Week Nineteen

FRIDAY JULY-8

I spent a long restless night waiting for a phone call that I hoped would come but that I knew wouldn't. I hoped the explanations were of a purely of a technical nature but I couldn't help thinking, human nature being what it is, that it may have been for different reasons. And eventually I was able to convince my parents that being in the top ten of schools academic honour roll would allow me to take a day off without my grades being effected.

The long night turned into a long day with dad taking the day off while Maria and John both insisted on spending every single minute of the day in their wheelchairs. If there was news on any of the stations we watched it. We also switched between the various cable news shows, Sky News, Fox News, CNN and BBC World.

News was filtering through slowly. London's transport network was completely shut down as was most of the telecommunications. Some progress was being made in that area though it was going to be some time before the mobile infrastructure would be up and running. We were also told that while we couldn't contact London directly there were numbers in the British High Commissioner's Office in Canberra we could phone but that we would have to be patient because of the inevitable jamming of the lines by people as anxious as we were to find out news of loved ones.

Not that that stopped me, I immediately moved to the phone in the kitchen as we sat there drinking coffee and trying to calm each other. Dad was immediately there with me. "Sit down son," he said putting a comforting arm around my shoulder, "we're all desperate for news." He looked to Vikki's mother who was just about cried out. Her chair was next to John's wheelchair and he was holding her left hand in his right as they comforted each other. "Waiting is going to be the hardest part, for ALL of us."

Then suddenly Maddy who was occupying the chair next to mine burst into tears for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. Through the tears and sobs she managed to say, "You're right daddy, waiting is the hardest part. TOO HARD! I need to do something." She tried to smile as I walked back, grabbed a tissue from the box on the table and wiped her eyes. "And I know exactly what that is. Caroline wouldn't want me to sit around here just waiting. She has a business to run and I need to be there." She stood up. Geoffrey said he would be there this morning and it's my bet that a few of his family will be there too."

"I'll take you Maddy," I said just before I turned to mum. "Can I borrow the car mum? I think helping out down there will be a useful distraction."

"Good idea Justin," she reached into her handbag which just happened to be sitting on the table, took out her car keys and tossed them towards me as she added. "And don't forget you have commentary tonight. News or no news you're not going to miss that. OKAY!"

I managed a smile and nodded my head as I took Maddy by the hand. "Okay sis' let's go."

Caroline's brother Geoffrey was at 'Pot Black' trying hard to be useful and failing miserably as he all but cried into the coffee he was drinking. Naomi was already there and serving a couple of young men who, having seen Maddy walk in were looking for some 'action' in the private room. Maddy turned to me a questioning look in her eyes. It was clear what she was asking. Should she stay or should she go with the young men?

I put the question back to her. "You know Caroline well enough by now, what would she tell you to do?"

Madeleine didn't answer, she didn't need to. Instead she said, "Come on guys, you ready to play?" as she began to undo the bolero top of her uniform.

"You betcha," said one of the guys as they reached under her black micro skirt and each grabbed a cheek of her near naked arse either side of the thong she wore.

As they walked into the private room I joined Naomi and Geoffrey behind the counter. I made myself a black coffee and then turned to Geoffrey. "Where are the rest of your family? Are they coming here?"

"No. I'm meeting them at Caroline and Bill's. They should all be there by now."

"What about parents?"

"They are all dead. Our mother died of cancer and dad just sort of withered away as though he had nothing left to live for. Bill's father fell asleep at the wheel. He lost control and ran into the path of an oncoming semi. He and Bill's mother were killed instantly."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be Justin, the way Bill tells it the world was a much better place without them."

I was going to ask about Margaret and Paula's parents but decided it was time to change the subject. "You know they'll be alright don't you? Vikki and the band and Lucy, and Caroline and Bill."

He suddenly looked sadder than ever. After pouring himself another coffee he finally said, "Vikki and the band and Lucy James maybe. I just wish I could share your confidence about Caroline and William."

"But surely..."

"BUT NOTHING!" he shouted before he regained some semblance of control. "I'm sorry Justin, but you don't know what their plans were. Caroline said that they planned to be up early on Thursday morning so that they could visit the British Museum, the British Library, Dickens's House and some place called Pollock's Toy Museum before they headed to Oxford Street and maybe Madame Tussaud's, if they had the time."

I shrugged my shoulders not understanding what Geoffrey was leading up to. "So," I said finally not having learned enough about London during my brief stay there at Easter to realise the importance of what Geoffrey was trying to say. "Surely visiting tourist attractions like those is quite normal especially for..."

"And so it would have been," he almost shouted. "Except for ... Except for..." Words failed him and a few tears began to fall.

Just then a couple of men walked in and Naomi was quick to intercept them as I eased Geoffrey onto a stool behind the counter. Then holding his coffee cup to his mouth I watched him take a drink before I set the cup down. "I don't understand Geoffrey," I said finally. "In your own time why don't you try and tell me what's on your mind."

I watched him pick up his cup again and take another sip before putting it down heavily into the saucer. It took him several minutes but Geoffrey finally managed to put into words what he wanted to say. "Caroline used the internet to find out the best way to travel where they wanted to go. At first they thought of taking the train to either Euston or King's Cross but that wouldn't get them close enough so they decided to catch the bus instead, a bus that would get them almost dead centre between anywhere they wanted to go."

He stopped then, placed his forearms on the counter and using them as a pillow rested his head there. I looked at him as his body shook as the tears continued to flow and as he sobbed with the pain of not knowing if his sister and brother-in-law were dead or alive. I knew now how they had travelled to Central London. They had obviously taken the bus to Tavistock Square!

Geoffrey's place wasn't here, that much was clear. He needed to be with the rest of his family. I turned to Naomi who had just finished serving the two guys. "Can you handle things here for a while Naomi, Geoffrey here needs to be somewhere, but that place definitely isn't here."

"Of course I can. Is there anything I can do to help?"

I turned to Geoffrey before I turned back to Naomi. Then I thought about Vikki and the band and Lucy and Samantha Carson. "If you know one, now might be a good time for a prayer." I glanced in a slightly upward direction. "We could sure use a little help right now." And as soon as Naomi acknowledged me I took Geoffrey out to my mother's car and watched as he slumped dejectedly into the passenger seat.

When I pulled up at Caroline and Bill's place I saw some of the same cars I had seen at our place last Saturday night. I walked around and opened the passenger door and watched as Geoffrey just sat there. I was about to try and coax him out of the car when I saw Valerie running down the driveway.

"Thank you Justin," she said as she struggled to maintain her composure while giving me a quick hug and a kiss. "Come on big brother," she said turning and reaching into the car. "Let's get you inside." To me she said, "You coming in Justin?"

I patted her gently on the back. "I don't think so Valerie, I really should be getting back and helping Maddy and Naomi out. But tell everyone from me that I'll be thinking about Caroline and Bill. And keep your chin up Valerie." I manage the briefest smile. "And tell that to the rest of your family."

"And the same goes for you and your family and Vikki's parents too. We'll see you later. Okay?"

I nodded and then stood there watching as Valerie led her older brother into the house before I drove back to 'Pot Black'.

I'd like to be able to say that the day passed quickly and enjoyably but of course it didn't. No news was coming from London regarding who was killed or injured in the bomb blasts and getting through to people handling the difficult task of collecting all of the information and assessing its reliability so that they could be one hundred percent accurate when they passed on any news, good or bad, was still almost impossible.

Eventually though we did manage to get through to five thirty. Naomi and Maddy managed it with the distraction of several visits to the private room with customers who seemed more intent on what they were doing with their much shorter and considerably fleshier cues rather than those of the long wooden variety. As for me there were enough regular customers and coffees of various varieties to make to keep me busy.

It was as we were leaving, that my mobile rang indicating it was mum calling. My first thought was that she had some news but she didn't, all she wanted me to know was that we should meet them at Caroline and Bill's place. It went without saying that Maria and John would be taken there in the van. The first thing that I suggested on hearing that was that I would ring Camilla to see if she could find a late substitute to take over my commentary duties. Naturally mum wouldn't hear of it. They had already discussed it having expected me to make exactly that offer — it's nice to know they are such good judges of what I'll do and say, I think! — and had all agreed that I would do nobody any good moping around worrying when I had a perfectly good distraction awaiting me at bowling.

To some extent of course they were right. Tony and Stephanie's 'Lions' were going to be doing battle with fellow top ten team, the 'Kangaroos', and part of the match was the mouth watering prospect of Tony going head to head with another of the leagues quality bowlers, Peter Rorke.

After dropping off Maddy and Naomi, she had insisting on being with Bill's immediate family, and after noting that they were all doing their best to take each other's mind off events in London I grabbed a quick bite of a chicken salad they had prepared before heading to the bowl.

I had barely walked into the OB van before Camilla, naked except for a G-string, Ruby and Jenny Porter were all over me telling me that things would be okay, that as soon as communication in and out of London and the rest of England was restored I would soon be hearing from Vikki and the band. I agreed that they were probably right before I mentioned that it wasn't just Vikki and Lucy James and the band I was worried about. I then told her exactly what Geoffrey Herschfeldt had told me about Caroline and Bill's plans on arriving in London.

"OH MY GOD!" she cried just as she was slipping her G-string over her hips. "That means ... That..." She was unable to take her chain of thought to its logical conclusion and instead allowed her panties to drop to the ground. After a couple of seconds she finally smiled and as she bent over to pick up her underwear giving me a tantalising glimpse of her hairless pussy lips said, "They'll be fine, all of them, you'll see." She sat in her chair and pointed to the chair next to her. "Now sit, we have commentary duties and there is no way your Vikki, the band or Caroline and Bill would want us to be anything less than professional. RIGHT!"

What else could I say. I responded positively as I undressed before I took the seat next to her.

"Now," said Camilla as Ruby began to work on her hair and make-up and Jenny Porter began to do the same with me, "What can we expect from bowling tonight... ?"

It was the end of the night and the bowling was over. The 'Lions' had won the last game by a large enough margin to win the overall as well and turn what had looked like being a losing night into a winning one.

Peter Rorke had won the battle of the A-list bowlers, as any of us with an average better than 235 were becoming known, over Tony Casey. In her match Stephanie King lost all of her three games finishing in the unaccustomed position of nude and minus five despite a 762 series thanks to the 'Kangaroos' Ellen Waltham's spectacular one hundred and forty six pins over average. Thus it had been left to the 'Lions' B-list bowlers, Donna Hawkins and Simon Pritchett to help them to their eventual thirteen to eleven win in a very, very high standard game.

In the first of other two games the twenty eighth ranked but well performed 'Crows' made it two wins in a row with a win over the sixth ranked and twelfth placed 'Panthers'. And in the final game the 'Queens' comfortably defeated the 'Devils' in a lacklustre game befitting their lowly positions on the ladder.

As for the evenings post bowling sex show Ashley Gifford of the 'Kangaroos' had an appointment with a member of the audience, an enthusiastic blonde with a spectacular figure who was naked before she even made it out of the stands. That left Stephanie King and three other bowlers, Danita Mueller and Francis Warren of the 'Crows' and Joseph Parker of the 'Devils' who went to minus five in the very last frame courtesy of a turkey (three strikes in a row) in the last frame by Jason Davidson of the 'Queens'. That happened just when most of the audience were beginning to warm to the prospect of Stephanie and I getting together. Though they did seem reasonably happy to settle with watching a bowler who at first had seemed unlikely to even finish a night naked let alone be involved in the entertainment.

And the great thing about Stephanie King was that she wasn't just a professional when it came to bowling, her behaviour was impeccable in all aspects of her life. And tonight proved to be no exception when it came to having sex with a fellow bowler in front of an audience of two hundred people and a TV audience in the high hundreds of thousands.

It was as we were standing there watching, by this time Camilla and I had been joined by Robert Miles who had already commiserated with me about Vikki and the band and Caroline and Bill, that Camilla turned to me. "Are you sorry Jason Davidson bowled those three strikes?"

I grinned. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little disappointed. I guess I was already thinking about what it would be like to enjoy Steph's company in such a public fashion. But you know what they say don't you Millie... ?"

Playing along she said 'No what?"

"They say that 'all good things come to those who wait'." I grinned again. "And a meeting in the stepladder final would be the perfect time to get acquainted with her, now wouldn't it?"

An hour later we had finished watching the show and had dressed in our street clothes. Camilla and Robert had headed off to her place while I had anxiously, but carefully, driven to Caroline and Bill's to see if there was any more news, though I knew they would have contacted me or the bowl immediately if there had been any.

With no news and everyone was just sitting in the lounge listening to music and talking as they found ways to comfort each other as the lack of available news had everyone very much on edge. Some fresh coffee had just been made and I had just poured myself a cup when Vikki's mother turned to me. "Justin," she said, "when you've finished your coffee we'd all like to go home." She quickly turned to Geoffrey Herschfeldt and the rest of Caroline and Bill's immediate family. "That is if all of you will be okay."

"We'll be fine Julie," said Geoffrey for all of them. "He managed the barest of smiles. "I'm guessing that the available beds in this house will get a little crowded, I doubt any of us wants to be alone. But thank you, all of you, for your support and your kindness. Let us just hope that the next few hours brings us all the news we're waiting for."

So after we said our goodbyes we headed home to 22 Cotton Way where Maddy asked if we minded if she spent the night with Ross while Naomi simply asked if she could spend the night.

"So where would you like to sleep?" asked my father. "With Justin?"

"Actually no," she said surprising all of us. "If there was a way to do it I'd like to sleep in the room with Maria and her 'Daddy John'. Is that possible?"

"Of course it is sweetheart. We can take the mattress off Maria's bed and set it up in there. How would that be?"

All Naomi could do was nod her head and minutes later she was undressing ready to spend the night while Julie announced that she was planning to spend the night with me, unless I had any objection. Of course I didn't. As if I would. By unspoken agreement we both knew their would be no sex tonight just a comforting cuddle as we snuggled together naked in my bed before we both finally drifted off into a fitful sleep broken by frequent thoughts about when we would eventually find out about Vikki and Lucy and the band and about Caroline and Bill.

SATURDAY JULY-9

There was no news after the morning trip to Dandenong Hospital and the Rehab Room where Maria and John made the required number of steps plus one extra on the parallel bars to confirm her right to join me at the bowl tonight. Neither was their any news by the time I left for my afternoon Foxtel commentary stint even though we finally succeeded in getting through to the British High Commissioner's Officer. Apparently information coming out of London was still practically at a standstill as technician's worked day and night to get the telecommunication's network up and running while another group of specialists were working equally hard getting the London transport system in some sort of working order.

As far as the afternoon's bowling was concerned the expected easy wins for the four favourites came to pass as the 'Eagles', the 'Bulldogs', the 'Ravens' and the 'Mariners' all had very easy wins without the individual heroics of some previous sessions.

The post bowling show was going to be a crowded one though. Karla Printz, Mitzy Prentice and Karla's husband Alex of the 'Cats' were all involved as were Paul Pearson of the 'Bombers', Kate Wegson and Rachel Henderson of the 'Indians' and John Compton of the 'Kookaburras'. Of those seven bowlers Alex Printz and Paul Pearson both welcomed women from the audience. Unlike most partners from the audience Alex's partner, a big redheaded girl with big tits insisted he strip her naked. Paul Pearson didn't get such a choice, his partner, a self-confessed 15-year-old slut, had been undressed by her mother before being sent on her way down to the lanes and into Pearson's welcoming arms.

That of course just left five bowlers, the almost unworkable combination of four female and one male bowler. I say almost unworkable because the two female bowlers from the 'Indians' team agreed to partner John Compton while the slim brunette, Karla Printz and the equally petite black haired Mitzy Prentice were more than happy to make up a threesome with me.

I soon found out how they wanted me when they quickly slid a condom onto me, forced me onto my back and took turns riding me at either end until I came while Mitzy was riding me and while Karla painted my face with her pussy juice. Then after thanking the girls I went to the van and freshened up before phoning home in the vain hope that there had been any reports filtering out of London with news of relatives and friends either living, visiting or just in London on holiday, working or otherwise. There hadn't. Indeed all they had to say was to remind me that Maria and Julie would be joining me on the lanes at seven o'clock and that the League, Foxtel and Carlton and United Breweries had agreed that they could stay down on the lanes with us subject to our opposition, the 'Falcons', agreeing, something I knew was a mere formality. They also told me not to let any concerns about London affect my bowling that if there was any news they would phone the centre immediately.

As expected Yuri Zednik and the rest of the 'Falcons' team were delighted that Maria and Julie, in the guise of her attendant and nurse, would be joining us on the lanes. Like the rest of the bowlers and most of the audience, they all knew the story of what happened to Maria and to John, Julie's husband. All that we could hope for now was that Maria and Julie would prove to be the inspiration Maria hoped they would be after our disappointing performance last week. They both were, especially Maria, AND HOW!

Of course Maria being Maria she arrived with a blanket wrapped around her. She was, she told me, nude beneath it. As soon as I pushed her wheelchair into a prominent position behind the lanes Camilla announced her to the cheers of the audience who finished up standing and giving her an ovation that brought tears to her eyes. And then with the cameraman still focusing his camera on her she asked me to pull the blanket off revealing that was, as she'd told me, naked under the blanket. And of course when they saw her naked on the big screen that replayed the nights big moments and every second of the after bowling sex show another mighty cheer went up that brought another smile and a few more tears.

"Now come on," she said as our team and the 'Falcons' finished the pre-match practice. "I wanna see strikes and plenty of 'em." She then turned to the 'Falcons' Charlotte Webb, Marina Cartier, Clifford Smith and Yuri Zednik. "Oh, and you lot can bowl plenty of strikes too."

"Thanks, I think!" said Marina Cartier with a grin.

"Oh that's all right," continued Maria, "just make sure you don't all bowl 'em at the same time coz I'd kinda like to see at least a couple of you nude like me."

"Well I don't have any doubt that I'll be joining you," laughed Charlotte Webb as she stood up and went to the ball return to pick up her ball, "I'm always finishing up naked." She turned to Sarah Pendleberry who had moved to the approach on lane nineteen and was waiting for Charlotte to bowl. "And if Sarah here lives up to her brilliant form this season I'll probably be fucking someone at the end of the night!" And then as if to prove a lie to her statement she promptly rolled a strike as easy as you please.

And so began a night that would prove to be a season high us and had a stunned 'Falcons' team looking on in disbelief.

So involved in the game did Maria get that at times she almost forgot she was in her wheelchair and tried to get out of it. Her encouragement was awesome. And to be fair it was to the 'Falcons' as well.

"God that was fucking awesome," was Maria's typically blunt statement at the end of the night. She turned to Sandy and I, giggled and said as bluntly as before. "Un-fucking-believable!" she turned to Julie. "Wasn't it 'Momma Julie'?"

"Can't argue with that," laughed Julie.

"See," said a grinning Charlotte Webb after she had bent over flashing all and sundry her naked cunt and arse while putting both her balls and her shoes away, "told you I'd be fucking after the match."

"And what self-respecting man wouldn't want to fuck a cunt as cute as that," giggled Maria as she feasted her eyes on the slightly separated outer lips of Charlotte's pussy as she held her position a little longer than was strictly necessary.

I took a look up at the big screen and noticed that it was split into two. Marina Cartier had apparently decided to emulate her teammate and was also holding her position as she replaced the two balls she had been using and the shoes she had worn into her bag and the screen was now showing close-ups of both their pussies larger than life on the screen.

Marina then laughed as she stood up and shook the hands of all our team. "And if someone had told me that I would bowl a 723 series with a final game 262 and still be fucking a member of the audience I'd have called them crazy." She walked up to Sandy Morgan who like Sarah Pendleberry and I was still fully dressed. "That was a real pleasure." She turned to the rest of her team. "Wasn't it guys?" When they all enthusiastically agreed she added. "Never has having the shit kicked out of us been so much fun."

"Well thank you guys," I said for our team, "I hope we can be just as magnanimous," I smiled, "if, or when, we suffer a similar defeat."

And then it was time for the interviews and all of our team, along with Yuri Zednik and Robert Fulton from the ninth placed 'Eels' who had caused a minor surprise by defeating the fifth placed 'Power', were called over to where Camilla Trenton and Robert Miles were standing.

"Well," said Camilla turning to our team first, "to paraphrase a well known political saying, a week's a long time in bowling."

Then they both looked at Maria who had also been invited to join us before Robert Miles added, "Especially when inspiration comes in such a delightful, and incredibly brave, package."

Maria who was almost at a loss for words as she blushed furiously, something that hadn't happened very much these days, finally said, "Well I do try," she giggled, "'specially where my wonderful big brother is concerned."

"Succeeded I'd say," said Robert Miles turning to me. "If your 278, 279,296, thirty strike, 853 series wasn't inspired by your brave sister I don't know what was."

"You could be right Robert." I turned to Sandy. "But I reckon I wasn't the only one inspired."

Camilla then turned to a blushing Sandy. "Difficult to argue with that Sandy. Not so long ago you felt that you might have been letting this team down." She smiled. "I reckon tonight you have 825 reasons to feel different now."

Sandy didn't need to answer, her smile said it all. And so went the interviews that began with us and finished with the bowlers involved in the post bowling fuck-show. There were five. Joining Charlotte Webb and Marina Cartier from our opposition were Leann Buckley one of the twin 22-year-old redheads from the 'Demons', Geoff Baker from their opposition, the 'King's and Peter Wakeley of the 'Power'. All of which meant that things worked out quite nicely. With Marina Cartier destined for a session with a big brawny dark haired guy from the audience there was an even split, two males and two females. A quick toss of a coin partnered Charlotte Webb with Peter Wakely and Leann Buckley with Geoff Baker.

Forty minutes later the show had finished and I was changed and following Julie as she drove Maria back home in the van. When we got indoors Maria decided she was tired enough to go to bed. John had apparently gone around the time we had completed our demolition of the Falcons team. And with no news from London I decided it was time to go to bed with Julie for company for the second successive night while Ross McLelland insisted that Maddy join mum and dad in their bed while Naomi, who had insisted on hanging around accompanied him as he joined his parents.

SUNDAY JULY-10

The frustration of no news from London continued into Sunday. And the trip to the hospital became not just a way of helping Maria and Vikki's father with their rehab but also a way to relieve the waiting and the lack of news.

Of course Maria gave it her usual one hundred and ten percent and as ever her irresistible enthusiasm rubbed off, not just on John but also on everybody else. So much so that they both reached a previously unheard of eighteen steps before they both collapsed into their chairs looking, as Charlotte Armitage put it 'shredded'. I'm thinking that expression referred to the lather of sweat on both Maria and John's naked bodies and the trail of sweat on the floor that indicated the start and finish of the mornings amazing effort.

Of course we had company. Apart from Gerald and Charlotte Armitage, Lois Mortenson and the seemingly ever-present Simone Keighley, also in the room with us — us being mum and dad, Maddy, Julie and Naomi — were the Morgan family plus William McKinnon.

After such a successful session Maria tired or not was ready for her reward. And as you would expect she insisted on boyfriend Terry doing the honours, and all the work. John though didn't want sex. No he wanted to make love to his wife, to share what had been quite a morning with the love of his life.

With her husband being no state to contribute in any meaningful way Julie took the opportunity to prove how agile and athletic and fit she was for a 37-year-old woman with a 17-year-old daughter. While Terry stood and slowly and gently thrust into Maria's ever demanding pussy Julie climbed onto the bench as easy as you please. Once there she squatted either side of her husband's hips, took his cock in her right hand and lowered her hips down with perfect poise and balance until she had taken all the she could manage from that position. What happened then was quite special, while maintaining that poise and balance and with the barest of up and down movements Julie made slow sensuous love to her husband.