(fiction) The Conquests of Jacob Ferguson part 8

Soon enough students started arriving back on campus, classed started and I got into my routine. This trimester I taught three classes; two '100 level' humanities, and 'World Civilizations' 213. Between my teaching schedule, prep and grading time and my office hours (that no one seemed to come to) my days were occupied if not overly busy. I'd take the bus to campus early in the mornings (or walk when the weather was nice) and usually be home by three or four in the afternoon. Everyone else who worked outside of the home (everyone but Suzi) had varied schedules, but I was usually the first one home every day. Often I'd cook with Suzi, or Suzi and Bea. It was a pleasant day to day existence.
Inexorably the days started to get shorter and the leaves changed color. Summer rolled into autumn. One afternoon in October, I met who was to be the newest member of our family.

*****

It was a unseasonably frigid, rainy afternoon. I was walking home from the bus stop, trying to hurry. I didn’t want to spend any more time in the damp cold than necessary. I was thinking to myself that a hot cup of tea would be nice when I got home, when I head the rustling of leaves. Movement at the edge my peripheral vision drew my attention to the jumble of bushes at the border of the property. I had assumed it was a rabbit or some other suburban-woodland creature; but when I looked, I found a sad looking wet cat.

     How the pitiable creature had managed to get into the mess of brambles and wild rose canes, I’ll never know. I scratched up my hands and forearms making an opening in the dense, thorny thicket to get the cat out.
     “It’s OK, little kitty, let’s get you out of there…no one’s going to hurt you…”

     “Meorrrrrrow” The cat warned with a meow, as I reached for it. It was NOT happy. She was soaked, and shivering. I opened my coat and the fleece vest underneath and shoved the wet animal next to my stomach to warm her up.  I then hurried home, supporting the cat with one hand, my bag in the other.

        I was fumbling at the front door with my keys and numb fingers when Suzi let me in. Of course, she had anticipated my needs, a pot of tea was waiting in the kitchen and a towels were on the hall table. She asked if everything was ‘ok’ (I must’ve looked worried or perhaps she was looking at the odd way I was holding my abdomen). She was helping me take my coat off (I didn’t want to drop the cat) when I panicked a little. I couldn’t recall if it was an old wives’ tale or not that dying cats purred, and a buzzing was coming from my stomach.
     “Do you have a bed warmer, Suzi? You know, a hot water bottle?” I asked

     “???”

      I noticed Trixie, and Deirdre in the room adjacent, and directed the same question their way. A minute later I was preparing to transfer the cat to the ‘nest’ we’d prepared for her; a box with a towel, and a hot water bottle that was in a sleeve that looked like a sheep.
     “Blert?” the cat seemed to ask why she was being moved from her warm spot, then she yawned and settled into her new spot. She closed her eyes and started buzzing again as soon as I stared petting her under the towel.

      “So, do we have a cat now?” Deedee asked.

      “I don’t know, we’ll see what everyone thinks later, but I couldn’t just leave her out there to die.”
     “Cats are tough, I bet she would’ve been all right, I don’t mind that you’re a softy though.”

     “You may be right. Thomas, the old Maine Coon I had growing up was indestructible, but this little one seemed so small and helpless, I couldn’t leave her alone."

     “Should we give her a name?

     “Not until we’ve decided that she is staying. Like you said, I’m a softy, I wouldn’t be able to part with her if we named her.”

     The cat ate a can of tuna we found in the pantry. We rigged up a litter box from an old carton, a garbage bag, and some shredded newspaper. The consensus was to table the decision until suppertime when everyone else got home.

     Sometime later we were all sitting in the living room. The cat was in her 'nest' which was on a wooden chair next to me. The cat made a fuss anytime I tried to take my hand away, hooking her little paw around my wrist (which I found adorable). We had determined that no one had an allergy, which would've created difficulties. Most of us grew up with either cats or dogs as pets.

     "So what do we do?" I asked. "She doesn't have a collar, and I couldn't find any 'lost cat' postings online that match her description. I think someone abandoned her, she seems too social to be an 'alley cat'. Do we try and find her a home, adopt her ourselves, or bring her to a shelter? I think there's one in Springdale that is 'no kill'. Should we take a vote?"

     "She's adorable. Plus, I think she's attached to you, we should keep her!" Ava cast her vote.

     Beatrix chimed in: "Hooray, we're getting a kitty!"

     "I think it's hilarious, how outnumbered by females you are; I vote she stays."

     "Deedee, you're right  I vote the same, what do you want to call her?" Claire concurred with Deirdre.

     "We never owned a cat, but I like them. There were always a few in the neighborhood, is it much more work than owning a dog?" Suzi asked.

     "People who think they 'own' a cat soon find out that the cat owns them. A cat should become a member of your family, not a possession." I responded to Suzi.

     "Hmm, a name for a neko...neko" Karin mused.

     She said 'neko' which is Japanese for 'cat' but I heard 'Nichole'. "I like that name, it suits her. What do you all think of naming her 'Nichole?" The responses were nods of approval and 'thumbs up's'.

     I picked the cat up and said: "Okay cat, I hereby name you 'Nichole', from now on you are a member of this family. Here are the rules: I am the master;  I promise to take care of you, love you, and protect you, and to the best of my abilities remember to keep you fed and scratch you behind the ears like you seem to enjoy. You are required to be cute and snugly, keep mice and other vermin out of the house, and not to leave the house or back yard; as you would break my heart if you got hit by a car. You are also not allowed to go to the bathroom where you shouldn't, tear up the furniture, or be a general pain in the ass. Do we have a deal?" In response, Nichole bit me. Not hard, I'd call it a playful nip, but she got me right on one of the scratches I had from rescuing her, it stung a little. Maybe she was sorry as immediately after, she licked the spot with her sandpaper-like tongue. I put the cat down so I could stop the bleeding.

     "Oh jeez, Jake. You and your speeches. Your promise to marry me was shorter!" Trixie complained.

     Suzi scolded the cat: "Nichole, you must not nip Goshujin-sama, because, well, because he's Goshujin-sama." In response, the cat licked her chops, and stretched. She reached her front paws way out in front of her, almost as if she was bowing to me.

     "Okay, it looks like we have a cat in our family now, who wants to go with me to the pet store? We'll need stuff and things."

       Later that evening, after returning from the store, Nichole got a bath (I was surprised that she didn't fuss much) It turns out her fur is bluish-grey, not nearly black as I had assumed. (she was very dirty). We didn't find any fleas or ticks which was good, but we used appropriate shampoo anyway. She looked like a different cat once bathed and brushed and sporting her new collar with its heart shaped tag. Her name and our contact information was engraved on it.

*****

     It wasn't long after, that I started having odd dreams.

*****

     I heard a feminine voice calling to me while I was sleeping.

     "Master, I'm lonely."

      I concluded it was Suzi, no one else calls me 'Master'.
     "It's okay sweetie, I'm always available for a cuddle" I said in a semi-awake state.

      The cat jumped up onto my chest, she kneaded the blanket a few times and then curled up. I briefly scratched behind her ears. She closed her eyes contentedly and started buzzing. I could feel her purrs, the vibrations penetrated my chest. 

      "I must've been hearing things, I thought someone else wanted a cuddle. It doesn't matter,  my 'cuddle availability' is open to you as well, Nichole, my adorable little kitty...That's right, I adore you." 

      I may have imagined it, but it seemed her purring got louder in response. Shortly thereafter I felt myself drifting back to sleep.

     "Thank you Master, I adore you as well"

*****

      I 'opened my eyes'. My surroundings felt somehow ambiguously unfamiliar, I was in my room but the colors were all muted, the focus was soft for anything further than a few feet away. 

     I was dreaming.

     The cat looked at me intently from her perch on my chest, her jade-green eyes mere inches from my own.

     I heard a vaguely familiar feminine voice, it seemed to come form inside my head:"Good evening, Master." 

     "Nichole?"

      "Yes."

     "How is it that I can hear you?"

    "Because I am speaking with you."

    "I'm dreaming, I mean I must be dreaming. I can hear you, and cats can't talk."

    "You are dreaming, sort of. You are in my 'dream-space'. And I am not merely a cat."

     I scratched her under her chin, she closed her eyes, the way cats do when happy. "You sure seem like a cat to me."

     She transformed. I was now holding the chin of a young woman. She had hair the same blue-grey shade as Nichole's coat. I was transfixed by her piercing jade-green eyes, she leaned in and our lips met tenderly. 

      "That was nice, Master. I am glad I am not a cat." she said as we separated from our kiss. I no longer heard her in my head.

      I felt her furry tail brush against my wrist, I took another look at her, she had cat's ears, the same color as her hair, and a long furry tail.

      "You are a Nekomimi? A were-cat?"

      "Yes and no, in the past I remember being able to assume several distinct forms. Some time ago I lost that ability and I was stuck in the form of a cat. It had been so long, I was starting to forget that I was anything but a cat."
      "So now you remember not being a cat?"
      "Yes, but I have not regained all of my memories. I don't know exactly who or what I was. As you see me now feels the most 'right' to me. It feels 'right' to be in your embrace, Master. Unfortunately, outside of my 'dream-space', I can only assume the  feline form. If only I knew how to break the seal, then we could do this for real."  We kissed again. "When you rescued me, the ritual you performed, the bond we forged, brought my sentience back from the brink, it was slipping away, I was slipping away. You pulled me back. Thank you....thank you....thank you..." Each of the 'thank-you's' was punctuated with a kiss, each longer than the last.
      I came up for breath: "I don't feel like I did anything special, somehow I couldn't just leave you alone. I think anyone would've done the same. You're welcome anyway.  Hey, not that I'm not enjoying this, but why are you calling me 'Master'? and what 'ritual' are you talking about?.....and I think I need to stop watching so much anime before I go to sleep, this is some dream."

     "The ritual where you made me your familiar, you named me, you promised to love me and proclaimed yourself  my master, you then gave me my first assignment. I agreed to the terms and sealed the contract according to the ancient rites, by ingesting a drop of my master's blood. I have been diligently performing my duties, our house is free of vermin."

      "You're my familiar? what does that even mean?"

      "A Practitioner's Familiar is his confidant, his mate. his partner; she assists him with his spell-casting, performs menial tasks as required, whatever is needed."

      "Spell-casting?! I'm not Harry Potter, I don't know any magic, I'm not a 'Practitioner', whatever that is. I only meant to make you a member of my family."

      "So, am I  to be your wife?"

      "Umm, errr....at the time I thought you were a cat, I certainly didn't plan on marrying you. I didn't know you were a person, or a magical being, or whatever. I wasn't performing a ritual, at least not in the literal sense."

      "I'm confused, can't you see it?" she propped herself up, displaying her chest.

      All she wore was her collar, with the heart shaped tag, "Yes, you are beautiful."

      "Thank you, but I am referring to the flow of energy between us, can't you see it? it's right there, the glowing crimson ribbon of spiritual energy that literally connects our hearts. It was a thread after you rescued me, it became much stronger when you performed the binding." 

     "I don't know what you are talking about; however, it sounds like a lovely metaphor for something."

     "That's a problem, I'm going to have to help you to help me, I am bound to you and if I ever am going to recover my memories and stop being a cat outside of my dream-space, I need a Practitioner, if you aren't one, I'll have to make you into one."

     "Can't you just find another Practitioner and become their familiar?"

     "Not while you live. The contract is binding, 'until death do us part.'"

     "Okay...in any case, it isn't a problem we can solve tonight. Tonight is just for cuddling, an answer may reveal itself tomorrow.... I find that I like holding you, I want my dreams to be pleasant. I'll find a therapist that'll tell me what it means that I'm dreaming about making out with my cat who is also a woman....I take that back, I don't want to know, I'll just enjoy the ride..."

     "It's probably wise if  you don't tell anyone about this; a therapist or anyone else. I don't remember, but I may have enemies...and that may put you in danger. It'll be for the best if I make it so you don't remember me in the morning."

     "Please, no, even if you're only a dream, I ..."

     She interrupted me by placing a silencing finger on my lips.

     "Don't worry, Master, you won't miss me in your waking hours, and you'll remember me when we are sharing dream-space...now for lesson number one. You need to become aware of spiritual energy..." She guided my hand to near her chest. "This is where our connection is, I want you to close your eyes and try to feel our bond without touching me..."
     The 'lessons' went on for a while, it didn't seem like I was making any progress.
     "I don't think this is working, maybe I don't have any talent?"
     "No, I can sense your efforts, even if you cannot feel it yourself. Perhaps this is as far as we'll get tonight though."
     "Good! because if I'm going to have weird dreams about a naked cat-girl, I can think of better things to do than not touching her..."
I reached for her and we embraced, we kissed deeply...

My vision faded to white.

*****

     I felt a sandpaper tongue lick the tip of my nose. I woke up to the cat's jade-green eves an inch from my face.

     "Good morning pretty-kitty, are you ready for breakfast?" I asked as I scratched her under her chin, then behind her ears. She closed her eyes in a cat-grin as she leaned into my hand.

      "Blert!" She trilled as she jumped to the floor and ran towards the door, "Blert!" She trilled again, looking over her shoulder, expecting me to follow.

     "Hold on, I'll be there in a minute, I need to pee."

     The cat sat down and waited. A minute later or three, as I was opening the cat-food, I shook my head to myself. I was trying to remember the odd dream I had. The details were fuzzy, but I think I had an erotic dream about an anime character.

*****

     Thanksgiving was on the horizon, and as a family we stated discussing what to do for the holidays. Bea wanted to see her folks, but we couldn't impose on them for the whole group, nor did we particularly want to be separated. Deedee and Claire also had family not too far away, so getting to see everyone on the same day wouldn't be logistically impossible. I couldn't just tag-a-long however, (with any of them) as we lived in a small town, and I was known as a married man. Why would a landlord show up to his tenants' family holiday celebration?  We decided it was best to split up for Thanksgiving. Bea and Ava went to visit with Bea's family, Deirdre to hers and Suzi, Karin and I would stay home. I could justify seeing the Goldman family along with Claire, but decided not to be a burden with the extra mouths (and to be fair to the rest of the girls). I compromised and agreed to visit the day after, when Claire and her mother got back from their "black Friday' shopping. Thanksgiving dinner with Karin and Suzi was interesting; fried chicken, miso soup, salad, rice, pickled vegetables, and for dessert a cake with strawberries. I was told that this would actually be a traditional Christmas dinner in Japan, but that Thanksgiving isn't a holiday there, so Suzi improvised. It was all delicious. Claire's folks were glad to see me and to meet my new wife and her sister, we spent a pleasant evening drinking wine and reminiscing about Claire and I growing up. It got a little awkward at one point: Claire's mom asking why Claire and I 'never got together'.

*****

     My 'weird dreams' seemed to be occurring with greater frequency. I couldn't remember details but in addition to the erotic anime character parts, something about 'training up' monsters like in Pokemon? I didn't even watch Pokemon, I don't even like Pokemon!

*****

     I was once again in her 'dream space', the colors muted, the edges of my vision blurry.

     "Master, you've progressed so much! The 'connection' between us is stronger, you should be able to initiate communication over the 'circuit' outside of dream-space if you are ready.  You might even be able to see it when you are awake now."

     "How do we test it without blowing my cover?"

     "I'll set up a test, I'll 'ping' you in the morning, and if you can initiate a connection and a conversation we'll know. I'll show you how to plant an self-suggestion so that you don't worry about it, nor think about, it until our next session. Once we know that you're over this hurdle, I can start teaching you some spells. Then I hope it's just a matter of time until you can break the seal."

    "What do I need to do to break the seal?"

    "The seal is a 'limiter' on the amount of energy I can access on my own. To shift forms, I need to increase my mass in this plane by nearly an order of magnitude, which requires a tremendous amount of mystical energy. 

     "'E' equals 'M' 'C' squared, I get it, forty kilos or so equals...holy shit! That more energy than a 'nuke'! Heck that's more like a dozen nukes!"

     "The laws of physics exactly don't apply, but, yes, it's a lot of energy. And the 'seal' blocks my access to my reserves in the astral plane."

     "Huh?"

     "Picture a fuel tank that has a big balloon using up a bunch of the space inside. I need 'half a tank' to transform but the balloon prevents more fuel from getting in."

     "So you need a practitioner to 'pop the balloon?'"

     "I don't think that's possible, I need a practitioner to slip some fuel under the balloon, slowly, over time, and hopefully displace it enough that I can do the rest. I think it would take more power that a practitioner could muster to 'pop the balloon.'"

     "What do I need to do?"

     "You're doing it, I'm diverting some of the energy we're sharing to 'push up' on the seal, as you grow stronger, I can divert more."

     "So, how long will it take?"

     "It's hard to know, we're taking 'baby steps' now, but, if you continue to progress...I should be able to push past the seal in a decade or so..."

*****

     The first snowfall occurred around December first. We all discussed what to do for the holiday break and (for those of us who worked at schools) we liked the idea of a 'stay-cation'. Hang out at home. Video-chat with our non-local families and not worry about visiting anyone on Christmas Day. We threw those idea's out the window when I got home from the corner store after making a liquor run.

     "We need to call an emergency family meeting. Today. Tonight. Actually now. Whoever is still at work; we need to contact them and get them to come home right away!" I announced to the room when I walked in.
     "What's happened? " Suzi asked.
     "Please call your sister, she if she can grab an attorney, I think we can use the LLC we already have set up...I need to call Deets, I bet she has some strings she can pull. I don't want this going public..."
      "Right away, I'm calling Karin now."
     I have to give everyone credit, within the hour everyone was home, Karin had an attorney and her assistant in tow. Deedee had someone with her. Something about her imposing demeanor lead me to believe she was someone not to be messed with.
     "Ms. Jones, here is a dollar. You can consider yourself on retainer. We'll discuss terms shortly but I expect client privilege for what we are about to discuss." The lawyer pocketed the dollar bill and gave me a nod. "And Ms. I assume I can count on your discretion?" She also nodded slightly.
     "What happened Jake? why all the hubbub?" Bea asked.
     I removed the lottery ticket from my pocket. "This is the "Super Lottery" winning ticket from the August 17th drawing. The prize was sixty million dollars. There are no other winning tickets. Our money problems appear to be over, but we can't just go and cash this in. The media would be at our front door and I suspect we'd draw all kinds of unwanted attention. So the question is: what do we do? "
     "I'll tell you what we do, we have a hell of a party! Let's go to 'Vegas for Christmas where there's no snow. Let's paint the town, let's get married!" Claire exclaimed.
     "Well, I wasn't waiting for money, but sure let's." I answered.
     "Hold on mister! We need to figure out a fair way of determining who goes next. Claire, you can't just call 'dibs'!" Ava replied a little grumpily. Voices were starting to get raised, an argument was coming.
     "We are getting off track." I interjected. "I want to figure out how we get millions of dollars without the neighbors knowing, but still pay our taxes and what not. Ms. Jones?"
     "I understand that you created an LLC for the purpose of eventually running an inn? Although on the surface it would make sense to use that to claim the money, it wouldn't be anonymous. I recommend that we structure another corporation in a state that participates in the multi-state Super Lottery but doesn't require disclosure of winners names or likenesses, like New Hampshire. We then structure funds to funnel from that corporation to your LLC and there's a paper trail that exists but leads nowhere. You could claim that you have investors looking at developing country inns if anyone asks, but I doubt anyone will. If we don't make a fuss, I doubt anyone will even notice. Where did you buy the ticket?" I told him where the truck stop was. "That's good. It's out of town and the owners will assume that someone passing through won. Do you have someplace to keep that ticket in safekeeping until we're ready?"
     "I believe that would be my job." Deirdre's friend declared. I handed her the ticket.
     "I can have the corporation registered in a few days, I'll have someone claim the prize on our behalf in Concord as soon as that's done. I'll get you some 'walking around money' for the time being as the prize money wont be processed and available until after the first of the year. Would a hundred be enough for now?" The lawyer volunteered.
     "A hundred? I don't see the point, unless you just need to set up the account." I answered.
     "Two-fifty then, it'll be available tomorrow morning."
     I was about to interject again when Karin whispered in my ear. "Anata, that's a quarter of a million dollars. It should be plenty for a vacation, no?"
     "Oh, that's different then." I whispered back, then louder to Ms. Jones: "Two-fifty will be adequate. Is there anything else you need from us today?"
    "If you'll excuse me, I'll go in the other room and set up shop for a little bit. Annie, I want to get the ball rolling while offices are still open on the east coast, can you call the office and..."
     "Suzi, could you show Ms. Jones to a room he can use, and where an outlet is?"
      "Of course Goshujin-sama, this way. May I get you some tea?" She asked as she led them from the room.
      "Okay, looks like we have a plan in place for the money, are we going to Vegas or did you want to draw straws or something?"
     "Too cold and rainy in Shannon this time of year, let's go in June." Bea volunteered.
     "A bit far for Okinawa on the spur of the moment, and I feel like we just said goodbye to Ka'a, I can wait" Karin added.
     "You know how I feel, I'm fine with whatever" Deirdre gave her two cents.
     "So Vegas or Hawaii?" I prompted.
     "Hawaii by way of Las Vegas?" Ava offered.
     "That works for me, when can we leave?" Claire responded.
     "My last final is in about two weeks, and I have to have grades turned in by the twentieth." I answered. "So I'm free anytime after, when is school out for you Bea?"
     "Last day is the eighteenth, then classes resume on the fourth of January."
    "We need someone to take care of the cat, do we hire a house sitter or bring Nichole to a kennel?" I asked.

    "We can't hire a student, or a local, it'd look weird that a landlord went on vacation with his tenants" Karin interjected. 

     "I'll call in a favor, some folks from...the post office, can watch the house and take care of Nichole." Deirdre replied.

     "The post office or MIB? I didn't get around to asking who is that you brought with?" I asked referring to the intimidating looking woman overseeing the lawyer at work in the other room.

    "She's the postmaster, no more questions." Deirdre ended the topic of conversation abruptly.

     I changed the subject, "So if it's okay with everyone else lets fly out the morning of the nineteenth unless we can get a late night flight on the eighteenth? Claire, my love, shall we have the ceremony on the twenty-first? Will that give us enough time to set it all up?"
     "Tee hee! I'm starting now! I can hardly wait. Do you want a white or a powder blue tuxedo?"
     "I don't know Claire, wouldn't pastel yellow be tackier?"
     "Yea yellow or green would be super tacky, but really more of a springtime thing. I know! you wear white, I'll wear red. The bouquet will be holly and poinsettias, and instead of Elvis, let's get a Santa to officiate!"
     "I love it! I know you wanted kitch, but how about we both wear white, winter white, and the bridesmaids wear red? We have the bouquet worked into a fur muff and I'll buy you a stole that matches. We'll have a 'winter wonderland' wedding."
     "Faux fur, not ermine please."
     "Whatever my bride desires."

*****

     The wedding was surreal. We fled the cold winter in our hometown to come to the desert heat, only the have the ceremony in a place where it was actually snowing.  We rented out the 'Ice Bar' at one of the casinos on the strip. Santa gave the bride away and 'Parson Brown' officiated while Elvis serenaded us. Just enough kitch to be a 'Vegas' wedding but the dresses (and my tuxedo) were all classy. Claire was beautiful, she glowed. We didn't have a reception, we had a casino crawl. We worked our way down the strip, stopping long enough to have a drink or a snack and play a girl's birthday on the roulette wheel. It didn't seem to matter if we won or lost, we were all having so much fun. Eventually we ended up at the resort where we had rooms, my bride and I retired to our suite. I later learned that the rest of the wedding party went 'clubbing'.
     Claire emptied her purse of the amassed bills and chips from our winnings, a sizable puddle of wealth was spread on the bed. I reminded myself of how lucky I was to be able to 'marry' (even if not legally) my life-long friend, not to mention the rest of the women in my life. and, the money. The next morning, while sipping mimosas and eating brunch in our room, I counted our winnings.
     "Claire, there's a chip stuck to your butt." She tossed me the casino currency and I added it to the pile. "Holy crap, even after paying for the wedding and the clothes and the rooms we're up over twenty grand!"
     "Let's go down to the casino floor later and blow some dough, I always wanted to go to a high rollers room even if just once."
     "Okay, lets go shopping first, I don't want to go in this rented tux, and I want to buy you something fancy"
     We did some shopping then gambled some more. I had fully planned on only spending a few minutes in the 'high roller' room, but we kept winning. The staff on the floor had subtle ways to encourage us to keep playing. We were waited on hand and foot, a concierge exchanged our chips for us that were from other casinos, we sipped Champagne, and ate caviar. Eventually I tipped our dealer and informed her that we were done for the day. On our way out a pit boss offered to put on winnings in a house account and invited us to see one of the shows at the casino and dinner in their finest restaurant. I'd never received 'comps' before, we took full advantage before returning to our suite (which turned out was also comped).
     The next morning we were awakened by a gentle tapping at the door.
     "Good morning newlyweds!" The bridesmaids greeted us. We exchanged stories about what we did over the last couple of days.
     "So how much did you all lose?" I asked about the gambling losses of the group.
     "All things considered, we did fine. We spent about five thousand between us on entertainment and gambling and whatnot. Considering all the fun we all had, it was a bargain." Ava answered.
     "It's not that I mind, I was just curious if we came out ahead overall...we did."
     "You two won over five thousand dollars?!"
     "Somewhat more than five, yea. Once we pay your room charges and cover the wedding expenses, plane tickets, and a few other things we're still well in the black. Actually we can even pay for whatever we do in Hawaii and still we will be coming home with considerably more than when we left."
     "Stop teasing us Jake. Just how much did you two win?" Deedee asked.
     "Well, the casino apparently has some deal with the IRS, so taxes have been withheld, but there's an extra $127,439 in the checking account as of now. We're lucky, I guess."

*****

     We were all giddy after our long weekend in Las Vegas; the bank account was fat and happy, Claire was on cloud nine as we had checked all her boxes for a 'Vegas Wedding' (and honeymoon), and the rest of the ladies had a blast shopping, dressing up, and generally 'painting the town red'. We still had time before classes were to resume, and no one seemed to be in a hurry to return home to where it was winter. It's amazing how quickly a wedding can be planned. Half a dozen calls (and a free hand with the debit card) and we had arrangements for rooms, flights and a wedding planner in Hawaii. 

The flight was going to be long and I thought we had the worst seats on the plane; the last two rows, all the way in the back. A service area and lavatories were behind us, it was noisy, there was foot traffic, and the view was obstructed. A least we had some empty middle seats to allow us to spread out a little, and we were all together.

I was sitting in a middle seat anyway. (I hate the aisle; my elbows always get banged by the refreshment cart or nudged by passersby as I'm trying to sleep) Ava was next to be in the window seat as we took off. She squeezed my hand as the plane encountered some turbulence and bounced a little on ascent.

“We’re okay, no bad weather, just a little rough air.” I whispered to her, to ease her nerves.

“I know, it’s silly of me to be worried.”

“It’s not silly, I’d say that considering how we met, it’s understandable. But like I said then, I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I am repeatedly amazed about how lucky I am, how lucky I was to meet you that day.”

“Me too, but, you were so dense even then. It was enough to hurt my pride, my self-confidence as a woman.”

A few moments passed, we leveled out and the ‘seat-belt’ sign was turned off.

“Because I was a gentleman?”

“Because I practically threw myself at you and you didn’t notice.”

“Oh, I noticed, but, we’d just been through a harrowing experience, I didn’t ‘feel right’ to…I didn’t want to take advantage of you.”

“What happened? How did you meet?” Claire asked, from the aisle seat.

I started telling her about the flight out of Seattle where Ava and I met:

It was early June, I was coming home from an alumni conference on the last flight out of SEA-TAC. There was a storm, I could see lightning below us as we endured the turbulence. The woman sitting in the same row as I was visibly upset, her knuckles were white from gripping the armrest, her breathing was labored. I offered her my hand.

“It may not seem like it, but these planes are built like tanks, we’ll be okay, really.” She took my hand, I tried not to wince as her nails dug in. Every time the plane bounced, she bit her lip to stifle an outcry. “We’re fine, it seems worse than it is… wait, keep your seat-belt on!” She had unbuckled and scooched over, I had to help her fasten the belt of the middle seat, she seemed unwilling to release her grip on my hand.

“We’re going to die!” she declared, as she buried her face in my shoulder.

“We are NOT going to die, I will not allow anything bad to happen to you.” I noticed her eyes were squeezed shut, she was shaking. I patted her shoulder. A few minutes later the flight smoothed out, and as abruptly as the turbulence started, it was gone. “See, I told you everything would be fine. We’re out of the weather, you can relax…” She didn't answer me, she had fallen asleep. When I pushed the button to summon a flight attendant to ask for a blanket, I was informed that they were out. I asked the flight attendant to grab my fleece pullover from the overhead instead.

I think it was about thirty minutes later, I was dozing off as well. My hand was still being held.

<BANG!> There was a loud noise and a bump. It felt like, as if we were in a car and a wheel went into a pothole.

“What was that?!”  She woke with a start.

“I’m not sure, but we’re under control, relax.” I told her as I surreptitiously lowered the window shade, she didn’t need to see that an engine was on fire. The ‘fasten seat-belt’ light went on and an announcement was made over the PA”

“Please return to your seats and fasten your seat-belts. Put away personal items, stow trays and put your seats in the full upright position. We will be making an unscheduled landing due to a minor mechanical issue…”

“Oh shit!” She said, she was very pale, the blood had drained from her face, again her nails bit my hand. People were screaming.

“Listen to me, put this jacket on. The closest exit is behind us, they’ll tell us to go out there, but we’re going to exit at the front of the plane. As soon as the plane stops moving, get up, don’t let go of my hand until we get to the door, and keep it together, got it?” The emergency landing instructions were coming over the PA, the flight attendants were telling us how to use the evacuation slides. “Look at me! Up here, my eyes. I will NOT allow anything bad to happen to you, we’ve got this. We get off the plane and walk away. We will be fine.”

“But they said to go to the nearest exit…”

“Like I said, I won’t let anything bad happen to you. There isn’t enough room for me to carry you, but I’ll drag you if I must. I don’t have time to explain, you’ll have to trust me. Do as I say.”

“Okay.”

The landing was surprisingly smooth, but the cabin filled with smoke as soon as we stopped. We got up and went towards the front of the plane, I directed everyone I saw to follow us out the door and down the slide. We were maybe three or four steps away when I started running, she struggled to keep up. A few seconds later flames engulfed the rear of the plane. I shielded her and felt the wave of heat against my back.

“How did you know?” Ava interrupted my story.

“Hmm? How did I know what?”

“How did you know to go out the front door? Seventy-five people didn’t get off that plane alive, almost no one made it out the door closest to us. I didn’t think about it until now, how the hell did you know?”

“I didn’t know, I had no rational reason to believe that it was going to go the way it did, but I knew that the fuel tanks were in the wings, and my gut told me I didn’t want to be anywhere near that when an engine was on fire. I had visions of the plane exploding, starting from where the wings met the fuselage. I went with my intuition.”

“You guessed?!”

“No, I deduced. If I was right, that it was the only way to get out alive, if I was wrong, our chances of survival wouldn’t be changed much by the few extra seconds it took to get to the front exit. I thought I was playing it safe. If I was gambling, I was hedging my bets.”

“Well Sherlock, your deductions saved you both.” Claire added.

“That and a good dose of luck.” I responded. "It turns out I was wrong. A whole series of  safety fail-safes had to malfunction for that fire to occur the way it did. If I actually knew anything about planes I would've gone out the nearest door, but all I had to go on was my gut, and my fear. But it seemed rational at the time.

“What happened next? Was Ava overwhelmed and fell into your embrace? Did you ‘princess carry’ her off the runway?”

“Nothing like that.” I responded. I noticed Ava was dozing off. I didn’t mind, after all she knew how the story went. I continued telling Claire the tale, but more quietly:

After the paramedics cleared us, we were loaded onto a bus and sent to a hangar. Someone brought us blankets and coffee, we answered some questions and then we were loaded onto another bus to a hotel. They sorted us out, gave us some toiletry kits and something to change into that didn’t smell like plane wreck. Counselors were making the rounds, consoling passengers that lost family or friends, helping others deal with the shock (that for some reason, hadn't 'hit' me yet).
“We’re okay, why don’t you take a shower and try and sleep. If you need to call me; I’m in room 1933, just pick up the phone and punch in my room number, alright?” I said.

 “Okay” she said.

 “You’re going to have to let go of my hand now.” She looked down, I could tell it took effort to let go. My hand was grimy, and bloody where her nails had dug into the flesh. She looked at her own hand in seeming disbelief. Her nails were broken, but otherwise she was unharmed. “You’ll see, everything will seem a little better in the morning. A shower and a nights sleep can do wonders. I’ll be down here for breakfast. I’ll wait for you, okay?"
“Okay, goodnight.” She said as the elevator doors closed between us.

 I got to my room and took a long shower. It took a while for me to stop shaking once I allowed myself to think about how narrowly I had escaped with my life. I had just put on the sweatpants and t-shirt I was given when I heard a quiet knock on the door.

“I’m sorry.” She said, as I let her in. She looked miserable, like she’d been crying.

“Why are you sorry? What’s wrong?”

“I... umm…I… “
“It’s okay.  Come in, take a shower. We can talk after.” I steered her to the bathroom and turned on the shower. I made sure she had towels and the hotel robe from the closet. Later, when she emerged along with a cloud of steam, she seemed like a new person.
“Hey, you.” She said.

“Hey.”
“I’m tired of saying that, what’s your name?”

“Jake”
“Thank you, Jake. I’m Ava. I don’t know anyone else, we’re in the middle of bumble-boo Montana, can I stay here? I don’t want to be alone.”
“We’re in Missoula, a sprawling metropolis compared to where I am from. Yes, you can stay. Which bed do you want? Do you want to go back to your room for something to sleep in, or do you want one of my shirts?"
“I’ll get my stuff in the morning, I’ll borrow a shirt if you don’t mind.”
“No worries, I’ll brush my teeth while you change, here’s a shirt.”

When I came out of the bathroom all minty fresh, Ava was under the covers. I turned out the lights and got into the other bed.
“What do you think of room service for breakfast? I’m sure we won’t have to pay.”

“Sounds good.” She replied. After a few minutes she added: “Jake, I said I didn’t want to be alone.”
“You’re not, I’m right here.”
“Scooch.” She said. I made room, and she slid under the covers with me.

 “We talked into the wee hours, eventually we fell asleep. Room service was excellent, they make good coffee in the Missoula Marriott. We discovered in our conversation that we were both headed to Centerville, odds are we were the only two people on that plane that even knew that Centerville existed. We started dating soon after. Ava moved in with me soon after that, and here we are a few years later."
“So that night in Montana was that the first time you and Ava made love?” Claire asked.
 “No, not until she moved in, actually.”

 “Will you hold my hand too, if the ride gets bumpy?”

 “Sure, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.  After all we just had our wedding, it would be a pain to to go looking for another bride.”

 “You are terrible.” She then indicated Ava with her chin; “She’s out, hold me while I take a nap too, hold us both.”

   We napped. After a while we shuffled where we sat, we still had the last two rows but now I was all the way in the back, between Karin and Deedee. Ava was in front of us with Claire, Suzi and Trixie were on the other side of the aisle, still napping.

         

"For some reason, this feels nostalgic. It reminds me of the Night Express out of Berlin. Have you ever...on a plane?" Karin asked me.

"There are some definite benefits to rail travel! But, to answer your question, no." I replied. "Never on a plane. I wouldn't want to advertise that to everyone. I wouldn't want other passengers to be uncomfortable, or embarrass my partner that way. Besides, it's impractical, spaces are small, the only 'private' area is literally a toilet, and how would people not notice if a couple were to go in there together? 

"That's not too difficult, just requires a little planning and misdirection" Deedee added.

"Want to? I want to, let's! " Karen asked me, as she tapped Ava's shoulder between the headrests in front of her, then whispered something to her. The planning and misdirection had begun.

 I looked over to Claire silently inquiring with a raised eyebrow, unsure of her feelings (technically we were still on our honeymoon). I wasn't too surprised when she winked and gave a 'go ahead' signal with a wave of her hand. I mouthed a 'thank you' her way.

A moment later Karin, Deedee and I stood up. To anyone observing it looked like Deedee and I got up to allow Karin out of her window seat and to enter the aisle. Then Ava joined Deedee in the aisle and started chatting, effectively blocking the view, but appearing to just be standing in line for the bathroom. Karin then pulled me into the lavatory behind her, we barely fit.  As soon as she locked the door, she was on me....

Later, Karin left the lavatory and returned to her seat. about a minute after that, I did the same. Deedee and Ava took their turns in the bathroom as if nothing was unusual.

"That was fun!" Karin exclaimed." Anytime either of you need me to 'run interference', you can call on me." She added to Deedee and Ava.

"Maybe next time, we can find someplace larger? I'd like to avoid a back injury if I could" I added, while dramatically rubbing my lower back. 

"I've taken some lessons from Mikoto, I'll give you a rub later." Karin said as she playfully punched my shoulder, then happily settled herself against me for a nap.

Sometime later, about halfway through the flight, Suzi asked to switch seats so that she could chat with Karin for a while. When I took the middle seat next to Claire, she rested her head on my shoulder and appeared to doze, copying Karin's previous pose. Presently, the flight attendant came over to speak to me. She leaned over and spoke quietly to me, so as to not awaken Claire.

"Excuse me sir, I believe you exceeded the maximum rated capacity of the lavatory facilities earlier..." She said.

"What?" I interjected.

"What did you do, honey?"  Claire asked me facetiously, (she wasn't asleep) then asked the flight attendant: "Has my husband violated some FAA regulation?"

"Your husband?" The flight attendant asked while doing a double take between Karin and Claire, who exchanged winks. The flight attendant seemed to be a little flustered.

"Or were you inquiring about some other.... violation? I mean was there something else you wanted, Erin?...” Claire asked, suggestively, while making little circles on my chest with her fingertip, she made a point to read Erin's name from her name tag.

Erin started to blush.

"Hmm? I'm sorry, Erin, but my honey says the lavatory is a no-go, too cramped, might hurt his back." Claire continued. " However, if you can get us some seclusion? The galley, perhaps?..."

Erin turned a deeper shade of red, her blush spread down her neck and under the collar of her blouse.

Claire leaned across me so that she could get closer to in Erin's ear. "I'll let you..." She whispered. "If you can bring some protection, but I get to play too." Claire added, conspiratorially.

Erin bolted upright, she patted down her pockets. "Give me a minute, I'll bet Julie has one!" She said as she dashed off to another section of the plane.

I was gobsmacked, "I can't believe you... I can't believe that actually worked, what are you getting me into?!" I asked. 

"Her!" Claire replied. "And, me too."

"I refuse, you're asking me to be unfaithful."  

"Since I invited her, you would not be cheating. You set the precedent when you decided that it wasn't cheating on Ava to shtup with Bea, back in the day." Claire responded in her most lawyer- like tone.

"I would argue that the cases or not congruent." I responded. "Trixie was already a friend of Ava and I, and I married them both. Miss 'Coffee, Tea, or Me?' is a stranger, whom I have no intention of marrying."

"Like you would marry every woman you've had sex with." She stated.

"I have, if you exclude Mikoto." I responded.

"Wow…really?" Claire was surprised, but continued. “Well anyway, that's not relevant. This is clearly within the ground rules laid out in August, besides the significant other in that test case, Ava, endorsed the activity, therefore it was not cheating. In this case I not only endorse the activity, I'll be participating. In addition, at the time that you and Bea first, um, consummated your relationship, marrying her wasn't even a consideration, was it? You only thought of Ava as a prospective bride."

"...." I delayed. I crossed my arms over my chest. I had been 'out-lawyer-ed'.

"Please honey, indulge me. It's still our honeymoon and I let you do Karin." she pleaded.

"I'm thinking it over, you could've asked me before you asked the 'stu' y'know..." I responded.

"Think faster, she's coming this way, and why would I ask you if you want a present? I like giving you presents! It's such a turn on, finding us playmates. And just look at her! You can tell she's looking forward to it! She's practically beside herself! This will be great, she'll watch us, then I'll be watching … oh please, oh please!" She implored me. "I'll do that thing you like, we both will! Ooh, I'll make her do it, while I watch!" she wrapped her arms around herself, and squeezed. "It'll send me... to. The. MOON! PLEASE!" she begged.

"You're pretty worked up, is there anything that doesn't turn you on?" I said. 

"The list is short, we'll discuss it later, right now I feel like I'm going to explode!" she proclaimed. Claire could barely contain herself. She was practically writhing.

"Good. Let's go" I told her. We followed Erin towards the back of the plane.

As I passed the last row of seats, I felt the back of my collar being tugged, Ava brought her lips to my ear, gave it a nip, then whispered: "Have fun. But when we get to the hotel, you are mine" she released my collar and gave me a playful shove. As soon as I passed the threshold, Erin pulled a curtain and flipped a switch, the 'out of service' light went on. We had about fifteen square feet to ourselves.

"No pictures, no video." I insisted to Claire.

"Spoilsport!" she retorted.