Fire Down Below

July 27, 2022 - Kings Island Amusement Park

We arrived shortly after the park was open for admission. We had pre-paid tickets so the only 'lines' were to get into the park. The lines to enter the park were flowing normally, except for the one we were in. I left our line for a second or two trying to figure out why our line was not moving. I noticed that a distraught Hispanic woman touching her pockets trying to find something. She appeared to have misplaced something. With her were three children, all younger than my boys. A security guy got them to step out of line so the other patrons could enter. My military and EMS training encouraged me to tell my sister to take the boys in, that I would meet them inside the park in thirty minutes.

The park people just left them there. No help, no effort to console and when I stepped up to speak with the woman, all four were crying. I introduced myself and asked if I could help. When the woman looked up, I thought I recognized her? Why would that be? Where might it have happened.

"My name is Maria Alvarez - we live in Columbus, and I have saved for two years to bring my children on this trip, now I cannot find my tickets or my phone where I have the receipts. I cannot tell my children that we cannot go in because I was careless! It has been hard for them since our accident last Christmas. My husband, Hector, died, and we were in the hospital for three days. I will not make you hear about our loss - I just want to..."

"...Sir, I am sorry I did not recognize you. The hospital said that your rescue efforts may have saved my life as my broken tibia very well could have severed the femoral artery causing me to bleed out. Someone at the hospital said your wife was in that Porsche SUV - did she make it?"

"No, she was dead on the scene. She was riding with her boss who also died. Their vehicle and the Camaro were responsible for the accident. There was nothing your husband could have done to avoid the impact. Your family was one of the three in the accident that did not deserve what happened to them."

This was getting too deep. "Let's see what we can do about getting you and the kids into the park." By this point, the admission lines had mostly cleared, and I went up to the window to explain her family's dilemma. I asked if I were to pay for their admission if they found their tickets later, could they receive a refund. It was clearly against their policy, but I flashed my ID as retired military and for the Columbus fire department and got a good response indicating that they would do that, but they needed the tickets to present them before 9:00am the next morning.

With that addressed, I explained what Kings Island would do for her as we walked up to the admissions gate and passed inside. I had texted my sister to let her know that I would meet them at the Beast in 20 minutes. Then I turned and looked at Maria who was no longer crying and sad. The face I saw melted my hardened exterior. She was pretty. No, it was different than that - she was elegant with beautiful smooth skin. She was maybe 28 years old, very petite (5'2"), a 32 B bust, and the most luxurious black hair I have ever seen on a woman. Her kids were precious - they were short in stature like many Hispanics from Mexico.

They looked like they were about 2 years apart, like 7, 5, and 3? I would later learn they were small for their ages and were 9, 7, and 6. For their ages and the initial disappointment trying to enter the park, they were extremely well behaved. It was then I realized why - all three were girls!

"Maria, I texted my sister and my boys - I am going to meet them at the Beast in 20 minutes. My boys are older, and your three girls might want to ride something else, but you are welcome to join with us for the day, if you would like!"

It turned out, her older daughter wanted to ride the Beast more than anything else, but at nine years of age and short, she needed someone older to ride with her. Maria chose to wait with the two younger kids, but I could tell she was very apprehensive about riding the Beast and grateful someone else could do that in her place! That was the start of my most amazing day on the face of this earth. Between Amy and Maria and then the five kids I saw the most harmonious blending of two families from two cultures.

More amazing than having five kids under the age of fourteen who interacted like they had known each other for years. I know that was Amy's achievement. Our special 'task-master' juggled responsibilities that day. Even Maria's children looked at her like she was an angel. But there were still two very broken souls - me and Maria. Both lost our spouses that night although her loss was a nightmare while mine was a blessing that ended my long nightmare of separation from my boys.

Maria's family saved for a single day at the park and expected to return to Columbus that night to save the price of a hotel, meals, and a second admission to the park. There was a cooler in the back of the car with sandwiches and soft drinks for the return trip. As our day at the park was ending (I rode "the Beast" four times!), I had reserved two rooms at Homewood Suites so Amy could have privacy. Now recalling that night, I should have thanked Amy - she saw a chemistry and bond growing between two families that I would not recognize for at least another month. She offered her room to Maria's family and then we decided to swap so they could each have a bed for the night. Yes, we were able to use the tickets she purchased when she found her cell phone wedged between the front seat and the console.

Day two at the park was like a prolonged scene out of a romance movie. Amy was the planner and arranged our routing to make maximum use of the park's attractions. The drill sergeant (her new nickname for the day) had the kids on the move like only a middle school teacher could, up and down rows, running to beat another group to a line, and deciding what they would order from a snack bar five minutes before they got there.

Me? What was I doing? I was enjoying my conversation with Maria and learning a great deal about her. Two major things, first, Maria still had not received any payment from the liable parties in the accident and she had not received any money for her husband's life insurance. While not wealthy - barely into the middle-class - he had taken a $250,000 life insurance policy with double indemnity for accidental death. I resolved to help her move that along to help her situation. What was the second thing? Oh, I discovered I was already hopelessly in love with this woman! Much too fast you think? That is what I was saying to myself, until Maria took her girls to the restroom.

Amy came up to me and said, "Do not fight it - I can see it already - this is the woman you are meant to spend the rest of your life with! I know your last marriage reached a painful end, but you have two wonderful boys who need a mother. I cannot think of any woman that matches the decency, beauty, and love that this woman represents! It not phony, it is not a one-time thing - this is her and it is beautiful and unless I missed the signs, she already loves your boys as much as she already loves you! That is you - Mr. Fireman!"

It was time for the return trip to Columbus and Amy and all five of the kids got into my Toyota Highlander. Thank you, Mr. Toyota, for putting the third seat in the back. Trips home after a second day at an amusement park can seem long even if they are only one and a half hours long.

Maria and I got into her car - a loaner from her insurance company as they were trying to get them to pay to replace Maria's car and settle with the hospital and doctors for medical costs of the accident. Her rental was a typical, post pandemic rental - a four door Ford Focus with over 75,000 miles on it.

Amy said to meet up at our house so we can separate the families and get back to our everyday lives. She winked at me as we headed out and said, "be good Barry!" What was that all about?

Maria asked if I would drive so I took the keys from her and off we went. The others were already on the highway, I guessed ten miles ahead of us. I thought given the time of night, I would catch up with them. All I can say is I never did see their taillights until we arrived home.

We were still on the Interstate 45 miles up the road and Maria saw a rest area ahead and asked if we could stop. I knew from the happier days with my wife that women need to stop at every other rest area to 'potty.' We both took a quick break, and I must have walked ten feet in front of her heading back to the car. I was not thinking straight - 6 rides on the 'Beast' (10 for the two days) must have shaken my brain. I arrived at the car, unlocked it from the passenger side waiting for Maria so I opened the door for her, turned and I was grabbed by a 5-foot 2-inch woman pushing me down across the front seat giving me the most wonderful kisses I had experienced in my life.

The lack of affection during the final four months of my previous marriage had wounded me. Maria's passion brought back to mind the joy a man receives when another person shows their affection to them. For the rest of the ride home, I felt normal and smiled knowing I could find a woman as beautiful as Maria who would love me as I would love her. I felt it growing but unlike when I was younger, this was growing FAST.

We arrived at our home - no, not Maria's. She lived back in Columbus proper, and I know the apartment complex and her neighborhood. That bothered me - it is a high crime area but Maria and her husband had plans to move somewhere better but that ended with the death of her husband.

Now, all she can do is make ends meet. I did learn on the return trip that, other than she is a great kisser, has the most amazing size B tits, and responds nicely to being fondled and, that she has a college degree and teaches kindergarten at a small parochial school near downtown. The pay is horrible, but she feels obligated to the church and school that helped her and Hector gain their citizenship.

Maria refused me driving with her to get them home safely but agreed to call as soon as they were safe inside their apartment. I took her call 20 minutes later. We continued our call for an hour, and I was already missing her so asked her out on a date Saturday. I heard her giggle and she said "S í Señor!"

Two Spanish words demonstated a potential obstacle to our relationship. I need to start Spanish lessons. If I love her as I believe I do, I want to be part of her whole family, and most are still in Mexico.

I do not know what I would do without Amy! Friday came along and I called Maria to confirm our date and she said she had to cancel, "I can't find a dependable babysitter for the girls!" Oh shit, I thought, I did not do anything about a sitter for the boys either.

"Maria, let me check with my sister - I did not arrange anything either. Heck, this will be my first night doing anything without the boys since I regained custody almost nine months ago. Amy's apartment over our garage was complete and decorated to her tastes, so I rang the bell outside the entrance. She came to the door smiling, "This about babysitting, isn't it!"

She and Maria have been discussing me behind my back. She knew all about our planned date and my lack of preparedness for the event. When I asked about taking care of the boys, her response was, "Too much testosterone at one time. How about we balance that with Maria's 3 girls at the same time!" How could I live without my sister by my side.

I made a reservation at the Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse for Saturday and confirmed with Maria that Amy would babysit at my house. I already knew that her girls loved Amy. I have discovered that "Everyone Loves Amy." ABC even has a sitcom ready for next year starring our Amy!

On top of that discovery, Maria asked if she could come over that afternoon to get everyone settled before we went out and I agreed. It would be her first time in my house for more than taking the girls home after the Kings Island trip.

Saturday found me realizing that my home was a guy's place, meaning a pig pen! I started cleaning at 6am and was still finishing the basics around 2pm, Maria would be here in less than an hour. Time for the triple S as quickly as possible - you know: Shower, Shave, and S*** (it can go unsaid).

Maria arrived with the girls. They immediate went to Amy and the boys and headed off to her apartment to watch movies. Disney Plus is now the reigning streaming service in our household. As a single residence, no one thinks anything about five TV's all streaming something off Disney Plus at the same time.

Maria and I had the rest of the afternoon to talk, flirt, critique my bachelor's pad, and just talk about us - no questions at this point if we are a couple. Showing off my home to Amy was not my proudest moment as the wear and tear was extreme. Two pre-teen boys assure destruction of furniture and appliances. Money in our house was tight but we expected the situation to improve as we waited for insurance settlements from that night.

She was surprised to see my bedroom - the master suite of the house and the furniture that replaced the previous stuff because it was soiled by my wife's infidelity. The new stuff was very masculine, but Maria said she liked it because it was me. Then, she bounced her hand three times on the bed and told me to sit there. I figured it was time to talk, and I was ready.

When you sit and you are 220 pounds of mostly muscle, it violates the man code if you are pushed over by a woman weighing 105 pounds as she straddles you, covers your mouth with hers and starts kissing you. We were only there for five minutes, and I got to first base, then second, and third base. It would have been a close play at the plate, and I might have to slide when we heard all five kids come in the front door. Oh, the bases? No, not today's scale - think back a generation and if you still cannot figure it out, listen to "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf.

There were fast adjustments to our rumpled clothing. I panicked and did not know what to do, so I looked at Marie and confessed "I already know that I love you far more than any other person in my life. Be patient with me - I am still a broken man, but I trust you to help me become the husband you could love!" I did not know if she could see the tears in my eyes as I said that.

I was afraid of her response. Again, the question was I moving too fast? She paused and said "I will be patient, but you must know I am hopelessly in love with you as well and want to be your wife as my children would love you to be their father. I hope tonight is the beginning of a 60-year love affair!"

Before we departed for our date night, Maria went outside and met briefly with Amy. They were talking about what time to get the girls ready for bed tonight.

When we returned home that night, we agreed we were on the same pathway. As we entered the house, Amy met us at the door. It was nearing 11pm and the drill sergeant declared "The girls are in my bed and sleeping. Do not wake them up. The boys want to 'camp out' in the basement and ready to get to bed for the night. Do not wake them up. I am sleeping on the sofa in my apartment to watch the girls. If you do not do what we all want you to do, then schedule an appointment with a psychologist to get your heads examined Monday morning. Good night!"

I turned to apologize to Maria, but she was not next to me. Where did she go? I got my answer when the front door opened, and Maria came back in the house with her overnight bag. The only person that did not know she would be staying the night was me. I am sorry - I broke down - more tears but this time they were tears of joy. I no longer needed tears to show my sadness. My tears now only those of happiness. All I kept on saying was "I don't deserve this - I haven't earned your love for me yet" and could not get to my feet. I was weak. Physically strong as an ox, but still a weak man.

Maria had the words to say - "Barry, you earned the right to 'be loved' all through your life of actions. You showed your love for me as a person the night of the accident when you told me the truth about what happened. It took a strong, loving man to tell me that my husband of 10 years was deceased knowing it would hurt, but also knowing that I needed to become whole again to take care of my babies. But it is time for us to turn our love into a physical act. I have only loved one man that way in my life and I have looked forward to doing that with you since that night at the amusement park. I am sure looking forward to doing that with you tonight if you are ready. I know I am and want to do things with you that my husband would not allow me to do.

She came towards me, pulled down my dress pants and boxers, dropped to her knees and began sucking my cock. She said this was her first time. I believe her words, but tonight she wrote the book on how to please a man. My ex-wife died performing that act and she could not come close to Maria's ability to please me physically and emotionally. I had been taking care of business manually for a year and tonight, at this moment, I released a month's worth of cum in Maria's mouth.

I feared looking down, I feared seeing a look of disgust, but there she was smiling and opened her mouth to show me as cum dribbled down her cheeks when she closed her mouth, swallowed, and then scooped up the dribble and put her fingers in her mouth, licked them off, and swallowed again.

I could not be passive any longer. I embraced her, showing her my love, then lifting her body at the same time, and placed her lightly on the bed. It was my turn to please her orally. I wondered if oral stimulation was another thing her husband would not allow. I was not surprised by her reaction. "No - please, not there - it's dirty" turned into "Oh God, Oh God, unnhh, grrr, OH OH OH - NO MORE - I CAN'T BREATHE, as I saw her ball up her fists and try to press the sheets to her breasts. I was overjoyed witnessing her physical release - it went on for almost two minutes as she tried to return to a normal breathing pattern. I went back to licking, sucking, and teasing her labia and clitoris while I finger fucked her to another thundering orgasm. She tried to speak but no words came out. Each stimulus was like an electric shock taking her breath away again and again. Finally, after we had orally and manually stimulated each other for over thirty minutes, we went to the main event.

I started slowly making love, but it did not take long for Maria to ask for something else.

"One of the Kindergarten teachers I work with has been married for 27 years and she tells me that what she enjoys the most is being fucked hard. She says it makes her know that her husband wants all of her, including her body, even though she has gotten older and has gained weight. Please, this one time, tonight fuck me hard - make me know that we have mated in a way to keep our love alive!

I did what she requested. I very much want to love her tenderly, but I let my "Beast" out, like the ride at Kings Island, my passion escaped me. The physical exertion took a great deal of energy out of both of us but when we finished, she wanted the record the next time because she wants to make love like that often.

Our exhaustion made it easy to fall asleep but hard to wake up the next morning. We were both naked when Amy walked in and quickly closed the door. "If you do not want a hundred questions in five minutes, get your asses out of bed and get down to the kitchen. The kids want to eat and find out why their mom stayed here last night. Do you want me to answer that for them?"

I looked at Maria and said, "What should we tell them?"