Chapter 12

When Cal was first able to walk on his foot, he had started taking walks in the cool of the evening. The foot was healed, but it could not yet take the stress of running. On the second night that he walked, his mother caught up with him halfway down the driveway, took his hand in hers, and made it clear that she intended to walk with him.

"Teri gets to spend a lot more time with you than I do," she complained. "I've got to grab whatever I can."

After a moment of panic that she might suspect something, Cal was elated at her initiative. Since THE DAY, she had seemed almost timid around him, and that disturbed him. After the breakthrough in their relationship a few months earlier, he had really enjoyed the time he had spent with her.

The talks for the ten days before he could start running again ranged over every possible subject. The one constant was that she insisted on holding his hand the whole way. When he came to breakfast one morning, obviously having been running, he could see the disappointment on her face.

Two days later, at supper, he asked, when no one else could hear, whether she would like to take a walk later. He had to keep reminding himself that women of any age could revert so easily to girlish reactions. He resolved to keep up the walks a couple of times a week.

During the second week, he unloaded what had been on his mind for a while. "Mom, is Rebecca on the pill yet?" That stopped her dead in her tracks, and she just stared at him for a while.

"Do you think she is that serious about Bobby?" she finally got out.

"You've seen them together," he explained. "I see the same kind of looks I see between you and Dad."

Elaine gave out a large sigh. "Yeah, I've seen that, too. I'm happy for Rebecca, but we're just not sure that Bobby is... you know..."

"Mom, Bobby treats her like a queen. I can't tell you any more, but he has put himself in danger to protect her. Maybe she will tell you about it. I know he is different from us, but I'm impressed. He is as smart as Rebecca, and I think he has a promising future."

"Do you think they will be having sex soon," she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"I don't know any more than you do. I think it will be quite a while. But wouldn't it get you two even closer if you brought it up - encouraged her."

"How do you mean?"

"You know - you would be acknowledging that she is a woman; that she has a choice about her body."

"Ohhhh! I never thought of that," she said. "She wouldn't think I was butting in on her business?"

"Hmmm. Maybe that could happen. I'm not the best one to guess at how she would react. My track record's not that good." Cal was thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "Well, it's your motherly duty to protect her anyway, isn't it?"

"It is, but..." and Elaine paused for a while, "I hate to risk the closeness we've had since..."

"Since Bobby, right?" he asked.

"Pretty much," she admitted.

"Mom, they're a couple. It could fall apart, but I doubt it. Just make sure she doesn't make a mistake, OK?" Cal had the strange feeling that it was just like when he talked to Rebecca. Elaine looked at him like she sensed the 'inversion' too.

Late in June, Amelia called and asked Cal to come with them to the cemetery the next day. Since the funeral four years earlier, Cal had not wanted to go near Kal's grave. He was still not certain about it, but the way Amelia asked, he could not refuse.

He was somewhat surprised to be picked up by Ken, who had both Amelia and Ismi with him in Amelia's car. Ken did not join them at graveside, but waited respectfully, standing by the car.

As the three stood silently by the simple marker, Amelia put her arms around both teens, and they returned the gesture. "I'm not going to cry this time," she declared. "I'm sure I'll cry again, lots of times. But today, I just want to tell Kal that he has been avenged. And I want to tell you kids that it's time to let him go, too. It's what he would want."

Amelia kept her determination, and her eyes stayed dry. Ismi and Cal were less able to restrain their emotions, though, and both shed tears. Amelia saw this and spoke again. "You know, all we have as a memory of Kal is when he was eleven. You have both grown so much since then. Cal, he is not your contemporary any more. It is only natural that your memories will be less strong and less relevant to your life now. I don't want you to feel guilty about that. Ismi and I have talked about this, too."

"You know, shooting that man was a terrible thing for me. It changed me, and it was not something I would ever want. But doing that, and hearing of Rachman's death, I felt like I had a part in it all. I felt like I had done it for Kal as well as for Ismi. I'll never forget how helpless I felt the day Kal died, but I've done something. It really helped."

When they returned to the car, Ken unashamedly gathered Amelia in his arms. Then, she cried, having used up all of her control. It was a little strange for Cal to see his sensei, always the fierce warrior and stern teacher, showing such obvious tenderness.

"Amelia and Ismi are going to stay with me permanently," Ken told Cal. "My place is much closer to Addison." Ismi had decided to stay close to home for college and go to the highly-rated local private university, something Amelia and Ken both endorsed heartily. The threat to her safety should have been erased, but the specter still hovered not far away.

Ken lived on a rolling forty-acre plot just outside the developed area of the city. He had a moderate-sized older farmhouse that he had updated but never expanded. The house was surrounded by stands of trees, but, as befits a warrior, it was very defensible. "We'll be starting some serious remodeling and expansion as soon as my house sells," Amelia said, able to shake off the tears for a subject close to her heart. "It is so beautiful out there!"

Cal was saddened to hear that the women would be moving farther away. They had been neighbors for his whole life, and he and Ismi had such a special bond. Still, since he and Ismi had decided that they did not have romantic feelings for each other, a separation at some point was inevitable. He was very happy for Amelia and Ken.

Teri had worked very hard at the photography business. She had included charges for her time and Tessa's time in the rates, but it was not money that she needed. In early July, she called a business meeting of the three of them. Cal had no problem acknowledging Teri as the 'boss' of the business, as he had told her from the beginning.

"Tessa, you have been going on most of the shoots since school let out. It's working out OK, isn't it? I mean, you guys aren't getting on each other's nerves, are you?"

"Oh, Mom! It's not like we fight all the time, you know."

In fact, since THE DAY, they had not really fought at all. Cal seemed to react much less strongly to anything Tessa did. When she got bossy and presumptuous, as she still did, he felt the same irritation as always. However, he seemed much more able to under-react, and when he did say anything, she seem to fall all over herself to fix things.

"I know. In fact, you two are a pretty smooth team, now," Teri complimented them. "Cal, do you feel you could handle some shoots by yourself during the summer?"

"Hey! I need the spending money," Tessa objected, "and besides, I enjoy getting into people's homes and making them feel good about themselves."

"OK! OK! Honey, I wasn't trying to put you out of work," Teri assured her daughter with a laugh. "Well, I'd like to let Tessa carry the load as much as possible, at least until Cal's birthday."

"What will be different then?" Tessa asked.

Teri paused rather dramatically, then told the teens "I've done some checking and consulted with a lawyer. When Cal is sixteen, we can take any kind of pictures the customer asks for."

"Huh? Ohhhhh!" Tessa exclaimed. Cal had been silent during the entire discussion. "You mean, people have asked for more revealing shots?"

"All the time," Teri said. "I have decided on some requirements to protect us. First of all, I will need to be there for any shots where the subject is revealing more than she would in normal street or beach wear."

Cal entered in with a little snort. "Well, you shouldn't have to show up very often if we use Laura's bikini as the standard for 'normal'." That produced a good laugh.

"You're right," Teri agreed, "but if a woman wants pictures in see-through sleepwear then I had better be there."

"There is one other requirement I want to enforce," Teri continued. "The subject must have another adult of their own choosing present."

"Well, that should cut WAY down on the number of sexy shots," Cal commented.

"You'd think so, but I don't know what's going to happen," Teri responded. "I just don't want to take any chances, OK?"

"I appreciate that," Cal said, moving close enough to give Teri a hug. "I can't imagine we will have any requests with those restrictions."

"Will you be disappointed?" Teri asked coquettishly.

"Nah! I've got all the 'glamour' I can handle, right here," he replied.

"Boy, have you learned a lot!" Teri laughed as she gave him a serious kiss. "Oh, on a more mundane subject: as soon as you get your license, the business will buy a van that you can drive."

Through the rest of the summer, Cal had reason to question his assumptions about requests for revealing photos. Without Teri present, he or Tessa had to field the requests, which came with surprising frequency. At first, he felt a great deal of embarrassment and was amazed at the boldness with which the women asked.

"Maybe they think of you like their doctor," Teri speculated as they discussed it one night in mid-August after a vigorous bout of love-making. Then, she rolled on top of him, kissed him hard, and said "Or maybe they're all just like me - can't wait to throw their clothes off and have you look at their boobs; and their butts; and their pussies; and..."

That was all the words from Teri for a while as she fastened her mouth to Cal's for a long-running kiss. At the same time, she had her hand between them and her bottom raised a little so she could stroke him, hopefully to hardness. When they had started talking, she had been limp with exhaustion. As had happened several times before, she amazed Cal with her recovery powers.

Since that first session after Cal's recovery from the wound, the two had talked a lot about their love-making. Cal had made his point, and generally took control. However, he had assured Teri that he loved for her to take charge, as well. This was certainly one of those times. He found himself wishing her luck, given the way his overworked penis felt when she reached for it.

Well, if he made her want to throw off her clothes for him, she was just as good at getting him hard. Any fifteen-old male is an erection waiting to happen - that's just the way it is. But Teri's effect on Cal went beyond that. It was something he had pondered frequently, especially while he was recovering and unable to do his normal activities.

It must be the way she gave herself to him, he had finally decided. The way she had first exposed herself and later opened herself to him was so eager, so enthusiastic, so almost desperate that it hardened him just to think about it. It had to go right to any man's ego to have a woman want to be with him like that. And when the woman was as feminine and as sexy as Teri, no wonder he could not stay soft.

And she was doing it again. His tender organ that he had thought was done for the night had once again become a rampant cock. Teri, of course, knew exactly what to do with that. She slid backward, impaling herself while keeping her breasts in contact with his chest. For a brief moment he wondered if she ever got sore, but that level of organized thought faded out as even more blood fled from his brain to his cock.

Teri was his first and only, but Cal could not imagine how any woman could be any more aroused or more arousing. As seemed to be their pattern, they both became lost in the passion of their union. Besides the stroking and the contractions in her highly active channel, Teri seemed determined to keep as much of her skin as possible in contact with him. He had learned that stroking her with his hands amplified the effects of stroking with his cock. Though barely in control of his motions, he kept his hands moving over her back and her bottom.

Cal had stopped assuming that he could not ejaculate again. Time after time, she had found some way get yet another load out of him, and it was going to happen this time, too. He was not sure whether she had another orgasm or not. Sometimes, all of her motions and her sounds were so orgasmic that she seemed to be constantly in the throes. She had also taught him not to worry about her after she had come a few times. Knowing that she was never timid about asking for what she wanted, he let himself go and came yet again.

Teri actually dozed off atop Cal, matching his own condition. It was several minutes before he roused enough to feel the moisture on his shoulder. This had been happening the last several times they were together. At first, he had asked about it, but now he just tried to comfort her. He knew she was always worried about the inevitable end of their relationship. He also knew that Rick was never far from her mind. It saddened him that their joyous interludes could end with her in obvious pain, but he was not sure what to do about it.

Although he had never intended it, many of Cal's actions and responses had shown Teri what she had done wrong in her marriage. That only deepened her anguish. Rick was gone, and a lot of it was her fault. That was a tough load for anyone to bear.

Amelia and Ismi decided to move out to Ken's before their house was even listed. After two tragic episodes, neither could imagine spending another night there. Even though they hired a moving company, they asked Cal to help them, giving him a chance to spend some time with them and to see Ken's place, as well.

It was a good half-hour drive around the metro area from Cal's home to Ken's, and without a driver's license, Cal knew he would not be seeing much of Ismi.

While recovering, Cal had thought a lot about football and basketball. Like everything else, he saw his sports from a whole different perspective since THE DAY. While he was still laid up, he had wondered if it was worth the time and the effort to play any more. But as the shock receded and his body recovered, he had to admit to himself that his competitive instincts were as strong as ever, if not stronger.

When football practice started in August, Cal could feel the antipathy from Greg, mirrored by his faithful followers. "I'm not buying any of that hero crap, Kicker. No way a scrawny runt like you could do any of that stuff. That Kung Fu shit is all show, anyway." It was fascinating that the big guy could not remember how Cal had subdued him on two occasions.

Cal just smiled at Greg and went on with his business. The big moment came in the showers afterwards. The entry wound on Cal's chest was small and clean. The exit wounds on his back, though, were another matter. Several times, he heard gasps as he turned in the shower and various teammates got their first look at the damage to the back of his shoulder.

Greg obviously saw what the others saw and had heard what they heard. His only reaction was a scowl and a snarl. The biting comments did not stop. Cal could tell that there was going to be trouble with Greg and determined to avoid it all costs.

Part of the reason was that he was just bored with the running back's constant hazing. It no longer even angered him, seeming trivial after everything else that had happened to him. Another reason was because of Cheryl. He was genuinely fond of her, and he could not understand why she was still going with Greg. Still, he did not want to make things difficult for her.

The first few days of practice were taken up by conditioning and fundamentals, so there was little chance of encountering Greg. Cal worked with the kickers, and was also included in the defensive backfield drills.

At the time of Teri's divorce, Cal had known Rick, but as a child knows an adult neighbor. He had no particular memory of the man's personality. However, if Teri loved him so much, he must be a good person.

All summer, Cal had been wondering if there was any chance of a reconciliation between Teri and Rick. He knew that Rick had stayed in town because of his business. Although Teri had seen Rick occasionally and Tessa more often, Cal had not seen Rick at all. He did know from Tessa that Rick's affair had not progressed to marriage, and that he was no longer with the woman.

Upon Teri's strict orders, Tessa had not told Rick anything about Teri and Cal's photography business. Nor was she allowed to comment on Teri's discoveries of her role in their breakup nor her greatly improved appearance. As much as she wanted to do something to see her parents back together, Tessa honored her mother's request.

In the first couple of years after the divorce, Tessa had pretty much put in her time with Rick because it was a legal requirement. The divorce had been a terrible shock to her because she loved both parents and felt that both loved her. Being very much like her mother in personality and still a young teen, she could not see the things that Teri did to trigger the breakup.

Since the business started and the little battles with Cal occurred, Tessa had been the crying shoulder for her mother many nights. At first, she thought Teri was imagining things, but her own battles with Cal taught her a lot. Over the summer, she found herself much more sympathetic to Rick. She also found it very hard to honor her mother's wishes for silence.

From one standpoint, Cal would have been perfectly happy to continue his relationship with Teri until his high school career was over and he left town. That, however, would have been just a long buildup to a major heartbreak for her, and he loved her too much to cause that.

There was also the threat of discovery, which had bothered Cal more and more. Ken already knew about Cal and Teri. If he could see it, someone else would eventually. The repercussions for both of them could be severe. Unfortunately, ending their sexual activities immediately or trying to taper off did not seem like good solutions, either. What Teri really needed was her husband back.

Teri was a much different person than when Cal took the first pictures of her. She had changed many of the behaviors that she blamed for Rick's departure. If by chance Rick looked back on the good things in their marriage rather than what drove him away, perhaps reconciliation was possible.

As Teri's bouts of post-coital depression had continued and deepened through the summer, Cal decided to take action. Football practice had just started, and school would open in three weeks. It was not hard to find Rick's work phone, and Cal called him, asking if they could get together for a few minutes. They arranged for Rick to meet Cal before he came to pick up Tessa for dinner one evening.

By arrangement, Rick picked Cal up a few blocks from his house and they went to a fast food place for a soda. As soon as they had sat down, Cal just came out with why he was there. "Rick, Teri and I have had a little business together for several months now. I have gotten to know her very well and I can tell you that she has changed a lot in that time. I am here to ask you if you would at least take Teri on some dates. I know she has never given up hope of getting back together with you."

"Why are you asking me this?" Rick asked when he recovered from his initial surprise.

"You know that Tessa and Teri and I have always been close," Cal answered. "Working with Teri, I have watched her change and seen her sadness over your divorce. More and more she blames herself for driving you away."

Rick was stunned but did not react negatively. "I'm guessing you're old enough to understand. There were just some personality things between us that wore me down over the years. I can't see subjecting myself to the same stress again."

"I know just what you mean," Cal stated, watching Rick's face. "She always means well, and she's never mean about it, but you can find yourself sort of, um, run over? Is that one of the things you're talking about?"

Rick just looked at Cal in surprise. This was certainly not the nerdy kid he had moved away from.

"From your reaction, I see I guessed right," Cal continued. "When we were starting the business, Teri and Tessa both did the same things to me. I guess I'm pretty independent and stubborn. I didn't like what they did and I let them know about it. Tessa and I had some pretty good fights."