Chapter 12

Ted was sitting in the lanai sipping a soda watching some seagulls thinking about what had happened in the past seven years since he married Emily. She was out now doing her womanly thing of shopping and when she returned they were going that evening to Don Caesar for dinner to celebrate their five year anniversary. He still vividly remembers the night that he proposed to her.

After helping Emily bring the items in from her fully loaded car they sat on the living room couch engaging in conversation. Emily mentioned that she had shipped more items that would be arriving in about a week. Ted wondered if there was enough room here for all of her items.

“You really surprised me when you proposed to me,” she said.

“I sort of surprised myself when I did it. When you left to go back north I came to realize how much I loved you and missed you. That you didn’t say you had decided to relocate to Florida only increased how much I missed you and I was worried you had chosen Texas.”

“I guess I didn’t say that I was coming back here but I didn’t think that was necessary. The intimacy we had with each other I thought would tell you that I was coming here.”

“I hoped that was the case and just to make our engagement official tomorrow we are going to go to purchase the diamond engagement ring you deserve.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“I think it is and I want you to have one.”

Putting down her drink Emily stood and extended her hand to Ted saying, “You know I did miss you too but why don’t we go to the bedroom and you can show me how much you missed me.”

Taking her hand Ted stood and walked with her to the bedroom where he did show her how much he missed her. He showed her twice that night and once in the morning. In fact, because it was so enjoyable he continued to show her when other opportunities occurred. He had to admit that she orally showed him that she miss him as well.

The next day he went with Emily to a jewelry store where he purchased her a diamond engagement ring. She thought the carat and three-quarter diamond was too expensive but didn’t put up much of a fight when he insisted that was what he wanted her to have. To Ted, the ring does look good on her finger and he noticed that Emily has an unconscious way of showing that she is wearing the ring.

That weekend Don phoned Ted saying that he and Diane were back from a Panama Canal cruise and invited Ted over for dinner. When Ted told Don that he was engaged, Don shouted out to Diane the news. Ted told Don a little about Emily and said he would say more when he and Emily came to dinner.

At Don’s and Diane’s home, it was like they were visiting a very close relative’s home because of how they were greeted and congratulated. Both Don and Diane were warm to Emily and treated her like a younger sister. Ted could see because of how they interacted with each other that these two women would develop a close relationship.

One subject that was discussed was how the marriage would take place. Both Emily and Ted said they had talked about it and preferred that it be quick and small. They said they would tell the relatives and the people who should know about the marriage after it had taken place.

The honeymoon because of Ted’s teaching and coaching responsibilities would need to be postponed till the summer. Emily turned a shade of red when Ted said they were already practicing for the honeymoon which caused everyone to laugh except Emily. Ted knew there would be payback for that remark but he just said what anyone would assume was happening.

Diane mentioned that if they wanted to get married by a Judge she would contact the one that married her and Don. Both Ted and Emily agreed to her suggestion.

On a Thursday afternoon in the Judge’s chambers Emily and Ted exchanged their vows. Don and Diane were witnesses to the wedding. They all celebrated the marriage by going to Don Caesar for drinks and an excellent meal. Later on that evening at their home Ted and Emily consummated the marriage which was enjoyable and easily done because of all the practicing they had been doing.

As with all newly married couples finances was one subject that needed to be discussed. Emily said that she would have her pension after taxes were taken out direct deposited into Ted’s checking account. Once it was deposited she would transfer the bulk of it into a savings account that could be touched if needed for reasons as traveling during the summers. She said that Ted’s salary from teaching was more than enough to support their lifestyle and with no mortgage maybe they could save some money from there as well. Emily did say when she received the funds from the sale of her condo she would put it in their savings account or maybe they should open up a joint investment account.

Ted didn’t say much but he handed her a month-end brokerage statement he had just received in the mail.

Even though she could see it was listed in the name of the Theodore Larkin Trust Account she said, “What is this?”

Ted didn’t respond and let Emily look through the statement which took her some time to do. He could see her going back and forth in reading the statement.

In a questioning voice she said, “It says this trust account is worth just over eight million dollars.”

“That’s right.”

“How or where did this money come from? What bank did you rob?”

Ted explained the life insurance money he received from Marcia’s passing which he initially tried not to accept. Because of what Marcia had told her law partner who drafted her will he reluctantly agreed to accept these funds. Since he was satisfied with his present lifestyle and his current salary he just invested this money and only touched it once when he wanted to buy a new car. This money and Florida having no State income tax were the reasons he decided to relocate here.

“I do see where some of the bonds are long term with a good interest rate. This also says the interest and dividends these investments generate in a year are more than my pension and your salary combined, considerably more.”

“That’s right.”

“Let me ask you this, what do you plan on doing with that money?”

“That is something only recently that I have been giving some serious thought to. I wasn’t too keen on doing the traveling like Don and Diane have been doing but that was because I was single. Traveling by yourself as a single is not the most enjoyable thing to do. Now with you by my side that is a whole different ball game. Since you have mentioned you want to travel when school is out, I was thinking we could take two vacations or trips a year with one starting in mid-June and another one starting at the beginning of August. You can decide where we should go and for how long. Let me also say that we should go first class whether that be on a plane or in booking the accommodations.”

Emily’s response was just to wrap her arms around him and give him one long open mouth kiss with plenty of tongue. The kissing continued which caused the passion to increase which had Ted pick up Emily and carry her to the bedroom. There they made love with Emily in the cowgirl position with her telling Ted how wonderful he was making her feel. He was also feeling pretty good himself because of Emily’s actions. His hand was exploring the crack between her buttocks and when she said she was cumming his finger penetrated her rosebud causing Emily to say, “OH MY GOD!”

Coming down from their high Emily asked him where did he ever learn to that? His response was that he just thought of it caused Emily to wonder a little bit. He chuckles to himself in that every so often when they make love he sometimes repeats doing that which causes Emily to have the same reaction.

Travel they did and they visited several places and saw many things in many different countries. Because of the warm weather during the summer, the trips they took were to cooler temperature countries.

A riverboat cruise in Europe, along with touring just about all of the countries there were primarily what they did. They also visited Iceland, Japan and one summer made it a point to see most of the U.S. west coast and the Rocky Mountain areas. Alaska and Denali along with Hawaii were put on Emily’s to-do list.

Emily started to substitute teaching and quickly realized a number of things. First of all, she wanted to limit the grades that she would substitute teach to be no higher than the third grade. She added that requirement to her substitute teaching availability. Even with indicating that preference Emily averages almost two days a week in teaching.

Emily also quickly concluded that she did not want to become a full-time teacher after she saw the work that would be necessary to be a good teacher. She didn’t want to make the sort of time-consuming commitment. Not wanting to do that was also because she enjoyed the freedom she now was having in being retired. When a full-time teaching position was offered to her she politely turned it down.

At her urging, both of them applied for a firearm concealed carry permit which they received. Emily’s former job position and Ted’s prior military service satisfied the educational requirement. At the same time even though she normally did carry a handgun in her purse, she thought she would like to have one in the drawer of the nightstand next to the bed. Since there were no children in the residence and none were expected, Ted agreed to her having a handgun there.

There was a large gun store in St Petersburg where Emily went to purchase this additional firearm. The salesman who waited on her was the store’s owner. It quickly became apparent to him that Emily was no novice when it came to handguns and he discussed her background with her. He was taken back a little when she told him that she was a former instructor at the Illinois State Police Academy. She told him that among the classes she taught was the handgun class at the Police Academy. That caused him to ask her if she would be interested in teaching the required firearms class for the concealed carry permit to women here.

Saul the gun store owner, said that one-third of the gun purchases made are to women and while they attend and pass the two-hour required education class, he gets the feeling that the women still are not comfortable with having or using a firearm. He said some other gun stores in Florida are conducting a class for women only and he would like to do a class like that here. Saul said he thought the women attendees would relate to and feel more comfortable if a woman was conducting the class. He said the men because they as boys grow up playing cops and robbers while the women when they are girls grow up playing with dolls. He thought that is probably why they seem to be uncomfortable with a handgun.

Emily told him she would think about doing it and would get back to him.

Emily studied what Saul had given her as to the course requirements and then went on the net to see what training other stores were offering as to women-only firearm instruction. She became interested in doing it and applied for and took the test for a Class K license, which would certify her as a firearms instructor. Because of her prior work experience in conducting such classes, the license was granted.