"For These Gifts" by Uther Pendragon (dustman@athensnet.com). It's Thanksgiving break at Bob and Jeanette Brennan's house, and it's time for games. These "games" are choices of sexual behavior, new positions on the days when he chooses, mostly old ones when she makes the choice. In fact, she called her first game "Missionary." Tonight she has a genuine need for Bob to "be gentle"; and so they play Cherish, which is actually a variation of Missionary. Compared to some of the scenarios we see in this newsgroup, this sexual activity is no big thing - but a very nice no big thing.

For Bob's turn they make love sitting down - and standing up.

Between the two games, this story even includes a prayer - in fact, the title refers to the prayer that people often say on Thanksgiving, when they give thanks for the gifts they have received during the past year.

What I like about this series of stories is that the lovers are intelligent but ordinary people. Bob is going to school (majoring in history) and Jeanette is working full time to make Bob's academic career possible. They are looking forward to a happy future, but they are also trying to enjoy a happy present. They sometimes have riotous sex, but it's in the perspective of a full life.

Another way to say this is that a typical episode in this series is like three or four Dulcinea stories cohesively joined together.