A Penny Saved is a Love Earned Pt. 02

The longer I lay there, the more I thought about the reasons I'd gotten angry with Penny. To be totally honest, I was throwing a childish fit, which made laugh at my own dumb ass. However, while I wasn't holding her totally responsible for the argument; she wasn't about to get away with being totally blameless either. Part of it was because of Megan, whom I've already informed you of the fact that not only was she a consummate shit starter, but relished in the fact that she was pretty damn good at it, with her silly ass.

I had a fairly decent selection of music aboard the boat, and once the Emerson Lake & Palmer album was finished, I put in the "Some Girls" album by The Rolling Stones, which is a great album by the way, and soon thereafter, was rocking right along with them.

~~~~~~

As I lay there on my stomach in order to get some sun on my back, my thoughts drifted back to Penelope, well, actually my thoughts of her were never far away. With that in mind, I finally admitted to myself that I was not only fully and totally, but very sweetly and tenderly in love with her, and that together; we'd begun a voyage from which there was no return, well, no return at least as far as I was concerned anyway.

I knew that I should call her and apologize, but something inside of me told me to at least wait until the next day; that way, I felt that she'd have more time to cool off...if she was pissed off at me. I'd been sitting in the sun for almost two hours by this time, and while there was no current in the secluded cove, it also meant that there was no breeze either.

And after raising the anchor, I moved the boat out onto the open lake and cruised from one end and halfway to the other before turning around and heading back. Traveling at speed of about twelve to fifteen knots was more than fast enough to cool me down, as well as dropping anchor in different places in order to be able to jump into the water and swim for a little while.

~~~~~~

I hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast at Mom and Dad's that morning, and because I knew my way around that lake like the back of my hand, I also realized that, much to my delight I might add, I was near one of the marinas that I liked to eat at on occasion. The restaurant within the nearby marina was a small place called "Blue Sally's Pub", and the reason that I liked to eat there was because they served southern fried pork chops that were a little over and inch and a half thick and as big around as my hand. The owner of the restaurant, who was a very sweet little old gal named Sally (Imagine that!), double breaded each pork chop, as a mater of fact she did it by hand, and then dropped into a deep fryer.

After cooking them until the crust was a nice rich golden color, Sally gave the chops time to properly drain, as well as cool off a bit. And then she would serve two pork chops per serving as well as three side dishes, my favorites being a baked potato with tons of butter, salt and pepper, and then red beans and cornbread. It was just enough to fill me up without leaving me feeling "stuffed" if you know what I mean. All of that was chased down with a cold glass of unsweet iced tea, served in a frosted quart sized "Mason™" jar; and for desert I had a chocolate brownie with a giant scoop of home made vanilla ice cream on top of it, man, talk about good, Mmm.

~~~~~~

The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) took on the responsibilities of, and was considered to be the same as a game warden in many other states in the U.S. Over the years of fishing, skiing and SCUBA diving in and around Nashville, I befriended three or four agents within the TWRA, and could pretty much fish and dive in many places that were "off limits" to other sportsmen. However, this particular evening I was at the fuel docks topping off my tanks, when Agent Michael "Mike" Hatcher, who was also one of my afore mentioned friends in the TWRA, as well as a long time family friend, pulled his boat up across the dock from me. And after shutting off his engine, he tied off and waited on the dock attendant to begin fuelling his craft.

"Hey, Bryan," Mike smiled, "How're you doin bro?"

"I'm a lot better now, man," I grinned, "Thanks for asking."

"Your Dad told me about the accident," he replied, "He said you were lucky that you didn't get killed."

"He's right," I said, "It sure got my attention, that's for damn sure."

"Oh, that reminds me," Mike suddenly replied, "Your sister called our office a couple of hours ago. She asked us to keep an eye out for you, and if any of us saw you, she asked us to tell you that she wants you to call her."

"Thanks, Mike," I smiled, while handing the dock attendant the money for the fuel, "I appreciate you letting me know."

"No problem," he smiled, as I cast off, "But you better call her, because if you don't she'll be pissed off at me."

"I wouldn't worry about her," I grinned, "Her bark is a lot worse than her bite."

~~~~~~

I'd had enough time to cool off by now, but I still wasn't going to call Megan or Penny for that matter. I know that Penny was only trying to be nice, but my sister had been a total bitch even though I was only kidding with her. I figured that I'd give them both time to think about our previous conversation before I said anything to either one of them...and God knows how long that was going to be.

~~~~~~

That night I chose to anchor in a cove which, while it wasn't small or secluded, was big enough, yet shallow enough to firmly hold my boat in place once the anchor had taken a bite into the lake bottom.

~~~~~~

That night as I slept, I dreamed that I was back in that forest in my past dream, only this time everything was quiet and serene. I came upon a small stream and I bent down and took a drink of the cool, clear water.

When I looked back at the stream I saw the reflection of someone standing behind me. In fright I spun around, my butt in the dirt, to find Nala once again standing before me.

"Hello, Bryan," she smiled, dressed the same as before only this time her voice was like music to my ears, "I feel conflict within you, my son."

"Nala," I said, rising to my feet, "What're you doing here?"

"Come," she smiled, taking my hand, "Let us walk trough this beautiful forest while we talk."

"You look like someone that I know but can't remember," I said, "Who are you, Nala?"

"I was once a mother," she began, "And my life was taken from me before I could fulfill my destiny. That destiny was to see that Penelope grew into a woman. While her mind and body certainly grew up, she lost her soul along the way. You are the only one who can help her find it now, Bryan. She needs you more than you know. I feel with my own heart, the feelings you have for her in yours, and this was destined to be long before any of us were ever born to Mother Earth. You see, Bryan, I was her mother, and because I can't be there for her anymore, it is up to you to be there for her now. She needs you....and you need her....you know I'm speaking the truth....don't lose her, Bryan.......You are her destiny, and she is yours....." and then everything faded into white.

~~~~~~

I opened my eyes to find myself back aboard my boat, just as the sun was beginning to rise, and feeling more refreshed than I could ever recall feeling...ever. The first thoughts that came to mind were those of my beautiful Penelope, and that I should call her.

As I've always done since I was in college, I put my coffee maker on a timer the night before so; as soon as I walked into the galley, the rich smell of brewed coffee filled my nostrils making me smile as I poured a cup. And as I sat out on my back deck that morning listening to the sounds of Mother Nature, my soul quietly spoke to me, allowing me to find peace within myself once again.

I thought of my dream and how I'd seen Nala again, only this time it dawned on me that she'd previously reminded me of someone I knew. She was Penelope's mother. My God, how could that be? I mean, Penelope had told me that she was killed a little less than thirty years ago. It was then that I decided to call Penelope and settle this shit once and for all.

However, I don't know how, but I somehow knew that I was going to have be very gentle with her when it came to talking to her about her mother. And I was very sure that Penelope would think I was crazy if I told her that I'd dreamed about her as well. Man, how did I manage to get myself into this shit? I loved Penelope with all my heart; that much was certain. But I found myself in a conundrum in which both mine and Penelope's hearts...and her soul, were hanging in the balance.

Because I knew that he would be up at this hour and also because I'd confided in him in the past and was never once ridiculed or made fun of, I decided to call Dad's brother, my uncle, Marshall Rogers. He was the only person in the world that I'd shared everything with, and had always been given his wise counsel.

"Hello," he cheerily answered his phone.

"Hi, Uncle Marshall," I smiled, "It's me, Bryan."

"Well, hey boy," he grinned, "What in the hell are you doing up at this hour, aren't you supposed to be at home taking it easy?

"That's the thing, Uncle Marshall," I replied, "I really need to talk to you about something, but I need to tell you in person, because it's really important."

"Okay," he smiled, "Where are you?"

"I'm in my boat," I replied, "I can meet you at Saunders Ferry park in forty-five minutes. Is that okay?"

"Okay, Bry," he chuckled, "Ill meet you there. But you better have some coffee ready when I get there."

"It's already done," I grinned, "I'll see you in a bit."

~~~~~~

Let me take a moment to tell you about Uncle Marshall. He was a Navy SEAL that served four tours in Vietnam, and was the wisest man that I've ever known. He stood an even six feet tall, weighed somewhere around two hundred and twenty pounds, and had come back home from Vietnam for good in nineteen seventy-one when I was eleven years old.

He'd been a positive influence on me as a boy and helped me through the angst of my teenage years. But most of all, the moment I left Vicky it had been Uncle Marshall that had been right there for me before anyone else. I loved him as an Uncle, but even moreso as a friend, a very wise friend.

~~~~~~

"Hey, kiddo," Uncle Marshall smiled, waiting for me on the dock when I pulled in, "It sure is good to see ya, boy."

"Hi, Uncle Marshall," I grinned, "Climb aboard."

I drove us back out into the lake not far from the park and weighed anchor. And then after retrieving a cup of coffee from the galley, I brought it back up on deck and handed it to Uncle Marshal, who said, "What is it you need to tell me, Bryan?"

I told him everything, including the dreams of Nala, as well as every word she'd said to me in both dreams. I also told him how much I'd come to love Penelope, as well as telling him everything that had taken place between us since I'd known her.

However, when I told him about her one nightmare I'd born witness to, as well as the fact that Penelope admitted me that she'd been having those nightmares for years; he looked at me and said, "It sounds to me like she suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or as it's now called, PTSD."

"What can be done about it?" I asked, "Is it something that can be cured?"

"Not really," he solemnly replied, looking out across the lake, "But you learn to live with it for the most part." Then he turned to look me in the eyes and asked, "Do you love her, Bryan, I mean, do you really love her?"

"Yes," I said, "I love her with all my heart, Uncle Marshall. I think, no, I know that I'd die if something were to happen to her," tears filling my eyes at the thought of such a thing.

"Alright then," he smiled, "This is what I'd do if I were you......."

~~~~~~

After I'd taken Uncle Marshall back to the park, I headed toward the dam and lock where I would be making my way down river to Rock Harbor Marina. It was while I was on my way to the dam that I decided to call Penny.

"Hello," she sleepily answered the phone.

"Hi, sweetie," I humbly replied, "I'm really sorry about the way I acted yesterday."

"Don't worry about it," she sweetly said, "Besides, Megan said that you don't stay mad very long, and that you would probably be back sometime today."

"Is it alright if I come over there?"

"Of course it is," she giggled, "Where are you?"

"I'm on the lake," I grinned, "And I can be at your house in about an hour or so."

"I'll be waiting," she purred, "I love you, Bryan."

"I love you, too, and I'll see you soon."

~~~~~~

"Hi, baby," Penelope warmly greeted me at her front door, "I missed not being able to sleep next to you last night."

"I know," I smiled, holding her closely to me, "I missed you, too."

"Have you talked to Megan yet?" she asked, "I called her right after I talked to you earlier. I hope that's alright."

"Its fine," I replied, "And no, I haven't talked to her since yesterday."

"You should call her, Bryan," she smiled, "She loves you very much."

"I will," I grinned, "I promise."

"I need you to do something for me, Bryan," she said, suddenly stepping away from me, "And I want you to do it without asking me any questions."

"I'll do what ever you want, "I told her, "What is it."

"Why don't I do this first," she seductively grinned, as she opened her robe and dropped it on the floor, revealing that she was naked beneath it, "And I think that you can figure out the rest on your own," and then she ran giggling down the hall to her bedroom."

~~~~~~

As I walked into her room, I beheld the most beautiful vision I'd ever seen. Penelope was lying on her back, her arms reaching out to me and her legs spread; and I was mesmerized just by simply looking at her.

She had turned the overhead light off and the room was illuminated by her small bedside lamp. Three large candles placed in strategic locations throughout the room emitted a soft glow, making for a sensual atmosphere.

"I need you, baby," Penny purred, "Take off those clothes and come make love to me, Bryan. I love you so much."

Needless to say, I was out of my clothes and into her bed in half a heartbeat. And the moment my skin touched hers, I also felt the love pouring out of her and into me. She looked so beautiful and her body was perfect. And like I've already said, I could try to explain what I was feeling, but there are no words that could even begin to describe it.

I tasted her lips and my already hard cock felt like it was growing in both length and girth. I kissed my way down her throat and onto her chest, and the moment I took the rubbery hardness of her nipple into my mouth, I heard her hiss as she gasped from the pleasure I knew she was feeling.

However, when I began to kiss my way down her stomach, toward her pussy, she pulled up on my shoulders and whispered, "I want you to fuck me, Bryan. No foreplay, baby, just put that beautiful cock in my wet pussy and fuck the shit out of me."

I placed the head of my cock at the entrance of her vagina and then slowly began to put it in no deeper than the head, slowly moving it in and out. And when I pushed back in, Penelope grabbed my ass with both hands, and then pushing her hips up to meet mine as she pulled me toward her; she looked into my eyes and groaned, "Fuck me, baby, Ooo, Yeah, I want it hard and fast."

I gave her what she wanted when I shoved the entire length of my cock into her molten pussy, eliciting a loud groan from the both of us. "Damn, baby," I moaned, as I began to pump my cock into her at a more rapid pace, "You're so beautiful, and you feel so good."

"Oh, Yesss," she wailed, her orgasm beginning its approach, "OH, GOD, YEEESSS. FUCK ME, BABY. YEAH, OH, FUCK YEAH. OOOOOHHH, GOD, I'M CUMMING BABY, GOD YES, FASTER, FASTER, YEAH OH SHIT HERE IT CUMS.OH, OH, OOOOOOOOOHHHH FUUUUUCCKKKK MEEEEE."

"Oh, shit," I groaned, "I'm cumming, too," and then my cock began to squirt shot after shot of scalding hot sperm deep inside of her, splashing off her cervix as I filled her womb with my seed."

~~~~~~

"Holy cow," Penny smiled, as we cuddled together after making love, "You made me cum so fast. Damn....that was good."

"Now that you mention it, you did cum awfully fast," I chuckled, "What was that all about?"

"I get so worked up just thinking about you, baby," she bashfully admitted, "I had to masturbate three times last night before I could get to sleep, and then when I woke up this morning I was dripping wet."

"Mmm," I sighed, pulling her naked tits against my bare chest, "I think I like the sound of that."

"That's because you love me," she sweetly giggled, "And because you're a dirty boy, too."

"You're right, I am a dirty boy sometimes, I guess," I playfully teased, "But I love you with all my heart, Penny, I swear by all that's holy that I do."

I know you do, baby," she tenderly replied, placing her arms around my neck and kissing my lips, "You're the best of everything I've ever known."

"If that's the case," I said, "Then there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it, baby?" she sweetly asked, "You know that you can tell me anything."

"It's about your dreams," I solemnly replied, "Or should I say...your nightmares."

"I don't think that's any of your business, Bryan," she flatly said, "And if you value these beautiful feelings we have for each other....then you'll never speak about this again.

"I do value our love, baby girl," I softly said, "That's why we need to talk about this. Please try and understand."

"Oh, I understand just fine," she now angrily replied, tears beginning to fill her eyes, "And like I've already told you, I don't want to talk about it, God dammit."

"You're in denial, and you'll never be free of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder you're suffering from," I heatedly told her, "But until you deal with it, you'll always be a prisoner....a prisoner of your own stubbornness...Doctor."

"That's such bullshit," she seethed, "And it's called PTSD, stupid ass."

"Who're you calling stupid," I angrily spat, "You're the one who won't listen to reason, you hateful bitch."

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about," she viciously growled, "So, why don't you get the hell out of my house, you fucking asshole, and don't ever come back?"

"That's fine with me," I quietly said, as I dressed myself, and then as I turned to leave, I looked back and said, "I'm really sorry, Penelope. This could've been something so sweet and beautiful, but..." and then my own pain began to overtake my heart, leaving me speechless, with neither the strength nor the ability to turn and walk away....But I did it anyway.....

~~~~~~

As I drove back home, all of the shadows of my past came boiling back to the surface of my heart. And as the tears began to silently rain down my face, I made a solemn vow to never open my heart to anyone ever again.

~~~~~~

I pulled into my driveway to find both Megan and Sam sitting on my front porch with cold drinks in their hands, almost as if they were awaiting my arrival.

"Hi, little brother," Megan cautiously said, while slowly approaching me, "Are you still mad at me?"

"No", I expressionlessly replied, "I'm not mad, and I'm sorry for getting in your ass like I did," and then I blankly turned and walked into the house, and then down the hall to my room, closing the door behind me.

~~~~~~

I felt tired, weak, and emotionally drained, and the only thing I felt like doing at that moment was to curl up on my bed and cry myself to sleep.

~~~~~~

When I woke up it was dark outside, and even though I'd slept all day long, I still felt tired and worn out. I decided to turn on my television so that maybe it would lull me back to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come due to my stomach growling, reminding me that not only had I slept the day away, I'd also not eaten anything since the night before.