Second That Emotion

by

Latikia

Copyright ©  2006

 

 

 

 

Chapter 42

 

 

 

The cold water in the tub, while soothing to my sore and swollen genitals, had gotten more than a little uncomfortable.  Using the toes of my right foot I hooked the chain and yanked the plug, letting about three inches of the icy water drain out before reseating the stopper.  With my left foot I turned the hot water faucet on and refilled the tub, getting the temperature more tolerable.  Cranking the handle closed I slid down, putting my chest and shoulders beneath the water.  Sighing contentedly I laid there for several minutes before I heard rustling noises near the door.

 

I turned my head slowly to one side and saw Lilly and Izzy standing side by side in the open doorway.  Back lit by the sunlight from the bedroom their skin gleamed like bronze, dark hair hung uncombed and wild around their shoulders and each breath caused tiny tremors that shifted their breasts ever so delightfully.

 

I couldn’t help but smile and admire the graceful, sweeping lines of their arms, hips and legs; the gentle swell of bellies, the shadows that caressed the juncture of hip and thigh.  So sweet, so enticing, so absolutely sexy.

 

“Gloriously perfect.” I whispered to myself.

 

“Ike?” Izzy called to me.

 

The way her lips moved when she said my name, the movement of her chin and throat, the way her head tilted just a little bit; I was mesmerized.  I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

 

“Ike…we have a problem.” my sister’s voice was insistent and worried.  I blinked hard a couple of times and shook my head; pushing with my legs I shoved and sat upright in the tub, splashing some water over the edge.

 

“Problem?  What kind of problem?”

 

“It’s Peggy.” Lilly said.  “She’s crying her eyes out.”

 

“The poor thing is convinced that you’re mad at her and that you’re going to make her leave.” Izzy added.

 

“What?  Why would she think that?”

 

The girls came over and perched on the edge of the tub.

 

“How much do you know about her childhood?” Izzy asked me, running one hand over my hair.

 

“Only what I got from Colonel DeBerg.  Foster homes, running away…like that.”

 

Lilly nodded her head sadly.  “Peggy’s abandonment issues go pretty deep.  She thinks that because of what happened this morning you’re going to abandon her and her heart is breaking.  She can’t stop crying and she won’t listen to either of us.  You have to do something.”

 

I took a deep breath and nodded.  Putting my hands on edges of the tub I lifted myself, got my feet beneath me and stood up.  Lilly gasped when she saw my abused penis.

 

“Are you alright?  It looks pretty painful.” she said, extending a finger and giving my mottled member a little poke.

 

I winced just a bit.  “Soaking in cold water helped some.  Of course, the two of you walking in here looking so damn sexy and giving me ideas is probably not the best thing for it, but given the choice I’d rather suffer.”

 

Lilly slapped me on my wet behind and Izzy smirked.

 

“Dry off and go talk to Peggy.  She needs some massive reassurance right now.”

 

“Okay, okay.  Why don’t you two give me about twenty minutes and then come back in.  You can get along without me for twenty minutes, right?”

 

Lilly giggled and her breasts jiggled invitingly.  “Get a move on, Casanova.  We’ll manage on our own, somehow.”

 

Izzy handed me a towel from off the rack and I quickly dried off, taking extra care with my lower extremities.  Tossing the towel on the hamper I headed out the door, closing it partially behind me.

 

On the bed, completely covered by the bed sheets and blankets, was a small little balled-up figure.  Her cries and sobs were muffled by the mountain of linen above her and her tiny little body was shaking like a leaf in a wind storm.

 

I walked over and sat down at the foot of the bed.  “Peggy?  Squirt?”

 

If anything, her crying increased in both volume and level of misery. 

 

Damn…this wasn’t going to be easy.

 

I looked around helplessly for a bit, feeling very young, confused and unprepared.  What to do, what to do?

 

And then I had a very clever and brilliant idea.  Well, it seemed pretty damn clever and brilliant to me.

 

I reached out and pulled the blankets and sheets loose from the foot of the mattress, lifting them up, making a pup-tent entrance at the corner.  Slowly and carefully I dove underneath and shimmied my way beneath them, crawling blindly towards the weeping figure ahead of me.

 

I was half-way under, my ass and legs still sticking out, when my hands touched Peggy’s feet.

 

When I put my hands on her feet she jerked and struck out with one foot, hitting me squarely on the top of my head with a dull ‘thunk’.  I scrambled to capture both of her ankles before she could do any real damage then slid my hand up over her calves to her knees and held her legs still as I burrowed farther up under the sheets. 

 

I couldn’t see her clearly; the lighting was rather dim under there, but there was enough to link, and I did.

 

The poor little woman was drowning in guilt, fear, remorse and terror.  I started draining the emotions away as quickly as I could, and her body relaxed, her struggles stopped and the sobbing slowed considerably.

 

Moving up I slid my hands up her thighs, rolling her over onto her back, I put each of her legs over my shoulders and crawled up between her legs.  She tensed up, but I ignored the sudden stab of fear that ran from her down the link to me and rested my head on her belly.  Putting my hands on her hips, I held her still and kissed the soft skin just below her belly-button then put my cheek on that spot and just lay there. 

 

I continued to drain off her fear, guilt and terror until they were just faint tickles within her, stroking her hips and thighs with my fingers and began sending her comfort, understanding and love.

 

Peggy’s thighs tightened slightly around my neck and her hands came down to brush thru my hair.

 

I lifted my head somewhat and kissed her belly again, just a light little brush with my lips.

 

“Hey there half-pint.”

 

“I’m so sorry…please don’t make me leave!” she whimpered.

 

“Peggy, why in the world would I make you leave?  I love you.  I need you and I want you with me for ever.  We all do.”

 

“How can you say that after what I did?”

 

“What did you do that was so horrible?”

 

“I made you do something.  I treated you like an object, didn’t even think about what you wanted.”

 

Ahhh…I see.  I think I see, anyway.  You think what you did was the same as rape, right?”

 

Peggy started shaking again, and I could feel the guilt rising up full force once more.  I smothered it with a stronger surge of love and compassion.

 

“Yeah…I guess that is what I think.” she admitted tearfully.

 

I kissed her belly again then stuck my tongue in her navel and wiggled it around for a couple of seconds.

 

“Sweetie, you couldn’t rape me if you wanted to.” I told her.  “Did you hear me say I didn’t want to have sex?  Personally, I can’t imagine not wanting to have sex with you…or Lilly or Izzy.  Do you really think that even the three of you combined could make me do anything I didn’t want to?”

 

There was silence for five long heartbeats.  “No, I don’t guess we could.”

 

I slid one hand up her thigh, under her bottom and gave one cheek a gentle squeeze.

 

“Honey, what you did was let me know how you three were feeling, that’s all.  It might not have been too well thought out, in hindsight, but it wasn’t wrong.  If you’re horny, I want to know.  I want you to be happy…and please believe me when I say that sex with you makes me very happy.  I love hearing your moans and sighs; it thrills me no end feeling your warmth around me and against me, the smell and taste of your skin, the touch of your lips, and the sparkle in your eyes when you cum.  Just being near you turns me on.  The way you enjoy the smallest things, how excited you get when you see the horses, or when you talk about them, the way you are with Izzy and Lilly, the way you light up a room just by walking in, or when you bounce up and down like a little kid.  You are a vibrant, exciting, sexy woman and I’d be a damn fool twenty times over to let you get away.”

 

Peggy shuddered, her legs wrapped around my neck and pulled me closer, her hands pressed my head harder against her belly.

 

“I love you so much…I was so afraid…” she cried softly.

 

“Peggy, you and me and Lilly and Izzy are family.  We take care of each other and support each other and love each other, no matter what.  You won’t…can’t lose us.  And we won’t and can’t lose you.  You never have to be afraid of that, not ever.  When I said ‘I thee wed’, I wasn’t kidding.”

 

Her legs squeezed my neck tighter.  “So you forgive me?”

 

“There’s nothing to forgive.  You made a little mistake…we all do from time to time.  But if you ever feel like doing something like that again, think about the possible consequences.  If you had locked those feelings in me I might have injured one of you girls and if that happened I’d never be able to live with myself.  But you didn’t and we’ll teach you how to control your talent so that won’t happen.”

 

I gave her butt another squeeze and licked her belly.  “Besides…it was a lot of fun.  I used to worry that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the three of you sexually, keep you all satisfied I mean.  Now I know that won’t be a problem.  So you actually did us all a big favor.”

 

“Thank you Ike.”

 

“Thank you Peggy, my sweet little love.”

 

I put my cheek back down against her belly and we lay quietly together, her hands stroking my hair, my hands tracing her thighs and flanks.

 

A little later I felt the mattress shift to the left and right sides as Lilly and Izzy climbed back into the bed with us.  They moved in close to Peggy and I could hear whispers and kisses as they shifted around getting comfortable.

 

Someone lifted up the covers and light poured in.

 

Awww…that’s so sweet.”  Lilly gushed.  “Izzy, you’ve gotta see this.”

 

There was more rustling of bed sheets and Izzy poked her head under.

 

My sister laughed loudly.  “Alright Peggy!  You caught a big one.”

 

“Yeah…I think I’ll keep him.  He feels pretty good laying there.”

 

Lilly chuckled.  “Right where he can do the most good and the least damage.”

 

All three of them giggled at that, so I took a deep breath, lifted and turned my head, planted my lips just below Peggy’s belly-button and blew a prolonged raspberry.

 

The little woman with her legs around my neck squealed and started wiggling around like an eel, drumming her heels on my back as she burst into hysterical gales of laughter.

 

I ran out of breath eventually, so I put my head back down on her stomach and rested while Peggy calmed down and gasped for air.  It was good to hear her laugh and feel the happiness well up inside her.

 

Another successful rescue for Ike Blacktower, Knight Errant and damsel un-distresser.

 

We lay there at peace and enjoying the closeness for a few minutes, before Peggy broke the silence.

 

“Ike…does it ever bother you that the three of us are so much older than you?”

 

“Nope.  Not even a little.” I replied.  “I’ve had a thing for old broads ever since I was thirteen.”

 

Old broads?  What old broads?”  Izzy demanded.

 

I grinned and flicked my tongue out to tickle Peggy’s belly.

 

“You three geezers of course.  See the great thing about mature women is they’re slower and can’t run as fast; much easier to catch and sooooo grateful to have a young stud like me show an interest in their wrinkled old bodies.  Yup…give me old women every time.”

 

The words had barely left my lips when I was attacked on both sides by tickling fingers and raised voices.

 

“I’ll show you old.” Izzy threatened, her fingers dancing over my left side.

 

Wrinkled?” Lilly yelled happily, working her delicate fingers under my right armpit.

 

“Young stud?” Peggy laughed, tightening her grip around my neck and sticking a wet finger into my ear.

 

The three of them went to work cheerfully tormenting my prone body.  No one had ever tickled me before, and as it turned out I’m not very ticklish, so they got frustrated when I didn’t respond the way they expected.  Peggy’s wet finger wiggling in my ear did get a rise out of me though and I was retaliating with wet raspberries over her belly-button when one of the other two girls smacked me on the ass.

 

“No fair!” Izzy groused.  “Why aren’t you ticklish?”

 

“Yeah…there’s got to be some way to make you pay.” Lilly agreed.

 

I blew one last blast on Peggy’s belly and lifted my head up.  “Well, how ‘bout I take you three old timers out for dinner and dancing tomorrow evening?  With three senior discounts it shouldn’t be too expensive.”

 

It got very quiet.  Peggy had been giggling and wiggling, but she suddenly stopped, her legs went slack and slipped down over my shoulders.  I couldn’t hear any sounds from the two girls behind me. 

 

Freed from Peggy’s leg lock I rolled over and rested my head on one arm, looking back at Izzy and Lilly.  They’d settled down on their heels and were watching me with damp eyes and stunned looks.

 

Turning my head back I saw the same expression on Peggy.

 

“What?  Don’t you guys want to go?” I asked, puzzled by their lack of response.

 

“You mean, like a date?” Lilly said at last.

 

I smiled widely.  “Yeah.  Exactly like a date.  I want to take my wives out on a date.”

 

“I haven’t been on a date since…I don’t think I’ve ever been on a date.” Peggy said very softly.

 

“Not since I married Lewis.” Lilly murmured wistfully.

 

“My first year of college.” Izzy added sadly.

 

I sat up and crossed my legs.  “Then don’t you think it’s about time?  We’ll all get dressed up and go someplace nice for dinner and then you girls can teach me how to dance.  And we need a family portrait too, to put in the living room.  And I’m going to want a smaller one to put on my desk at work.  We can stop off on the way out and have our picture taken.”

 

Peggy got up and crawled over next to me and sat down.  “I don’t have any clothes nice enough for a date or a portrait.”

 

Lilly’s shoulders drooped.  “All my good clothes are back at Ft. Meade.”

 

Izzy cocked her head at me.

 

“I guess we’ll just have to go shopping first.  Hell, we’ll just make a day of it.  Shopping, portrait, dinner and dancing.  Who knows…if we can find a drive-in theater we can finish off the evening with a high school make-out party.”

 

Lilly wiped her eyes and smiled at me.  “Definitely a different kind of husband.”

 

Izzy beamed proudly and wiped her own eyes.  “The best kind.”

 

Peggy got up on her knees, kissed my cheek and wrapped her arms around my neck.  “You’re alright…for a punk kid.”

 

I did my best imitation of Peggy’s little girl pout…then quickly bobbed my head forward and kissed her on the nose. 

 

“Thanks very much, I think.”

 

“Ike, can we afford to be doing this?” Lilly asked suddenly.

 

I frowned for a moment then shrugged.  Untangling myself from the twisted sheets I jumped off the bed, went to the dresser and began rummaging thru the drawers.  When I found what I was looking for I walked back, hopped into the center of the mattress and tossed the checkbook to Lilly.

 

“You’re in charge of the household so you get to take care of the finances.” I told her.  “That’s all the money I have in the world.  Tomorrow when we go into town we’ll also go to the bank and I’ll have all our names put on the account and order some new checks.  Once things settle down and the CIA starts paying me we’ll get credit cards in your names.”

 

Lilly looked down at the checkbook in her hands for a bit then looked up at all of us, one at a time.

 

“I’ll take good care of everything, I promise.” she said, holding her chin up.

 

“We know you will.” Izzy told her, reaching out and running a hand over Lilly’s shoulder.

 

“Are we rich?” Peggy trilled, bouncing up and down.  ‘Shopping’ was most definitely on her mind.

 

“Yeah, open it up and let’s see what we have to work with.” Izzy urged.

 

“Okay, okay…give me a minute here.” Lilly laughed and opened the booklet, her eyes running over the entries and their dates.  A small frown crossed her lovely face, and a tiny little furrow formed between her eyebrows.  The pink tip of her tongue emerged from the corner of her lips as she ran a finger across and down one page.

 

“This can’t be right.” she said.  “I have to call the bank and talk to someone.  This can’t be right.”

 

“What can’t be right?” Izzy asked worriedly.

 

Lilly looked up at me accusingly.  “This can’t be right…can it?”

 

I sat there in the middle of the bed and looked back emotionlessly.  Then I winked at her.

 

“What can’t be right Lilly?” Peggy demanded, her voice rising in pitch.

 

Izzy and Peggy crawled over and looked at the open checkbook to where Lilly’s fingertip was pointing.

 

“Holy shit!” Peggy hissed.

 

“How…?” Izzy started and then trailed off, leaving her question unasked.

 

“Dr. Wills told me that since I’d been working for his department as an outside ‘contractor’ I was entitled to payment.  He made the big deposit.  When I left home with Izzy to come back here I only had around thirty thousand dollars in that account.”

 

“You have seventy thousand dollars in a checking account?” Lilly was outraged.  I didn’t need any link to tell me that.

 

I shrugged my shoulders.  “Lilly, my sweet little flower, I have no…feeling…for money or finances.  Never have and probably never will.  As long as I had enough to pay the rent, buy books and put gas in the car that was enough for me.  I didn’t care about the future or planning for it because, frankly, I didn’t think I had one.  Things are different now.  I still don’t care about money, but I have a family and a future now which is why I’m turning my finances over to you.  Do what you think is best.  Not for me, not for you or Peggy or Izzy, but for the family.”

 

Everyone was quiet and thoughtful…for about a count of eight.

 

Shopping!  I think shopping tomorrow is best for the family.” Peggy exploded, bouncing up and down and hugging Lilly’s arm.

 

Lilly slowly smiled, and then her smile widened into a huge grin.  “I agree.”

 

“Me too.” Izzy added and the three of them started hugging and bouncing up and down.

 

I sat watching the trio, rather pleased with myself.

 

“I hate to break things up, but Peggy and I need to take a shower.  Izzy, would you find David and Anya and tell them that after dinner I’ll bond them together.  And could you also tell David that we’ll need a ride tomorrow back into D.C.?  Lilly, would you start dinner please?  As soon as we get out of the shower, Peggy and I will be down to help.”

 

Izzy nodded her agreement as did Lilly.

 

“You’re going to marry David and Anya, aren’t you?” Peggy asked out of the blue.

 

“In a manner of speaking, yes.  I’m no Justice of the Peace or priest or minister, so it won’t be a legal marriage…but it will be a marriage.”

 

“Maybe we should ask them if they’d like to double date with us.” my tiny little sweetie suggested.  “I’ll bet they haven’t been on a date together either.”

 

I could feel a slight smile forming on my lips, but I clamped down on it, waiting to see Izzy and Lilly’s reaction.

 

The two exchanged looks that I found curiously impossible to read and then turned their eyes on Peggy.

 

“It was just a suggestion.” she said in response to their unspoken words.

 

“I think…” Lilly began haltingly, “…it’s an excellent suggestion.”

 

“Very thoughtful and generous.” Izzy agreed.

 

“It shows a kind and loving, sympathetic and compassionate concern for the feelings of other people.” I said proudly.  Our sweet little lost soul had come so far since her time on the Psych Ward.

 

“We’ll ask them during dinner.” Lilly said, getting up and going to the dresser for some clothes to put on.  Izzy gave Peggy a ‘thumbs up’ and joined Lilly.

 

“Come on half-pint.  Let’s get clean.”

 

“Okay…Daddy.” she laughed and bounced off the bed.  “We won’t be long Lilly.” she called over her shoulder, rushing into the bathroom.

 

“Only because of Daddy’s condition.” Izzy told Lilly.  They both burst out laughing.

 

I followed Peggy into the bathroom with as much dignity as I could muster.

 

 

True to her word, Peggy and I were washed, dried and dressed in less than fifteen minutes and down in the kitchen where we found…everybody.

 

Mr. Jones and Anya were cutting vegetables at one counter, Lilly was preparing some kind of meat and Izzy was stirring a couple of pots on the stove.

 

Jones looked up from his chopping as we entered.  “I was beginning to wonder if they’d left you alive.” he said deadpan.

 

“Barely.” I replied. 

 

He cracked a small smile.  “Why is it that nothing seems to keep you down for long?”

 

Izzy, Lilly and Peggy all snorted and fought to keep their laughter in…failing miserably.

 

Anya cracked a smile and nodded knowingly.

 

I’m pretty sure I blushed some kind of unflattering color.

 

“Are you feeling better Ike?”  Anya asked me.

 

“I’m fine Anya.  I just tried too hard to do something that couldn’t be done.”

 

“No more coughing up blood I hope?” Jones asked.

 

“No.  Nothing like that.”

 

“Good.  Dr. Wills would not be happy with me if I let anything untoward happen to you.”

 

Lilly had Peggy and I set the table and bring some wine up from the cellar.  We got busy and before long we were all sitting down, eating and drinking.  I was pouring coffee while the girls told Anya and Mr. Jones about our Dover adventure.  Lilly had just gotten to the part where I’d linked with the President thru the television and Jones sat up, ramrod stiff.

 

“You did that?  You can link by video?”

 

I continued filling everyone’s cup.  “Yeah.  I gave the President a woodie from Dover.  It wasn’t easy, but I can do it.  I never would have thought of trying if you hadn’t suggested it.”

 

“Do you have any idea what this means?” he asked.

 

I put the coffee pot down and took my seat.  “I know exactly what it means to me.  I have no idea what it means to you, or Dr. Wills or anybody else.”

 

I took a sip from my wine glass.  Peggy turned her head towards me and looked like she was about to say something.  I shook my head sharply.  She sat back and continued eating.

 

“It means I can do my job from anywhere there are video cameras.  I don’t have to be in the same room with someone I’m interviewing, I don’t even have to be in the same city.  Hell, I might not have to be in the same country.”

 

Jones nodded his agreement.  “You can hunt moles in the embassies, in our field units, anywhere at all.”

 

“Perhaps.  It worked between Dover and D.C.  I think we’ll have to try a couple of times over longer distances to be sure.  I think we should keep this between ourselves and Dr. Wills though.  There are enough people worried about me as it is.”

 

“Oh, you’ve got that right.” Jones growled.  He cocked an eyebrow and glared at me.  “You either don’t see the other implications or you actually don’t care.”

 

“He sees them David.  Our boy is no dummy.” Izzy told him.

 

I raised my wine glass to my beautiful big sister.  “I want to be happy, Mr. Jones.  I can’t see that running the world would give me that.  Too damn many decisions to make.  It’s too much like work for my taste.  I’ll settle for being happy.”

 

The girls jumped in and halted the conversation, telling Jones and Anya about our plans for the next day, and asking them if wanted to join us.  They agreed to come along and Jones excused himself to go and arrange transportation.

 

We cleared the table, cleaned the kitchen and were on our way into the living room when he rejoined us.

 

“The helicopter will be here at eight tomorrow morning and a limo will be waiting at HQ.  It’s yours for the entire day.”

 

“Thanks Mr. Jones.  Alright then…let’s get down to the business at hand, shall we?”

 

Anya and Jones sat next to one another on the couch while the girls and I arranged ourselves on the loveseat.

 

“Peggy pointed out to me that what we’re about to do here is perform a marriage.  Religious or civil, marriage is historically about property.  No matter how you dress it up it still comes out looking like a financial arrangement and it’s gotten worse over the years.  Look at how the lawyers have wormed their way into what was supposed to be a holy estate.  Pre-nuptial agreements, palimony, annulments and divorce are more common now than lasting relationships.” 

 

I leaned forward, putting my elbows on my knees.

 

“What we are about to do is different.  No license, no divorce, and no going back.  Do you David Jones take this woman to be your life-mate, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for better and worse…never to part?”

 

My eyes bored into his and I linked with the man.  He looked back at me, calm and unconcerned and his hand reached out to clasp with Anya’s, which had been reaching for his.

 

I could feel the love build as their hands touched.  I linked with Anya and the love she was feeling leapt out at me, rushing down the link.  I drained off a big chunk of her love, amplified it, formed it into a ring, rolled it around and around, amplifying and adding to it over and over again until it burned with a spicy cinnamon flavor and sharp golden glow.  Pushing it down the link with David I locked it in.

 

His eyes shut tightly and his free hand pressed against his chest.  I felt his heart beating faster.

 

“Anya Rasmussen, will you take this man to be your life-mate, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for better and worse…never to part?”

 

The conflict within her began, the love she felt for David at war with the command I’d given her to obey me.

 

“Yes…I can tell that you want to.” I said softly.  “This man’s will, love and strength will be yours, your love, loyalty and inner fire will be his; your two lives will be one life from now till the end.”

 

Taking as much of David’s love as I could, I created another ring, forging it in the same way I had his and laid it over the ring Anya already had.  Pouring my own feelings of understanding, acceptance, comfort and compassion down over her rings I welded them into one large, burning loop.

 

“Look at each other.” I commanded, my voice rumbling in my chest.  “If either of you wants to back out, tell me now.”

 

“I love you Anya, now and forever.” David told her, his voice as soft and gentle as velvet.  I hadn’t thought his harsh, raspy throat could produce such mellow sounds.

 

His hand left his chest and reached up to wipe away the tears that had started falling from Anya’s eyes.

 

Taking more of their replenished love I created one final ring, open on one side, and mixed in the passion, hope, appreciation, desire, anticipation, elation, and happiness that each was feeling for and about the other.  This ring blazed platinum white and I threaded it thru the rings that already existed in the two of them.

 

“By the power I possess, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”  With one last surge of effort I sealed the third ring and locked it for all time.  “Those that I have joined together this day can never be separated.”

 

I sat back and took a deep breath.  David and Anya stared into one another’s eyes, oblivious of the rest of us.

 

I cleared my throat loudly and they turned towards the sound.  “You may kiss the bride.” I suggested with a grin.

 

What started out as a chaste, sweet kiss turned into one long torrid and highly titillating lip-lock.  The girls and I started applauding right around the third minute.

 

“That was unbelievable!” Jones gasped, shifting his position on the couch.  Anya was flushed and licking her lips.

 

“I think you’ll both find that it gets even better.  For some things, anyway.  Now, why don’t you kids go upstairs and play.  Remember, we have to be up and waiting for the helicopter at eight, so don’t stay up too late.”

 

They were up and gone in a flash, leaving me and the girls alone in the living room.

 

“Do you think they’ll be happy together?” Izzy wondered.

 

“I hope so.” Lilly replied.

 

“I think they both deserve to be happy.” Peggy declared.

 

“We all deserve to be happy.  I don’t think most people really know what happy is though.  That’s why they spend so much of their lives searching and never finding it.”

 

“Are you happy Ike?” Izzy asked me.

 

I reached over and took her hand in mine, lifting her fingers to my lips and then tickling the palm of her hand with the tip of my tongue.

 

“When I’m with you girls I can’t help but be happy.  Sometimes sore, frustrated, confused or stupid, but beneath it all I’m still happy.”  I stood up and hugged each of them in turn.  “Come on…let’s get to bed.  We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”