A Fresh Start
by rlfj
Book Five: Civilian
Chapter 61: Moving Home
Friday, January 22, 1982
The time was over to dance around it. Marilyn and I needed to figure out what we were doing with the rest of our lives, or at least the near future. Neither of us was thrilled with staying in Fayetteville. She wanted to move somewhere more north of here; I wanted to get away from the Army. That part of my life was over, no matter what else I did. Even my deposit on the house in Lawton was gone, it had been nonrefundable.
We had lunch at a small diner near the base. Marilyn dug into her voluminous baby bag and dug out a bottle, and we took turns holding it for Charlie. Otherwise, he was a good boy, and quiet. That would undoubtedly change! We ordered sandwiches for ourselves, and Marilyn reached across the table to take my hand. “Carl, I’m not sure I’ll ever understand why you felt you had to serve in the army, but I’m proud of you.”
I smiled at my wife. “But you’re not sorry I’m out of it, either, are you?”
She smiled back and squeezed my hand. “No, but not as much as you think. It was what you wanted, and that was okay with me. If you can’t be in it anymore, I won’t complain, but I didn’t complain when you were in, either.”
I laughed. “Oh, really? I seem to recall a message I got in Honduras about a future homicide!”
Marilyn laughed, too, causing our son to gurgle and look around for her. “Well, the next time you leave me alone to have a baby, I’ll make good on that!”
The waitress brought our sandwiches, and I stole Marilyn’s pickle and gave her my cole slaw. The waitress chatted with Marilyn and Charlie for a moment, and then went off. “So now what do we do?” asked my wife.
“I guess the first thing is to figure out where to move to. I’ve been thinking about it and more than ever, I think we should at least consider Maryland. It’s where Tusker and Tessa and Suzie live, and also where my investment base is.”
“Explain that.”
“Well, the names were in that envelope you weren’t supposed to open. There’s my lawyer, John Steiner, who I’ve known since I was thirteen, and my broker, Missy Talmadge, and Jake Eisenstein, my accountant. They all live in the Timonium and Towson area.”
“I still find that so hard to believe!”
“I’ll introduce you to them. Even if we end up in Kansas, you should know them,” I replied.
“Why would we go to Kansas?”
Marilyn could be a bit literal at times. “I’m just saying, no matter where we end up, you should meet them.”
She nodded. “Given any more thought to what you want to do?”
“No. Maybe after we talk to the brain trust I’ll have an idea. It’s not like I’m under any pressure. Even at a 10 % return on my investments, which would be low, I’ll be making at least $3 or $4 million a year. Probably more — there are a number of opportunities coming up.”
Marilyn’s eyes glazed over a bit. “Three or four million dollars! A year?! Oh my God! I guess you won’t have to ask my father for a job after all!”
I damn near snorted my Coke out through my nose when she said that. “Good Lord, no! Besides, your dad thinks I’m a loser. He thinks I went into the Army because I couldn’t get a real job!”
Marilyn made a face, as if conceding my point, but she tried to be a dutiful daughter and defend her father. “He’s not that bad!”
“Well, just don’t tell him too much about my money. I don’t need him thinking that the next time he needs a loan he can call us! My terms would be worse than the bank’s! No, I’m not going to work for your father.”
She giggled. “That probably wouldn’t work out too well anyway.”
“No. So, here’s my idea. Why don’t we move back to Maryland, and get an apartment for a year. I can show you some rural areas and if you like them, I’ll build you a house. How does that sound?”
Her eyes goggled a bit. “You’ll build a house?”
“Well, no, not me. I’ll hire an engineer or architect or somebody to build a house.” She simply stared in disbelief some more. “So, what would you like in a house? Start thinking about it.”
“I’ve never even thought about building a house. What do I do?”
I shrugged. “Next time you’re at the supermarket, buy one of those house design type books and look through it. Get some ideas. It probably won’t happen until the spring, anyway.”
“Wow!”
After lunch, we drove home. I was starting to be able to move well enough that it didn’t hurt very much, though not for long distances or drives. I had also discovered that wearing a heavy Ace bandage on my knee seemed to lock all the pieces into the right position, and made my knee a lot more stable.
Charlie had fallen asleep on the drive home, and Marilyn put him in his crib. She found me afterwards standing in front of the mirror over the dresser, looking at my reflection, still in my uniform with the Bronze Star on my chest. It felt weird; after I took it off I would never wear it again. Marilyn came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me from the side. “I don’t think I have ever told you just how handsome you are in your uniform.”
I laughed at that. “I think you must be blind, then. Nobody has ever used my name and the adjective ‘handsome’ in the same sentence.”
“It’s true,” she cooed into my ear. “Why, when we got married, and I saw you standing there in your dress uniform, my pussy got so wet I was worried about staining my dress!” She brought her hand down from my waist and began rubbing the front of my pants. “I always get so hot when I see you looking so good!”
My mouth got dry and my pants got tight! She kept whispering to me, and said, “That medal says you’re an official hero, so I think you need to be thanked like a hero, don’t you?”
I just nodded, and croaked out, “Yeah!”
She licked my ear and then knelt down on the floor. I turned to face her, and Marilyn undid my pants and pulled them and my briefs down to my knees. Then she opened her mouth, and I was inside her, while she used her hands to stroke and jack my cock. “Oh, God, don’t stop!” I begged. Stopping wasn’t what she had in mind! Marilyn kept sucking and jacking me until I pumped a load into her mouth. She drained me, and then smiled up at me.
“I think that’s a good start, don’t you?”
“A start?” I asked, leaning back against the dresser and taking the weight off my bad knee.
“Well, I think heroes need a really big thank you! Why don’t you change out of your uniform, and I’ll change into something a little more comfortable, and I’ll show you what I have in mind.”
“Uh, yeah, okay!” You bet, honey! Whatever you want!
I finished undressing and pulled on some shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, commando style. I looked into the bathroom at that point and Marilyn was in the shower. “Want to make some drinks?” she asked.
“Gin and tonics all right?”
“Thank you.”
I left my cane in the bedroom and limped down to the kitchen, which is where we kept our rather informal liquor cabinet. I cut up a lime and pulled out the tonic, and then made a couple of strong drinks. I carefully carried them back down the hallway to the bedroom. “Where do you want it?”
“In here, on the counter,” she answered. I stepped into the bathroom, but she was still in the shower. “Now, shoo! Go on out to the living room. I’m going to be a while,” I was told.
I headed to the living room, and sank down in the La-Z-Boy. I sipped at my gin and tonic and waited for my wife to show up. Please, God, let Charlie have a long, long nap! I had finished my drink when Marilyn showed up.