Chapter 6

I woke to the sound and movement of Pam coming back to bed. She crawled under the covers and I reached for her chilled body. She snuggled back as close as she could to me as I cupped her breast and toyed with a hard nipple.

"You're so warm," she said. "I love sleeping with you. Your body is very comfortable to me."

"You mean like a big soft pillow?"

"No, silly. It feels like you're part of me."

We cuddled for a few minutes before she asked, "Can we go out jogging this morning? I just weighed myself and I've gained three pounds since a week ago."

"Wonder how that happened?"

She moaned. "I've been eating a lot since we met."

"But we've been getting a lot of sexercise."

She giggled and said, "Maybe, but it's not enough."

"Jeez Pam, you're going to wear the skin off junior. I'm actually sore this morning."

She launched into baby talk, "Awww, poor baby. Can Pammy kiss it and make it better?"

"Well, if you think that'd help."

She turned and crawled under the covers. Just her lovely firm bottom and legs were sticking out. Her hand grasped my flaccid manhood and she started kissing it and talking baby talk to it. "Now you be a good wittle boy and let Pammy see what's wrong. Awwww, you've got a wittle scuff spot right were Daddy wubbed you against Pammy's teeth last night. Shame on Daddy! Let me kiss it and make it all better."

She kissed up and down the shaft and rubbed it along her soft face. She reached with her other hand and started gently massaging my balls. I could feel junior French kissing Pammy and playing with her tongue. Then he must have decided to go visit her tonsils and check out her Adam's apple. It was a tight squeeze but he made it. Junior couldn't decide if he wanted to be in or out.

I thought I might get in on the action. I reached for her bottom and squeezed one of the cheeks hard enough to be reprimanded by a swift punch to my leg. Of course, it wasn't long until junior erupted much to my pleasure.

Her head came from under the cover. "Now is that all better?"

"I think so but you'll have to check it again later."

She curled into my arms, smiled and gazed into my eyes for a few moments.

"You're fun," she said. "Now, let's get our jogging clothes on. I'm going to run your butt into the ground."

It was very early when we left the backyard, went through the gate at the top of the lane and began jogging toward the barn. The sun was up, but not by much, and a very picturesque mist hung suspended a few feet above the grass in the fields. The cold morning air was refreshing as we rounded the barn, through another gate and out into the pasture toward the creek we had visited the day before. We had to dodge the cow pies in the pasture but none of them appeared to be fresh.

As we approached the creek, I was winded but Pam was going strong. I asked if we could stop for a minute.

"You must be out of shape old man. We haven't even gone a mile."

I struggled to catch my breath. "You're right, I haven't jogged in years. But you'll get me in shape, I'm sure."

Pam reached and pulled my lips to hers for a quick kiss. She must have looked behind me because she screamed, "TOM! The bull's coming!"

I looked behind me; he was about 100 yards away but headed straight for us at a steady trot. "Oh damn, let's get to the barn."

Winded or not, we both headed up the hill and straight toward the gate as fast as we could. I thought my lungs would rupture. Taking a quick glance behind us, I saw he was still coming, now only 50 yards behind. We could hear the pounding of his hooves on the ground and the snorting from his hard breathing. We made it to the gate with only ten yards to spare.

Pam opened the latch and we squeezed through. I jerked it closed behind me but it didn't catch and bounced slowly open again. The bull just waited until it opened enough for him to get through. By then we were in the barn and climbing the ladder to the loft. I could hear the very loud sound of his hooves pounding the hard ground as he entered the doorway. He snorted several times. I looked down but he was looking around and not up. To him, we had just disappeared.

We collapsed on the floor of the loft. It took a few minutes for me to begin breathing normally. My heart was thumping harder than ever. Pam and I glared at each other, trying to figure out who was to blame for our near disaster. Then we laughed hysterically.

I pleaded, "Pleeease don't ever take me jogging again in a cow pasture."

"Well, I once thought it was safer than being on the road."

I peeked down the ladder opening. "He's still there. Do you have a phone?"

"No."

"Neither do I. Your mom and Jerri will be looking for us soon."

"At least I left a note saying we'd be jogging. I just didn't tell them where."

"The bull will eventually give up and go out."

"Yeah, but when?"

We sat in the loft and listened as chickens proudly announced their latest eggs. I could hear the scurrying of mice in the hay and crows cawing in the distance. Thankfully, the hay was soft and insulated our bottoms from the cool air. The only bad sound was the occasional snorting of the bull below. 


Fifteen minutes or more passed until we heard a vehicle drive down the lane and a man yell at the bull. I looked down the ladder opening and saw the bull leave quickly.

We waited until the engine cut off before I climbed down to take a look. Seeing everything was clear, I called out to Pam that it was safe. Two men walked back to the barn after securing the bull in the pasture. They saw us coming out and
Pam knew one of them. "Hey Bobby! We're glad to see you."

"Pam, how are you young lady? I haven't see you since your dad's funeral."

"I'm doing great, Bobby. Thanks for saving us. Let me introduce my friend Tom."

We shook hands and Bobby introduced us to his buddy Fred McDonald who was about Jerri's age. We explained what happened and that the gate latch didn't catch. Fred said he'd noticed before that it wasn't working just right and that he'd change it.

I asked, "Is that bull as mean as he acted with us?"

Bobby responded, "Not usually. He was probably more interested in you than angry. We've not had an issue with him until now. I'll keep an eye on him and if he becomes too territorial or aggressive, we'll talk to Ruth about replacing him."

Pam asked, "What are you two doing here?"

Bobby responded, "We come every Thursday at this time to check on the cattle and do all the odd jobs that Ruth needs done. Since your dad died, we've been helping out as much as we can. Fred and his parents have a farm just up the road and, of course, you know about my small spread."

"Mom mentioned that she had some help but I didn't know the details. Thank you very much for helping her."

Fred replied, "That's what neighbors are for. Richard was always quick to help my family and Bobby." Pam walked over and hugged them.

We shook hands again then Pam and I headed to the house. Over breakfast, we recounted our adventure; but Pam made it more exciting than I remembered. She asked Ruth about Fred since he seemed to be new in the area.

"His dad, Jonathan, bought that farm about five years ago. We didn't know them very well but we heard from another neighbor not long after you left that he had been injured in a fall at their barn. Richard went over and talked to him and his wife and got to know the situation a little better. Then your dad and some other neighbors, including Bobby and Rudy, went over quite a few times to put up hay and move the cattle to fresh fields, do repairs on fences, that kind of thing. The ladies of the church adopted his wife Mary. We took food over and visited a number of times. Jonathan was laid up for a couple of months and we got to know them really well. They are great people and wonderful neighbors.

"Fred is their youngest son but, unfortunately, his wife left him for someone else. Fred moved here and has been helping out on their farm, which his parents really appreciate."

Pam replied, "He's a very nice looking guy. How old is he?"

"I think he's around 26 or 27; but he sure doesn't look that old."

Ruth had baked cinnamon rolls and made very tasty Spanish omelets. To her credit, Pam only ate half of her roll and gave the rest to me. Maybe she was serious about loosing a couple of pounds.

During breakfast, Ruth brought up Pam's discussion about Lydia's dreams. "I was thrilled to hear about Lydia and how God sent a messenger to her. I'm even more thrilled that God has brought you two together. Jerri and I talked this morning about all of this. We both feel that God brought our husbands and us together but we don't know that for sure. We just have faith that He did. With you two, it's certain and that's both a blessing and a burden."

Jerri continued the thought, "You've only known each other a few days and there's a lot more you need to know before you can truly say that you're in love and are willing to commit to each other. But what if you two decide after a while that there are just too many differences? Will you feel so burdened by the fact that God brought you together that you're afraid not to be together? Will you end up making the wrong decision because you feel that you must please God and get married anyway?"

I responded, "That's also our concern. Pam and I've talked and we want to take it slow and not rush any decisions about marriage. We must be certain of our love and willing to make that total commitment. If the correct decision is that we need to go our separate ways, I don't think God would want us to make a stupid decision and get married. Our children would suffer and I don't think that would be the will of God."

Pam took my hand and said, "I believe in my heart that Tom is the one I've always wanted to find. But, he's right, it's too important to rush. We really would appreciate your prayers for us. We'll also be praying for you two and your marriages."

Ruth changed the subject. "Now tell me about your house in Chattanooga. You know, of course, that we're all coming to see you."

"Y'all are welcome anytime. The house is a ranch with five bedrooms and seven baths. It has a full finished basement. There's a pool, a home theater room and all the other rooms you'd expect. We have a very scenic view of the valley, which I enjoy. I have an office there but will also convert one of the bedrooms into an office for Pam. With her school work, she's going to need a quiet place to study, research and prepare assignments."

"What? I'll have my own study and office?"

"Of course. I also do a lot of work from home so we don't want to get in each other's way."

Jerri said, "That's a good idea. Just make sure you lock her in and have her show you her school work before you let her out."

Pam made a ball out of her paper napkin and threw it at Jerri. Both girls then scrambled to find other napkins to throw at each other. Ruth finally restored order by threatening to send them to their rooms.

After cleaning the kitchen, Pam and I retrieved the remaining black walnuts and bagged them for the trip. We left another gallon for Ruth to use for Rudy's treats. I volunteered to ship some to Jerri but she didn't want any. Ruth gave Pam the sourdough starter she promised, which we put in a small cooler for the trip.

After packing and loading the car, we kissed and hugged each other and promised that we'd be together again soon. Pam and I also wished Jerri a wonderful getaway with David.

I was amazed at the difference in Pam versus when we came. She no longer carried the burden of guilt and she knew for a fact that her mom and sister loved her very much. Their parting hugs and kisses were very emotional.

As we drove toward the interstate highway, Pam asked me to stop at Furman University. She wanted to talk to someone in the office about transferring her records to another university.

We parked in a visitor area in front of the administration building and the receptionist directed us to the correct office. A very nice young man looked up Pam's records and printed a transcript for her. He also provided written instructions for the new university to use for the official records transfer.

After leaving the office, Pam and I walked around that beautiful campus for an hour or more including a stop in their coffee house. Many of the young men smiled at her and, had I not been holding her hand, probably would have tried to strike up a conversation. One of them did speak to her but he called her "Niki."

She looked at me and was embarrassed as she explained, "That happens sometimes. I get mistaken for an adult movie actress named 'Niki Lee'. She's been in many men's magazines including Playboy and is all over the Internet. I do have to admit I'm almost her identical twin but she's four years older." I made a mental note to look up Niki Lee and see for myself.

As we walked past one of the jogging trails, Pam stopped. "This is where I was almost assaulted one night."

"What?"

"I'd left the dorm with a couple of other girls and came here for a late night jog before bed. The other two girls decided to stop off and see their boyfriends before coming back. I jogged on alone toward the dorm.