Chapter 4

Things did take time to adjust.  Karen and I became more familiar with each other.  We found that since we were together all the time, we didn’t have to rush sex.  We spent many nights together just cuddling.  Though our sex life didn’t suffer.  She was a tigress in bed, always wanting to try new positions or different ways of doing things.  Many nights we would bring each other to fantastic climaxes before dropping off to sleep.

Prom was a fantastic experience for Karen.  Mom took her shopping for the dress, they hit the beauty shop, and all the other things that seem to go along with the ritual that the male of the species is not knowledgeable in.  But on that night, it was worth every bit of it.

She came down the stairs and both Dad and I lost our breath.  She had a dark blue satin dress that was strapless.  Her ample breasts were more than enough to hold the top in place and created some impressive cleavage.  Her long blonde hair was done up with curls that hung on each side of her face making a frame to her features.  She was a vision that would last in my memory forever.

Dad grabbed his camera and took what seemed like a hundred pictures.  He was making sure he had some good shots to send to George in an email.  Then, the limo showed up and we were on our way.

Larry, Gary and I had all gone together to rent the limo for the prom.  When Karen and I got in the limo, the other two couples were already there.  Lisa and Allie were decked out as well and looked beautiful.  All of the guys took turns telling the ladies how beautiful they looked which earned us some very appreciative looks.

The prom was being held in the ballroom of one of the better hotels in town.  Several of us had booked rooms together for after the prom to continue the party and to make sure we didn’t have to try and get home afterwards.  Earlier in the day, Larry had taken to the hotel a change of clothes for all of us to change into after the formal prom was over.  Allie had to be home before dawn so Gary’s car was already there, but Larry and Lisa would be spending the night in the room next to ours.  We checked in and then enjoyed a splendid repast in the hotel’s restaurant before going to the ballroom.

The dance was just what you would want.  We all sat at a table along with two other couples we knew.  Gary asked Karen for a dance and after looking at me for approval, accepted which led me to take Allie out on the floor.  After that, the ice was broken and we all took turns dancing with each other’s dates.  Melissa, one of the other girls at the table, and I were dancing when she asked about Karen.  I explained that she went to another school.  She thought she was really funny, cracking jokes about different things all evening.  “You know that she is madly in love with you, Dave.  When we went into the restroom earlier, she was gushing about how happy she has been with you.  She also said something that got me to thinking.  Are you guys living together?”

Melissa had been a friend, but not a real close one ever since fifth grade when she was one of the first black kids in the school.  I had taken up for her then and we had gotten along well since.  I knew that she was nosey, but had a good heart.  “Yes, her father is out of the country and he asked if she could stay with us.  Any other details are for Karen to tell.  But I love her as much as she loves me.  It works well for us.”

By then, the song was almost over.  As we were walking back, Melissa squeezed my arm.  “She is a nice girl, and she is getting a very special guy whether she knows it or not.”

The last dance of the night was called and I took Karen to the floor.  It was a nice slow song and she molded herself to me as we moved to the music.  As we moved, she reached up and pulled my head down to her for a long passionate kiss.  When the kiss ended, she put her head on my shoulder and her hand in the middle of my chest.  “The sound of love, it’s right here.” Then she hugged me even tighter as we finished the dance.

We hurried to our room so we could change before anyone else came up.  I helped her with the dress, taking the time to get a few feels of soft skin in the process.  She slipped on jeans and a t-shirt, foregoing the bra that was in the bag.  The shirt was tight fitting and her nipples were showing plainly through the material.  Then we left the bathroom to join the parties that were happening all over the eighth floor of the hotel.  

It was late when we finally closed the door and locked it.  We had both had a little bit to drink, but were nowhere near drunk.  However, it was enough to lower any inhibitions that Karen had.  As I turned from the door, Karen was already stripping off her jeans and panties.  She knelt on the easy chair that was in the room spreading her knees as far as she could.  Her luscious ass was facing me forming a perfect frame for her wet pussy.  She turned her head to look at me over her shoulder.  “Dave, I want you to drop your pants and shove your cock into me this way.  I want to be fucked and fucked hard.”

I moved behind her, unbuttoning my pants on the way.   My hard cock was in line with her wet slit and I rubbed the head along it just enough to get lubricated before I slid into her in one thrust.  She groaned as I slid in to the hilt, but didn’t wait before she started to slide herself along my shaft.  I picked up her rhythm and was soon slamming into her hard enough to make her ass shudder with each stroke.  I reached under her and pawed her breasts, squeezing the flesh and pulling on her nipples.  Her grip on the chair back tightened as she started to move erratically as her orgasm hit her hard.  Normally, she didn’t get very vocal during her climax, but this time she almost howled as her pussy tightened around me.  

The liquor must have lessened my need to cum a bit and I rode through her first orgasm and as soon as she started to come back down, I started thrusting into her again.  She didn’t come down very far before she started to climb again towards another one.  Looking down, I was fascinated at the look of her buttocks bouncing as I would push my pelvis hard into hers.  I suddenly remembered something that I had done before and decided to try again.  Reaching below us, I coated my thumb with her juices.  Then I added some saliva and started to rub her back door.  It had brought a favorable reaction when I had rubbed her before and I thought to do it again.  As soon as I touched her there, she went over again.  Her anus was clenching and with just the slightest pressure, the tip of my thumb slipped inside.  This really sent her off and this time I went with her.  I thrust one more time and fired my load against her womb.  

Our orgasms ended and we slid apart, with me landing on the floor and Karen slumped down into the chair.  When I opened my eyes, I was looking straight into her open pussy, our combined juices draining out of her and onto the upholstery of the chair.  I struggled to sit up enough to touch her and rubbed her back and ass until she started to recover.  She crawled out of the chair and joined me on the carpet.  We held each other for a while recovering.  Finally, we got ourselves together and headed to the bathroom for a mutual shower.

The shower revived us and when we got into the bed, we made love one more time before we went to sleep.

The next morning, we got up and dressed and went down to have the free breakfast the hotel provided.  We met Larry and Lisa going in, and they looked more tired out than we did.  Each couple looked at the other and started laughing.  Lisa, in her usual blunt way, looked at Karen and asked,  “Is your pussy as sore as mine?”  Karen cracked up laughing and replied that probably she was.  They started to discuss what had happened last night, sitting close together and giggling.  Larry and I just rolled our eyes and headed to the buffet.

Later, Dad came by to pick us all up. We dropped off the other couple and then went home ourselves.  Karen and I did get things ready for school and then I went out on the patio to soak up some sun while Karen went down to help Mom with dinner.

My graduation was first and Karen was sitting in the audience for the ceremony.  The awards and scholarships were announced and my name was called for a full scholarship to the local campus.  I was not valedictorian, but had graduated in the top five percent of my class.  All in all, I was proud of my accomplishments and more than a little relieved to be out of the high school world.

As soon as the ceremony ended, Karen came bounding up and gave me a huge hug and kiss, earning a laugh from my parents.  Then it was the obligatory pictures with classmates and family, then the handshakes and a few tears as we all said goodbye to other classmates.  Then, Karen and I took off to make appearances at a few of the graduation parties.  We had planned to have a party of our own following Karen’s graduation the next week.

Karen’s ceremony was interesting.  We had switched places with her sitting with classmates and the family behind.  The valedictorian of her class gave her speech using sign language with one of the faculty speaking the words she signed.  Then each graduate was called up with both spoken word and sign to get their diploma.  One surprise was that Karen had received a scholarship to the same campus I was going to.  She hadn’t said one thing about applying for it.  When I asked why she had not told me earlier, she said she had not known if she would get it or not so she didn’t want to say anything.  I threatened her with a spanking, but she came back with, “That might be fun.  You promise?”

I did give her a playful swat on the ass for that one.  She just giggled and grabbed my hand to introduce me to some of her favorite teachers.  She also invited several of her classmates to the party at our house the next day.  

Dad was sure to get more pictures for George.  He might not be here for his daughter’s graduation, but Dad wanted to make sure he was as close as he could get.  He had used our digital video camera and recorded the ceremony so he could send it on a CD.  Karen emailed him every evening and we would have an Internet chat once a week or so.  At least he could keep up with her life and she could do the same.

The party the next day was an interesting time.  Most of the guests were from my school but several of Karen’s showed up as well.  Conversations were conducted in both speech and sign and sometimes both at the same time.  Karen and I translated between the two different segments of the party, but all went well and we even saw some new friendships develop.   Dad was manning the grill and the dogs and burgers disappeared along with macaroni salad and cake for dessert.  The pool was in full use all day.  There was a short game of water polo, but even that dissolved into a game of grab-ass.  The party finally broke up when the sun went down and it started to get cool outside.  Even at the end of May, the nights are cool around here.

After everything was cleaned up, Dad and Mom asked us both to come into the den.  After we sat down, they handed each of us a box.  Inside was a new laptop with all the programs that we would need for our courses.  We both thanked them profusely, and Karen gave them both a hug and a kiss on the cheek while I settled for a hug to each of them.

Then I asked my dad to get my present for Karen.  He had been in on this one and had helped me to find just what I wanted.  I had talked to Karen’s dad as well and he was in agreement that it would probably be the best thing I could give her.  Dad handed me the hinged box, and I moved down from the couch to kneel in front of Karen.

“Karen, we have been through a lot together.  I have found that you are a part of my life that I cannot do without.  What I am trying to say is...  Karen Peterson, will you be my wife?”

She had been looking at the computer so she had not seen Dad hand me the box.  She had been watching me as I said my piece, but when she saw the last sentence, she had a stunned look on her face.  She didn’t move for a several seconds.  Then she realized that I was waiting for an answer.  “Oh God, YES!  Dave, I love you.”

She held out her shaking hand as I pulled the ring out of the box and put it on her finger.  I had guessed right about the fit and she was gazing at it through her tears.  Then she wrapped her arms around me and cried.

“You know that now I have to help plan a wedding, on top of all the other things I have to manage.”  Mom was holding her arm up to her forehead in a dramatic pose.

Karen looked stricken  “We don’t have to have a big wedding or anything, I don’t want to cause problems.”

Dad looked over at her.  “Karen, Sylvia is just teasing you.  She loves this kind of thing.”

Mom just stood there laughing.  “He’s right.  It won’t be any problem at all.  And you are NEVER a problem.”

The evening ended with all of us talking about the future.  We did decide to wait until we had at least a year of college behind us before we actually got married.  We would be eligible for couples housing then.  For the summer, I would work part time at the water park and two days a week, I would be doing research for the law firm where Dad is a partner.  Karen had been offered a job at a local center to help with counseling of deaf people.

That night, Karen was explosive in bed.  She sucked me off while I ate her to three orgasms.  Then she had me mount her with her legs pulled almost up to her tits.  While she was headed toward her fifth orgasm of the night, she asked me to play with her ass like I did before.  Her juices had run down so lube wasn’t a problem and I took my index finger and started to rub all around her back opening.  She loosened up a bit from my play and I slid my finger in to the first knuckle.  This sent her over the edge, taking me with her.  I couldn’t believe how tight her pussy got around my cock.  I thought I would not be able to shoot into her she had such a grip on me.  Then her pussy started to flutter and I was able to release a flood of my semen against her cervix.  It took a few seconds in my own haze to realize that she had passed out.  I pulled out of her and felt her breathing.  Then she groaned and opened her eyes.  She gave me a tired smile just before she kissed me.  She was so tired that I grabbed the t-shirt I had been wearing and put it between her legs.  Then we both passed out for the night holding each other.

The summer was going well for us.  We were both working hard, but enjoyed our jobs.  Karen was a hit at the counseling center.  Being deaf herself, she had an advantage in understanding the unique problems that many of the clients faced.  The center’s director had noticed her dedication and offered her a part time position during the school year.  It would only be on Saturday, but would give her some extra money as well as securing her a position for the next summer.

I eventually had to quit the water park.  Dad’s law firm secured some major cases and the research needed was overwhelming.  When the senior partner offered to increase my pay by half again if I would come over full time during the summer, it was too good to refuse.  It was tedious work looking through mountains of internal correspondence of the corporation being sued, looking for anything that could be used in the case.  This was a position of trust and giving it to a teen just out of high school was a risk.  And I was determined to not break that trust.  

Toward the end of the summer, as the case was about to go to trial, I was told that I would be asked to present what I had uncovered to the staff.  The night before I was frantically trying to put together what I had found into some kind of order to make a good  impression.  Dad walked in to drive me home and stood in the doorway watching me for a few minutes as I shuffled papers into the order of what I thought would be their importance.

I heard him chuckle and I looked up to see him grinning.  “Your first presentation, I take it?”

“Yes sir.  I know this case is important and I want to get it right, but I don’t know how to get all this organized to make it easier for the staff.”

“Tell you what.  I have a good idea of how the case will be presented, so I can give you a hand.  Let me call your mom and tell we will be late tonight.  It happens to me every now and then.  We will finish this up and then we will get something to eat at the pub.”

It was fascinating to work with my dad like this.  His mind was like a machine when he was working.  I had never realized just how smart and analytical my father was until I saw him in action.  I had things in the wrong order mainly because I didn’t really understand how the procedures would go and what would be relevant and what wouldn’t.  I was truly stunned.

By the same token, Dad told me how impressed he was with what I had been able to ferret out of the mess the opposition had sent over.  Several items that had been secreted away in old memos turned out to be very damaging to their case.  A couple of hours later, we were done and we headed to the pub for a quick dinner before we headed home.

While in bed that night, Karen told me that when Dad called she asked Mom why she wasn’t upset about it since she had dinner almost done.  Mom just told her that sometimes, when things were under a crunch, it was to be expected.  Why worry about something that she couldn’t do anything about.  Karen understood, but made me promise to let her know as soon as possible when I would be late.  I grinned and promised which earned me a kiss.

The next morning, I woke up earlier than normal from being nervous about the day.  I had jumped in the shower and had washed my hair when I felt hands around my waist.  I turned my back to the water so I could get the shampoo rinsed out when I felt Karen’s warm lips encircle the head of my cock.  She worked quickly, deep-throating me until I finally came in her mouth.  She swallowed my load and stood putting her arms around my neck.  “I knew you were nervous, and I figured a blow job would help take the edge off.”

“Take the edge off?  Hell, you were so good that I might not be able to stand long enough to make my presentation.”  As I kissed her, I told her it was worth it.  I finished my shower and got out my suit and tie.  Then I grabbed some breakfast and we were off.

Actually, my part of the presentation went rather easily.  What I had found was going to be quite useful, and the praise I received was more than I expected.  With a sense of accomplishment and the boss’s invitation to take the rest of the day off, I took Dad’s car and headed home to change.  My plan for the afternoon was to take my favorite girl to lunch at an intimate little restaurant, and then maybe let her decide what to do from there.

I pulled in at the center and went in to find Karen.  The secretary escorted me to a room toward the far end of a corridor.  I peeked inside and saw Karen sitting on a carpet surrounded by several children who were intently watching as she signed to them.  She seemed to be telling them how to handle different situations that would come up when they were out more in the hearing world.  

As I watched, you could see the care that she had for each of the children.  She watched intently as each would sign, and would gently correct their mistakes, or give them plenty of praise when they got the answer correct.  One of the kids spotted me at the door and pointed out my presence to Karen.  She turned to see me and gave me a big smile and a wave to come in.

I stepped into the room and the kids all stared at me.  Karen got their attention and signed to them “This man is my fiancé’, Mr. Dawson”

Hello and I am pleased to meet you.  I signed to the group.

They all smiled and signed back greetings.  Then Karen finished the class and let them know that they could wait in the play area until their parents picked them up.  I stood back to let them file past me, with Karen bringing up the stragglers in front of her.  As she passed, she gave me a quick peck on the lips, earning us giggles from the kids who saw us.

When she got them safely to the play area, she asked what I was doing there.  “I have the afternoon off and I was wondering if you thought you could get away for a bit of lunch at Antonio’s.”

She dragged me into her boss’s office and introduced me, then asked if she could take some time to go to lunch with me.  Her boss gave us both a smile and told her to take the rest of the day since they didn’t have anything scheduled for the afternoon anyway.  We both thanked her and took off toward the parking lot hand in hand.

Antonio’s was almost at the end of their lunch rush when we arrived and they had no trouble seating us.  We looked through the menu and I decided to have Chicken al Parma, and Karen just wanted the soup and bread.  As soon as we ordered, we looked around and found that there were now only three tables occupied.  The staff was busy getting caught up from the lunch rush and preparing for the dinner crowd, but the service and the food was excellent in spite of it..  We finished and left thanking our server and leaving a good tip.

I asked what Karen what she wanted to do. Since we had some unexpected free time, she wanted to just wander through the artist’s area of downtown and maybe do some window-shopping.  So we walked all over the downtown area, hand in hand, looking at all the wares that were on display.  I did stop at a vendor that was hawking flowers on the street corner and purchased a red rose for Karen.  That got me a smile and a kiss that had my toes tingling.

It was soon time to head back to the firm to pick up Dad and go home for the evening.  We had to wait a little while for him so we sat in the reception area.  Several of the junior partners, who were on the case I had been researching were leaving for the evening, stopped and thanked me for my help.  Karen was almost a permanent shade of red from all the compliments and the long looks from all the people that were leaving for the night.  Dad finally came out and saved her from further embarrassment.  Dad took back his keys and drove us home to a delicious dinner.

Three weeks before we were due to start college, Karen’s father got to come home for a week.  There was a tearful reunion between them and she took the week off from work to spend the days with him.  They would do things together, but mainly just spend time being father and daughter.  George would eat dinner with us every night and got to sample his daughter’s culinary prowess.  The evenings would be spent watching television, or just talking about his adventures in the Far East and Africa.  He was very proud of his daughter and she of him.  And I was glad to see her as happy as she was.

George did ask if she had heard from her mother since she had left.  Karen’s voice became very cold and flat as she told of a visit that we had received from the pastor of her church.  He had come to offer Karen one last chance to be saved and when he was refused, he declared that Marge would never again attempt to contact Karen since she was unrepentant and chose to remain a sinner.

George told us that he had the same type of communication except that there was no attempt to save him.  There had been an attempt to get spousal support but since she had been the one to abandon them after abusing Karen, she didn’t get anything. 

Emotions were much brighter when he told Karen that he was due to be transferred back within a year so he would be available to walk her down the aisle.  He had approved of the engagement and was shocked that we had waited as long as we did.  “I saw something in Karen the first time she met you, Dave.  And after seeing you with her, I noticed the same thing in your eyes as well.  It was a deep and abiding love and respect for each other.  I am envious of you two since I have never felt that.”

Karen looked at her father.  “You are still young enough to find a woman to love you, Daddy.  When you get back, you should start looking.  You deserve it after putting up with Mother for as long as you did.  And I know you did it for me.”  

“Sweetheart, I did love your mother.  When we first met, we were both just out of high school.  And though she would deny it, she was pretty wild.  Her family was very strict, and she was rebelling.   She was a rock groupie sleeping with just about any man, or woman, who could play an instrument.  Actually, that was how we met.  I played bass for a local band back in Milwaukee.  She was partying with the band and was totally trashed, her clothes were half off and she was trying to get the drummer to fuck her.  I felt sorry for her and kept the guys off her and got her sobered up.  She stayed around and eventually got herself together.

We lived together for a year then got married.  You were conceived a month or so after that.  After you were born, your mom started to go back to the church that her parents had gone to.  That was when the trouble started.  She got me to quit the band, and take a ‘respectable’ job.  I did go back to college part time, graduated and then got a job with the company.  I started to climb in the company, but your mother and I were drifting further apart.

When she had found out that you were deaf, she took it as a punishment from God for what she did in her youth.  That is why she treated you the way she did.  My only regret was that I never stepped in before I did.  It might have made your life easier.”

“Daddy, I’m glad that you did defend me when you did.  That was when it really counted.  I understand Mother a little better now; even if I can’t forget the way she treated me.  Let’s just go on from here and not consider the past.”

Karen related all this to me later that night after her father had left for the hotel.  He was going to use the guest room for the last few days before he had to go back and this was the last night that he was going to use the hotel room.  We talked late into the night about what she had learned as she sorted out her emotions.  She was coming to grips with what had been a confusing childhood.

The day before George was due to leave was an emotional one for them both.  They spent most of the day together, neither one wanting the time to end.  Dinner was a quiet affair and not much was said the rest of the evening in keeping with the solemn mood.  The next day, I went with Karen to the airport to see her dad off.  When his flight was called, he shook my hand and told me to take care of his baby girl.  I assured him I would do my best, and then father and daughter embraced.

There were tears streaming down Karen’s lovely cheeks as we watched the plane back out and head to the runway.  Karen insisted on watching the takeoff as well before we could leave.  She was quiet for the next day or so but I respected her mood and made sure I was there to comfort her when she needed it.

School was starting for both of us.  I was starting to work on my law degree with an eye on specializing in family law.  Karen was majoring in psychology looking to become a psychologist working with young people.  We were both carrying more credit hours than were normal for a freshman, but since we were already a couple; we did not waste time on the dating and club scene.

One thing that became clear early on was that we needed to find a place of our own.  Now that Mike was in his teen years, combined with four adults with different schedules all in the same house, we were getting in each other’s way.

I talked to Dad and he agreed to pay half on an apartment and utilities, but we would be on our own for any extras.  When Karen emailed her dad with the news, he offered to pay for the other half.  With the savings that we had from our summer jobs and the part time work we both took on, we would be able to make it just fine.  The next problem was to find a place that would work for us.

I was walking around the campus area a few days later when I spotted a ‘For Rent” sign in a window above a garage.  I went up to the door, and an elderly woman answered the door.  She agreed to let me see the apartment which was really a loft above their double car garage but only after she had quizzed me on just who I was and who would be living there with me.  Deciding that I did not seem like a party animal type, she had me follow her up the outside staircase and into the loft.

Inside was not large but well laid out.  A small kitchen that connected to a small dining area and living area.  The bathroom was next to the kitchen and the bedroom was off to the side of the living area.  It looked to me to be just the thing for us.  I asked if she would let me bring my fiancé’ over to take a look.  She agreed and I left to try and catch Karen as she left her class.  

I gave her the rundown on what I had found and she was excited to see it as well.  I called Dad and he agreed to take the time to come and see the place.  We met him in front of the house.  I knocked on the door and Mrs. Abernathy met the Karen and Dad.  She handed me the key saying that she was too old to be going up those stairs more than once a day.  After we looked the place over, we could come to the back door and we could talk in her kitchen if we still wanted the place.

Karen fell in love with the place.  She immediately looked over everything commenting how she could put some curtains and pictures up and make it into a perfect nest for us.  Dad looked around with a critical eye, but gave his approval, depending on the cost.

I was fearful of what the rent would be.  Normally, the cost for a loft around the campus, even one this size, would be high.  Karen knocked on the back door and Mrs. Abernathy led us into her tidy kitchen.  Her husband was sitting at the table already.  He looked to be in his mid-seventies, but had worked hard all his life.  His leathery skin was stretched over a thin frame.  He had silvery hair and bushy eyebrows, which rested over a pair of light brown eyes that missed very little.

His missus was a perfect match to him.  She was a little hefty and wore the years she had with grace.  Her gray hair was pulled up into a bun and she had a happy demeanor about her.  She was bustling around the kitchen serving tea to us and then some homemade sugar cookies.  Once everybody was served, she sat next to her husband.

They both started with small talk about who we were and what we wanted to do with our lives.  When they found out Karen was deaf, they were very interested in how she got along in college.  They heard our majors and the courses we were taking.  Seeming to be satisfied with the answers they heard, Mr. Abernathy finally spoke up.

“We retired here after our son was in college.  We actually built the loft for him.  Now we just rent it out to have someone around in case we need help with something.  We don’t want just anyone in there, but you two seem to have your heads on straight.  The loft is yours if you want it.”

I spoke up.  “We would love to have it sir, but I am not sure we could afford it.”

The old man just chuckled.  “Young man, we don’t rent that out for the money.  We really don’t need it.  When I sold the farm, we made enough to last us the rest of our lives and then some.  We just want to help young folks who need it.  We remember starting out ourselves.”

The deal was struck for payment that was less than half what we would have paid anywhere else.  With that news, Dad wrote a check for the first three months rent. Utilities were included.  He said he would talk to George and they might just give us what was saved for incidentals that we needed.  The deal was sealed with a handshake and we had the keys to our very first home.  It wasn’t huge, but it was ours.  We headed home to start getting things ready to move.

There was furniture in the loft that would be fine for our use.  We needed kitchen utensils and linens along with our clothes and personal things.  I called for a broadband cable connection to be turned on since the previous tenants had the cable already installed.  This was one luxury that we felt was necessary since Karen could communicate with her dad and other friends via email and IM. We also had phone service turned on since Karen had a TTY system set up.

Mom was all excited to see our new place and was busy getting extras of all the necessities that she could think of.  She did insist on going to the department store to get us a set of good cookware.  When Karen saw the cost of the set of professional pots and pans that Mom showed her, she tried to tell her we didn’t need that nice of a set.  Mom’s logic was that it would be the only set we would ever need.  She won her argument when she explained that the cookware that she was using at home was over 20 years old and still looked almost new.  While they were there, she picked up a few ‘extras’ that amounted to completely outfitting us with silverware, dishes, glasses, towels, and sheets.  The sheets were needed since she had also insisted that we store the bed that was in the loft “You never know who last used it and if they had anything” and we put in a queen sized bed.

Dad and Larry good-naturedly grumbled about moving the mattress and box springs since we had to lift it up over the side of the stair railing, but we were mostly moved in after only a week.  Everybody else had left and I put down the last box that I had emptied.  I stood watching Karen as she was finishing the last details of putting a flower vase on the old round table.  The three chairs were pushed in and she stood back to admire her work.

I sneaked up and grabbed her around the waist, kissing her on the neck.  She turned around and snaked her arms around my neck.  “I can’t believe that we have our own home!  Just you and me together.”

“Well, I think we need to christen the place don’t you?”  I asked putting my hands on her waist.

“What do you have in mind?” she asked, grinning back at me.

In answer, I started kissing her passionately.  We were soon on the floor, clothing strewn from the kitchen to the living area.  I was buried deep inside her as she pushed me with her legs around my hips to move faster.  I exploded inside her and that caused her to go over as well.

As I hovered above her catching my breath, she reached up and pulled my head down for one last kiss.  “Welcome home, sweetheart.”

With the privacy of our own place, Karen elected to remain naked as she finished dinner.  We had our first meal in our new home, naked.  It was exciting to watch Karen’s body move without clothes as she went about the tasks at hand.  Movements that are normally taken for granted suddenly took on new meaning.  The way her buttocks clenched and her breasts would sway was fascinating.  By the time she had dinner ready, I had a raging hard-on that refused to leave.  Our first dessert was each other as we had a furious sixty-nine on the sofa.

Unfortunately, the pressures of school overshadowed the excitement of our new place and we settled into a routine.  We went to class and labs during the day and did homework in the evenings.  We took turns cooking and the other would clean up.  Any other chores were shared.  And as it is with all couples, we had our tiffs.  I complained about Karen using my razor and she did the same about me leaving the cap off the toothpaste.  We never stayed angry and we each tried to drop the habit that annoyed the other.  Then we would kiss and make up.

And for the first time in her life, Karen was making friends.  There were three girls in her Intro to Psychology that were also taking the same Research Methods class.  They were soon close friends coming over to our place to study a couple times a week.  When they showed up, I would move to the couch or the bedroom to do my own studying.

Truth was, the girls could be a distraction.  Dana was a tall, redhead with large breasts who wore shirts that allowed her cleavage to be ogled.  She was the most outgoing of the group, and would often relate how her latest date had gone, or who her next conquest would be.

Francine was just a little overweight, but carried herself well.  She was self conscious of her weight, but she dressed to minimize showing it.  She had a happy personality and would crack a joke over just about anything.

Sumiko was of oriental descent with the beauty that came from her heritage.  Just barely five feet tall, her delicate features and unassuming manner hid a wickedly sharp intellect.  Her parents had emigrated from Kyoto and she had grown up in a household that was trying to adjust to the American customs while maintaining their own. I enjoyed listening to her take on American versus Japanese customs.

The last was Ayelen.  She was a member of the Lakota Nation.  Her strong cheekbones and coppery skin was a sight to behold.  She always had her hair pulled back and it hung down to her very tight and sexy ass.  It looked like a shimmering black waterfall, just like Cher.  I would picture her standing naked with that hair hanging over her shoulders covering her breasts.  She was about Karen’s height and weight and they made quite a contrast when they stood or sat together.

One evening after they left, Karen asked about my absence when her friends came over.  She was afraid that I was upset that she had made friends on her own.  I reassured her that definitely was not the case, but it was just easier for me to concentrate on my own work without hearing theirs.  It was too easy for me to be drawn into their conversations and neglect what I was doing.

After that, I made the effort to be out and about the loft when they would show up and then throughout their stay.  This led to them being more relaxed with me and we soon were discussing many different topics before we would all separate for out studies.

It also became a habit to have dinner every Wednesday with the Abnerthanys.  They enjoyed our company and we always made sure to take something different to add to the menu, usually some kind of dessert.  We eventually took to calling them Grandma and Grandpa.  Our own were gone and it was nice to have a chance to listen to their tales and learn things from them.  They, in turn, stated that they enjoyed our enthusiasm for life and especially our love for each other.

Our routine established itself around school and each other.  We both found a security in having things at least in some form of organized chaos.  We still found time for fun, double dating with one of the girls in her study group, or taking a break by just walking around in a freak snowstorm.  Mostly, we found that our love was enough to keep things from being boring.  Karen was always ready to make love and we utilized every idea she could come up with.  I would sometimes pick her up some flowers or a stuffed toy and she would get weepy and then kiss me until the room would spin. 

Thanksgiving was coming up quickly and since Mom always had the dinner at her house, we saw no point in trying to change tradition.  However, she extended an invitation to the Abnerthanys. I was surprised that it didn’t take much to convince them.  Grandma A explained it when she said that they had no family left around here and that they usually just went out for dinner.  “It would be nice to be around people we like for a change instead of a bunch of strangers who have nowhere else to go either.”

Wednesday’s classes were cancelled since most of the campus was already gone so Karen decided to make the homemade bread and rolls for the next day’s feast.  I came back from the library to find her with flour all over her face and clothes, and seven bowls of fully risen dough set all over the tiny kitchen and dining table.

Holding my laughter as much as possible, I asked what was going on.  She explained that she wanted to have enough so she did two double batches of dough.  She didn’t realize how much dough that would make.  Now she was out of flour, she didn’t have enough pans to bake them in and not enough oven space to bake them all.  And it was all coming up at the same time.

After she whacked me on the arm for laughing, she started to see the humor in it all. The laughter released her frustration and she pulled herself together. Karen started to work the first batches, molding them into balls of dough while I ran to the discount store and bought several pans and another bag of flour.  On the way back up, I stopped and asked Grandma A if we could borrow her oven to get it all baked.  She laughingly agreed and went to preheat her double ovens.

I went up and helped Karen get the rolls shaped and into pans to rise again.  The ones she had been working on when I had left were ready to go in so I took those to Grandma A to put in her ovens.  We worked through it all and by the time we were done, Karen was exhausted.  There were 10 dozen rolls all brown and ready sitting on every inch of flat space in the loft.  I sent Karen to the shower and cleaned up before I followed her to bed.  It was just before one in the morning when I shut off the lights.

The next morning, we headed over to my parent’s house the back seat and hatchback full of paper bags full of rolls.  Mom stopped what she was doing and just stared as we made a couple of trips carrying in those bags.  After she got the story, she suggested we freeze all but a couple dozen.  She figured they would have enough rolls to last through Christmas as well.

Grandma and Grandpa A showed up just before noon and we made them welcome.  The men were shooed out of the kitchen area and we took refuge in the den to watch some football.  Mom’s timing was perfect this year and she announced dinner just as the first football game ended.  Dad paid Mike the ten dollars when his team lost and we headed into the dining room.

We had a wonderful meal.  The food was delicious and the company was excellent.  And by the time everyone put their forks down; we were all stuffed.  Mike and I helped Karen to clean up.  It didn’t take long until all the leftovers were parceled out and the dishwasher was running.  We joined the rest of the family in the living room for coffee. The women talked while we watched another game.  

Finally, we all felt we had enough room for dessert and that meant a piece of pumpkin pie that Grandma A had brought over.  Then we started to get ready to leave.  Mike came up and asked if it would be all right if he called the Abernathys Grandma and Grandpa as well.

“Of course!  We haven’t seen our son in years and we have no grandkids, so we would love for you to call us that.” Grandma told him as she wrapped him into a hug.  Then she turned to my parents.  “You have made us feel like family today.  We both enjoyed ourselves more than we have in years on Thanksgiving.  Thanks for having us.”

Mom told her it was our pleasure and they were welcome anytime.  Then they took the leftovers that had been prepared and left for home.  We followed soon afterwards, taking our share of the food.  Getting into our own home, we both decided that the day had been a success and having our landlords over had been the best thing we could have done.  I gave Karen a kiss and we headed for bed.