Cry "Uncle" After living in apartments for 3 years before and after our wedding, my wife Carole and I finally had the money saved for a down payment on a home. That was 16 years ago and it was supposed to be the structure girding factor to solidify our marriage and be home to the family we would raise. Unfortunately after 4 years of marriage Carole had enough of me and my vision of raising a small family in a neighborhood like the ones we saw on TV shows over our years growing up.

I had been the only guy she ever really dated in High School and Community College and after just two years in our new home she told me she had the itch to run off and see the world. I convinced her, at the time, she was just having the growing pains of facing the reality that adulthood meant settling down. While we tried, unsuccessfully, to have children I was convinced it was her inability to accept our situation of "parents in waiting" that shunted her ability to get pregnant. Then came the day I got a call from her Doctors office leaving the message that they had transferred her prescription to a new pharmacy since the old one was closing. Since I wasn't aware of her being on any medication, I inquired which medication it was. The nurse replied "Azurette".

I did a little web hunting and found it was birth control and went to her "new" pharmacy and asked to pick up her script. When I did the package said "refill 5 of 12, 7 remaining."

The mystery of why she wasn't getting pregnant was suddenly solved and thus began the rather rapid demise of our marriage and relationship. Once I confronted her she informed me that she had been on birth control since we first started living together and never stopped it. I began to wonder what other deceptions she had pulled off over the course of our marriage and it began the uneasy feeling of mistrust I found so hard to live with. She made no secret that married life was not for her and she wanted out of the marriage and even though she did agree to go to counseling, I never thought I could ever love and trust her as I once did.

I bought out her half of the house and our cars were in our own names and we made the payments from our own earnings. I agreed to split our savings and we simply changed the beneficiaries on our individual IRA's. More than anything she wanted out. She left me cash poor, but in good shape to re-start my life. Luckily we both had good jobs so there was no wanting to be "taken care of" with an inability to "live as we were accustomed" in our married years.

After the settlement and her moving out and taking her things and mutual sharing of personal property we actually dated a few times and each time I ended up back at her new condo for sex. I was beginning to wonder if she wanted to rebuild our relationship but while lying in bed after our last encounter she admitted to "several indiscretions" during the last year of our marriage, but they were just to be "sure" she wanted out. As if that wasn't enough to slap me in the face with she told me she had slept with 20 or more guys since we split and I was her third that week. I wanted to explode and go crazy on her, but I quietly left and never called her again. I found out a year or more later she wasn't around any longer. Good riddance.

I remained a bachelor ever since and that life must have been good for me since at 39 I could easily pass for 25 and only I know that I touch up the gray. I work out a lot and have had several girlfriends over the years. A few have moved in and stayed for a time, but once they learned that I WAS NOT getting married again, they were gone. My job kept me in contact with many "jeunes femmes sexy". I was the head electrician at the local State University and while the younger 1st and 2nd year students were lovely to look at, I usually only seriously flirted or dated grad students or doctoral candidates, as well as young faculty. Since I had no educational contact with any of the students, I was "allowed" to date within the student population, but was told to be discreet and keep myself away from University sponsored events. So, no concerts or sporting events where I might flaunt a relationship.

I had a crew of only 2, but had a large pool of handyman drones to draw from for any job I needed help with. Besides generator problems, HVAC failures, and my days usually were a list of small jobs, blown fuses, rewiring jobs, inspecting dedicated lines for mainframes, etc. Usually by Thursday I was a little behind on my small job list and I could delegate the simple stuff.

I had been approached by a couple of the married women in the neighborhood for what I assume was sex, but I already knew the pain and heartache those liaisons can cause. My one neighbor, Nick, had already accused me of "scouting" his wife. In the ensuing days while I was jogging I overheard him shouting at her not to look out because "the guy you want to open your legs for" was passing by.

I finished my run and showered and went to his door to confront him.

"Nick, you all but accused me of pursuing your wife and I heard the comment you shouted at your wife as I went by this morning. I must assure you that I have no intention of seeing ANY married woman and that beyond friendly "hello's" I didn't really know his wife besides from neighborhood functions.

He proceeded to tell me that he knew she would go to the local college/young adult hang-out, a watering hole called "A Place For You and Polly" (the two colleges in the area were U, University, and Poly, the polytechnic school) and when he went to pick her and her co-workers up after "ladies night" drinking, I was always there. With hands on his hips he waited for me to defend myself.

"Nick, I must tell you that I go to "You and Polly" at least 5 days a week, seen your wife there but once and I said a friendly hello, that's all. If you continue to accuse your wife with your paranoia, you may end up losing her over it. I know what broken trust in a relationship can do, and it's near impossible to fix."

Nick was embarrassed and apparently believed me as the subject was never brought up again. If I had any temptation to bed a local wife, that situation alone reminded me of the pain such things can cause. It would never happen.

My direct next door neighbors were Doug and Wendy Watson who moved in around the time Carole and I did. They had one daughter, Erika, whom I had seen grow from a geeky kid into a good looking, attractive young woman. From the time she was 18 or so I was embarrassed to see her in their above ground pool, or sunning herself, because she was such a knock-out. She always called me Uncle Charlie, but I had to admit that it took lots of willpower not to ogle here.

Doug, Wendy, and Erika usually took off once the school year was over for 2 weeks in France, where Wendy's parents lived. However in 2013 it was not the case. Erika had just graduated from a local 2 year college and she, along with a girlfriend, went to Florida for a late Spring Break and would stay with her friends Grandparents, in Dunedin. Doug and Wendy were not happy with her decision, but since Erika was a week or so shy of her 20th Birthday, there was little they could reasonably do. So Doug and Wendy were off to France alone while I did my usual chore of watching the house, feeding their cat, and making the house look generally "lived in". They had asked me if I could pick up Erika at the airport when her flight came in on Wednesday, and they would be home on Friday.

Her flight was due at 4:05 so to leave work a few minutes early was no problem. When she and her girlfriend came up the ramp in bright, slight outfits that accented their deep tans my smile would not be wiped off for hours.

Erika ran up and hugged me and introduced me to her equally hot friend as her "Uncle Charley". Her friend Mellissa (she emphasized "2 L's, like in hell, and 2 S's, like in ass") instantly started to flirt with me once Erika told her I wasn't a "real" Uncle, but I was closer than she was to any of her real relatives. On the way home I asked how they enjoyed Florida whereupon Mellissa began giggling, like there was a joke I didn't get. I asked how her grandparents accommodations were, their closeness to the beach, and again another round of giggling and Erika staring her down. I knew something was up and I decided it was none of my business so I kept quiet the rest of the way home.

I showed them into the house reminding Erika how to reset the A/C for everyday living and showed her the schedule I had the cat on. I made sure she was aware that we had a problem with coyotes in the brief wooded area by our homes, so the cat should be kept in. EnCon was trying to capture and relocate them since they were terrorizing local dogs and cats. There was thought to be a mother and her pack of coyote pups. When they made a kill, the frenzy that followed was loud and hard to listen to.

There was a threat of thunder and lightning storms in the area so I wanted to get back home and cover my patio furniture and protect my house. I left the two girls on their own and went home to prepare for the possible storm. I made sure there was nothing loose that could blow or become a projectile before I poured a scotch, rolled a joint, and sat by the picture window to watch the storm brew.

My relaxation was quickly disturbed by a loud scream and a ruckus from next door. I ran to the window to see 3 coyote pups in pursuit of The Watsons cat with a frantic Erika screaming from behind the fence.

I opened the slider to go out and try to help and Erika saw me.

"I opened the door to get her leash rope and she darted!" She screamed at me. (With the coyote problem we had been tying the cat to be sure it didn't stray)

The cat disappeared into the thicket and it became obvious that it had slipped its pursuers as the pups paced the edge of the wooded area and appeared to return to whatever sort of den they had lived in. Erika stood at the open door and clicked a cat toy that they used to draw the cat out when it was hidden away in the house. It did the trick to get the cat out of hiding and it dashed to hop the fence and get to safety, but the coyotes outsmarted the feline and pounced.

With me hollering and Erika screaming we saw them kill the defenseless declawed cat and drag the body away as they yelped and fought over the potential dinner. I was pissed off at the situation and grabbed a small handgun I use for personal protection and walked to the edge of the thickets and woods, but there was nothing to see. The damage had been done. I pulled the clip and made sure nothing had chambered and put the gun and clip in separate pockets and went to comfort Erika.

She was a little hysterical at what she had witnessed and I held her to calm her.

"Where's Mellissa?"

"She's in the shower! Oh that fucking CAT! I hate the little son of a bitch, but it's my Moms, and she loves it. It just darted when I opened the door and bent to get the rope. I think it was nervous with the stranger in the house. I'm in so much trouble now!"

"Good Lord Erika, you're in no trouble. You couldn't help what happened. Your Mom will be disappointed, but will certainly understand." I said as Mellissa came down the stairs in robe with her hair still wet.

"Holy Shit I saw it from the bathroom window! Are you OK Erika?" She asked frantically.

"Yes, it's just my Mom will be so mad. FUCKING CAT!"

"Erika, calm down. There was nothing you could have done to prevent it. I'll help you explain to her." I said hugging her once again as she hugged me back.

It was apparent she had taken off any bra she might have had on and her breasts pressed against me became quite obvious. That with seeing the foxy Mellissa in her little robe, that hid little, had my mind in places it didn't belong.

I stepped towards the slider that the cat had escaped from and said, "Alright now Erika. Nothing else you can do. I'm going to get home before the storm starts. Call if you need anything."

I heard Mellissa say under her breath, "Anything?" as Erika shot her a look. I acted as if I hadn't heard.

"Holy Shit!" I thought to myself as I trotted across the yards, "The 2 of them are like swimsuit models, only prettier!"

I no more than got in the house when the rain started coming down in Dixie cup size drops. It was like a wall of water that stopped as soon as it started, but the sky was still ominous. I noticed as I filled my lungs with the electrified air that it was abnormally calm, but I quickly lost that breath as a tree was struck and split by lightning at the edge of our properties. The thunder crash and lightning flash was unsettling as it seemed time stopped and then a second flash and crash from close by sent the electricity off leaving everything dark and quiet. The heavy clouds made it feel like late twilight and downright spooky.

I was about to go to my back-up generator and make sure it was starting when there was another close hard strike and boom, the vibrations of which caused the earlier struck and split tree to fall hard across the Watsons chain link fence and coming within 2 or 3 feet of their house.

It was then I was aware of the screams coming from Erika and Mellissa next door. The girls were in panic mode for sure and I was weighing if it was safe enough for me to go over and see if all was OK. My cell rang and I saw it was Erika.

"Can we come over, there are more trees taller than that right there, and I'm petrified!"

"Of course, but wait until there is a break in storm. Stay in the front of the house and before you leave you should go in the basement and throw the main power switch off. It's just at the bottom of the stairs. I helped your Dad put it in. It's a gray box with a red handle, just pull it down." I instructed her.

"I'm not going down there, it's dark!" She cried.

"ERIKA! Grow the fuck up and do something for yourself and your parents. Use your cell phone to light your way, you don't even have to go all the way down! Quit being a fucking baby! Also, DO NOT open the refrigerator or freezer." I shouted back at her, sick of her acting like a defenseless kitten.

Just then I heard my generator fire up and begin to sputter before the engine began to hum from the little open shed I built for it beside the Bilco door. A few of my lights came on and I heard the refrigerator begin to cycle again. I usually ran the fridge, stove, TV, computer, and 4 outlets in the house. Any more than that, or sometime a little less depending the season, and it really taxed the unit. When I went to the window there were no street lights, and it was dark enough in the storm for them to trip, for as far as I could see and up the side of the hill where there were numerous townhouses. Being that widespread usually meant we were in for a long haul of at least a couple to 4 or 5 hours, usually wires downed by trees.

The wind was whipping again and hail was added to the rain making me glad I got my car under the carport. Then came the crash of another Pine, a 50 or so foot pitch pine on the edge of the Watson property. Not tall enough to reach their house, but enough to make you wonder about the larger ones behind it. Many pines grow roots out and not so much down so when they achieved a certain height they became vulnerable to wind in their tops.

As soon as the hail stopped I saw Watsons front door open and the 2 girls were running towards my house under a large blanket they held to protect them from hail and other wind borne matter. I ran to the side slider off the carport and let them in.

"We can't stay there Uncle Charley. Too dangerous!" Erika shouted.

I just nodded my head in agreement and got them in. When the blanket came off of them it was apparent they were ready to lie in for the evening when the storm hit. Both wore light cotton loose pants and tee's. A quick look told me they were braless and each of them wore thongs or no panties at all. I wasn't quite bold enough to check their fronts, already uncomfortable from the start.

We all sat across from the picture window on the sofa to watch the storm as I looked for a conversation starter.

"So Mellissa, your grandparents live in Dunedin, I assume you spent time on Clearwater Beach, right across the cove." I said trying to get our minds off the storm since there was nothing we could do about anything until it waned.

Instantly Mellissa started to giggle again, like I wasn't in on some joke. And it was pissing me off.

"Okay, you two, what is it that I'm not supposed to know that Mellissa thinks is so funny. I might seem like a dumb old guy to you, but I still feel like a kid. 40 isn't 80 and I happen to hang around with loads of college age people, so I'm not quite a relic. What's going on?"

Mellissa's face turned white for a second as her eyes widened.

"You're 40? Holy shit I thought you were 25 or 28 or so. I've been telling Erika what a hot uncle she has and she kept telling me to stop checking you out."

"Mellissa! Oh my God! You know he's good friends with MY PARENTS!" Erika said in a panic.

"He's cool Erika, there's a glass of booze with rolled joint by his recliner." Mellissa said to her defending herself.

Erika looked at me and I was embarrassed, but not ashamed of the fact I got high from time to time. A scotch and a joint made me sleep like a baby.

"Really Uncle Charlie? You get high? I keep thinking of you as like my Dad, you know age wise." Erika said.

"Erika, I don't have the family responsibilities your Dad has and I hang with a lot of younger people, sort of refusing to grow up, while I can. Most people my "age" are married. After Carole left me I decided to go back to my bachelors life and I enjoy myself. As far as being "cool", you know I would always keep quiet to your parents if I thought you were doing something questionable. You're grown up enough to be talked to face to face without going through your "Mommy and Daddy"."

"Just tell him so we can stop acting so simple." Mellissa said.

"No, be quiet big mouth!" Erika scolded.

"He knows you're hot, he knows you're no saint, he's checked us BOTH out! Don't be a baby! We didn't stay at my grandparent's house. They really don't have much room." Mellissa blurted out.

Erika turned red with embarrassment. "We stayed at the Hyatt in Clearwater with a couple guys we met at a school conference."

"Girls, I don't care what you did. You're both grown up, it's just you shouldn't have lied to your parents, but I can understand why. It's just if anything ever happened to you, your parents would be distraught over the circumstances." I said looking at her sort of fatherly before I came to another realization. "Holy Shit, The Hyatt!! That's probably $500 a night on Clearwater this time of year!"