The Proverb Stories: No Man Can Serve Two Masters

For me the next year was a mourning period, the highlights being the weekends with the two girls. Karen and I enjoyed the time with them and it was obvious that the girls also had a great time with us. Mandy and John used their free weekend very well and cemented the marriage by enjoying time together as a couple. John and I became very good friends and he told me that the fact that none of us were the seed donor in fact helped him to accept the situation and go on with Mandy.

My contact with Mandy was more or less limited to the times she delivered the girls and when I brought them back. One day, almost a year later, after Karen had passed her final exams and secured a job in an all-female law firm, Mandy asked to have a chat with me.

"Peter," she said, "you need to pull yourself together and start to live again."

"Yes, I know. I must expect to be totally alone in this house now. Karen has got her degree and I must expect her to find a flat of her own and start her independent life, find a partner, marry and have children. I don't look forward to her leaving."

"Yes, she will leave unless you do something. I have noticed the way she is looking at you that she doesn't want to leave. She loves you. But if you do nothing she will eventually leave."

"I am too old, Mandy. I am 15 years older than her, she can do so much better with a man her own age."

"That is for her to decide, but I can see both of you care for each other, make a move Peter."

"I am so frightened that I will scare her off and destroy a good friendship. But I will see if I can muster enough courage to send the right signals and see where it leads."

"Good, do that, but do it soon before it is too late."

I asked Karen to drive the children back to Mandy and John that Sunday evening, I wanted to think about a possible approach towards Karen.

When she came back, while sitting in our living room I asked Karen, "Karen, I understand that you after your successful exams and your new job may want to find your own flat. But before you do I would like to say that having you in the house is so nice and I think we go so well together I hope I can persuade you to stay." While saying this I rose up from my chair and went to the panorama window looking out. I wanted her to have a little time to think about it.

She rose up from her chair, came up next to me and said in a very calm voice, "I might like that Peter, but there is one condition."

"And what's that?"

"Before telling, I need you to do one thing for me first," she said and turning against me, "Kiss me, please."

I did kiss her and what a kiss it turned out to be! We were holding around each other, the kiss lasted for a long time, it felt like I was in heaven. When we let it go so we could catch our breath, she asked, "Would you like to hear my condition now?"

"Yes, please."

"In your master bedroom you have a big king-sized bed. You only use one side of it. For me to stay in your house you must invite me to use the other half of that bed. Will you do that?"

"Of course Karen, but am I not too old for you?"

"No, you are not. I think I love you Peter, I have loved you for quite some time now. You do not need to promise me anything, I am a modern woman and would like to try living with you and see if my feelings are what I think they are. Can we do that Peter?"

It did take less than a minute before we where in my bedroom and soon we were testing the bed and our compatibility. Before going to sleep, Karen kissed me again, she smile lovingly at me and said, "Mandy was right, you just needed a little push."

One year later, after a love session I asked Karen if she wanted children.

"Yes I do. But do you?" She asked back.

"Yes, but I have a problem, my sperm count is low so the chances are small."

"That is not a problem anymore. We go to a clinic, extract a few eggs from me, the lab select sperm cells from your semen and impregnate a few of my eggs. We insert two in my womb and hopefully 9 months later we have one or even maybe two children."

"Ok, let's do that. But we have to do something first though, my lovely Karen, will you marry me?"

"YES!"

We had a small wedding, John was my best man and Karen wanted Linda to be her maid of honor. Maggie and Maddie were two beautiful bridesmaids. We bought a first class ticket for Linda who as a student could not afford the travel cost this far for just a few days. But we wanted to include her as she had been with us when all seemed so difficult.

Now 16 years later, we look back and see a wonderful family. We had twins - of course - but not identical; a girl and a boy, now fifteen years old. Maggie and Maddie have completed their degrees, married good men and have one - I repeat one - child each.

Mandy saw that I needed somebody to get over my grieving. She did push Karen and me together. For that am I forever grateful. Karen and Amy/Mandy are so different as it is possible to be. So I can safely say I love Karen as much as I loved Amy without comparing the two, it was fate and terrorists that took Amy from me. But Karen has filled the empty void in my heart and we have a very good life together.

The End.

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Thank you Cheer_Smartie526 for editing this story.