Chapter 38: Perceptions

Friday, July 19th, 1996, Sanford Maine

Poke. Nudge. Shake.

“Wake up, Davey Baby!”

“Ouch! Fuck me, my arms been severed at the shoulder!” I grunted out in sudden shock.

Poke. Jab. Poke.

Giggle. “Wakey-wakey-corn-flakey!”

“Goddamn! The pain! Oh, god! Why? Why do Demons hate sleep? Please, just let me get back to my dreams!” I moaned out in terror.

I heard high pitched giggling; the She-Devil was gleefully watching me writhe in obvious pain.

“Come on, Tiger! You get your cast taken off today, you should be jumping out of bed in excitement!” the Demoness growled—purred?—into my ear.

I felt a warm wetness on my neck, oh god she was a Vampire! I tried to turn over to duck my vulnerable head underneath my pillow, but I was thwarted as a heavy weight crushed down onto my chest. I moaned in fear as the soft creature continued to suck and nibble all over my throat. It actually felt quite good, which was probably a trick that Vampires liked to employ.

“Please don’t make me a vampire, I love the sunlight,” I murmured.

I felt cold air waft over the moisture left upon my skin as the mouth pulled away, causing me to shiver. The She-Devil that had been chewing on me suddenly burst out into a loud, evil sounding, mocking laughter.

“Oh, god, brother! You slay me! Wake up, my love,” Demoness-Amber said, mirthfully into my ear as she nipped at my earlobe sharply.

I struggled to climb out of the fog of sleep and fluttered my eyes open. I’d been dreaming about being attacked by my sexy sister again; she might as well be a Vampire because I definitely felt like I was her Thrall most of the time.

“Good morning, Peaches,” I said blearily as I wiped at my eyes.

“Morning, Tiger!” she replied brightly as her lips left my earlobe, and she sat up while straddling me.

Her gorgeous tits jiggled with her sudden movement, and I was yet again mesmerized by her beauty. “Damn, Sis, I’ll never get used to waking up next to you and seeing your sexiness every day. You’re so perfect,” I murmured as I propped myself up on my elbows.

“Hmmm, well, you’re not so bad yourself, Davey Baby! Now come on, let’s hop in the shower; today’s the big day! This is the last time that I have to wrap your cast!” she exclaimed with glee. “We’re supposed to call CC when we get back, right before we head over to see Marty. I felt so bad for him when I spoke with him last night, he sounded so down. Hopefully, we’re back before lunch, so that we can spend the afternoon cheering him up,” Amber said with a pretty frown.

“Yeah, me too,” I mumbled as I sat up with Amber’s help. “I miss not waking up with CC, Babe. I’m glad that her parents agreed to let her spend the rest of the summer here after Saturday,” I mumbled out with a yawn as I reflexively looked to my left, where she usually laid.

I stood up, yawned again, and stretched; it was supposed to be a beauty of a day, and I was looking forward to going swimming later.

“Yeah, same here, Studly. Now hurry up, I’m hungry, horny, and excited to get your cast off! I can’t fuck you right now, so let’s get a move on the other two things,” she quipped at me as she smacked my buttcheek and squeezed.

I stood up and groaned as my sister grabbed me by the cock, which was hard as per usual in the mornings, and led me to our bathroom. She got the water hot, how I liked it, and then helped wrap my cast while I took a satisfying piss. As soon as I was done, she pushed me under the water and then got in and washed me as I slowly gathered my wits about me.

“Now wash me, sexy Bro, and then go get yourself a coffee and put your brains back in,” she said with a laugh as she finished rinsing me.

I grabbed her peach-scented liquid girly soap from the holder and returned the favor as she moaned appreciatively. I loved feeling the soft firmness of her body, and I took my time as I ran my hands all over it. I absolutely adored the sweet, cooing noises that my sister made as I pampered her. It was doing things like this together, the little intimacies, that kept our love blazing hot. I would never let it stop.

I thudded down the stairs, and my stomach grumbled when I realized that I was smelling bacon. I saw that our mother was cooking us a big breakfast as I skidded into the kitchen with a happy smile upon my face.

“Good morning, David. You must be excited that you’ll finally have that cast off,” Mom said with a smile as she poured me a cup of coffee. “I figured that your tape-worm would be hungry,” she joshed with a chuckle as she started to crack some eggs into a frying pan.

“Yeah, starved! And yes, I can’t wait to get this dead weight off my arm; I miss so many things that I’ll finally be able to do! You never realize just how much that you take for granted when you’re healthy, but going through what I did certainly gave me a better appreciation for the little things in life,” I replied with a smile as I accepted the coffee and took a big gulp.

“Good, because it’s always important to have a healthy appreciation for the blessings that you have,” she quipped back with a grin at her play on words.

I looked behind me as I heard Amber gliding into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Mommy! Mmmm, breakfast, and coffee! Thanks!” she exclaimed happily as a big grin split her face.

“You’re welcome, dear,” our Mom smiled back at her as she handed her a cup. “Now that I have you both here, I want to let you know that we’ve decided to go to Florida for a week instead of taking our usual two-week camping trip. With all the time that your father and I took off between dealing with Davey’s accident and the time that I spent in Lincoln covering for the Vet there, we weren’t even sure that we could swing a vacation at all.”

“Awesome! We get to go to the beach, Davey!” Amber yelled out excitedly as she started to bounce up and down. “When are we going? Can we take Cindy? And oh, what about our company?!” she asked rapidly as she went from overjoyed to concerned.

“Well, Honey,” our Mom started as her face suddenly looked a bit apprehensive and a lot determined. “Your father and I discussed it, and we both think that you and your brother can live without each other for a week...”

“NO! I am NOT going on a week’s vacation without Davey!” she hissed the instant that she heard our Mom trying to say what they had decided.

“AMBER! Do NOT interrupt me, young lady! I won’t tolerate rudeness, and if you want to avoid getting grounded, you’ll not do that again,” she admonished Amber crossly.

I reached out and squeezed her shoulder in warning and support. Sometimes she could go off without thinking when she got upset, and I didn’t want to see Amber get punished over silliness.

“Sorry,” she said, sounding partially sincere, but I could tell that she was still angry at the notion of going anywhere without me.

“Look, I understand that it’ll be hard for you two to be separated, I get it. We just figured that your brother and Cindy could handle the business for a week without you. Amber, you must realize that you two are stuck at the hip, and while it was cute and adorable for many years, that has to change. Trust me, Honey, your father and I just love how close you guys are, but the reality is that you’re both growing up. You can’t always spend every waking minute together. David has a girlfriend now, and while we all recognize that she’s your best friend, you still need to let them have their space, Honey.

“Your father and I can see that they both love you so much that they aren’t asking you to let them have any alone time, but Amber, sweetie, every couple needs that. You don’t want to smother them, do you? Besides, David’s going off to college two years from now, and we worry about how you’ll both take that if you don’t get used to spending some time apart beforehand. We don’t want it to be a shock, your Dad and I are concerned that if it is done too suddenly that it would send you both into a depressing spiral,” our Mom said with both a serious and a compassionate tone to her voice.

“Mom, listen to me please, I’m going to be very serious,” Amber said with gritted teeth. I could see her struggling to contain an angry outburst. “I don’t want to go to Florida, I will be miserable there without Davey. It won’t be a vacation for me, it’d be a jail sentence. I’d rather be grounded!” she growled.

“If you keep up the snarky attitude that can be arranged, daughter of mine!” our Mom snapped, clearly getting vexed at Amber’s snappy bitchiness.

I squeezed Amber’s shoulder in warning again, hoping that my touch would calm her.

“Uh, Mom,” I interjected, wanting to try and defuse the situation. “First off, we actually need her; we can’t handle all of the work that we need to get done in a week’s time without her,” I said with complete sincerity as Amber shot me a grateful smile. “With the number of clients that we have now, plus the extra trees that we’re planting for the Murphy’s, we simply can’t afford to lose her. We’d fall behind, and our customers would get pissed at us. As far as not having her around, well, that would kill me just as much, and she doesn’t bother me and Cindy at all. We want her with us, and besides, we get our alone time,” I told her earnestly as Amber beamed at me and nodded enthusiastically in her agreeance.

“Well, your father and I were planning on asking you about the work actually ... Maybe you can hire a friend for the week? Regardless, we can drop it for now until we can all sit down with your Dad tonight,” our Mom said firmly as she scooped the last of the eggs out of the frying pan and onto a plate.

We ate breakfast in silence, and every time that I saw Amber open her mouth to say something to our mother, I kicked her in the shin and slightly shook my head in the negative. I had to do it three times because she was clearly agitated; I could tell that if she said anything that she’d end up losing control and then she’d get herself in serious trouble. That we didn’t need.

I was feeling agitated, as well. I had no idea where this was coming from, and the old paranoia that I used to have about our parents knowing that something was happening between us siblings was creeping its way back inside of my head. Did they suspect that we were a threesome? Did they worry about if I was fucking my sister? They couldn’t know anything for sure because I wouldn’t be sitting here alive if they did. I was probably just being overly suspicious due to the nervousness that we were all feeling about Linda knowing our secret.

I kept glancing over at our mother when she wasn’t looking, and it didn’t seem as if she was suspicious about us or anything; she probably just meant exactly what she’d just told us. I hoped that Linda decided to talk with us soon; it’d been five days since she’d said that she wasn’t ready to do so. At least she’d promised to Amber that she’d keep our secret and that she would eventually be prepared to meet with us again.

With an internal sigh, I finished my breakfast, and five minutes later, we all got into our mother’s Cadillac as we headed out for the hour-long drive to the Portsmouth Regional Hospital. For once, Amber let me sit up front, and I cranked the seventies rock station that our Mom loved. I figured that listening to Led Zeppelin telling us all about a stairway made of gold was much better than dealing with the tension in the air. Amber was uncharacteristically silent, which was a good thing, I reckon. Our Mom was quiet too, I guess we were all just dealing with the rambling thoughts in our heads.

Amber sighed in relief, causing me to look over as she pulled her seat belt on. I understood how she felt; it had been a very tense morning all around. I started the truck, and as soon as I pulled out of the driveway onto the road, she clutched at my hand and pulled it into her lap. We were heading over to Marty’s, and CC was meeting us there. I flexed my forearm for the umpteenth time since they had cut the cast off; it felt awesome to finally have it free. I couldn’t wait to jump into the pool and actually swim for the first time in over six weeks.

“Davey...” my sister started as her voice hitched. “I’m not going to Florida without you guys! Why is Mom being such a bitch!”

“I dunno. I don’t think that she’s trying to be bitchy, per se. I think that she just really has it in her head that we need to spend some time apart for some reason, and it’s coming across that way. Why? I don’t know. You don’t think she suspects that there’s anything’s going on between us, do you?” I asked worriedly as I turned off our street.

“No,” she replied quickly.

“No?” I asked again, sounding unsure.

She looked over at me, shook her head negatively, and squeezed my hand reassuringly at the same time. “If she did, we’d know. Trust me ... It’s not that, but why are they all of a sudden concerned about you and CC having alone time!? You didn’t say anything stupid, did you?” Amber grumped at me as her gentle squeeze turned hard in frustration.

“Hey!” I admonished as I gave her a wounded look. “Of course, I didn’t!”

“Sorry. It’s just ... well, you have been known to say dumb things before, Bro. So why do you think that Mom’s all serious about us spending time apart then? I won’t do it, Davey! I can’t be without you guys!” Amber spouted vehemently with a mixture of anger, defiance, and fear coming through in her voice.

“Mom said that we’re all going to talk about it after dinner, so let me do the talking later, Peaches. You just say as little as possible and let me try and solve this; you’ll probably explode and get yourself grounded or worse. I may say some dumb things now and then, but your temper is volatile when you feel threatened, and you know it,” I said as I shot her a disarming smile to show that I wasn’t trying to put her down, but just acknowledging reality. “Okay, Sis?”

“M’kay, Tiger,” she said quietly as she squeezed my hand again, this time lovingly. “Promise me that you won’t let them separate us, Davey. I would be miserable if I had to be in Florida for a week alone without you guys.”

“I’ll do my best, my love,” I replied as we pulled up in front of Marty’s house and parked on the street.

We saw CC drive up in her little red Honda and park right behind us as I was locking up the truck; we both skipped over to hug her as she stepped out of her car. I got a very sexy kiss as she eagerly met my mouth with her own; my cock twitched in my shorts, she certainly knew how to suck my soul out. I savored the delicious scent of vanilla while holding her tight, goddamn she smelled so yummy, just like a sweet dessert.

As we parted, Amber quickly rambled off to her about what had transpired earlier with our Mom, and CC immediately expressed sympathy and worry for our trio. I convinced them both to put our parent’s plans for a trip to Florida aside for the moment because we had a depressed friend to go and console. They readily agreed, and Cindy changed the subject by commenting about my arm finally being cast free; they both giggled about how lopsided I looked with a super tanned arm versus my Casper the Ghost one.

I laughed at their good-natured ribbing and grabbed CC’s hand and pulled her, still giggling, towards the house. We stepped up onto Marty’s porch and rang the bell; almost instantly, we could hear him stomping as he rushed to answer it.

I grinned as the door swung open, and our friends disheveled head appeared looking both sad and happy at the same time. “Hey, dickwad, how you doin’? You got a herd of elephants in there, or what? We could hear you stompin’ all the way to the door,” I said as the door swung open wider, and he stepped outside to fist-bump me.

“Yo, man! Good to see you guys! Whoa! Dude, you coulda told me that I’d need my sunglasses on, asshole! Goddamn, your arm is bright!” Marty exclaimed while shielding his eyes as if blinded by my lily-white forearm. “Hiya, CC! Mmm, hey, Amber Baby! Guess who’s single again!” he quipped as he turned his lopsided grin towards the girls.

“Hey, Marty,” CC said as she gave him a peck on the cheek and a brief hug.

“Single? That’s not what I heard! Aren’t you dating Palmela Handerson and her five sisters now?” Amber quipped back as she leaned in to hug him and kiss him on the cheek as well. We all laughed as she made jack-off motions at him as soon as she broke the hug.

“You know it! I’m a master wacker, Honey! Wanna come watch?” Marty responded with a grin as he pantomimed jerking off with various Kung-Fu looking moves on his porch.

His antics had the girls giggling, and I couldn’t help but grin back at him myself.

“Well, you definitely have a black-belt in stupidity, Bro!” I quipped with a chuckle as we shoved past him and into his house.

“Yeah, true true, but I am the funniest idiot that you guys have the pleasure of knowing,” he agreed with a laugh as he followed us inside. “Do you guys wanna beer? Zeke got me a case yesterday,” he asked as he made his way into the kitchen.

“Sure, so when are the folks supposed to get home?” I asked as the girls both affirmed that they wanted a beer also.

“Monday. They went up to visit my great aunt Sally; she’s not doing so good lately. They’re staying at her place, helping to get her affairs in order. I guess she’s going into a home now, and they want to organize her house and stuff,” Marty replied with a shrug as he handed out the beers.

We all clinked our bottles and cheered each other before taking a healthy swig. It was nice and cold, tasted great, and after the tense ride with our mother to and from the hospital, it really hit the spot. Corona was my favorite beer hands down; it was much better than the usual swill that we managed to buy.

“So, how are you doing?” Amber asked Marty as he took another big chug.

“Meh, I’m fine,” he shrugged nonchalantly.

“No, seriously, Marty, how are you holding up?” Amber repeated with concern. “We know how much you cared for Linda, and it’s okay to feel down in the shits,” she said compassionately as she reached out and rubbed his shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s okay to be honest about your feelings, Marty; we all love you here, and we care,” CC told him as she rubbed his other shoulder.

“Hey, bud, we’re here for ya man,” I said as I gave him a look that said I meant what I was saying.

A brief, grateful smile graced his lips for a moment before he dropped his gaze from mine and drank some more of his beer.

“So how did she break up with you and when exactly?” Amber asked him gently.

Marty let out a big sigh and took another sip of his Corona before answering. “After she left the campsite early saying that she didn’t feel well, I was worried about her. I tried calling her the next day after I got back home, but she didn’t answer. I left her a couple of messages and thought that maybe she had eaten something that disagreed with her, you know, like a raw hot-dog or a rotten egg or some such. Anyway, she finally called me back Sunday night and told me that her stomach was bothering her and that she’d see me on Monday or Tuesday.

“So I just figured that I was right about her eating something and that had made her sick. So I shrugged it off. Monday morning, she called me to say that she was going to work her normal shift but that she still wasn’t feeling so hot and that she’d see me the next day. Tuesday afternoon, she ended up driving over here before she went to work,” he said with another sigh as he paused to gulp some more from his bottle.

He pulled the beer from his lips and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before continuing, “She sat me down on my couch, held my hand, and told me that she didn’t think that what we had was working out and that she thought it’d be best if we broke up. I was told that I was a great guy and that she wanted to still be my friend if that was okay with me. That she was really sorry for hurting me; she actually cried, so I guess I believe that part,” he said tonelessly in a stoic voice as he shrugged again.

“Aww, that sucks Marty! She lost a great guy! We’re here for you, like we said,” my sister expressed to him sadly.

“Damn, Marty! I’m so sorry, Hon!” CC empathized as she rubbed his shoulder again in sympathy.

“Shit, that sucks donkey balls, Bro!” I commiserated.

His bravado lessened for a moment as his face turned serious and pensive, “Yeah, I appreciate it guys. I dunno what was up with her anyway, but she was ... lets just say that she was different from any other girl that I’ve been with. When we were alone ... I dunno ... she was like a whole other person. It was weird...”

“How so?” Amber inquired curiously.

“She was weird ... when it came to sex ... Look, I’d rather not say, she may have broken up with me, but she wasn’t mean, and I don’t wanna say anything that she wouldn’t want me sharing with anyone. Besides, it doesn’t matter now ... I’ll admit that it hurts. I really liked her, and I’ll miss her, but I kinda felt like we wouldn’t be together forever anyway. Know what I mean?” he said.

“Yeah, I guess that makes some sense,” I told him, trying to make him feel at least accepting of the outcome. He was actually candid about his emotions; I was surprised because he didn’t usually open up like that.

“She was pretty weird that morning too. A different weird, as if she was ... I dunno, a bit unbalanced, I guess. She was saying some shit that didn’t make much sense, but I just chalked it up to the emotions of ending things...”

“Oh? Like what things?” Amber asked as her eyes narrowed tensely.

“Well, right after she told me that she would still like to be friends, she also said that she wanted me to understand that she had never once thought of me as a brother. She was very adamant about that, I had to reassure her a few times that I didn’t believe that she had. Then just as she was leaving and had stepped onto the porch, she turned back around and told me that I should be super-duper glad that I didn’t have any sisters. When I asked her why she just mumbled something about being late and having to go. Pretty weird, huh? She definitely seemed out of it. Think maybe she had a big fight with her sister, and that has something to do with why she broke up with me? She did introduce us to each other after all,” he asked us, sounding a bit hopeful.

“I don’t think that it has anything to do with her sister, Hun. She only sees her once a month or so when she comes home to visit, and they are super tight,” she told him gently.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s why either. Sorry, Marty,” CC quietly added as she rubbed his arm consolingly.

“Yeah, you’re right. I didn’t really think so anyway. I mean, why would a fight she maybe had with anyone else break us up? Truth is, I kinda felt that she was growing distant over the past couple of weeks; I didn’t want to think so, but I knew it was coming,” he said resignedly as he let out a sad sigh.

“Aww, come here, Marty,” Amber said as she reached out to give him a really big hug. He looked hesitant at first before he returned it, and I swear that when he did, I saw his eyes water a little. “You know that we really do love you, Marty, and we meant it when we said that we’re here for you. You’re a good guy, and the right lady will come around eventually.”

“Yeah, bud. Sorry that she hurt ya man, but maybe you’re better off if you felt that she was weird, ya know? ‘Sides, you’ll find another chick in a flash, just like you usually do,” I said with a grin as I chugged a big mouthful of my beer.

“Aww, gimme a hug too, Marty! Linda doesn’t know what she’s losing!” CC told him as she hugged them both as he was still gripping onto my sister pretty tight. “We love you like Amb said, and if you ever wanna talk, I’m always here for you,” she promised him, both my sister and I repeated that sentiment as soon as she said it.

“I’d hug ya too, but I wouldn’t want you to get all horny for me, you big fag,” I quipped at him, making him smile.

“S’okay, if you really wanna make me feel good, you can let me borrow your girlfriend here, and I’ll show her and Amber a real good time in my bedroom!” he quipped back as he gave me a lecherous leer while hugging my girls. “But, then again, if I did that, she’d have to leave you afterward ‘cause I’d show her how good sex can be when she’s got a real man in the sack!”

“Marty!” CC admonished as she broke the hug with a partially shocked and partially reproachful look upon her face. “Down, boy!” she reprimanded him as she smacked him on the arm and then laughed.

“Hey, I’d ask your loverboy to join us, but no homo!” Marty replied with a chuckle.

“Hey! Last man on Earth, and I still probably gotta wash my hair that night, Dude!” Amber said with a laugh as she too broke from his embrace and lightly smacked him on the shoulder.

“Dude, you can’t even handle one girl on your own, so you wouldn’t even know where to begin if you had two! They’d have to lezzie it up right after you blew your load in your pants, minute-man. Otherwise, they wouldn’t get any pleasure,” I told him smugly as I grabbed CC by the waist and pulled her to me.

“A guys gotta try,” he said with a smirk.

“Have you heard anything from her since she ended things? We saw her Monday at the Dairy Treat; we’d stopped by right after we finished work,” Amber asked Marty curiously. “She didn’t seem like herself, so her stomach probably truly was bothering her. She acted as if she had a lot on her mind; it makes sense now,” she commented thoughtfully even though three of us knew what had really been on Linda’s mind.

“Nope, not a word. I kinda figure that she wants to give us both some space. I’ll see her eventually, and I’ll still be her friend, just not sure how close of one I can be is all. It’s cool, though, I guess. We’ll just have to see,” Marty replied a bit sadly before shaking his head as if trying to change his thoughts. “So, since we’re done with the sappy shit, do you guys feel like swimming?”

With a chorus of excited yesses, we all went and changed into our swimsuits, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, I enjoyed swimming in a pool. Marty couldn’t help himself; he kept ogling the vast amount of girl flesh on display. Especially since both girls wore their skimpy bikini’s. Thankfully, Mr. Envy stayed away for once, and I had a great afternoon with one of my best friends and my two loves.

“Mmm, that was a great meal, Olive. I love your chicken parm!” our Dad said as we all were finishing cleaning up our plates.

“Yeah, it was good, Mom! Thanks!” I added as my stomach felt happily stuffed.

“You’re welcome,” she replied as she smiled over at us both. “Olive? You’re really bringing back our old pet names, aren’t you? Huh, Cutey?”

“Yeah, why not? Don’t know why we stopped in the first place,” our Dad replied with a saucy grin as he pinched our Mom’s butt as she bent over the table to grab some dirty dishes. “You’re still the Olive of my eye!’

“Todd!” she shrieked as she jumped up, reacting from the unexpected grope.

“What?” he asked, putting on his comical, who me I’m innocent and did nothin’ wrong face.

“You’re incorrigible!” she laughed as she shook her head ruefully.

“Yup, but you married me! So what’s that say about you?” he retorted with a grin.

“That I must have been out of my darn mind!” our Mom laughed back as she carted an armful of dishes out to the kitchen.

“Here, lemme help, Ma,” I said, jumping up to start cleaning as well.

I shot Amber a look that told her to get off her ass and start helping if she wanted to butter up some goodwill. She’d been morose all evening, ever since we’d gotten back from Marty’s, and she hadn’t said a word unless spoken to first all dinner. Our Dad had tried to pull his Princess out of her shell numerous times to no avail, regardless of what funny antics he’d done.

I knew my sister better than anyone alive, and there was nothing like her fury; I could tell that she was brewing up a storm of anger and frustration. I only hoped that I could safely deflect it from exploding all over our parents and getting herself grounded. That would affect all three of us if that happened. Plus, she had started her period a couple of days ago, and that certainly wasn’t making things any easier. I was happy to see that she got up and started to fill the dishwasher.

“Thanks, Honey, but you don’t have to help. You’ve done a lot around here lately, especially when we needed you to help out with your brother. Go sit down; I bought a fresh apple pie from Graham’s and some vanilla ice cream to go with it; your favorite,” our Mom told Amber as she took the dishes out of her hands.

“Come sit with me, Princess; tell me how things are going in my treasured daughter’s life,” our Dad chirped at her with a smile.

Amber sat down with a frustrated sigh, “I don’t know, hmm, let’s see, what’s going on in my life? How about that my parents are trying to make me stop hanging around with my two best friends, and they want to take me away from my brother for a week!” she grumped as she shot our Dad a wounded and angry look.

“Pumpkin, let’s eat our dessert first, and then we’ll talk more about our going to Florida for a week,” he replied with a sigh of his own.