Thank goodness the two houses are very close because Riekie almost dragged me. As soon as we were clear of Mom's door, Riekie kissed me feverishly, grabbed my hand and led me to our house almost at a gallop (a lope for sure!). We just made it in the door and she was all over me. Winter clothing seemed to levitate and fly off by itself. Later I found one boot in the kitchen and another behind the Christmas tree — never did find Riekie's mittens... Then she dragged me by the hand upstairs to our room on the run. As she turned into my arms, I noticed her jeans had mysteriously come undone.
The peek at Riekie's white cotton bikini panties through the opening in the front of her jeans was highly stimulating. Except for the day Carol and I made out on the couch, I had rarely undressed one of my original two girls from pants, shorts, or slacks of any kind because they always wore a dress or skirt except when on their periods. The thought of first revealing her treasure by pulling off those snug jeans aroused me immensely, my penis lurching and swelling into an almost painful tent in my pants. As we kissed, I slid my hand inside her jeans and cupped her mons through her panties. Sliding a finger between her legs, I found her panties completely soaked.
Locked in a mind-numbing, timeless kiss, her hands hurriedly fumbling at my belt and pants fastenings, I eased Riekie over to the bed. As the back of her legs touched, she collapsed onto it, carrying me down with her. Riekie was almost frantic in her heat, her hips churning and heaving on the bed. "David! David! Please!"
Without further ado, I grasped the waistbands of her jeans and panties together and tugged them over her writhing hips. She lifted to allow them past her buttocks. As her clothing slipped past her thighs and down her calves my olfactory senses were assaulted by the scent of extremely aroused female. I felt the pressure in my own pants increase to almost unbearable proportions.
I succeeded in getting her jeans and panties over one foot, and she spread herself completely. "David! Put him in me now. Oh God, put him in me now."
No foreplay. No preamble. This woman was in complete heat!
I stared hungrily into Heaven's gate — the inner lips flushed and open, her vaginal hole pulsed as if breathing, a milky fluid oozing from within. I'd gazed lovingly on this most gorgeous of female genitalia many times, but I had never seen her labia so engorged and wet or her tunnel so open and inviting.
Responding to her haste, I fumbled and struggled with my own pants, finally getting the belt and other fasteners undone, and dropped them to my knees, my rampaging boner flopped out bouncing around, looking for the action. After our pheromone induced orgy of last night, that part of me that always looks on in amused detachment was amazed I could get so erect so soon.
My erection sprang, wobbling and bobbling to her view, precum dribbling from the tip. Riekie wrapped her hot little hand around it and urgently pulled me toward her, begging. "Ooohh! David! He's more beautiful than ever! I have to have him! Put him in me now!"
My pants about my ankles, I hobbled toward her as she scooted back on the bed to allow me to mount between her outspread thighs. A fly on the wall would have been amused at the picture we presented — me with my pants about my ankles hobbling forward, her with her jeans and panties hanging off one foot. As she guided the tip of my furiously leaking member to her portal, she drew her knees up and opened completely. Knowing the familiar angle, I lunged forward, sliding into Heaven and completely impaled her in one long stroke. I slid snugly home in her welcoming sheath and our pubic hair meshed, our pubic bones grinding together. As she wrapped her legs and arms about me, pulling me as deep as she could, Riekie's sigh of satisfaction rang loud in my ears.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!! Yes! David! Yes! Oh! So-o-o-o Goo-oo-ood! So-o-o-o Fu-ull!"
I paused for a second to savour her warmth and tightness but not for long. As I bottomed in her wet heat, Riekie's hips began bucking furiously beneath me. I started to move, using the long slow full-length strokes she usually enjoyed. Not this time! Riekie was in as heightened a state of sexual excitement I'd never seen her! Before I made three strokes, her writhing hips bucked and heaved, her muscles clamped, her legs and arms locked about me in a death grip and she tripped over the edge into a gigantic orgasm.
"OGOD! I'M CUMMING! YES! YES! OGOD! OGOD! YES!! O-O-O-O-O. YE-ES!"
Her body still wracked by her initial orgasm, Riekie's hips continued to buck and thrust beneath me. Caught up in her mindless passion, I caught the whirlwind with her. Our hips pounded and humped into each other. I heard the roaring of the wind in my head. Pound. Pound. Pound. Hump. Hump. Hump. Thrust. Thrust. Thrust. In, out. In, out. Up, down. Back and forth. We danced to the ancient, timeless rhythm of procreation. Mindless, savage, primordial lust consumed us. Riekie's shrieks and yells of encouragement drove me on to even greater effort.
"AIIIEE! Yes! David! Yes! Goo-ood! Yes! That's It! Right there! Harder! Faster! Oh! So-o-o Goo-ood! MORE!"
It seemed a demon possessed me as I poked and prodded into Riekie's responsive body like some demented pile driver. My hips drove and pounded. Hers raised and heaved in perfect counterpoint, her internal muscles clutching my churning pole. I rutted. I fucked. Riekie rutted and fucked back equally hard, shrieking and yelling at the top of her lungs accompanied by my own grunts, bellows and roars.
"AAAIIEEE!!YES! YES! DAAAVVIIDDD!! FUCK ME! FUCK ME! YES! HARDER! FASTER! OGOD OGOD!! SO-O-O GOO-OO-OOD!!"
"UH! UH! UH! YES! I'M FU-U-CKING YOU BABY! FU-U-CK-ING YO-U-U!! UH! UH! O-O-O- GO-OD!!"
My hips became a blur as I thrust harder and faster into Riekie's overheated pussy. Her hips matched me stroke for stroke. We fucked and rutted at a level of energy that could not be sustained. I pounded into her in a frenzy of lust. She heaved and thrust right back, perfectly synchronized to my driving motion. I heard the roar of the whirlwind rising louder, blood pounding in my ears. My temples throbbed as I felt that white-hot bittersweet pain of imminent release building behind my eyes. Riekie's clutching, grasping pussy spasmed rhythmically along my throbbing pecker. My balls swelled, lifted, and tightened almost painfully against the base of my throbbing shaft. Riekie's shouts and mine rose together as the roar of the tornado got louder and louder.
"DAVID! OGOD! OGOD! OGOD! UH! UH! UH! IT'S CLOSE! I FEE-EEL IT! YES! YES!"
"UH! UH! UH! OGOD! BABY! OGOD! I'M GONNA CUM! OGOD!"
The maelstrom wind crashed onto us together, consuming us in a deafening roar of passion and lust. My cock swelled even harder as I felt the impending explosion. Riekie's hips convulsed and jerked beneath me, her vaginal muscles clamped and squeezed, rippling along the length of me as I furiously stroked into her hot, buttery, impossibly tight, sheath. Riekie yelled. I bellowed.
"YES! YES! DAVID! YES! SO-O GOO-OOD! YES! OGOD! OGOD! SO CLOSE! OGOD!"
"UH! UH! UH! UH! JEEEZZZUUUSSS! ALMOST THERE!!"
I plunged into her seething, pulsating depths hard! Once! Twice! Thrice! I pulled back and slammed one more time into her scalding, clutching innards as deep as I could get and held as my dick impossibly swelled again, jerked, and erupted in a torrent of hot creamy baby sauce. Jerking and spitting, my cock squirted three, four, five thick streams of sticky white cream deep into the recesses of her womb, splashing back and squishing past the seal of my penis, overfilling her with the river of my spunk. It seemed like I came forever, squirting and shooting jet after jet of sticky white semen into her pulsating depths. I felt I squirted at least two gallons of my jism deep into her receptive body.
"AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHH! PRIINN-CCEEESSS!! CUUUUU-MMM-IINNGGggg! YE-ES!"
Almost simultaneously, Riekie's feet dropped to the bed, drumming a tattoo then her hips lifted, and held as her entire body was wracked by convulsions and spasms. Her vagina squirted and soaked my balls with her hot fluids as she came and came, her body jerking and quivering with every squirt of my precious offering. Her muscles clamped and milked my spitting, jerking cock. Barely conscious, her eyes rolled into her head, showing only the whites, and Riekie screamed and screamed!
"AAAAAAIIIIEEEEEEE! DAAAAAAAAVVVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDD!! DAAAAAVVVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDDD!"
Riekie's screams died out as our hips slowed to a gentler pace. Her tummy still convulsed in time with the jerking of my slowly deflating penis, her talented muscles gently massaging the last of my creamy baby makers from my spent balls. Panting, I collapsed in a swoon on top of my glorious blonde wonder as her arms wrapped about me tenderly. In time, I recovered my senses to the loving gaze of those marvelous azure eyes. Gasping, our lips joined in a sweet kiss of post coital tenderness.
"Riekie Lloyd, I love you. So much. Every time we make love, I fall deeper and deeper under your spell."
"Oh, David! You make me so happy! How were we able to spend so long apart without going insane? I love you so much!"
I don't know how long we lay there with her cradling me in her arms and whispering our love to each other. At length, my penis softened and fell out of her flooded pussy with a 'plop'. I tried to stand on shaky legs, but collapsed back onto the bed beside her, too weak to command my body to move. Riekie's body still convulsed in small after shocks, her tummy muscles fluttering and jerking. Legs weak and shaking, I finally kicked off my pants, tangled about my feet, and tried again to stand.
Although shaken and dazed, I was able to regain my feet on trembling knees, which I braced against the side of the bed, thus able to stand again without collapsing. I gazed down upon my ravaged love. Her pussy gaped and leaked a steady stream of sticky white fluid onto the bed below, her vagina pulsing as if gasping for air. She looked utterly obscene, her jeans and panties hanging off one leg. My God! What a picture of a well-fucked woman!
Riekie smiled weakly, still gasping for breath, her hands flopping weakly on the bed. "Wow! I don't ever want to do that again."
I knew what she meant, but felt like teasing. "What? You don't like making love anymore? Am I not good enough now?"
She reached for my hand and squeezed it tenderly. "No, Silly. I don't ever want to hold off again when I feel one of those urges. This started when we were at Mom's. I thought I could wait until we could make a gracious exit; but instead of easing like normal horniness does, it just kept building. That's why it was so intense this time — it was almost like I was relieving several urges at once. It felt great, but it's just too intense! I thought I was gonna die! It takes too much out of me! No wonder Carol Anne told us to stay home — she knows how strong it gets."
I remembered what Carol had been like. "Oh yeah! Fortunately we were always where we could slip away in a hurry. She'd be talking almost normally, then all of a sudden it'd be 'David! I need you NOW'. I'm sorry, Princess, we should have remembered better and told you more what to expect."
"Oh, I think you and Carol Anne prepared me OK, I just didn't grasp it completely — my education interfering I think. Well now I understand <giggle> and know to act quickly when I feel that way. Whew! You just might get raped in front of the whole family." Riekie pulled a face and groaned. "Unnngghh! Oh, Jeez! I gotta pee and Sweet Pussy's such a mess, she's leaking his Precious Stuff all over the place. I gotta get off the bed before I ruin it." She tried to move and fell back onto the bed. "Oh, darn... I'm so weak now I can hardly feel my legs." She moved her foot and grimaced, her hands flopped almost lifelessly at her sides.
Still very wobbly kneed, I understood. "Yeah. I know what you mean -- I can hardly stand. I'm as weak as a kitten. When one of you girls gets your urge, I'm so tuned in to you, I feel it too. I think I fainted, and my knees are like rubber. We better get you to the bathroom. Can you stand?"
"I-I'll try, but you're gonna hafta help me up."
I reached for her hands to pull her up, but she didn't have the strength to even pull herself to a sitting position. Still a little tottery myself, I managed to kneel on the bed beside her, slipped my arm under her back, and lifted her up to sitting. I tottered back from the bed, took her by the arms, and pulled her to her feet. She was able to stand — barely, swaying unsteadily. I turned to face her and placed her hands on my hips as she regained her strength and equilibrium. I slipped an arm around her waist and supported her as she tried to walk to the bathroom. She stumbled several times, and I became concerned.
Finally, I got her into the bathroom and seated on the toilet. She just sat there limply like a rag doll as she released her water. As she rested, she slowly regained some strength and was able to sit up by herself. I helped her off with her sweater, started the shower running, and then finished stripping myself. By the time I had everything ready, she seemed a little stronger.
I helped my exhausted lover to her feet and guided her into the shower. She was weak at first, and I had to support her, but the water seemed to revive her, and soon she was able to stand on her own. I took extra care to bathe and cleanse her, cleaning away the sodden mess in her sweet pussy, careful not to over stimulate those sensitive bits. She was still too wobbly to perform her usual sterling cleaning job on me, but she did manage to get her Sweet Prince clean with soap and water.
I helped Riekie from the shower and toweled her completely dry, wrapping her in a cocoon of love. She was almost literally purring as I helped her back into the bedroom. She showed me what she wanted to wear, and I dressed her like a small child. The poor dear seemed lost, moving in slow motion. I asked her if she was OK to navigate the stairs, and she thought she was. Arm around her waist, I guided and supported her downstairs to the kitchen. We were both so wobbly, it's a wonder we didn't crash down the stairs. Carol and Diane were back, and stared in open-mouthed wonder at Riekie's weakness as I led her to a chair where she collapsed. I dropped onto the one next to her, exhausted by my efforts to help her downstairs.
Carol came to Riekie and put her arms around her in concern. "Oh dear! What happened, Princess?" She gave me a bit of a chilly look that Riekie caught. "Did he hurt you?"
Riekie giggled and patted Carol's hand weakly. "No, Dear, David would never hurt any of us, you know that. Look at him — he's almost as bad off as I am. He's just a little bigger and stronger so he doesn't show it as much. It's my fault for not understanding my own body better. I just found out why I should have stayed in today like you said.
"I delayed satisfying that itch and when we did, it damn near killed both David and me. No wonder Pie and Jo told you guys to do it whenever it came over you and even said if you must do it in front of them then you must. If you wait, it just keeps building and building. It's like putting a spray bomb in a fire. Sooner or later something's going to burst, and it could actually be dangerous when it does — just too much energy released at once. This is totally outside my medical experience. Maybe someone in sports medicine might understand it. I think it's like the marathon runner that just gives it everything right at the last, and collapses after crossing the finish line except we kept that energy level for the whole race. Can I have a coffee — and make it SWEET?"
Diane fixed a coffee for both of us. She looked scared and confused. "When we came in the house, we heard both of you yelling. We all make a lot of noise when we make love, but this was so loud and... and almost violent. You were shouting at each other and almost sounded like you were having a fight. Your last scream sounded like you were in pain. That's why we were worried about you, Princess."
Carol and Diane finally took time to take a good look at me, and their faces paled. Carol cried, "Oh, David. I'm so sorry! I see now! Oh you poor man! Princess is right, you look terrible! How do you feel?"
She hugged me and gave me a sweet kiss. "I'll live, I think, but Princess is right. Another session like that, and I'll be done for, especially after last night. I'm tired now, but I'll be OK." I ordinarily don't take sugar in my coffee, but I sucked back the cup Diane placed in front of me greedily.
Diane saw how fast I drank my coffee, gave me a sweet hug and kiss then brought me another cup. "Oh, David. You look like Hell. You should go lie down. After last night and now this, you need rest."
I kissed Diane. "Yeah, Sweetness, I'm tired, but I think I'll be OK now."
Satisfied that no permanent damage had been done to either of us, Diane and Carol left us to our coffees while they went about finishing the preparation of the New Year feast. By the time she finished her coffee, Riekie thought she was sufficiently recovered to try to pitch in and help.
As Riekie started to rise from the table Diane spoke up from whatever she was doing at the counter. "Has anyone given any thought to what we're doing tomorrow?"
Riekie slumped back in her chair. "Not really, at least I haven't beyond resting from the last two weeks. Why?"
Diane frowned. "Princess, you of all people should remember what tomorrow is."
"Oh, shit! The twins' birthday, and Rhiannon's too, isn't it? Dammitalltohell! In all the rush of the last few days, I forgot! What are the kids gonna think of us? Today's the last entry in their diary, too. I would have remembered when I write it up tonight." As asked on Christmas Day, Riekie had been carefully making the daily diary entries, and today was indeed the last day of the twins' 'year' — their 1985.
Carol laughed. "Well, it's a good thing Muffin remembered. I've already got their cakes ready to go in the oven. <Carol was a fabulous baker, as I may have mentioned before.>. Now all we have to do is set up when, and what do we have for presents?"
Both Riekie and Diane laughed, and did their own mind meld speech.
Diane: "With children born..."
Riekie: "So close to Christmas..."
Diane: "I always get something..."
Riekie: "Extra to have for their..."
Diane: "Birthday. They get so..."
Riekie: "Much at Christmas, it's..."
Diane: "Easy to pick up something extra..."
Riekie: "For their birthdays."
Diane: "So we already have gifts..."
Riekie: "For them."
Carol, not used to kids at all, marveled. "I wouldn't have thought of it, but it makes sense. Say, Jenny's birthday is on the twelfth, have you already got hers, too, Muffin?"
Muffin moved to Carol and hugged her. "Mrs. Lloyd! How sweet of you to remember Jen's birthday. No, we usually get hers then, and catch the after Christmas sales. Mom and Dad always do the same as us, so they'll have presents, too."
Riekie laughed. "And so do Pie and Jo for the twins. I'll bet both sets of grandparents are fully prepared."
Carol shook her head. "I'll just have to get used to this. You two have been doing it longer than me. How be we have an early supper tomorrow night with just us and the grandparents and plan a big party for the girls next year with all their little friends? The twins will be settled in by then, and have their own friends."
Our three voices answered as one. "Good idea, let's do it." We all felt the touch of the other three minds in the room, and I realized that the non-verbal communication I'd felt developing amongst the whole group over Christmas was real. It wasn't just the wives, but I was included, although they communicated more like identical siblings then I did. Still, to feel the wash of warm emotion that came from them was awe inspiring. Continuing our link, the girls silently turned back to their work, with Riekie rising to join them. The kids' birthday was in capable hands.
Feeling a fifth wheel while My Wives performed their domestic chores, I tottered off to the living room with the kids and collapsed into my chair. I must have been truly exhausted, because I was almost instantly asleep. I regained consciousness a couple hours later to the sound of the kids noisily greeting their grandparents as our dinner guests arrived, and also found a very cuddly blonde bundle curled in my lap sound asleep. How or why I didn't awaken when she lowered her weight onto me, I don't know. She was wrapped securely and lovingly in my arms, so I must have awakened enough to welcome her aboard, but I had absolutely no recollection of it.
As I rejoined the land of the living with Riekie's warm curves comfortably ensconced in my lap and arms, I saw that the big dining room table was already set for dinner. Diane and Carol must have been in and out several times as they prepared for our meal. My movements, gentle and unobtrusive as I'd tried to be, wakened Riekie. Those wonderful blue eyes fluttered open and she sort of stretched like a cat, showing lots of lovely thigh as her skirt bunched against my lap.
She placed her lips on mine and gave me a soft, sensual kiss. "Mmmm! I feel a lot better, now." She snuggled in tighter. "This feels so nice! Mmmmm! I feel so safe and warm when you hold me."
I kissed her back. "Mmm-hmmm! You feel pretty good, too. How'd you get here? I thought I'd wake up if a gorgeous young thing crawled into my lap."
She giggled. "I tried to help the girls in the kitchen, but my knees were still wobbly. They told me I should be with you anyway because today is mine. I stumbled in here, saw you sleeping, and couldn't resist. When I sat in your lap, you mumbled, put your arms around me, pulled me close, and the next thing I know, I'm awake still here."
Holding her like that was wonderful. She snuggled in even closer and nuzzled my neck — she was so warm and cuddly, it just felt right. Just then Carol came into the room carrying a tray of appetizers and condiments for the table. "Hmmph! You two should get a room! <giggle> If you're awake, you might as well join the rest of us. Our guests are all in the kitchen and TV room." We could hear voices and laughter from the other end of the house.
"You two looked so comfy, no one wanted to disturb you by coming in here. Last I saw of either of you, you could hardly put one foot in front of the other then you're curled up together in David's chair sleeping like lambs. You guys looked so sweet! I even managed to get a picture of you. Too cute! <Giggle> How do you feel, anyway?"
Carol's smile as she said those words would have warmed the South Pole in June. She puttered about the table finishing place settings and making the table look perfect for dinner. All of our dinner guests were family and 'kitchen people', but my wives had decided to serve dinner in the dining room because of the numbers and in celebration of Judy's reunion with Paul.
Riekie stretched languorously. "I feel fine now — rested, except for a fluttery, quivery feeling like I'm waiting for something. I s'pose I should try to stand up before I make any final claims to full recovery..."
Carol interrupted her. "Uh, you just said you have a quivery feeling? When I got that, Mom told me I was getting close, that my body was telling me to be ready. It won't be long now, Princess."
Riekie laughed. "I hope not. I love making love with David, but these sudden urges can become a bit inconvenient and take a little of the romance out of it. Oh, well... we'll just do the best we can. Right now, we really should be better host and hostess. If you girls did the meal, the least David and I can do is entertain and serve drinks. Help me up, David." The only way I could help her up was to gently push her away then steady her as she turned and slid off my lap. As she rose to her feet, she smiled. "Ah! That's better! Guess I just needed a nap. How 'bout you, Husband?"
A little relieved at the weight coming off, but missing the warmth of her svelte body, I laughed. "Like you, I feel rested and refreshed, but I miss a certain very warm and cuddly body next to me. Here, now you can help me up." I held out my hands to her, and Riekie pulled as I rose from the chair. On my feet, we met in a tender embrace and shared a sweet kiss. "Have I told you yet today how much I love you?"
"No, Sir, I don't believe you have. Have I told you?"
"No M'lady, I don't recall. Let me tell you, though, Riekie Lloyd, my Princess. I love you. I love you. I love you — I love you a whole big bunch."
"Oh, David, I love you even bigger. I love you so much my heart aches when I can't describe it."
Carol, finished with her preparations at the table, joined us in a group hug. "You two make me feel all warm and fuzzy when you talk like that. I guess it's true what they say — happiness is like jam. You can't spread it without getting some on yourself. By making you guys happy this afternoon, it's made me happy. Muffin's been in and out of here all day, just watching you two with cow eyes. I don't know which one of you she's the most in love with, but boy! She's got it bad!"
Carol, snuggled into the two of us, didn't see Diane come in with her load of dessert goodies. She set them on the sideboard, and joined us. "Private party or can anyone join in?"
Carol and Riekie both held out an arm to her in wordless invitation. As she added her lithe form to our hug, Diane sighed, "I heard what you said, Mrs. Lloyd. You're right; I do have it bad, but not just for one or the other. Seeing you guys made me feel so good! I fell in love with both of you all over again. And then I'd watch the kids, and my heart was so filled with joy and love, I thought I'd burst.
"When I was working in the kitchen with you, Mrs. Lloyd, you were busy, and just didn't see me looking at you the same way. You'd be working this afternoon, concentrating on whatever it was you were doing, and I'd just stop and look. You took my breath away. I dunno where it's coming from, but today there is so much love in this house, it's almost overwhelming."
Carol melted into Diane as she described what she'd been feeling all afternoon. I noted that whenever Diane referred to her as Mrs. Lloyd, ever since she first used it as a term of endearment Christmas morning, Carol would get an extra warm glow in her eyes. I also noticed that Diane had started using it more frequently in the last few days. We all referred to my wives as Mrs. Lloyd at one time or another, especially in formal introductions or addressing them in public, but in private or amongst friends we used the more familiar pet names.
Diane's use of Mrs. Lloyd for Carol carried special significance as her private pet name for Carol. It may have stemmed from Carol's de facto position as First Wife, but it went back further to the night we told her our whole story. We were all in love, soul mates even, but I sensed that between Carol and Diane there was an extra special bond — a friendship that was to be almost envied if it hadn't been so pure and sweet.
We broke up our private love-in as my wives went to get our guests for supper. Soon I was joined in the living room by the rest of the family. Judy wanted to help but was told for tonight she was a special guest and to enjoy being waited upon. Even Mom got run out of their kitchen! She'd supplied the salad and the aunts had provided the dessert, but that was it. Drop it and skedaddle! When the aunts offered to help, as they reported to me in amazement, they got a taste of the one-person-in-three-bodies effect.
Carol: "Momma Pie and Momma Jo..."
Diane: "You watched our..."
Reieke: "Home for... '
Carol: "A week. Now it's..."
Diane: "Our time to..."
Riekie: "Serve you..."
Carol: "This is the first real entertaining..."
Diane: "We've done on our own..."
Riekie: "In our own home..."
Carol: "Together without other..."
Diane: "Help. Please let... '
Riekie: "Us do..."
Carol: "It by..."
Diane: "Ourselves."
My wives got their wish. The other women stayed out of their kitchen, although I could tell they felt a little awkward at not contributing. I was summoned to carve the turkey and dish up the stuffing, and the girls looked after entertaining as they went back and forth. When all was ready, the four of us served the main dishes and joined the family at table. The little ones still had to be served at a small side table, because we served twelve at the main table, and barely had room.
I occupied the 'head' of the table, Carol and Diane on my right, and Riekie on my left. Dad sat at the other end, with Mom on his right, and my uncle Doug on his left. Between Diane and Doug, were Judy and Jim. To Mom's right, between her and Riekie, was Jo, Paul and Pie. All the family 'sub-units', for lack of a better term thus were able to sit near each other, and my wives were able to leave the table if necessary to replenish dishes or remove empty bowls. Judy would have liked to be next to her dad, but was happy to be between her sister and her husband as well. Jim had known Doug for years, so that seating arrangement worked well.
Mom, as High Priestess, usually asked the blessing of the Goddess, but this day, she deferred to her apprentice, Diane, saying it was time she performed those duties and rites in her own home. Judy and Jim were new to the Old Ways rituals, and were a little nonplussed. I guess as our stories were told this afternoon, it had been neglected to mention that Diane was a full-fledged apprentice to the High Priestess. They knew about Mom, but not her. When Rhiannon and the twins joined her for the blessing that really knocked them over, and I saw that Mom was pleased as punch that the twins thought they were apprentices too. Whether Mom remembered or not — they had performed apprentice duties for Beth, and done a wonderful job.
Diane's prayer of thanksgiving was eloquent and emotional. She enumerated all the blessings bestowed upon us in the past year, from Judy's revelation that started her own healing process, to Carol's and my initial reconciliation, to our total reunification, and the reunion of Paul, his wives and his daughters. She thanked the Goddess for all these and the four new babies on the way. She prayed that Riekie would soon be joining them. Diane's special remembrance of Ben and what he'd done for us, brought tears to us all. She concluded by asking the Goddess to bless out home and the bounty of our table.
The meal itself, despite the 'formality' of the dining room was a typical Lloyd family affair. We shared in fellowship, fun and laughter. Toasts were made and drank to the various happy things that had happened in our collective lives in the last year. We had no wine, but more of that delicious punch the girls made for the party the night before. We didn't need the 'loosening-up' effect of alcohol to enjoy each other's company. Good food and good company were the only intoxicants we needed, and could dispense with the food if the company was good enough. Tonight, the food was excellent, the company better.
After supper, we men folk were shooed into the living room with our coffees while the ladies did the cleanup. My wives may have been able to keep the other ladies at bay for the meal preparation and serving, but were forced to allow them to help with the cleanup. Many hands make light work, and in very short order, the evidence of a feast disappeared.
We had nothing beyond the meal planned. After all, we'd had two parties in a row already. Tonight was a time to just relax and be with family. Judy and Jim still had questions, and we were only too glad to answer them. Diane and Carol pulled straight back chairs up close to mine while Riekie once again snuggled into my lap. I noticed Mom, despite her arthritis, had parked herself in Dad's lap. Paul and his family occupied the couch, with Judy, the picture of contentment, cuddling him from one side, Jim on her other. Pie and Jo occupied Paul's other side. The kids, content to leave the adults to themselves, watched a movie in the TV room.