Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 10:07:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Orrin Rush Subject: The Lifeguard, Chapter 43 Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. If you are offended by graphic descriptions of homosexual acts, go somewhere else. Copyright c 2001 by Orrin C. Rush. All rights reserved. Neither this story nor any parts of it may be distributed electronically or in any other manner without the express, written consent of the author. This is a work of fiction, any resemblance of the characters to anyone living or dead is pure coincidence and not intended. They are all products of the author's imagination. -------------------------------------------------------------- THE LIFEGUARD Chapter 43 We worked on the guest list. It quickly became much longer than I expected. "We ought to invite Edgar," Eric giggled. The two nuggets that we'd picked up at the mine as souvenirs would be melted down for our rings. Eric wanted to handle that, along with all the other details. - - - - - Spence moved into his condo. I hated to admit it, but I missed having the little fart around. He and Eric stayed in close touch, and one night Eric invited him over for dinner. He came alone, which surprised me. I expected Jimmy to be with him. "We've got some business to discuss," he announced. "I'm moving along on the operating system a lot faster than I expected. It's looking pretty good, too. I think it's time we let Micron in on what I'm doing. "I've been thinking about the trouble Microsoft got into, the monopoly thing, and if Micron has time to plan ahead, maybe they can avoid those problems. They'll also need some time to figure out how they're going to pay us. A billion won't cut it this time," he snickered. This kid wasn't just a computer genius, I was quickly learning. He'd definitely be a force to be reckoned with in the not too distant future. "I'll have to work out my own position in all this," Eric said. "I have a lot of loyalty to Micron, too, so I'll have to have a heart-to-heart discussion with them." "You'll handle it," Spence said, "you're so smooooooth!" This got us all laughing and the subject changed to our upcoming commitment ceremony. "Can I be the flower girl?" Spence kidded. After Spence left, Eric "thought out loud" about the call he'd have to make to Micron, weighing all the possible approaches he could take. I listened. He was still undecided when we went to bed. "I've decided to wing it, just tell the truth, and see what happens," he said on the way in to work. "One thing I'm sure of, and that's that I want you to be there and listen in. I need your moral support." "I'm available," I said, patting him on the knee. "Use the phone in my office, it doesn't sound like you're in a hole from the other end." He didn't waste any time, and soon had Greg on the line. "Dave's here with me," he explained. "I've got something serious to talk over with you." "Go ahead," Greg told him. "It's about Spence," Eric continued. "He's moved down here, and we've kind of adopted him." "That's great!" Greg said. "There's more to it than that. He's been busy, and he's come up with something else I think you'll be interested in." "Really? What?" "There's a problem I need to discuss first before we get into that. He's given me a piece of it, and that puts me in one hell of a difficult position." "Why?" Greg asked. "Now, we won't have to pay you." "I drive a hard bargain," Eric warned, chuckling. "I'll try to get the most I can, for both of us." "Have you talked to anyone else?" "No, and we don't want to. We both want you to have it." "OK, what've you got?" Greg asked. "An operating system to go with the platform you already have." There was a long pause. It went on and on. Finally Greg spoke. "If it's as advanced as what we already have...OH MY GOD!" Eric grinned at me. "I wouldn't know, myself, but he tells me it's a completely different approach from anything on the market now. He's only planning to come up with the basic concept then turn it over to someone like you to complete the package." Greg groaned. "How far along is he?" "He tells me it'll be ready before Christmas." "Has he got anything we can look at now?" Greg asked. "I don't know," Eric told him. "Can you find out? We'll be there tomorrow if he does." "Relax," Eric said. "Are you guys coming out for the dedication in two weeks?" "We all plan to be there." "Come on out a day or two early, you can check it out then. It's not going anyplace, or to anybody else." "Oh shit, I don't think I can wait that long," Greg said. "This is just too fucking hot!" "Suffer, baby, suffer," Eric laughed. "Asshole! Do you realize what this could mean..." "I've got a fair idea. Keep it quiet, will you?" Eric warned him, jokingly. "Are you outta your mind? Do you think we'd tell anybody about this?" Greg shouted. "Just kidding," Eric told him. "I'll let you know whether Spence's got anything for you to look at." "This is going to be the most horrible two weeks of my life," Greg groaned. "Relax and think about the possibilities." "I already am! That's why I'm going nuts!" "See you in a couple of weeks," Eric said. Greg moaned, said goodbye, and they hung up. "I can picture what's happening in New York right about now," Eric giggled. "Greg's screaming for Jerry, Ted and Mike to get to his office." - - - - - The schedule was set. Metalco and Hydra offices would close at noon on Friday, and an army of movers would come in to move everything over the weekend. Monday and Tuesday would be spent unpacking. The commitment ceremony would be Saturday evening, and the dedication on Wednesday. What Eric didn't know was that after the ceremony on Saturday and the reception afterward, I was whisking him off for a two-day "honeymoon". We'd take a longer one later. I wanted that one to be much, much longer, in Egypt. "Tell me about this commitment ceremony, how it works," I asked Eric who was perched on my desk in front of me. "The minister, and he IS a real ordained minister, will conduct it. We'll exchange rings, then at some point, you and I will have an opportunity to say something to each other. That's it." "Thank God," I groaned, relaxing for the first time in several days. "For some reason, I got the impression that we had to write our own vows," I told him. "You did?" he asked incredulously, then started laughing. "Now I understand why you've been so tense." "What a relief! I know you could have done it, but I was really dreading it." "Relax babe," he said, leaning forward to give me a light kiss. "It's not going to be painful afterall. It's just a simple ceremony." "How are all your plans coming along?" I asked. "Looking good! Maurice and his boyfriend will be here to handle the food for the 'reception', and he's staying on to supervise the buffet for the party Wednesday night. I'm sending a plane for him, and Sarah's riding with them. She'll be staying with us. Just about everybody else we invited has accepted, so there'll be around sixty people there." "I want YOUR ring as soon as you get it," I told him. He grinned, knowing what I had in mind. - - - - - I talked to Annie and Tina about entertaining Sarah while Eric and I were away on our "honeymoon". About that, they were delighted, but Annie was a bit skeptical about the ceremony itself. "Why are you doing it?" she wanted to know. "It doesn't really mean anything." "It does to Eric," I told her. "It's more symbolic than anything else. A public declaration of the fact that we're committed to each other. It's not going to be a public spectacle. Just our friends will be there, so relax." "I can live with that," she smiled, "if that's what you want." "I want." But, did I really? I'd agreed to this "commitment ceremony" thing to humor Eric. It wasn't that big a deal, and wouldn't hurt me a damned bit. I did feel it was rather superfluous and meaningless. I'd made a commitment a long time ago and fully intended to live by it. Why did Eric, all of a sudden, feel the need for something like this? I was pretty sure I hadn't done anything to give him any doubts about my complete devotion to him. Maybe he wasn't sure of his own commitment and needed something to confirm his own feelings. Now that made me nervous. False fears, I convinced myself. Nothing to worry about, and I sure as hell wasn't going to quiz him about it. He'd tell me eventually. - - - - - We were all there to meet the plane. After hugs and pecks on the cheek all around, Annie and Tina whisked Sarah off. Eric and I took Maurice and Pierre to their chain's hotel in town. Maurice would be supervising the catering from there. Over cocktails, Sarah pulled me aside. "I think what you two are doing is perfectly marvelous," she said. "It was Eric's idea," I told her. "He's such a wonderful romantic! I've never been to one of these, so it will be a new experience for me." "Quite frankly, neither have I," I admitted. "Knowing Eric," she said, "it will be simple and elegant." The "Back 40" was off limits to me until the ceremony that evening. The house itself was relatively quiet that Saturday. All the activity was out there. Sunset would be at 8:23, so the ceremony would start at 8:15. As far as I knew, everything was ready. Eric's ring had been delivered. I'd had a simple inscription engraved on the inside, "I love you more each day". Not original, but the truth. I liked the rings that Eric had had made. They were simple bands, no ornamentation, not too wide, but definitely masculine. The gold was slightly off-color because it was unrefined, but, to me, that made them even more special. I'd given some serious thought to the idea, and planned to wear mine at all times. It would take some getting used to, but I'd make the effort. It was time to dress. We'd agreed on dark suits, and had both gotten new ones for the occasion. We showered and dressed together. Eric was making an effort to contain his excitement, but it was nevertheless contagious. We walked around the corner of the house, and walked along the trees toward a podium where the minister waited. Unseen strings were playing "More". At that moment it hit me. This wonderful man walking at my side was mine forever, and I was his. I got a catch in my throat and my eyes misted over. Eric heard and looked at me with those loving eyes and I almost lost my composure. This reaction caught me completely by surprise. Up until that moment, I'd had a ho-hum attitude toward the whole thing. This was it. We reached the podium and stood facing each other. Eric's eyes were a little misty too, but he had a huge smile. I smiled too. The minister started talking. I tried to pay attention, but looking into Eric's eyes, concentration was difficult. He talked about the commitment we were making to each other, for the rest of our lives. It didn't take long to get to the ring part. He nodded to me, I took Eric's hand in mine and slipped it on his finger. I felt a jolt of electricity coming from the contact. With the ring on his finger, I looked him in the eye. "Eric, I love you more than life. You are the focus of my life, the center of my universe. You are the catalyst that makes good things happen, and I love you more every day." I was lucky to get through my little speech without breaking down. It was Eric's turn. He took my hand in his and slipped on the ring. Holding my hand with both of his, he looked up, and in a clear voice spoke, "David, you ARE my life. Loving you makes my life complete. You are my inspiration, and best of all, you're my best friend. I will love you until the day I die." He let go of my hand and took me into his arms. His lips were on mine for a gentle kiss, then we just held each other. When we broke, the minister took us each by the shoulder and turned us toward the group. "May I present David and Eric," he said solemnly. A cheer went up, there was clapping and laughter. For the first time, I noticed the crowd which soon enveloped us. Still holding Eric's hand, Annie and Tina were all over me, hugging and giving me a kiss on the cheek. "That was beautiful, Dad," Annie said, finally giving her approval. Eric's mother had him in a hug and his father was waiting his turn along with a lot of others. I was surrounded too. This definitely wasn't going to be formal with a "receiving line". Bill came up to shake my hand, said "Aw hell," and gave me a big hug. That's the way it went. Hugs, kisses and handshakes from the shy. All of a sudden I was overtaken by all the Texas Widows. Hugs, kisses on the cheek, and tears in their eyes. Their husbands were standing back, looking a little awkward, but Big George stepped forward, grabbed my hand, then pulled me into a bearhug. "Know I'm not supposed to say this," he said, "but you two make a mighty fine couple and I thoroughly approve." I was able to find Eric, and pointed at the horizon. We watched as the sun dipped below the ocean, and the sky became filled with wondrous colors. It was perfect. Torches were lit everywhere and dinner was served. Even though he was a guest, Maurice flitted around to make sure that everything went to his satisfaction. The strings continued to play in the background. Sarah sat at our table with my two brats and Eric's parents, sipping her champagne with each of the seemingly hundreds of toasts. I don't think I had ever felt so happy, content and loved. It was a night I'll never forget. - - - - - When the party wound down, I said goodnight to the girls and Sarah, then grabbed Eric. "Say goodnight," I told him. "We have to go." He looked at me quizzically, grinned, then together we said goodnight to all those who were still there. I led him back to the house, through it and out to the garage. "As usual, you're full of surprises," he kidded as we got into the car. "We gotta have a honeymoon, even though it'll be a short one." When we got to the hangar, Ron and Jason were waiting. They had been at the ceremony but had left early. "Where are we going?" Eric wanted to know. "Just up the coast for a couple of days," I told him. On the plane, we snuggled on the sofa during the short ride. "I know you were pretty skeptical about this," Eric said. "How do you feel now?" "I didn't know what to expect, at first," I admitted. "I thought it was kind of silly, unnecessary, but that all changed when it actually happened. I didn't ever expect to get so emotional, but dammit, I love you so much, and this brought everything together." "I love you too, just a little," he giggled, and kissed me gently. "Since we couldn't do anything 'official', this was the next best thing. I don't know why, but now I feel like I really belong to you." We talked about the reaction of some of our guests. Of course all of them were friends who already knew we were a 'couple' and accepted that, but their support was surprising to me in its intensity. "I didn't expect the whole Texas contingent to be there," I commented. "I thought we only invited Claire and Big George." "We did, but when the rest found out about it, they insisted on coming. Claire called me last week and in the chaos, I guess I forgot to tell you." "I'll bet they didn't know what to expect," I chuckled. "For a bunch of supposed 'rednecks' they're a damned nice bunch." "Do you think they expected a bunch of prancing fairies?" Eric laughed. "We could have done it that way, you know." "I'm glad we didn't. Up until the ceremony happened, I didn't take it too seriously myself, but, as you could see, all that changed. It was dignified and serious, as it should have been. You did a great job, my love." - - - - - The resort had a car waiting, and we were whisked off. It was dark, and the place was pretty quiet. We had a detached "bungalow" among the trees, private and secluded. It was late and cooler than we were used to, so we crawled into bed to continue snuggling. "I hope you threw in some warm clothes for me," he giggled, moving up next to me for warmth, "otherwise we can't leave the room." "That's not a bad idea," I told him, leering. "I think you'll find everything you need. I packed all MY favorites for you." "I can guess! Everything that fits skin tight, you dirty old man!" he giggled. "Another thing, you cheapskate, you didn't even buy me a wedding present." "Was I supposed to?" "Hell yes!" he continued giggling. "Since I knew you'd forget, I got something for both of us. You're going to have to wait a few weeks though, it wasn't ready yet." "What?" I asked. "You'll have to wait. It's something really special." "Asshole," I laughed. Eric got serious. Even though we had full-body contact, I could feel his dick limp against my leg. Mine was surprisingly soft too. "I just want to hold you tonight," he said, pressing tighter against me. "I need to 'feel' you and know that all of this isn't a dream that I'm going to wake up from." "I feel exactly the same," I told him, holding him in my arms. We hardly moved all night, and I awoke to him blowing in my ear. "I love you," I said as I turned to look at his face, giving him a kiss on the nose. We held on to each other for a few minutes then stretched. "What're we going to do today?" he asked. "First, I think we should consummate our marriage," I told him, "then we can think about it." We took turns in the bathroom. Morning unloading and getting rid of the awful breath that champagne gives you. I stopped to grab two bottles of lube and handed him one when I crawled back in bed. He looked at me with an arched eyebrow. "Why two?" he asked. "We'll both need some," I answered, shutting him up with a kiss. "Age before beauty," I said, rolling him on his back and flipping the covers off onto the floor. Even though we usually didn't need it, we always prepared each other before making love. The head of his dick was in my mouth while I probed with my fingers. He nodded, and I got into position. When I was all the way in, he put his heels against my butt and tried to pull me in further. As I rocked, he'd force me forward with every downstroke. The rhythm built, faster and faster, and I couldn't hold out. Neither could he, and with our lips locked, I gave a final thrust that pushed both of us over. Eventually I softened and slipped out. Rolling off of him, his eyes were glinting. "I love you," he said, choking a little, then kissed me ever so gently. "God, what you do to me!" Lying on our sides, we held one another, glued together by his cum. "More?" he asked when he felt me hardening. I nodded. The sensations of him entering me took my breath away. He just felt so damned good. This time took a lot longer but with the same results. We were recovering when there was a discreet knock on the door. "Come back later," we yelled in chorus, then broke up laughing. "What are we going to do today?" Eric asked again. The moment was gone. "They have a full spa here," I told him. "We could take advantage of that." "You mean mud baths and all that stuff?" "Yep, body wraps, facials, and a massage. Want to try it?" "Sounds like fun, relaxing. Better be a masseur, though, because I'll get hard, sure as hell." "Just save it for me," I laughed. "Do we get breakfast first?" - - - - - The "treatment" took most of the day. We "soaked", were "wrapped" from head to foot, and had all sorts of weird looking stuff smeared all over our bodies and faces. It was relaxing and funny. The massages went as predicted. The pretentious young hunks were evidently not used to working on men, and when both of us unasahamedly got erections, they didn't know how to react. The results, however, were a feeling of total relaxation. The only time where we said "no", was when they wanted to put makeup on us. I did, however, allow them to "clean up" my eyebrows that had gotten rather unruly. Giving me a close inspection, Eric pronounced that I looked at least ten years younger. He positively glowed, and we agreed that we'd do this more often. It felt good, and with results like these... The resort's dining room had a four star rating, so we had a leisurely dinner there. We were relaxed but invigorated by the day's treatment, so decided to explore the local gay scene. I had a list of bars that Dan had given me, so off we went. There wasn't much to choose from. A piano bar, a leather bar and a country western one. We decided on the country western. It was large, friendly, and filling up fast, but we were able to get a booth with a good view of the dance floor. We watched for a while, then my ego got a tremendous boost when a gorgeous young green-eyed cowboy asked me to dance. "No more 'treatments'," Eric kidded. "I can't handle the competition." When Eric suggested that we dance together, I surprised him by quickly agreeing. It was fun. I felt confident and enjoyed it immensely, much to Eric's delight. There were a few slow dances that I particularly enjoyed, a first for us together. Eric let me lead, and it felt so good to have his body next to mine. "You guys are GOOD!" a fellow at an adjoining booth commented. "He's good, I'm learning," I said. This led to conversation and introductions. They were a friendly local couple and soon joined us in our booth. Kent and Ray were witty, funny and fun to be around. When they learned that we were on our "honeymoon" they kidded us unmercifully. - - - - - The "Do Not Disturb" sign was heeded and we slept late. We drove into Carmel to look around and have lunch. There were a lot of "cutesy" art galleries with stuff in them that I wouldn't own. Eric was persistent, so we continued. In one, amid a lot of "cat" paintings was a striking abstract. He went straight to it, drawn to the first decent thing we'd seen. I was surprised when I looked at the price. It was about half of what they were asking for the goddam cats! "What do you think?" he asked me. "If you don't buy it, I will," I told him. "Let's see if they've got any more." We wandered over to the little white-haired lady who ran the store and inquired. "That awful thing!" she snorted. "If he weren't my nephew, I wouldn't allow it in here." "Do you have any more of his work?" Eric asked. "The back room's full of it," she said. "Nobody in their right mind will ever buy that stuff." We asked to see them and she reluctantly led us back through a draped doorway into the "back room". More of the ghastly cat pictures were stacked everyplace, but in a back corner was a stack of unframed canvases leaning against the wall. "That's them," she said pointing. "Help yourself," she said in a disgusted tone and left us. One by one we turned them around to look at. The artist's style was obviously in transition. There were pure abstracts and some that were expressive. Bold brushstrokes and brilliant color were represented throughout. Personally, I thought they were all very good, possibly great, but I waited for Eric's reaction. "I want them all," he said, and started counting them. "There's 27," he said, "plus the one out in the shop. Can we take them home with us, or should we have them shipped?" "If they'll package them with a little protection, we can take them," I said, pleased at his excitement. "Let's go see what kind of deal we can make." The little old lady looked at us like we were some sort of aliens. When Eric told her that he might be interested in all of them, she seemed to say "good riddance" to herself. "I don't take a commission on that stuff," she said, "so I can give you a good price. I have to ask $500 for the one that's framed, but $200 apiece for the rest would be reasonable. I will have to charge you sales tax, though." "I'll take them all," Eric told her. "Credit card OK, or would you accept a check?" "No out-of-town checks," she said, and seeing money, added "We'll have to charge an extra 5% if you use a credit card." Eric grinned at me. "How much would you charge to wrap them up so we can get them home?" he asked her. "That'll be $20 each," she said. "Here's my card," he said. "Please wrap them up and we'll be back in an hour or so to pick them up." Outside the little shop, Eric couldn't contain his excitement any longer. "I've never bought a painting before in my life," he said. "You're getting off to a roaring start," I told him. "I really like them, but I'm going to buy one of the 'Cats' when we go back to hang in our bedroom." "You wouldn't dare!" I shot back, watching him giggle. "Those awful things would give me nightmares." "Just kidding. I'm not into sadism, but I really am pleased with the ones I bought. What do you think of them?" "You made a good investment," I told him. "With a little exposure, that artist could get the recognition he deserves. The price was certainly right!" "You know I love a bargain," he laughed. "What are you going to do with them?" I asked. "Oh hell, we'll worry about that later." When we got back to the shop, a wiry young kid was helping the old lady package the paintings. "This is my nephew, the one who painted all these," she told us. That surprised me. Somehow I'd expected someone more mature, more robust, to have created these works. I had trouble connecting this kid with the masterful, confident style he'd demonstrated. "This is my first sale," he admitted shyly. "Do you collect new artists?" "Dave does," Eric said, pointing at me. "All of my collection is old masters." "You own an old master?" he asked incredulously. "I have quite a few in my apartment in New York. Dave here collects modern artists and impressionists." "Wow! And to think that you like my work!" "I want your name and address," Eric told him. "I don't think we're the only ones who are going to be interested in your work." The kid's eyes were about to fall out he was so excited. We got all of the paintings loaded into the car with the kid's help. The smaller ones fit in the trunk and the larger ones in the back seat. We had a load. Promising him that we'd be in touch, we took off back to the resort. Eric was still excited. "I can't wait to get these home so we can spend some time looking at them," he said. "They're 'ours', you know." "I know," I laughed, "community property!" - - - - - We got up early to go home, and back to work. It took a little effort to get all the paintings aboard the plane, but we finally got them all on. "Shopped til you dropped, I see," Jason commented. "Do you realize that we didn't talk about business once in two whole days?" Eric asked when we were airborne. We went directly to the new office from the airport. We both had unpacking to do. What had been an empty building the last time I was there was now a beehive of activity, but nowhere near as chaotic as I expected. Eric went to his office to get started, I went to mine. As I passed Nancy's desk, she was smiling broadly. "I finally have a window!" she said gleefully. "This place is so wonderful." I went into my office. All new furniture, pretty much like the old one, but warmer. Looking around, I saw it. A huge painting that I'd never seen before dominated one wall. I walked closer to get a better look, and immediately recognized it as one of Picasso's masterpieces. Sarah. That's the only place this could have come from. I sat and stared at it in awe. Every museum in the world would kill to have this, even on loan. The door opened and Eric stuck his head in. "Come here," he said, his face flushed with excitement. I followed him, saving my surprise for later. His office was in the Lundborg Rush and Hydra section. From a distance, I could see something in the middle of the foyer on a pedestal. When we got closer, I could see that it was a huge whitish rock with a dark shiny band running through it. "It's from the mine," Eric explained. "I'll bet Loren and John sent it over." We walked around it. On the far side there was a placque on the pedestal that said "Ore from the LOVEBIRD MINE", the date, and a list of all the people involved. The "rock" itself was irregularly shaped, flat, about three feet in diameter, with the wide band of gold showing on all sides. "I wonder how they got that thing in here?" I asked. "Bet it wasn't easy. Isn't it great though?" "Rather impressive," I said. "There's a real chunk of money sitting there." Eric started calculating in his head. "Nah, that can't be right, too many zeros." He stood there shaking his head. "Since you're here, come on, take a look at my office," he said. You bet I wanted to be there when he went in. I followed him in, he turned and swept his hand around then stopped. There on HIS wall was another Picasso, as huge as mine, but not one I recognized. "Oh my God," he said softly, "Sarah's been at it again. It's fucking awesome!" That wasn't all. On the other walls were more paintings, impressionists and expressionists. Not many, but several spectacular pieces. Eric was still staring at the Picasso like he was in a trance. "Better look around," I suggested. He did, his eyes boggled as he walked over to inspect each one. "How in hell did she know I didn't have anything for this place?" he asked. "I don't know," I confessed. "Don't start feeling 'special'," I kidded him. "I got one too!" "You did? What?" "You'll have to see it to believe it," I told him. "Let's go look." Out in the foyer, a crew was installing ceiling spotlights to properly light the rock. They'd already put up a velvet-rope enclosure around it. Back in my office, Eric just stood and gaped at the painting on my wall. "I've seen pictures of that one," he said. "It's in a lot of art books. I wonder where she's had these big babies stashed." We sat and stared at it. That would be something I'd be doing a lot of. "I think we ought to find Sarah," Eric said. "Next to you, she's the most generous person in the world and I want to give her a big hug." "Me too," I said. From home, we learned that she was somewhere with Annie and Tina. Come to find out, they were all in Annie's office - somewhere in this building. Before we left to find them, Eric turned serious. "Before this, I couldn't wait to show Sarah the paintings we bought, but now, I'm going to hold off for a day or two. I don't want ANYTHING to detract from what she's done." "Very wise," I said, nodding. "The spotlight should be on Sarah only." I was lost, but Eric knew the way to Annie's office. I followed. I'd need a goddam roadmap to find my way around this damned building! They were sitting around talking when we walked in. Sarah's eyes were sparkling more than usual. Eric rushed over and pulled her to her feet. I hoped that the hug he gave her didn't crack any ribs. When he let go, I stepped in. I took both her hands in mine and looked her straight in the eye. "Thank you," was all I said, then leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Those poor old things haven't see the light of day for years and years," she said. "Now somebody can enjoy them." Looking around, I saw that the kids had made out too. A painting I recognized hung on the wall. Seeing me look at it, "It's a Miro," Annie said proudly. "Dontcha love it?" "Living with all the art we do, I'm going to learn more about it," Annie announced. "All of you guys know something about it, but I don't know shit...oops, sorry Sarah." "Be yourself, dear," Sarah laughed. "That's what I love about you!" "Has anyone heard from the Micron guys?" Eric asked, remembering business. "They've been calling here, home, everywhere," Tina said. "They sounded kinda frantic. Maybe somebody ought to give them a call." "I totally forgot about them," Eric said. "You're going to have to excuse me. I'll see you all at dinner." "Guess I'll be riding home with you guys," I said. "Don't forget me." After giving Sarah a hug and another "thank you", I found my way back to my own office and went to work. It was getting close to quitting time when my phone rang. The first time! It was Eric, breathless. "They came, they saw, but we conquered," he said. "What in the hell are you talking about?" I asked. "I took the guys over to Spences'. They took a look at what he had and fell off their chairs. It's THAT good. Then, they offered him half of Micron for it." All came tumbling out in a rush. "Congratulations, my love," I chuckled. "You did it again!" "This is cause for celebration!" he roared, then meekly, "I invited them all over for dinner, is that OK?" He made me laugh. "You know the answer to that without asking, asshole," I told him. "Should I fill Tina, Annie and Sarah in on what's going on?" When they came to get me, I asked them to sit down for a minute. Annie and Tina knew about Eric's first dealings with Spence and Micron, but Sarah didn't, so I started at the beginning. When I finished, they were all shaking their heads in amazement. "I wanted you all to know about this," I explained, "because Eric is bringing all of them, including Jimmy, home for dinner. I didn't want you to be left out, and I know you can all keep this quiet." The only thing I'd left out was the huge "fee" Eric had received. "Hell," Sarah said. "I've got a few shares of Micron, and now, I can't buy any more." "We can't either," Annie said. - - - - - We were already home when the "boys" came roaring in. Greg already knew Sarah and introduced his cohorts, then Eric introduced Spence and Jimmy. Poor Jimmy looked lost in this setting, but Spence seemed right at home. They all congregated around the bar while Eric mixed. Spence and Jimmy had cokes. Seated with drinks in hand, Jerry proposed a toast. "Here's to the guy who is about to give the computer world the biggest shove forward since computers were invented." The conversation got technical. Greg moved over to sit closer to Eric and me. "Can we rent more office space from you guys? It looks like we're going to have a lot more 'presence' on the West Coast than we expected." "How much do you need?" I asked. "Hard to tell at this point," Greg answered. "I haven't talked it over with the others yet, but I'd like to build a staff here to work with Spence on the basics. We can do the rest in New York." "Under one condition," Eric said, smiling. "Spence is going back to school this fall, and that comes first. He can work with your people on a consulting basis, but don't expect him to be available all the time." "Have you adopted him?" Greg asked with a chuckle. "You might say so," Eric answered. "Look at him. He's a sweet innocent kid, and nobody's going to change that. He needs a chance to grow into his new position gradually, and I intend to see that it happens that way." "Fair enough," Greg said. "Just having him available to answer questions occasionally would speed up the process enormously. I promise that we won't interfere with his education." "Then, you can have all the space you want," Eric laughed. "If we run out at the new building, the old Metalco building downtown is available too. Annie's handling that, so talk to her." Sarah hadn't missed a word. She was beaming with pride, and so was I. She looked at me and winked. We were both proud of Eric. I didn't find out the real details of what had happened that afternoon until we went to bed. "Spence was all ready for us when we got to his condo," Eric told me. "That kid is fucking amazing! Before he'd show the Micron guys anything, he insisted they sign a 'Non-disclosure Agreement' that he had all ready for them. This would protect him and me, and is something I'd never have thought of. "Greg and the gang had no problem with it, and when he had their names on the dotted line, he fired up his computer. He's got one of Joel's bigass flat screens so everybody could see. It looked like a lot of gibberish to me, but everybody else understood, so I just sat back and watched them. "They listened and stared at the screen while Spence explained. After about an hour of this, Greg got up and motioned for me to follow him out on the deck. "I admitted to Greg that I was lost, which he understood. Greg admitted that he was too, but that at first glance, it looked to him like Spence had jumped over several generations of computer evolution, and what he had developed was truly a quantum leap forward. 'We want it, and we'll pay just about anything to get it,' he told me. "I told him that I didn't know exactly what Spence wanted, but that he was fully aware of the potential value of what he'd created. Greg was really relieved when I told him that Spence wanted stock, not cash. "When we went back inside, they were talking about what to do next. Spence agreed to let them have copies of what he'd done so far for them to analyze, and Jerry had an option agreement for Spence and me to sign. That would give Micron the right to buy Spence's creation at a price we would all agree on. The figure of 20% of Micron was mentioned." "Not bad," I commented. "I won't believe it until it actually happens," Eric said. "It's just too much to comprehend." - - - - - The dedication ceremony was a big media event. The biggest, most expensive office structure ever built in our area, with everybody from the governor on down in attendance. It was held outside, in front of the main entrance. Bill, as president of Metalco was our "Front Man" on the podium, allowing Eric and me to mingle anonymously in the crowd. The speakers were windy, all hoping that just one sound bite would make it to the news. Cameras were everywhere and they pandered to them. I had a good time talking with people, basically ignoring the ceremony. When it was finally over and tours of the building started, we gathered up Sarah and headed home. "That really IS a beautiful building," Sarah commented on the way. "So different, and I'm sure you've heard this before, but it'll be in the design books soon." The "reception" that evening was by invitation. We expected about 400 to converge on the "Back 40." All the politicians were, of necessity included. I knew about them, and they, no doubt knew about Eric and me, but neither of us had ever actually met any of them. I've been apolitical all my life, interested but not involved. I gave to both parties equally, not taking sides. Now that we were in the land development business, that would change. We'd need favors and approvals, so it would be necessary to be at least cordial. The party was informal, so we just walked up and introduced ourselves as they arrived, had a short conversation then left them to their own devices. Bars were set up all over, and I noticed that they were getting a lot of use. Chef Maurice had several lavish buffets set up, and tables all along the cliff. While we were eating, the governor couldn't resist, and rose to make a short speech about how Metalco and Hydra were such driving forces in the state's economy and other assorted bullshit. Thank God nobody else decided to speak. It was over early, thankfully. Sarah and I wandered back to the house, leaving Eric to handle the stragglers. "We've never had a chance to talk, just the two of us," Sarah said. "I know," I said. "That damned boyfriend of mine is always in the way," I laughed. "He's a pretty wonderful person, and I love him to death," she said. "He idolizes you, you know. He can't stop talking about you when you're not around." I smiled. "I care just a little bit about him too," I said. "I love your daughters too. They're so smart and full of life. I wish they were mine!" "There are times when I'd give 'em to you, cheap," I laughed. "I don't have any of my own, you know," she said wistfully. "The doctor and I had a very full life together, but as I get older, I wish that we'd taken the time to have a family. Until Eric came along, then the girls, I haven't really had much interest in young people, but the three of them are so vital that some of it rubs off on me." "Eric refers to you as his 'second mother' and both the girls have said that they wish you were their mother instead of Georgia," I confided. "I feel honored," she said. "You'll have to bring them both to France this fall." "Thanks for stranding me," Eric laughed as he came in. "Actually, some of the nicest people were the last to leave." "There were a lot of interesting people here tonight," Sarah said. "The politicians were a bit overbearing, however." "Comes with the territory, I guess," I added. "They're always campaigning." "I've got something I want to show you tomorrow," Eric said, changing the subject. "What, my dear?" Sarah asked him. "We bought a couple of paintings on our trip, and I would like your opinion on them," Eric said shyly. Sarah really perked up. "Why wait until tomorrow? It's still early." "I haven't had a chance to unpack them yet," he told her. "I'll help you," she said, rising, "Where are they?" We got up and followed him into his study. "More than a 'couple'," she commented dryly. Eric got a knife to cut the tape and he and I went to work. Sarah supervised. As they got unpacked, Sarah stood them against the walls without comment. It took a while to get them all opened, and while we were doing it, Eric told her the story about how we found them, not leaving out the godawful cats. "It may surprise you," she said, "but I love abstracts. I just don't collect them. By the way, Dave, I think you have a most impressive collection. Now these..." She stopped to think and choose her words. I watched Eric fidget while he waited for her verdict. "At least most of them," she continued, "are some of the best I've seen in recent years. The artist's emotions come through so clearly in the colors he uses. He's bold and confident, and expresses himself so well. I'll bet you bought them for a song, too." "Two hundred dollars apiece," Eric said. "That's theft!" she said. "You ought to be ashamed of yourselves," she laughed. "Tell me about the artist." When Eric told her that he was a very young fellow, probably a teenager, she was as surprised as I'd been. "Whatever his age, he has a brilliant future," she pronounced. "All he needs is some exposure." We left it at that. - - - - - To be continued. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I appreciate hearing your comments on the story, my writing, and anything you would like to offer - good or not so good. I also welcome any ideas you might have. Send me a message at orrinrush@yahoo.com and also let me know if you would like to be included on my "alert" mailing list for new postings.