Chapter 31

School started again the day after Labour Day. Grade 11 was often considered the toughest year of the five in high school. The work load was demanding, lots of homework and lab assignments. It seems to be the year when students get the most involved with extracurricular activities. I was no exception, nor were my wives.

I tried out for the senior football team and quickly became starting centre, no surprise, really. Most of last year's Junior Championship team moved up to the senior team. Because we were a solid unit, the coach tried to keep us together as much as possible. It was also a rebuilding year for the senior team, as many of the key players graduated this past spring. We had practice every day, sometimes for two hours or more. We played one game a week, half of them away. Fortunately, football season in Canada at that time only ran from September to late November. It was intense but relatively short.

I was heavily involved with Cadets. I gave up my largely ceremonial and administrative position as a platoon commander and took over as the Company Sergeant Major. It was a downgrade in actual rank, but a much more important and prestigious position within the Corps. As CSM, I was directly involved in the actual training. I taught courses in foot drill, map and compass, and fieldcraft. After-school training was only one day per week, but we had at least one weekend exercise per month. Along with my regular homework and assignments, I had to prepare lesson plans for all the courses I taught.

The class I was in was an experimental one for advanced students, started the previous year based on our performance in Grade 9. Our workload was heavier than mainstream, and we were expected to be more involved in school activities. This wasn't just a class of nerds and browners. My classmates included the president and secretary of the Student Council; the Editor of the Year Book and several staff, of which I was one; the star quarterback and two running backs for the football team, and various other of the premier athletes and leaders in the school.

At home, I still worked on the farm. Dad had a day job, so between us we had to find time to farm as well. With the crop all in, the next order of business was getting the ground ready for next year. Dad's brother helped, but we still had lots to do. As long as the cattle were on pasture, the workload was light, but in the late fall, we had to start feeding. Daily chores consumed a part of our day.

I had an extremely busy semester, as did my wives. Our time together was limited to whatever we could steal away from our other activities. Of course, the girls had each other, but they were both so addicted to vaginal sex that a steady diet of girl-on-girl wasn't quite satisfying to them. They complained constantly that Sweet Pussy and Miss Pussy were literally starving to death. Our evenings usually meant an hour or two after football practice then I went home to hit the books. I often ate supper at their house so we could be together. Dolly was absolutely wonderful with me in this way. Mom and Dad shared the chores and farm work so I had a little more time. Val even helped. She became quite proficient with some of the equipment.

Riekie was in Grade 13. She would graduate next spring and move on to pre-med and med school the following fall. Because of the emotional content of the summer, Riekie's academic achievements have been understated. Not only beautiful, my Second Wife was stunningly brilliant. Only a year older than me, she was two years ahead, having skipped a grade in public school. Her grades were always in the high nineties. When in school, she was totally focused. She didn't go out for the extracurricular activities much, but she was an on-again-off-again member of the chess club and debating team. She always tried to carry an extra course or two. This year was no different. Grade 13 was considered in those days not to be just the prep year for university it was basically first year of a general arts university programme. Riekie carried two extra advanced science classes to help prepare her for med school. Her work load would have killed a lesser person.

Carol was an average to above-average student academically, but excelled at art, her chosen career path. She carried extra art classes and was involved in the Art Club. She had the most 'free' time of the three of us which still wasn't much. Because she had a little extra time, Riekie and I put her to 'work' as our secretary. She managed our schedules and made sure we had special assignments in on time. If we needed extra books for our research, she was often the one making the trip to the library with a bibliography, finding them for us. She also made sure the books were returned on time.

Bob was/is brilliant. Unfortunately, his mind was so far ahead of what we took in school, he wasn't particularly focused. He aced any of the science courses, but just scraped through on the more mundane academic material because he just couldn't be bothered. He was very active in the science and chess clubs, and of course, all those projects he and I dreamed up on the side.

Being so busy, the fall just blew by. I had the girls out to the farm two or three times. We enjoyed some wild, noisy lovemaking, the girls trying to feed their starving Pussy creatures enough to tide them over, but it was getting a little cool out in the long grass...

We had hoped to be able to arrange a weekend stay-over, but with our busy schedules and workloads, we couldn't manage it. The one weekend we thought was clear got cancelled because the football team had to play an overnight away game as part of the championship playoffs. My wives threatened to do extreme bodily harm to whoever drew up that schedule. We won COSSA that year, too.

The first week of September, before my schedule got too hectic, I visited the local jeweler where I thought Carol got my ring. I showed it to him, and he remembered a young lady buying it earlier in the summer. He said it was a very unusual design. He'd hated to break a set, but she seemed so in love, he sold her the man's ring separately. He still had the matching lady's ring and showed it to me. It was the same as mine, but smaller, daintier, as befits a lady's hand. Where mine had an Alaskan black diamond, the lady's had a small true diamond. It was beautiful. I asked him if he could get a second, identical ring. He said he could, but it was a very special order to have a ring duplicated, so would cost at least double the first one.

I asked the price of the first one. When he told me, I almost fainted! I had no idea! Mine would have been even more! Riekie's was going to be at least twice that again! Carol had spent a small fortune (to me at the time, and still a significant sum today) on that ring! The true depth of her love to spend that much money on my ring just deepened my resolve. I asked how much down payment he required. It was almost everything I had just to put money down.

I made a fast trip to the bank, almost wiped out my small savings account, and returned to put a deposit on the rings. I ordered the second one, and got a receipt to show my folks. I showed him the engraving inside mine, and told him I wanted three names with the same inscription on these two. He said he could do it, but it would have to be micro-engraved because of the length of the sentiment and the three names. It would be more expensive. I also wanted Riekie's name added to mine, jacking the bill even higher. The final inscription for all three read 'Riekie, Carol and Dave 1965 Hearts Entwined Forever'. The total bill was staggering. Dad said they'd pay, but I was still scared to show him the bill, and I vowed I would pay him back somehow.

I told the jeweler I needed them for Christmas. I gave him my phone numbers, both home and my own. He said he'd call when they were ready, but it would be the first of December. Special orders like this took extra time.

When I showed Mom and Dad the bill, they just about fainted too, but Mom said she suspected it was pricey because she recognized the workmanship and quality in my ring. It would be tight, but they'd manage. I told them I would repay them somehow. Dad would hear nothing of it. It was their wedding present to us. I was touched by their willingness to do this, but these were my wives' wedding rings. They had to come from me. "No! Dad, these are from me to my wives. I MUST pay for them on my own. I don't know how or when, but I WILL repay you. Your love, support and happiness for us is all the wedding gift we need from you."

It took me a couple years working at part time jobs, even after the dark times, to repay them. My first pay cheque from Northern made the final payment. It was bittersweet at the time.

With the football playoffs over in November, and another COSSA championship, my schedule eased a little. It was mid-term exam time, and most school activities were reduced so students could study. With studying and finishing up last minute reports and assignments, my wives and I didn't get a lot of time together. Our love, though, seemed to deepen and strengthen as the enforced separation of busy schedules kept us apart.

At school, it was hard for anyone to tell the three of us had a relationship. A casual observer would have thought we were just good friends. The girls weren't out to win any beauty prizes or attract other boys. They dressed quietly and conservatively. They attracted little attention from boys. No one knew that under those conservative skirts two hot young pussies were always bare and usually wet, with the exception of their monthlies, when they wore loose slacks to let me know.

Speaking of their monthlies, we had watched very closely for the appearance of their first after our frenetic sexual activity the last week or so of the summer. They both had been so close to their fertile time by Labour Day we fully expected we would be parents. Their periods both arrived within a day of each other. We were very pleased, but a little disappointed, too. Even though we had relatively little opportunity, we had unprotected sex whenever we could, with all the risks of pregnancy known to us. Thus, we all waited expectantly for those monthlies, every month. If they weren't able to tell me directly, the slacks were our signal.

We didn't do the usual teenage lover thing in the hallways and the back stairwell. When we met in the halls, it was with a sweet smile and a discretely blown kiss. We rarely had lunch together. There were three lunch periods and due to class schedules, we were all never able to get the same one. If we did, it would be only two of us. We never managed all three at lunch at the same time. Whenever we did manage some arrangement of a twosome at lunch, we talked quietly and held hands under the table.

Mid-term (Christmas) exams came and went. We all felt we'd done well, but Riekie, ever the over-achiever, felt she could have done better. Bob would be satisfied if he passed. Carol was trying to keep up a standard set by her parents, so she had to work extra hard. I found most subjects easy, and my voracious reading helped. My studying was not as intense. Thank God. Of the four of us, I had the busiest schedule.

Christmas break started just a few days before Christmas. I had to cram all my Christmas shopping into just a few days. Despite my insistence on repaying my parents for the rings, Dad continued to pay me my usual allowance regularly for my farm work, and I got a few small jobs helping the neighbours. As we no longer raised pigs, of which I usually got two for myself, Dad gave me a steer, which I was able to sell for a good dollar in time for Christmas. I had enough funds, then to do my Christmas shopping. I wanted to get everyone something, including Dolly. The girls were getting their rings, but I wanted something extra. Dad said I didn't have to start paying him back until I got a 'regular' job. He wouldn't take a penny until then, so I had a little money to work with.

From my occasional work for neighbours, I was able to make small, token payments to the jeweler. It wasn't much, but was good for my self esteem, and kept me up-to-date on the progress of the order, without making a nuisance of myself to the man. Riekie's ring was delayed. I was concerned it wouldn't be ready in time. Just two days before Christmas, he called and said they were ready.

Dad and I went in to drop mine off for the final engraving and pay up. He showed us the two rings. You could hardly make out the micro-engraving, but under a glass, there it was in a beautiful flowing script:" Riekie, Carol and Dave 1965 Hearts Entwined Forever'. The craftsmanship was superb. Dad knew how much I'd already paid by myself, so he was already writing out his cheque for the balance as shown on my receipts when the jeweler stopped him. They had known each other all their lives and were casual friends.

"Don, don't write that up just yet. I have something to say. This young man has impressed me with his love for these girls, and his insistence on paying as much as he can on his own without your help. He didn't flinch at the price quoted, didn't haggle, and dug deep to make sure he got what he wanted. You've always impressed me as a man of honesty and integrity. You've done a superb job of passing those values along to young Dave, here.

"I've seen many young men come through here over the years, ordering special gifts for their ladies. As often as not, they get cold feet, forfeit their deposits, and I get stuck with the order. But Dave here has been so mature and responsible, paying what he could, and waiting for these rings so eagerly, I am very impressed. I see he wears the matching ring, so I know there's something VERY special about all this. Because of his maturity and obvious devotion to his young ladies, and because you and I have been friends so long, I've decided to make you a better deal. I'll only charge you half the value of the second ring, making it the same as the first. The engraving is on the house, and if Dave sees anything else he wants to get as gifts, it will also be half price. Such love, devotion and maturity deserve it."

I was overwhelmed by the man's generosity. I didn't know what to say, except "Thank you." I knew full well this man had me as a loyal customer as long as he stayed in business, and I would recommend him to anyone wanting fine jewelry. His son took over the business a few years ago and continues the same tradition of fairness and craftsmanship as his father. He still gets all my business and I still send customers his way.

I was nervous of taking him up on the offer of anything else for half price, but there were some items I thought would be excellent gift items for the people on my Christmas list. There was a beautiful moonstone pendant on a fine silver chain I thought would a good gift for Mom. I got one for Dolly, too. Mom's was oval. Dolly's was rectangular. I also saw two heart-shaped silver lockets with a small moonstone set in the face. I thought the moonstones would be a nice symbolic touch for the Goddess. They would be the perfect Christmas gifts for my wives. A nice birthstone ring for Val and a gold signet ring for Bob rounded out my shopping list. I couldn't get Dad's gift with him standing there.

With the engraving I wanted on the lockets, even at half price, it came to quite a bit more than I had, but the jeweler said I was good for it, and let me charge the balance. Dad co-signed the bill as a show of faith it would be paid. I made sure I paid that bill before another month passed. It took all the Christmas money I got from my grandmother and other elderly relatives, plus scrounging work from the neighbours, but I did it.

We made arrangements to pick up all the gifts the next day, Christmas Eve. They would gift wrap everything except the rings. I asked to have '<insert name of wife here> I Love You Forever, David' inside each locket, ensuring he knew Carol's had to say 'Carol Anne'. I took off my ring and handed it over for the change in the inscription to include Riekie. I felt naked without it.

After we finished at the jewelers, exchanging 'Merry Christmas and Happy New Year' with him, Dad dropped me off at the Scotts' so I could spend a little time with them.

Their father was home for the Holidays. We'd hardly seen him since the summer. His company a contractor for the Apollo programme, sent him all over the place, especially Florida, so he was away on business trips a lot. Bob Sr. liked to take a drink when he was home, and usually ended his evenings more than a little tipsy. I didn't like him drunk. He became crude and abusive. Fortunately, when I got there, he was in a mellow Christmassy frame of mind, and welcomed me with a big "Merry Christmas, Dave!" Our thinly veiled hostility from the summer didn't show for this one time.

We exchanged pleasantries then the girls grabbed Bob and me and we disappeared into their room to neck and play records. Bob was with us to keep us from going too far and keep Bob Sr.'s suspicions at bay. Sex wasn't an issue, though: the girls jeans indicated the time of the month.

Whenever Bob Sr. was around, Riekie and I acted like friends as much as possible. Carol and I kept our groping and kissing to a civilized minimum, partly to keep him quiet, and partly in deference to poor Riekie who was cut out. How he missed the torrid looks we all gave each other, though, was a mystery.

I noticed at different times that Bob Sr. seemed to give his daughters, especially Carol, very appraising looks, like a man on the make. He was particularly taken with Carol's legs (as was I), and one time, when he was a little too far into his cups, passed comment on what beautiful legs she had. This day, I saw him giving their trim jean clad butts a very appraising look. I thought his looking at the girls was odd, but just put it down as a father being proud of two beautiful daughters, and a little over sensitivity on my part of any male giving my wives the once-over with their eyes.