Kinetic

I did and closed my eyes, drifting in the soft pleasure and the anticipation of what would come next. Gentle fingertip caresses, drifting all across my penis and sac and thighs; it felt so nice and loving. I became fully erect almost without realizing it, she was so gentle. And then I felt a warm moisture as Melanie wetted her fingertips with her mouth and then stroked the sensitive head of my cock.

She is exquisite in leading me to orgasm. Wetting the cock, soft and gentle pulls on the shaft, lips playfully kissing the swollen head, fingers drifting down to caress my testes and spread my ass cheeks... I sighed and drifted, it felt so nice...

She knows exactly how to push me into a wonderful state of mind, aroused and sleepy, yearning for her and content with having her, both at the same time. How is that possible? ...Soft fingertips caressing and moistening my anus... as her mouth begins to take me. Other fingers exploring my sac... rolling and caressing my sensitive testicles... I drifted in the love...

Eventually the sexuality becomes so intense I start to pant, my quickening desire burning through the veneer of relaxation. Melanie knows me very well and she timed me perfectly. My hips start to thrust in rhythm with her suckling and her squeezing, her hand pulsing my erection in synch with my heartbeat, my desire for release swelling in the testes between her fingers. She feels my cock begin to quiver and lengthen as she squeezes the shaft in her palms, and she knows I'm at the edge of orgasm.

As she senses me reaching the point of no return, she pushes me over the edge. The wet finger at my anus suddenly becomes very insistent, pushing up into me, rotating within me, searching and finding its inner goal. I whimper as I start to pump and release, thrusting my hips, feeling my ejaculation spurt through my ducts and up my penis, my seed, thrusting it through Melanie's squeezing hand and as deeply into her moist suckling mouth as I can, her deep anal finger pumping every drop from my prostate. The intensity of my ejaculation overwhelms me, and I collapse spent and trembling as Melanie draws the last of my semen from me. I float and drift, soft kisses of gratitude and appreciation on my cock and sac. I only come back to reality as I realize Melanie is crying...

"Hey... You okay?"

A sniffle. "Me? Oh, I'm fine Eric. I'm so happy..."

I caressed her bare foot, watched how she curled her toes in response. "Ah... My dearest wife... What can I do for you?"

Melanie giggled. "Take me to dinner? I am a little hungry." She paused to add soft goodbye kisses to the head of my softening penis. "I loved your semen, but there wasn't enough of it!"

"Dinner? Sure... Sounds great!"

As Melanie left to get dressed, I realized something. Melanie asked me a week ago if we could abstain from intercourse until the wedding, to build up the joy and expectation. It was a little unexpected but of course I agreed. The reason it was unexpected is that Melanie is a bit of a nymphomaniac. She loves to fuck, fortunately just with me! I saw her tremble as she walked into the bathroom, and realized she was quite sexually aroused and was fighting an urge to ask me to release her. It suddenly occurred to me she is going to be an absolute firecracker on our wedding night.

Time: Tuesday, June 6, 2006 11:37 AM

I was sitting in my student office at M.I.T., cleaning out some papers and idly thinking how nice it would be to see my dad when he drove up tomorrow, when I got a call from Melanie. "Hi, what's up?"

"Eric, we have to talk. I got a letter, from Illinois."

My mind was still filled with visions of my bride walking down the aisle in four days. It took me a moment to change gears. "What? Oh hell! Your parents?!"

"No, Patty, my sister. What she says... This is so strange... Eric, we have to talk."

Chapter 16.

Time: Tuesday, June 6, 2006 12:24 PM

I took the Mass Ave. bus to Harvard and met Melanie at home. She seemed okay but a little shaken. We sat down on our new couch and she handed me the envelope from her sister. Inside was a fair-sized letter, about two and a half pages of finely handwritten text. Melanie rested her head on my shoulder as I read.

I sighed and kissed her head after I was finished. "There's so much here I don't understand."

"You mean the allusions? Yeah, she's making a lot of references to events from our childhoods. Young childhoods, three to seven years old for me... It is obscure, even to me at first... It's almost as if she were writing in code, to get passed a censor..."

"Oh..." I kissed Melanie. "She's having trouble with your parents..."

"Well, that part is obvious. But the other parts... Eric, I'll have to explain some things to you, what my childhood was like." I felt her shudder in my arms. "Some of it was pretty bizarre... and embarrassing."

I laid my head gently against hers and nodded.

Melanie frowned. "But you can see what Patty's asking for, can't you?"

"Yeah. She wants you to come and rescue her."

Melanie nodded and sighed again, returning her head to my shoulder.

"Oh hell Melanie! After four years of silence, think of the timing! I have a ton of relations showing up tomorrow, you have your Commencement on Thursday, I have mine on Friday, our wedding is on Saturday... And Patty asks you to drop everything and rescue her NOW?! Doesn't this smell the least bit suspicious?"

"Oh, I know," Melanie whispered, and then hissed, "God, I hate being manipulated!"

I stroked her arm. "So do you want to ignore this? We can, you know..."

Melanie shook her head no. "If it is a trap, and I agree that's very likely, you still have to admire the artistry... Trap or no trap, this will be in my thoughts..."

I stroked my bride's hair, caressing her ear with my fingertips. "Melanie... The Allagash can wait. If you want, how about after the wedding, we drive out to Illinois instead?"

Melanie was silent a long time and finally nodded. "Thanks Eric. I'll write to my parents, and Patty. Tell them to expect us..." I felt her shiver.

"Hey, relax pumpkin! Remember your husband to be is a god in training! We'll be okay. What could possibly happen that I can't handle?"

Time: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 10:37 AM

It's an 1100-mile drive from Cambridge to Sterling. Melanie and I debated whether to drive or fly. We also joked about me rocketing our car to Illinois with a few giga- Newtons. I could actually do it, but oh man, even at night, the risk of being seen! We finally decided on flying in something with real wings. Melanie felt like driving the rental car once we landed in Chicago.

Driving along the highway, we both felt like spies entering an enemy's territory. We had both grown up here, but the State didn't feel like home at all. I was reading Patty's letter again as Melanie drove. "Pumpkin?"

"Uh huh?"

"This line here, Patty says the toy closet taught her the April Fool's joke was on her. What does that mean?"

Melanie nodded. "It's something I only figured out a few days ago... Such a strange event... bizarre... I think I suppressed the memory... Dearest, I never had birthday parties when I was a girl. Patty did, I didn't. I used to think it was because of me, but I've come to realize it was my parents. They wanted me to be jealous of Patty. Can you see why?"

"Well... Oh hell, this sounds so sick! If you didn't like your sister, you'd be more isolated, easier to manipulate."

"Yes, exactly. If Patty and I didn't trust each other, didn't respect each other, we'd both be weaker, easier to manipulate."

"My gosh... Melanie, want to turn around? We could have dinner in Boston."

"Tempting... But there's a chance my sister really needs me..."

I nodded and patted her leg. "Ah, my beautiful bride! It's one of the many things I admire about you, your courage."

Melanie laughed, a sweet laugh filled with her playfulness and goodness. "Without a god in training by my side, I'd be scared shitless doing this!"

I briefly smiled, then watched the scenery for a while as we left Chicago. "So what's with the toy closet?"

Melanie sighed. "One thing you have to understand Eric, is that my mom really hates to be teased. She really, really hates it, and she'll carry a grudge forever if you cross her redlines about it."

"Hmm... Okay."

"When I was born, I gather my mom was teased by a bunch of her friends, about having me on April Fool's day. They laughed and said the joke was on her, to have an April Fool daughter. I found out about this my sophomore year in high school, from one of mom's former friends... I was too embarrassed to mention it to you..."

"What? But... April First? It's just a meaningless date... Just a totally stupid harmless joke..."

"Yeah, you would think. But my mother's grudges are a real piece of work. She took the teasing as humiliation... My sister Patty, when I was growing up, would always be on the lookout for something to tease me with. I remember when I turned five... It was a Saturday... I was coming in from playing with some friends. At least they wished me a Happy Birthday. I remember you Eric. You wished me a Happy Birthday. My parents were ignoring the occasion..."

"Oh hell..."

"My parents were out of the house. I found Patty alone in the living room. She was eight at the time. She looked frightened... as if she had been crying... I asked her if everything was okay..."

Melanie became silent. She drove several miles without saying anything.

"What happened then?"

"She screamed at me. Patty screamed at me. I was so shocked I didn't even understand what she was mad about at first. I finally realized she was blaming me for having my birthday on April 1'st."

I thought for a moment. "Huh? That makes no sense."

"Yeah, it sure doesn't. Patty was blaming me for causing her to be locked up in her toy closet. And then she threw something at me and ran out of the house. It was just a magazine. It didn't hurt me, but Patty threw it in real anger."

"My gosh..."

"I was alone in the house. I wasn't allowed to go into Patty's room, ever, not without her being there, even though she was allowed to go in mine. But I went to Patty's room anyway. I stood there standing by her doorway, looking into her room. All her toys were in a big pile on the floor near her bed. It was very unusual. At that time of her life, Patty was a very neat girl, fastidious..."

Melanie sighed, reliving the memories. "I stood there in the silent house, staring at the toy box. It was a bright sunny day and Patty had a corner room with lots of windows, but the room still looked dark and threatening. The toy box was huge, solid hardwood with heavy brass hinges. I started to shake, as if a monster were in the toy box. It looked evil! I was so afraid, but I couldn't leave without checking, without seeing..."

Melanie gasped. "I walked in and lifted the lid. On one side of the inside of the box, I could see... I saw scuff marks, black scuff marks where Patty had kicked the walls with her new shoes... My parents gave Patty new shoes on my birthday, just to rub it in..."

"My God Melanie... They locked your sister in a box? Why?"

"I figured it out. I finally figured it out. My parents did more than turn a blind eye to all the teasing Patty would do to me. They actually encouraged it, in subtle sorts of ways. But on my fifth birthday, Patty guessed wrong about what my mom would accept. I think Patty was trying out new ways to tease me around the house, before I came back in from playing. I think she was thinking of teasing me that I was an April Fool's joke, calling me the April Fool girl. I think my mom heard this and flipped out, seriously flipped out..."

I stared at my wife and saw tears in her eyes. "Melanie, you want me to drive?"

"No, I'm okay."

A quiet moment passed. "Pumpkin... How did you survive?"

Melanie took a deep breath. "I had you Eric. You were my dearest and best friend, even then. I couldn't talk to you about this. I was too ashamed. But just being able to play with you... I remember how I felt, when you asked me what I got for my birthday."

I sighed. "Wow... I don't remember any of this."

"Well of course not! You were only five! I never told you anything! I was too ashamed. I think I told you I hadn't opened my presents yet... Oh Eric, playing with you, it was my lifeline to sanity. You were always so kind to me, so accepting, even when the older kids would mock me..."

"Mock you?"

"Friends of Patty... My parents selected well. Patty had a few regular friends who were always over. Patty would treat me like a doormat, in front of her friends and in full view of my parents. My parents would completely ignore the sarcasms and the putdowns... You know how kids like to imitate... Here was a chance to try being cruel to someone and get away with it."

I rested my hand lightly on my wife's shoulder, just to have some physical contact with her. We drove the rest of the way in silence. Eventually Melanie exited the Interstate and we started heading north on First Avenue. We would be at her parents' house within twenty minutes.

Chapter 17.

Time: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 11:57 AM

We had promised Melanie's parents we would show up at noon, and Melanie pulled into their driveway just a few minutes early. We were astonished by what we saw. Melanie's parents had a gigantic white tent erected in their backyard and were catering a large party. The party was for us.

We received warm greetings from both parents, and Patty spent a long time hugging both of us. Remarkably, the party wasn't just for the upper-crust circle of friends that Melanie's parents hang out with. Many of our true friends from Sterling High had been invited, and it was so delightful seeing them, Melanie and I actually started to relax and have a good time. In the back of my mind, I felt a distant pang of worry that I was letting my guard down, but there was no visible danger. I decided that just keeping alert was all that was necessary for the occasion. And it was so nice to see all our old friends.

It was a very pleasant afternoon. A rather amusing moment occurred when a jeweler friend of Melanie's dad got a close look at Melanie's engagement ring. He was flabbergasted by the visible quality of diamonds, and I couldn't help but smile at what his reaction would be if he saw them under a microscope. He pleaded with Melanie several times to divulge from where the ring was purchased, but Melanie politely declined, saying the ring's origin was a marital secret.

Our old friends congratulated me for my Bachelors from M.I.T. and my upcoming Masters program, but they were captivated with the thought of Melanie being accepted to Harvard Medical School. With her parents mixing with a large circle of friends around her, Melanie began to be peppered with questions about the program.

"How long will it last?"

"I'll get my M.D. in four years, and have an optional fifth year to do research before I start my internship."

"Are you going into research then?"

"No, my particular program is oriented around case-based care. I'll be connected with Children's Hospital in Boston. It's a pediatric teaching hospital."

"Wow Melanie! Harvard Medical School! It must have been so difficult to get into!"

"Oh yeah! Close to six thousand applicants this year, for a total of 165 seats; it was quite an honor being accepted."

"Isn't it hugely expensive?"

"Oh, gosh yes! Just the tuition and mandatory fees are about $41,000 this year. That's not including living expenses."

"Wow! And your parents are paying for that?"

Melanie looked over to the person asking the question. It was a person she just knew dimly from high school, and Melanie decided it was just an innocent question. She glanced at her parents. They both seemed relaxed and unconcerned that the question had been asked. Melanie thought for a moment for a diplomatic answer.

"Well, my husband and I are trying to do this with our own resources. We have a combination of scholarships and student loans arranged. Eric has a research grant that covers all his expenses."

"But wait!" another voice called out. "Didn't I hear you bought a condo in Cambridge too?! How could you do that?!"

Melanie smiled. "Actually, the living costs aren't that much different. Some of the rooms in Vanderbilt Hall are close to $7,000 a year. Grad student housing for Eric wouldn't be quite that expensive, but when you throw in the costs of meal plans for two people, having a condo was quite competitive."

Still another voice called out, "I still don't understand how you got a mortgage! What'd you two do, rob a bank?"

Melanie was magnificent. She laughed good-naturedly and deflected the question. "Oh, I've guess Eric and I have been tempted!" And then she steered the conversation back to the medical program.

It was a delightful afternoon, nothing what we were expecting. The party broke up shortly before dinner. Melanie and I were shown our room, Melanie's old bedroom. There was a new king-sized bed squeezed into it, the door would barely close. Melanie's dad took me aside and gave me a tour of the house as the caterers cleaned up after the party outside. Afterwards the five of us sat around in the spacious living room and heard the last of the caterer's trucks drive off. Melanie and I were both feeling a bit bewildered, wondering what would happen next.

We sat around and chatted. The conversations stayed on current topics, no one appeared to want to broach the subject of what had happened four years ago. Melanie's mom even asked me politely if she could call me son. I gulped and felt very awkward, glancing at Melanie for guidance. She had an expression on her face I couldn't read, which was damn unusual. I finally smiled back and said sure. But I must say, when they served a light dinner later in the evening, I couldn't help but use my sense-sphere to scan the food for poison. It was fine.

Over after-dinner brandy, Melanie's dad returned to the party's conversation about our college costs. "Eric, I wouldn't expect you to get into particulars with the public about your finances, but now that you're with family, how are you and my daughter managing?"

I tried to speak in generalities, but Melanie's dad politely and skillfully pressed me for details. I looked over to Melanie for guidance. I saw a look of bewilderment in her eyes, and then she signaled me it would be okay with her if I talked. So, I cleared my throat and looked back at her father, and decided to tell the truth.

"Well, right now we have about $100k outstanding in student loans."

"So little? Excellent son!" said Melanie's mom. "We were afraid it would be much higher! But now you'll have more bills for Melanie's medical school, right?"

"Well, the $100k includes the debt for the first year of med-school, but yeah, five years from now, it'll probably be around $200k. I plan to go to work after I get my Masters. We think we can keep the student loans manageable until Melanie begins her practice."

"And your mortgage?" asked her dad. "How did you manage that?" He chuckled. "Professional curiosity! What sort of loan did you get?"

Melanie looked at me. I nodded, and she began to speak. "We put down 25% and borrowed $300k, at 5.9%, 15-year fixed. Eric's dad co-signed the loan. It was part of his wedding present to us."

"Ah, excellent," nodded her dad. "You kids are in better shape financially than I would have thought. But still, you're looking at a half-million in debt starting off five years from now, right?"

"Yeah, about that I guess." I said. I was feeling very uncomfortable, wondering where this conversation was heading. And then Melanie's mom dropped the bombshell.

"Well, we'd like to help. Benjamin and I have written to Harvard and told them we like to help pay for Melanie's tuition."