This Earth Day submission falls into a number of categories: Loving Wives, Interracial Love, Romance, Erotic Couplings, and Novels and Novellas, among others. A big thank you to Mistress Lynn for taking of her time to edit this story and make it a much better read.

Wow! Where do I begin when talking about Earth Day? When I think about the earth, I visualize that big round ball in the universe shown in the movies or the pictures from our astronauts.

Here on the ground, I think about the Earth Day groups picketing against the coal companies and lumber businesses. It always bothered me because the bottom line was that while men and women were working their asses off to earn a living, a bunch of hopped up, too much time on their hands college kids were busy trying to get these places shut down.

I want a clean earth as much as the next guy, but sometimes I think they go too far. I do love going through the country looking at the fields of golden grain, or corn stalks as far as the eye can see. What about beautiful places like the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains? I love watching the tides come in from the rivers and oceans. It is always peaceful yet eerie when sitting on a dock as the sun sets.

My name is John Jones and I want to tell you about a childhood sweetheart of mine. To tell you about Aliana, I must go back twenty years ago to when I was a kid of eight years old.

I come from a middle-income family where my parents both worked. I had one sister Marie who was two years older than I was. We had a decent relationship even though she used to say I always got on her nerves.

We lived in a rather divided area of town. On one side of the tracks, it was normal housing, but on the other side of the tracks was the projects, for very low or no income families. We still all attended the same school so many of the kids from there were my friends. They couldn't help it that their parents were out of work. My parents brought me up to treat all people the same as long as they treated me right.

Aliana was seven when I first saw her, and a year behind me in school. Most people called her black but I never liked that word. To me, she was a light colored chocolate; she was of mixed race and had the most beautiful green eyes.

I remember one day on the playground that a couple of white guys were teasing her. It pissed me off and I went over, jumped the biggest one, and started beating the shit out of him. A few seconds later, his buddy jumped on my back. I elbowed him and caught his nose. Blood went everywhere. The teachers showed up and we all got detention for a week.

I got grounded at home even longer by my parents, even though deep down I know that my dad was proud of me.

It was funny but those guys never teased Aliana again while I was around. I found out she lived in the projects and went to visit her whenever I could. I brought her over to our house and my parents were surprised she was of mixed race. I guess I didn't really have many black friends especially girls. She was so darn cute and nice they had to like her.

We were pals; we didn't spend all our time together but when we did, we always had fun. My parents invited her go to the zoo with us and even once to the beach. As I mentioned, she was my pal. I never thought of her as a girl.

When I was about ten years old, my parents bought a home in the suburbs. I was really happy in our new house. The only problem was I missed my pal. My dad explained that was how life went. People we cared for would come and go in our life.

I remember when we said goodbye. Aliana had tears coming down her cheeks and it made me cry. I told her to stop it because I was a guy and we weren't supposed to cry. She leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. I had never ever kissed any girl on the lips. "I'll never forget you John," she said as she ran home.

I was glad that Marie was there to give me a big hug. "Life sucks sometimes little brother," she said.

All of that happened over twenty years ago.

Life went on and my memories of Aliana were just part of my past. After graduation from high school, I entered the service, where I spent two years overseas. It was rough but I felt I was there for the right reason.

It wasn't bad in the sexual department either. Some of the ladies had their own way of saying thank you. I've been with women from every race I can think of. When you're a young guy having sex in a strange world, it doesn't matter who's under you. The result would always be the same, one full condom. Some didn't even speak English but 'Oh god" or "Fuck me" sounded the same in every language. Damn, I was one horny bastard back then.

I moved down to the Miami Florida area after I got out of the service and went to college for a couple of years. I wanted to manage my own business and knew I needed to learn the fundamentals.

After graduation, I started my business as a tour guide of the Everglades. It's one of the nicest places I have ever been to, tranquil, yet a bit scary because of the alligators and such.

The appeal of this nearly untouched wilderness and its plentiful wildlife is what attracted me to the area. I figured the ways to experience it were by boat, airplane, van, airboat, bicycle and even walking tours. Of course, the best would be by boat where you could go deep into the swamp.

Contrary to what the average visitor might expect, the Everglades isn't a huge swamp inhabited only by large snakes and alligators. To me it is a masterpiece of nature's beauty in a mysterious forest containing many forms of wildlife and birds in their natural habitat.

My business took off like a bat out of hell. So many people wanted to tour the Everglades. I owned three boats that were out every morning until it started to become dark. We didn't want to take chances with tourists after dark. Too many alligators, snakes and other swamp creatures were hard to keep track of after nightfall.

Two buddies that were in the service with me were both great friends, and they started working for me after they received their discharges. I also had two great gals in the office that did all of the scheduling.

I did hire a couple of local college students part-time so we could all have time off. I figured that within the year I would be adding at least two if not three more boats. The kind of boats I'm talking about are the kind you see in the movies with the big fans on the back. A lot of the waterways are very shallow and you would ruin your motors if they hit rock bottom or dragged through the sand.

After working non-stop since leaving the service, going to college, and starting a business, I decided to take some time off and go see my family back in Ohio. My two cohorts, Jim and Bob were very capable of running the business for me.

I drove so I would have a way of getting around when I got there. It was so good to see my parents. My sister Marie, her husband, and two kids came by for a big cookout, where we talked over old times.

Marie was a doctor and married one. They had a nice practice in our little town. Dad was still working at the local plant and mom was a full time volunteer. She was a woman who just had to help people. I was ready to oblige her and eat all the homemade meals she made.

One day I was driving through our old neighborhood; it sure changed. Half the buildings were either empty or torn down. The houses looked like drug-infested rattraps. I felt bad. After all, I used to live there and it was part of my early childhood.

After leaving there, I went to visit a few friends from my school days. My old friend Matt was glad to see me. He told me he was recently divorced, blaming it on himself for spending too much time at the bars. His wife left him for another guy. He told me they just got married too early. They both needed to spread their wings.

We decided to go to one of the local bars and have a couple of drinks.

"John, there is a waitress there that will take your breath away. She's either black or of mixed race and has the most beautiful green eyes."

It made me think back when I was a kid how everyone used to say that about Aliana. Of course, she was just a kid too but I remembered her being my gal pal. Matt asked me why I was smiling and I told him I was just thinking about an old friend.

We went in and found an empty booth. It was then that this beautiful chocolate skinned, green-eyed waitress came to our table. We stared at each other for a few seconds and I saw her mouth open in surprise. I looked at her nametag and it said Aliana.

"John! It's really you; I can't believe you're here, it's so good to see you."

Somehow, she'd recognized me. I quickly stood up and gave her a big hug.

"Aliana, I can't tell you how many times I thought about you over the last twenty years. How are you? How have you been?" I asked.

"Hey John, do you know her?" asked Matt.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Matt, this is Aliana, my childhood sweetheart. She was my gal pal till my family moved away when I was ten. Aliana, this is my friend Matt. He was my best friend in high school."

They said hello and we ordered a couple of beers.

"I can't believe you know her," said Matt after Aliana left to get our order.

"I hate to tell you John, but you better stay away from her."

"What are you talking about, Matt? She's just an old friend and a great looking one at that."

"Exactly! She's married to DJ, a real mean black dude. He had one guy put in the hospital just for flirting with her. He'd have you killed if he saw the way you hugged her."

"You're crazy man; no guy is going to put me in a hospital for hugging an old friend. What's the DJ stand for anyway?"

"Darrel Johnson, he was locked up a couple of months ago for possession. I think he's due out next month. I'm just saying John, he's bad news."

"She's coming back. We'll talk more about this later. Hello again, beautiful lady," I said to Aliana as she set down our beers.

She smiled and told me how good it was to see me again.

"Aliana, I'll be here for around two weeks. Maybe we could get together and talk about old times?" I asked.

"John, I would love to but I'm married and I'm sure my husband wouldn't approve of me talking to you."

"What? What kind of a husband is he? I'll tell you what. I'll take both of you out for dinner. Surely he wouldn't mind that." I didn't tell her that I knew he was presently locked up.

I could see she was extremely nervous. She kept looking around the bar to make sure no one was watching us. "John, for your own good, please don't pressure me." I could tell she was distressed.

"Aliana, please, you're an old friend. I can see you're scared and not happy. I don't like seeing you this way. Is there anything I can do?"

"John, I'm afraid of DJ and I don't want to see you get hurt. Please, just stay away from me for your own good." She had tears in her eyes and went straight to the restroom.

"Matt, I can't sit here and do nothing. Tell me all you can about this Darrel Johnson."

Matt told me how DJ was a drug dealer. He was lucky he wasn't sent up for dealing instead of possession, since he was the main man in this area. They just caught him at the wrong time.

I asked how he and Aliana got together and he said he didn't know much other than Aliana had a child a couple of years ago. He didn't believe it was DJ's but really didn't know for sure.

Aliana was a dancer in this lounge but after having her child and marrying DJ, she stopped working. When DJ went to jail, she needed the money and got this waitress job.

Aliana came back to our table one more time. "John, I'm sorry for the way I talked to you. You deserve much better. It's just that DJ has a horrible temper and he doesn't allow me my own friends. It's been so good seeing you again. Please take care."

As Matt and I got up to leave, I squeezed Aliana's hand and she gave me that beautiful smile. I knew she had problems and I wasn't going to leave without trying to help her.

After dropping off Matt, I went back to the lounge at closing and waited on Aliana. When she walked to her car, I pulled up next to her.

"John, what are you doing here? You can't be seen with me."

"Listen, I want to talk with you and help you if I can. Please! There is an all night restaurant outside of town. Follow me there and we'll have some coffee and breakfast if you like. I just want to talk with you."

"Oh god, John, you never did listen to me. I shouldn't go but it's been so long since we've talked. Okay, let's have coffee, but it can't be anywhere around here. Just follow me."

She got in her car and we must have driven a good twenty miles before pulling into a small all-night diner. When she got out of the car, I could see she had been crying. I took her in my arms and just held her.

"What is it Aliana, what's the matter? Let's go inside and you can tell me everything."

Once inside, Aliana broke down and told me her story. I sat back and just let her speak, without interrupting, sensing she needed to get it all out.

"John, I thoroughly screwed up my life. When I was younger, I was foolish. I thought I cared for a man that promised me the world. I got pregnant by him and then he left me before Ashley was born. That's the name of my little girl; Ashley's, my pride and joy. I was scared and wasn't sure what to do, but I went ahead and had my daughter. She means everything to me.

"I was a dancer at one of the local lounges. It was actually one of the better ones to work at. The tips were good and the clientele was mostly businessmen. I dated a couple of them but it never got very serious. That was until I met James; he seemed special. He actually wined and dined me for a few months.

"He worked for his dad who didn't like him dating a mixed race woman. I remember after we broke up he told me his dad always said it's okay to fuck her but never marry her. When I got pregnant, his dad was furious. He told James he would disown him if he married me or accepted my child. I cried so hard after hearing that.

"I told them I would have a DNA done and make him pay. His father laughed and said if that happened he would see that I was considered a whore and he would make sure I never got to see the child again. I didn't know what to do and there was no way I could fight a wealthy man. So I just kept my mouth shut.

"I wasn't able to work as a dancer after about my third month of pregnancy. Luckily, the manager kept me on as a waitress till my eight month. After that, we had to live on our savings until after Ashley's birth. A couple of weeks later, I was back on the dance floor trying to make enough for a life for Ashley and me.

"Mom and dad did their best and stood by me. They helped me all they could. When Ashley was about a year old, she got sick and had to go to the hospital for almost a week. The bill ran close to thirty thousand dollars. We had insurance, which covered eighty percent of it, but I was now making payments on the other six thousand dollars.

"Things were a bit tight when I met DJ. He started coming in to the club and kept coming on to me. He asked me out and I decided to go. He was black and the others were white. I guess the color doesn't make a difference, I just can't pick a good one.

"I hadn't been out with anyone since having Ashley. DJ was nice to both of us in the beginning. I thought I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. We could become a family and Ashley would have a father. He asked me to marry him, but soon after the wedding, he changed.

"He made me quit my job. He became jealous and violent to me when I didn't listen to him. I was scared and not sure what to do. I left him one time and he came after me and beat me. He said if I told anyone what really happened he would harm Ashley. I knew he was serious. He'd hurt people before.

"I was so stupid and dumb. God, I've made so many mistakes. After going back with DJ, I asked him if Ashley could live with my parents. I loved her so much but I didn't want her around this man. He told me he didn't want the bastard child around him anyway.

"I cried when I took her to my parent's home. They knew that DJ was abusive to me and that I brought Ashley to them to save her. My parents kept telling me to leave him. I wanted to so bad, but he told me if I ever left again that not only would he hunt me down but that he would kill my family also. I just couldn't take that chance.

"He told me, 'As long as you obey me and do whatever I tell you, you'll have a good life and your family won't be harmed.' So I do what he tells me to. I thought about shooting him but I'm just not that brave yet. I wouldn't know where to start without getting caught. I would be willing to go to jail to save my family and especially Ashley.

"I get to see her most every day. I go there before going to the lounge. It's been a blessing since he has been locked up. I know it's wrong but I pray daily that someone will take his life while in prison. He's due out next month.

"When I first met him, he told me he was a businessman and had a realty office down in our old neighborhood. I've since found out that it's a front for his drug deals. He has two scumbags that work for him, Terrence and Lance. They have been overseeing his business since he went to jail.

"They're supposed to be checking on me daily and report anything out of the ordinary to him. So far, they have come in most every evening. They try to get me to have sex with them. In fact, they have said if I didn't that they would make up something and tell DJ.

"I told them both to get lost. If DJ didn't believe them he would probably do them in. It's been enough for them to leave me alone. They still paw at me and grab my ass when they can. I constantly tell them I'll let DJ know when he gets out. They just laugh. I guess we have each other at a stalemate.

"That's why I was crying John. I want out and away from him but I have no way of doing it. I should have never told you all this stuff. It's just that when we were kids it was like you were my guardian angel. People didn't bother me and I felt safe knowing you were there even though we were just kids."

I listened to Alana speak; my heart went out to her. I wanted to help her in the worst way. All my feelings for her when I was a kid were back. I knew I had to help her, I just didn't know how yet.

I asked her about these two guys who were supposed to be checking up on her. She told me that they said they weren't baby sitters and that they only came by once a day around six o'clock.

The next day being Sunday, they wouldn't be around. She always spent Sunday at her parents so she could be with her daughter. Her parents lived about five miles away from the office and they didn't want to waste their time just to find out if she was there.

After she finished, I paid for our coffee and we left. We stood by her car. She was so damn beautiful. I couldn't help myself as I leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss. God, it felt so good. I pulled back quickly and saw tears in her beautiful green eyes.

"I'm so sorry Aliana, I had no right..."

"No John, please don't feel sorry. It felt so nice. It reminded me of the time I kissed you when you went away."

I leaned forward, put my arms around her, and kissed her again, very passionately.

"Sweetheart, I'm going to do everything I can to help you." I called her sweetheart, I don't know why.

"John, I can't involve you in this mess I made of my life. They'll kill you; I can't live with that on my conscience. Please just stay away, I'll manage."

I knew that I was now involved. My childhood pal, who would have ever believed we would even have seen each other again. Now, she was in big trouble and I would have to find a way to help her.

She gave me her parent's address and I told her I would be there to see her tomorrow. She hugged me and thanked me for just being there.

Damn, I couldn't believe that I could have feelings for her. Was I just feeling sorry for her, or were they genuine? All I knew was that I made her a promise and I was going to see it through.

That night I went home and had a heart to heart talk with my dad. The nice thing about dad was that he was a good listener and wouldn't try to pre-judge me. We'd had many man-to-man talks in the past.

He did tell me that I really had to watch my step. After all, Aliana was a married woman and I really might not know her that well since we hadn't even talked since we were kids.

"John, people change. I remember that sweet little girl that used to go places with us too. I trust your judgment. All I'm asking is that you be careful. You're out of your element in this situation."

"Dad, I understand. It's just that I know she's made some regrettable mistakes in the past and I want to help her. I guess what I'm saying is that I just can't walk away. I promise I'll be careful."

The following day I did go to her parent's house. Aliana came to the door and smiled after she saw me. She asked me in and re-introduced me to her mother and father. They greeted me but seemed hesitant about why I was there. All parents worry about there kids and I hadn't seen Aliana for over twenty years.

While I was talking to them, a miniature Aliana came up to me. It was her daughter Ashley.

"You must be Ashley. I'm so very glad to meet you," I said as I asked Aliana if it was all right to pick her up. After her approval, I reached down and picked up the four-year-old girl.

I gave here a big hug and she actually hugged me back. I set her back down and she asked me, "Are you John, mommy's friend. Are you going to take me and mommy someplace?"

"Ashley," said Aliana. "You don't ask people to take you places."

"But Mommy, you said maybe he would take us to the zoo. I was just asking him."

"Ashley, would you like your mom and I to take you to the zoo today?"

She shook her head yes while her mom shook hers back and forth but smiled.

"OK then, if it's all right with her, the two of you get your coats or whatever and we'll head out to the zoo."

When they went to get ready, Mr. Brown told me that he wasn't certain that I should be with Aliana, her being married, even though her husband was in jail. He told me that she'd had a very rough life and hoped it would improve.

He did say that my being white had nothing to do with it. Apparently, his father was white and his mother black, so he knew how hard it was for a mixed race person to find acceptance by either race.

"Mr. Brown, I'm not a racist. I do my best to treat all people the same. Aliana was never black or white to me. She was always just my friend while we were growing up.

"Sir, let me assure you of one thing. I would never do anything to harm or hurt either Aliana or Ashley. We're going to the zoo as old friends. They both deserve a day of having fun."

Aliana came back into the room and we said goodbye to her parents and headed out. The day was great. Aliana and Ashley wanted to see all the animals. We fed all the ones with signs allowing us to. Just to see the two of them laughing and smiling made my heart feel good.

Ashley wanted to stop at McDonald's on the way home. I had to admit, it was a pretty cheap date. It was just starting to get dark when we arrived back to her parent's house.

Ashley had fallen asleep on the back seat, so I picked her up, carried her into the house, into her room, and set her on the bed. I went and talked to Mr. and Mrs. Brown while Aliana got Ashley ready for bed.

"Thank you for taking them," said Mrs. Brown. "I could see by the smile on their faces that they had a wonderful time."

When Aliana came out, I told her it was time for me to head home. She walked me to the porch and we talked for a couple of minutes.

"John, thank you for everything. It was probably the best day I've had as far back as I can remember. It was nice to see you again."

"Aliana, it's not over. It's just the beginning for us. I'm going to help you with your problems. There is no way that I will turn my back on you or that sweet little girl. We will find a way out of this. Please, just trust me. By the way, tell Ashley that next Saturday we're going to the Aquarium," I said and smiled.

I leaned forward and gave her a light kiss goodnight. "I'll be by to see you at the lounge."

I could see tears running down her cheeks as I turned away.

I started organizing a plan. I figured I had three weeks before DJ would be returning home from prison. Till then I just had to worry about his two friends, Terrence and Lance.

I talked with my friend Matt who agreed to go to the lounge with me each night. I wanted to see Aliana even if it was for a few minutes as our waitress. Matt was more than happy to watch the girls dance.

We stopped in most every evening and had a couple of beers. I would see Terrence and Lance come in and pester Aliana. I wanted to go kick the shit out of them but that didn't work into my plans. I had to watch my temper right now.

Matt and I discussed the drug realty office. He told me that his brother in-law was a cop and was the one who made the bust on DJ. No one knew he and Matt were related. Jeff, Matt's brother in-law, had a big bust set up that would have sent DJ up for a long time.

"The cops hit the office too late in the day and they could only slap DJ with a charge of possession. Matt said Jeff was really pissed and wished they could have sent him away for a long time. He figured Terrence and Lance got wind of the bust and got the drugs out before the cops arrived. DJ's possession charge was for what he still had on his person," said Matt.

"Matt, would you like to get these bastards? I'm going to help out Aliana but I could use some help."

"John, my brother in-law is a cop. I can't do anything illegal. Buddy, these guys are into some serious shit. I wish I could help you and your girl out but I don't have any idea what I can do."

"Matt, she's not my girl, just an old friend."

"Look John, if you're going to help this woman out you'd better realize you more than just care for her. It's all over your face when you look at her. Face it good buddy, you're in love with her."

Matt was right. I guess I just didn't want to believe I could fall for a girl so easily. I guess that I should have realized that Aliana wasn't just any girl. I tried to avoid Matt's response and he just laughed.

"You're a bastard," I replied and laughed at Matt.

"Yeah! And you're in love with your old girlfriend and didn't even know it, you dumb ass."

He said it pretty loud and I'm almost certain Aliana overheard. She didn't look up but I could see she was smiling.

"All I need for you to do is make a couple of phone calls on a non-traceable phone to them when the time is right. Also, to keep me abreast of what if anything you might see. Nothing illegal. In the end, your brother in-law might get his man."

"I can do that for an old friend. What's your plan?"

"I can't tell you everything yet. The less you know the better, but I'm working on it. I'll tell you all you need to know by the weekend. I still need you to tell me what you can about Terrence, Lance and the business."

I found out that money was kind of tight for the two scumbags and they couldn't do any big scores. It seemed that DJ didn't trust them with the big funds. He wanted to make sure they didn't take over his business and figured when he got out he could hook up with his big scores again.

I talked as much as I could to Aliana and found out that DJ handled the money but never gave her any when he went to prison. She had to make ends meet on her waitress job. What a fucking creep he was. I should say that I ended each goodbye with a kiss but we didn't go any further.

I wanted to but she told me she couldn't but would always kiss me again. I wasn't going to push the issue. Her life was already full of turmoil and I didn't want to make it any worse.

The creeps Terrence and Lance would look at Matt and me whenever they came into the lounge. They never stayed long but made their passes at Aliana and even questioned her about Matt and me.

"How the hell do I know who they are? They're customers just like you, only nicer. Please, just leave me alone," she said to the two creeps.

On Saturday, I went to her parent's house where she had been spending her nights since DJ was in prison. When I knocked on the door, a grinning little Ashley opened it and asked if I was taking her to the aquarium.

I stooped down to talk to her. "Yes, pretty little girl and then we'll eat at the place of your choosing."

She gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Her grandparents even smiled when they saw her with me. I guess they decided that I wasn't out to take advantage of their daughter. We said our goodbyes, got in the car and headed to the aquarium.

We had another great time together. I told Ashley about where I lived in Florida and that I saw alligators and all kinds of other wildlife every day. She told me she wished she could live in Florida by the water. I looked over at Aliana looking for a reaction.