O'Malley's Angel

Laura tipped the cab driver and pulled her travel suitcase and laptop case out of the taxi. She didn't really pay attention to the orange flyer stuck to the front door. People were always peddling some kind of crap. As she waited for the elevator, her eye caught the name, Angie's Place on the flyer next to the elevator. She grabbed the paper and discovered there was to be a charity concert in Lincoln Park that Saturday to benefit the children of women living in the city's shelters. Angie's Place, the shelter she supported, was hosting the event. Food was to be provided by O'Malley's and Sam Adams brewery. Entertainment was to be provided by Saturday Night Special. She remembered that was the name of the group Tom had been in with Clarence and Bobby. She ran upstairs to call Marion.

The weather on Saturday was picture perfect, just a perfect spring day in Bean Town. It was sunny with a cool breeze. Entrance to the concert was $15, and booths were set up to sell food and drinks. There were clowns and games for kids. The concert was to get started at 3:00.

Tom was in the eye of the storm of activity, but he kept a wary eye out for Laura, hoping her curiosity would get the best of her. He even brought along a piano that was miked and ready on stage.

At 3:00, Marion took the stage to welcome the crowd, which she was delighted to say was over a thousand strong. Between all the participants, they had been able to garner some pretty fair publicity, and Matty informed everyone along the way that he thought they should make this an annual event.

"I'd like to welcome everyone to the first annual Concert in the Park for the shelter kids. First, to our sponsors, Fleming Brothers Construction, Sam Adams Brewery, Sound Factory Productions, K-Rock 104 and O'Malley's Irish Pub, I and all my sisters in this cause give our heartiest blessings and thanks ..." She was interrupted by a rousing round of applause from the supportive crowd. "I'd also like to thank Saturday Night Special for providing our music ..." Even more raucous applause erupted. "And, last, my deepest gratitude goes to Mr. Tom Callahan for conceiving this event, working tirelessly to make it happen, and for his generous support of our cause. Tom?" She motioned for him to come up to the mike. He was embarrassed by the adulation and had to be coaxed by the crowd to come say a few words. About two-thirds of the way back in the crowd, a pretty, shy brunette laughed to herself at his awkwardness.

"Uhm, I didn't know I was gonna have to speak or I probably would have skipped the whole thing," Tom said to general laughter from the crowd. "One of the great privileges I've had in helping put this event together is getting to know this amazing woman and to witness first-hand the miracles that are an everyday occurrence at Angie's Place and all the other shelters that help families in crisis. They are the stars of this event, and it's my honor to perform on their behalf." The crowd exploded in a cheer as Tom grabbed a bunch of roses stashed on the side, handed them to Marion, and gave her a big hug. Marion put her arm around Tom, held up the flowers, kissed him on the cheek and walked off the stage.

A large group of kids from the various shelters quickly assembled at the front of the stage while the band got ready to play.

Tom took the mike again and said, "We've got a special treat to kick off the concert, but we seem to be missing one person if she's in the crowd." He shielded his eyes and surveyed the crowd.

"There she is!" screamed Jimmy Taylor, one of kids from Angie's Place when he saw Laura. Jimmy jumped off the stage and ran so fast to her that she didn't have time to react. Jimmy grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the stage as the crowd cheered.

"What are you doing to me?" she hissed at Tom as Jimmy pulled her all the way to the piano. Tom howled with laughter. Laura had no choice but to smile to the crowd and sit at the piano. Tom laughed even harder when he saw her take off her shoes.

Tom looked at Candace Gentry, the girl who was standing patiently at the mike waiting for her cue. Tom smiled, winked at her, and nodded.

"Some time in our lives we all have pain. We all have sorrow," she sang out as the children's chorus hummed in the background. The crowd let out a huge ovation as Candace's powerful voice lifted them off their feet. "But, if we are wise, we know that there's always tomorrow."

Tom walked to center stage with Candace and belted out a soulful, "Lean on me, when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on." The chorus sang with him, and the crowd clapped in unison. "For it won't be long 'til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on."

Candace let it fly on the next verse. At the end, Dave Stewart launched into a brief drum riff, and the whole band joined Tom of the next chorus. He looked over and saw the enormous smile spread across Laura's face and winked at her before turning back to the crowd and singing the next chorus. The music and the energy built to the last chorus when Tom pointed the mike at the crowd and got them to join in the singing. Clarence came down to the front of the stage and blew the roof off with a sax solo while the crowd sang. He was followed by Bobby, who laid down some serious licks on the guitar. The band then, turned to Laura, who now needed no more encouragement. The crowd sang the chorus over and over while she played a breathtaking blues jam. Tom nearly exploded with pride.

The group played all kinds of songs all afternoon. The crowd rarely left their feet as they danced and swayed to the music. Of course, one of the highlights was when Laura burst forth on "Angry Young Man." The concert ended with Bruce Springsteen's, "The Rising." The song was written in response to the 9-11 attacks, and Tom thought the metaphor of hope and rebuilding was the perfect way to end a concert in honor of organizations that help rebuild families.

Tom, of course, sang the verses. The kids sang the chorus, "Come on up for the rising. Come on up; lay your hand in mine. Come on up for the rising. Come on up for the rising tonight." The energy built through the song throughout the song, and Clarence took the instrumental spotlight with his wicked sax. When the band came to the last chorus, the kids sang and spread throughout the crowd dancing and twirling. The crowd joined in one the "Li-Lis," and the chorus was repeated several times because no one really wanted the concert to end. Tom called all the directors of the shelters and their staffs on stage to take the spotlight as the music built. Finally, reluctantly, Tom gave the band the signal to bring the song to a rousing end. The crowd cheered and cheered as Tom brought all the musicians to the front of the stage to hold hands and take repeated bows. As soon as they all held their hands up for one last ovation, Tom pulled Laura to him and kissed her with the power of a thousand suns. She had no strength or desire to hold him off at that point and melted into his arms in a passionate embrace. Marion beamed and wiped a tear from her eye as she watched them. They eventually broke their embrace and bowed one last time before taking their last bow with the band and running off stage.

The promotions director for K-Rock ran up to Tom the moment he walked down the back stairs and shouted, "You guys are fucking great! I know you pulled this first event together kind of quickly, but next year, you're gonna need a way bigger venue. Congratulations!"

Marion came up to give Tom a long, long hug and to thank him. "You helped raise over $350,000 dollars today, Tom. A lot of families will get a second chance because of what you did today. Thank you," she said as she held his face in her hands. Then, she turned to Laura and said, "And, you, my darling were magnificent!" She gave Laura another long hug, and Laura laid her head on Marion's shoulder.

Jubilant people were milling all around, talking, congratulating, and giving out hugs. Laura grabbed Tom's hand and pulled him off to the side, behind the stage. She grinned at him and asked, "So, do you always do this just to get a girl's attention?"

He threw his head back laughing. "No ... no I don't. It took a pretty incredible girl to motivate me to pull this together."

She hugged him and placed her head against his chest. "I'm sorry, Tom. I shouldn't have run away that night. I ... just ..."

He pulled her away from him so he could look into her eyes. "It's okay, Laura. That's ancient history. The only thing I care about right now is being here with you ... unless you think you might run away again."

"The only running I want to do anymore is run into your arms," she said as she clutched him to her. Tom held her close and kissed the top of her head.

Sam Adams donated some extra money to hold a reception for the principals at O'Malley's later that night. Tom and Laura were like kids, holding hands, giggling, and playing together on the piano, oblivious to everything else.

Later, when Tom escorted her home, something was different. She felt like they were a couple. Laura's defenses had been obliterated by the immense love she felt from Tom. At her door, Tom brushed her hair with his hand and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow ... or today ... or whenever." This time, Laura was the one who wouldn't let go. He looked down at their hands and followed the path up her arm to her eyes. Her head was cocked, and she was smiling. She pulled Tom with her into the building. Once inside, she kissed him with a fever she never imagined. Tom picked her up in his strong arms and carried her into the elevator so they didn't have to stop kissing.

At her apartment, she used her peripheral vision to get the keys into the lock. Their lips never parted. Inside, Tom set her down, and she led him into her bedroom. She stopped at the entrance and said, "Tom ... I ... Please go slow. I ..."

He looked at her with such love that it took her breath away. "Laura, I don't care about what we do or how quickly we do it. I can make love to you with my eyes and my heart just as easily as I can with my body." Now, it was her turn to fight back tears. At her bed, he picked her up again and laid her gently on it. Then, he climbed beside her and spent the longest time just kissing her and cuddling without ever touching any sensitive part of her body. Several times, she felt his near-bursting erection through his jeans and got even more choked up knowing how difficult this must be for him.

She touched his gorgeous face and said, "Tom, I'd really like to try now."

He studied her timid face and said, "Okay, but you lead."

She lay on her back, and he approached her. He slowly began to unbutton her shirt with his eyes never leaving hers. When her shirt was undone, he opened it and placed one hand on a bra-encased breast. Laura bit her lower lip and started shaking. In her mind's eye, she saw her besotted father hovering over her in the dark. She started hyperventilating and shot up, clutching her shirt around her.

Tom was calm. He kneeled down so he could look up and meet her eyes to comfort her. "Tom, I'm so sorry. I love you so much," she blurted out.

He wasn't expecting to hear that and asked, "You what?"

She looked down at him with watery eyes and shyly repeated, "I'm falling desperately in love with you."

Tom squeezed her hands, and his face split in two with his wide smile. A tear now slipped from the corner of his eye. "I've been in love with you for so long." He laid his head on her lap and hugged her legs.

She lifted his face and asked, "Would you be disappointed if I just asked you to hold me?"

"Disappointed? God, Laura, you just told me you were falling in love with me. You must have a very strange concept of disappointment." He crawled beside her and cradled her in his arms. They didn't say another word but fell peacefully asleep together.

The next morning when they were both awake, Laura said, "Tom I've been thinking about something."

"What, my love?" he asked as he stroked her hair.

"I read one time about certain snake bites that won't heal until the poison is gone. I think I need to get the poison out. Can we go for a walk?"

They drove to the Charles and starting walking. Laura told him everything. She told him about the beatings and the drunken screaming fights between her father and mother. She described how her father, in a fit of rage, would slam her mother against the wall. She described sitting alone as a child in the dark corner of her bedroom crying and shaking and wishing she could turn into a butterfly. She told him about being awakened in the night to the smell of acrid sweat and stale beer breath ... to the rough, frightening touch that wasn't supposed to take place between a father and a daughter. They sat down on a deserted bench, and she described the terrifying way her childhood and her virginity were torn from her in one violent act of infamy. She explained how she would cry herself silently to sleep because she was too ashamed and frightened to tell her mother.

As she talked and shared all the pain with Tom, the poison from her tragic life began oozing out of her. There were lots of tears and lots of hugs that day. Twice she had to shake Tom out of his enraged trance because he was squeezing her hand too hard. He was glad her father was dead. He was glad because if that sadistic bastard was still alive, Tom wasn't sure he could restrain himself from beating him to death. He felt justice was served at the hands of the sodomites in the dank lonely confines of steel and stone.

Laura then told Tom about the incident that caused them to flee their home and go to the shelter, which was the incident Marion had relayed to him earlier. When she finished, she laid her head down on his lap and fell asleep. She was spent. Laura slept for a couple of hours. Tom's mind was racing with a thousand different thoughts. He looked down at her and lightly brushed her soft hair with his hand and studied the highlights of honey and gold. He vowed that nothing like that would ever touch her again, and he sorely pitied anyone who dared try. She slept so hard a drool mark slowly spread on his pants. He merely smiled.

When Laura awoke, she felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from her. She'd told Tom every one of her deepest, darkest secrets, and he still loved her ... maybe loved her even more because they now shared something so intimate. She sat up, grazed his face with her hand and kissed him.

"I love you with all my heart," she said in a low voice.

"I remember reading this thing from a Swiss philosopher. He said, 'Women wish to be loved not because they are pretty, or good, or well bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves. All you need to do to have me love you forever, Laura, is be you."

She touched his face again and replied, "I beginning to understand that, Tom. It may take some time for me to get comfortable with that notion, but just be patient with me."

"You're everything to me. Loving you is literally the easiest thing I've ever done in my life. I can no longer imagine breathing without breathing in you."

"How can the same species produce people like my father ... and amazing people like you?"

Tom brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "I don't know, love. I only know that I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you, protecting you and loving you the way you deserve."

She smiled. "Are you always going to say the perfect thing that I need to hear to make me feel better?"

He smiled. "I don't know if I'll always say the right thing, but I hope I come close when it's important." Laura grabbed him and hugged him as hard as she possibly could.

"I don't know about you, but I'm famished! Let's go get something to eat, and then I want to go back to my place and take a shower -- together! From there, we'll let nature take its course," she said smiling.

Tom put his arms around her neck and asked, "Are you sure you're ready for that? We've got all the time in the world, you know?"

"No, we don't. Time's the one thing we don't have. I've really come to grips with that over the past few weeks. I'm finished being a victim. I want a new life, and I want it with you. I'm not willing to wait another month, another day, another second. I almost made the biggest mistake of my life and could have lost you. No ... my new life starts right now."

He picked her up and danced around in a circle with both of them laughing.

Back at Laura's place, she truly was a changed person. First, she shocked him by doing a kind of rudimentary strip tease for Tom, to which he applauded and hooted wildly. When she was finally, gloriously naked before him, he said, "Jesus, Laura, I've fantasized about what your body looks like since the first night we met, but God ... the real thing is so much more beautiful than I ever dreamed. I'm not sure if my dick will ever be soft again!"

"You're so romantic," she said with a laugh.

Tom started to unbutton his shirt, but Laura stopped him. "I want to do it." Tom smiled. She pulled his shirt out of his jeans, unbuttoned it and kissed his nipples. Then, she unbuckled his jeans and slid them down. His cock was straining inside his boxers. She looked up at him and arched an eyebrow. Next, she bent down and tugged his boxers down his hairy legs. His cock sprung out and bobbed up and down, pointing at her. She wrapped her fingers around it, and Tom sucked in air. She kissed the swollen tip of it and said, "We're going to be best friends."

"Believe me, you already are," he said, which made her laugh.

She got the water started in the shower. When it was steamy, they got in together. They kissed and hugged under the warm stream. Tom picked up the shampoo and asked Laura to lean back. He gave her a long, slow shampoo, massaging her scalp and her neck.

"That was so sexy, I'm getting wet, and we haven't gotten to the good stuff yet." Tom grinned. He filled his hands with soap and worked his way down from her shoulders. He washed her back first, then her arms and shoulders. He had a huge smile when he turned her around and touched her bare breasts for the first time. Tom squeezed them and pinched her nipples. Laura closed her eyes and moaned. Tom stayed right there for awhile before moving to her legs. Tom loved her lean, supple legs and used great care as he washed and massaged them. Finally, Tom moved his soapy hands between her thighs.

He washed every surface and spent considerable time rubbing her clit. Laura was breathing very hard with her eyes closed tightly. Tom took the hint and worked two wet fingers into her slippery pussy while he circled around her swollen nub with his thumb. Laura suddenly slapped the wall, braced herself against it and began wriggling. Tom felt her vaginal walls spasm around his fingers, and he sucked her nipple into his mouth as he rubbed her to climax. When Laura collapsed against the back wall, he removed his hand from her treasure.

"Showers are definitely way more fun with two," she said between gasps of air.

"And, just think how sparklingly clean your tits and pussy will get!" he exclaimed, which made her laugh.

"Now, it's my turn." Laura followed a similar pattern, washing his back and chest before moving to his legs and ass. Tom was so turned on; he knew he'd blow in minutes. Laura bent down, smiled up at him, and blew him a kiss. Laura filled her hands with shampoo and coated his cock and balls. She used both hands to work her way up his thick shaft. She then used one hand to gently massage his ball sack. Laura then got some more shampoo and began pumping her hand up and down his thick cock at increasing speed. Tom was already bracing himself and was breathing very hard. Laura felt his shaft widen as Tom grunted, and the first milky stream shot out of his dick. She continued pumping him faster and faster, fascinated by the ropes that blew onto the shower stall. When his cum slowed to an ooze, she released his dick and hugged him. "I can't believe we just made each other cum. That was so much fun."