Chapter 5

Mandy kept her hand lovingly on Bob's shoulder. He looked so peaceful lying there.

Her last few days had not been too peaceful for her and her wish right then was just to climb next to her love and rest with him. But that was not possible. At least not right now.

"I don't want to dwell on the present," she thought to herself. So she let her mind wandered back once again to her happy times with Bob. Her friend, her lover, her husband.

Mandy had never driven. Her Bitch-Of-A-Mother had told her, "If you want a car then, "Go Earn It!

"Your father didn't leave me enough to buy you even a broken down jalopy. Nothing. Nada.

"It's costing me plenty just giving you a roof over your head, feeding you and trying to find something for you to wear that doesn't cost an arm and a leg."

If there was a super hero for the mean and nasty, her mother would qualify as the model for 'Super-Bitch!'

Mandy didn't want her mother to be hurt to devastation. Just a little. Getting even, wasn't very satisfactory in her mind even after lie after lie and the deprivation she had forced on Mandy.

Getting out of town was sufficient enough.

Stan Wilson was 'Marshal Dillon' and it was like he put her mother on the last stage coach right out of town. Mandy wasn't there, but she had heard her Mother never felt any regrets for the way she had treated Mandy.

Mandy did have regrets though because she would have liked a mother. It was sad that she did not have a mother figure. But Mandy often told Bob, he was all that was necessary in her life.

Not that she in any meaningful way inferred, Jason, would not be welcome in their home. She had never met him and could only think that he had to be as nice as Bob.

But as the years passed, the subject was not broached. Mandy knew that Bob had invited Jason over a couple of times but plans just could not be coordinated where she and Bob would be in town the same time as Jason.

As with everyone's lives, time slips by. No matter what, Time conquers all. And in the end, no one survives its wrath.

But, she had always wanted to meet Jason. He was at least 12 years older than she was. After all it was just before her birthday when she was eighteen. It had been his thirtieth birthday that Bob screwed up on.

That memory made her smile.

"Yes," she thought to herself. It was the day Jason was 30 that she and Bob had met. "Oh that glorious day!"

Smiling on one of her favorite memories steadied her. Calmed her and the memory of their First Christmas as a married couple drifted into her mind.

Bob was such a nut at times.

They had oodles of money. More than should be allowed. But they had decided that gifts should be reasonable. No Rolex gold and diamond watches. No diamonds the size of walnuts.

No Rolls-Royces. Just reasonable and tasteful things that could, should and would be part of their everyday life.

For her stocking, Bob had bought her a dozen of her favorite Victoria's Secret lace thongs in a rainbow of colors. Each had been wrapped individually and Mandy had squealed as she opened each one.

Then in the toe of her Christmas Stocking was a blindfold.

When she asked what it was for, Bob told her that there was a special surprise for her under the tree but he would lead her to the tree and would tell her when she could look.

Their living room had a 15 foot vaulted ceiling. Their tree was huge. They had gotten it from a nearby tree farm and even had them help set it up in their house. With the tree topper ornament in place, it was inches from the ceiling.

As she had stood there in the Great Hall, looking at the bare tree after the workmen left, she had told Bob, it would need a Gazillion lights.

When they finished decorating it, it had that and more. The tree lights sparkled off ornaments of all sizes and shapes.

She was delighted the way the tree had come out and was in awe with all the rest of the decorations in the house. They had such fun putting it all up. It took days of fun to get it all up.

But because they had their stockings right upon getting up, Bob had walked her blindfolded to the living room, nude.

Then he moved her around the room and finally said, "Well, I think this is a good place to see what I have for you.

"Now wait just a second. I'll tell you when to take the blindfold off."

Then Bob stepped away from her, she heard a click and Bob rushed back to her side and even through the blindfold she knew that a flash had gone off.

"You little devil," she told him as she reached for her blindfold.

"Nope, not yet. He told her. Not yet. Just a second more."

Then Bob moved from her side and she heard a little rustling. Then it got quiet.

"OK. You can take your blindfold off."

Mandy almost doubled over laughing as soon as she could see.

There in front of her was her 'Christmas Present.'

Bob was stretched out, naked, on the floor right in front of the tree, head propped up on one elbow, and a two inch wide satin ribbon around his neck topped off with a bow.

What really made her laugh was a slightly smaller ribbon tied in a simple overhand bow, right around his man parts and sporting a large Christmas Label, "For Mandy, With all my love, Bob."

Mandy fell to her knees she was laughing so hard and crawled over to him, placing a kiss to his lips. She removed the the ribbon covering his usual morning woody and climbed on.

Mandy squatted down real tight against Bob's pelvis and ground herself into him. It sent sparks surging through both of them.