How Did I Get Here 02: The Pause

Dad Martel set up the call for 9:00 am Paris time, which goes right to hell the moment Carmen greets her sister, Cecily.

"Hi Sis, I am glad we can now seriously discuss Chance's living situation."

Cecily explodes, "Who the hell do you think you are stealing my daughter, and her bloody name is Chancery?"

Carmen calmly, "Cecily, you beg us to take Chance for a month, and then spring this send her to LA crap. You have not given Chance any loving attention for nearly four years and are a flat-out liar. I never once complain to you about Chance whining. She's a wonderful young girl and I love every moment spent with her. Also, I phone Chance many times with you saying she is out never telling her I rang.

Carmen continues her rant, "Chance does not know anyone in LA and is scared shitless of these strange people. There is 'NO WAY IN HELL' Felix and I are taking Chance to LA, so forget that BS."

Cecily screams, "My husband says you put Chancery on a plane to LA right now, or he will have you arrested for kidnapping."

Carmen unloads, "Your husband sounds like some sick pervert, and you've happily joined him in the gutter. Chance is protected by the US Government, and we are her guardians until she's twenty-one or gets married!" winking at me.

Cecily's husband, "You don't have the right to decide anything about Cecily's daughter, so you'd better put her on a flight to LA tonight!"

Felix in an Authoritative Military Voice, "Insult my wife again, and I will personally see you buried for ten years in the deepest pit at GITMO. Chance is now under the protection of the US State Department on a 3-Year Diplomatic Visa. US State assigned guardianship to Chance's mom-Carmen, and me, a duty I take seriously.

"Firstly, neither Chance, Carmen nor I know who this LA person(s) is nor anything about him. So US State is opening an investigation and my gut feeling is he is probably a crook or drug runner. I provided State and Homeland Security the LA personal contact information you gave my wife, Carmen.

"Carmen asked me to protect her and Chance, from you lunatics. I love my wife and niece to the nth degree and will use 100% US-GOV resources to bury for life, anyone threatening them."

Dad Felix adds, "Cecily, you may visit Chance in Washington, DC at a designated US State Dept facility. But if your husband comes within 100 miles of Chance, Carmen, or our family, I promise you he will never see the light of day again!

"Finally, a copy of Chance's Diplomatic Visa and US State Protective Declaration is being emailed to you at this moment. The State Dept will also FEDEX a set of fully notarized originals to you. Do not attempt contacting Chance or Carmen, unless following the printed US State Dept instructions."

Felix Roars, "This Call Is Done!" hanging up.

Mom Carmen, Chance, and Me sit there, mouths open wide enough to catch flies. Dad Felix has always been mild-mannered during our brief history, and I am certain Carmen has not seen this military-style likeness of Felix either.

Dad Felix smiles cheekily, "I am just protecting my wife and daughters."

We three ladies maul poor dad Felix with hundreds of hugs and kisses. We thank him for loving and protecting us because Chance and I were previously gloomy about our future and afraid on many fronts.

I breathe deeply, "Dad Felix may Chance and I rest for a while to get our balance after this tension-packed call?"

Carmen quickly, "Yes girls, I also need to relax with Felix from the stress. We will tell Rose and Jaim about the call and wake you both in two hours."

***

Chance and I relax in bed talking after the Paris call just now calming down. We gather our drawings, samples, and analysis reports for new fashion ideas, meeting mom and dad Martel, Rose, and Jaim in the study.

After our one-hour presentation Rose looks at Jaim, "Wow, these two young ladies have been very busy. Mere and Chance complete a month's sewing work in ten days, also helping Mindy with B&B tasks. They're great moms to Judy and Char, then designing excellent fashion samples when the girls are asleep. I'm impressed."

Jaim agrees, "These are well-thought-out ideas, which you two can easily sew at home. Yet, you also offer to continue helping Jenny by sewing factory items when she's overwhelmed with orders."

I stand, "You are correct Jaim, it will be a heavy workload for the two of us. But this is a critical time for our company with ROSES LLC being a relatively new player in the fashion business. Look at it this way, we average fifteen hours a week helping Mindy at the B&B, so now in Nashville, we have those hours free to help Jenny!"

Chance moves closer speaking softly, "I am usually quiet having been so often beaten down and accused of being stupid by my bio-mom. I am not stupid but am a little shy in reality. I idolize you mom Carmen, and you inspire me to excellence by truly loving me. So your and dad Felix's love enthuses me to excel in everything I do."

Chance adds, "Mere and I become friends sharing our trouble(s) in life. Both our parents abandon us when we do nothing wrong. Mere's parents not only push her away but also their beautiful granddaughters, Judy and Char.

"Mere never-never considers quitting on our girls because she loves Judy and Char more than an easy life. Neither of us is the party type or extra social girl, so we plot our future(s) when alone. We work tirelessly as a team at Mindy's B&B. Our dedication to B&B work amazes Wayne and Mindy, especially our pledge to help them get the B&B ready for each new tourist season. Yet, we've never been so happy in our lives."

Chance finishes, "My final week in Paris before rushing into mom Carmen's arms is almost tragic. But I know in my heart, life will overflow with love and joy if I can just hold on to see mom Carmen again," as she breaks down in tears flinging herself into mom Carmen's arms.

Smiling widely, I add, "I keep pushing Chance and myself to prove our parent naysayers wrong, and the two of us are falling in love before we know what's happening. We talk and talk about LUST versus LOVE! We choose to love because lust usually fades at sunup, but true love is endless.

"We cement our true love by working hard for the people who love and believe in us. Mom Onna May give us dad Felix's report on helping Chance and myself be safe at the B&B, with the two of us retorting like Siamese Twins,

"We trust Dad and Mom Martel without question, knowing they love us. If they say all is going well with our being safe; end of the story."

I bring up Chance's B&B activity calendar, showing everyone how Chance develops a schedule for us to help Mindy through her busiest months next year. Chance is brilliant and just needs a good friend (soon to be her lover) standing by her side.

Then weeping, I rush into Rose and Jaim's welcoming arms. The den is serene after Chance and I open our hearts.

***

LIFE IN NASHVILLE

Chance and I settle nicely in the three-bedroom condo where, Jaim and Aim, then Rollin and Aim previously live before moving into their new homes.

Dad and mom Martel feel the condo offers excellent security for Chance, Judy, Char, and me during the next 1 or 2 years. After the dust settles from Chance and my spousal/parental abuse issues, we hope to build or buy a home near mom Onna May, Rose, and Jaim's place.

Mom Onna May suggests Rose and Jaim convert one of the bedroom suites in her wing to a project sewing room. Her wing is mostly empty since she spends nearly all her time in the main home. So Chance and I can work in mom Onna May's renovated suite, giving us a break from feeling trapped in the enclosed condo. More so, we can eat lunch with our girls several times a week which we love.

This gets me thinking maybe Chance and I should buy mom Onna May's wing next year and make a few additions. We add three rooms, one of which will be a state-of-the-art small sewing station at the rear entry, perfect for our offsite Roses fashion work.

Secondly, we expand the dining room and eat-in kitchen to include a nice size den/study. Mom Onna May's wing currently has three bedrooms, with two of them ensuite, so there are four full baths in total. For convenience, we include a half bath in the sewing room addition.

Later at our condo, Chance and I feed, bathe, and read to Judy and Char, then put them to bed for the night. We share a small glass of Fume as I tell Chance my thoughts on buying mom Onna May's wing next year and remodeling it. She is all in on my idea, suggesting we run it by Rose and Jaim for their input.

Rose and Jaim are 100% positive about our plan, bringing Jenny into the mix. The five of us decide it is a wasted effort to alter mom Onna May's third bedroom since we must remodel it a second time next year. So we need a short-term plan for Chance and my sewing space.

Chance points out, "We are talking about seven to nine months before fully moving into mom Onna May's remodeled wing. But we can add the entry-level sewing room first, which may be ready for us to sew fashion items in three months. Mere and I can work temporarily in our condo for that brief time. It's a bit stifling, so we will work three 14-hour days each week, completing our sewing quota for Jenny.

On our three 14-hour workdays, Judy can stay at mom Onna May's, with Mary and Sandi most likely joining her. Ronnie will demand Char stay nights with her, to which Rollin and Aim will happily agree. So on the three working days, Mere and I will camp out at the condo sewing like crazy and designing fashions to the max.

I add, "That's a fantastic plan babe. We're discussing these alternatives because mom Onna May loves teaching the girls. She is unhappy staying alone in her wing, so will be on cloud nine with our plan for her to live in the main house.

"Within 3 or 4 months, Chance and I have an operational state-of-the-art sewing room on family property. There will be zero commuting time for us, so Jenny can increase our sewing quotas, and we enjoy daily lunch hours with our five girls. Mom's Onna May and Nancy will have a nice midday relaxing break from teaching.

"Finally, Rose and Jaim are currently in Alexandria about 50% of the time, working with Bertha and Melody. Of course, sometimes there are work-related nite time activities (Uh Huh) in their wing, so this will be a win-win for all. Let's bring mom Onna May into the mix and move forward if she comes on board.

Mom Onna May sees where the discussion is headed three minutes into our proposal saying, "Stop right now because this is the best news I've heard since Jaim moved me from Nunnelly to Nashville."

She continues, "Jesus did not intend me as the type of person to be alone. My seven years in Nunnelly were nearly unbearable, but I am now so happy teaching Sandi, Mary, Ronnie, Judy, and Char. You all go full speed ahead with this wonderful plan and I will work out our living setup here. We have double the room needed for any three persons, so I will invite Nancy and Mary into our main home

Red light from Me, "Whoa, not so fast mom Onna May! All work and no play make you a workaholic. Chance and I accept your offer to support our renovation proposal on one condition. Once each quarter, you and mom Nancy must enjoy a few days off for purely social time together.

"You are good friends, great teachers, and very special moms. Most of us would not be in this room now, were it not for your love and devotion. Being good friends, you and Nancy share many common interests, so socialize together for a time every quarter. Go to the beach, zoo, opera, symphony, deep sea fishing, whale watching, or other activities, enjoying life for a few days. We will take special care of your students while you two wonderful ladies relax under the stars."

I sit and Chance barrels into me saying, "Moms Onna May and Nancy, I am Mere's girlfriend and love her to death. So you must do as she says every quarter, or get a spanking like me. Oops. Did I just say that?" while everyone is gleefully cracking up.

***

We are moving along at full speed on the new living plan with one slight (major) blip. Our targeted renovation for mom Onna May's wing is now a full-blown construction project. Sandi hits the roof when she learns her four sisters will live close together on mom Onna May's land. We are not thinking clearly when deciding to reorganize mom Onna May's wing, otherwise, will have anticipated Sandi's blowup.

So Jenny, Lillie, Chance, and I hold a quick pow-wow and decide to jointly purchase mom Onna May's wing from Jaim and Rose. We will remodel the wing into a 10-room stand-alone home, with direct enclosed access to Rose and Jaim's main home.

The four of us are the same age, except Chance, a little younger. Each couple has a child(s) and is good friends via working for ROSE LLC, so it's a natural solution. Jaim's developer contact works on our modified design to meet the suburban building code and his team is doing the construction.

Once this hiccup is resolved, Jaim and Rose speak quietly with me, "Mere, you're making a major decision building a home with Chance and the other ladies. I know you and Chance have not sexed it up with fingering, toys, and strapons, so we think the two of you need The Talk. Rose and I were in a similar position loving each other, so we hold a serious dialog before taking the final step; confirming our love followed by a night of wild n crazy fucking.

"You have three issues critical to your happiness, so we suggest you and Chance have The Talk! You have two delightful girls, Judy nearly 5, and Char nearly 3. Secondly, Chance is young, a few months shy of her 19^th birthday. So Chance needs to be certain she is ready for a lifetime love pledge.

"Finally, you both are recovering from very stressful abuse and anxiety issues. Your abuse was mostly physical, while Chance's abuse was mental, but emotional turmoil is just as damaging to one's healing as physical abuse.

"Personally, Rose and I think you two are perfect for each other, and Chance solidly loves your girls. But still, you ladies should talk this through before having wild sex and building homes. Remember, you are older and tougher than Chance, who adores you. Be attentive and loving in your talk, so she does not think you are trying to bail on her."

Jaim closes, "Mere, my Dad and Mom Carmen, Rollin and Aim, and Lillie and Jenny also talk seriously before their final yes, to love, sex, and marriage. So please don't stress out about it; all of us see the love you and Chance share and support you two 100% in sharing a lifetime of love.

Rose hugs me tightly, "You Got This Babe!"

***

SEVEN MINUTES (2-DAYS) IN HEAVEN

Chance and I are working tirelessly on our Rose fashions design projects and meeting Jenny's weekly sewing quotas in three exhaustive 14-hour workdays. We're also spending quality time with Judy, Char, and the triplets.

Last night, we get an urgent call from Mindy needing help with a last-minute special B&B group booking. She and Wayne did not have any prior reservations for that week and were thinking of a quick Kansas trip. Now Kansas is out the window and they need help sprucing the place up.

Dad and mom Martel agree to our helping the B&B three days next week preparing for this large group booking. But they insist Chance and I not directly interact with any guests and return home as soon as check-ins start. Mom Onna May has Judy and Char until we return, so we will have two nights under cover (literally) for thousands of 7-Minutes In Heaven Episodes!

Dad Felix's consortium's couriers drop us at the B&B, where we warmly greet Mindy and Wayne. I smile, "Wow guys, it's so great being back here and we will work hard helping out for the next three days. Dad Felix wants us mostly out of sight while getting the place ready, so we will do as much as we can from the back cottage.

Chance steps in, "Mindy, You, and Wayne helped Mere when she and her girls were alone and scared. So Mere and I decide from now forward, you are aunt Mindy and uncle Wayne to us and the girls. Okay?"

Mindy, lightly tearing up, "Wayne and I are proud to be your aunt and uncle! We set up the back-property cottage with a work area and private bed/bath section, which Felix approves."

I reply, "We can work on specific projects in the back cottage or property during daylight. Then, once the B&B perimeter gates are locked down for the evening, we will work in the main building refreshing rooms for the groups' arrival. We will work twelve-hour shifts from 11 am to 11 pm taking occasional short breaks.

Me laughing, "Then I can chase my babe around the bedroom for a few hours before falling asleep. I hope you are cool with us getting a little frisky in our free time since the next two evenings will be our first time(s) alone as a couple."

Mindy pulls us in for a warm hug, "Wayne and I were young once, so we understand. You are two of the most responsible young ladies Wayne and I know, so check out your surprise before starting to work."

Excited, Chance and I hightail it to the back cottage stopping dead in our tracks amazed by the bedroom done up in pink. We pop open the frig, greeted by two bottles of our favorite Fume. We hug, share a single wet kiss then start working on aunt Mindy's to-do list.

***

AIMEE (AIM) POV

Meanwhile back in Nashville, mom Onna May dismisses classes for the day. After their dinner with Jaim and Rose; mom Onna May, Nancy, Sandi, Mary, and Judy plan to watch a Disney movie.

Thirty minutes earlier, I collect Ronnie and Char who are now dashing all over the house. Each time Char stays over with Ronnie, I am more and more amazed at their friendship. Char follows or chases Ronnie everywhere, with peals of laughter seemingly bouncing off the walls.

The two little girls ages nearly 3 and 7 are inseparable; similarly, Judy adores Sandi and Mary. Yet, the moment Judy and Char see each other after Char spends the night, they fling their bodies into each other's arms. It is as if they're saying to the world, I am having fun with friends, but you, sis is simply the best.

Rollin comes in from work giving his three special ladies hugs. Of course, he gives his wife Aim a special soft booty tap.

Ronnie and Char quickly corral him, "Daddy, please come outside and play basketball with us?"

Aim laughs, "Sweetie, go out and shoot a few baskets with your little girls, while I finish dinner."

Rollin plays with the girls' which is hilarious with Char not even able to wrap her arms around the basketball. She runs everywhere trying to hold the ball and screaming for Ronnie to help her. Rollin calls numbers out to Ronnie guiding her around the court and basket area, with both girls playing and squealing with joy. They play around outside for an hour until dinner is ready.

Ronnie and Char come tearing into the kitchen as happy as can be. Char is giggling like crazy, "Mom Aim, Ronnie, and I play basketball with daddy Rollin and have so much fun. I love Ronnie and want daddy Rollin to play basketball with us every day."

I wash the girls up for dinner, and so my night as mommy goes. I often think about Rollin and I having children but am unsure. Daddy Rollin and granddad Martel will likely always be the primary male figures in the five girls' lives. Their moms are in solid girl-girl relationships or not dating at all, and there will never be any other males on site. So in reality, Rollin and I have 2-daughters and 3-God daughters.

Finally, I think, Rollin and I have plenty of time to decide on having children! Come on girls, I will read you a story, and then it's beddy-beddy-bye time.

***

MEREDITH (MERE'S) POV B&B-7 MINUTES OF HEAVEN