DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by 
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading 
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes 
without the consent of the author.

Country Christmas Visit
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2003

It is another hour to the farm where Alex had grown up and he is 
stuck driving. The fact that he is cold, the kids are constantly 
complaining, and his wife is just generally irritable had made being 
in the car a miserable experience. As Lewis reaches over to turn up 
the heat, Alex swats his hand away from the control saying, "I'm 
burning up in here."

He doesn't remember whose idea it was for them to spend the 
Christmas Holidays at the farm, but now he regrets the decision to 
come here. It isn't that he minds his in-laws, it was just that his 
family has turned into a model dysfunctional atomic family. He is 
in the midst of a mid-life crisis, his wife is going through 
menopause, his teenage daughter is a sex-addict, and his teenage 
son is drifting through life without direction.

His sixteen year old daughter, Susan, whines from the back seat, 
"Whose dumb idea was this? Can't we just turn around and go 
home?"

Lewis flinches, realizing that the time has come for another 
argument. He answers, "We are not turning around. This is the last 
Christmas that the whole family will have a chance to be together."

Alex's reply is much more direct. She snaps, "Stop complaining. 
That boy of yours will be at home when we get back."

Jim, eighteen months older than his sister, says, "Ever since she 
lost her cherry to that guy, he's all that she ever thinks about."

Lewis ignores the resulting argument by turning his attention to the 
icy road ahead. He hates driving in winter weather, but this drive is 
worse - it reminds him of how much he dislikes his life. This is not 
what he thought his life would be like twenty years ago. He 
wonders if anyone actually aspires to middle management, to be 
married to a woman that no longer interests him, and to have two 
kids who do not respect him. 

He sighs as he looks at the sign to the University where he had 
earned his Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering. He had so 
many dreams the day he enrolled in school. He had dreamt that one 
day he was going to design something that went to the moon, but 
that never happened. His career as an electrical engineer lasted 
about ten years before he was promoted to project manager. 

Now he is a project manager over a bunch of software geeks that 
build IT systems. He can barely call what he does project 
management, it is more like catastrophe avoidance. He distrusts 
software developers; he feels like they lied to him about their 
progress on a daily basis. He hates software, it just doesn't have the 
same feel as a circuit board that you could hold in your hand. If he 
wouldn't have to stay at home, he would quit the job in a minute.

He is brought out of his introspection when his son asks, "Isn't this 
the college that you went to, Dad?"

Looking in the mirror at his son, he answers, "Yes it is. I spent four 
wonderful years there becoming an engineer."

He sees the wheels turning in his son's head and wonders how long 
it will be before the kid suggests that he come to college here. He'll 
use the old alma mater story, but that will be a farce. The real 
reason is that it is a twelve hour drive from home, far enough away 
to free him from his parents. He doesn't know how he feels about 
his son coming here as opposed to anywhere else. His greatest fear 
is that the kid will end up in college for eight years changing 
majors every year before he finds one that he likes.

He sees his breath in the car as it fogs up the windshield. He 
reaches over to the control for the defroster and adjusts the 
temperature up. She might be having hot flashes, but he needs to 
be able to see out the windshield. She shoots him an angry look, 
but doesn't say anything. If she had, he was seriously considering 
tying her to the roof where it is plenty cold.

The sign to the county fair grounds flashes by in the dark, lit 
momentarily by the car's headlights. He smiles as he thinks back to 
the first time he had come here. He had decided to take a Saturday 
off from studying and took a drive through the countryside. A 
banner proclaiming the County Fair caught his attention and he 
decided to stop in to take a look around. 

He had wandered through the fair grounds, amazed at the displays 
in a county fair in the country. There were tables with home 
canned goods such as jams, jellies, pickles, and vegetables, He had 
never seen canned goods in mason jars before. There pens with a 
variety of animals including cows, goats, chickens, and pigs. There 
were also displays of handcrafted items such as quilts, lace, and 
needlepoint.. There were a few rides for the kids and lots of 
carnival booths with games of chance to win stuffed animals. 

Entire families were there, but it wasn't like the parents were riding 
herd over the kids. Kids, some of whom were eight or nine, were 
running around without their parents within sight. It seemed like 
everyone knew every kid and watched over them like they were 
their own. He had no idea how many times he heard an adult 
threaten some kid that they'd talk to their parents if they didn't 
behave. The kids did not treat it like an idle threat.

His life had undergone a radical change when he stumbled into a 
tent containing the small animal exhibits. There was a young lady, 
seventeen years old, standing proudly by a cage with a rabbit in it. 
A second place ribbon hung prominently on the rabbit cage. Her 
parents were taking a picture of her posed next to the cage. He had 
watched the scene unfold entranced, more than a little intimidated 
by her beauty. She was gorgeous with light brown hair down to her 
shoulders, a very nice bust, and a heart shaped ass. She caught him 
watching her and, after the picture session was over, said, "You 
look lost. Can I help you?"

Staring at her 4H tee-shirt, he had grabbed the first topic of 
conversation that came to mind.  "I keep seeing this thing about 4H 
everywhere. What is it?"

Alex had laughed as if he had asked what was the color of the sky. 
When she noticed the hurt look on his face, she realized that he 
really didn't know and explained that it was an agricultural club. 
Over the course of the next few hours, she had explained about the 
4H Club and the kinds of projects that people did as members. Her 
rabbit had been her project and she was thrilled with taking second 
place. She showed him other projects that members were showing 
at the fair. 

After just a few minutes of conversation, it was clear that there was 
a chemistry between the two of them. The whole afternoon had 
passed in a haze. He was enthralled by this young lively woman 
and her enthusiasm for everything around her. They had ridden all 
of the rides; she had laughed and giggled on each one as though it 
was the biggest and best ride she had ever taken. There was an 
earthy naturalness to this girl that he found fascinating.

When it was time for him to return to school, he had asked if he 
could see her the next weekend. She had told him that he had to 
ask her parents for permission. Shocked at the prospect of having 
to deal with her parents, he followed her. Abe, her father, hadn't 
liked him, but admitted that he could visit her on the farm on 
Saturdays. Lewis could hardly believe that he had to visit her at her 
home rather than take her out. In his old neighborhood, parents 
didn't have any say about who their children dated or where they 
went.

It seems as if it were just yesterday that he had made all of those 
trips to the farm. Even today, he drives the route automatically, 
makes each turn without conscious thought.  It isn't long before 
they pull up the drive and park in front of the house. Everyone 
slowly steps out of the SUV and stretches their legs. They had 
been in the car for too long of a time. 

Amidst groans from people with tight muscles, he reminds 
everyone to be quiet. "Listen up. Grandpa is in bed already, so be 
quiet. He gets a little testy when you wake him early. He's got to 
be up in four and a half hours to milk the cows."

Jane, Alex's mother, opens the door and waves everyone into the 
house. She stands there in her bathrobe unwilling to leave the 
warmth of house. She is too smart to freeze her feet in the snow. 
As Jim heads towards the house, Lewis grabs him by the arm and 
says, "You have to help me carry in the luggage, son."

As if he is angered by the personal contact, Jim pulls his arm out of 
his father's grasp, but does as he was asked. He complains bitterly 
about all of the luggage his mother and sister brought with them 
for just five days on the farm. Of course, he puts on his best face 
when he reaches his grandmother. 

They all pile into the living room, ushered there by Jane. She looks 
at everyone and showing her pleasure with a huge smile says, 
"Don't you kids look great. Jim, you're quite a handsome young 
man. And, Susan, I bet you have to beat the boys away with a 
stick. You are just lovely."

The kids, with full smiles, hug their grandmother. Jane looks at 
Lewis saying, "Still the smart young man you always were. I bet 
you keep them on their toes where you work."

He goes over to her and hugs her tightly. She looks the same as she 
did when he was dating Alex. There are a few more laugh-lines on 
her face, but she looks a lot younger than her age. With a smile, he 
says, "It's always good to see you, Jane. You look great."

Laughing, she makes a shooing motion with her hand as though to 
chase away the complement. She'd never admit it, but she is quite 
proud of her figure. She works hard around the farm to keep in 
shape and is pleased that it shows. She says, "Flattery will get you 
everywhere."

Alex shuffles her feet nervously, suddenly ill at ease, and says, "Hi 
mom."

Jane goes over to her daughter and holds her at arms length. She 
frowns as she looks over her daughter. Alex had gained thirty-five 
pounds and is dressed in sweat pants, sweat shirt, and sneakers. 
She isn't wearing any makeup and her hair looks like a mop. The 
only adjective that comes to Jane's mind for her daughter is dowdy. 
Finally, she says, "You look like hell, girl. How do you expect to 
keep that handsome husband of yours coming home every night 
looking like that? What are you wearing? It looks like you've been 
buying clothes at the Salvation Army."

Alex immediately bristles and nearly explodes in anger. Rather 
than risk the prospect of another miserable night, Lewis puts an 
arm around his wife in a comforting fashion. He says, "I think you 
look just fine dear."

Looking at her grandmother, Susan explains, "Grandma, Mom hit 
menopause this year. She's been acting a little ...  Well, don't make 
her upset or none of us will be happy."

Jane examines Lewis with a critical eye. She does not believe a 
word he said. Susan's comment explains a lot about everyone's 
glances in Alex's direction when ever they say anything. Deciding 
not to make an issue out of things, Jane suggests, "why don't all of 
you follow me and I'll show you to your bedrooms."

Lewis climbs out of bed. It is five in the morning, his normal time 
to wake up. Out here it is considered as sleeping in late. His wife is 
still asleep and will sleep for another hour or two. He puts on a 
bathrobe rather than risk waking her by dressing and quietly leaves 
the room. He knows Jane will be in the kitchen, singing to herself 
as she washes the breakfast dishes. This gives him a nice chance to 
talk to her alone.  

Jane greets him before he even enters the kitchen. "Come in, 
Lewis. The coffee is hot and I've got some cinnamon buns here for 
breakfast."

Entering the kitchen smiling, he looks around at Jane's domain. It 
is a warm and friendly room, large as country kitchens usually are. 
The kitchen table takes up half the room and is where the family 
eats all of their meals except the Sunday Dinner. Actually, all 
social life in the house centers around it. He answered, "Sounds 
great to me."

She pours a cup of coffee for him. The aroma teases his nose. He 
picks up the cup and takes a little sip, appreciating the temperature 
and strength of the coffee. He says, "You still make the best cup of 
coffee in the world. Starbucks should be paying you for your 
coffee secrets."

She sets a plate with a hot cinnamon bun in front of him. Jane 
smiles at the complement and sits down across the table from him. 
She hesitates for a moment and then asks, "What happened to 
her?"

Lewis knows what she means and doesn't really know how to 
answer the question. Shrugging, he says, "About ten years ago she 
stopped caring about herself. She joined the frumpy grumpy 
housewives club and started acting like all of the neighborhood 
women. She gained weight and started dressing like that. Her 
whole attitude changed. I don't know why."

As she shakes her head in dismay, Jane says, "You've stayed with 
her for ten years; with her looking like that. You must really love 
her."

He shrugs in a very noncommittal fashion, not quite sure if he does 
love her anymore. The fact is, he looks for every opportunity to 
stay out of the house. He goes golfing every Saturday because that 
is a socially acceptable way to spend time away from her. He 
doesn't even like the game. On Sundays, the mornings are spent in 
church and the afternoons are spent doing yard work. They still 
have sex every week, usually Friday nights when the kids are out 
on their dates. It is pretty much vanilla sex, almost like it is a duty 
on her part. 

Jane notices the far-away look in his eyes. She says, "Let me talk 
to her for a bit."

The sounds of farm work filter into the kitchen. The men are 
bringing another group of cows over to get milked. For Lewis, it is 
a comforting sound; one of those noises in the country that lets you 
know that today is just another day like all the rest. Looking at 
Jane, he says, "Well, she'll be awake in about an hour or two. The 
kids probably won't wake up until ten."

Laughing, Jane says, "I'm sure you won't believe this, but Jim was 
up bright and early this morning. He went out with Abe to help 
with the milking."

Lewis stares at her in disbelief that his son is up early and working; 
the world must have stopped turning sometime during the night. 
He starts to rise as he says, "I'm going to have to get dressed and 
check it out for myself."

She puts a hand on his and says, "I'd wait until Alex wakes up. I 
think Jim wanted to have a little man to man talk with his 
grandfather."

It is strange, but Jim and Abe seem to have a spiritual connection 
that defies all logic. Jim always remembers the last visit here with 
fond memories, even though it was six years ago and he was just 
twelve at the time. He had talked them into sending him here for a 
month in the summer. He came back, tanned and much more 
muscularly developed. Jim has tried every summer after that to 
return here.  Lewis says, "Jim has always liked it out here. I think 
he wants to go to school at my old alma mater. The problem is that 
he doesn't know what he wants to do. It just seems to me that he's 
adrift."

Jane replies, "It sure must be hard raising kids in the city."

"It isn't really the city. We live in a suburb." Even as he defends 
the place where they live, Lewis cringes inside. He hates it with a 
passion. The house is too big, but all the rooms are too small. It 
costs a fortune, but Alex insists they live there because the schools 
are supposed to be good. The mortgage on the house isn't too bad, 
but Alex thinks they have to look just as rich as everyone else in 
the neighborhood. As a result, she drives an expensive SUV and he 
drives a BMW. He had wanted a cheaper car, but she wouldn't hear 
of it. 

Jane feels that life in the country is less ambiguous than living 
anywhere else. One knows full well the cost of staying alive; you 
can't miss it when a chicken disappears from the coup and then 
reappears as the main course for dinner. In the city, life seems so 
separate from reality - characterized by conflicts over nothing. 
Suburbs are even more unreal to her. They are divorced from the 
violence of the cities and the harshness of nature. Jane wonders 
how kids manage to grow up balanced in that environment. 

Alex stumbles into the kitchen. This allows Lewis to dress and 
head over to the barn. Outside, the odor of manure hangs heavily in 
the cold morning air. The sun has been up for half an hour and now 
casts a golden glow across the field. Lewis pauses to examine the 
barn in the early morning light. It looks like it always had. It 
should since every other year Abe puts a fresh coat of red paint on 
it and replaces any boards that are starting to show signs of wear.  

Lewis steps inside the barn. He spots Jim hooking a cow to a 
milking machine. His movements are confident, as though he has 
been doing it every day. Abe watches Jim work, smiling and 
nodding his head in approval. He is pleased at how quickly and 
thoroughly Jim swabs the teat with cleaning solution before putting 
on the milking cluster. Lewis watches the scene in amazement.

Looking up at the hayloft, memories come flashing back. For the 
first two years that he had dated Alex, Abe wouldn't let him take 
Alex away from the house unless everyone went. They would 
sneak up there and make out for hours. He remembers the thrill 
that shot through his whole body when he first felt her glorious C-
cup breasts, even though it was through her clothes. She had 
seemed to enjoy his explorations just as much as he. The next 
weekend, she actually allowed him to run his hand under her shirt. 
The only thing between him and the treasures on her chest was the 
plain white bra. He loved and hated that bra.

It was about a month after that when the shirt and bra came off. 
Her breasts were magnificent and he couldn't get over how lucky 
he was to finally see and touch them. He had spent an hour kissing 
her bare breasts. She was flushed with excitement by the time the 
noise in the barn warned them that they weren't alone. His 
embarrassment at his body's reaction to their activities was only a 
little more obvious than the bulge in his corduroy pants. They had 
to wait for almost twenty minutes before leaving the hay loft 
because his erection hurt so much that he couldn't walk. 

The weekend after that, she took pity on him and gave him a 
handjob to relieve the pressure. He had been shocked when she had 
brought out a handkerchief to clean up the mess afterwards. When 
he had asked her if she wasn't afraid that her mother would find it, 
he had been even more shocked to find out that her mother had 
suggested using the hanky for that purpose. It was at that moment 
that he understood how the folks out here understood things much 
better than in the blue collar neighborhood where he had been 
raised.

Abe shakes him out of his reverie when he says, "Jim is a fine 
young man. He's a good hard worker."

Smiling at Abe, Lewis asks, "Unlike his father?"

Abe laughs good-naturedly and shakes his head. He answers, "His 
father was a little more interested in chasing my daughter. They 
used to disappear up in that hayloft for hours at time and when he 
wasn't up there, he was making moon eyes at her. Couldn't get a 
lick of work out of him to save my life. Of course, about the time 
that young bull finds himself a heifer, I doubt that I'll see him in 
here milking cows. It will be a different kind of teat he'll want his 
hands on."

Laughing gently, Lewis can hardly believe Abe at times. It had 
taken him a long time to convince Abe that he wasn't out here just 
looking for a country girl in which to dip his wick and then leave 
her behind. As rough as their initial start had been, they had 
warmed up to each other by the time he married Alex. He answers, 
"I've never been able to get any work out of him. I'm amazed you 
can."

Abe shakes his head amazed at how little the father understands 
the son. He feels that if the two of them had worked together while 
the boy was growing up, things would be a lot different today. 
Now, they are strangers to each other. He says, "He enjoys this. It 
satisfies some need within the boy."

As Lewis returns to the house from the barn, Alex tells him that 
she wants to get something from the pharmacy. He agrees to drive 
her there. It is a very subdued Alex that rides with him into town. 
He has no idea what she has discussed with her mother. Their talk 
led to such a major change in her behavior that he doesn't know 
what to think about it. As he parks the SUV in front of the 
pharmacy more memories return. 

She had her eighteenth birthday the previous week and he had 
bought her a very nice pendant in the shape of a heart. As a poor 
college student, money was very tight and it had seriously drained 
his financial resources. She had recognized the sacrifices the gift 
had required him to make. When he left, she had whispered in his 
ear that he should buy some condoms for his next visit. His cock 
got hard at the thought of finally getting to have sex with her. 
Driving home, he was so distracted that he had to pull off the road 
and jack-off. 

On the next trip to the farm, he had stopped at this very same 
pharmacy to buy the condoms. He didn't know that doing such 
things in a small town was not a good idea. By the time he had 
gotten out to the farm, half the town knew he had stopped there 
and half of them knew exactly what he had bought. Alex had met 
him in the drive and angrily told him to go home. He had sat in his 
Volkswagen confused by the change in her attitude, totally 
unaware of what he had done wrong.  Jane had come out after Alex 
had run into the house crying and told him that he needed to learn a 
little discretion. Seeing the confusion on his face, she had 
explained about how one could keep very few secrets in a town of 
this size. 

He had left the farm that day very unhappy and didn't return the 
next weekend. When he did return, things were a little strained in 
the house on his part. The strange thing was that no one seemed 
angry with him. He had the box of rubbers in his car, but didn't 
mention them. It was almost a month later before the topic of 
condoms came up again. 

Their first time together had been amazing. She was phenomenally 
beautiful, her naked body was almost enough to make him come. 
When he fumbled trying to enter her, she had helped him insert his 
cock into her. She really enjoyed sex and moved with him, her hips 
rising to meet his thrusts. The whole time she had talked to him, 
telling him how great it was and how full she felt. By the time he 
came, he was convinced that he was the best lover in the world. 

Every time after that, the sex was better than the time before. She 
had her first orgasm with him the third time they were together. It 
surprised both of them. He was surprised that she hadn't had one in 
any of the previous times. She was surprised because it was her 
first orgasm outside of masturbation. 

By the fifth time they made love, he was hooked on her like a drug 
addict on heroin. He asked her to marry him, she accepted, and 
they set the date for as soon as he graduated. He never made the 
mistake of buying condoms in town after that, even when it was 
widely known they were engaged to be married.

The car door slamming interrupts his memories. He looks over at 
Alex and asks, "Did you get everything you wanted?"

"Yes, thank you." She sits there looking out the window, lost in 
thoughts of her own. She had filled the prescription for the 
hormones that would minimize the effects of menopause. The 
drive home is quiet and the rest of the day is spent apart.

On Christmas Eve, the entire family is gathered at the farm house. 
Alex's brother, Harold, and his wife, Cindy, have joined them from 
their farm down the road. Their three kids, George, Sam, and Kate, 
reunite with their cousins in the kitchen, talking about music and 
the current fads of the day. 

Lewis realizes that he hasn't heard any arguments about being here 
from Susan the entire visit. She has spent most of her time in the 
kitchen talking with her grandmother. He didn't dare intrude on 
their talks, but he is curious what they talk about. He's sure that 
they aren't discussing Susan's need to sleep with her boyfriend on a 
daily basis. He still couldn't believe that Susan had helped cook all 
of the meals.

The family members exchange news about what is going on in 
their lives. He steps into the dining room in time to overhear Cindy 
and Alex talking. The conversation isn't very nice; Cindy thinks 
Alex looks horrible and is making catty comments to that effect. 
Lewis is about to interrupt, but is warned off by Jane. She whispers 
in his ear, "Someone's been filling her head with nonsense. It's 
time she wakes up and looks at what she has before she losses it. 
Cindy's doing her part."

Lewis returns to the living room and takes a seat. Abe, Harold, and 
Jim are discussing running a dairy farm. Jim asks very probing 
questions about the business aspects of farming. Abe and Harold 
approach farming like a business, monitoring every aspect of milk 
production to optimize profit by improving productivity and 
lowering costs. Much to his surprise, Lewis finds the discussion 
very interesting. In a way, he is impressed by Jim's interest in the 
subject.
 
The grandfather clock strikes nine o'clock as the entire family 
gathers around the Christmas tree. Susan and her cousin Kate are 
elected to hand out the gifts that are piled under the tree. Susan 
hands Lewis the gifts from his wife. He pauses to watch his wife 
open the bathrobe, perfume, and earrings that he had bought for 
her. She tries to look surprised, but she has gotten the same gifts 
every Christmas for the past six years. He opens his gifts, finding 
the annual sweater and the usual assortment golf paraphernalia. He 
tries to hide his disappointment, but fails.

He remembers past Christmases and the gifts they used to 
exchange. It was about the third Christmas while they were dating, 
that he had actually bought her the lovers' gift - lingerie. It had 
been a lacy bra and panty set, a far different kind of underwear 
than she normally wore. She had opened it in private and squealed 
with pleasure. Of course, she had modeled them for him 
immediately. 

The lingerie had the desired effect on both of them. She felt like a 
wanton Parisian woman and he liked the way they looked on her. 
First chance they had, they had driven to a dead-end road and had 
sex in the back seat of his Volkswagen. It had been cramped and 
cold, but fun and well worth the effort. At the time, he had cursed 
the fact that there was snow on the ground, even though it meant a 
White Christmas. He would have much preferred a warm day 
where they could have spread a blanket on the ground. Looking 
back, trying to make love in the back of a VW was part of the 
charm of memory.

Every year after that, he had bought her lingerie for Christmas. 
Some outfits were simple and others were very risqué. Over the 
years he had gotten her teddies, garter belts, corsets, and even 
leather outfits. They had many great sessions in which she wore 
the outfits along with wigs. It had been fun and led to hours of 
lovemaking, often accompanied with laughter. 

She had discovered mail order sex toys the same year they were 
married. The first year, it had been a simple vibrator. It had 
surprised and even hurt him that she would want a vibrator, but the 
orgasms she had with that little present made it all worth while. 
After that, she had given him a toy every year to use on her in bed. 
He looked forward to that present more than anything else she 
gave him. 

Then seven years ago, she didn't give him a toy for Christmas. She 
stopped wearing the lingerie that he bought, saying only that she 
looked ridiculous in them. He had been crushed and stopped 
buying sexy things for her. He adopted the standard set of presents 
for her, a robe, a perfume, and a bauble. He hated himself for the 
lousy gifts, but there wasn't anything else he could get that she 
would even wear or use. He missed the laughter, the wrestling, the 
tickles wars, and the sex games they used to play.

Susan deposits a present from his son on his lap. This breaks his 
train of thought. He looks up noticing Jane watching at him with a 
funny expression on her face. He recovers with a minor shrug of 
his shoulders and a quick smile. He unwraps the present. He is not 
surprised to find another item with a golf theme. He makes the 
appropriate appreciative noises. He decides at that moment that he 
really hates golf.

Abe had given half the men off in the morning and the other half 
off in the afternoon for Christmas. The cows produce milk 
regardless of the holiday and now they require milking. The day 
passes with everyone in the family helping out with the cows. Even 
Susan helps with the work. Lewis is surprised that the day it isn't 
that bad. Christmas music fills the barn, as Abe contends that 
music helps the cows produce more milk. 

Lewis pauses to watch Alex work, seeing that it hasn't taken her 
long to get back in the swing of working on a farm. She had done 
her fair share of milking when she was growing up. Susan and Jim 
work together to feed the cows, both of them lift the bales of hay 
into the feeders. Lewis spends most of his time shoveling manure, 
a nice low skill job that he can handle. There are times when he 
clears the floor of manure only to have the cow drop another load 
right when he turns away. 

This kind of work is physically tiring, but it is a pleasure to look at 
the results when you are done. There is a sense of fulfillment when 
you step back from the work and look at enough milk to feed a lot 
of families. Abe doesn't believe in driving his cows to the highest 
production values possible. That tends to cause major problems 
that cost even more money to fix than the extra milk is worth. For 
now, the cows are healthy, the people are tired, and there is a lot of 
milk to be picked up the next day. Everyone goes to bed early that 
night.

The morning they are to leave, he wakes because of an odd 
sensation around his cock; one that he hadn't felt in years. Opening 
his eyes and looking down he finds Alex kneeling on the bed as 
she gives him a handjob. She smiles up at him and whispers, 
"Don't make a noise."

He lay there as she strokes him. She is doing it the same way that 
she used to do it when they were up in the hayloft. The intensity 
with which she watches his cock as her hand strokes up and down 
is reminiscent of the old days. She wears that same crooked grin 
that he had come to love. She watches his come spray forth with 
the same innocent fascination of the early times. 

After the last dribble is squeezed out, she whips out an old 
handkerchief to wipe up the mess. He stares at the hanky as he 
recognizes that it is the one she used to use on him. Seeing the look 
on his face, she says, "I found it when I was packing up Susan's 
stuff. I couldn't resist using it one last time."

The comment wounds him more deeply than he could believe. 
Staring at Alex, he asks in a hurt tone of voice, "Why would you 
want to resist and why does it have to be the last time?"

Her mouth opens as she stares at him in surprise at the question. 
More surprising to her is that she doesn't have an answer. 
Uncertain, she answers, "I don't know."

"Why did you decide to become a member of the frumpy grumpy 
housewives club?" He doesn't mean to ask the question, but it 
bursts out of him before he has a chance to choke it back. Now, it 
is too late to take it back. He knows how much she hates it when 
he refers to the neighborhood women that way.

She wants to get angry, but it just isn't in her anymore. The words 
of her mother are ringing in her ears - what has she been doing to 
keep him coming home at night? That is the nice way of putting it; 
her father had been much harsher. He had stated that if she were 
one of his heifers, that he would have sold it for dog food years 
ago. She had fumed, but he had just shrugged and walked away. 
Her sister-in-law had asked her how it was that she managed to 
stay married. Later, she had asked how Alex expected to attract a 
man when Lewis left her. She hadn't used the word, if, she had 
used the word, when. That hurt.

In the suburbs, the other members of the frumpy grumpy 
housewives club would claim those comments are sexist and 
demeaning to women. Out here in the country,  the people are a 
little closer to earth and see the relationship between men and 
women differently. A husband and wife are a team, not a pair in 
competition with each other. A successful farm requires everyone 
to work together. Neighbors don't try to outdo each other, they 
support each other in trying times and celebrate the good times 
together. 

She knows that Lewis is right, she had joined the frumpy grumpy 
housewives club. She tries to trace the roots of her change, but she 
can't identify when it happened. It seems like there were so many 
little occasions in which she had met hostility amongst the 
neighborhood women for her country girl attitudes, that she had 
joined in rather than fight. She finally answers, "I guess they just 
wore me down."

Sometimes a person will postpone making a decision and then 
wake up one day to find that the decision has been made for them. 
It had been happening all too often for Lewis over the past few 
years. He comes to a decision, now is time for him to start 
directing his life again. "I want you to quit the frumpy grumpy 
housewives club. If I had wanted to marry one of those selfish 
stuck up bitches, I would have. I married a country girl that 
enjoyed life and loving. I want her back."

Jane is preparing a huge feast for a late breakfast with the help of 
Susan. The family gathers around the table chatting comfortably 
while waiting for the. The kids, relaxed in the presence of their 
grandparents, tell about their hopes and dreams for the future. 
Lewis listens with an open mind for a change and decides that his 
kids are okay after all. All conversation stops as Lewis states, "Jim, 
you seem to like this part of the world. Why don't you apply for 
college here?"

Jim stares at his father with an open mouth as the ability to speak 
leaves him. Abe knows that is exactly what Jim wants to do. He 
says,  "I'm sure that we can work out some sort of deal that will be 
satisfactory for Jim and will save you some money. He could live 
here and commute to the school."

Alex starts to reply, but Lewis interrupts by saying, "Well, first Jim 
has to decide if that is what he wants to do. If he wants to come to 
school here, then I think the matter of living arrangements is his 
choice. If he wants to live here, then you and Jim will have to work 
out the details between the two of you. He's coming into his own 
and it's time for him to make decisions for himself."

Abe smiles at the emphasis that Lewis makes on Jim being able to 
choose. He knows it frees Jim to consider other options and select 
the one that is the best for him. He fully expects the boy to come 
live on the farm and go to school here. He figures that in a little 
more than four years, Jim will take over Harold's farm and Harold 
will take over his. He is happy at the prospect that the farms will 
stay in the family. He can retire soon.

It is about time for them to start driving home. The couple step out 
of the house to take a last walk around the place. In the barn, Lewis 
smiles at Alex and points up to the hayloft. Alex smiles and leads 
the way. Once there, she strips and  spreads out the clothes for 
them to lay on. It is just like in the old days. He strips and joins her 
on the hay. They start making out, he takes his time kissing her 
breasts, treating them like lost treasures regained. The odor of the 
barn works some magic spell upon them. Her juices flow like they 
haven't in years. Before he knows it, he is atop her, thrusting into 
her with the kind of abandon that had marked their early years.

He stops when noises rise from the barn below. Jim, at the door of 
the barn, is talking to his grandfather outside. Jim asks, "Grandpa, 
where's Mom and Dad? We're supposed to be leaving now."

Abe answers, "They're probably up in the hayloft, son. I wouldn't 
go up there if I were you. I don't think you'd like what you see and 
I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate it."

A long moment of silence is interrupted when Jim says, "Oh 
gross!"

When the barn door closes, Alex and Lewis start laughing as their 
imaginations place an expression on their son's face. He returns to 
making love to his wife. Laughter, rather than grunts and groans, 
accompanies their orgasms for the first time in a long time. Lewis 
lying next to Alex chuckles as he says, "Sometimes life is good."

Alex giggles as she says, "I would have loved to have seen the 
look on his face."

