i sat up in the bed, between her legs, my hands on her knees. i looked down at her, she was beautiful, perfect breasts, perfect belly button, perfect face. "i'll do anything you want carlee."

i smiled, "you could make us a drink love." lissell jumped out of the bed and grabbed our glasses, the area was dimly lit, and she wiggled across to the kitchen carefully. she handed me mine and sat down beside me. she was smiling, not just with her lips, but with her mind, her body, her psyche. it almost made me cry. i reached down to the floor beside the bed and grabbed the last box of marlboro that andy had gotten for me. i lit the fourth to the last, and inhaled deeply. lissell wraped her arm around my waist.

"you really enjoy that don't you?"

"smoking?"

"yes."

"no, it's you i enjoy, smoking's a lousy habit, i'm trying to stop, but i can't be trusted." we laughed.

"hold me tight carlee." and i did. i did enjoy lissell, how great it was to be with her. she put her hand in mine and brought it to her lips. she looked directly into my eyes. "do you mind?" i didn't answer. she kissed the tips of each finger, her blue eyes looked into my mind's eye. "can i file this one?"

"tomorrow you can." she hugged my hand, then lay gently on top of me.

"am i too heavy?" i didn't answer. she kissed my neck.

"you're driving me crazy lissell, you know that." i said. lissell smiled, then kissed my breasts. i could have cum, lissell was some kind of a lover. i spread my legs far apart, then wrapped them around her waist. she grabbed my foot and held it tightly. we moved, together, the position was right, it wouldn't take much more to get me there. lissell was doing most of the work and was breathing hard now.

"oh my god carlee." she whispered. i was feeling that way too. beads of sweat popped out on my forehead, i could hold back no longer, she couldn't either. "god!!" and we came, wave after wave of delight, it was beautiful. when it was over, we lay on our backs in sheer exhaustion. my breathing slowed before hers. her breasts were slick with prespiration. she kissed me.

i may have dozed off, i couldn't really tell. "are you curious about margo carlee?" of course i was, but i wasn't going to ask.

"i haven't ask you about her." i answered.

"i know you haven't, and i appreciate that." i didn't say anything, knowing that she wanted me to. i reached over her for my drink and sat up in bed with my legs crossed. "margo is exactly as she appears. an over-the-hill dyke who likes girls. well enough to provide for them, send them to school, feed and house them, in return for a few small favors."

"you don't have to tell me this lissell." i stammered.

"i know, but i want to. margo does things like bite me and then take pictures of the damage, she doesn't hurt us really." us, that must refer to brianna. "i think she has a web site or something. she was my instructor in civil law two years ago, and invited me over to her house for a proposition one night. when i got there, she offered me a thousand dollars in cash to undress in front of her." she paused, and suddenly looked very guilty. "i did that, and she handed over ten one hundred dollar bills. i was living in a duplex on eastern parkway, i was really strapped for money, had no car, took a bus to the university. i had several grants and scholarships from school, and a large student loan i was trying to pay back each month, robbing peter to pay paul, and margo offered this fantastic deal. sometimes i feel like a prostitute, like now." she started crying. some people can cry and i can overlook it, others, you have to address. lissel was one of the others. tears should never taint those lovely cheeks. i hugged her.

"please don't lissell, please don't cry, it's alright baby." i rubbed her neck, beneath her long red hair. gosh, i didn't do much better with pork pie. "we do what we have to do lissell." she sniffed.

"thank you, you're a dear." she said.

"is brianna a later pick?" i asked.

"brianna's a child carlee, only nineteen, her relationship with margo is entirely different from mine."

i was afraid to ask what the difference was, not at this time anyway. lissell was tired and so was i, the night had been busy. i had to meet dad tomorrow about the house, and lissell had classes. i kissed her and told her that we should sleep. she agreed, and looked as if she felt better. i pulled the covers up over her and headed for the bathroom, god, did i have to pee. "hey, don't forget your boots, i polished them and they're-----". she was sound asleep. she resembled an angel. i love girls as they sleep, so peacful, so eloquent. i kissed her cheek and crawled in beside her.

i woke up at 8:30, slept like i had been drugged. i turned over, and lissell was gone. oh yes, an early class. i looked in the corner for her boots, they were gone too, as was the evidence pack from leroys. gosh, i never did get around to telling her she could stay here in case margo threw her out. i called carie. of course she was working, but i left a ninety second message on her thirty second answering machine, instructing her to let lissel in if she came by. dad called at nine, i had finished my bath and was dressed and drinking coffee.

"hellllooo."

"hey, did they give you the day off honey.?"

"as a matter of fact, yes they did, father of mine." and a great deal more.

"great, when are you leaving?"

"in about a half an hour."

"hi babe." it was mikey, his voice just shined.

"hey handsome, are you going to be there when i get there?"

"you bet, can hardly wait." he answered. i was glad mikey moved to owensboro after dad retired, he was an old and dear friend, and i believed that dad needed him now.

"listen, you guys are going to have to let me get on with my primping if i'm going to be on the road in thirty minutes you know." i teased. he hung up, gosh, i was only kidding.

"wear something pretty angel, and a sweat shirt might be needed, it's cool on the river after dark." the other phone, ok, i forgot.

"be there soon dad."

"drive carefully sweet." gosh, this was beginning to sound like a very nice day. i had a date at the zoo tomorrow though, so i probably couldn't stay much after dark.

a honey bun and a third cup of java was breakfast for this champion, a trip to the bathroom, and a squirt or two of "beautiful" and i was ready after i brushed my teeth. owensboro was about an hour and a half away barring traffic jams, dad talked like i lived in istanbul, but it was really fairly close. i stuck me head out the window to check the weather, felt warm to me, but i would take a sweat shirt anyway, because i was told to. i wore a pink "old navy" cotton top and matching shorts, white nike socks and shoes, my hair was squeeky clean, and in a pony tail. i looked rested, i thought, after a very trying week. i was looking forward to being with sidney in the morning.

andy called as i was walking out the door. "carlee, if your serious about this racing thing, i'll have to place our bet tomorrow."

"oh, andy, i haven't forgotten about it, but i've been so busy, how's it going with your daughter?" i asked.

"great, she want's to meet you awfully bad."

" in a hurry andy, can i write you a check and drop it off, are you at work?"

"yeah, that will be alright carlee, are you going out of town?"

"yes andy, and i'm running behind, see you in a few minutes." i sat down and pulled my checkbook out of my purse. god, pork pie anderson, i'm trusting you. my bank book was never right, i looked at my picture of andy's babe, he seemed to be smiling, that had to be a good omen. $1,200.00, that was pushing it close, but, that's how i was running my life lately. alright, i did it, i carried my sweat shirt and myself out to the car. i was traveling light, even lighter if our horse didn't win.

andy looked nice, like he was enjoying himself, i kind of wished he could come over tonight. "$1,2000 to win carlee?"

"yep, is that extravagant?"

"fool hearted, i would have said a couple of weeks ago." i smiled. "and then i met you." i kissed his cheek, right there in the store.

"i've got to run dear, i really have to, call you tomorrow night if i can." i had forgotten the odds and stuff, if this horse won, how rich would i be? i smiled, and stopped to fill up with gas. the price had climbed to $1.20 a gallon, damn. my gas tank was small though, i think it held a little over ten gallons, maybe i'd have enough to get back here.

"hey lady, your back left is almost flat and you ain't got any tread on it."

"i know that." i said, with a degree of irritation.

"ya want me should put a bit of air in it?"

"why not." i answered. i knew my car was old, and i knew that i hadn't changed tires in four years, hell, after pork pie anderson makes me rich, i'll buy a brand new car, a honda maybe.

there was very little traffic on the road this morning, i drove 60 and 70 mph and reached owensboro in record time for me. i checked out my watch when i turned on daviess street "your travel time has been one hour, twenty six minutes, and fourteen seconds carlee mccord."

"thank you." i said so it. hell, my watch was probably worth more than my car. oh! there was dad, and mikey, mr. leisure and ms. darcey. god, they looked good. dad and mikey had on matching shorts and blue 2nd army short sleeve sweat shirts, mr. leisure his regular khacki work clothes (i had never seen him in anything else) and ms. darcey an old cotton reddish cotton dress, that i remembered from years ago. they all came over when i stopped the car in the drive way. i got out and hugged the guys, then ms. darcey.

"carlee, you look just wonderful." she said. i smiled.

"are you able to keep these guys straight ms. darsey?" i asked.

"well, i kept you straight for many years dear, these three aren't near the challange." i hugged dad again, and i couldn't hold the tears back.

"i've missed you so angel." he softly said, and i think everyone teared up.

"mikey, you look tens years younger." i said.

"feel it too, retirement is working wonders for me and bill both." i was beginning to believe that.

"and mr. leisure, please quote me one of you axioms, it seems like years since i've heard a piece of your wonderful philosophy."

"well, let me think, ah, 'big girl, big pussy, little girl, all pussy.'" i hugged him.

"i'll remember that one forever."

"me too, and i'm going home." ms. darcey said. dad and mikey smiled, they looked like a couple of kids. "come over carlee, before you have to get back."

"thanks ms. darcey, i will." what lovely people.

"go pee carlee." dad said.

"daddy!"

"go on, we have reservations at the moonlite." gosh, the moonlite bar-be-que, wow, i hadn't eaten there in years. i went to pee. dad and mikey came inside.

"did i ever tell you about the first time i ever met your daughter bill?"

"i was there mikey."

"no, you were flying in, I fell in love with her in less than ten minutes, a record for me."

"oh, i don't know mikey, there was that french girl in nam that i think was about five." the two of them laughed. "she's quite addictive." it was wonderful to hear laughter in this house again. it was nice to be at home.

the moonlite was only five miles from the house. i though that mr. leisure was coming with us, but dad said that his wife was quite ill, and he couldn't. big girl, big pussy, oh well, he was still one of my all time favorites. the moonlite was weightwatchers curse. they have a buffet to die for. bill clinton ate there last year and said it was the best place he had ever eaten. their specialty is mutton, sheep smoldered many hours over hickory wood. it was only a few years ago where owensboro had a monopoly on this, but its popularity has grown. they hold an annual bar-be-que festival in this city which has become an international event. loin is my favorite, with burgoo, bar-b-qued beans, corn bread, smoked ear of corn and strawberry pie. one million calories and the road to coronary occlusion, but what a way to go. we ate heartily

"are you excited about the house carlee?" dad asked.

"yeah, are you pumpkin?" mikey chimed in.

"curious, at any rate."

"they call it the gingerbread house." mikey stated.

"oh, you can get in lots of trouble living in a gingerbread house." i said, as i sipped burgoo, and ate corn bread.

"no witches or goblins at this one carlee, just hoot owls and doves of peace." mikey expained.

"how's your meal carlee?" dad interupped.

"great dad, couldn't be better."

"can i get you something else?" he asked.

"gosh, no, if i can get through this pie, i won't need anything else for a week." and i did get through the strawberry pie.

"carlee," dad said as we got in his car. "this house, ah, well, wait 'till you see it." hmmm, what did that mean? we drove way past cromwell, way past on 231, a turn right in the middle of nowhere. "buttermilk lane" the road sign said. how pretty. i was totally unaware of these surroundings. mikey was smiling.

"pretty name carlee?"

"yes, very." i answered. i saw no houses on buttermilk land, it was desolate, but charming; suddenly i could see the water, the green river through the forrest and underbrush. the gravel road ended at this house, a gingerbread house, light and dark brown wooden shingles with a lot of white, several gables, lovely, simply lovely.

"102 buttermilk lane. all out." it was enchanting, 102 indeed, where was 101... i just stood there, i knew that my eyes were wider than saucers. "well, carlee?" dad asked.

"it's beautiful dad, really." dad winked at mikey. there was a screened in back porch, and a rustic deck with lawn furniture, even a table with an ash tray on it.

"wait until you see the inside baby." dad said. a million thoughts raced through my mind. the inside was great, the living room was large, a 6" reflecting telescope stood in the center of it. there were three bed rooms, two baths and a den overlooking the river. the kitchen was just right, everything was so new, i started to cry. "now, now little one, that won't do, you haven't seen it all yet." they led me to the laundry room, electric washer and a gas drier, and a gateway computer still the the box. mikey grabbed my hand.

"to the back baby, where we can smoke." mikey drug me to the deck and sat me down in a very comfortable chair. he offered me a cigarette-which i almost jerked out of his hand-we three sat, and mikey and i smoked. dad pointed out toward the river.

"there's a boat dock just down there, it extends 40 feet out in case you decide you want to fish carlee. our boat is docked there, when you all finish driving nails in your coffins we'll go down there, take a boat ride if you wish." there were bird feeders and squirrel feeders all over the back.

"in case i decide to fish." it hit me.

"daddy, i couldn't possibly afford the rent on this place. besides, i have my job and----"

"carlee, carlee, you're too serious, please indulge a couple of old business- men who think that you're the best thing that ever happened to this planet, mikey and i own this place, and a dozen others, we've put military money to work. it's your baby, mikey and i decided that the first time we saw the place. you don't have to quit your job in louisville, don't have to move in tomorrow, but it's here and it's yours, end of story." i put the palms of my hands over my face, and cried. the tears put my cigarette out. oh, this couldn't be happening, i didn't deserve it. dad put his arm around me. "come on sweetie, we'll show you the dock. please don't cry."

the ground was soft under my feet. the river was so beautiful, we spooked a wild turkey. "hey, he could replace leonard this thanksgiving." dad joked.