We decided to look over the maps and see how we would tackle it and what to bring. I asked her if she minded sharing a tent with me. I told her it was a 4 man tent, and would lighten the load of the pack. She even agreed to that. My backpack was almost as big as the one I had in the service, which is called a rucksack. I will be able to get the tent and my sleeping bag in it, along with a small shovel and then a lighter, and food. If I pack right, I can get her sleeping bag into it and give her the lighter things like a coffee pot and water, and her carry the food. Just take enough for the day, and no more. Plenty of food bars and the such and canned stew. After eating M R Ees most of my life, canned stew is gourmet eating.Once we got back to the cabin, we laid out the map and plotted our course. Once that was done, I went and showered, then packed my pack. Carrie was showering then. I changed into just running shorts and a t-shirt. When Carrie finished, she came out wearing just a flannel shirt again. Last time she had it on, she had it buttoned all the way to the top, except for the last button. This time, the top 3 buttons were left undone. "Damn. She does look sexy like that." I thought.We packed up her backpack, with food and such, and even a change of clothes for the both of us. I recommended sweats for at night, since it will be chilly up there, but she also pack a flannel, which she said she prefers sleeping in. One thing I did pack in my pack, was my 9millimeter Glock. I have a permit for it, and I did inform the rangers that I was carrying it up there. Way too many wild animals that could prey on us. But, I did not tell Carrie this. Not sure how she would react. Hopefully, we'll never have to use it. One thing I did pack, was a roll of toilet paper. Carrie laughed at that one. But once you are in the field, like I have been on patrol, it's a comfort of home you want more than anything, and it beats leaves.After packing, we retired to the living room, where Carrie turned on the TV. Checking the weather first, then some sappy movie she liked. I got us some beers, to which she toasted, "To a great adventure tomorrow.", as we clinked bottles together. I then pulled out the ace bandage we bought earlier that day.As she sat on the couch, she placed her bad leg over her good one and let me take off the tape, It ankle was a bit swollen, but not like it was yesterday. It was very hard to keep my concentration on her foot, because of her sexy legs right there. "God, I wish we were lovers. I would love nothing more than to kiss my way to heaven right now." is all I could think about. But I pushed those thoughts aside, knowing my chances of that were quite slim, for now.Once I had her all wrapped up, I suggested she use the thinner of the socks tomorrow. She said her ankle feels really good wrapped like this. She then patted the couch seat next to her, for me to join her. She was sitting next to me with her legs folded under her. As we watched the movie, not much was said. We just enjoyed each other's company. I wondered if this how couples spent evenings together. I had never been in one before, and still am not in one, but this is close, I guess.I have never let a woman get that close, even the one I lived with. To her, I was a place to live and a fuck. And I viewed her pretty much the same way. We never got mushy or even showed PDA. We just existed together and pretty much fucked. Of course, back then, I was in my 20's and sex was all I had in mind. Not once was, I love you, ever spoken between us.... When the movie ended, Carrie stretched and said she was tired and needed some sleep."So Jarhead, you take the bunk tonight and I'll use the couch.""No. You take the bed. Please. I am fine out here. This couch is pretty comfortable actually." though I was lying through my teeth. The couch sucked. But I was raised with some manners, mostly obtained in the Marines."God. You Gyrene's are so bull headed. Next time, I take the couch."I don't know what possessed me, but I leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, and as I got close, she turn her face to me and it landed on her lips. It was a quick one, intended for her cheek.I stammered then saying, "Sorry. That was meant for your cheek. And thank you for a great day. I really like being with you"She giggled, then grabbed my face with both of her hands and kissed me on the lips."I prefer the lips to a cheek, any day of the week Grunt." then stood and walked towards the bedroom. I couldn't help but watch her fine looking legs and ass, as she disappeared down the hall, saying good night to me, softly.Chapter 7.I was up at 6am. I got coffee going and changed into jeans and a polo shirt. About an hour later, I heard the toilet flush, so I started breakfast, It was best to eat a big breakfast, since lunch would consist of power bars and water.Carrie came out in the same flannel that she had on the night before. "God this woman makes me crazy for her. " I thought. One thing I have noticed, she is not big with wearing make-up. She doesn't need too. She's one of those women who could easily go without it. I bet she is smoking hot when she is made up.After eating, I did the dishes up, and she went and changed. The weather called for a daytime temp of 70 and tonight in the 50's. But on the mountain top, it would be in the 40's.Carrie came back to the living room, dressed and ready to go. She had on a pair of khaki shorts, that hugged her frame nicely and a light green shirt, and judging from the way the nipples were poking through, no bra. This could be a long hike today. I must keep my mind out of the proverbial gutter.I asked how her ankle felt, and she said fine, just a little bit of stiffness. I told her we would rest as many times as she thought it was needed. It should take about 4 or 5 hours to get to the top. After putting on our gear, which included now, a thermal mat to put under the sleeping bags my uncle had, we left, making sure the cabin was secure.The trail we chose was not all that hard, compared to some of the places I had to climb in Afghanistan. Carrie was keeping up too without a problem, If her ankle hurt, she surely didn't say. Most times I would let her lead, and got to watch not only the scenery, but also her lovely ass and legs. Now that was picture perfect. Her body could put 20 something year olds to shame.We stopped for lunch about a mile and a half from the top. There was a clearing that overlooked a valley below, and the sight was breathtaking to say the least. Carrie was all giddy about this and took out her phone and started taking pictures, commenting how beautiful it was. I too, took a few photo's with my phone as well.After a brief rest period, we continued our trek up the mountain. The higher we climb, you could feel the air getting cooler, but not cold. That would come later this evening, but we were prepared for that.I was letting Carrie lead us this time, and I could not help but watch her body as she walked up the trail. She had asked the previous day, what my perfect woman would be. Well, if it was just the body, then hers would be it. Toned legs, and a great ass. Slim waist line, and a shocker to most, but small boobs. I have always preferred a woman with smaller chests. I just think they look incredibly sexy. So Carrie fit that build to a tee.Would I like to be her lover? Hell yes. Who wouldn't want too. But, there was no way I would ever make the first move. Not only out of respect for her, but also for her dad, who I respected a great deal. If sex was in the cards for us, she would have to initiate it. But in reality, any time you have sex with a woman, it is always her call, unless you are a complete asshole.As we continued our climb, a couple, not more than 25 I'd say, was descending from the top. They greeted us and told us what an awesome view we were to behold, once we made it to the top. We found out too, that they were on their honeymoon. They, like us, camped overnight up there and said it was the most romantic place on earth. They then departed after a short rest, and we wished them well on their journey down.Finally, around 3 in the afternoon, we were at the top. The air was cool, but not too bad actually. With the sun beating down, I would venture to say it was in the 50's. I saw a clearing and put my rucksack down, and took Carrie's from her. She ran up another 1000 feet to the top and a clearing. One thing about up here, it is a tourist attraction and has manmade lookout observatories, which takes away from the place. We are going to camp right by a wooded area, away from the trails.Chapter 8."Mark, Mark" she yelled. "Come up and see this."I dropped what I was doing and trekked up to her and she grabbed my hand, pulling me along faster. She was so excited, almost like a kid on Christmas morning. Once up there, we could see all around, and off in the distance, loomed Mt. Marcy, the tallest of these over 40 high peak mountains that made up this range. It was a majestic sight to behold.She skipped up and onto a rock formation to get a better view, and left me with another beautiful view, her. God she was intoxicating to look at."God. This is so awesome. What a beautiful site. Don't you think Mark?"I chuckled to myself, then said, "Yes. It is a gorgeous sight to behold" Now I was staring at her body, and had no thoughts of the surrounding area then.She turned her head, back towards me, and just smiled, and motioned me to join her. She was right, it was breathtaking to look out over the area. Ponds and streams below us. We could actually see a herd of Moose below, by one of the streams. We both took out our phones and took pictures. Carrie cursed herself for not bringing her digital camera. I don't own one, and thought may be when we got back down, we could go to a store and buy one.I suggested she explore a bit while I set up camp. One great thing about this place, it had bathrooms. One for men, and one for women. I figured they were outhouses, but was wrong when I went to relieve myself. Actual running toilets and sinks. I knew some of the other areas we were not going to be that lucky.About an hour later, she came strolling back to where I set up the tent. I had just finished laying out the pad, and placed the sleeping bags on top of it. I wasn't too sure how she would feel about being right next to me, but the pad was only so wide, like the width of a queen size bed.She came inside and looked around. "That looks cozy", then smiled at me. That made me feel a little better. I surely did not want her to get the wrong ideas, like I wanted to do something with her, even though I really did.I got us a fire going then and cooked up a scrumptious dinner of beef stew, and canned corn. We even had bread for dipping. We ate without complaint. In fact, it was quite good. Trust me, after eating M R Ees (meals ready to eat) in the service, your own boot would taste good.After cleaning up, which included taking our bowls, and the pan to the bathroom and washing them in the sink, I came back and made sure the fire stayed nice. We again sat and talked about our adventure so far."Mark. This has been so amazing today. I cannot believe the sights I have seen so far. And being totally honest. I am so glad to be spending this time with you. God. I love it up here.""I'm glad you feel that way. I am not sure I would find this as amazing as I do now, with you with me. What I am really looking forward too, is the night sky, with all the bright stars. It has to breath taking. Just like you."I think the comment just flew over her head, because she made no remark at all about it. Then said, "I bet sunset is really cool looking up here. Especially when it starts dipping behind these mountain peaks all around us."We finished cleaning up the area. No need for unwanted guest later. I suggested going back up to the top and watch the sunset. I was surprised because as we walked, she hardly limped at all. I figured with the rest we just had, her ankle would be screaming to her.We reached the summit again and surprisingly, no one was there, except for us. We sat on this crop of rocks and just marveled at the sight. The majestic mountains all around us, and the sun slowly setting in the west. A big orange ball.Carrie grabbed her phone again, turned it on and took a picture. Then she asked me to sit close to her and face away from the sun, so she could do a selfie of us, with the sun behind us. That took a good minute to set up, and get it just right in the picture.As we were doing this, a lady ranger just happened to be walking up our way. She was checking the area out, making sure all was fine up here."Would you guys like me to take the picture of you two, with this gorgeous sunset?" she asked."Oh God, would you please?" Carrie answered back.Carrie set the camera back to take normal pictures and handed it to her. The lady gladly took a couple for us, then asked, "How about you two love birds kiss while the sun is behind you. It's so romantic like that."I looked at Carrie, and she at me. I raised my eyebrows like Groucho Marx used to do in his movies. That made Carrie giggle, but then she leaned in and softly kissed me on the lips. I so wanted to part her lips and taste her tongue, but why ruin a good moment. The only lasted a few seconds, when we heard the ranger say she got it. But during that time, Carrie's hand rested on my one thigh. The kiss alone brought a strange sensation to me. One I have never felt before. Maybe it was fear if her dad found out we kissed up here. "Christ", I thought to myself, "I'm acting like some dumb teenager.When we broke away, she smiled a very bright smile. I smiled too, then thanked the ranger for helping us out. She did caution us on making sure we take care of the fire we had, and to make sure all food was secure, and away from our sleeping area.Her hand was still on my leg as the ranger walked back down the hill, towards her car. I looked back at Carrie and she sort of had her head down, like she was embarrassed. I surely wasn't. The kiss brought me alive actually, and if her hand was any closer to my crotch, she may notice that something else enjoyed her lips."Sorry about that" she said. "What. I found the kiss very nice. You have soft lips. Very kissable lips in fact. If given the opportunity again, I would jump at the chance." I boldly stated.We turned again and sat there and watched the sun start to sink behind the mountain tops. As it did, we just talked about our work lives, and things we did during the course of a normal day. Mine is pretty boring actually. I work a great deal. I don't go out much. I am not a bar type of person and have just a few select friends. It's been ages since I went out with a woman. Most that I do know are either married, or divorced with young kids. It's not that I don't like kids, I just don't relate well with them. The only two I get along with are my niece and nephew, but they are teens now and could care less about old Uncle Mark.To be continued, by T. Foxal.

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Remnants is a dark fantasy thriller audio drama following the Apprentice as he learns how to read remnants under the frustrating supervision of Sir. Remnants are seeming innocuous objects – a broken pocket watch; a steel thimble; a silk scarf – but when the Apprentice looks closely, he sees how each one holds the remnants of someone's life story. Each week the Apprentice reads a new remnant, following that person's journery beginning to end. When he's done, he must make a judgement; shelve or discard. But he doesn't know what the criteria is or what the consequences of such a judgement might be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January, 2022 today's guest, Mike Paciello, made his first appearance on Unstoppable Mindset in Episode 19. It is not often that most of us have the opportunity and honor to meet a real trendsetter and pioneer much less for a second time. However, today, we get to spend more time with Mike, and we get to talk about not only the concepts around web accessibility, but we also discuss the whole concept of inclusion and how much progress we have made much less how much more work needs to be done.   Mike Paciello has been a fixture in the assistive technology world for some thirty years. I have known of him for most of that time, but our paths never crossed until September of 2021 when we worked together to help create some meetings and sessions around the topic of website accessibility in Washington D.C.   As you will hear, Mike began his career as a technical writer for Digital Equipment Corporation, an early leader in the computer manufacturing industry. I won't tell you Mike's story here. What I will say is that although Mike is fully sighted and thus does not use much of the technology blind and low vision persons use, he really gets it. He fully understands what Inclusion is all about and he has worked and continues to work to promote inclusion and access for all throughout the world. As Mike and I discuss, making technology more inclusive will not only help persons with disabilities be more involved in society, but people will discover that much of the technology we use can make everyone's life better. We talk about a lot of the technologies being used today to make websites more inclusive including the use of AI and how AI can and does enhance inclusion efforts.   It is no accident that this episode is being released now. This episode is being released on July 25 to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act which was signed on July 26, 1990. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADA!   After you experience our podcast with Mike, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to email me at michaelhi@accessibe.com to tell me of your observations. Thanks.     About the Guest:   Mike Paciello is the Chief Accessibility Officer at AudioEye, Inc., a digital accessibility company. Prior to joining AudioEye, Mike founded WebABLE/WebABLE.TV, which delivers news about the disability and accessibility technology market. Mike authored the first book on web accessibility and usability, “Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities” and, in 1997, Mr. Paciello received recognition from President Bill Clinton for his work in the creation of World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). He has served as an advisor to the US Access Board and other federal agencies since 1992.   Mike has served as an international leader, technologist, and authority in emerging technology, accessibility, usability, and electronic publishing. Mike is the former Founder of The Paciello Group (TPG), a world-renowned software accessibility consultancy acquired in 2017 by Vispero. Ways to connect with Mike:   mpaciello@webable.com Michael.paciello@audioeye.com Mikepaciello@gmail.com     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset where inclusion diversity and the unexpected meet. Normally, our guests deal with the unexpected, which is anything that doesn't have to do with inclusion or diversity. Today, however, we get to sort of deal with both. We have a guest who actually was a guest on our podcast before he was in show 19 that goes all the way back to January of 2022, his name is Mike Paciello. He's been very involved in the whole internet and accessibility movement and so on for more than 30 years, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun chatting about what's going on in the world of accessibility and the Internet and and, you know, and but we won't probably get into whether God is a man or a woman, but that's okay, God is actually both, so we don't have to worry about that. But anyway, Mike, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Mike Paciello ** 02:21 Yeah, Hey, Mike, thanks a lot. I can't believe has it really been already since today, six years since the last time I came on this? No, three, 320, 22 Oh, 2022, I for whatever I 2019 Okay, three years sounds a little bit more realistic, but still, it's been a long time. Thank you for having me. It's, it's, it's great to be here. And obviously, as you know, a lot of things have changed in my life since then. But, yeah, very   Michael Hingson ** 02:46 cool. Well, you were in show number 19. And I'm not sure what number this is going to be, but it's going to be above 360 so it's been a while. Amazing, amazing, unstoppable, unstoppable. That's it. We got to keep it going. And Mike and I have been involved in a few things together, in, in later, in, I guess it was in 20 when we do the M enabling Summit, that was 2021 wasn't it? Yeah, I think it was, I think it was the year before we did the podcast, yeah, podcast, 2021 right? So we were in DC, and we both worked because there was a group that wanted to completely condemn the kinds of technologies that accessibe and other companies use. Some people call it overlays. I'm not sure that that's totally accurate today, but we we worked to get them to not do what they originally intended to do, but rather to explore it in a little bit more detail, which I think was a lot more reasonable to do. So we've, we've had some fun over the years, and we see each other every so often, and here we are again today. So yeah, I'm glad you're here. Well, tell us a little about well, and I guess what we'll do is do some stuff that we did in 2022 tell us about kind of the early Mike, growing up and all that and what eventually got you into dealing with all this business of web accessibility and such. Yeah, thank you.   Mike Paciello ** 04:08 You know, I've tried to short this, shorten this story 100 times. Oh, don't worry. See if I get let's see if I can keep it succinct and and for the folks out there who understand verbosity and it's in its finest way for screen reader users, I'll try not to be verbose. I already am being   Michael Hingson ** 04:28 intermediate levels fine.   Mike Paciello ** 04:30 I came into this entire field as a technical writer trying to solve a problem that I kind of stumbled into doing some volunteer work for the debt the company that I then then worked for, a Digital Equipment Corporation, a software company, DEC software hardware company, back then, right back in the early 80s. And as a technical writer, I started learning at that time what was called Gen code. Eventually that morphed in. To what Goldfarb, Charles Goldfarb at IBM, called SGML, or standard, Generalized Markup Language, and that really became the predecessor, really gave birth to what we see on the web today, to HTML and the web markup languages. That's what they were, except back then, they were markup languages for print publications. So we're myself and a lot of colleagues and friends, people probably here, I'm sure, at bare minimum, recognized named George Kercher. George and I really paired together, worked together, ended up creating an international steer with a group of other colleagues and friends called the icad 22 which is 22 stands for the amount of elements in that markup language. And it became the adopted standard accessibility standard for the American Association of Publishers, and they published that became official. Eventually it morphed into what we today call, you know, accessible web development. It was the first instance by that was integrated into the HTML specification, I think officially, was HTML 3.1 3.2 somewhere in there when it was formally adopted and then announced in 1997 and at the World Wide Web Conference. That's really where my activity in the web began. So I was working at DEC, but I was doing a lot of volunteer work at MIT, which is where the W 3c was located at that particular time. And Tim Bursley, who a lot of people i Sir, I'm sure, know, the inventor of the web, led the effort at that time, and a few other folks that I work with, and.da Jim Miller, a few other folks. And we were, well, I wasn't specifically approached. Tim was approached by Vice President Gore and eventually President Clinton at that time to see if we could come up with some sort of technical standard for accessibility. And Tim asked if I'd like to work on it myself. Danielle, Jim, a few others, we did, and we came up that first initial specification and launched it as part of the Web Accessibility Initiative, which we created in 1997 from there, my career just took off. I went off did a couple of small companies that I launched, you know, my namesake company, the Paciello Group, or TPG, now called TPG IGI, yeah, yeah, which was acquired by vector capital, or this bureau back in 2017 so it's hard to believe that's already almost 10 years ago. No, yeah. And I've been walking in, working in the software, web accessibility field, usability field, writing fields, you know, for some pretty close to 45 years. It's 2025 40 years, I mean, and I started around 1984 I think it was 8384 when all this first   Michael Hingson ** 07:59 started. Wow, so clearly, you've been doing it for a while and understand a lot of the history of it. So how overall has the whole concept of web accessibility changed over the years, not only from a from a coding standpoint, but how do you think it's really changed when it comes to being addressed by the public and companies and so on.   Mike Paciello ** 08:26 That's a great question. I'd certainly like to be more proactive and more positive about it, but, but let me be fair, if you compare today and where web accessibility resides, you know, in the in the business value proposition, so to speak, and list the priorities of companies and corporations. You know, fortune 1000 fortune 5000 call whatever you whatever you want. Accessibility. Is there people? You could say section five way you could say the Web Accessibility Initiative, WCAG, compliance, and by and large, particularly technology driven, digital economy driven businesses, they know what it is. They don't know how to do it. Very rarely do they know how to do it. And even the ones that know how to do it don't really do it very well. So it kind of comes down to the 8020, rule, right? You're a business. Whatever kind of business you are, you're probably in more online presence than ever before, and so a lot of your digital properties will come under you know the laws that mandate usability and accessibility for people with disabilities today that having been said and more and more people know about it than ever before, certainly from the time that I started back in the you know, again, in the early, mid 80s, to where we are today. It's night and day. But in terms of prioritization, I don't know. I think what happens quite often is business value proposition. Decisions get in the way. Priorities get in the way of what a business in, what its core business are, what they're trying to accomplish, who they're trying to sell, sell to. They still view the disability market, never mind the blind and low vision, you know, market alone as a niche market. So they don't make the kind of investors that I, I believe that they could, you know, there's certainly, there are great companies like like Microsoft and and Google, Amazon, Apple, you know, a lot of these companies, you know, have done some Yeoman work at that level, but it's nowhere near where it should be. It just absolutely isn't. And so from that standpoint, in where I envision things, when I started this career was when I was in my 20 somethings, and now I'm over now I'm over 60. Well over 60. Yeah, I expected a lot more in, you know, in an internet age, much, much more.   Michael Hingson ** 11:00 Yeah, yeah. Well, it's it's really strange that so much has happened and yet so much hasn't happened. And I agree with you, there's been a lot of visibility for the concept of accessibility and inclusion and making the the internet a better place, but it is so unfortunate that most people don't know how to how to do anything with it. Schools aren't really teaching it. And more important than even teaching the coding, from from my perspective, looking at it more philosophically, what we don't tend to see are people really recognizing the value of disabilities, and the value that the market that people with disabilities bring to the to the world is significant. I mean, the Center for Disease Control talks about the fact that they're like up to 25% of all Americans have some sort of disability. Now I take a different approach. Actually. I don't know whether you've read my article on it, but I believe everyone on the in the in the world has a disability, and the reality is, most people are light dependent, but that's as much a disability as blindness. Except that since 1878 when Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. We have focused nothing short of trying to do everything we can to improve light on demand for the last 147 years. And so the disability is mostly covered up, but it's still there.   Mike Paciello ** 12:37 You know, yeah, and I did read that article, and I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, I personally think, and I actually have my own blog coming out, and probably later this month might be early, early July, where I talk about the fact that accessibility okay and technology really has been all along. And I love the fact that you call, you know, you identified the, you know, the late 1800s there, when Edison did the the light bulb, Alexander Graham Bell came up with, you know, the telephone. All of those adventures were coming about. But accessibility to people with disabilities, regardless of what their disability is, has always been a catalyst for innovation. That was actually supposed to be the last one I was going to make tonight. Now it's my first point because, because I think it is exactly as you said, Mike, I think that people are not aware. And when I say people, I mean the entire human population, I don't think that we are aware of the history of how, how, because of, I'm not sure if this is the best word, but accommodating users, accommodating people with disabilities, in whatever way, the science that goes behind that design architectural to the point of development and release, oftentimes, things that were done behalf of people with disabilities, or for People with disabilities, resulted in a fundamental, how's this for? For an interesting term, a fundamental alteration right to any other you know, common, and I apologize for the tech, tech, tech language, user interface, right, right? Anything that we interact with has been enhanced because of accessibility, because of people saying, hey, if we made this grip a little bit larger or stickier, we'll call it so I can hold on to it or softer for a person that's got fine motor dexterity disabilities, right? Or if we made a, you know, a web browser, which, of course, we have such that a blind individual, a low vision individual, can adjust the size of this, of the images and the fonts and things like that on a web page, they could do that unknown. Well, these things now. As we well know, help individuals without disabilities. Well, I'm not much, right, and I, again, I'm not speaking as a person beyond your characterization that, hey, look, we are all imperfect. We all have disabilities. And that is, that is absolutely true. But beyond that, I wear glasses. That's it. I do have a little hearing loss too. But you know, I'm finding myself more and more, for example, increasing the size of text. In fact, my note, yes, I increase them to, I don't know they're like, 18 point, just so that it's easier to see. But that is a common thing for every human being, just like you said.   Michael Hingson ** 15:36 Well, the reality is that so many tools that we use today come about. And came about because of people with disabilities. Peggy Chung Curtis Chung's wife, known as the blind history lady, and one of the stories that she told on her first visit to unstoppable mindset, which, by the way, is episode number five. I remember that Peggy tells the story of the invention of the typewriter, which was invented for a blind countist, because she wanted to be able to communicate with her lover without her husband knowing about it, and she didn't want to dictate things and so on. She wanted to be able to create a document and seal it, and that way it could be delivered to the lever directly. And the typewriter was the result of   Mike Paciello ** 16:20 that? I didn't know that. I will definitely go back. I just wrote it down. I wrote down a note that was episode number five, yeah, before with Curtis a couple of times, but obviously a good friend of ours, yeah, but I yeah, that's, that's, that's awesome.   Michael Hingson ** 16:37 Well, and look at, I'll tell you one of the things that really surprises me. So Apple was going to get sued because they weren't making any of their products accessible. And before the lawsuit was filed, they came along and they said, we'll fix it. And they did make and it all started to a degree with iTunes U but also was the iPhone and the iPod and so on. But they they, they did the work. Mostly. They embedded a screen reader called Voiceover in all of their operating systems. They did make iTunes you available. What really surprises me, though is that I don't tend to see perhaps some things that they could do to make voiceover more attractive to drivers so they don't have to look at the screen when a phone call comes in or whatever. And that they could be doing some things with VoiceOver to make it more usable for sighted people in a lot of instances. And I just don't, I don't see any emphasis on that, which is really surprising to me.   Mike Paciello ** 17:38 Yeah, I totally agree. I mean, there are a lot of use cases there that you go for. I think Mark Rico would certainly agree with you in terms of autonomous driving for the blind, right? Sure that too. But yeah, I definitely agree and, and I know the guy that the architect voiceover and develop voiceover for Apple and, boy, why can I think of his last name? I know his first name. First name is Mike. Is with Be My Eyes now and in doing things at that level. But I will just say one thing, not to correct you, but Apple had been in the accessibility business long before voice over Alan Brightman and Gary mulcher were instrumental towards convincing, you know, jobs of the importance of accessibility to people with disabilities,   Michael Hingson ** 18:31 right? But they weren't doing anything to make products accessible for blind people who needed screen readers until that lawsuit came along. Was   Mike Paciello ** 18:40 before screen readers? Yeah, that was before,   Michael Hingson ** 18:43 but they did it. Yeah. The only thing I wish Apple would do in that regard, that they haven't done yet, is Apple has mandates and requirements if you're going to put an app in the App Store. And I don't know whether it's quite still true, but it used to be that if your app had a desktop or it looked like a Windows desktop, they wouldn't accept it in the app store. And one of the things that surprises me is that they don't require that app developers make sure that their products are usable with with VoiceOver. And the reality is that's a it doesn't need to be a really significantly moving target. For example, let's say you have an app that is dealing with displaying star charts or maps. I can't see the map. I understand that, but at least voiceover ought to give me the ability to control what goes on the screen, so that I can have somebody describe it, and I don't have to spend 15 or 20 minutes describing my thought process, but rather, I can just move things around on the screen to get to where we need to go. And I wish Apple would do a little bit more in that regard.   Mike Paciello ** 19:52 Yeah, I think that's a great a great thought and a great challenge, if, between me and you. Yeah, I think it goes back to what I said before, even though we both see how accessibility or accommodating users with disabilities has led to some of the most incredible innovations. I mean, the Department of Defense, for years, would integrate people with disabilities in their user testing, they could better help, you know, military soldiers, things like that, assimilate situations where there was no hearing, there was they were immobile, they couldn't see all, you know, all of these things that were natural. You know, user environments or personas for people with disabilities. So they led to these kind of, you know, incredible innovations, I would tell you, Mike, I think you know this, it's because the business value proposition dictates otherwise.   Michael Hingson ** 20:55 Yeah, and, well, I guess I would change that slightly and say that people think that the business proposition does but it may very well be that they would find that there's a lot more value in doing it if they would really open up their minds to looking at it differently. It's   Mike Paciello ** 21:10 kind of, it's kind of like, it's tough. It's kind of like, if I could use this illustration, so to speak, for those who may not be religiously inclined, but you know, it's, it's like prophecy. Most people, you don't know whether or not prophecy is valid until years beyond, you know, years after. And then you could look back at time and say, See, it was all along. These things, you know, resulted in a, me, a major paradigm shift in the way that we do or don't do things. And I think that's exactly what you're saying. You know, if, if people would really look at the potential of what technologies like, you know, a voice over or, as you know, a good friend of mine said, Look, we it should be screen readers. It should be voice IO interfaces, right? That every human can use and interact with regardless. That's what we're really talking about. There's   Michael Hingson ** 22:10 a big discussion going on some of the lists now about the meta, Ray Ban, glasses, and some of the things that it doesn't do or that they don't do well, that they should like. It's really difficult to get the meta glasses to read completely a full page. I think there are ways that people have now found to get it to do that, but there are things like that that it that that don't happen. And again, I think it gets back to what you're saying is the attitude is, well, most people aren't going to need that. Well, the reality is, how do you know and how do you know what they'll need until you offer options. So one of my favorite stories is when I worked for Kurzweil a long time ago, some people called one day and they wanted to come and see a new talking computer terminal that that Ray and I and others developed, and they came up, and it turns out, they were with one of those initial organizations out of Langley, Virginia, the CIA. And what they wanted to do was to use the map the the terminal connected to their computers to allow them to move pointers on a map and not have to watch the map or the all of the map while they were doing it, but rather, the computer would verbalize where the pointer was, and then they could they could move it around and pin a spot without having to actually look at the screen, because the way their machine was designed, it was difficult to do that. You know, the reality is that most of the technologies that we need and that we use and can use could be used by so much, so many more people, if people would just really look at it and think about it, but, but you're right, they don't.   Mike Paciello ** 24:04 You know, it's, of course, raise a raise another good friend of mine. We both having in common. I work with him. I been down his office a few, more than few times, although his Boston office, anyway, I think he's, I'm not sure he's in Newton. He's in Newton. Yeah. Is he still in Newton? Okay. But anyway, it reminded me of something that happened in a similar vein, and that was several years ago. I was at a fast forward forward conference, future forward conference, and a company, EMC, who absorbed by Dell, I think, right, yes, where they all are. So there I was surprised that when that happened. But hey, yeah, yeah, I was surprised that compact bought depth, so that's okay, yeah, right. That HP bought count, right? That whole thing happened. But um, their chief science, chief scientist, I think he was a their CSO chief scientist, Doc. Came up and made this presentation. And basically the presentation was using voice recognition. They had been hired by the NSA. So it was a NSA right to use voice recognition in a way where they would recognize voices and then record those voices into it, out the output the transcript of that right text, text files, and feed them back to, you know, the NSA agents, right? So here's the funny part of that story goes up i i waited he gave his presentation. This is amazing technology, and what could it was like, 99% accurate in terms of not just recognizing American, English speaking people, but a number of different other languages, in dialects. And the guy who gave the presentation, I actually knew, because he had been a dec for many years. So in the Q and A Part I raised by hand. I got up there. He didn't recognize it a few years had gone by. And I said, you know, this is amazing technology. We could really use this in the field that I work in. And he said, Well, how's that? And I said, you know, voice recognition and outputting text would allow us to do now this is probably 2008 2009 somewhere in that area, would allow us to do real time, automated transcription for the Deaf, Captioning. And he looks at me and he he says, Do I know you? This is through a live audience. I said. I said, Yeah, Mark is it was. Mark said, So Mike gas yellow. He said, you're the only guy in town that I know that could turn a advanced, emerging technology into something for people with disabilities. I can't believe it. So that was, that was, but there was kind of the opposite. It was a technology they were focused on making this, you know, this technology available for, you know, government, obviously covert reasons that if they were using it and applying it in a good way for people with disabilities, man, we'd have been much faster, much further along or even today, right? I mean, it's being done, still not as good, not as good as that, as I saw. But that just goes to show you what, what commercial and government funding can do when it's applied properly?   Michael Hingson ** 27:41 Well, Dragon, naturally speaking, has certainly come a long way since the original Dragon Dictate. But there's still errors, there's still things, but it does get better, but I hear exactly what you're saying, and the reality is that we don't tend to think in broad enough strokes for a lot of the things that we do, which is so unfortunate,   Mike Paciello ** 28:03 yeah? I mean, I've had an old saying that I've walked around for a long time. I should have, I should make a baseball cap, whether something or T shirt. And it simply was, think accessibility, yeah, period. If, if, if we, organizations, people, designers, developers, architects, usability, people, QA, people. If everybody in the, you know, in the development life cycle was thinking about accessibility, or accessibility was integrated, when we say accessibility, we're talking about again, for users with disabilities, if that became part of, if not the functional catalyst, for technology. Man, we'd have been a lot further along in the quote, unquote value chains than we are today.   Michael Hingson ** 28:46 One of the big things at least, that Apple did do was they built voiceover into their operating system, so anybody who buys any Apple device today automatically has redundancy here, but access to accessibility, right? Which, which is really the way it ought to be. No offense to vispero and jaws, because they're they're able to fill the gap. But still, if Microsoft had truly devoted the time that they should have to narrate her at the beginning. We might see a different kind of an architecture today.   Mike Paciello ** 29:26 You know, I so I want to, by the way, the person that invented that wrote that code is Mike shabanik. That's his name I was thinking about. So Mike, if you're listening to this guy, just hi from two others. And if he's not, he should be, yeah, yeah, exactly right from two other mics. But so let me ask you this question, because I legitimately can't remember this, and have had a number of discussions with Mike about this. So VoiceOver is native to the US, right?   Michael Hingson ** 29:56 But no, well, no to to the to the to the. Products, but not just the US. No,   Mike Paciello ** 30:02 no, I said, OS, yes, it's native to OS, yeah, right. It's native that way, right? But doesn't it still use an off screen model for producing or, you know, translate the transformation of, you know, on screen to voice.   Michael Hingson ** 30:27 I'm not sure that's totally true. Go a little bit deeper into that for me.   Mike Paciello ** 30:34 Well, I mean, so NVDA and jaws use this off screen model, right, which is functionally, they grab, will they grab some content, or whatever it is, push it to this, you know, little black box, do all those translations, you know, do all the transformation, and then push it back so it's renderable to a screen reader. Okay, so that's this off screen model that is transparent to the users, although now you know you can get into it and and tweak it and work with it right, right? I recall when Mike was working on the original design of of nary, excuse me, a voiceover, and he had called me, and I said, Are you going to continue with the notion of an off screen model? And he said, Yeah, we are. And I said, Well, when you can build something that's more like what TV Raman has built into Emacs, and it works integral to the actual OS, purely native. Call me because then I'm interested in, but now that was, you know, 1520, years ago, right? I mean, how long has voiceover been around,   Michael Hingson ** 31:51 since 2007   Mike Paciello ** 31:54 right? So, yeah, 20 years ago, right? Just shy of 20 years, 18 years. So I don't know. I honestly don't know. I'm   Michael Hingson ** 32:02 not totally sure, but I believe that it is, but I can, you know, we'll have to, we'll have to look into that.   Mike Paciello ** 32:08 If anyone in the audience is out there looking at you, get to us before we find out. Let us we'll find out at the NFB   Michael Hingson ** 32:12 convention, because they're going to be a number of Apple people there. We can certainly ask, there   Mike Paciello ** 32:17 you go. That's right, for sure. James Craig is bound to be there. I can ask him and talk to him about that for sure. Yep, so anyway,   Michael Hingson ** 32:23 but I think, I think it's a very it's a valid point. And you know, the the issue is that, again, if done right and app developers are doing things right there, there needs to, there ought to be a way that every app has some level of accessibility that makes it more available. And the reality is, people, other than blind people use some of these technologies as well. So we're talking about voice input. You know, quadriplegics, for example, who can't operate a keyboard will use or a mouse can use, like a puff and zip stick to and and Dragon to interact with a computer and are successful at doing it. The reality is, there's a whole lot more opportunities out there than people think. Don't   Mike Paciello ** 33:11 I agree with that. I'm shaking my head up and down Mike and I'm telling you, there is, I mean, voice recognition alone. I can remember having a conversation with Tony vitality, one of the CO inventors of the deck talk. And that goes all the way back into the, you know, into the early 90s, about voice recognition and linguistics and what you know, and I know Kurzweil did a lot of working with Terry right on voice utterances and things like that. Yeah, yeah. There's, there's a wide open window of opportunity there for study and research that could easily be improved. And as you said, and this is the point, it doesn't just improve the lives of the blind or low vision. It improves the lives of a number of different types of Persona, disability persona types, but it would certainly create a pathway, a very wide path, for individuals, users without disabilities, in a number of different life scenarios.   Michael Hingson ** 34:10 Yeah, and it's amazing how little sometimes that's done. I had the pleasure a few years ago of driving a Tesla down Interstate 15 out here in California. Glad I wasn't there. You bigot, you know, the co pilot system worked. Yeah, you know, I just kept my hands on the wheel so I didn't very much, right? Not have any accidents. Back off now it worked out really well, but, but here's what's really interesting in that same vehicle, and it's something that that I find all too often is is the case if I were a passenger sitting in the front seat, there's so much that I as a passenger don't have access to that other passenger. Do radios now are mostly touchscreen right, which means and they don't build in the features that would make the touchscreen system, which they could do, accessible. The Tesla vehicle is incredibly inaccessible. And there's for a guy who's so innovative, there's no reason for that to be that way. And again, I submit that if they truly make the product so a blind person could use it. Think of how much more a sighted person who doesn't have to take their eyes off the road could use the same technologies.   Mike Paciello ** 35:35 You know, Mike, again, you and I are on the same page. I mean, imagine these guys are supposed to be creative and imaginative and forward thinking, right? Could you? Can you imagine a better tagline than something along the lines of Tesla, so user friendly that a blind person can drive it? Yeah? I mean this is, have you heard or seen, you know, metaphorically speaking, or that's okay, a an advertisement or PR done by any, any company, because they're all, all the way across the board, that hasn't featured what it can do to enhance lives of people with disabilities. Where it wasn't a hit. I mean, literally, it was, yeah, you see these commercials played over and over to Apple, Microsoft, Emma, I see McDonald's, Walmart. I mean, I could just name, name the one after another. Really, really outstanding. Salesforce has done it. Just incredible. They would do it, yeah. I mean, there is there any more human centric message than saying, Look what we've built and designed we're releasing to the masses and everyone, anyone, regardless of ability, can use it. Yeah, that, to me, is that's, I agree that's a good route, right for marketing and PR, good,   Michael Hingson ** 37:03 yeah. And yet they don't, you know, I see commercials like about one of the one of the eye injections, or whatever Bobby is, Mo or whatever it is. And at the beginning, the woman says, I think I'm losing sight of the world around me. You know that's all about, right? It's eyesight and nothing else. And I appreciate, I'm all for people keeping their eyesight and doing what's necessary. But unfortunately, all too often, we do that at the detriment of of other people, which is so unfortunate.   Mike Paciello ** 37:39 Yeah, you know again, not to, not to get off the subject, but one of my favorite books is rethinking competitive advantage, by Ram Sharon. I don't know if you know know him, but the guy is one of my heroes in terms of just vision and Business and Technology. And in this, this book, he wrote this a couple of years ago. He said this one this is his first rule of competition in the digital age. The number one rule was simply this, a personalized consumer experience, key to exponential growth. That's exactly you and I are talking about personally. I want to see interfaces adapt to users, rather than what we have today, which is users having to adapt to the interface.   Michael Hingson ** 38:32 Yeah, and it would make so much sense to do so. I hope somebody out there is listening and will maybe take some of this to heart, because if they do it right, they can have a huge market in no time at all, just because they show they care. You know, Nielsen Company did a survey back in 2016 where they looked at a variety of companies and consumers and so on. And if I recall the numbers right, they decided that people with disabilities are 35% more likely to continue to work with and shop, for example, at companies that really do what they can to make their websites and access to their products accessible, as opposed to not. And that's that's telling. It's so very telling. But we don't see people talking about that nearly like we should   Mike Paciello ** 39:20 you talk about a business value proposition. There is bullet proof that where you are leaving money on the table, yep, and a lot of it, yeah, exactly. We're not talking about 1000s or hundreds of 1000s. We're talking about billions and trillions, in some instances, not an exaggeration by any stretch of the imagination, very, very simple math. I had this conversation a couple years ago with the CEO of Pearson. At that time, he's retired, but, you know, I told him, if you spent $1 for every person that it was in the world with. Disability, you're, you're, you're talking about 1/4 of the population, right? It's simple math, simple math,   Michael Hingson ** 40:08 but people still won't do it. I mean, we taught you to mention section 508, before with the whole issue of web access, how much of the government has really made their websites accessible, even though it's the law?   Mike Paciello ** 40:19 Yeah, three years, three or four years ago, they did a study, and they found out that the good that every federal agency, most of the federal agencies, were not even keeping up thinking with reporting of the status, of where they were, and yet that was written right into the five way law. They were mandated to do it, and they still did do   Michael Hingson ** 40:37 it. We haven't, you know, the whole Americans with Disabilities Act. Finally, the Department of Justice said that the internet is a place of business, but still, it's not written in the law. And of course, we only see about 3% of all websites that tend to have any level of access. And there's no reason for that. It's not that magical. And again, I go back to what do we do to get schools and those who teach people how to code to understand the value of putting in accessibility right from the outset?   Mike Paciello ** 41:10 Yeah, no, I totally agree with you. I think this is what Kate sanka is trying to do with with Teach access. In fact, you know, again, my company, TPG was one of the founding companies have teach access back again, 10 years ago, when it first started. But that's where it starts. I mean, they're, they're pretty much focused on post secondary, university education, but I could tell you on a personal level, I was speaking at my kids grade school, elementary school, because they were already using laptops and computers back then it starts. Then you've got to build a mindset. You've got to build it we you've heard about the accessibility, maturity models coming out of the W, 3c, and in I, double AP. What that speaks to fundamentally, is building a culture within your corporate organization that is think accessibility as a think accessibility mindset, that it is woven into the fiber of every business line, in every technology, software development life cycle, all of the contributors at that level, from A to Z. But if you don't build it into the culture, it's not going to happen. So I would love to see a lot more being done at that level. But yeah, it's, it's, it's a, it's a hero. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 42:34 we're, we're left out of the conversation so much. Yeah, yeah, totally. So you, you sold TPG, and you then formed, or you had web able and then able Docs.   Mike Paciello ** 42:48 So what web able came out was a carve out, one of two carve outs that I had from when I sold TPG. The other was open access technologies, which which eventually was sold to another accessibility company primarily focused on making documentation accessible to meet the WCAG and other standards requirements and web able I carved out. It's been a kind of a hobby of mine now, for since I sold TPG, I'm still working on the back end, ironically, from the get go, so we're talking, you know, again, eight years ago, I had built machine learning and AI into it. From then back then, I did so that what it does is it very simply, goes out and collects 1000s and 1000s of articles as it relates to technology, people with disabilities, and then cleans them up and post them to web able.com I've got a lot more playing for it, but that's in a nutshell. That's what it does. And I don't we do some we do some QA review to make sure that the cleanup in terms of accessibility and the articles are are properly formatted and are accessible. We use the web aim API, but yeah, works like magic. Works like clockwork, and that's got aI uses IBM Watson AI built into it. Yeah, enable docs was abledocs was, how should I say this in a nice way, abledocs was a slight excursion off of my main route. It can work out. I wish it had. It had a lot of potential, much like open access technologies, but they both suffered from owners who really, really not including myself, who just didn't have good vision and in lack humility,   Michael Hingson ** 44:43 yeah. How's that? There you go. Well, so not to go political or anything, but AI in general is interesting, and I know that there have been a lot of debates over the last few years about artificial. Intelligence and helping to make websites accessible. There are several companies like AudioEye, user way, accessibe and so on that to one degree or another, use AI. What? What? So in general, what do you think about AI and how it's going to help deal with or not, the whole issue of disabilities and web access,   Mike Paciello ** 45:22 yeah, and we're going to set aside Neil Jacobs thoughts on how he sees it in the future, right? Although I have to tell you, he gave me some things to think about, so we'll just set that to to the side. So I think what AI offers today is something that I thought right away when it started to see the, you know, the accessibes, the user ways, the audio, eyes, and all the other companies kind of delving into it, I always saw potential to how's this remediate a fundamental problem or challenge, let's not call it a problem, a challenge that we were otherwise seeing in the professional services side of that equation around web accessibility, right? So you get experts who use validation tools and other tools, who know about code. Could go in and they know and they use usability, they use user testing, and they go in and they can tell you what you need to do to make your digital properties right, usable and accessible. People with disabilities, all well and good. That's great. And believe me, I had some of the best people, if not the best people in the world, work for me at one time. However, there are a couple of things it could not do in it's never going to do. Number one, first and foremost, from my perspective, it can't scale. It cannot scale. You can do some things at, you know, in a large way. For example, if, if a company is using some sort of, you know, CMS content management system in which their entire sites, you know, all their sites, all their digital properties, you know, are woven into templates, and those templates are remediated. So that cuts down a little bit on the work. But if you go into companies now, it's not like they're limited to two or three templates. Now they've got, you know, department upon department upon department, everybody's got a different template. So even those are becoming very vos, very verbose and very plentiful. So accessibility as a manual effort doesn't really scale well. And if it does, even if it could, it's not fast enough, right? So that's what AI does, AI, coupled with automation, speeds up that process and delivers a much wider enterprise level solution. Now again, AI automation is not, is not a whole, is not a holistic science. You know, it's not a silver bullet. David Marathi likes to use the term, what is he? He likes the gold standard. Well, from his perspective, and by the way, David Marathi is CEO of audio. Eye is a combination of automation AI in expert analysis, along with the use of the integration of user testing and by user testing, it's not just personas, but it's also compatibility with the assistive technologies that people with disabilities use. Now, when you do that, you've got something that you could pattern after a standard software development life cycle, environment in which you integrate all of these things. So if you got a tool, you integrate it there. If you've got, you know, a digital accessibility platform which does all this automation, AI, right, which, again, this is the this is a forester foresters take on the the the daps, as they calls it. And not really crazy about that, but that's what they are. Digital Accessibility platforms. It allows us to scale and scale at costs that are much lower, at speeds that are much faster, and it's just a matter of like any QA, you've got to check your work, and you've got it, you can't count on that automation being absolute. We know for a fact that right now, at best, we're going to be able to get 35 to 40% accuracy, some claim, larger different areas. I'm still not convinced of that, but the fact of the matter is, it's like anything else. Technology gets better as it goes, and we'll see improvements over time periods.   Michael Hingson ** 49:49 So here's here's my thought, yeah, let's say you use AI in one of the products that's out there. And I. You go to a website and you include it, and it reasonably well makes the website 50% more usable and accessible than it was before. I'm just, I just threw out that number. I know it's random. Go ahead, Yep, yeah, but let's say it does that. The reality is that means that it's 50% that the web developers, the web coders, don't have to do because something else is dealing with it. But unfortunately, their mentality is not to want to deal with that because they also fear it. But, you know, I remember back in the mid 1980s I started a company because I went off and tried to find a job and couldn't find one. So I started a company with a couple of other people, where we sold early PC based CAD systems to architects, right? And we had AutoCAD versus CAD. Another one called point line, which was a three dimensional system using a y cap solid modeling board that took up two slots in your PC. So it didn't work with all PCs because we didn't have enough slots. But anyway, right, right, right. But anyway, when I brought architects in and we talked about what it did and we showed them, many of them said, I'll never use that. And I said, why? Well, it does work, and that's not the question. But the issue is, we charge by the time, and so we take months to sometimes create designs and projects, right? And so we can't lose that revenue. I said, you're looking at it all wrong. Think about it this way, somebody gives you a job, you come back and you put it in the CAD system. You go through all the iterations it takes, let's just say, two weeks. Then you call your customer in. You use point line, and you can do a three dimensional walk through and fly through. You can even let them look out the window and see what there is and all that they want to make changes. They tell you the changes. You go off and you make the changes. And two weeks later, now it's a month, you give them their finished product, all the designs, all the plots and all that, all done, and you charge them exactly the same price you were going to charge them before. Now you're not charging for your time, you're charging for your expertise, right? And I think that same model still holds true that the technology, I think most people will agree that it is not perfect, but there are a lot of things that it can do. Because the reality is, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, are all things that can be defined with computer code, whether it necessarily does it all well with AI or not, is another story. But if it does it to a decent fraction, it makes all the difference in terms of what you're able to do and how quickly you can do   Mike Paciello ** 52:52 it. Yeah, I can argue with that at all. I think any time that we can make our jobs a little bit easier so that we can focus where we should be focused. In this case, as you said, the expertise side of it, right to fix those complicated scenarios or situations that require a hands on surgical like Right? Expertise, you can do that now. You've got more hours more time because it's been saved. The only thing I would say, Mike, about what, what you just said, is that there with that, with that mindset, okay, comes responsibility. Oh, yeah, in this is where I think in everybody that knows anything about this environment, you and I have an intimate understanding of this. The whole overlay discussion is the biggest problem with what happened was less about the technology and more about what claims are being made. Yeah, the technology could do which you could not do in, in some cases, could never do, or would never, would never do, well, right? So if you create, and I would submit this is true in as a fundamental principle, if you create a technology of any kind, you must, in truth, inform your clients of of what it can and cannot do so they understand the absolute value to them, because the last thing you want, because, again, we live in a, unfortunately, a very litigious world. Right soon as there's   Michael Hingson ** 54:49 a mistake couldn't happen,   Mike Paciello ** 54:51 they'll go right after you. So now you know, and again, I don't I'm not necessarily just blaming the ambulance chasers of the world. World. I was talking to an NFP lawyer today. He referred to them in a different name, and I can't remember well, I never heard the expression before, but that's what he meant, right? Yeah, it's the salesman and the product managers and the marketing people themselves, who are were not themselves, to your point, properly trained, properly educated, right? It can't be done, what clearly could not be said, what should or should not be said, right? And then you got lawyers writing things all over the place. So, yeah, yeah. So, so I look people knew when I made the decision to come to audio eye that it was a make or break scenario for me, or at least that's what they thought in my mindset. It always, has always been, that I see incredible possibilities as you do or technology, it just has to be handled responsibly.   Michael Hingson ** 55:56 Do you think that the companies are getting better and smarter about what they portray about their products than they than they were three and four and five years ago.   Mike Paciello ** 56:08 Okay, look, I sat in and chaired a meeting with the NFB on this whole thing. And without a doubt, they're getting smarter. But it took not just a stick, you know, but, but these large lawsuits to get them to change their thinking, to see, you know, where they where they were wrong, and, yeah, things are much better. There's still some issues out there. I both know it that's going to happen, that happens in every industry,   Michael Hingson ** 56:42 but there are improvements. It is getting better, and people are getting smarter, and that's where an organization like the NFB really does need to become more involved than in a sense, they are. They took some pretty drastic steps with some of the companies, and I think that they cut off their nose, despite their face as well, and that didn't help. So I think there are things that need to be done all the way around, but I do see that progress is being made too. I totally   Mike Paciello ** 57:11 agree, and in fact, I'm working with them right now. We're going to start working on the California Accessibility Act again. I'm really looking forward to working with the NFB, the DRC and Imperato over there and his team in the disability rights consortium, consortium with disability rights. What DRC coalition, coalition in in California. I can't wait to do that. We tried last year. We got stopped short. It got tabled, but I feel very good about where we're going this year. So that's, that's my that's, that is my focus right now. And I'm glad I'm going to be able to work with the NFB to be able to do that. Yeah, well, I, I really do hope that it passes. We've seen other states. We've seen some states pass some good legislation, and hopefully we will continue to see some of that go on. Yeah, Colorado has done a great job. Colorado sent a great job. I think they've done it. I really like what's being done with the EAA, even though it's in Europe, and some of the things that are going there, Susanna, Lauren and I had some great discussions. I think she is has been a leader of a Yeoman effort at that level. So we'll see. Let's, let's, I mean, there's still time out here. I guess I really would like to retire,   Michael Hingson ** 58:28 but I know the feeling well, but I can't afford to yet, so I'll just keep speaking and all that well, Mike, this has been wonderful. I really appreciate you taking an hour and coming on, and at least neither of us is putting up with any kind of snow right now, but later in the year we'll see more of that.   Mike Paciello ** 58:45 Yeah, well, maybe you will. We don't get snow down. I have. We've gotten maybe 25 flakes in North Carolina since I've been here.   Michael Hingson ** 58:53 Yeah, you don't get a lot of snow. We don't hear we don't really get it here, around us, up in the mountains, the ski resorts get it, but I'm out in a valley, so we don't, yeah,   Mike Paciello ** 59:02 yeah, no. I love it. I love this is golfing weather.   Michael Hingson ** 59:05 There you go. If people want to reach out to you, how do they do that?   Mike Paciello ** 59:11 There's a couple of ways. Certainly get in touch with me at AudioEye. It's michael.paciello@audioeye.com   Michael Hingson ** 59:17 B, A, C, I, E, L, L, O,   Mike Paciello ** 59:18 that's correct. Thank you for that. You could send me personal email at Mike paciello@gmail.com and or you can send me email at web able. It's m passielo at web able.com, any one of those ways. And please feel free you get on all the social networks. So feel free to link, connect to me. Anyway, I try to respond. I don't think there's anyone I I've not responded to one form or another.   Michael Hingson ** 59:46 Yeah, I'm I'm the same way. If I get an email, I want to respond to it. Yeah, well, thanks again for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening. We really appreciate it. Love to hear your thoughts about this episode. Please feel free to email. Me, you can get me the email address I generally use is Michael h i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, or you can go to our podcast page, which is Michael hingson.com/podcast, and there's a contact form there. But love to hear from you. Love to hear your thoughts, and most of all, please give us a five star rating wherever you're listening. We value your ratings and your reviews a whole lot, so we really appreciate you doing that. And if any of you, and Mike, including you, can think of other people that you think ought to be guests on the podcast, we are always looking for more people, so fill us up, help us find more folks. And we would appreciate that a great deal. So again, Mike, thanks very much. This has been a lot of fun, and we'll have to do it again.   Mike Paciello ** 1:00:44 Thanks for the invitation. Mike, I really appreciate it. Don't forget to add 10 Nakata to your list,   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:49 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

On episode 299 of the AwardsWatch Podcast, it's an all editors show as Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello look at the wealth of fall festival lineup announcements that came in this week from Venice and Toronto. In the pod, the trio start with Venice, which will be the kickoff of no less than three Netflix titles: Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly and the return of Kathryn Bigelow with A House of Dynamite. With a few other Netflix titles rolling around, we talk about the impact of these three titles starting off here and where else we'll see them this season. Yorgos Lanthimos' newest collab with Emma Stone, Bugonia, will also bow at Venice, leaving Focus Features' other top title Hamnet, rip for Telluride. Mona Fastvold, fresh off The Brutalist last year (with her partner Brady Corbet), has The Testament of Ann Lee with Amanda Seyfried, something has all of us buzzing. Then there's The Smashing Machine from Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. We also dig into the Out of Competition titles, specifically Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt, which has some internet folks thinking it means something more than it does. Onto TIFF, always the most helpful as specific designations are listed for each film, we talk about Rental Family starring Brendan Fraser, Sydney Sweeney in Christy and where the big Cannes winners from NEON and MUBI, like Sentimental Value, It Was Just an Accident, The Secret Agent, Sirāt and Sound of Falling landed. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h14m. We'll be back next week with an Oscar retrospective of the 63rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 1990. Till then, let's get into it.

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 2 The Start of Something New Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels. Grierson finally sat forward, meeting me energy-to-energy as he kept my gaze locked in. "And yet, here we are, Mr. Black. We can either come up with a deal, or I swear to Christ and all the Saints that the government will seize this land for eminent domain under the emergency provisions of the pandemic and you won't be able to do a fucking thing about it." "Sell, or die," I said. "So you can build a 'resettlement camp?' Jesus Christ, yourself. If you know so much about my family history, you know building a fucking 'camp' of any sort on this land would be the absolute last thing I would bend over for." "I didn't say 'camp.'" Grierson said. "No matter what your Native, and Japanese, forebears had to go through, listen to me; this is the farthest thing from that." I was 1/32nd native from my father's side and 1/16th Japanese from my mother's side. Again, not the hardest thing to dig up, but while I had the black hair of both those ancestries, I mostly just looked like a tall white guy with a pretty generic last name. No one ever assumed I was anything else in passing. "What does that even mean?" Erica asked. "It means we aren't building concentration camps," Grierson said, glancing over at her. "We aren't building a reservation, or an internment camp, or any of the other shitty things our and other governments have done to people." He looked back at me again. "We're going to develop this land into a neighborhood. The God damned fanciest kind of gated community you can think of. Big houses, big properties, for people who do or did important work to settle in safety and stability as we try to survive this shit show virus." "None of this answers why," I said. "Why should I agree to this? Why shouldn't I make it so fucking annoying that you go find a different patch of land and leave me alone?" Grierson frowned, though I had the feeling he'd been planning this from the start. He wanted me to work to peel back the layers of information, to earn the answers because that would make me believe them more. It would tick off boxes in my psychology and experience. The fucking problem was even though I knew he was doing it, it was also working. "Because you'd be saving lives," Grierson answered. "Our pilot development down in California is called New Eden; the place is only two-thirds built to starting specs, and we're already out of room on the next five phases of development once it's opened. Now it's my job to set up the next locations and get them rolling because our current projections are that within the next six months, the death toll is only going to skyrocket. We can't even get a grasp on what the numbers might reasonably be because the range is so fucking staggering. Millions is the easy number, Mr. Black." It was my turn to say it. "Fuck." "Now, you're not going to hear that on the TV," Walters said. "You won't hear it from the CDC, or the other health agencies. The only reason we are cleared to tell you this is because folks in our circles have developed the preference to work with reasonable people when they are useful. And also, who would fucking believe you?" "Here's our offer," Grierson said, pulling out a slip of folded paper from inside his suit jacket and putting it on the coffee table. "That's the hard cash number we've designated for this deal. No taxes. Straight transfer from us to you. There will also be other perks, including homes inside the settlement for you and Mr. Lacoste. Things are about to get really weird in the world. Have you heard anything about the Tier system?" "Nothing," I said, but Leo spoke up. "I saw some rumors. It's supposed to be some kind of a terrifying triage, right?" he asked. "Who's the most worthy kind of shit. People started protesting, but I thought it got debunked." Grierson nodded. "Oh, we stopped the protests, but it's all too real. I won't hide it; I find the entire thing absolutely un-American. It's the kind of shit the Chinese government operates, but it is what it is." Walters drained the last of his coffee and set the mug onto the coaster on the coffee table politely. "Suffice it to say, it's a sort of social karma system. The more important you are to society, the more protections and comforts you're afforded as we roll out our limited resources on quarantine defenses. There's 5 tiers, one being the lowest and five the highest. Most of society will land in the 1's and 2's, including all three of you. This development we'll be building is mostly going to house 3's and 4's. As part of the deal, we'll place Leo at tier 3 for resettlement purposes, and you Harrison would be placed at tier 4 despite your lack of qualification in the matter." This entire conversation felt like I was running downhill trying to keep up with an avalanche. "That sounds an awful lot like a really great way to set up for corruption," I said. "A fucking caste society? Really?" "It's already done," Grierson said. "Believe me, there were a lot of in-the-know people against the idea. But it's the only idea that works in this situation. We've gamed it out to the Nth degree. Leo, your description is pretty much the best that we were able to make internally. We're triaging society to make sure it stays together and can weather this hurricane." "What would we tier at without this?" Leo asked. "Leo Lacoste," Grierson said, talking as if he were reading directly off of a portfolio even though he rattled it off without referencing anything. "Positives: Early thirties age bracket, relatively fit and healthy. Low-to-Mid career path; carpentry skills of moderate qualification. No criminal record. Negatives: No community investment. Likely rating: Tier 1." "Harrison Black," he continued. "Positives: Early thirties age bracket, relatively fit and healthy. Former military service including Military Police service, honorable discharge at the rank of MP Investigations Special Agent, no known psychological impacts. No criminal record. Negatives: No community investment, null-rank career; freelance artist. Likely rating: Tier 1." "To be fair, there is a big question mark on your file that we couldn't fill," Walters said. "Your honorable discharge happened mid-tour, without any reported incidents or injuries. It's surprising you haven't been called back into at least reserve service with the Emergencies Acts. A decent answer would probably bump you up to tier two." "I can't talk about it," I said. Erica snorted and rolled her eyes, and both men looked at her. "Erica," I warned her. "What?" she demanded. "They just called you 'low tier,' Harri. If you're not going to tell them then I will." "I can't talk about it," I said again. "Harrison knocked out an Air Force bigwig when he was an MP and stationed in Germany," Leo cut in. "The guy was abusing and trying to blackmail a female subordinate into sex. The only reason we know is because she tracked Harri down a few years ago and we met her in a bar in Portland." "The bigwig was politically protected and nothing happened in the end," Erica said. "At least, that's what she said. He got shuffled around, and Harrison got the boot." "I got an honorable discharge instead of a court martial for striking a very superior officer of a different branch," I said. "And part of that deal was that I not talk about it." "Well that explains some things," Grierson said. "It wouldn't change anything though. If you were doing something more useful with your life than painting little pictures, you might have made tier two or three without this offer." "Says you," Erica scoffed. "Art is useful. And important!" Grierson pursed his lips slightly. "Erica Lacoste. Not an official resident of the property, but I know enough. Positives: Early thirties age bracket, relatively fit and healthy. Negatives: Criminal record, including battery, two counts of public drunkenness, and public urination. No community investment. Null rank career; tattoo artist. Likely rating: Tier 1." "Hey, fuck you too," Erica said, and pointed her middle finger at Grierson, along with a scowl to go with it. Honestly, none of that was surprising news about Erica for me except for the Battery charge, I definitely needed to get that story out of her. "Okay, we get it," I said, interrupting what I had a feeling was about to become a degenerating path of conversation. "You know about us. You do realize this is all a little much, right? It comes across as insane." "Of course it does," Grierson sighed. "But a year ago, only bored analysts tripping on LSD were asked to think about these kinds of situations. Now we're in it, right in the damned middle of the clusterfuck." "You should really look at the offer," Walters said, gesturing to the folded paper I hadn't looked into yet. It sat on the coffee table like an accusing finger pointed at me by my father, and his father before him. How dare I even consider this? "So it's a butt load of cash," I said, still not opening the paper. "And we get treated like what, royalty? And in exchange, I lose my family legacy." "Royalty is a stretch; you're selling us land, not curing cancer. We'll take care of you like valued members of society. You'll also get early access to the vaccine," Grierson said. "There's a vaccine?" Leo immediately asked. "Social media has been wild with rumors but,” "It's still experimental," Walters said. "And undergoing trials. But it's functioning, with some unconventional side effects. They're still doing long-term tests down in California, but we're going to start rolling it out down there any day now once the doctors are happy with the plan. That's how bad we need it, FDA bullshit be damned." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Flipside, stick. If I don't cut a deal, you'll use the might of the US government to bend me over and rip my family legacy right out of my ass." "You got it. But like I said, we prefer working with people. There's always a silver lining to making friends," Walters said. "Fuck," I said again. Then I flipped one half of the paper open and looked at the number written on the inside. There were a damn lot of zeros. "I need to call my sister," I said. "But pending her approval, I'll lease it to you. All 560 acres, for a hundred years less a day; that's what people do, right? And Leo and I get to pick where our houses are built." "That's not how this works," Walters said. "It's my counter offer," I said. "Hold on," Grierson said, raising a hand to his partner. He narrowed his eyes as he looked me over again. He was a man who made judgment calls on the fly, despite his ability to reel off memorized facts like he'd been living with them for years. I could practically see the rusty old gears turning behind his grizzled facade. "Fuck it," he finally said. "We need to survive the next six months, year, five years and decade before anyone will be worrying about next century. Make your call." "You're really doing this?" Leo asked me as I stood up and fished in my pocket for my cell. "My family has had to defend this land from everything and everyone except the federal government," I said. "Up until now, they might be the only people who haven't thought they had some claim to it. Obviously, this will all need to be in writing before I make a final agreement, but look at the news; everything they're saying makes some sort of terrible sense. And I'd rather get the carrot than a stick so far up my ass it's tickling my brain stem." I went outside to the porch to make the call to Valerie, my older sister. It was quicker than I thought it would be; Val and her husband Brad were hearing horror stories from their nursing friends in the local hospitals, and she immediately understood the position we were in. We hadn't always gotten along the best growing up, but if Val had one thing it was a practical head on her shoulders. When I came back inside, I nodded to Grierson. "Add in another house for my sister and her family, and we've got a deal." "In exchange for the Lease, and the extra house," Walters said, "We're going to need your help in identifying the landscape. I assume you know it fairly well; we'll want you to walk our surveyors through to show any odd landscape elements, seasonal issues like flood areas, that sort of thing." "Done, as long as I can point out the shit they shouldn't fuck with and they actually listen," I said. "There are some pretty big old growth trees out there that would be a fucking shame to cut down." "I understand your concerns, son," Grierson said, as he stood and offered his hand. "But believe me when I say this; we aren't looking to build any high rises or pave over the place. These developments are for people important to society for one reason or another, and that means we're making sure to give them the best we can. Landscape included." One last deep breath and I reached out and hovered my own hand near his. "In writing before it's official." "The contract will be done by this afternoon and we'll email it over. Our lawyers work on our timeline, not their own," he said and grasped my hand in his. We both had larger hands than most, but I could immediately tell he had the grip of a man made from the iron bones of a hard life. I'd like to think he felt the same in my grip, but I had a feeling he'd shaken hands with much harder and scarier people than me. "When can we get vaccinated?" Leo asked. "If we're going to be working with surveyors and shit, shouldn't we all be as safe as we can?" "We have a testing site opening up in Portland as we speak, so it can get done as soon as possible," Walters said. "Though, as I mentioned, things are a little bit unorthodox right now. Harrison and Leo, you'll need these codes. Get online this afternoon, go to the website and fill out the questionnaire. It's extremely important you are entirely truthful. Your answers will affect how your tier ranking will play out for you as we roll it out over the next few months across the west coast." He pulled out two business cards from a pocket, each with their names, an URL and a twenty-five-digit passcode, and handed them to Leo and me. "What about me?" Erica asked. "Vaccination side effects and implementation are different between men and women," Grierson said. "Just like the virus is overly affecting men, the vaccine has different effects. If you want your vaccine immediately, Miss Lacoste, you're going to need to fly with us back up to Portland and attend the information session this afternoon that some of our volunteer human guinea pigs are doing. Then, if you agree to the risks and side effects, we can have you immunized as soon as tomorrow morning." Things moved quickly after that. Erica went to pack an overnight bag and put on her 'going out into the world' gear that she usually wore for grocery trips into town; she'd be put up in a quarantine hotel while in Portland for the night before she returned the next day. Within ten minutes she was ready to go and Walters was escorting her out, and the helicopter was warming up its rotors with a whining hum in the front yard. "I'm glad you agreed to the deal," Grierson said, offering his hand to me again, which I shook. "You may not fully understand what you've agreed to yet, but when you do I expect a more enthusiastic thank you. I get that the cash wasn't the important factor with you, son. I grew up on a ranch in North Dakota, I know what family land means. This place is going to do a lot of good for people." "Are you managing the development?" I asked, raising my voice to be heard over the rising thrum of the helicopter. "Not a chance," he said. "It'll be managed by the Air Force, they've been spearheading with the CDC on all these efforts. I'm just the pre-show, but I'll be around to check in on the progress every once in a while, and do the problem solving other people can't handle." "What does that look like?" I asked. "Any way it needs to," he grinned, and I saw the look that all veteran soldiers had. An acceptance that violence could come easily into the life of a person, and that they knew how to handle it when it came. "And don't be alarmed, but we've already had a crew starting to widen your driveway down at the highway. They'll work through the night and probably make it up here by tomorrow morning." "What's the rush?" I asked. Grierson barked a laugh as he started backing away from me towards the open helicopter door. Sour-puss lady was leaning out, holding onto the door and looking like she was about to try and scold Grierson for keeping them waiting. "Kid, in two weeks' time there's going to be well over a thousand lumberjacks, construction workers, surveyors and architects up here. Government moves slow, but OGA were designed to do the opposite. Your life is about to get a little crazy, I'd strap in." I had too many questions to even start one as Grierson hopped into the dark interior of the helicopter. The door slammed, the motor whined at a higher pitch, and it leapt into the sky and started heading north. "Hey, does this questionnaire strike you as way too fucking personal?" "Hmm?" I asked. I was sitting on the front porch with my laptop open, but I hadn't even keyed in the website URL. Instead, I'd been sitting there for over an hour just looking out at the trees, wondering if I'd just betrayed six generations of my family in under thirty minutes. "These questions," Leo said, holding up his own laptop. He'd stepped out the front door and had a look of confusion plastered on his face. "It's like... sex stuff. Shit I wouldn't talk to you about, let alone the government." "What?" I asked. "Are you sure you're on the right site? It's supposed to be about the tier thing." "Yeah, I'm sure. Dot-Gov link and everything." "Fucking OGA," I grimaced. "You and that Agent dude kept saying that. What does it mean?" I sighed. "Other Government Agency. It's kind of a military meme for when someone from the CIA doesn't want to say they are from the CIA. Or, if you're into conspiracies, it's completely separate from the CIA but they're so secretive they don't even have a name." Leo just shook his head and sighed before sitting down in the other deck chair. He joined me in looking out at the forested hills that had surrounded us for the last five years. "Did I fuck everything up?" I asked him. "What? No," he said. "Well, I mean, it's hard to know. But no, I don't think so." "This is all going to go away," I said, gesturing out to the wilds that had been my childhood, and our shared backyard. "My family has been on this land for over a hundred and fifty years, and I just agreed to let the government wipe it out." "It's not like you had much of a choice, Harrison. Carrot and stick, like you said. And whether those guys were CIA or something else, they definitely seemed to have a really big fucking stick. They flew in on a damn helicopter." "Still," I said. "I feel like I'm selling out my childhood." We talked for a while, reminiscing. Leo let me tell some old family stories he'd already heard a half dozen times before. We joked about the shit we'd gotten up to, living out in our backwoods paradise. "Maybe it's time for a change," I sighed. "This was never going to last forever." "Felt like it though, didn't it?" Leo asked. "Yeah, it did." Poing! Leo's laptop, sitting forgotten, made a horrible noise. He glanced at it, "Ah, shit. I timed out. Now I gotta start all over again." He started typing away, and I finally opened my own laptop. The first thing I did was open my emails, and sitting right at the top, already marked with an 'important' star, was the email with the contract. Everything is as discussed. Print and sign, someone will be by tomorrow to collect. Make sure you fill out the questionnaire!; Walters. "Jesus," I muttered. "They really are putting a lot of emphasis on this thing." I opened up the website, starting by filling out all the basic information. Then, just like Leo said, it started to get weird. It was like filling out the most invasive and specific dating app ever. "I feel like they're going to try and 3D Print me a girlfriend," Leo laughed at one point. "Maybe it's cloning," I snickered. "That's fair. I wonder if they can clone me an Angelina Jolie?" "Gone in 60 Seconds Jolie, or Wanted Jolie?" I asked. He snorted. "Mr. and Mrs. Smith Jolie will always be my peak. Or Tomb Raider." "Ugh," I scoffed. We went back and forth like that, laughing at the ridiculousness of the questions and suggestions. The list of kinks we were attracted to, or turned off by was immense. We had to help each other even figure out what some of them were. I found myself ticking off some that surprised me because I'd never considered them before but they sounded hot. Other stuff I down voted hard, and I couldn't believe someone would ever admit to the government that they were into them. Hell, one of the suggested kinks was the government. Who the fuck got hot under the collar about bureaucracy and paperwork? I mean, I guess someone would, somewhere, or it wouldn't have been on the list. "What did you put for that last one?" Leo asked me as I was closing my laptop. "The relationship style scale?" I asked. "Yeah. I put a full 10, polyamory all the way. How hot would it be to be some sheikh with a harem of ladies?" "I went for a 6," I said. "I'm not going to turn down a threesome or anything if that's what my girl wants, but I'm also not into the idea of sharing with another boner." Leo shrugged, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair. "I don't know, my dude. The Agents did say the world is changing. Maybe the norm will be great big orgies next year, and we'll all be smashing like it's our jobs." I snorted and smirked. "Yeah, sure. Society threatens to collapse and we all devolve into Eyes Wide Shut perverts." "One can dream," Leo laughed. We spent the evening starting to pack. It was tough, since we weren't really sure what the actual plan was. The contract fully outlined that we'd be getting new residences in the development, which was being called 'Valhalla,' but it wasn't exactly clear what the timeline was. I pushed for Leo to get packing sooner than later. My days in the military had me trained to expect 'hurry up and wait' to never mean waiting on the little guy, and right now we were definitely the little guy. We were woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of machinery, and we got dressed and rode the ATVs down the driveway. The gravel trail stretched about a half mile from the highway up to the house, but we only made it around a couple of bends before we came to the lights and action. "Stop right there," someone with a megaphone called to us, and we pulled our rides to a halt and cut the engines. "Who the fuck are you?" the voice asked. "Harrison Black. You're on my,” I had to stop myself. As of that evening, I'd signed the contract. It wasn't mine anymore. "We live here," I corrected. "Oh, it's you," said the voice. One of the workers stepped forward. He had on a big, bright orange reflective vest, and had a clipboard in one hand and the megaphone in the other. "Keep working, boys!" he shouted, and the machinery ground into action again. He approached us and stopped about ten feet away, despite needing to shout to be heard over the machinery. "Sorry about the noise. We've got orders to get this road done up to your house by tomorrow." "We heard," Leo said. "How does this all work?" I asked. "Shouldn't you guys be in quarantine gear or something?" "We got tested twice over the last two days in preparation for the job," the guy said. "Everyone on the crew is clean, and we all damn well needed the work. Fastest turnaround and the highest pay I've ever seen. Still, we're supposed to keep our distance from anyone other than the team. You guys get tested?" "No," I shouted back. "But the Government guys who set this up didn't seem to care." "Yeah, they did that with us, too. Acted like they were immune. Hell, maybe they are," the worker said. "You hear about what that idiot in the White House said yesterday?" We traded some stories we'd heard. It was strange, usually Leo and I were pretty private with strangers, but after so long in isolation with just each other and Erica, and the fucking weird encounter with the Agents, it was nice to just shoot the shit with someone new and normal. Even if it was shouting over the sound of machinery. Williams was the foreman of the operation that was clearing the trees to either side of the road. Another crew was working behind them, and trucks were already dumping off heavy set gravel at the entrance to widen it into a three-lane road. By morning they expected to have all of the trees, stumps and all, ripped out and stacked up for processing, and the driveway would be graded and levelled by lunch. The speed at which the crew worked was almost frightening. They were all experienced hands and did everything safely, but it was clear that they were motivated. While we were talking, Leo and I had to back up our ATVs twice to clear space for the crew to move ahead. Eventually, we said good night to Williams and headed back up to the house. I went back to bed, wondering if I'd made a terrible mistake. True to their words, by the time Leo and I woke up in the early morning, the clanging and crashing was just fifty yards from the front door. We made a couple big pots of coffee and brought it out to the guys, and one at a time they all walked over to the stump we used as a table and poured it into their thermoses while we stayed back. I had to make two more trips with more fresh coffee to cover everyone; in the dark it had been hard to tell how many people were working stretched out along the driveway. The clearing crew itself had to be thirty people, and a tired but thankful Williams said the gravel grading and levelling crew was probably just as big. "I'm sure we'll see you around," Williams called as the workers started packing up their equipment and prepping their heavier machinery for transport. "Supposed to be lots more work to do up here, yeah?" "Guess so," I called back. "Where are you guys headed now?" "They set us up in a motel about 20 minutes south. We've got guys on the crew from all over; they recruited all of us to fly out for this work, all expenses paid. Gotta tell you, it felt like hitting the lottery after sitting around in quarantine with my savings siphoning away." They left behind stacks of logs and stumps along the side of the now widened driveway area, and soon Leo and I were prepping a whole new serving of coffee as the morning wore on and the grading crew made its way up my old driveway. The guys on that crew were a little more hesitant to chat since they felt like they were running behind schedule, but they were happy enough to take the hot coffee after a whole night of work. It was around noon when one of the grading crew came up and knocked on the front door of the house. I'd been busy cleaning out the attic; one of those jobs I'd always had on my list of things to do around the property but never got around to. If there was anything up there worth saving, I hadn't found it yet, but it was worth the look. I came down to the front door covered in dust. The guy took one look at me from where he'd backed to 'social distance' and started laughing. I took one look at him, covered in gravel dust with rings of sweat from where he'd taken off his hard hat, and laughed right back. "Sir," he finally said after a minute, "We just thought you should know that the crew down at the far end of the road said someone in a green pickup truck drove by real slow a few times. The third time they pulled over and asked what was going on, but the boys down there followed orders and didn't tell him anything, so he peeled out. Just figured we'd let you know." "I appreciate that," I said, and sighed in the way that only old family history could make me sigh. Deep, long and aggravated. "And I think I know who it probably was. Thanks for letting me know." He nodded and went back to work. I didn't even think to ask what all was going on down at the end of the new road they had installed until he was already at the other end of the yard. "What's up?" Leo asked when I went to join him in the barn. "One of the crew guys said they saw a green pickup doing drive-buys." "Hah! Well, I guess that's not going to be your problem anymore, is it?" Leo laughed. I smirked. "Not legally. I'm sure I'm still going to be on Kara's shit-list and get a fucking earful though." I ended up spending the early afternoon helping Leo pack up a bunch of his woodworking equipment. The smaller stuff was fairly easy, but he needed the extra body for some of the larger presses and table-mounted saws. It felt like we'd barely made a dent when the double-honk of a car broke our concentration. We both headed around the side of the barn to find Erica getting out of the passenger seat of a black town car that had eaten a whole lot of the fresh gravel dust and now looked like someone had dusted it with flour. Sour-puss Agent Maggie was getting out of the driver's seat. "Hey, sis, how was it?" Leo asked. "Umm-Hmm," Erica said, shaking her head and holding up a finger to keep him from hugging her. "I need to talk to both of you inside." She had nervous energy going on, bouncing her weight on one leg and chewing on the corner of her lower lip. "Give me twenty; no, give me thirty minutes." "Is everything alright?" I asked. Erica was already moving quickly into the house. She'd had a look on her face like she was sick, and flushed with a fever or something. I turned to Agent Maggie. "Did something happen? She didn't catch the virus, did she?" "No," sour-puss said, that permanent sneer never breaking. "She knows everything she needs to, and needs to talk. Just do what she says." "What are you talking about?" I asked. Leo had followed Erica inside to make sure she was Okay. "Look, prick. Your little 'send her to the car' thing yesterday made me look bad, and now I'm stuck as a glorified cab driver while my boss and my partner are off to another shitty corner of the country like this one to bribe someone else into handing over their property to the government. Just fuck off inside and enjoy your new fucking world, you Mamoa-wannabe jerk." She got back in her car and slammed the door closed, then started to peel away and spin the car around before slamming the breaks and rolling down the window. "I'll be back again in a few hours with Lacosta's partner. He needs to be here waiting." "What?" I asked. She just flashed me her middle finger as she drove away. God damn woman, I sighed, watching her kick up dust and loose stones as she drove way too fast down the brand new gravel road. I shook my head and went inside. Erica was already upstairs and I could hear the shower running. Leo just shook his head and shrugged, "She wouldn't say anything. Just muttered about needing to get ready for something." "This is weird," I said. "I'm really fucking hoping this whole thing isn't going to blow up in our faces." "If it is, we might as well take it head on. Too late to do anything else," Leo said. "That's too fucking true, my friend," I said. Thirty-five minutes later Erica, dressed in a pair of her tight jeans with all the holes 'stylishly' cut into them down the legs and a black Metallica hoodie, strutted down the stairs and immediately began pacing and fidgeting with the strings of her sweater hood. She had done her full makeup, and seeing her like that was almost as shocking as the first time she'd gone without it; it had been a month since she had bothered with makeup at all, since even when she went out on grocery runs she was entirely covered up. "Sit," she demanded when we joined her in the living room, pointing me to my usual chair and Leo to the couch. He furrowed his brow as he watched his sister's nervous energy, but I wasn't sure it was because he was worried or didn't like her ordering him around. Their whole twin thing had always been more bouncing off each other than working in parallel. "Alright, alright," I said, hands up as I went to sit. "What's going on, E?" She stopped pacing and looked at both of us, transferring her energy into tapping her foot. I'd only ever seen her like this once before, right before we'd had our big group conversation about her staying indefinitely through the quarantine. Later, she'd elaborated to me a little bit more as to why she'd been so nervous; beyond the pandemic dangers, and feeling alone if she left, Erica had been chipping in for groceries with us, but that was it; the woman couldn't work during the pandemic, and tattooing hadn't exactly fueled her savings accounts. Everything all piling on at once had turned her into a nervous wreck, the opposite of her usual self. So what was doing this to her now? "Erica," Leo said, snapping her out of the train of thought she'd lost herself in staring at me. Her gaze was intense, only added to by her sexy post-punk look. It was like she'd erected a wall of armor around herself, or was taking on a persona that she'd let drop. "Right, sorry, I'm just really fucking distracted," she said. "Look, there's no way to say this easily without sounding sort of crazy at first, Okay? So I'm just going to say it, and you both need to listen cause I'm only explaining it once, alright?" Leo and I both nodded. "Alright, so the vaccine isn't just like, a shot. Well, it is for women. I got it this morning, and I'm something like 97% immune to the virus. But for men it isn't a shot. I did that information session and they showed us a bunch of research I only half-understood thanks to my AP bio classes back in high school, but I definitely got the video. The vaccine is pretty much lethal for men, and it has some weird side effects for women. They couldn't remove those aspects, so they modified it in other ways to try and adjust." "So how are we supposed to get vaccinated?" Leo asked. Erica licked her lips, and I realized she was sweating slightly. She glared at her brother, then looked at me and her eyes softened, then hardened, and I couldn't tell if she was angry at me or what. Then she glared back at her brother again. "They basically turned the vaccine into an STD, and it's the only way for men to get vaccinated. It's not permanent and needs frequent upkeep in both men and women, and it turns women fucking horny as hell if they go without for too long." "I'm sorry, what!?" Leo burst out. "And you took the shot?" "Just shut up, Leo!" Erica tried to shout him down. "I heard all the evidence, I weighed my options, and I decided this was the best thing to do. The whole tier system thing? I did the same questionnaire as you guys did, and they gave me a list of good matches. People I could go become a partner of. Like, sexually, and maybe romantically. We'd live together in quarantine, screw each other into immunity, and be that way for the foreseeable future until they fix this vaccine." "That's so fucked up," I said. "They wanted you to just shack up with someone you didn't know?" "Yeah, except someone I did know was on my list," she said. "Who?" Leo asked. "Are you moving back to Portland?" Erica turned from her brother and looked right at me. "Oh, no," Leo said. "No, no, no. You two are not becoming fuck buddies. We discussed this, Erica!" "Wait, what?" I said. "You discussed,” "Not important!" Leo shouted. "It's not important. It's not happening." "It's too late, Leo," Erica said. Then she turned to me. "At least, it is if you're into it. Look, Harrison, you can say no. I can't make you do this. What's-her-name will come back and get me, and I'll pick someone else on that list they gave me, and I'll go stay with them wherever they are. No hard feelings, you've done so much for me already that I can't even start to say thank you properly. But fuck I really want to fuck you. I've been getting off thinking about you almost exclusively for weeks, and the only reason I never asked you out in all these years is because I promised Leo back in high school I wouldn't ever date his friends." "And this is better?!" Leo squawked. "Shut up, Leo!" Erica shouted back at him. "You're not seriously considering this, are you?" Leo asked me. "You can't; Why; Come on, dude. She's my twin sister, it would be like... ugh!" He threw his hands up in the air in frustration. I rubbed my face with both hands and took in a deep breath before looking back at the siblings. "Alright," I said slowly. "First off, Erica, is this the vaccine talking? Just try and focus, cause this sounds an awful lot like some crazy date-rape drug and not a vaccine." "God, fuck. Why do men have to make things so hard?" she said. "I've wanted to fuck you for ages, Harrison. You being on my compatibility list at the vaccine center just made the decision fucking convenient instead of a fantasy." I turned to Leo. "Would you rather it be me, or some freak you know nothing about?" "I'd rather it be no one!" Leo said. "That's not an option anymore," Erica growled. "I've already got the shot. I'm just going to get hornier and hornier until I fucking snap, Leo. Then I'll fuck anything that fucking moves, that's the way it works. I need to bond with someone or I'll lose my goddamn mind. There are still a few days before I apparently go full-on bitch-in-heat feral, but I'm already feeling an itch all over and the only thing that I know, I know, is going to relieve that itch is cock." "Jaysus," I muttered, sitting back. Erica turned back to me, hugging herself. "Please, Harrison? Just; just tell me yes or no. Standing here without an answer is killing me, cause I don't know if I need to fight the feeling or I can give in." "I; Erica, you are absolutely gorgeous. I always assumed you weren't interested in me, or just wanted a friend. Honestly, I sort of thought you were gay with the comments you make about the women you work on in your shop. You're always talking about perky tits and firm asses and stuff like that," I said. "I'm Bi," she clarified. "And I work with people's bodies all day. I know what's hot and what's not for me, and Harri, you've fucking revved my engine since that first weekend Leo introduced us. I just want to rub my body all over,” "Erica!" Leo interrupted her. "Sorry, sorry, too much," she said. "I told you, this fucking vaccine is damn distracting right now. I need some relief here." "I'll do it," I said. "I just; this feels like the drug or whatever talking, Erica. Are you absolutely sure?" She was on me, straddling my lap and pressing her mouth to mine. Erica grabbed my head in her hands as she started forcefully making out with me, muttering 'Thank you' over and over into my lips. Her tongue pushed against mine, and then she grabbed my hands with hers and pulled them around to grab her ass. It was wonderfully firm, with a good amount of muscle that kept it looking full even if it wasn't particularly plump. "At least go get a room," Leo growled loudly. I pushed Erica back far enough that we could look each other in the eyes. Hers were bright, lucid, and silently pleading with me in a way that made her seem smaller and more vulnerable than the tough chick I'd come to know. "Let's go upstairs," I said to her. "I didn't mean literally get a room, right now," Leo said. "We need to talk this over! You made me a promise, Erica." "Shut up, Leo," Erica said. "I'll make it up to you, this isn't the end of the world. Probably. I think." She grabbed my hand, scrambled out of my lap and started pulling me up out of my chair. "What the fuck am I supposed to do?" Leo asked. "How am I getting vaccinated?" "Whenever they find someone who actually wants to fuck you, dorkus," Erica told her brother. "That lady agent said she'd be back in a few hours with your 'partner,'" I told him as I passed by, still getting pulled by Erica towards the stairs. "I didn't know what she meant at the time, but I guess;?" "Is she hot?" Leo asked me. I was already getting pulled up the stairs. "How am I supposed to know?" I yelled down to him. It's funny how energy can rise and fall at the drop of a hat. Erica pulled me into the guest bedroom she'd been using as her bedroom, slammed the door shut and turned to me; and stopped. She bit her lip, one leg bouncing at the knee as she shifted her weight. "Second thoughts?" I asked. "No, no," Erica said, shaking her head. "Definitely not. God, fuck, no. I didn't want to get into it in front of Leo like that, but you're also just being so you that I feel like I need to explain myself more." "So tell me," I said, sitting down on the bed. Erica started pacing again but stopped after one back-and-forth. "Okay, look. What I said down there is true. I would have asked you out years ago, after that first time we met at Burleson's when Leo brought you around." "The pub around the corner from your shop? That wasn't the first time we met," I said. "I know," she replied. "That was when you were moving into Leo's apartment. We passed each other in the building lobby and I saw you glance at my tits. I thought you were just another fuckboy asshole." "Wait, I don't remember that," I said. "Why didn't you ever tell me that happened? I thought the first time was when you gave Leo the fish tattoo on his side." "That's the first time we actually spoke," Erica said. "And you had an uphill fucking battle to try and change my mind about my first impression of you. You only made it far enough that I didn't bitch about Leo bringing you to the pub a couple nights later. That was when I got to actually focus on talking to you instead of chatting while I was at work. I also remember being super fucking pissed at Leo that night, because I asked him if I could go back on our deal from high school and hook up with you, and he said no." "Okay, whoa; we could have been having sex for seven years and you held to an agreement you made in high school? What was this fucking thing, a treaty ratified by the Pope?" Erica snorted a laugh and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "No, it was stupid. And honestly, looking back, we probably would have had a lot better of a time if he and I had agreed on the opposite. But Leo was a jock, and I was a scene girl, and we made an agreement that we didn't want each other messing with our friend groups. So no dating, no crushing, no nothing if the other twin claimed them first. We wanted to guard what we had, instead of helping each other out." I huffed a soft laugh. "Sounds like teenage bullshit to me." "Yeah, well, I'll just claim twin loyalty, Okay?" Erica said. "But that's not the really fucked up thing about this. When you invited me down from the city to stay with you guys, Leo and I had a separate talk. Harrison, my brother fucking loves you. Not like in a sexual way, but you're the best friend he's ever had. Period. No doubt about it. And he may not have ever said it to you but he was really worried that I would screw up the dynamic you guys have; and now here I am doing it." Erica squeezed her eyes shut and tilted her face to the ceiling. "Shit, maybe this was a bad idea after all. Fuck, he's never going to forgive me, I,” "Hey, hey," I said, standing and pulling her into a hug. Erica was a tall woman, easily 5'9 or a bit more, but I still towered over her with my 6'6". She clung to the sides of my shirt instead of hugging back, but buried her face into my chest. "I didn't know any of this, E. But we're all adults, we can handle this better than making promises we don't want to keep." "I know," she mumbled into my shirt, and slowly let go of my sides and slid her arms around until she was hugging me back. "You should know that I would have asked you out in a second if I thought you were interested," I said. "I'm still not exactly comfortable with the big picture on all of this, but this right here? I will definitely take this silver lining." "God, you make me so hot, Harrison," Erica said, and she looked up into my eyes. I kissed her as we held each other. Her considerable chest was pressing against my sternum, and as she shifted her arms up to wrap them around my neck and pull me closer to her, I lowered mine until I hooked my fingers into the belt loops of her jeans. We held that for a while, eyes closed and enjoying the feeling like we were teenagers again. God, we're both over thirty, I laughed in my head. We should be a lot bet

This recording features audio versions of August 2025 Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) abstracts:Transarterial Embolization for Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis ReadTransperineal MR Imaging–Guided Prostate Biopsy: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study on Safety and Effectiveness Compared with Transrectal Biopsy ReadHistopathologic Response and Oncologic Outcomes after Segmental and Subsegmental Transarterial Chemoembolization and Radioembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma ReadClinical Effectiveness and Safety of Radiofrequency Ablation Combined with Percutaneous Osteoplasty in the Management of Pubic Skeletal Metastases ReadSingle-Center Experience of Portal Vein Recanalization and Transjugular Intrahepatic Shunt Placement in Patients with Portovisceral Thrombosis ReadTransjugular Splenocaval Shunt Creation for the Treatment of Portal Vein Cavernous Transformation with Recurrent Variceal Hemorrhage ReadJVIR and SIR thank all those who helped record this episode. To sign up to help with future episodes, please contact our outreach coordinator at millennie.chen.jvir@gmail.com.Host· Sonya Choe, University of California Riverside School of MedicineAudio editor· Sanya Dhama, University of California Riverside School of MedicineOutreach coordinator:· Millennie Chen, University of California Riverside School of MedicineAbstract readers:· Emily Jagenburg, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine· Shobhit Chamoli, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, India· Char Rai, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine· Andrea Serrato,  University of California Riverside School of Medicine· Andrew Sasser, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Florida· Ipek Midillioglu, Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, California Read more about interventional radiology in IR Quarterly magazine or SIR's Patient Center. Support the show

Lai gan 90% Rīgas iedzīvotāju jūtas droši savā tuvākajā apkārtnē un 79% uzskata, ka Latvija kopumā ir droša valsts. Tikai 16% jūtas pietiekami sagatavoti krīzes situācijām - šādus datus rāda nesen tapusi aptauja par Baltijas pilsētu iedzīvotāju drošības sajūtu un gatavību ārkartas situācijām. Par aptaujas rezultātiem saruna raidījumā. Iepazīstina Latvijas Universitātes Ekonomikas un sociālo zinātņu fakultātes Sociālo un politisko pētījumu institūta vadošā pētniece Ieva Birka. "Īpaši arī redzam, ka respondenti, kuri izvēlējās atbildēt aptauju latviešu valodā, uzsvēra to, ka Latvija ir droša vieta, kur dzīvot," atzīst Ieva Birka. "Tajā pašā laikā mēs piedāvājām respondentiem 11 dažādus iespējamos izaicinājumus vai krīžu situāciju variantus, un bija iespēja atbildēt, vai viņi personīgi uztver šo kā draudu," turpina Ieva Birka. Pētniece min piecus Rīgas iedzīvotāju galveno drošības izaicinājumus, par kuriem viņu personīgi uztraucas.  "Pirmais, ko mēs redzam, cilvēki uztraucas par Latvijas ekonomisko situāciju, un viņi uzskata, ka Latvijas ekonomiskā situācija kopumā ietekmē viņu personīgo drošību. Otrs, par ko respondenti bija satraukušies, bija kritisko piegāžu pārtraukumi. Kas notiek, ja ir elektrības vai ūdens padeves traucējumi. Trešais ir militārs uzbrukums Latvijas valstij. Šeit varētu uzsvērt, ka tieši latviski runājošie respondenti 64% uzsvēra to kā draudu, kur krieviski runājošie - tikai 46% par šo bija satraukušies. Redzam, ka ir plaisa tajā, kā tiek uztverts šis militārais drauds," norāda Ieva Birka. "Ceturtais drauds, par ko uztraucās Rīgas iedzīvotāji, ir dezinformācijas izplatība, tas ir tāds jau grūtāk izprotams drauds, kurš strauji sāk pacelties tajā, par ko cilvēki uztraucas. Piektais bija ķīmisko, bioloģisko vai kodolieroču izmantošanas riski. Kas notiek, ja šis konflikts, kas notiek mums kaimiņos, ieņem jau citas formas un citus veidus? Kāds ir šis risks, kad kodolieroču pielietojums varētu arī ietekmēt Rīgas iedzīvotājus." Pētnieki arī jautājumi respondentiem vai ir iepazinušies ar informatīvo bukletu par 72 stundu somu un ņēmuši vērā ieteikumus "Sagatavotības līmenis ir kritiski zems," norāda Ieva Birka. "Piemēram, pamata jautājums - vai ir zināms, ko darīt, ja skan sirēnas? Šo jautājumu uzdodot, mēs saņēmām tikai 46% respondentu atbildi ka, jā, viņi zina, kas būtu jādara, ja skan sirēnas. Jo īpaši slikti informētas par to, kas būtu jādara, bija sievietes - tikai 41% no sievietēm zināja, kas būtu jādara. Arī krieviski runājošie bija sliktāk informēti, kā arī vecāka gada gājuma respondenti - tikai 38% no vecākā gadagājuma respondentiem, kā arī krieviski runājošajiem zināja, kas būtu jādara, ja skan sirēnas." Vēl aptaujā bija iekļauts jautājums:  vai jūs zināt, kur doties, ja jums steidzami ir nepieciešams pamest māju?  "Respondentu skaits, kas zina, ko darīt, ir tikai 29%," atzīst Ieva Birka. To, kur atrodas tuvākā patvertne, zināja tikai 14% no Rīgas iedzīvotājiem.  "Ja mēs padziļināti skatāmies datos, tieši 18 līdz 29 gadus veci jaunieši (21%) bija tie, kas vairāk zināja, kur būtu jādodas, nekā vecāka gadagājuma cilvēki, kur tikai 8% zināja. Iespējams, tas ir saistīts ar to, ka nesen 112 aplikācijā tika ieviests digitālais risinājums - digitālā karte, kas parāda tuvākās patvertņu vietas. Ar datiem varam labi parādīt un ilustrēt, kas strādā un kas nestrādā, un kur ir vājās vietas, pie kā būtu jāpiestrādā, lai informētu sabiedrību," skaidro Ieva Birka. Sirēnu skanēšanas gadījumā ir jāieslēdz radioaparāts. Vai cilvēkiem ir mājās ar baterijām darbināmi radioaparāti vispār? "Dzirdot sirēnas, ir jāieslēdz sabiedriskie mediji. Gadījumā, ja ir traucēta arī kritiskā infrastruktūra, kas bija viens no tiem draudiem, par ko cilvēki uztraucās, un, iespējams, traucēta elektrības padeve, līdz ar to nedarbojas televizors vai nav pieejams internets, tad rekomendācija ir klausīties ar baterijām darbināmu radio. Mēs prasījām, vai mājsaimniecībām ir šis radioaparāts. Tikai 28% no mājsaimniecību no mūsu respondentiem bija šis radio aparāts Rīgā. Tieši biežāk vecāka gadagājuma cilvēkiem - 40% no respondentiem, ir vēl joprojām ar baterijām darbināmais radio," atzīst Ieva Birka.   Raidījuma noslēgumā zinātnes ziņas Novecošanās tempi dažādās valstīs atšķiras. Plašs pētījums apgalvo, ka politikai ir nozīme. Kad savu dzīvi beigs Saules sistēma? Biedējošs jautājums, atbildi uz kuru varbūt nemaz negribas zināt, bet tieši šāds jautājums šķetināts vietnē “Live Science”. Vai tu sauc savu suni par savu "pūkaino mīluli"? Tā nav apsēstība - tā ir zinātne. Kamēr esam uz Zemes, varam priecāties par visu dzīvo, tostarp mūsu mājas mīluļiem, un šim tematam veltīts interesants raksts “Nacionālās ģeogrāfijas” vietnē.

तीन साल बाद हुआ भारत-ब्रिटेन के बीच फ्री ट्रेड एग्रीमेंट, केवल 12 मिनट चल सकी आज लोकसभा, राहुल गांधी ने क्यों लगाया चुनाव आयोग पर धोखाधड़ी का आरोप, बिहार में SIR का काम लगभग पूरा, अमित शाह ने पेश की नई सहकारिता नीति, राज्यमंत्री प्रतिभा शुक्ला ने पुलिस पर लगाए ये आरोप, रूस का यात्री विमान चीन की सीमा के पास क्रैश, थाईलैंड-कंबोडिया के बीच गोलाबारी और भारत-इंग्लैंड के बीच चौथा टेस्ट मैच जारी. सिर्फ़ 5 मिनट सुनिए में रात 9 बजे तक की बड़ी ख़बरें

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - John 20:1-2, 11-18 - On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put Him." Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid Him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to Him, "Sir, if You carried Him away, tell me where you laid Him, and I will take Him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and tell them, 'I am going to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and then reported what He told her. Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene Saint Mary, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2) Is Israel still the promised land? https://frjosephfessiosj566892.substack.com/p/is-israel-still-the-promised-land 3) Pope Leo condemns Gaza barbarity as 93 reportedly killed by Israeli fire while waiting for food https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/20/pope-condemns-barbarity-of-israel-war-gaza 4) Mike Huckabee rebukes attackers of Christian church and village: “Crime against humanity and God” https://www.christianpost.com/news/mike-huckabee-condemns-attack-on-christian-church-in-west-bank.html

Gospel  John 20:1-2, 11-18 On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and then reported what he told her. Reflection I think it's clear that Mary Magdalene was devoted to Jesus and listened to every word he said, and she took it to heart. But she couldn't grasp it. She had to go through an experience which is so true for all of us. That's the way it works. We know about what it is, and then we have to experience the power that is in that event, and it changes us. So she's weeping. And Jesus said, why would you weep when I told you that this would happen? And then he looks at her and loves her and longs for her to become who she is. Mary. He says her name. Remember I told you this, I have to go to my father so that I can send you my presence. So do not be afraid that I have left you. I'm coming in a way that's beyond your imagining. Closing Prayer Father, the experience the disciples and Mary, all of them had is something we go through ourselves in our own way, in our own time. Help us to ingest these mysteries because they are unfolding in each of our lives now. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the first day of the week,Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,while it was still dark,and saw the stone removed from the tomb.So she ran and went to Simon Peterand to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,and we don't know where they put him."Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.And as she wept, she bent over into the tomband saw two angels in white sitting there,one at the head and one at the feetwhere the Body of Jesus had been.And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"She said to them, "They have taken my Lord,and I don't know where they laid him."When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,but did not know it was Jesus.Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?Whom are you looking for?"She thought it was the gardener and said to him,"Sir, if you carried him away,tell me where you laid him,and I will take him."Jesus said to her, "Mary!"She turned and said to him in Hebrew,"Rabbouni," which means Teacher.Jesus said to her,"Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.But go to my brothers and tell them,'I am going to my Father and your Father,to my God and your God.'"Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,"I have seen the Lord,"and then reported what he told her.

“Being able to offer those services locally can make a huge difference in quality of life.”- Ezana M. Azene, MD, PhDIn this episode, host Rajshree Singh, MD, speaks with Ezana M. Azene, MD, PhD, about small and rural IR practices, why so many are closing and what the specialty can do to keep IR services available in the areas that need it most.Related resources:Read more about small and rural practice models in IR Quarterly. Read moreLearn more about the Small and Rural Practice Committee and how to get involved. Open positions close at the end of July.SIR thanks BD for its generous support of the Kinked Wire.Contact us with your ideas and questions, or read more about about interventional radiology in IR Quarterly magazine or SIR's Patient Center.(c) Society of Interventional Radiology. Support the show

July 22, 2025 Today's Reading: John 20:1-2, 10-18Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 5:1-6:3, 10-16; Acts 18:1-11, 23-28“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?' Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.' Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.' She turned and said to him in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!' (which means Teacher).” (John 20:15-16) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mary Magdalene knew the suffering of demon possession and the joyous relief of being healed from them, and she was a loyal follower of Jesus (Luke 8:2-3). From our text in John 20, we know that she knew the pain of losing a dear loved one to death; a trial with which everyone can (or one day will) identify. When a loved one dies, it never feels right; it is difficult to accept that we can no longer hear that voice or see that face. This was Mary's struggle as she stood outside of Jesus' empty tomb. She had witnessed every last horrific moment of His death right up until His last breath. She knew He was dead, but she struggled to accept it. It wasn't right, and even worse, now His body was gone!She didn't know what to do, so she just stood there and started to cry. Death wounds those it takes from us, and it wounds us who are left behind. This was Mary's experience as she sobbed, looking back into the tomb. But something was different now. There were angels there, and though Mary's sorrow could never shake or destroy their joy, they were concerned for her. “Woman,” they ask, “why are you weeping?” She replied, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” (John 20:13). Worse than Jesus' death was not being able to tend to His body as tradition dictated.Mary's grief is so deep that even a conversation with angels isn't bewildering. So, she straightens up, and turns … and almost runs into the One who had never been far from her, even in her grief, even as she didn't recognize Him. Finally, her eyes are open to Him as He says one word; He calls her by name, “Mary.”“‘I have called you by name, you are mine,' declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 43:1). “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27). Imagine Mary's heart racing at the sound of her name spoken by the risen Christ. She stares in joy, rising like a flood and cries, “Rabboni!”  It was really Him! Beyond all hope, it was the flesh and blood, wounds still visible but transfigured, shining in glory, Jesus! Her Jesus. The joys were only beginning. Jesus sends Mary, first to His apostles, with the message that He lives. Death was not the end of Him; thus, it will not be the end of Mary, nor of the disciples, nor will death be the end of you. Mary was the first witness to Jesus's changing forever how we live, grieve, and die. Death still hurts us and separates us from loved ones, but Jesus has made it something we need never fear!In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We sing Your praise for Mary who came at Easter dawn to look for Jesus' body and found her Lord was gone. But, as with joy she saw Him in resurrection light, may we by faith behold Him, the Day who ends our night! (LSB 855:11)Rev. Jeffrey Ries is the pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tacoma, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

John 6:33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be […]

Luke 14:15-2415 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.'18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can't come.'21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'22 “‘Sir,' the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'”

Reading 1Genesis 18:1-10aThe LORD appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre,as he sat in the entrance of his tent,while the day was growing hot.Looking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby.When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them;and bowing to the ground, he said:"Sir, if I may ask you this favor,please do not go on past your servant.Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet,and then rest yourselves under the tree.Now that you have come this close to your servant,let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves;and afterward you may go on your way."The men replied, "Very well, do as you have said."Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah,"Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls."He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer,and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.Then Abraham got some curds and milk,as well as the steer that had been prepared,and set these before the three men;and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.They asked Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?"He replied, "There in the tent."One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year,and Sarah will then have a son."Reading 2Colossians 1:24-28Brothers and sisters:Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,and in my flesh I am filling upwhat is lacking in the afflictions of Christon behalf of his body, which is the church,of which I am a ministerin accordance with God's stewardship given to meto bring to completion for you the word of God,the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,to whom God chose to make known the riches of the gloryof this mystery among the Gentiles;it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.It is he whom we proclaim,admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.GospelLuke 10:38-42Jesus entered a villagewhere a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.She had a sister named Marywho sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,"Lord, do you not carethat my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?Tell her to help me."The Lord said to her in reply,"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.There is need of only one thing.Mary has chosen the better partand it will not be taken from her."

The Collective Complex Foundation Art Series Mixes 001. CARL COX curses BLŨ out in an extreme show of brilliantly vile COCKNEY FASHION. CARL COX [unintelligible cockney] BLŪ I have no idea what you just said, or why you're yelling at me! CARL COX (Sarcastically) Well how's this—? “Ello, poppet!” In THE DJ storyline )which is technically storyline a, we've just discovered DJ DILLON FRANCIS used BLU — (originally CC) as a sort of horcrux for his darkest magical intentions. Now the DJS are in a rush to extract this device before time runs out. Wtf did Dillon Francis do? YO HE LITERALLY MADE HER INTO A POPPIT. What the fuck is a poppit. It's like a little fuckin— thing— witches use to store magical energy and when the spell is over you're supposed to destroy them— but he DIDNT and it came to life and it merged with CC! Yooooooo! Who is now blu Tha Gürū, because Chak Chel dissappeared— or sort of dissappeared— to aide in the magical assasination of Let me guess— No don't guess, you could ruin it. What. Don't literally ruin it. The show exists in a multiversial construct which means anything you say, or think, or guess could unintentionally alter the plot, and skew it into an array of infinitely possible dimensions! Oh no! But I already thought! Shh! No you didn't! Just replace those thoughts— with better ones z— I don't have any better thoughts! Well, make some up. Uh— ok! Shh, it's coming back on this is where it gets intense. I thought you've never seen this before I know! But I know it gets intense! Well, how do you know that?! BECAUSE I KNOW THAT ALREADY. {Enter The Multiverse} ENTER THE MULTIVERSE is getting intense. BLŪ WHAT. NO ITS NOT! I can't take it I just can't take it I just can't take it no more I just can't n THE SKY IS FALLING! WHY?' I don't know. Seems pretty intense though, doesn't it. FUCK YOUUUUUU DEADMAU55555555! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!! I am DEADMAU— *powers down* Ah, fuck. KATT WILLIAMS is coaching the NBC GAMES. KATT WILLIAMS Alright, b-ball time! Shirts! Versus skins! you can be skins, Jimmy Fallon. *winks* Ew. She's so fucking gross. I don't get it. Uh— what? No I can't. I'm wearing a suit. I'm sure it's fused to my skin, or something. (This is actually the VICE AGENT version of the dude, who is wired head to toe. If he takes his shirt off, it will blow his cover.) SKINS. Fuck. L E G E N D S HE DUPED YOU! I BELIEVE THAT! He's good at everything! Especially things like that! WE'LL KILL HIM! NO ONE CAN KILL HIM. HE IS IMMORTAL. –doesn't mean we can't try. *dramatic music* [beat] WHAT?! I SAID– I CAN'T HEAR YOU, THERE'S A HELLICOPTER LEVITATING DIRECTLY OVER US! I KNOW! THAT'S WHY I WAS YELLING TOO, IT'S JUST– [Suddenly they realize, it is the he of who they speak hovering in the helicopter.] *GASP* DOn'T. {it's too late. He unloads a clip from an automatic rifle] THOSE ARE BANNED IN EUROPE. YOU COULD HAVE FOOLED ME! I KNOW I COULD HAVE! BECAUSE YOU ARE QUITE OBVIOUSLY EASILY FOOLED! ENOUGH. The helicopter scoops down and unrolls a ladder. W–wait! ARE YOU GETTING IN THE HELLICOPTER WITH HIM?! (dramatically) It appears so. WHAT. YES! YES I AM GETTING INTO THE HELLICOPTER. ARE YOU GONNA SHOOT AT ME *confused* *shurgs* (he gives up) ..of course not. Well then, I believe it is YOU that has been duped. WHAT!??!? GOOD DAY, SIR. They really nominated Stephen Colbert for an Emmy, and then fired him the next day. What on Earth. What did you do at the party, bro? Be honest! They literally we're like, Wednesday: You're nominated for an Emmy award! Thursday: You're cancelled! Cancelled, bro. How do you cancel the late show? That was David Letterman. The whole point of a show like that is so it goes on forever! Nope, cancelled! Daaaamn. You better win that Emmy now, bruh. {Enter The Multiverse} Copyright The Collective Complex © [The Festival Project, Inc. ™] © 2025 All Rights Reserved -Ū. HOW THE FUCK DID WAYNE BRADY GET IN HERE! I dont know how Wayne Brady got in here! Keep an eye on him. I heard he's polyscientific in his sexual proclivities. Oh. Okay then.

CARL COX curses BLŨ out in an extreme show of brilliantly vile COCKNEY FASHION. CARL COX [unintelligible cockney] BLŪ I have no idea what you just said, or why you're yelling at me! CARL COX (Sarcastically) Well how's this—? “Ello, poppet!” In THE DJ storyline )which is technically storyline a, we've just discovered DJ DILLON FRANCIS used BLU — (originally CC) as a sort of horcrux for his darkest magical intentions. Now the DJS are in a rush to extract this device before time runs out. Wtf did Dillon Francis do? YO HE LITERALLY MADE HER INTO A POPPIT. What the fuck is a poppit. It's like a little fuckin— thing— witches use to store magical energy and when the spell is over you're supposed to destroy them— but he DIDNT and it came to life and it merged with CC! Yooooooo! Who is now blu Tha Gürū, because Chak Chel dissappeared— or sort of dissappeared— to aide in the magical assasination of Let me guess— No don't guess, you could ruin it. What. Don't literally ruin it. The show exists in a multiversial construct which means anything you say, or think, or guess could unintentionally alter the plot, and skew it into an array of infinitely possible dimensions! Oh no! But I already thought! Shh! No you didn't! Just replace those thoughts— with better ones z— I don't have any better thoughts! Well, make some up. Uh— ok! Shh, it's coming back on this is where it gets intense. I thought you've never seen this before I know! But I know it gets intense! Well, how do you know that?! BECAUSE I KNOW THAT ALREADY. {Enter The Multiverse} ENTER THE MULTIVERSE is getting intense. BLŪ WHAT. NO ITS NOT! I can't take it I just can't take it I just can't take it no more I just can't n THE SKY IS FALLING! WHY?' I don't know. Seems pretty intense though, doesn't it. FUCK YOUUUUUU DEADMAU55555555! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!! I am DEADMAU— *powers down* Ah, fuck. KATT WILLIAMS is coaching the NBC GAMES. KATT WILLIAMS Alright, b-ball time! Shirts! Versus skins! you can be skins, Jimmy Fallon. *winks* Ew. She's so fucking gross. I don't get it. Uh— what? No I can't. I'm wearing a suit. I'm sure it's fused to my skin, or something. (This is actually the VICE AGENT version of the dude, who is wired head to toe. If he takes his shirt off, it will blow his cover.) SKINS. Fuck. L E G E N D S HE DUPED YOU! I BELIEVE THAT! He's good at everything! Especially things like that! WE'LL KILL HIM! NO ONE CAN KILL HIM. HE IS IMMORTAL. –doesn't mean we can't try. *dramatic music* [beat] WHAT?! I SAID– I CAN'T HEAR YOU, THERE'S A HELLICOPTER LEVITATING DIRECTLY OVER US! I KNOW! THAT'S WHY I WAS YELLING TOO, IT'S JUST– [Suddenly they realize, it is the he of who they speak hovering in the helicopter.] *GASP* DOn'T. {it's too late. He unloads a clip from an automatic rifle] THOSE ARE BANNED IN EUROPE. YOU COULD HAVE FOOLED ME! I KNOW I COULD HAVE! BECAUSE YOU ARE QUITE OBVIOUSLY EASILY FOOLED! ENOUGH. The helicopter scoops down and unrolls a ladder. W–wait! ARE YOU GETTING IN THE HELLICOPTER WITH HIM?! (dramatically) It appears so. WHAT. YES! YES I AM GETTING INTO THE HELLICOPTER. ARE YOU GONNA SHOOT AT ME *confused* *shurgs* (he gives up) ..of course not. Well then, I believe it is YOU that has been duped. WHAT!??!? GOOD DAY, SIR. Lil Bitz They really nominated Stephen Colbert for an Emmy, and then fired him the next day. What on Earth. What did you do at the party, bro? Be honest! They literally we're like, Wednesday: You're nominated for an Emmy award! Thursday: You're cancelled! Cancelled, bro. How do you cancel the late show? That was David Letterman. The whole point of a show like that is so it goes on forever! Nope, cancelled! Daaaamn. You better win that Emmy now, bruh. {Enter The Multiverse} HOW THE FUCK DID WAYNE BRADY GET IN HERE! I dont know how Wayne Brady got in here! Keep an eye on him. I heard he's polyscientific in his sexual proclivities. Oh. Okay then. L E G E N D S CARL COX curses BLŨ out in an extreme show of brilliantly vile COCKNEY FASHION. CARL COX [unintelligible cockney] BLŪ I have no idea what you just said, or why you're yelling at me! CARL COX (Sarcastically) Well how's this—? “Ello, poppet!” In THE DJ storyline )which is technically storyline a, we've just discovered DJ DILLON FRANCIS used BLU — (originally CC) as a sort of horcrux for his darkest magical intentions. Now the DJS are in a rush to extract this device before time runs out. Wtf did Dillon Francis do? YO HE LITERALLY MADE HER INTO A POPPIT. What the fuck is a poppit. It's like a little fuckin— thing— witches use to store magical energy and when the spell is over you're supposed to destroy them— but he DIDNT and it came to life and it merged with CC! Yooooooo! Who is now Blū Tha Gürū, because Chak Chel disappeared— or sort of disappeared— to aide in the magical assasination of Let me guess— No don't guess, you could ruin it. What. Don't literally ruin it. The show exists in a multiversial construct which means anything you say, or think, or guess could unintentionally alter the plot, and skew it into an array of infinitely possible dimensions! Oh no! But I already thought! Shh! No you didn't! Just replace those thoughts— with better ones z— I don't have any better thoughts! Well, make some up! Uh— ok! Shh, it's coming back on: this is where it gets intense. I thought you've never seen this before I know! But I know it gets intense! Well, how do you know that?! BECAUSE I KNOW THAT ALREADY. {Enter The Multiverse} ENTER THE MULTIVERSE is getting intense. BLŪ WHAT. NO ITS NOT! I can't take it I just can't take it I just can't take it no more I just can't n THE SKY IS FALLING! WHY?' I don't know. Seems pretty intense though, doesn't it. FUCK YOUUUUUU DEADMAU55555555! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!! I am DEADMAU— *powers down* Ah, fuck. {Enter The Multiverse} ICONS KATT WILLIAMS is coaching the NBC GAMES. KATT WILLIAMS Alright, b-ball time! Shirts! Versus skins! …you can be skins, Jimmy Fallon. *winks* Ew. She's so fucking gross. I don't get it. Uh— what? No I can't. I'm wearing a suit. I'm sure it's fused to my skin, or something. (This is actually the VICE AGENT version of the dude, who is wired head to toe. If he takes his shirt off, it will blow his cover.) SKINS. Fuck. L E G E N D S HE DUPED YOU! I BELIEVE THAT! He's good at everything! Especially things like that! WE'LL KILL HIM! NO ONE CAN KILL HIM. HE IS IMMORTAL. –doesn't mean we can't try. *dramatic music* [beat] WHAT?! I SAID– I CAN'T HEAR YOU, THERE'S A HELLICOPTER LEVITATING DIRECTLY OVER US! I KNOW! THAT'S WHY I WAS YELLING TOO, IT'S JUST– [Suddenly they realize, it is the he of who they speak hovering in the helicopter.] *GASP* DOn'T. {it's too late. He unloads a clip from an automatic rifle] THOSE ARE BANNED IN EUROPE. YOU COULD HAVE FOOLED ME! I KNOW I COULD HAVE! BECAUSE YOU ARE QUITE OBVIOUSLY EASILY FOOLED! ENOUGH. The helicopter scoops down and unrolls a ladder. W–wait! ARE YOU GETTING IN THE HELLICOPTER WITH HIM?! (dramatically) It appears so. WHAT. YES! YES I AM GETTING INTO THE HELLICOPTER. ARE YOU GONNA SHOOT AT ME? *confused* *shurgs* (he gives up) ..of course not. Well then, I believe it is YOU that has been duped. WHAT!??!? GOOD DAY, SIR. Lil Bitz They really nominated Stephen Colbert for an Emmy, and then fired him the next day. What on Earth. What did you do at the party, bro? Be honest! They literally we're like, Wednesday: You're nominated for an Emmy award! Thursday: You're cancelled! Cancelled, bro. How do you cancel the late show? That was David Letterman. The whole point of a show like that is so it goes on forever! Nope, cancelled! Daaaamn. You better win that Emmy now, bruh. {Enter The Multiverse} Look at the pale ass people who can afford this place— I'm probably not even allowed there With much dishonor and bad distaste- You'd better stop coming around there If I spend my time out buying your price Mercy to the highest bidder You can call me anything you'd like But just don't call me a quitter If it's talk you want, I've got all the words For a stake, I'll buy you dinner In my house of hands, I've got all nine cards Hey Mary, your husband's a sinner I play all nine holes I lived all nine lives I spend all night In the The Panorama Room Smoke a parliament, parliament I just haven't the heart (The heart) To tell her You were part of it (Part of it) But I just sat down To write my love a letter When you know it's over (You know it's over) But you know you can't Forget her When you know it's over (You know it's over) But you also know That you just can't Forgive her And I just sat down And I just sat down And I just sat down To write my love a letter I write all my best lines In The Panorama Room And I'm back on prime time tonight But it's just lights out If I get back now I just might be up by noon But if I pass out In the town car I went that far As to turn back out For an hour, or a barback Oh wow, I — Look at the time Have a long night out I just lost my life At The Panorama Room It wasn't exactly the phantom But it just might have been Patrick And just like that, I need a back rub And a ballroom gown And an hour of heart talk But I just don't want all that, God I just gotta keep talking Outback from one But what's after all out? I'm no longer lost, I just wanna know How far till the next exit? When's wind a kite to fall back on? How many faxes till it makes sense? Cause it ain't been ten days yet, But I faked maybe seven or eight It is dangerous! A high stakes game, nothing makes sense Till just the end, then it hates to— Just rolls over, the next day raises And all you know is a tunnel And the smoke rising up from the long tail And really no hope goes there at all, But the words to a song And then they cut the lights off It is over; You don't know her, You can't love her— You can't move here, And there's no home sprung out of Hollywood; It was all a hoax, It was all just marxists, And now you really all are on your last dollar to spend, because in the end, truth is currency and we inTelevision really ain't in the business of truth in media; The honesty is honestly just as lost as you and I all are and yet— as proposed, We really are not as one, but so separate that it's possible, your stardust, and my horcruxes Are not that foreign to one another in terms of matter, but fall on us as gospels of one world to a whole other. You know that? It really has been a long drunk drive up the 101 in this classic car with the bucket seats and honest, I'm dying in the intertwined and reading these radio waves just as any old controller, but who knows really when it goes into the ocean, Seemingly out of control, But just turns back to shore, Such as a surfboard. — Seth Rogen. No, no dust— keep moving— It's just sandy beaches and trouble warring No, not now, keep off us— If trouble waves and shadows park this car, A storm is coming. And we were off to shore in the blue classic car, U-turned into her shore like a surfboard on the water. Don't ever do that again. I won't bother. You said “off road.” I didn't know that meant ocean. No, it doesn't go in the ocean. I spoke too soon. {Enter The Multiverse} Do you want me to die, Or bury your love like a secret ther I betray you, And portray you here in such a way as are kings and god, but of ruthless man, you are no honor or, or— worthy of such prize, as I, you ponder? Death seeks you and slowly surely is approaching and is as upon us the dog that barks and the wind that calls and the kiss that waits not as dusk but morning light, and do our calls upon us. And wait you then, these things I have here in my gate, and the knowing of the tide that does not moon, put sorrow? Like a lake it is thus ruined and by my time passed and even ye you, there hath it been not told, as told before the earth will shake with envy, and with pity, and with bore her such pride as slain thy son?! No! You do not any but gasp in these, my words as so you wore but tattered clothes as truths to these, no in mine wealth of heart and rich of soul, yet these bearing little truths have sown our end I wait Here slithers here the snake for singing crickets followed thy sound and thy voice to betray you; And thee I harp as though not to wait my tongue, my pride has pondered on this moment. O, I know and shall to thee my praying the honor of know not I that seek in weighing many days upon us; And though ye as many embark in flight and make my way and wonder where is but here the road to such a comet. Oh shit, he's asking about the other planet. Thank you. Yeah I— There's absolutely no chance in making it. It, by all standard and concept in the construct of time, is not possible. Your kind will be washed and diminished, and our time has come to again rule over our, to she whom you call “Earth”, not as our home, but as our daughter. You have known wise to honor her, our coming. Like omg what the fuck does this have to do with Jimmy Fallon. right. L E G E N D S: ICONS I guess it came through. Yeah, you're right. Yeah. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR EMMY. Uhh… Thanks? I uh— we didn't win yet. Not with that attitude. Huh. Look at that. I guess you're right! [beat] —but wait, who are you up against? [The Festival Project ™] This is intense. Yeah, I'll say it is… We gotta get to the other side of that portal. I don't think we should be making any— — we should go through the portal—! —plans very seriously— and honestly I'm thinking— Or maybe— you stay here, and I'll go through the portal, and you tell me if you can hear anything once I make it to the other side! I don't know if that…works. What? Why not dude? It'll be great— Cause I don't know anything about portals, and honestly— —I'm thinking— I just want to make it past the Emmy's so I can get laid again—like really laid— I've been… paying… for it. —you want to skip going through a portal so you can get laid? By a decent— and by decent I mean free— lady who just happens to be single and in attendance of the Emmy's or any of the after parties— yes, actually! Yes! No! We have to go through this portal to see what's actually on the other side! I don't have to do anything! No, you don't have to do anything— because I'm going through the portal, and you're just—staying and making sure you tell me if you can hear me! I don't think it's that easy actually! But you don't know until you try. I'm not trying. You're trying. And I'm letting you because you're pressuring me! Shut up. You're starting to sound like one of my interns. If I was one of your interns I would be quitting, and hash tagging you already. If you were one of my interns you wouldn't be paying for company. What's that supposed to mean? Just—- {Enter the multiverse} Stop. What if all whores are just bored workers And all escorts personal massagers— What if all message boards are mating calls And all honor rolls are leader boards, And all board rooms are horse drawn carriages For faraway battlefields, What if nothing I offer even comes close To the dollar value of your most cherished call girl And what if anything I know about her Doesn't conform to my idea of a comfort zone? What if the anxiety you're eyeing me and getting high behind me with is just designed to bind my mind enlightening the lightning strike dividing my entirety? What if I want to know you know my known worth without words or surfaces? What if all I don't know is all of my whole world, And just the dollop of a thought could push you off the wall to fall from the top of the Rockerfeller plaza into art upon the crosswalk? What if I could touch that cross, and walk with the palm of the sword stretched out like a… What were you saying? I don't know something about the handle of a sword turning into another object? What if I could hypothesis not one, but all the conundrums in one stroke of nonsense? Stop already? For what. I was told I could have been bought and sold Had I dressed the part To drive off in the pretty corvette But how dare I not Look just as hard earned As her for dollar signs Although Somebody bought her all of that? What if all you are is just bullets in the gun And a wound for my brain And a heart to heal Without home or a umbrella As the rain comes down so hard It sends whole homes floating? What if all the remarks in my smart ass couldn't call you up in the form of laughter? How about that one? How does your back ache? How was your hour glass. Much much Longer And Harder Than An hour. How I broke my spell? I just shook her hands. I just put my tail In between my legs And departure Marks the time of Our new travel archive But With just the dust of lust From dusk till dawn The one you wanted Climbs upon the forest In another song Or story What you— One, Two, Three dice— The riddle Four, five, Six mice, the honor Six, seven— Someone's disrespected; Lessons! Eight, nine— Oh my, Someone's right behind us. Nor can I stop writing or whining about my desires, and deadlines coming up and signing off, but I'm still crying. So I never sold my sole, And yet, The light from it was stolen; Slamming doors and hard earned apartments, Multipliers and real bad liars And one liners And one sells signed autographed autobiographies Now how about that for a rabbit hole, Seth Meyers? You should work harder on your crossovers Then again, the rule of thumb is to just Put them all on the old drum code And it's just no fun If it's not on suicide watch Don't bother I don't brother, But I learned to love her. You know? Silly little game, this inconsiderate confusion, wind washed galleyways and fisherman to put you under, Degrading you very awaking for the patrons, faking it— No things haven't made sense since you ate it With which way Is the birthday cake? Mistakes the Ace as Satan Lately, anything don't matter but that's a laugh Still no dollar though, no Don't call her out— she just wants courage And witness to slaughter Hers the very lamb of truth And mother's daughter. Put your art to work, This is not a war, it's a fairway And it and your worth, It's a fair game It ain't make sense Till you get 8-6 out a bar that you own Under A. An Alias, B. Under the Name of an Accomplice or otherwise trustworthy partner to which not you call love, but perhaps a co-owner. (Or co-author.) Remember the time now? A shit. I gotta run. Where to? I don't know yet. Grey suit. The whispers of a game Blue tie White stripes Red lips, One aim and he doesn't think twice One name and he doesn't give once Two trips to the hallway, One gun in the holster, One bullet in the chamber, And one number you thought of. Four? …yes. I've got a secret, a dirty little secret. The Rock and The Kite XI {Enter The Multiverse} Copyright The Collective Complex © [The Festival Project, Inc. ™] © 2025 All Rights Reserved -Ū.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by journalist Umesh Kumar Ray and Anmol Pritam.Umesh shares his experience of reporting from ground zero in Bihar, where the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is underway ahead of the assembly elections. The way this massive exercise is being carried out, he says, is burdening the state's people who are forced to prove their citizenship, creating a panic-like situation.Anmol talks about his report on the chaos that unfolded after a piece of onion was found in a meal served to the Kanwariyas at the Baba Balaknath Dhaba in Muzaffarnagar, which triggered ​​vandalism of the dhaba, resulting in smashed chairs, tables, fridges, fans, and glass panels by the mob. The owner claimed that the Kanwariyas not only vandalised the dhaba but also brutally attacked their staff with hockey sticks, with a 40-year-old staff member ending up with a broken leg.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:26 - SIR in Bihar00:21:28 - Kanwariyas and Chaos00:35:56 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAnmol PritamUttarakhand : Hindu Rashtra की टेस्ट लैब बनती देवभूमि | Ground ReportBasant KumarThe RSS Does Not Exist Mapping the hidden structure of an unaccountable organisationProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I told you guys that I'm trying to get in better health, as I don't like going to doctors and so on. Up to a certain age you may be able to get away with that, but there comes a time when all those medical commercials fit what you're going through.Let's get one thing straight: I don't avoid doctors out of fear. I avoid them out of principle. Why pay someone to tell you what you already know? “Sir, your cholesterol is made of bacon and regret.” Thanks, Einstein.But age, that relentless sneak thief, has a way of making those late-night pharmaceutical ads sound less like dystopian fiction and more like a personal biography. “Do you experience… being alive? You may be at risk for… mortality.” Terrifying.So, when my wife Melissa—who may or may not have ulterior motives involving life insurance—dragged me to get my heart checked, I went. Not because I'm responsible, but because I'd run out of excuses. (“I'm busy” doesn't fly when she catches you watching Dead Like Me and reruns of old golf classics… between naps.)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"This was really the first of its kind where we had individual physicians as part of these societies give answers locally, what IR service is like and what education is like in their place of practice and where they trained. This was really the first time we were able to get firsthand information ... It really is something we need to know so that we can target efforts as an IR community."—Justin Guan, MDIn this Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) audio episode, lead author Justin Guan, MD, speaks with journal Managing Editor Ana Lewis about his May 2025 paper "Results of a Global Survey on the State of Interventional Radiology 2024"Related resources:Read the original article, "Results of a Global Survey on the State of Interventional Radiology 2024," by Justin J. Guan, MD; Tarig Elhakim, MD; Monica M. Matsumoto, MD; Thomas McKeon, MPH; Fabian Laage-Gaupp, MD;  Shams Iqbal, MD; Parag J. Patel, MD, MS; Philippe Pereira, MD; Alda L. Tam, MD, MBA; Christoph Binkert, MD, MBA; Constantinos T. Sofocleous, MD, PhDSIR thanks BD for its generous support of the Kinked Wire.Contact us with your ideas and questions, or read more about about interventional radiology in IR Quarterly magazine or SIR's Patient Center.(c) Society of Interventional Radiology.Support the show

‘Superman' is saving dogs! Walt Disney is BACK as an eerily alive animatronic. American Idol's longtime Music Supervisor was mysteriously murdered in her home. Do people actually want mean bosses? Sir, no, sir! The most horrific places a teacher could run into a student or parent have the gang cracking up.

Boom shakalaka boom! You've just locked into the most explosive, unfiltered, reality-radio rollercoaster in the game – The Clay Edwards Show! Episode 1,021 blasts off on this glorious Hump Day, July 16, 2025, with your host Clay Edwards unleashing two hours of pure adrenaline-fueled truth bombs, cultural takedowns, and local lore that'll have you laughing, raging, and rethinking everything. If you're craving a show that shoots from the hip, dives down rabbit holes, and calls out the absurdities of modern life without a shred of apology, this is your jam. We're talking over-the-top rants, fresh segments, and stories so wild they'll make your head spin. Strap in, free-range humans – this ain't your grandma's talk radio; it's a cultural crusade for the soul of America!   Kicking things off with Clay's signature flair, we dive straight into the evening vibes. Ever wondered why you're wasting nights on trash TV when you could be tuning into raw, interactive gold? Clay spills the beans on his nightly 8 PM live stream team-up with co-hosts Shawn and Lindsey – think uncensored debates, viewer-driven chaos, and yes, the occasional F-bomb (because real talk happens, folks). It's been pulling killer numbers, steering the ship with your comments, and hitting topics that daytime can't touch. No scripts, no filters – just pure engagement. If you've missed it, catch the replays on socials like @savejxn across platforms. Pro tip: It's fun, it's fiery, and it's way better than scripted drama.   But hold up – Clay's shaking things up this week with structured segments to wrangle the chaos. Enter the Local Roundup, your daily dose of Mississippi madness, complete with the coveted FAFO Championship of the Day (that's "F'ed Around and Found Out" for the uninitiated). We're starting hot with Jackson's top cop, Chief Joseph Wade, dropping a bombshell proposal: a citywide ski mask ordinance! Picture this: young dudes cruising on bikes, shirtless in South Jackson heat, faces hidden behind "shystie masks." Clay breaks it down – it's terrifying for business owners, a nightmare for surveillance, and a direct counter to JPD's facial recognition tech. Wade's seen it firsthand: masked figures strolling into stores like it's no big deal. But Clay's all in – "I'm about this!" He circles back to the cultural roots: pre-COVID, masks meant robbery; post-COVID, criminals exploited the fear, turning face coverings into getaway gear. And don't get him started on the backlash – cries of "racism" or constitutional violations? Clay calls BS: "Screw your freedom of expression – you look like an idiot, and in a civilized society, masks scream trouble." He unpacks the hypocrisy: from early COVID myths (Black folks can't get it? Enter Idris Elba) to liberal overreactions, it's all Democrat "death culture" biting back. Honest take: When Clay sees a young Black guy in a mask indoors (and yeah, he notes it's rarely anyone else), his hand's on his gun – "You're not scared of COVID; you're up to no good." Outdoors in 90+ degree Mississippi heat? Same vibe. This segment's a masterclass in no-holds-barred observation, blending humor, frustration, and a plea for common sense.   Segueing seamlessly, Clay ties in the hoodie epidemic – kids bundled up in summer swelter like it's a security blanket. "What is wrong with y'all?" he roars, sharing a social experiment from his Facebook post during last night's stream. Over 110 comments poured in: excuses from poor diets making kids "always cold" (nonsense, per Clay) to therapists claiming it feels "safe" amid absent parents (worst answer ever). Others nail it – concealed carry, weight loss attempts, or just hiding something shady. Clay's verdict: In 97-degree heat, a hoodie screams probable cause for a stop-and-frisk. "Sir, what are you trying to hide? Gun with a Glock switch? Pistol AR?" He contrasts it with cowboy boots and jeans – no threat there, no hand on the gun. Stereotypes? Earned, not given, shouts out to creator Antione Daniels for keeping it real. This rant spirals into personal quirks: Clay's a hot-natured beast, sleeping at 61 degrees with industrial fans blasting (DeWALT-level air movement, son!). It's hilarious, relatable, and a cultural gut-check on trends gone awry.   Technical hiccups hit mid-show – signal issues force a switch to backup, but Clay keeps the energy high, appreciating texts from listeners. No downtime here; he resets and rolls on. Shoutout to the Rankin County Sheriff's Office for a heroic escort: rushing a young couple from Leake County to the hospital after her water broke near Madden. "Another good deed by our law enforcement community!" Clay stands firm on supporting good cops while calling out the bad – he's hammered the Goon Squad saga in 27+ episodes, interviewing journalist Jerry Mitchell who took it national. But balance? Nah: "I don't owe Jackson equality. I talk what I want – no pandering." It's a raw defense of his independence: exposing dope in Rankin to keep it safe, not to score points.   In the FAFO spotlight, a massive drug bust crowns our champion: 42-year-old William Daniel Rogers from Brandon, nabbed in a multi-agency sting. Traffic stop uncovers 122 fentanyl pills; home raid reveals a narco treasure trove – 3.6 pounds of marijuana, 47 pounds of mushrooms, 152 M30 fentanyl pills, Oxy, Xanax, coke, heroin, meth, THC oils, vapes, gummies, jello shots, plus 19 firearms and 4 unregistered homemade suppressors. "You don't ride this dirty in Rankin and not win FAFO!" Clay quips, noting federal charges looming on those suppressors (echoing a recent guest chat). Bond at $100K, more charges pending – trace that fentanyl to deaths? Game over. It's a win for curbing overdose epidemics, with Clay warning: Fentanyl's this admin's hill to die on; Rankin ain't playing.   Hour two ramps up with Around the State – wild tales from Mississippi's underbelly. First, a chaotic series in Adams County: Video surfaces of four white guys assaulting Black bicyclist Reginald Butler on a Deerfield Road bridge. It starts with a cigarette ask turning ugly (Clay questions motive – "Hard to believe it's that simple"). Butler flees, grabs a gun, returns; second clash ends with him shooting Cameron Talton (involved in the first fight), who gets airlifted. Butler bonds out; two others (including 21-year-old Houston Lee Priddy and a 16-year-old) face aggravated assault and conspiracy. Sheriff's probing hate crime angles with MBI/FBI. Clay unpacks: Self-defense? Nah – leaving and returning kills that claim. Race-baiting incoming (Ben Crump vibes), but questions abound: Why the bridge? Bathing suits? Motive? "Brace for impact – knowledge up!"   Youth violence hits next: Columbia cops seize a Glock switch (turns semi-auto to full-auto) from an underage teen in a stolen-gun traffic stop. Chief Fortenberry laments: "We're losing our youth – kids have more firepower than us!" Illegal under new state law, it's a call to action against escalating threats.   Wrapping with national intrigue: Epstein files drama. Clay dissects why Trump, Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, and Pam Bondi get heat – promises of declassification clash with hesitance over "phony stuff" from crooked intel (Russia hoax crew). Trump's point: Lists could ruin innocents. But Clay pushes: Release and investigate! Shoutouts to Marjorie Taylor Greene and Benny Johnson for demanding transparency despite risks. "Hold leaders accountable – that's America!"   Episode 1,021 is Clay at his peak: Over 1,000 shows of chaos refined into segments, rants that assault sensibilities, and stories that demand action. From mask bans to massive busts, hoodies to hate crimes, it's a hump-day hurricane of honesty. Missed the live energy? Replay now – and join the 8 PM stream for more uncensored fire. Clay Edwards: Fighting cancel culture, one truth bomb at a time. Boom goes the dynamite!

Sitcom: It's Higgins, Sir 8/21/51 NBC, Halls of Ivy 6/25/52 CBS.

HORROR WITH SIR. STURDY EP. 559 – SLICED IN THE CITY: THE NEW YORK RIPPER REVIEW

How can interventional radiologists turn their unique capabilities into revenue? Dr. Matt Hawkins, interventional radiologist and Health Policy and Economics councilor at the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), joins host Dr. Ally Baheti to discuss how interventional radiologists can prove (and get paid for) the value that they bring to hospitals. --- This podcast is supported by: Medtronic Emprinthttps://www.medtronic.com/emprint RADPAD® Radiation Protectionhttps://www.radpad.com/ --- SYNPOSIS The doctors discuss key physician reimbursement models, including the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) for hospital outpatient and Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) for hospital inpatient, as well as strategies for negotiating subsidies. Dr. Hawkins covers key strategies for proving the value of IR to hospitals, emphasizing the importance of moving beyond work RVUs and focusing on the technical revenue generated for hospitals. The discussion underscores the critical role that IR plays in trauma, transplant, and cancer care. Lastly, Dr. Hawkins highlights SIR's economic initiative emphasizing the importance of accurate documentation and coding in order to turn our clinical impact into measurable value. --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction01:58 - Understanding Professional and Technical Reimbursement04:49 - Hospital Reimbursement Structures07:59 - Quantifying Value and Negotiating Contracts15:55 - Economic Arguments for IR in Trauma, Transplant, and Cancer23:01 - The Importance of IR Leadership in Mixed IRDR Groups25:13 - Challenges and Strategies for Independent IR Practices28:41 - Maximizing Revenue Through Evaluation and Management (E&M)36:40 - Navigating Coding and Documentation for Better Negotiation38:54 - Financial Literacy and Business Strategies

In this episode, we discuss Agent Based Models with Dr. Brandon Marshall of the Brown School of Public Health. We talk about what these models are and why they are so useful in epidemiology. We discuss the challenges with these models and how to improve them. We talk about microsimulations and their relationship to mathematical models like SIR models. We talk about how the fit into the world of predictive models but also how they relate to counterfactuals. We talk about how to account for bias in the inputs in these models and how they relate to DAGs and data generating mechanisms. We talk about all the skills needed to create ABMs (coders, modelers, epidemiologists, etc.) and the software used to create them as well as the challenges with and need for replication, calibration and validation. And we talk about how far outside of Matt and Hailey's experience in epidemiology.

I AM 1 We are now on day 15 of our series "Glimpses", looking at the story of the Bible in 30 days, from the time of creation through to the time of the fullness of redemption! The long awaited for king is here, his public ministry has begun in earnest. His teaching is met with amazement yet also fury and we looked at last time, how Jesus taught; what he taught; his methods and who he taught? Today we start looking at one particularly aspect of his teaching - himself! I AM Introduction It may come as a surprise to you but Jesus talks about himself - a lot! But, not only just talk about himself but always put those words into action. In other words, he backed up his claims with action, which even a cursory look at the Gospels will reflect. John Stott says this about it: ‘The self-centredness of the teaching of Jesus immediately sets himself apart from the other great religious teachers of the world. They were self-effacing. He was self-advancing. They pointed away from themselves, saying "This is the truth, so far as I perceive it, follow that." Jesus said, "I am the truth, follow me."' Jesus' teaching about Himself? In John's Gospel, the writer John records statements where Jesus said "I AM". These are unique to John and are not recorded in the three other Gospels. Here Jesus is reinforcing his claims to be God because, when he says "I AM", he is referring back to the time when God revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 3v14 and through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 41v4. That's why crowds often picked up stones in order to kill him for blasphemy. This was in accordance, so they thought, with Deuteronomy 13, which dictates that anyone who tries to turn people away from the living God is to be stoned to death. They knew Jesus was claiming to the very God they thought they worshipped. Little did they know at the time that he was the living God! So lets go look at our first "I AM" I AM the bread of Life John 6:30-51 They answered, "Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day." Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven't believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day." Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They said, "Isn't this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven'?" But Jesus replied, "Stop complaining about what I said. For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.) "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh." ___________________________________________ Three times in this passage, Jesus refers to himself as the living bread. By this he meant that he was the only one who could gratify the appetite and yearning of every person's spirit and their spiritual needs. For those he was speaking to, bread was a basic staple food for living, just as it is for millions of people today. Jesus indicates when saying he is the bread of life, that he will supply all needs! Just as he said to the woman at the well in John 4v4, and repeats here, that whoever drinks his living water, shall never again go spiritually thirsty. When Jesus referred to the bread in the desert he talked of it being merely temporary, despite being a gift from God. He however, as the true bread of life, would give permanent satisfaction and life everlasting to all those who believe and follow him! But this bread he offers has to be eaten; it has to be taken up by the person wanting spiritual life! In this passage from John 6 he offers glimpses of what is lying ahead for him. He also gives glimpses of the intimacy he held with God the Father. Soon after this, some people stopped following him and abandoned him because they found it too difficult to understand. How easily people give up and not persevere. Jesus is the bread of life! To have true spiritual life is to believe in Him! No works or good deeds can earn this spiritual life from God - just believe by having faith in Jesus alone. All spiritual needs are met through Jesus alone as the bread of life! Jesus will supply needs - spiritual as well as physical. This is only a glimpse at what Jesus taught about himself and we continue on this theme tomorrow! Thank you! Right mouse click or tap here to download as a MP3 audio file

Finding Jesus in Unexpected Places // Finding –The Samaritan Woman at the Well John 4:1-42 (NIV)“Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he. Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.Don't you have a saying, ‘It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”Deuteronomy 25:5 (NIV)“If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.” Mark 12:18-23 (NIV)“Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” John 4:27 (NIV)“Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” John 4:27 (MSG)“Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn't believe he was talking with that kind of a woman. No one said what they were all thinking, but their faces showed it.” Jesus not only walked through cultural barriers, but he also walked through racial barriers.  Jesus not only walked through cultural barriers and racial barriers, but he also walked through religious/traditional barriers. John 4:20-24 (NIV)“Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  Jesus brings the focus from the practice to the purpose. John 4:10-14 (NIV)“Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”  Revelation 22:17 (NASB)“Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”  

Send us a textIn EPISODE TWO HUNDRED TEN (210) of the "LOOK OUT, SIR! 40K" Podcast we seek to discover who is the best of the Daemon Primarchs available to purchase and play in the current edition of Warhammer 40,000. That being Angron of the World Eaters who's well into Khorne. Fulgrim from the Emperor's Children who likes to be tickled by Slaanesh. Magnus the Red of the Thousand Sons, who has at times had a complicated relationship with Tzeentch. And Mortarion of the Death Guard who is a sickly lad, thus Nurgle. Which of these 4 champions is the best? Listen and learn. KING OF THE CHARACTERS TOURNAMENT (KOTCT) RULES:Everyone fights everyone one on one in one round. This is not best two out of three. One and done!We're using each Daemon Primarchs' Datasheet as they are in their Published Physical Codex's. No FAQs or Errata are being observed.Each Daemon Primarch benefits from their Army Rules, but we are not using any Detachment Rules.3 points for a win which is determined by first blood/kill and/or being alive at the end of 5 Battle-Rounds. 1 point for killing your opponent on death, either by a result of a Deadly Demise or Fight-On-Death ability. 0 points for losing. Huge thank you to CHRISTOBER21 for the 5 STAR REVIEW via APPLE PODCASTS FINLAND, we massively appreciate your support. Cheers! Please consider supporting LOOK OUT, SIR! on PATREON, which occasionally features fancy EXCLUSIVE CONTENT: https://www.patreon.com/lookoutsir40k We also have MERCHANDISE available to purchase from Rev-Level: https://www.rev-level.com/lookoutsir40k  SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lookoutsir/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lookoutsir40k/ • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/lookoutsir40k  Thanks very much for taking the time to listen and by extension support our podcast. We hugely appreciate it and hope that you enjoy the show.

HORROR WITH SIR. STURDY EP. 558 – THE BOOTLEG THAT BIT BACK: THE LAST SHARK REVIEW   Welcome back to Horror With Sir. Sturdy! On this leg of Backpackin' With Sir. Sturdy, we're reeling in another Italian shark-sploitation gem — The Last Shark! Also known as Great White, this film tried so hard to be Jaws it got sued... and that's exactly why we had to slice and dice it.  

Our party finally arrives at the strange and twisted hospital of Cruncho. Surely madness won't await them inside? Ok, ok, IF madness awaits inside, surely a reunion with a friend and *gulp* family member won't also await them inside?? AND RIDDLES??? HAVE YOU PUT EVERYTHING IN THIS EPISODE, SIR?Follow us on twitter for goodness sake, it's fun! And it's probably the best way to contact us, all things considered.Special Thanks as always to Sydney and Benjamin Paul and Tyler Button, and our Big Freak Spacejamfan!This episode features additional sound design by Michaël Ghelfi. Michaël creates brilliantly crafted soundscapes and ambient tracks for all sort of productions and they make perfect accompaniment to your ttrpg home games. Find his work on YouTube, and support that good stuff on Patreon.Subscribe and Rate Rude Tales of Magic on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and leave us a review!Advertise on Rude Tales of Magic via Gumball.fm.Support the show: https://www.rudetalesofmagic.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most of us see ourselves inadequately and God inaccurately. From Weakness to Warrior Judges 6:11-16 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” 13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” 14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” 15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” 16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” (NLT) 2 Corinthians 12:9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. (NLT) God knows who you really are Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (NLT) God calls us based on our potential, not our performance! God knows what you are facing Don't wait for a “perfect moment” to make a difference! Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (NIV) God knows what you can become 2 Corinthians 12:10 “When I am weak, then I am strong” (NIV) God calls you a WARRIOR even when you feel weak!! Our breakthroughs are oftentimes tied to our obedience. Your weakness is not your disqualification — it’s your invitation.

Divided Argument hosts Daniel Epps and William Baude join Sarah Isgur to unpack the Supreme Court's decision (ahem, non-decision) on birthright citizenship. Plus: a little showdown between two justices. The Agenda:—What the Supreme Court did NOT decide—What the Court DID decide—Similarities to Marbury v. Madison,Loper Bright, and Chevron—Justice Amy Coney Barrett v. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson—Judicial supremacy?—Sir, this is not a Denny's—Injunction influx—The future of forum shopping—A big July for Advisory Opinion Show Notes:—SCOTUSblog on the 6-3 decision itself This episode is brought to you by Burford Capital, the leading global finance firm focused on law. Burford helps companies and law firms unlock the value of their legal assets. With a $7.2 billion portfolio and listings on the NYSE and LSE, Burford provides capital to finance high-value commercial litigation and arbitration—without adding cost, risk, or giving up control. Clients include Fortune 500 companies and Am Law 100 firms, who turn to Burford to pursue strong claims, manage legal costs, and accelerate recoveries. Learn more at burfordcapital.com/ao. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices