Chapter 6: Gone

Monday dawned grey and bleak, without the benefit of sunshine to brighten the day, just a lessening of the darkness rather than a full daybreak. Having taken the day off to take Carol to the airport I rose later than usual but still failed open at about 6 a.m. I let Carol sleep another hour while the kids got up and ready for school. After seeing them off for the day I moved to the bedroom and quietly told at Carol to wake up... that it was time to get up for her trip. As usual, she didn't want to wake, preferring to snuggle deeper into the cushiony warmth of the warm water bed. Seeing her turn her head away from the world and delve deep beneath the covers I moved to the side of the bed to give her a shake of the shoulder and a pat on the rump. Carol hates mornings, preferring the lateness of the night than the quiet of the morning.

She turned away from me towards the other side of the bed. At this point I figured only one way to get her "moving" as it were. I slid in behind her until I was snuggled tight against her back and ass. Sliding my hand up beneath her nightshirt I felt her ribs slide past my fingers until I could feel the bulge of her breast against my fingertips. I moved my hand around until I could cup her right breast in the full of my hand, the nipple pressing against my palm. Taking the nipple between two fingers I lightly pulled it away from her breast. It stayed that way, not retreating back to it's original position but staying extended. A moan escaped from her lips, and her rear pressed back against me. I traced circles around the fullness of her breast with my fingers, occassionaly moving back to the nipple for a slight pull, then back to retracing her breast.

Her eyes were still closed but her breath had increased its pace while becoming deeper. I could feel the silkiness of her panties against my legs below my boxers as she pushed her ass against my growing maleness. I moved my hand to her other breast and accomplished the same thing on its nipple that I had with its twin on the right. Both nipples were hardened now and her breathing pace had increased. Suddenly, I felt her hand on mine, pulling it down her stomach to between her legs. I felt the smoothness surrounding her female sex beneath the silky fabric covering until my hand had made its way to the feminine lips between her legs. I pushed the material between them with my finger and traced a path deeper between her legs and back up again, brushing the nub at the top at the apex of my path. In no hurry I slowly moved down and then up between her legs rubbing first one side and then the other, repeating the motion time after time. With each "stroke" Carol's breathing became faster and shallower and she pushed further back against me until she was almost jack-kniffed in two at the waist. Her right leg rose until her foot was resting on her left knee and I had to move my hand to come around beneath her leg. The material of her panties was now between her pussy lips and her hand had moved up to take her nipple between her own fingers. I pushed her soaking panties aside and slipped my finger partway inside her, slowly sliding it in and then out.

Carol reached behind her, reached into the fly of my boxers, and grasped my cock in her hand. I pulled my hand out of her pussy and pulled her panties down over the globes of her ass. Carol pulled my cock out of my boxers, and I aimed it at her soaking wet pussy, sliding in easily from behind. With neither of us in any hurry, I slowly moved in and out, feeling the lips of her pussy slide past the veins on my cock as she snuggled against my chest. At this angle I didn't go very deep, but obviously deep enough for her. Soon I heard her gasp and felt her pussy muscles grasp me strongly as her orgasm swept through her. I felt her hand touch my cock between her legs and occassionaly touch my balls as I moved faster and faster within her, my own orgasm swelling in my balls. With one more push I began to pulsate within her, and I felt my own orgasm gush out of my cock and inside my lovely wife. She held me within her for a few minutes, our breathing slowly resuming normal pace, with me still snuggled tight against her back.

"Good morning, Luv!" I said to her from behind. Until now, neither of us had spoken, letting our body language do the talking.

"Good morning to you too!" she replied, giving my hand a quick squeeze.

"It's time to get up and get going if you want to make your flight." I told her, squeezing her breast in return.

"I know. I just didn't want to get up. But I guess I'd better!"

"Then I guess you'd better let me go then!" I said, moving away from her body and swinging my legs out over the bed.

Giving her ass a swat with my hand I pulled the blankets away from her and reached for my robe. Carol swung her own legs over the bed and headed to the bathroom, her panties down below the cheeks of her ass. I went for a cup of coffee and heard the shower start in the other room.

Within the hour we were out the door and headed for Seattle International Airport, about an hour and a half drive from our house. Traffic was light and Carol and I talked non-stop the entire way about what the kids and I were going to do while Carol was gone. I filled her in on things to see in San Diego and how to find her way around one of my favorite cities in the world. I stopped the car in front of the airlines entrance and moved around the back of the Blazer to retrieve her luggage, giving it to the skycap waiting there. After a quick kiss goodbye I watched as she moved off into the terminal and I headed back towards home, moving with the flow of traffic and listening to my favorite sports radio station.

An hour into the trip I felt a sudden chill inside the car... and the sounds from the radio stopped! Suddenly, I "felt" rather than saw another person inside the car with me. I turned and could see the faint outline of Carol, in her new suit again, sitting on the passenger side looking at me intently.

"Jeremy... I'm going to miss you and the kids. Take care of yourselves... and remember that I loved you."

"Carol... what are you doing here again? Why are you like this?" I asked the apparition next to me. I was having some difficulty controlling the car, and began to pull over to the side of the road.

"It's my time now. I wanted to say goodbye. Don't worry... I'm going to be okay. Don't let the kids forget me... help them get on with their lives, but don't let them forget me. That goes for you too Jeremy... carry on, but don't forget me." she said from what seemed like far away. "And know that I loved you... no matter what happened, I always loved you. Jeremy... be with our freinds tonight... they will give you love and comfort... be with them tonight."

"I love you too honey... but what are you doing?" I blurted out.

"Saying goodbye love, saying goodbye." she whispered... and with that I was alone in the car again... sitting alongside the road with the car still running.

I sat there for about five minutes before the shaking stopped long enough for me to drive again. Suddenly, the radio came on and began blaring an obnoxious commercial. My thoughts stayed on Carol... and why her appartition would visit me again. I didn't understand what it all meant... but somehow knew that I would know soon enough.

When I opened the front door to the house the phone was ringing loudly. I reached it on the third ring, answering in a breath shortened voice.

"Mr. Jeremy Williams?" came the voice over the phone.

"Yes, this is Jeremy Williams."

"Mr. Williams, this is California Airlines. My name is Carolyn Ashton, and I'm sorry to inform you that there's been an accident with one of our planes, flight 240 out of Seattle."

"What kind of accident? Are the passengers okay?" I asked, my voice quivering and shortened by my hurried breathing, a feeling of dread building in my chest.

"No Mr. Williams, I'm afraid they're not. The flight went down in the vicinity of Mt. Hood near Portland. Mr. Williams, I hate being the one to tell you this, but your wife died onboard flight 240 this morning. All two hundred passengers and crew onboard have perished sir." the voice on the other end of the phone informed me in a sympathetic tone.

"Mr. Williams... are you still there sir? Are you okay?" Carolyn Ashton asked me.

"Yes... Yes, I'm still here Ms. Ashton. I'm okay... can you tell me what happened? How did it happen?" I asked her as my legs gave way and I sat heavily on a chair. My chest felt tight, and I had begun to tremble.

"Mr. Williams... the plane was flying in heavy clouds and bad weather... and for some reason hit the mountain near Timberline Lodge. Sir, noone felt a thing they are telling me. Mr. Willims, I am so sorry for your loss sir. If there's anything we can do for you or your family please let me know. My private number here is 555-1234, and if I'm not here my voice-mail will tell you how to reach me."

"Thank You Ms. Ashton... thank you for calling. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find my kids and tell them their mother isn't coming home. Please let me know if you find out anything more."

"I will Mr. Williams... and once again, I'm so sorry. I really really am... and I have a hundred more families to call. We will let you know as much as we can. Goodbye Mr. Williams."

I hung up the phone, later recalling that I hadn't told Ms. Ashton goodbye, as the doorbell rang.

"Jeremy... Jeremy... it's Michelle and Karen. Open the door Jeremy... we saw you drive up... come on open the door Jeremy." came a voice from the other side of the front door.

"Come in Michelle... it's open." was all I could reply... still sitting in the chair I had almost fallen into. I couldn't get my legs to move to answer the door as my mind reeled from the phone conversation just ended.

Michelle and Karen, our (my?) next door neighbors burst into the room in an uncontrolled flurry of movement. I watched them with a somewhat blank look on my face as they ran to me and stood on either side of me, Michelle taking my head in her hands and holding her to her ample bosom. She was dressed in nothing more than a t-shirt and panties... her usual attire.

"Jeremy... it's on the news... about Carol's plane... oh God Jeremy... we're so sorry... oh Jeremy..."was all Kathy could say... over and over.

"Kathy... turn on the t.v. okay... I want to see what the news is saying." I said to her... patting her hand.

"Michelle... I knew. I knew on the way home before the airline called. She visited me in the car on my way home." I said.

"What do you mean she visited you?" Michelle asked.

"The apparition... the one that visited me at the ocean. She visited me in the car on the way home. It must have been about the time the plane crashed!" I told her, realizing the timing of the visit by the apparition.

By this time Kathy had turned the t.v. to the local news... and there it was... a lovely news reporter dressed in a parka giving commentary and pictures from Mt. Hood in Oregon. The pictures showed a burning mass of metal of what had once been a beautiful white craft designed to move us quickly... but with sometimes deadly consequences. The weather was indeed horrible... and I could understand how they could not see the mountain... but that brought into mind hundreds of unanswered questions.

"Jeremy... what about the kids... you have to tell the kids" Michelle said to me, turning my face up to look into hers. The feeling of her body next to mine was warm and comforting, the swell of her breasts against my cheeks. ' "I know... I have to go to their schools... I have to go get them. I don't want them to hear it from their classmates."

"We'll go with you... do you want me to drive?" Michelle asked while she stroked my head.

"No, I'll drive. I'm okay, really. But it'll be nice to have you along... But I think you'd better get dressed first. When you're ready come on back and we'll go to the schools to tell the kids. I'm okay... really... go on... go get dressed and come back."

"Okay... it'll only take me a minute. Karen, wait here I'll be right back." Michelle said to Karen, still standing in front of the t.v. watching the scene from Oregon. Michelle hurried out the front door, her panty clad ass swaying as she practically ran to her house.

"Karen... Carol told me to be strong... she told me she would be okay..." I mumbled.

Karen moved to where I was and sat in my lap, taking my hand in hers. Suddenly, as if triggered by the feeling of another body close to mine, I began to shake uncontrollably, and the tears began to flow. She pressed my head hard against her shoulder and let me cry, the sobs racking my body and wetting her shirt. For five minutes I cried, which I hadn't done even when my father had passed away. Carol and I had been together for over 18 years, a second marriage for me and her first. Throughout our marriage we had had more than our share of problems. Foremost among them had been sex... or lack of. Until we had become involved with our neighbors in group sex. Our escapades had opened up communication between us again to the point where we didn't argue anymore. We could talk now... about anything anytime. Now, just when things between us were at their best and we could enjoy being together... she was gone. I was struck by the unfairness of it all. That I would lose her when things were at their best. And I knew I wouldn't replace her. Not that I couldn't... I was only 40 and while not handsome not ugly either... I just wouldn't.

"Jeremy... it's okay... go ahead... it's okay." Karen repeated over and over as I cried for the lost half of my life.

Michelle opened the front door and hurried into the room. She had obviously hurried through her preparations, her bralessness evident beneath her shirt in the way her nipples threatened to poke through her shirt.

"I'm ready anytime you are Jeremy... you sure you don't want me to drive?" she said.

"No... I'll drive... it'll keep my mind alert... besides, I can't smoke in your car... but I can in mine. I'm ready anytime you guys are." I replied, helping Karen move off my lap. We left the house with the t.v. still on, the scene of the crash still on the screen.