Chapter 1

"Hello, my name is Pete Anderson and I'm an Empath."

(group) "Hi, Pete!"

It had been 40 some years since the rap to my noggin knocked adult sense and a sort of empath 'superpower' into me and they had been good years. I'll not go into every one of the incidents and encounters where I have had fun because I could tell which women had a sort of attraction to me and I to them. Now I knew I was more than just an 'Empath'. Actually I developed the talent to do much more than suss out feelings and emotions, but I was always careful to only let a little of my powers loose and tried never to make anyone do anything they wouldn't have done over time.

Nor will I bother with the 'Dark Minds' I ran across occasionally. Except to say that took some getting used to and resulted in my never allowing myself to hang around anyone with political ambitions ... even if I just accidently got into some of their thoughts, it made my head hurt. And if that happened I tended to make their heads hurt. A lot. Nuff said!

In fact turning 65 sort of settled me. I was hanging up my gadfly ambitions toward women and resigning myself to simple observation of everything around me. I did get a kick out of teens and how they related with each other. Despite the much greater openness toward sex and everything to do with it in gender relationships it seemed to me that not a lot had changed.

Kids still saw everything to do with sexuality as black and white. They thought they could mess around with impunity but got upset when the object of their affections did the same. Or they failed to communicate at all, fearing rejection.

But I learned, over time, to more or less stay out of it and let what would happen, happen.

Until that day...

I was in line at my local convenience store paying for gas and a tea when I noticed the two boys in front of me. Or, rather, that one of them was Rick O'Brien who had been the star QB for the local HS team a few years back. I'd heard he was now going to a small college, upstate. I didntdidn't know him or his family but his parents lived in my subdivision, and a few blocks away. As did the counter clerk, Ellie Adams, who I always enjoyed speaking to when I was in the store. She was about the same age as Rick, but not in his social circle, I surmised.

The reason being she had sort of a plain but open face and she was about 20 or so pounds overweight and always had been. She wasn't exactly 'fat', let alone obese, but, like her mother, she was in danger of that once she settled down to a domestic life. Later, when I thought of it, Ellie reminded me a lot of Monica, my Sarah's friend. That made me horny and look at Ellie a little differently because Monnie was great in bed. Nowhere as good as Sarah, but few are. I wondered if Ellie was as much fun.

At any rate, Rick was standing with his buddy {I assumed} while that guy paid for gas and the coffee each was carrying. After the transaction, his buddy turned and walked away and Rick followed, but Ellie hailed him in recognition.

"Good to see you, Rick. How's thing's going at Northern?"

Rick ignored her. For some reason Ellie tried again.

"Hey ... Rick! How are you? Good to see you!"

"What ... Oh ... yeah. Great. Likewise." Rick resumed his exit. I looked at Ellie and it was if a small cloud fell over her face. I felt for her a little but I was sure that wasn't the first time she'd been snubbed. And it wouldn't be the last.

But it was what came next that shocked me...

'Fat sow! I wouldn't fuck her with her mom's broomstick!'

At first I was sure I'd heard Rick mumble that to his friend but that guy was twenty feet ahead and there were people between me and him who would have heard it as well and I saw no indication they had heard the vile comments. I looked at Ellie to see if she had heard. She was already smiling at me, as the next customer.

I turned back toward Rick. Now I knew I'd read his thoughts and they were strong thoughts. I lost it. I stared daggers at the back of Rick's head. Literally. He fell to his knees in pain...

"Ow ... OUCH ... SHIT!!. Goddammit, it HURTS!" Rick yelled.

He put his hands up to his eyes which to me was a good sign. I'd directed the pain to right at his optic bundle, as that was the least lasting effect, which I'd found out the hard way. Years ago I accidently sent a guy to an asylum by being careless with my powers. When he only deserved a jail term for assaulting me on the street.

Chapter 2 »