Ann: The Married Years Ch. 53

© 2022, All rights reserved -- mimaster

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Owen had his nose pressed up against the glass of the patio door, looking outside. He kept turning his head, looking about, searching. Every once in a while he smack his tiny hand against it, and excitedly yell, "POO!"

Darren was in the room with him, and he was befuddled. "Bets, he keeps saying he has to go."

"He's not potty trained yet," she said as she looked away from the morning paper. "Besides, when he has to go, he just goes off by himself and does it quietly. He hasn't started announcing it yet."

"Well what's he saying?" he asked curiously.

Neil walked around the corner from the hallway, drying his hair with a hand towel. He was shirtless and barefoot, strolling around in a pair of snug gym shorts after just getting out of the shower.

"Thanks for letting me shower here," he said as he stood in the entry to the family room.

"Any time, sweetie," Betsy smiled.

"I'm not sure when I would have gotten into a bathroom at the Franklin's. Marlin was up early to head the woods, and before I knew it Jean followed him in the one upstairs... and Anna's in the one in the basement."

Neil and Ann were on vacation, once again visiting their folks over the Thanksgiving holiday like they had every year since they'd been married. With them alternating where they stayed between the grandparents, changing locations every trip, it was the Franklin's turn to host them. But with Marlin out early deer hunting, and the women taking their sweet time getting ready, Neil decided he didn't want to wait until after lunch to take his shower. Packing up Owen in his stroller and gathering what he'd need once he got there, Neil set out on the five block walk to his parents house.

It was a perfect fall day. The brilliant sunshine provided plenty of warmth, but it was just crisp enough to make you notice the season. That is if the piles of raked leaves along the streets or the smell of some burning in the distance didn't already give it away.

Darren's inquisitiveness got the better of him, and he questioned, "Neil, what does Owen keep saying?"

"I don't know. I was in the shower."

"He keeps pounding on the window and saying 'Poo'. What do you think he means?"

Neil laughed and said, "He's saying pool, dad. He's looking for the blow up pool that was out there in the summer."

"Oh my God," Betsy giggled. "That is so cute!"

"He remembers that?" Darren asked, his face twisted into a question mark.

Neil chuckled again. "Obviously he does. He's saying it. Hell, after what Anna told me what she saw you and mom do in it, I'm surprised not to see it out there myself."

"What?"

"Stop teasing your father, Neil. I don't want him getting skittish about that. I'm hoping to get laid tonight," Betsy replied casually.

Darren shot her a glance. "You got laid last night."

"Your point?"

"I don't have one, other than that's four nights in a row," he boasted proudly.

"That's because Anna's in town. You always get hornier when she's here. Not that I'm complaining. Like I said, I'm hoping for five! Lets keep that streak alive, dammit!"

"Anything you say, sweetie," he winked.

Neil shook his head and smiled. "My God you two are incredible."

"We like to think so," she shrugged.

"POO!" Owen shouted, banging on the glass again.

"Darren, your grandson is just going to continue doing that unless you find something else for him to focus on. Take him outside and play."

"Play? We've got work to do. C'mon Owen. Let's go rake those leaves in the backyard that I've been putting off."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Neil was standing in front of the patio door like Owen had been earlier. He was buttoning up his flannel as he watched his dad and son 'work'. Contrary to Darren's assertion, there was no raking involved.

He had put a huge sheet on the ground, staking it in place at the corners. Then, he used his electric leaf blower, and was in the midst of herding the fallen foliage onto his linen target. While doing that, he chased Owen around, blasting him with the air that was shooting out of the nozzle.

"I can hear Owen giggling over the blower," Neil commented. "I don't think I've ever seen Dad smile that big."

"He loves that boy," Betsy said as she appeared at his side, putting her arm around his waist.

He dropped his over her shoulder, hugging her tight. "He loves you guys too. I wish Anna would get here. I need the camera."

"You want to borrow ours?"

"Wrong kind."

"You want the Polaroid?"

"That's not what I meant."

"So you do want the naughty one."

"What?" he laughed.

"The Nikon. The one you use to take all those X-rated pictures of your beautiful wife."

"Oh, that one. No. We got a new one."

"Better than the 35 millimeter?"

"Not better, just different. You'll see when she gets here."

"Suit yourself. You can use our Nikon. There are just a couple of exposures left before I have to change out the roll. But not to worry. I'll be sending the film off to Rose to develop, so she can send you copies of the ones of Owen. But only those. I wouldn't want you to see your mother being a slut like your wife can be."

"Holy crap, mom! What's gotten into you? And don't you dare say dad!"

"Ha! That's funny. And true. But I already told you, your father gets really horny whenever Anna comes to visit. And that ends up having the same effect on me. I wish you all lived closer, and not just because we'd get to see Owen more."

"Somehow I don't think you're starving for sex because we live nine hours away."

"Starving? No. But the kind of sex we have gets more adventurous when you're here," she teased.

"Yeah. That's it. I'm going outside. Let me know when Anna gets here so I can get the new camera out of the van."

He didn't need to be alerted. He heard the van pull up twenty minutes later, actually coming to a screeching halt on the landing at the top of the driveway. The door slammed shut seconds later, and he could hear her heels running on the concrete as she raced around the vehicle.

She stopped, hearing her son laughing, and she called out. "NEIL! NEIL! ARE YOU IN THE BACKYARD!"

"Yeah, babe!" he answered, not nearly as loud but knowing she heard.

She ran to the gated door of the privacy fence, happy to find it unlocked; Darren having used it to bring the leaf blower and extension cord into the yard. Flying through once she opened it, she stopped to kick off her stilettos so she could run faster.

"OHMYGODOHMYGOD!" she shrieked as she closed the distance to her husband in a flash. Her smile was so wide it was a wonder she got her head through the opening in the fence.

When she got three feet away, she launched herself at him. He anticipated it and braced for impact. Her arms and legs enveloping him like she was velcro, Neil barely budged as she thumped into him.

She began kissing him wildly, giggling all the same.

"Why don't you ever greet me like that, Bets?" Darren laughed.

"You'd probably move out of the way if I tried that," she smirked.

Owen went running to his parents, hugging the side of Neil's right leg. Neil squatted down, still holding his wife aloft with his left arm around her lower back. His right hand slipped under his son's armpit and lifted him quickly, tossing him into the air. Owen giggled happily as Neil spun slightly, catching him effortlessly with his forearm under his son's rear end. He held his family off the ground, the three of them having a loving group hug.

"You wanna try that move too?" Betsy said with a heavy laugh.

"Jeez, it would have never crossed my mind to try something like that," he replied honestly. "Sometimes I forget how freakishly strong he is."

"Like his father," Betsy noted proudly.

"And his wife. She's so much like you it's like shes really your daughter."

"Shes the closest thing I'll ever have to one."

Neil set them on the ground, only then noticed that Ann had been crying recently. It was a total contradiction to how she'd acted when she'd shown up. Obviously things weren't as they might have appeared. He just wasn't sure which way her emotions were really swinging at the moment.

"What's going on, babe?"

"Oh my God, Neil! It happened! I'm finally going to be a maid of honor!"

"Matron," he grinned, correcting her.

"W... what?"

"You're married. That would make you a matron of honor."

She slugged his arm playfully and said, "Will you be serious! And don't you dare tell me you are right now."

"Okay. So, who is it... Tina?"

"Holy shit! Matt finally popped the question?" Darren replied, running with that logic.

"Huh? No... no, it's not Tina. That's how rumors start in this town, dad. You should know that."

"Then who?" Neil asked.

"Valerie! Kendrick asked her last night in front of her family. He asked Christina too!"

"Are you serious? They've only been together, what... four months?"

Betsy rolled her eyes and said, "Hello pot, meet kettle."

"What?"

Darren slapped his son playfully on the back. "How long did you date Anna before you asked her? Pretty sure it was less than a week."

"Yeah, but that was different. I couldn't let her walk out of my life."

"Apparently KT feels the same way, baby," Ann grinned.

"KT?" Betsy asked.

"Kendrick Thomas. He's my cousin," Neil joked.

Ann added, "In spirit, most definitely. They are so alike it's not even funny. Other than KT being black."

Neil circled back to something he'd just said, asking Ann, "Was there a chance she was?"

"Was what?"

"Walking out of his life?

"Well, I don't think so. But obviously things have progressed to the stage where he felt compelled to ask her. Valerie said he asked Uncle Marty for her hand over the weekend, and he blessed it. Then he asked if he could ask her at their house last night. They had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner party for friends and family. He gave Valerie a ring, and then got on his knee again and gave Christina a locket and asked her to be his stepdaughter. I'm seriously melting inside right now!"

"This is incredible."

"Is the divorce final?" Betsy wondered, knowing a bit of the backstory, but not any of the details of what Neil had done to help set her free. She certainly knew about the fact that her estranged husband Dale had raped her.

"It was expedited," Neil offered. "Sluggo didn't contest it, and the court pushed it through because of the circumstances."

Betsy was surprised by that. "Wow. I thought divorces in California took forever. I remember yours was fast, but..."

"Mom."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up an old wound."

"You didn't. I'm just trying to tell you that this was different. That's all."

"Well, how? Is it just case by case?"

Darren saw the look in his son's eyes. It was familiar. Very familiar. He'd seen it in the mirror from time to time. Touching his wife's arm, he quietly said, "Let it go, Betsy. You're being pushy. "

"Darren, stop. I'm not being pushy. I just don't... "

"Neil took care of it, Betsy," he enlightened correctly, knowing just by the look in Neil's eyes that he'd stepped up and handled the situation.

"He took care of what?"

Ann smiled, taking Betsy by the hand. "He took care of Dale, mom. He rescued Val and Christina."

"What? How?"

"He stepped the fuck up, Bets," Darren stated bluntly. That answer resonated with her. It was something Darren had preached to his kids forever, saying it exactly that way. It was practically a family motto.

Ann begged off going into it. "I'll explain it later, mom. Just know that the divorce is final, and now she's engaged." She began jumping up and down excitedly. "I'm going to be a maid of honor!"

Neil grinned. "Matron."

She raised her finger and pointed it at Neil. "Watch it, buster."

"Okay, okay. Maid."

"Thank you," she winked. "Valerie is putting her house up for sale. She and Christina are moving to his place in Lodi. He even wants her to quit cleaning houses and find a job that makes her happy. She's so in love, baby. I'm so happy for her!"

He kissed the top of her head. "I am too, babe. I am too."

Darren shrugged and said, "Me too, but break time is over. Time to get back to work, Owen." With that he turned on the leaf blower and began chasing him around the yard. Neil took off for the van.

"Where are you going?" Ann yelled.

"To the get camera!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Betsy and Darren watched as Owen ran full speed, before launching himself into the huge pile of leaves on the edge of the front yard along the road. Darren had dragged them there on the sheet, pulling up the corners to make transport simple. All he had to do was get them to the edge of the road. The town would come around with their vacuum truck and suck them up, all part of the waste management fee they paid each month.

Owen got out of the pile and headed back to his starting point, before running at the again. He got more height on his next vault into the leaves, and that had him screaming in delight.

"My God, he's such a daredevil," Betsy sighed.

"Well we know where he gets his speed from. He looks just like his mother did running at Neil. You're fast, Anna!"

"I used to be. I've gained some weight since I had Owen."

"Only in your boobs and that perfect ass of yours," Betsy quipped.

"I'm glad you said that. I was thinking it," Darren retorted.

"Thanks dad," she winked.

Betsy shook her head. "What are you... five pounds heavier than before the baby?"

"Six. But I've honestly never been in better shape."

"I'll say," both she and Darren said simultaneously.

Even with the frivolity of the moment, Ann could sense something wasn't right. Betsy seemed to be looking more at Neil than she was Owen. Neil was on the other side, down on the street, filming his son's athletic prowess with their new Panasonic Palmcorder.

They'd purchased it soon after they returned from California. It was a decision spurred on the X-rated performances they'd done on camera for Rose, who'd become a professional videographer in addition to her photography career. Neil and Ann were dabbling in the amateur variety taping, and having a lot of erotic fun doing it. Yet the vast majority of the footage they shot was of Owen. They loved capturing him as he grew up. Pictures were great, but being able to hear his voice and laughter was priceless.

Betsy was putting on a good front, but Ann's internal alarm was going off. Finally she leaned in and said, "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Nothing sweetie," she smiled pensively.

"It's me. I know better. What's going on?"

"It's... nothing. I shouldn't be upset."

"But you are. Talk to me."

"I... I can't," she said as she rushed away, heading quickly for the house.

Ann started after her, but Darren grabbed her hand, his strong grip just like her husband's. "Let her go, Ann. She just needs to cry."

"But why?"

"She'll tell you. But I promise, it's nothing you did. Or Neil. She's overreacting."

"To what?"

"Patience," he chuckled.

"God, I hate how you Thomas men make me quiver when you talk about patience."

"Relax. I don't have a dungeon, and it's too cool to use the backyard today," he chuckled.

Ann hugged him. It was incredible that she didn't have to hide who she was around her in-laws. She'd kind of pushed Betsy into being Darren's sex slave just before she left the last time she was there, and that was what he was alluding to. It was as close to a thank you that he would offer, but that he touched on the subject matter at all spoke volumes.

Still, she felt compelled to say, "You're welcome, dad."

His response was to kiss the top of her head, just like Neil had done earlier. "You're an incredible woman, Anna."

"So is Annabelle," she teased.

"I'm sure she is. And for the record, Betsy is the one that taught Neil patience. Not me. It's definitely not my strong suit."

They stayed outside for another twenty minutes, watching Owen continue to run himself ragged. When he started to tire, Ann said, "We need to eat lunch before he runs himself into a nap."

Neil turned off the camera and put it down by his side. As if it were magic, his son noticed and stopped. "Just like his mom," he chuckled.

"Not a word, Neil," she cautioned, shaking her head as she smirked.

Betsy already had lunch on the table, and they quickly got cleaned up to eat. She seemed to be in a better mood, and Ann let it go. She knew Betsy would open up when the time was right.

After lunch was done and everything was cleaned up in the kitchen, they made their way to the living room. There, Betsy already had her Christmas tree up, complete with presents under it.

"I think it's time we exchange gifts," she said.

"I thought we were doing that tonight?" Neil said, confused by the change of plans.

"Woman's prerogative," she shrugged.

Long before Neil and Ann had children... in fact, before they were even married, they'd had a conversation. Neil was talking about how he envisioned their life together. They'd been sharing their hopes and dreams of the life they would build as a couple.

Neil mentioned his beliefs about Christmas, stating that he wanted his children to wake up in their own home on Christmas morning to find presents under the tree. He quickly shot down opening gifts on Christmas eve, saying it was sacrilegious.

His view was that family would always be welcome to come out and share that joyous day, but it was important to him that their kids could just stay at home and have fun instead of being drug around to other places. He thought it robbed a bit of the magic from the occasion.

His parents and in-laws respected that, and they'd each come out to visit at Christmas at least once before Owen was born. But late December was a bit dicier to travel than late November when Neil and Ann would make their annual trip to Indiana. Once Owen was born, it occurred to the Thomases that if they made plans to go to West Virginia and they had to cancel at the last minute because of the weather, the presents they got for their grandson wouldn't be there for Christmas day. Plus, that would rob them of the joy of watching him open them.

So, they compromised, as did the Franklins. They decided to celebrate Christmas at Thanksgiving to ensure they all got to share that special time with each other. It wasn't about the day as much as it was about the togetherness as family. It was about love.

Neil didn't necessarily understand the sudden change in plans, but he accepted it for what it was. They spent the next half-hour opening presents, the vast majority of them for Owen. His grandparents had gone overboard.

At the end, Betsy slid a box across the floor to Neil, but said, "That's the last one... it's for your family."

Neil opened it, and Ann quickly recognized the emblem on the carton. "That's why you were upset."

"I really thought we were ahead of the times getting you one."

Neil looked at the packaging, and got a sexy smile on his face. One that Ann quickly took note of. "Neil?"

"This is the upgraded one I wanted, babe. The big brother with all the bells and whistles."

"The one you didn't want to splurge on?"

"Well, we had to buy all the other stuff too. The extended warranty, the carrying bag, the extra battery... blank tapes. It all adds up."

Betsy and Darren had bought them a video recorder; three models better than the entry level one they'd bought for themselves. It was actually at the other end of the spectrum, being the top of the line.

Neil opened the box like he'd never seen one before. Removing the camera from the protective packaging, he held it in his hand. Unlike the one he bought, this one was more versatile. It was also a VHS-C class, using smaller, more compact tapes that could be popped into a special VHS cassette adapter so they could be played in a standard VCR. But this one had a much bigger zoom factor on the lens, a special lighting mount, a better microphone system, easy access ports that allowed for direct hookup to a television with the provided cables, a hidden removable remote control, and the feature that Neil was most interested in.