Sliding Home

They sat down at the table to eat passing the syrup between them.

"You don't have to go into work today if you don't want to," started Terry, "I mean with what you went through yesterday maybe you could use some downtime."

"No, I want to go in. I miss the kids, and I owe it to the ones that depend on me. Some of those kids need to see a friendly face every day to know their safe."

Terry smiled, Gabby sounded just like his mother.

"In that case, I will let you shower first while I go wake grandpa. You don't want to be around for that it isn't pretty."

"I don't even want to try and picture it," said Gabby making a face.

The school was a madhouse as usual, and though there were a few stares at the bruises adorning Terry and Gabby's faces, everyone was too polite to ask what had happened. Terry spent his morning trying to balance the books again while quietly mulling both the offer on the school and Miguel's revelation about the Dodgers. It would be so easy to chuck all this and go back to the life he had known, one with a lot less responsibility, but the promise he had made to his mother weighed on him, and then there was Gabby. Thinking of her made him stand up and walk out to the cafeteria to look out the big window that gave him a full view of the playground outside. She was out there right now with her class, her brown skin shining in the sun, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. His breath caught in his chest.

He had never found himself thinking about one girl so much, and it seemed like she intruded into his thoughts more and more. Then there was last night, he might have been able to chalk some of that up to all the emotions that had been churning following Rudy's attack, but the truth was he had been with several women, and it had never been so profoundly moving before.

"Why don't you talk a picture it lasts longer," said his grandpa grouchily.

"I see you're still pissed you missed out on the pancakes."

"Nope, I'm watching my figure. Almost as intensely as you're watching a certain school teacher."

"I was just checking that the school is running smoothly."

"Bullshit."

"Grandpa! We've talked about the language!"

"I wouldn't have to resort to such coarse words if my grandson would get his head out of his ass. Why don't you admit you're sweet on the girl?"

Terry sighed, "If I told you you're right would you at least not rub it in?"

"I can't make any promises, but I would expect a bigger smile from you. What's the problem does she not feel the same way?"

"No, I think she very much does."

"Well, what then?"

"There's just...a lot on my mind right now, O.K."

Terry started to walk away, but his grandfather caught his arm in one gnarled old hand.

"Terry, I know how much playing ball meant to you, and we touched before on how this school was your mom's dream and not yours. Thing is son, as gifted as you might be as a ballplayer, you're just as gifted if not more so working with these kids. I think you could be successful doing either one, so at the end of the day it does come down to you. Where do you want to be?"

That was the million dollar question.

Shrugging off his grandpa's hand, Terry left the cafeteria without another word.

The sunshine outside felt good on his face, and he strolled around the playground being mindful not to step on any of the little ones who darted to an fro. He stopped to lean against the chain-linked fence that ran completely around the property his eyes still on Gabby as she ran her class through a game of tag. The scene had him so captivated that he almost didn't feel the gentle tug on his leg.

"Mr. Terry?" said the quiet voice from below.

"Oh...Hey, Annie," he said leaning down, "how are you today, Sweetie?"

"Good. Ms. Gabby said you could teach me to hit."

He noticed that she was carrying a little plastic baseball bat and matching ball. Annie handed him the plastic baseball, so light it hardly registered in his palm.

"Did she now?" he said throwing a look Gabby's way. She was watching him now and winked at him when she caught his eye. He smiled back shaking his head in feigned annoyance.

"O.K. then...Why don't you come with me."

He led Annie to an open area away from the other kids.

"I fed Arthur this morning. He was very happy!"

"I'll just bet he was! He doesn't always get a nice breakfast; it was kind of you to make sure he did."

Terry stooped down to show her how to hold the bat properly in her tiny hands, and stand with her legs shoulder width apart. He was careful to throw the ball to her nice and slow with an underhand toss. Annie's first few swings were wild, but on the third try, she narrowed her eyes like a hunting Eagle and blasted the pitch right back at him.

"Whoah! Nice hit!" exclaimed Terry honestly surprised at the solid contact.

It proved not to be a fluke when she did the same with the next few pitches even when he sped things up a bit.

"You know, Annie, I think you may be a natural at this game."

"I'm good?" she said smiling.

"Yes, you are, Sweetie."

A whistle blew signaling the end of outdoor play for now. Annie darted over to Terry to hug his leg.

"Thank you, Mr. Terry!"

She started to run toward the main building but stopped after a few steps to turn around again.

"I like it here."

Annie was gone after that blond hair waving behind her leaving a bemused Terry Wallace bouncing a plastic ball in his hand.

"I'm glad, Annie," he whispered under his breath as she dropped out of sight.

Terry dropped his grandpa at home after work and went to drive Gabby back to her place.

"Good day, today?" she asked from the passenger seat.

"Yeah, it was, thanks."

"I saw you were working with Annie Foster. She is a sweet little kid."

"I think she might have a Big League future. She has a mean swing."

"You know it's not my place to say, but I was thinking about the school and the trouble you're having with getting folks to come out. It occurred to me that maybe you need better advertising?"

"Oh?"

"I took the liberty of working up a flyer for you, and I have a cousin who does web sites, I think I could convince her to do one for you for free as a favor to me."

At the next stoplight, Terry took the paper from Gabby's hand. It was clear she had an artistic eye. It was quite good.

"You did this free hand?"

"I used to like to draw when I was a kid."

"It's terrific, very eye-catching. I don't know if I want to prevail upon your poor cousin though."

"It's O.K. she owes me a favor, and I surely owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything, Gabby."

"I think you should let me be the judge of that, besides it's in my self-interest as well to see the school succeed."

He pulled up in front of her apartment handing the paper back to her.

"I guess we could let her work something up and see how it turns out."

"Awesome! Would you like to come in for a minute? I like to end my day with a glass of wine to take the edge off."

"I guess that wouldn't hurt," said Terry putting his car in park and shutting off the engine.

Terry asked to use the restroom once they got inside and as he washed his hands in the sink after he stared at his reflection in the mirror still haunted by the decision that weighed on his mind.

Perhaps with Gabby's help, he could turn things around?

Didn't he owe it to kids like Annie to at least try?

"You know I was thinking, maybe we could add the website address to your flyers and print up a test run to see how it goes," said Terry as he exited the bathroom.

"That sounds like a good idea," came Gabby's voice from the kitchen, "do you still want that glass of wine?"

Terry glanced over at where Gabby stood framed in the doorway but wasn't able to answer right off. This was probably because Gabby was standing in that doorway wearing nothing but a black, silk thong while holding a glass of wine in her left hand.

"Um...I..." stumbled Terry.

"You can drink it out of the glass, of course, but I thought you might like it better like this..."

Gabby carefully upended the glass holding it just over her breasts and pouring part of the contents onto the upper part of her chest so that the liquid ran down her bare skin and over her mounds like twin islands in a mighty stream to finally drip down onto her stomach.

Terry took a deep breath and marched straight to her covering one of her wine-soaked breasts in his mouth and licking the tangy liquid off of her feeling every sweet inch of her bumpy areola under his tongue. She gasped and moaned pulling him tighter while his head moved from side to side cleaning her dark skin until, at last, they fell into a deep, fruity tasting kiss.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Gabriella Esperanza?"

"Why? Is it working?"

"You're about to find out."

He lifted her into his arms, carrying her half-naked body to the bedroom where he shed his clothing in record time. They dropped onto the sheets together rubbing at each other's naked bodies while trading deep, passionate tongue kisses, Frenching one another with a growing hunger behind each kiss. Terry's fingers teased her swollen labia feeling the soaking wetness of the flesh that lay beyond.

"Don't make me wait, Terry. We can take our time later, right now I need you inside me," begged Gabby.

He rolled her onto her back, spreading her legs wide and slipping between them to press his fat cock to the entrance of her quivering vagina.

If anything their joining this time was even hotter and more powerful than before, and as Terry sunk into her needy body, Gabby cried out digging her nails into his shoulders, clinging to him.

"Ah! God...Yes, Terry! I can feel it so good! Ah! Every hard inch! Give it to me, Terry! Fuck me! Fuck me deep and hard!"

Terry took her precisely as she wanted with forceful thrusts of his hips almost lifting her ass off the bed. Her large fun bags bounced wildly as their cries mixed into a glorious symphony of erotic pleasure.

"Yes, Terry! Wanted you all day. I was dying to feel you inside me again. Oh! Let me on top, Baby!" begged Gabby.

They reversed positions quickly, both anxious to join their bodies together again. Gabby lowered herself onto his thick love gun guiding it inside while pulling his hands to her breasts. While she leaned back grinding her clit on his shaft, he took her perfect brown love mounds into his hands caressing the silky skin, squeezing and kneading them, pushing her closer to her orgasm with each touch. Her nipples were so hard they barely moved when he brushed his fingers across them.

"I can't hold it back much longer, Gabby," he warned her.

"I'm close too...We...Can go together..." she moaned reaching down to rub at her clitoris with one hand.

Their combined movements became more frantic, cries growing in volume with each passing moment.

"It's coming, Gabby...Ah! Fuck! I...Can't stop it! Your pussy feels too good, Baby! Ah! SHIT!"

"Oh TERRY! I'm going right fucking NOW! Ah! YES! AHHH CUMMMMMINGGGG!"

It was not a second too soon because Terry cut loose right along with her filling her tight love hole with bursts of his pearly white jizz. Gabby looked so gorgeous, head back and breasts thrust outward creaming his cock over and over in multiple orgasms before dropping onto his chest panting and spent.

"I think it just keeps getting better with you," she whispered.

"I'm glad you think so because I feel the same way."

The kissed each other softly, enjoying the afterglow of their tryst while the sun slowly set outside the window.

Terry's key hit the door hours later than he intended. He knew that his grandfather could take care of himself for the most part, but he still hated leaving him alone for too long. Still, he thought the old man would have been happy to know that he had spent the evening with Gabby.

The door closed behind him, and immediately his ears were assaulted by the horrendous sounds of his grandpa's snoring coming from the living room. Gently, Terry removed the remote from the elderly hand that clutched it, and he carefully tipped him sideways onto the couch covering his thin frame with a blanket. This wasn't the first time he had come in to find his grandpa passed out in front of the T.V. and it likely wouldn't be the last.

He tip-toed to his bedroom stopping long enough to switch on the hallway light in case his grandpa woke up later and wanted to find his way to better accommodations in his own bedroom.

Terry stretched and pulled off his shirt to get ready for some sleep when his eyes spotted the real estate contract still sitting on his desk. He picked it up, imaging the freedom that it represented, and then with a slow smile, he dropped it into the trashcan beneath the old desk.

Where did he want to be?

That's what his grandfather had asked him, and it was a question he still didn't fully know the answer too, but as good as he had been between the lines on a baseball field he thought it was possible he might be even better on a playground. Maybe, with Gabby's help, he could make a go if it with the school. It might have been his mom's dream, but perhaps it could be his as well.

He slipped between the sheets turning out the light and settling in for the night safe in his bed.

Safe at home.