Our Rules: Honor Bright

This story is long. Any grammatical, punctuation or spelling errors are on the writer. Thanks cazz.

Our Rules; Honor Bright.

A ten mile narrow ribbon of asphalt, mostly disused now. Straight as a die. East to West. Crossing the Nevadan desert valley floor.

The 302 Chevrolet V8 engine barked into life, he'd uncorked the headers making the exhaust note reverberate through the body shell of the Camaro. The driver allowed the small-block to drop to a lopey idle.

Selecting 1 ^st gear. Lifting the engine rpm, clutch released he wheeled the two door hardtop out onto the first mile of black ribbon.

Noise from air drawn rapidly into the engine, the accelerating rpm quickly demanded he find the next gear quickly, the vehicle wanting to 'torque' it's rear end sideways rather than forward indicated his intention to use as much of the next ten miles at as close to the cars terminal speed as he could.

---- ---- ---- ----

Tony Walker.

It was well considered. We never jumped into it eyes wired shut. I'm Tony Walker, a qualified certified welder both in the States and Canada. My best friend Jeremy(Jerry) Reed lives in North Vegas, runs a machine shop. Wanting to extend his business into building replica racecars he'd been trying to get me to partner up. I'd procrastinated on that but between my wife, Carol and I sharing the financial responsibility's and we being able to build the business while we were both working our norm as a backstop, well answer seemed logical enough.

My Wife Carol is in hotel administration and had a well paid middle management position.

We married straight out of high school, both worked hard at building a family and home. I worked overtime to get us ahead. Thought nothing of it. So did Carol, Mum and working Wife during the day and on-line and night class student who ended up with both Certificates and a Degree in business management.

For the last seven or so years Carol has worked her job while completing (a lot in her own time) a Bachelor Degree in business administration centered on hospitality management. Her longtime employer provided what amounted to a private indentureship with a four year bond once she had a degree. She is a tenacious worker, and her success comes from the fact she knows the value of plain hard work and perseverance. There were positions available in the Casino and Hotel industry in LV for Carol.

The other thing that suited our move, both our kids have gone. Joe and Debra had both set their sights on Navy careers and were doing well. Debs qualified flight school, had a yearning to fly choppers with the United States Coast Guard. Joe wanted to follow in his Grandfathers footsteps as Naval Marine Engineer. Both of the kids were at bases on the right coast and were happy to 'face-time' us weekly. Joe looked like he'd end up on carriers. Debra thought she would rather stay over there. East coast based postings could take her from Puerto Rico to Maine.

We all grew up in the Salinas area, Jerry's family lived two down from my family. My Sister Dana and Jerry were a 'thing' right out of pre-school, and it took no stretch of the imagination to know where that was eventually gonna lead. Of course Dana had a bunch of girlfriends including Carol. Carol is a Bay area native, her cousin was Dana's best buddy Marlene and because of her Dad's work Carol's family moved to Salinas at the start of her Sophomore year.

Carol was cute as a nut, all five-foot one-inch of her. A brunette with long hair down to there, dainty little titties, and cute little ass that seemed to wiggle itself even more when I was around. Now her height may have changed an inch and a bit from when we were at sixteen but the rest has changed to perfection.

Carol and I had met before but after her family moved I noticed she seemed to visit my house a lot more. Well My Momma raised no fool so when Carol showed more than a little interest in me and I in her we became a couple.

Jerry and I followed each other in our lives. Same schooling, same tech college, he machining school, I did diesel school and passed. I had always welded and decided a night class wouldn't go amiss. So what was an addition to my mechanical trade eventually became my normal source of income.

Jerry and I share one addiction. It consumes us outside of family and work commitments, sixties Trans Am racecars. We lived in the shadow of Laguna Seca Raceway, Jerry's Dad was a race marshal, my family are race fans. We built road-legal race-sanctioned 5-litre replica's from dumped wrecks, His a HP-289W V8 powered 1966 Ford Mustang notch-back. Mine a 302 Chev V8 powered 1967 Camaro.

Carol became a car girl too. Together Jerry and Dana had built Dana a nice Chev V6 powered customised Corvair so the pressure came on from those two to build Carol a car she'd like. When we came across a one owner 1965 El Camino pick-up in sad condition and an even sadder 327 V8 engine and auto box we bought it off the old guy. He'd owned and trained pacers and trailered them to the track for 35 odd years behind the El Camino. When he retired the car languished behind the stables.

Once he knew Carol wanted it, that was all it took. She remained good friends with Lloyd and we'd called in to see him at least once a year before he passed on a year or so.

Like everything Carol does, it becomes her passion, we spent any time we had working together on it. She wanted as much of the original car parts rebuilt and refitted. The original red paint was polished up complete with fading, discoloration in places, cracks and chips but a patina that suits and gives the car real character, together with a rebuilt 327, 'glide and 12 bolt diff, steering, suspension, brakes and the interior redone. She learnt the art of search, cross-search, negotiation and pricing. No way could you confuse it with a sterile store bought show car. We loved the time we spent working on it.

Carol and her El Camino attract car nut's like you wouldn't believe and they'll end up talking and bench racing for hours. Mostly I'm good being in the back ground and I'll leave her to it and maybe stand and talk to the nut's mostly ignored frazzled partner and kids, about baking bread or the escalating prices of groceries etc. Because Carol involved herself so much in the repair processes she can talk to enthusiast's with knowledge and experience. I've learnt from experience too. If time is short I insist we take her Dodge van or my Tundra.

So with Carol's internship completed we planned our move. We'd decided to keep our house in Salinas until we knew the Las Vegas move was definitely what we wanted. Mortgage free and as a rental property it would be both an earner and pay for itself. Jerry knew of property's both to rent and buy and the prices on some of the property's for sale were a lot lower than what we'd thought.

Even without selling the Cally property it wasn't outside the realm that with some really hard work that we could walk into a rebuilder mortgage free. Neighbourhoods could be an issue but Jerry said the bad areas were well known. In the meantime we found a renter that would suit us, two bedroom townhouse, gated community etc.

We got rid of so much before we moved most being easy to part with. All my tools, both of our 'toys', trailers etc. would go to the secure lockup at Jerry's workshop along with two containers of good spare parts and machinery for the business. Apart from my truck and Carol's new VW Golf we moved to our new townhouse with minimal furniture and very few knick-knacks.

It was a new look for a new life, but we seemed to have taken to it fairly easy for a couple of forty-two year olds married twenty-three years.

Carol applied and got a job as a hotel-side shift manager for one of the Casino's in our vicinity of North Las Vegas. Not all the Casino's are around the CBD in Vegas, the one's further out in the 'burbs' cater to tourist's and local's who can't be bothered with the whole Las Vegas Boulevard area scene.

So with us both employed and with goal's in mind we got to it. Four months to our first Christmas in Vegas and then it'll be 2020.

--- ---

Jerry Reed.

My life revolved around Dana and our daughter, Kaitlyn. Dana and I were always meant to be. She knew that as did I. It was Dana that announced it to the world making it so - we were all of five years of age. So at ages of just-about-twenty and nineteen-ish for Dana we became man and wife.

We both wanted to have sex. Live together first and marry later when we had the money. Both sets of parents said no. So, we made plans very quickly, to get married. Neither set of parents were happy and wouldn't give their approval but so be it. With the encouragement of friends and Tony and Carol we went about organising it ourselves and with our friends.

Dana, her bff Marlene, Carol their girl-friends and partners worked to bring our wedding together. We found a Marriage Celebrant. Parents of one of our friends offered their large garden as a venue, a small creek ran through complete with a swimming hole. No guesses where the wedding breakfast BBQ would be.

Dana and I wrote our own vows which included the norm; 'for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health, to forsake all others' etc. The vow's would be commenced with, 'On my Honor I speak the truth that the vows I give I commit too for ever...' and end, 'Believe me that I solemnly and truly swear this to be so.'

There was also a commitment on the part of both the best man and the head bridesmaid which both John, a good friend and brother machinist and Marlene were very happy to fulfil that required a vow from each of them to be undertook; 'On my Honor I speak the truth that the vows we witness Jerry and Dana giving to each other I pledge that I will help them to Honor to the very best of my ability. I solemnly and truly swear this to be so.'

So our vows included the 'Honor Bright' pledge.

You ask as to why Tony wasn't my best man. Well because of our parents attitude and not wanting to be involved Tony had the duty of walking Dana down the 'aisle'. At the eleventh hour both set's of parents conceded to the reality and decided to attend although Tony had to move heaven and earth to get Dana to allow her Dad to walk her down the path and both parents to give her away. I know she finally accepted it when her and her Dad stepped off together.

Before that both sets got a verbal tongue-lashing from Dana, that they knew a long time ago that we were going to spend our lives together and that she has never been more ashamed to hear both sets of parents expound about us being 'too young to marry' or we should go out and 'try the water before getting hitched'. My two memories of that meeting were both our Moms and Dads having humiliated and embarrassed looks on their faces and Tony standing quietly with a look of pride on his face as his 'kid sister' ranted and raved at the embattled four.

Tony joined as Carol's partner in the wedding party and Brad partnered up with his girl. It wasn't like we had to find matching clothes for everybody, we were eighteen to twenty year olds for god's sake. It'd be lucky if any of the guys were wearing matching sock's. Or sock's for that matter.

Six months later at the end of Carol's senior year Carol and Tony tied the knot and they wanted a wedding similar to ours. Dana convinced them to have a church wedding ceremony seeing her Mum never got her wish to see Dana do it. They did. Both Carol and Tony used the same vows with the 'honor bright' pledge and because I was Tony's best man, Dana Carol's matron of Honor we had our vows in reply to carry out.

--- ---

Dana and I began our wonderful life together. Two years later we welcomed Kaitlyn our daughter into our lives. She was to be our only child as Dana was advised not to bear another child as it would endanger both her and possibly the child. That was fine by me. I had the snip and Dana a hysterectomy. It mattered not one bit as our happy little family journeyed on.

We had nineteen years together as a family.

Dana passed away in her thirty-eighth year. The cancer was aggressive and fast moving. It was six months, diagnosis to Dana's passing leaving Kait and I bereft and rudderless, we both really struggled. I thank god Tony and Carol were there. Their kids, Kait's cousin's and their friends surrounded Kait and were there to help her through, still are. Tony stopped me finding refuge in the bottom of a bottle and Carol shared a tear when I or Kait needed to, and there were many.

--- ---

With day's until her passing Dana pulled Kait and me together, "You guys got to promise me you'll move on with your lives. You both promise me! Here and now!? You promise me. Both of you! Say it!"

After fifteen months and with a whole lot of planning Kaitlyn and I knew what we wanted to do. To move on we needed to sell up. Find a new start. I had one worker so I found him a new job, machinist's are always in high demand. Kait and I headed to Vegas as there was a house and a commercial property for sale that were close to what would suit. Dana and I had taken out comprehensive insurance cover and with that and the sale of our property Kaitlyn's future education was assured and we would end up mortgage free on both Vegas properties.

Tony and Carol and their kids both agreed with our plans but it didn't make it any easier to do the leaving bit. When I dropped in my long term business goal with race cars and Tony's involvement as a business partner he just shook his head waved his hands dismissively, "Holy Shit Jer. You can't just drop THAT on me for chrissakes! Alright, alright. Look. Once I get my head around it I'll give it some thought. Okay? Just gimme some time to think things through is all."

Carol snuggled up to his arm as she gazed wide-eyed between me and Tony, her hand found his and she laced her fingers in his, raised his hand and kissed it and then held it supportively with a smile on her face and excitement in her eyes as she continued to look between us both. I knew I had her whole hearted support. I never wanted them to just vanish out of mine or Kaitlyn's lives. Ever. And I wasn't about to let that happen.

So. Finally two years later they're both here, new Las Vegas residents. Well not quite at the moment Tony is doing a month or two contract work for his old boss out in Salinas - seems that the rail network and maintenance of way is considered essential work in these Covid-19 times.

I'd seen Carol two weeks ago when she'd come by to pick up her El Camino. With the probability that California was gonna cut off entry to anybody from Nevada Tony had suggested that they could both drive to Reno that weekend which they did. Of course the El Camino was Carol's weapon of choice.

Carol lost her position at the Hotel, a case of last on first off and no overnight guests meant the need for staff evaporated. They were both okay with that. She was eligible for State and Federal assistance if she needed it. Some of the women Carol worked with had found part time and temporary work online. I'd not asked a lot more. I was guessing it was with Amazon's huge LV stores site.

I am not even looking for a new Women in my life. I'm still totally in love with Dana. I don't know when or if that will ever go away. I promised I'd move on and I am. I'm human and I miss her touch, her arms around me. Waking up and not finding her there.

And there's the sex. I'm not ashamed to say I utilise the services of one young lady to accomplish what I need and that's all I'll say about that. And it isn't all about the sex. I ensure that we start the night out with a nice meal and while sex is the reason occasionally we have both enjoyed the company, the smiles, the laughs or just holding hands, that the sex just hasn't been the priority. I know it's far from ideal but it's my way of dealing with it right now.

Things have changed somewhat and rules around Covid in Nevada change damn near weekly. I'd decided to throw caution to the wind this night and take Swan home.

My return journey involved a shortcut through a mostly commercial part of Vegas and then the I-15 to home. Stopped at a traffic light diagonally across from me sat a parked car I knew very well. A car up until a week or so ago I'd walk past in my shop multiple times a day. A red El Camino.

That car shouldn't be in that car park. There was plenty of light, not really a bad part of town, most of the business units were varied in services and products but there were a collection of massage parlors spread around this area.

That Carol's car was here gave me significant pause and cause for worry about what maybe going on in my good friends lives.

' --- ---

I parked and waited. Pondering a phone call I was going to make to my best friend. In the end I hesitated five minutes, "Yeah it's me Tony, nobody's dead or dying but despite that or the shit-ton of money you've been making these last month's you need to get your ass home now!"

"Why? And what's going on Jer?"

"Don't know I'm about to try and find out. Where's Carol?"

"At home. Why? What the fucks going on Jer? You're startin' ta scare the fuck outta me."

So I told him where I was and what I'd found. He wanted to ring Carol and I told him to give me a couple of minutes we needed to get our shit together. He sounded to be packing a bag so I asked him whether he wanted to ring his boss while I took a look around. So that's what we did.

The subdued office light was on but nobody was around. A bell to one side of the door and a small graphic on the door announced that the business was 'Jasmine Visits'. I was guessing what the name meant, texted Tony what I was about to do and wait for my call. Beneath the graphic was a web address and above the door a security camera. I moved out of line of site hoping Carol wasn't looking at the screen and quickly called up the web address.

Urgh! Open an account. So I went through my private email, password elcamino1 will do. Paypal'ed $50.00 for an exclusive membership, $25.00 for Gold VIP and another $25.00 unlocked private access to 'Our Lovely Jasmine Hostesses' and for further payments you could message each hostess.

I fucking near threw-up on the spot when Carol's Avatar (Carmel) came up. It was the fact it was Carol. It wasn't rude or naked shot maybe a bit risqué a bit of leg and get up I'd never seen her in.

I read through the blurb stating the services provided ranged from dining-on-line, social distancing non contact dining semi-publicly or at the hostess discretion - behind closed doors. All services were stated as non-sexual in nature. Yeah Right!

Alright, so enough of the blurb. I pressed the bell. A brunette woman about late thirties with a cute smile, came to the door pointing to a panel on my side. OK, speaker box and control's, "Hi sir how can I help you tonight?"

"I just want to know how to access your services Ma'am."

"Oh. Okay so did you come via our website sir?"

I turned my phone around so she could see the website open and hopefully my status, she did and a very big smile lit up and if I'm honest on a freaking sexy, gorgeous face. As she warmly smiled and unlocked the door and it swung open. The Nespresso ads flitted through my brain pan so I was kinda waiting for her to say, 'Come in Mr Reed but only because it's you.'

Nup. But not too far removed. I got a business-like handshake, "Good evening Mr Reed my names Penelope please have a seat and what can we do for you tonight?"

I quickly clicked on Carol's Avatar and showed Penelope the screen, "Is Carmel available Penelope?"

She looked at the screen although I knew by her expression she didn't have too, "I'm sorry Mr Reed, Carmel has already left on an appointment tonight but there are other hostesses available."