Relaxation

Wednesday the 11^th

I woke up to a knee in my bladder and realized it was Kari curled up in a ball sleeping soundly on my chest. I could also feel a hand slowly stroking me. Looking at Charlene and then Jane I couldn't tell which was doing it.

"Stop, I have to pee," I said as I started squirming.

"Sorry, James, I didn't know," Charlene replied as she released my cock.

"No problem, can you help me get Kari off me?" I asked.

"I'm awake," Kari replied. She stretched her legs out and slid off of me.

I slid off the bed and walked into the bathroom. Flipping the lid and seat up, I stood there and peed as Charlene and Kari came in. They stood there watching me and I asked, "See something you like?"

"Yep," Kari replied and ran her fingers down my back, and then continued, "But I don't have time to do anything about it. I have to be at work in an hour."

"Ok, lover," I said as I kissed her.

She broke the kiss and I watched her turn the shower on and step in. She closed the glass doors and I turned and looked at Charlene who plastered her body against mine. I started playing with her body and she stood there moaning in pleasure.

"James, we have things to do today," Jane said as she stood in the doorway.

"What things?" I asked as I looked over at her.

"You shall see," she replied as she smiled at me, and then said, "Charlene, get in the shower with Kari, while James and I talk."

"Ok, Mom," Charlene said with disappointment in her voice as she walked to the shower and slipped inside.

I looked at Jane with my eyebrow up in the air, and she grabbed me, and dragged me into the bedroom.

"What's up Jane," I asked.

"We have to go to Tahoe," Jane said.

""Why Tahoe?" I asked.

"It's a surprise," Jane replied as she pulled a pair of pants up her slim legs.

I grabbed some clean clothes, and pulled them on. Slipping my feet into some sandals, I walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Pulling a bag of bagels out of the fridge, I split them and dropped them into the toaster as I dug out the packages of cream cheese. Setting the cheese on the counter, I got four coffee cups out. I set them on the counter, and grabbed the coffee. Filling each cup, I added sugar and milk to mine and took a quick sip as the bagels popped up. Quickly smearing cream cheese on them, I placed them on a paper towel and then cut two more bagels and dropped them in the toaster as the girls came out and grabbed some coffee and a bagel.

Taking a bit of my bagel after I spread the cream cheese on it, I reached over and turned on the radio and caught the tail end of the weather report. They reported another tornado touched down about forty miles away and tore up two hundred feet of fencing and killed twenty cows.

"Crazy weather," Jane said as she picked up her bagel and took a bite of it.

"I agree, but weather has been crazy for years now. We ... I mean us humans, have screwed up this world. One day it's going to come back and bite us on our asses," I said as drained my coffee and refilled it.

"I agree, James, that's why I went for solar and wind turbines, I want to push those technologies on our decedents. I know they will need oil, gas, and coal, but I want them to use the wind and sun for power as well. It's one reason I bought all the information I could on them. Tomorrow, a semi should arrive with hundreds of books on it. The books cover every topic I could find that I thought they will or could use. From oceanography to space exploration, from metallurgy to alternative fuels. There are only a few books I am not including, and those are the bibles for all the religions. I don't want them exposed to theology. Who are we to say what they can and cannot believe in?"

"But..."

"No, everyone says, Christianity or Hindu or Muslim or all the other religions are the one true religion. Billions have died for these religions. Whole tribes of the new world were wiped out because of them. I say 'no', and that's final. If you want to take a bible, fine, but it stays out of the learning curve for the people who live on the planet we are going to," Jane said fiercely as she set her cup down and stood up.

"Ok, I understand, I know history just as good as anyone. I was just thinking it could come in handy is all," I said as I finished my coffee.

"Leave the thinking to us women, you just bring home the bacon," Jane said with a smile and kissed me.

'Shit! What am I getting myself into, ' I thought as I stood up and carried my cup to the sink and rinsed it out. I opened the dishwasher and put the cup and silverware inside. Turning to the fridge I checked the steaks in the marinade and flipped them over.

"James, I'm sorry, I don't know if you know this, but I'm part Sioux. My grandmother came from the Oglala tribe off the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation back in the early thirties. She married a US Army Captain and then they moved to Reno and were stationed at Stead Air Force Base. My mother, married her high school boyfriend, they had me and my two brothers.

"My oldest brother now lives just outside the Reservation in South Dakota. He helps our people with legal affairs. My other brother was killed in Grenada back in the Regan era when we invaded. So I know what was done in the name of Religion to the indigenousness people of North, Central and South Americas."

I stood there looking at her and nodded my head, and replied, "I understand what you're saying, and we will leave it at that."

"Thanks, James. It's not saying I am not a Christian, I just believe it's wrong to force it down someone's throat. Charlene, you have your list, and Kari here's yours," Jane said as she ripped the page off the tablet and handed it and her truck keys to her.

Kari took her list and looked at it and her eyebrows went up, and she said, "No problem."

"Thanks Kari," Jane said.

We walked out the doors and headed for the trucks. I walked to the gate and opened it for the vehicles. The dogs came running for the gate and I closed it in time to prevent them from getting out. "Guard!" I said as I went to the U-Haul and climbed in.

I followed Charlene who was driving the second U-Haul who was following Kari. We pulled onto the main road, and took a right. The girls headed for town, while we went towards Reno.

An hour later I pulled onto the main road heading towards Tahoe.

"Where to?" I asked, and Jane gave me the directions and we headed up into the hills. I drove the roads I will never see again and following Jane's directions I pulled onto a paved road heading higher up and to an A frame house. We climbed out of the truck as a woman opened the door and came out.

"Miss Wright?" Jane asked.

"You must be Jane, come around back and I will show it to you," she said and led us around back to a large garage.

She asked me to and I pulled the door open and looked at a LT70HDD62 Woodmizer portable sawmill with the hydraulic lift and trailer. Boxes of parts and tools were stacked to the side. She quoted a price, and I never even questioned the amount and said I will go get you a certified check.

We walked away and drove into town, I started to get out and Jane said to keep the engine going and ran into the bank. Jane was back in twenty minutes with the check and ten minutes later we loaded up the saw and all its parts. I looked at all the other tools and Martha saw me looking at them and asked if I wanted them. "Yes, I will take them."

"Then there yours young man, I hope they give you as much happiness as they did to my Jerry."

"How much?" I asked.

"Tak'em. Take anything you want in the shed," Martha said

"I can't do that, there are thousands of dollars in tools here.

"You just gave me a check for thirty-five thousand, that's more..."

"No that's not right," I said.

"I'm not arguing with you, just take them and give them a new home where they will be used. That's all I ask," Martha replied.

I nodded my head and we loaded the boxes of stuff for the saw and then we started tossing the tools and other equipment on the truck. I was looking at the four kayaks that were hanging from the roof when Martha said take them. That they'd belonged to her son who was killed in the same car accident that killed her husband three months before, her telling me that, determined that I was going to pay for them.

As I was loading the last of the stuff, Martha excused herself and went into the house to use the bathroom. I pulled out my checkbook and looked at the tools and equipment we had loaded. I quickly wrote a check for ten thousand, folded it, and handed it to Jane as I said, "Ask to use the bathroom and leave this where she can find it."

Jane nodded her head, took the check and went up to the house as I pulled the paddles from the rafters.

Setting the paddles in the truck, I pulled the door down and closed the shed door for her. Pulling down to the house I hopped out as Martha came out with a receipt book and handed me a receipt for the saw and all the tools. I signed it and took my copy and she kept hers. We bade her goodbye, and drove away.

"How did you know about the saw?" I asked as we went around the corner.

"There was an ad for it on the website, so I called her. Martha told me her husband was killed in a car accident, and she wanted it gone before the bank took everything, I said if it's as good as the one in the profile I said we would pay her top dollar for it. She then told me be there today, or the next caller got it. The only thing that surprised me was when she said her son was killed in the same accident when you asked about the tools. She told me the bank wants their money or they were going to foreclose. The money we gave her should hold them off but I have a better solution," she said.

"What's that?" I asked as I turned to head through town.

"Turn into the Bank of America ahead and you will see," Jane said.

I pulled in like she asked, and she jumped out and ran inside. I waited ten minutes and she was back with a smile on her face as she settled in beside me and I asked, "What did you do Jane?"

"I paid off Miss Wright's mortgage," Jane said as she opened the cooler and pulled a can of coke out.

"Good for you," I said as I put the truck in gear and we headed down the road. Turning onto highway 431 or Mount Rose Highway, as it's otherwise known, we headed down the hill towards Reno. We drove through the scenic mountains and watched the eagles soaring over the hills as we pulled onto 395 North and I heard Jane's belly rumble.

"Hungry?" I asked and she nodded her head so we pulled into Meadow Mall. I drove around towards the back and parked in near the road. We hopped out and I checked the lock on the back. Taking Jane's arm we walked into Sbarro Pizzeria and ordered lunch. Sitting there I watched as the people walked back in forth of the big windows and started thinking again of what we were giving up.

"What you thinking about James?" Jane asked.

"Just what we are giving up here," I replied with a sigh, and then said, "Let's go shopping after we finish."

"Ok, what do you want to buy?" Jane asked as she took a bite of her pizza.

"I don't know yet, but will know it when I see it," I said.

We finished eating and started walking around the stores. The first place we stopped was an electronic store and I went through all the mini cams that were weatherproof and surveillance systems. I quickly cleaned them out along with some remote control aircraft and helicopters that we could use for checking out the area. The owner said he could have them boxed up for us and ready to go by the back door if we wanted.

Jane went into several stores on her own, while I was in Borders books and dropped a bundle on books to be picked up. I was particularly looking for self-help books on items like concrete, canning, skinning animals, harvesting wild grains and stuff that I didn't know how to do. I also cleaned them out of books on ancient and modern history.

We then hit the sports stores and cleaned them out of soccer, baseball, football and equipment that our future kids would like. Even going to where we were going I wanted my kids to enjoy sports. Jane paid for that equipment, and then we hit shoe stores and bought tennis shoes in varies sizes as well has hiking boots, and cowboy boots for all of us. While Jane was in Victoria Secrets, I walked over to one of the Jewelry stores and bought gifts for all my ladies, and future ladies. It was just a gold chain with a heart and small diamond on them. I thought I could use it as a wedding band.

We walked out with the few bags, and with the map of the store showing each location we had stuff waiting at, I fired up the truck and drove to each store and loaded the back of the truck. It took over an hour, and then we were on the way home after filling the tank and we pulled through the gate at five pm. Charlene was there playing fetch with the dogs when we pulled in and helped us organize the stuff into the two remaining empty pods.