This part of the story diverges from my life in that my life has never been this exciting. I've always like casting myself in an action-adventure movie but I don't think I could really manage it. That said, this chapter does talk about domestic violence, at least it's aftermath, and it does talk about someone who has abused an animal. The story doesn't describe what happened, just what went down later. There is also some very energetic sex brought on by the mere sight of a certain actress's breasts. You never know what will rev up a girl's libido.

 

Part 18 -- A Promise Kept

 

The next weekend Amber was going to go on a camping trip with some other band folks so Lisa and I would have the room to ourselves, which was quite exciting, but on Thursday I got a call from Rita's mom.

 

She got right to the point, "Jane's had enough, she's decided to leave and I can tell she's serious this time. You get up there Friday night and be ready for her call. Do you still have your softball bat in your Jeep?"

 

"Yes, it's in the back."

 

"Good. I don't think it will come to that but Katherine insists on being prepared."

 

Sam was sitting on her beanbag, "What was that about?"

 

I told her about Mrs. Graff and her network of women who worked to rescue other women from abusive relationships. I also told her about our encounter with Honey in Indiana, I even showed her one of the photos of Honey from the strip club where she and her cousin worked.

 

Sam was very quiet for a minute or so, "Can I come with you? I feel still feel guilty that I didn't try harder to warn Amy about how bad my brother was. I can help out, I've known too many girls who have stayed with guys even when they get beat up."

 

"I have to call Mrs. Graff back and ask her, if she thinks it's a good idea I'm onboard with it." I called Mrs. G back, she asked me a lot of questions about Sam and her background. Having grown up on a ranch herself I think she identified with a fellow farm-girl and the fact that I told her that Sam was also a big girl didn't seem to hurt. I called Lisa, she was a little sad we would miss out on a weekend with her dorm room all to ourselves, but she was also ready to help out Jane. I told Sam about Trillian (the dog) and Sam grabbed some towels to take with us, she said she had experience with dogs making messes in a car.

 

It was about an hour drive north to where Jane lived. Per Katherine's instructions we stopped to fill up with gas at the Casey's store and to get some bottles of water and some snacks; helpfully Sam suggested we get some dog treats too, I got myself a slice of pizza because I eat my stress. Then, we sat in the Jeep and we waited. We were close to the trailer where Jane lived and we could see a fancy, jacked-up truck parked in the driveway. Sam commented that this guy already reminded her of her brother (the one in prison) and not in a good way. Two men came out of the trailer, talking loudly and sounding kind of drunk, and they got in the truck and then drove off, spraying gravel everywhere as they did. Seconds later my phone rang.

 

"Cindy?" The woman's voice was quiet and sounded scared.

 

"Yeah, it's me; you're Jane?"

 

"Yes. They're gone?"

 

"Just pulled out."

 

"Pull up in the driveway, I'm on my way out."

 

I pulled in the driveway, Lisa was in the front seat next to me, holding my hand tight, and Sam was in the back seat. Sam had the blanket ready and had put down towels in the back of the Jeep for the dog. A woman came out, limping noticeably, with a small, brownish dog on a leach (I noticed the dog was limping too). She was a small woman, she reminded me of Honey in so many ways, her dark brown hair was a mess and her t-shirt had a sleeve torn off. Sam opened the back door and they both got in. We tried not to but we could not help but gasp in unison when we saw her up close, her face was a mass of bruises and she had two black eyes and her lip was bleeding.

 

"Go! For the love of Christ go before they come back!"

 

I backed out onto the road and looked into the mirror, "Shit! I think that's the truck! Hang on girls, this may get bumpy."

 

Lisa had a death grip on my thigh, "All power to the engines captain," she said quietly, and we took off.

 

We were clearly being followed but for some reason the driver, we assumed it was Jane's husband, did not get too close to us. Lisa, ever the sexy bookworm, was poring over Granddad's old State Farm Road Atlas, figuring out the best way to get us to the interstate. I made a possibly quite rash decision as we approached Interstate 80 and I drove through the interchange; Lisa looked over at me, looking really worried.

 

I saw a gravel crossover, yelled "Hang on girls!" as I yanked hard on the emergency brake and pulled an abrupt bootlegger turn (I had been reading about this at Katherine's suggestion and I had practiced some in a gravel parking lot), spraying gravel as the back end spun around in the grave; I turned the wheel hard, screaming "Organlegger!" (as a shout-out to Larry Niven) as I did. I was hoping the truck was so jacked-up that its higher center of mass (See, I did pay attention in physics!) would mean they couldn't turn around as fast we could. We headed back south and got on the interstate, our pursuers no longer right behind us.

 

"Jane are you O.K.?"

 

She was crying, Sam was holding on to her, "It hurts to breathe! He really hurt me this time and he hurt Trillian too!" I had never seen a look of fury like what I saw on Sam's face in the mirror.

 

"Lisa, call Mrs. G and put her on speaker."

 

Mrs. Graff picked up after one ring, "You get her Cindy?"

 

"Yes, but we have trouble."

 

Katherine's voice came on, "What is it Cynthia?"

 

"We're being followed and Jane is hurt pretty bad."

 

Katherine was all business, "She is awake and breathing O.K.?"

 

"Yes, but she says it hurts to breathe."

 

"Can you see her eyes?"

 

Sam was cradling Jane's head in her lap while petting Trillian with her other hand, "Yes."

 

"Are they responsive to light? Turn on a light and see if her pupils contract."

 

I did what Katherine said. "They got smaller when the light went on," Sam announced.

 

The relief in Katherine's voice was clear, "Good. O.K., I want you to go to this address in Joliet," she gave us an address, which Lisa wrote down; I was concentrating on driving. We will meet you there, it is an urgent care facility and an associate of ours is working tonight. Do not stop anywhere and call me when you get to the exit."

 

"I will."

 

Jane was crying and Sam was trying to comfort her, probably like she would try to calm a scared horse. "It was so awful, he made me have sex with him this afternoon and then when his friend came over they were so awful to me, both of them were hitting and slapping me and he even kicked Trillian." I swear to God, I think Sam was growling.

 

Lisa turned in the seat, "You're safe now sweetie, we will get you to Katherine and Jeanine and they will keep you safe.

 

In the mirror I could see the lights of the truck well behind us, but it was gaining on us; it was like he had decided to catch up with is. I was driving too fast, I knew that, but I figured if we were pulled over we'd rather deal with the police than our pursuer and besides, we were on our way to meet two serious lawyers. It took almost an hour to get to Joliet. We called Katherine when we got off the Interstate and she guided us turn by turn to the urgent care place. In the parking lot I saw a black Suburban and I also saw Katherine and Erin standing beside it; Lisa and I both saw that Katherine had her katana out and she was clearly ready to use it. We pulled in, tires squealing, with the Suburban between us and the street; Mrs. G and Lisa hustled Jane inside. I grabbed my bat, Katherine nodded at me.

 

"I hope that will not be necessary but a warrior must be prepared." She looked over at Sam, who was holding Trillian (the dog was shaking), "Who are you young lady?"

 

"I'm Sam, Cindy's one of my suitemates."

 

"O.K., do you know how to handle a firearm?" Shit! This was getting serious.

 

Sam nodded, "I've had to protect our livestock from coyotes and feral dogs with a rifle and I've gone target shooting with my dad and my oldest brother."

 

Erin handed Sam a shotgun (Damn!). "This is a Mossberg 590 12-gauge, it has eight rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. Do not show it to our foes unless Katherine or I tell you too."

 

Sam looked very serious, "Yes Ma'am."

 

Erin smiled grimly, "Ooo-Rah girls."

 

The truck pulled into the parking lot and Katherine stepped out, her katana at the ready; her knees were bent slightly and I think she was completely ready to collect some heads. In the midst of this tense stand-off I heard the police sirens. Once their lights were visible Katherine returned the katana to its scabbard and stood ready for the police, resuming her usual, impeccable posture.

 

An officer got out of the car, "Are you Katherine Nettleford?"

 

"I am. My colleague, Jeanine Graff, is inside with our client who is receiving medical attention. These other women are with me and are here to assure her safety.

 

It was indeed Jane's soon-to-be ex-husband got out of the truck. He was not a good-looking man, I think his ugliness outside mirrored his ugliness inside. He was yelling, almost incoherently, about how "Those bitches" had kidnapped his wife and he demanded she be returned to him.

 

Katherine turned to look at us, "You ladies go inside, the danger has passed." I saw Sam surreptitiously hand the gun to Erin, who put it back in the suburban. I put my aluminum bat back in the back of my Jeep. Sam made sure Trillian had a chance to relive herself before coming inside with me. We sat in the waiting room with Lisa, Erin stood by the door, watching outside.

 

Sam's face was still an angry one, "I grew up with animals and I have no use for anyone who is cruel to them; if I had been there when he hurt Trillian he would have been dead before his body hit the ground." I had no doubt at all she was serious in what she was saying.

 

A police officer came in and went back to the exam room, Mrs. Graff came out to let the officer go in to the examining room to get Jane's statement. "I'm proud of you girls, you were cool under stress and you may well have saved Jane's life, as well Trillian's." She looked up to Sam, "You must be Samantha, you showed yourself to be a resourceful young woman today, thank you."

 

"Please, call me Sam. Only my mom calls me Samantha and then only when she's made at me."

 

Mrs. Graff's mouth curled up into a wry little mom-smile, "O.K., Sam. I'm pleased to meet you. You and I have a similar background, I grew up on a cattle ranch in Canada and I have no used for animal abusers either. I had a gelding when I was a girl, his name was David."

 

"I have a mare named Elanor," Mrs. G smiled quite warmly when Sam showed her a photo of Elanor.

 

I was pleased to see that the police were handcuffing the asshole; Mrs. Graff went out and spoke to the officer, nodded, and handed the officer her card. "You may contact Jane through my office if it is needed, she will be staying someplace safe."

 

We spent the night at the Graff's condo. Sadly, with her mom and Katherine both there it meant there was no chance for wild sex with Rita but Sam did get to meet her and she was fully on board with the thought of sinking her fingers into those massive breasts at some time in the future.

 

Saturday morning Mrs. G, Katherine, and Erin got ready to move Jane to her friend's place in Wisconsin. Jane looked so much better after a proper night's sleep in a comfy bed and a long, hot shower. Her face still was bruised up but the worst of it was fading and, to Sam's great delight, Trillian was no longer limping either. I had not grown up with pets but Sam loved animals and she really enjoyed playing with Trillian and her little stuffed pig toy. Katherine assured us that she and Mrs. Graff would keep a close eye on the legal process and that they would do everything they could to ensure that Jane's ex would be out of circulation for a long time.

 

We walked down to the parking garage with Mrs. G, Katherine, Jane, and Rita. Katherine had her katana with her and she was clearly still on high alert. I wondered what dangers were still lurking but Katherine was definitely not talkative and I knew the futility of trying to pry information from her. We all hugged Jane before she left, being very careful since the doctor had said she probably had at least two broken ribs and Sam made sure to tell Trillian that she was a good girl and to take care of Jane.

 

Before they left, Katherine turned to look at the three of us, "I want to tell you three women how impressed I was with your handling of this situation. You followed orders but you also improvised when you needed to and you did not panic when you were faced with the very real possibility of violence."

 

Lisa looked truly shocked, "Violence? Really? All I did was help Jane into the examining room."

 

Katherine's smile was actually warm (not a common occurrence), "Lisa, I once saw trained marines freeze in horror when they first saw the devastation and human suffering caused by an earthquake. You had one thought, to get Jane to safety, and you did it well. Cindy and Sam, you two stood strong and did exactly what Erin told you to do. I have no doubt you two would have performed with honor had it been needed." She turned to Lisa, "Lisa, you have read Sun Tzu."

 

Lisa smiled proudly, "Know your enemy and turn his mind against him."

 

Katherine nodded, "Those two men were armed," Sam and I were both staring open-mouthed at Katherine, Lisa had a death-grip on my arm, "But there were also both bullies and bullies have no honor. They were faced to face with one of their greatest fears, women who were not afraid of them and who were willing to do what was required to protect Jane," Katherine locked eyes with Sam, "And to protect Trillian. They froze and, when the police arrived, the danger to all of us had passed. You girls remember this, and I've told you this before Cynthia, you are women of courage and honor. Do not let anyone, especially yourselves, tell you differently. I will see you all later." And with that she got in the Suburban and they took off; Mrs. G had purposely not told us where they were going. She had told us, "If you don't know where Jane is then no one can accuse you of lying."

 

We threaded our way out of the Loop traffic and headed down the Stevenson Expressway toward home. Lisa was in the back seat, snoring in her adorable way. Sam was very quiet for a while, looking out the window. She had only been to Chicago twice, when it came to big cities she was far more acquainted with St. Louis.

 

"Damn. That was intense; are your lives always this exciting? That was like something out of a movie."

 

"Not really. Mostly we just try to get through life and find comfy places for sex. Would you have really fired that shotgun if Erin had told you to?"

 

"Yeah, I would have. What they did to Jane was horrible but the fact that they hurt that poor dog tripped something in me. Mom once told me when I was a little girl that we have a holy obligation to take care of the animals; I remember her also reading a book to me called The Little Prince and I remember something from the book, `You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed,' and those two broke that promise and I was going to do what I had to. That gun she handed me was practically a cannon, if I had fired it at one of them if pretty much would have cut them in half at that close a range."

 

I had tears in my eyes. "Wow. I never knew you were so fierce."

 

Sam rubbed my thigh, "I hope to show you some more sometime."

 

"Oooh, I'd like that."

 

We gave Sam some proper good-bye kisses when we dropped her off at the dorm. I told her we would pick her up when we went to the store for the jambalaya ingredients on Sunday, but that for tonight Lisa and I needed some more alone time.

 

We got each other's shirts off, we were practiced enough now that we could get each other's bras off with minimal fumbling. I was slowly rubbing my nipples on Lisa's, our experiences with Holly had reminded me how sensitive they were. Lisa pushed me down onto her bed, pulled my jeans off, and the wriggled out of hers. She grabbed my wrists, pinning them to the bed, while she rubbed her white bush on mine, her breasts smashed to mine. I wrapped my legs around her, keeping her pussy smashed against mine and moaning into her mouth from all the delicious feelings. We managed to keep our orgasms relatively quiet, we didn't want to frighten her neighbors, but that did not mean they were not wonderful orgasms. Lisa's bed felt a little wider than mine (it probably wasn't) but we laid on our sides, Lisa's cheek against my chest.

 

Lisa was playing with my hair, "I hadn't realized how tense things got outside, I was so focused on getting Jane into see the doctor I didn't think about what was going on with you and Sam. Did Erin really give Sam a gun?"

 

"She really did, Sam said she has fired many guns in her life and Erin seemed good with that. I know that if it had come to it I would have gone in swinging for the fences because there was no way I was letting those two guys get anywhere near you. What really set Sam off was that that asshole had hurt Trillian, she sees our responsibility to the animals as a holy obligation, and I have zero doubt that had she and Erin opened up with those shotguns it would have been a bloodbath. I'm really glad it didn't come to that."

 

Lisa kissed me, "Me too. I'm glad we were able to help Jane, that poor woman had been through hell. She admitted to me that she had made some bad decisions but no one deserves to be brutalized like she was. If Mrs. G ever asks us to help again I'll be there for her."

 

"That's my brave sweetie." I spent quite a while stroking her white hair until she fell asleep on me (yes, she was drooling).

 

We went to church that morning, Lisa felt the need to go and that meant I was going too. We did not tell anyone about our adventures but Lisa did light a candle, "For our friends Jane and Trillian." I was happy to see Dr. Hirschhorn but I did see he was using two canes now.

 

He was cheerful, as always, "Good morning Cindy! It's good to see you today."

 

"It's good to see you too Dr. Hirschhorn, what's going on in the sky now?"

 

"I hope you and Lisa can join me on the 18^th of November, that will be the peak of the Leonid meteors, and there will a group of us watching from my back porch. Have you ever seen a meteor shower Cindy?"

 

"I never have, but I did see a single meteor when I was in Michigan last summer."

 

"You and Lisa plan on coming, I'll make sure the kettle is on so you have some tea to keep you warm."

 

"We will do our best to be there sir."

 

I had my shopping list ready and we went to the store to get what I needed for a pot of jambalaya. By now I knew the one meat market that had andouille sausage so I had that and I had by satchel full of spice jars to take with me as well; Lisa giggled when she told me I needed a toolbelt for my spices so I could be a culinary Batgirl. Now well supplied we went back by my room. Sabrina was not interested in eating with a crowd of people she didn't know when I asked her, but Sam had told me clearly that where my food went she would be there also.

 

From talking more with Sam after our amazing night at Clarissa's we decided, that unlike me and Lisa, Sam's libido varied considerably. When she was revved up she was an insatiable sex fiend, but most of the time she was just her own sweet, farm-girl self. She really didn't talk about sex at all as I was cooking, she was far more interested in what I was doing food-wise, clearly the girl was hungry. She did recap for Lisa the conversation that she had missed on the way home from Chicago while she was asleep in the back seat. I thought she would be shocked at Sam's level of fury but she was not, she totally agreed with Sam; Lisa is a sweet, loving, and kind person right up until she sees someone being deliberately cruel to someone else, especially someone who is somehow at a disadvantage. As she and Sam talked I saw that this applied to animals too; she was fully on board with the idea that our duty of care toward the animals was a promise made to God and that someone who would violate that vow would then face the full wrath of the Elf Queen.

 

The smell of food coming out of the kitchen area began drawing girls out from their rooms; by now I was a familiar and welcome sight to them. I was in the zone making my jambalaya but I did see Clarissa come in with Holly in tow. Holly was wearing her cheerleading warm-up jacket and I had to say that the green jacket set off her red hair very nicely. Clarissa introduced her to me, Lisa, and Sam and we greeted her like it was the first time we had ever met her, no big hugs, no sloppy tongue kissing, and certainly no ass grabbing. We felt sorry for her because she had to go to such lengths to hide who she really was but it was her life and she was doing the best that she could. Amber came in and she did get big hugs from Lisa and I; her eyes met Sam's and there was a distinct crackle in the air as they checked each other out. Amber was practically drooling over Holly but she was a good girl and kept her hands (as well as her tongue) to herself.

 

I took Lisa out for a movie on Friday night to celebrate her getting a part in a student production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, she would be playing Ophelia; I had a hard time following her description of the play, she said it was very avant-garde, which I took to mean "Weird for the sake of being weird." I kept the movie a surprise because I knew Lisa would probably break my eardrums squealing with delight; the movie was Malicious, and it was Molly Ringwald's first non-teenager role. True to form Lisa was squealing with delight but, and I had not known this, getting to see Molly Ringwald's tits had her rubbing her pussy right there in the theater. Unfortunately, Clarissa's parents were home for a few weeks so we went back to my room after the movie.

 

In the elevator on the way up Lisa pinned me to the wall with her boobs, grabbed my hair, and did her best to suck my tongue right out of my mouth. We were kissing all the way down the hall, no doubt the great amusement of my neighbors. Sam took one look at us and shut her door; she probably put on her headphones too. Lisa pushed me down on my bed and, and I say this without exaggeration, tore my clothes off; I was now down one t-shirt and a pair of panties because she ripped them clean off me. She spread me legs as wide as she could and dove in, mauling my wet pussy with her mouth, sucking in on my clit, and biting at my thighs. She was fully possessed by Sex-Fury Elf Queen because she didn't even slow down after my orgasm, she just kept going, pausing only to roll me over so that she could go at my ass with equal fervor.

 

Lisa grabbed the dildo from her back and ordered me to put it in and in her word "Fuck me like that naughty whore in the movie," and who was I to turn my baby down. I slide it up inside my pussy and laid on my back; Lisa lowered herself down onto the purple dildo and began to ride me, her fingers digging deep into my tits (which now had an impressive collection of fingermarks on them). I had never seen Lisa in this kind of frenzy, obviously seeing her long-time masturbation fantasy woman's breasts on the big screen had brought out her inner succubus and by now my sheets were soaking wet from her multiple orgasms and she showed no signs of slowing down. Her white hair was flying everywhere and she was demanding I slap her tits and belly, which of course I did. She rolled off of me and bent over the edge of the bed, her voice husky as she demanded, "Fuck me in the ass baby! Fuck my bitch asshole!" I lubed the dildo up and pushed it all the way in to her butt, pulling her hair to bury the full length of the plastic cock into her sexy butt. Finally, she collapsed on the bed, panting like a racehorse.

 

"Holy shit baby! I didn't think I was going to survive for a while, I thought I might have to tag in Sam or Sabrina."

 

"Was I too rough?"

 

"Not at all, I just don't have your stamina. You really liked seeing Molly Ringwald's boobs, didn't you?"

 

"I really did."

 

She laid on her back and I laid down next to her with my cheek on her breast. I could feel how soaked the sheets were, "We're going to have to change the sheets and we have to do some laundry," but my comment went unnoticed, Lisa was already asleep.

 

When I woke up in the morning Lisa was already out of bed. I got up and brushed my teeth and then, hearing the shower running, went on in. Imagine my surprise to find Lisa on her knees, her lovely face buried in Sabrina's almost hairless pussy. I got behind Sabrina, rubbing my bush on her bubble butt and kneading her nice breasts and her soft belly. Sabrina's orgasm was quiet (compared to me and Lisa) and her entire soft body shook and quivered. She kissed both of us and got out of the shower, "You girls probably need to clean up, you were pretty loud last night." We both blushed but any embarrassment did not keep up from finger-fucking each other to two more delightful orgasms.

 

Wednesday night was the opening night for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. I dressed nice, like I was going on a date; I wanted Lisa to know how special this was to me. Amber came to the show too, along with her current boyfriend Devin. I had not met him but I had seen some photos, he seemed good looking enough, and Lisa attested to Amber's satisfaction with the sex. They had both been in the marching band, he was a drummer, but apart from that they didn't have any classes together.

 

Lisa had explained the play to me many times but I still couldn't wrap my brain around it. It certainly had some funny moments, I loved the character of The Player, but having never seen Hamlet most of the story made no sense to me. I think Amber liked it better than I did, but she had told me she had seen Hamlet. I found my seat, it was next to Amber's and she introduced me to Devin.

 

Devin had a real "Preppy" look to him, turned-up collar and all; I knew should give him a chance but something about him seemed wrong to me. He looked me over and I just couldn't get a read on him. Amber was holding his hand, "Cindy this is Devin."

 

"Hi Devin, it's nice to meet you."

 

"How do you know Amber?" he asked.

 

"Her roommate, Lisa, is my girlfriend," I was so used to introducing Lisa as my girlfriend I thought nothing of it. Oh boy was I wrong this time; in hindsight I should have heard the gears in his brain grinding.

 

"Girlfriend? Does that mean you're..you're...you're gay?" His stutter was quite pronounced.

 

"Yeah, we are. We've been together since 10^th grade in high school."

 

"Oh." He really didn't say much after that.

 

After the show Lisa got a big hug from Amber and Devin rather stiffly shook her hand. I gave her some flowers, a gesture that always brings tears to those blue eyes of hers. We invited Amber and Devin to come to us to a nice coffee shop we had found, but he said "No" rather abruptly and it really seemed like he dragged Amber out of the theater.

 

As we sat, Lisa with her sticky-sweet coffee drink and me with my black Darjeeling, I had my hand on Lisa's knee under the table. "What do you think about Devin? Something just seemed off about him to me."

 

"I've only met him a few times. I know he's from the north side of Chicago and his parents are involved real estate somehow; beyond that he doesn't talk to me much.

 

On Monday were had tickets to see the pianist George Winston at Sangamon State University down in Springfield. I knew a little bit about him, I had his CD December, but Amber had seen the flyer for the concert and, loving jazz, she wanted to go. Right after our afternoon classes were over I went to pick the girls up; when I got to Lisa's room I could hear the sounds of crying through the door and all I could think was "Oh shit!"

 

Amber was sitting on her bed, crying her eyes out; Lisa was sitting next to her rubbing her back to try to comfort her. I sat on the other side of Amber doing the same. I took a deep breath and asked the obvious question, "What's wrong?"

 

Amber couldn't manage to get the words out so Lisa stepped in. "Devin broke up with her."

 

"Shit! Why?"

 

I couldn't tell whether Lisa was sad or angry or both. "It was because of us. He said he couldn't be seen dating a girl who was O.K. living with a fucking dyke."

 

Amber finally spoke, "He told me I either had to move out and live with someone else or he'd dump me. I had to choose, you two or him. I chose you and Lisa."

 

I kissed her on the forehead, "I'm sorry sweetie, I know you liked him but it means a lot you chose us."

 

"You're my friends, probably the best friends I have her at school. I'm not giving you up for some guy's dick."

 

"You still want to go to the show sweetie?"

 

"I do. Let's go."

 

And so off we went to Springfield, which was about an hour away. I thought it was a good show but Lisa and Amber, the real musicians, were amazed with his talents. Lisa was taking piano lessons and she told me she was a very long way from his level of talent. Back at Lisa's room we were quite ready for a threesome with Amber but she said she wasn't in the mood tonight and we respected her feelings.

 

Thursday night we went over to Dr. Hirschhorn's house; there were quite a few people there, some from the church choir (they all knew Lisa) and some from the astronomy department, including some of his former students. I could hear music playing in the background and I excitedly told Lisa, Amber, and Sam I had been the one who installed the system in the back yard and around the deck. I stayed away from the wine, I had class in the morning, but true to his word there was a pot of tea and I was feeling nice and warm from that, and from Lisa on one side of me and Sam on the other. Dr. Hirschhorn was in his element, explaining to everyone how this meteor shower was from debris left behind by comet Tempel-Tuttlell; he went into some serious details, most of which I did not understand. He sat by us for a little while and I introduced him to Sam and Amber.

 

"I'm glad you girls made it, I've always enjoyed seeing young people who are interested in astronomy, or who are at least polite enough to humor an old man. You'll have to forgive my sitting down; my hunk of Japanese steel is giving me pain."

 

I told my friends that Dr. Hirschhorn had been wounded during the American attack on the island of Saipan in 1944. None of us knew enough military history to know the significance of this, I decided I would ask Katherine about it. If anyone would know about a battle it would be her.

 

Sam patted my knee, "He seems like a really nice man, I'd like to have him as a professor. He really likes you Cindy."

 

I was glad it was dark so that my friends couldn't see my blushing, "His wife says he considers me an extra, long-lost grand-daughter. He's one of the smartest people I've ever met."

 

The meteors, which Dr. Hirschhorn said were, at their biggest, the size of a dime, really started about 11 and it was an awesome sight. It really looked like the sky was falling on us. Lisa whispered in my ear, "Make a wish baby," then she stuck her tongue in my ear which made me giggle.

 

We finally left about one in the morning, we had to go to class after all, but I knew I had seen something special.

 

Domestic violence is an all-to-real reality for too many women. If you or someone you know in an abusive situation please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at https://www.thehotline.org Domestic violence is a bigger problem in rural areas than may people realize. I love hearing from all of you (cattingcindy@yahoo.com) and please consider a donation to Nifty (https://donate.nifty.org)