Chapter 11: A Brief Respite

As predicted, Paul returned that afternoon. Peter heard him pull up and enter the house. His voice grumbled as he climbed the stairs to the master bedroom where Janet had retired for the evening.

“Someone needs a nappy,” Kat snickered beside him as he chuckled and fed 3.5-inch floppies into his internal disk drive. After school, she informed him they had again overwhelmed their tiny mailbox with orders. There were over 300 requests for the new game, and he and Alan were heating their drives to make copies. Over 75% wanted the new, smaller disks.

They heard a heated discussion above but tuned it out as they enjoyed each other’s company. “I wish they’d hurry up and release a multi-disk burner for the three-and-a-halfers,” he grumbled. “This is gonna take forever.”

She shrugged, labeling a copied disk and putting it into its protective sleeve. “We asked for three to four weeks to process orders. We can handle it.”

“We should invest in a computer for you to make them too.”

“Why? I rarely stay home now that I have a boyfriend,” she replied, kissing his cheek. He smiled. She was using a duffle bag to transport the blank disks and envelopes. Once they were copied and addressed, she stacked them inside the tote for the post office. “Al’s having a blast copying them from his end.”

“I hope he visits soon,” Peter lamented. “I miss the three of us hanging out and talking.”

“I’ll drag him over this weekend. Is your mom really going to Vegas?”

He nodded with a sigh. “Yep. They’re heading out the day after tomorrow.” He had already called Jeremiah to inform him of the ‘meeting’ and discuss his recent trades. The CFP had access to the E-trade account but not the trading security code, so he could watch his account and offer suggestions. When Peter suggested using ARPANET to communicate, the old Southerner admitted he wasn’t in tune with modern communications. So, they arranged for him to visit on Thursday afternoon so Peter could set him up on the network and get his ID.

“You think they’ll get married?” she asked, secretly thrilled to have the weekend to themselves.

“Don’t care if they do,” Peter said. “As long as they leave me alone.” Earlier, he’d tried to start the lawnmower, but it wouldn’t catch, so he called around until he found a kid to cut the grass for ten bucks.

The boy showed up after school and finished in under 30 minutes. It still looked rough with clippings everywhere, but raking wasn’t included, and Peter paid him. While the yard was mowed, he took the garbage to the driveway’s edge and called for a special pick-up. It was gone by the time Kathy arrived. His mom, upset after the ‘family meeting,’ retreated to her room.

After updating his spreadsheets that morning, he found his investments doing better than expected. In under three weeks, MSFT rose a dollar to $16.80, and AAPL two dollars to $42.50. AMD and IBM were up fifty cents to $8.50 and $22, respectively. INTL remained at $42, and CSCO gained three dollars to $26. He was most impressed to see ORCL return to its pre-earnings price and rise another dollar to $23/share. His combined portfolio was worth $680,000 plus $175,000 cash. He had another Option trade in mind but wanted to discuss it with Jeremiah first.

“Earth to Peter!” Kathy sang beside him, startling him from his thoughts. She became more diligent around him whenever he drifted off.

“Hmm?” he responded, gazing at the beauty beside him.

“What are you thinking about?” she smiled. “I thought I saw smoke coming out of your ears.”

He leaned over to kiss her, which she received favorably. “I’m thinking about how lucky I am to have such a hot girlfriend and all the awesome things we will do together.”

Her eyes lit up as she peered into his. “Oh? Like what?” she asked excitedly.

He turned back to the blinking drive in his computer and sighed. He backed away from the desk and turned around. “Let’s take a break,” he said as he hopped down from his chair and climbed onto the bed.

Kathy smirked knowingly at him and got up to join him. “What kind of break did you have in mind?” she asked with a low chuckle, snuggling up against him.

He glanced back at the door. “Is it locked?” he asked conspiratorially.

She kissed his neck and jaw before finding his lips. “I don’t think so,” she replied, moving to sit up. “But I can remedy that.”

She had just sat up when they heard heavy steps descending the stairs. She turned to him with inquiring eyes as they stopped outside his door.

“Peter?” his mom called from the other side. She knocked once and pushed the door open. Looking into the dimly lit room, she frowned at seeing them sitting on his bed.

“Yeah, mom?” Peter replied casually, keeping his arm around his girlfriend.

“Paul and I are going out for a bit. Don’t wait up for us,” she said, not voicing her opinion of him holding the older girl beside him.

“I wasn’t planning to,” he replied. “Have fun.”

“Don’t stay up too late,” she added, gazing uncomfortably at the girl beside him. “It’s a school night.”

“Mmmhmm,” he replied.

After they left, Kathy got up to lock the door. Turning back, she removed her clothes and returned to him. He felt his chest flutter as he stared at her incredible body. She smiled coyly and positioned herself atop him again. She purred as he rubbed his hands up and down her bare arms and sides. She closed her eyes and arched her back, shivering under his touch. She straddled his hips and rubbed herself against him. “Oh, God,” she breathed.

Peter crossed his arms and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it to the floor as he gazed at her longingly. She lowered herself until her breasts pressed into his bare chest, kissing him passionately. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled them over until he pinned her beneath him. “Let me control this,” he whispered. “I’ve never done this before.”

She blinked at him curiously, and her eyes widened as he slid down her body. Her body jerked and twitched as he traced circles across her belly with his tongue. As he descended, he kissed her torso and abdomen, probing her belly button and then continuing til he settled between her legs. The scent of her made him light-headed.

After several minutes of exploration, with her firmly holding fistfuls of his hair, she arched her back and cried out with pleasure. She went berserk from his experimentation, clawing his scalp and thrashing about.

“Baby! Please! Stop!” She panted. “I can’t ... oh, GAWD!”

He lifted his face and watched in amazement as her entire body spasmed. Her belly shook violently, and she moaned as she wrung her fingers in his hair.

“Babe, that was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen or done,” he marveled as she recovered and breathed deeply.

“Done?” she replied breathlessly. “You should have felt it! Are you naked yet?”

“Almost,”

Moments later, he joined her outcry with a loud groan. They clung to each other as they were swept away in erotic bliss. His arms trembled as he held himself over her, savoring the last seconds of their coital embrace.

“Mmmhmm,” she mumbled, rubbing her legs against his. The topic of birth control resurfaced, and he expressed his concern that the pill was not a 100% guarantee.

She turned to face him, her head propped up on her hand. “Is anything?” she smiled at his rapt attention to her tits. “It’s hard to get preggos when you don’t ovulate. But no, nothing is certain.” She touched his face, sweeping his sweaty bangs out of his eyes. “What if I got pregnant?” she asked cautiously. “Would you want me to get an abortion?”

He glanced up at her face with a troubled expression. “Oh, no way!” he exclaimed. “I don’t have any say in the matter ... but babe,” he raised his head until he matched her pose, “I want to have children with you, one day. I’d rather wait until I was at least 18, though—”

“So, we could get married?” she finished.

He shrugged. “You know, after the other night, I agree with you. Look at my mom and dad. What good did marriage vows do them?”

“At least they had you,” she replied softly. “For that, I shall remain eternally grateful.”

He grinned. “Me too.” He took her hand. “I don’t need a ceremony or vows to express my devotion. I love you. I want to spend my life with you. Married or not.”

“My ancestors didn’t wed or hold a ceremony to claim their love. They fell in love and became mates for life. Even today, divorce is rare for us.”

He chuckled. “That’s because the men know better than to piss off the squaw and risk getting their balls cut off.”

She snorted a laugh. “Watch it, bucko.” She shoved him over and kissed him. After a moment, she moaned into his mouth and broke apart. “Can we take a bath? I’m all sweaty and sticky.”

Despite his doubts about the Trans AM, it could carry his wheelchair. Wednesday morning, Peter and his mother arrived at Key Bank, waiting in the lobby for help from an account manager. The woman who came out was known to them from church. Peggy Meyers stepped out of her office wearing a bright smile that faltered briefly when she recognized the woman and her handicapped son. To her credit, she recovered quickly and approached them with a façade of friendliness and exuberance. “Janet!” she greeted warmly as the other woman stood to take her hand.

Janet’s expression was neutral, more than Peter expected. The banker looked down at him, and her façade wavered. “Peter! It is wonderful to see you again. You are looking ... well.”

“Good morning, Peggy,” Janet replied. “I hope you’re well.

“Yes. Yes. Thank you,” the rotund woman replied. “How can I help you today?”

“I want to add Peter to my checking account so he can access money when needed,” his mom replied evenly.

The other woman blinked several times and then glanced at the boy curiously. “Er ... um. Of course. Let’s go into my office and get you set up,” she said, turning towards the cubicle. “Please follow me.

Peter noticed the stares and unease as he wheeled himself through the lobby and into the office. Janet dragged a heavy chair aside so her son could be closer to the desk.

Peggy admitted this was an unusual request as she sat down. Janet presented her with the account passbook. “Usually, we open new accounts for young people and add their parents as signatories.”

“We’ll do that too,” Peter interjected. Peggy turned to look at him in surprise.

Did you think I was a deaf-mute? He smiled at her.

“Yes ... of course,” she faltered before turning to her computer and typing. An awkward silence lasted several minutes before the manager could restrain herself no longer. “We haven’t seen you in Church lately, Janet.”

He saw his mom cringe and felt sorry for her.

“Priorities shift when your son gets cut in half by a drunk driver,” he stated benignly, coming to her rescue. “Forgive Mom for prioritizing her family over God.” A slap would’ve had less effect on the woman as her cheeks brightened with chagrin at his blasphemy.