There Must Be A Mistake Ch. 28

"I'm going back to Charleston, before I throw up. For 16-years, she was the bane of my existence. We put her on birth control pills, at your insistence, and like a desert rose she blooms into a wonderful flower. After all these wonderful changes happen, she's leaving with you, and we will never see her again. Tell me life is fair, and I will call you a liar."

"How did you learn to run Dycke? How did you become the fastest runner in all of South Carolina? It wasn't because you wanted to be. People were bullying you because of your lack of size. You had to run to protect yourself. As they ran faster, you had to run faster still. A coach saw you running, and took you to over to the track coach. He made you the best runner in the state. All of a sudden, you became a celebrity on your own campus. Every jock protected you and the bullying stopped. It's not the way you planned it, it just worked out that way."

"I'm leaving; you two are a pain in my ass. Not only do I get a problem that's unsolvable, I get a lesson in life at the same time. I'm sure I don't like either of you."

"Yes you do, and on December 26, you will look up into the sky and wonder where your daughter is."

"I won't have time to look up; I'll be working on Spacecraft 2, and taking orders from Holden. Can you imagine me taking orders from a six-year-old?"

"It might be a good idea to look for an area in South Carolina, about two miles square, so he can put his 1025 feet in diameter swimming pool, and all the outbuildings he will need in one place. It will shorten the supply chain, especially from Wilcox, when they have to deliver the new Fusion engines."

"Yes, I can see where they would be thrilled with that possibility. If we bought land in New Mexico, and they had to deliver those new fusion engines there, it would be a nightmare."

"Is it safe to let you go now?"

"Yes I'm fine. All your son-in-law wants me to do is make a port to bring in outside temperatures to the freezer area inside the ship, without compromising any structures. To do that I have to make an opening in the outside shell. Then, I have to pass it through 505,000 gallons of water, and work my way through some of the 22 million bearings, which will be spinning at over 1000 miles an hour. That is 17 revolutions per second, to you stargazers. I have to break thru and interior wall, and find a way to mate it with your deluxe freezers, designed by your son-in-law, to keep your food frozen.

If that wasn't bad enough, he says if it's too much trouble for me to do it, he will let Newton to do it for me. It will only take him 10 to 15 minutes. It's the reason I wanted to kill him."

"What he said is definitely not true Dycke."

"Do you see Gray, your father in law agrees with me."

"You're correct Dycke. I agree with you completely. It would never take Newton that long."

I took off running for my office, with Dycke at my heels screaming for my head. I was very happy it was only a short distance, because regardless of what Zoie said, her father was still very fast.

As I turned into my office area, I yelled to my agents, "Stop him."

They did, and when they picked him up off the floor, he was extremely unhappy.

When he calmed down, again, we sat down in my office and discussed the new fiber. He said it was going to be a magnificent addition to our portfolio of patented products.

As he was leaving, he turned his head and said, "You are a prick and a half Even."

"Jennifer promised never to tell anybody about it. Do you want to see how long it is? I haven't strapped to my knee."

"You lying bastard, no one is that long."

"With the exception of Payne, think of something you never wanted to part with, and I will prove you wrong. Zoie told me never to bet against you, because you never lost a bet. Think of something I have that you want, and I will bet it against you. You have until 12 o'clock tomorrow afternoon to make a decision. The only thing you can't do is ask Jennifer again."

"You are lying Even."

"If you are that sure, make the bet now."

"I want to think about it a little while, I don't like the way you're talking about this."

"Dycke, a few seconds ago you said, 'No one is that big.' You are never wrong, are you doubting your instincts?"

"No, I'm just trying to think about how big a liar you are, as opposed to how big a dick you have."

"Have a wonderful day Dycke, and think of my knee often."

"Go fuck yourself Even."

"I can."

Dycke threw his hands in the air, and left. I have never seen him so frustrated, since I have known him."

***********************

The fifth level of our craft was divided in half. One side was devoted to exercise, and no one was excused from doing it. Every day members of the expedition crew would exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes during one period of the day, and 30 minutes during another period, until everyone went into stasis.

The other half of the fifth level contained 60 stasis units. These would be assigned at random, because no one on this trip was considered unimportant. 40 more stasis units were placed at the back of the auditorium area.

If you are wondering why everything was bumped up to 100 units instead of 70 units, Doctor Finch reminded us that we were hoping for growth in our little band of travelers. Even at 100 units, considering the longevity we were looking at, sooner or later they may not be enough. We would work on that problem at a later date.

The only difference between any of the stasis units was the red button a few feet in front of Gordon's and mine. When I woke up from my deep sleep I had to hit this button to start the second hull spinning to create gravity for everyone inside the third hull, otherwise, everyone would go floating around. That would not be fun, because none of us had not been trained for that eventuality.

If I didn't wake up, Gordon was next in line to do it. He would not fail, because he knew this was essential for the well-being of the crew, and the ship itself. He would get Doctor Finch to me as soon as possible."

The flight crew would wake up first, because we had work to do. Everyone's stasis unit was on a timer, but the flight crew was scheduled to wake up 30 minutes sooner. We would clean up, put on uniforms, eat, and assume our posts to ascertain our position in the universe. If our exascale computers had worked correctly for the amount of years we had been asleep, they would tell us exactly where we were. It had been program to use star information gathered from Hubble, the European Southern Observatory, and the new James Webb Observatory when it came online. Using these three powerful Space telescopes and the star charts loaded into their memory banks, we could triangulate our position to within 100,000 miles. When that was done, our work became easy. We would know if we were in open space, or if we had entered a new galaxy. We would see where the closest planet was, and what type it is supposed to be. We will fly to it, test it, and send the information back to earth. It could take a century to get there, but it would get there."

For 50 years, everyone thought that Jupiter's moon "Europa" held the best possibility of containing some type of life form underneath the solid layer of ice at its surface. Now we know better. Because it transits through Io's orbit, whatever atmosphere it may have had was destroyed by the battle between atomic, and hydrogen atoms as they interact at two crossing points. The single water plume seen on Europa that made scientists so excited was caused by a meteorite strike, and not by a natural process going on underneath Europa's surface. It confirmed that Europa and Io were dead moons, because of their interaction.

However, after being confronted by this devastating news, good news followed.

Saturn's moon 'Enceladus' was found to have a large ocean of salty water, along with carbon dioxide and other elements needed to produce life. The Cassini satellite flew as low as 1800 meters above the moon's surface. It was hit by the salty spray, which helps form the 'E' formation of Saturn's rings. There were enough ingredients in that salty soup that some form of biological growth is possible in that briny ocean. Scientist started smiling again.

***************

As we go looking for a planet to explore, regardless of what is said about it on the earth charts, mistakes could have been made. A class M planet like Earth could be a class G planet. It could have too much nitrogen in its atmosphere for humans to live on safely. The only way to find out is to get close enough to the planet, and test the atmosphere for ourselves. This is the sort of thing we could do for as long as we live. That's why we are leaving the earth behind, and flying billions, no trillions of miles to see new things, and possibly say hello to someone else. Wouldn't that be wild?

***************************

135. A Dress Rehearsal

Adam walked in the door at 11:30 PM to find Laura putting dinner on the table. She had an apron on, yes only an apron. His eyes were fixated on her lovely rear end, and he groaned.

"Laura please put some clothes on, you're killing me."

She walked over to him, and gave him a hungry kiss.

"Hello Adam, I thought you liked my new freedom."

"I do. I love every bit of it. I would like to eat every bit of you. Since I can't for two more months, would you please rewrap my present?"

"Men, you can never make up your minds. You want to see a woman's body, and then you want her to cover up. You have no self-control at all."

"I sleep in the same bed as you do. We're both naked as jaybird's. I don't touch anything I'm not allowed to touch, and you say I have no self-control? If I were Catholic, they would anoint me a saint."

"You're not Catholic?"

"No I'm not Catholic."

"I can't marry you, my mother would kill me."

"Your mother would have an awful long way to travel to kill you. We are getting married by a priest just before we are getting on board the spacecraft. What more does she want."

"She's going to want our children to be raised Catholic."

"That's fine with me."

"I wonder if we are taking a priest with us."

"I hope they are taking a Rabbi."

"Why, are you Jewish?"

"No I'm Lutheran. I was just thinking about all the circumcisions for the boys."

"It's a good thought; whoever did you did a great job."

"I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. I looked down, and that's the way it was."

"Do you want to shower before dinner, or after dinner?"

"If we shower before I eat, dinner will be ice cold."

"I like the way we shower together."

"So do I. There are so many more things I could do to you in a shower, but I have to hold back because I love you, and I abide by your wishes. Let's eat, before I start nuzzling at your breasts."

"As I recall, that's on the no touch list."

"As I recall, that's on the no fair list also."

"Dinner, now.

"Yes dear."

Adam sat down at the table and began eating.

Laura took off the apron, went to the refrigerator, took out a chilled glass, and a bottle of his favorite beer. She walked up behind him and stretched out both arms to put the glass on one side, and the beer on the other.

It did something else that made Adam choke on the piece of steak he was chewing on.

Laura's breasts encompassed his ears. She pulled back slowly to let the friction last as long as possible. She walked around the table, sat down, and began eating her salad, as if nothing happened. She looked as innocent as a baby lamb.

Adam was still choking.

"Drink something Adam; it will help it go down easier."

"Baby, after what you did to me, it might never go down."

"Me, what did I do? I just gave you a glass and a bottle of beer."

"You also nearly caused me a heart attack."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure if I shoved my dick up your ass I wouldn't know what you're talking about either."

"That was a very unkind thing to say Adam."

"I would have had sex with you, and you would remain a virgin, technically."

"Wouldn't that hurt?"

"While I am at work go online and read up on it. With the proper preparation, every type of sex is fun."

"May I fuck you up the ass?"

"If it turns you on, yes you may."

"Can I do it to you first?"

"Yes."

"Where would I buy one of those things?"

"One of those things is called a dildo. You go to any local sex shop, and they have them on the wall or on display somewhere in the store. You can pick one out by size, shape, length, color, texture, or your favorite porn star."

"You seem to be an expert on these matters."

"I have been in stores like that before to buy gag gifts for a friend's birthday, or for a bridal shower for a woman I know. I am not a babe in the woods, I've seen my share of pornographic movies, but I have never paid for sex."

"I should hope not, that would be disgusting."

"There is nothing disgusting about it, unless you are some lowlife picking up a trick on some corner. Many high-powered executives use exclusive services that can cost $5000 or more for an hour of a woman's time. They use these services, because they are very discreet. Do you remember the story about the Beverly Hills Madam?"

"No it must've been before my time."

"When the police handed over her client book to the district attorney, he would not release any of the names. It had so many senators, congressmen, local, and state politicians, Hollywood elites, high-powered bankers, lawyers, foreign dignitaries, and other extremely important people, the ripple effect would have caused the stock market to dive 1000 points or more.

Would it surprise you to know that some of these women are very happily married, but they find themselves in the same positions as the men they service? They are young and beautiful, but their husbands are very successful, and goal oriented. They travel for weeks at a time leaving their wives alone. They join these services, and either work on a schedule, or on call, if a client wants a particular type of woman."

"You have to be making this up Adam. No married woman would do that to their husband."

"I love you so much Laura, but you are so naïve. It is so prevalent in this country, and around the Western world, they made a movie out of it."

"Are you finished eating?"

"Not really, why do you ask?"

"I need a shower, now."

"Never let it be said I didn't want you to be clean."

"Wipe the steak sauce off your mouth please, it's very distracting."

"I can't see it, why don't you wipe it off?"

"How is your neck Adam?"

"Don't touch my neck; I can finally turn it from side to side. I will wipe my mouth, and you can check it to make sure it's clean."

Adam turned, took Laura's apron from the countertop, cleaned his mouth thoroughly, and started running towards the bedroom.

Laura screamed as she chased him. "I'm going to kill you. My apron was clean. Now I'm going to have to wash it, and I'll have nothing to wear around the house."

She turned into the bedroom, where Adam was getting out of his clothes. He stopped, "Oh Lord, I forgot about that. I wanted her dressed and now she will be naked. I thought I won, but I lost instead."

"Adam, you tried for weeks to get me out of my clothes and you finally did it. I'm comfortable in my own skin now, don't make me regret it."

He walked over to her, with one pant leg still on, and the other trailing behind him. He put his arms around her, all in the safe zones, and kissed her.

"Laura never be ashamed of your body, because it is perfect in every way. I am in awe of you. From the tips of your toes, to your pubic curls, to your beautiful hair. There is no one who can compare to you. Your bedtime stories give me the will to go on. When I think I've given all I have to give, and I'm ready to quit, I don't, because I will not lose you. I go to work the next day, and attack the problems I am having with renewed purpose, because of you.

I look at you as you are now, and I wonder how anyone like me had the courage to take you by the hand, and pull you out of the spacecraft to go to lunch. It was the best decision I have ever made in my life."

"Dammit Adam, I need a shower, now. I'm burning up."

"Good, now you know how I feel when I walk in the door, and you are naked."

"I wasn't naked; I had a clean apron on. I'm going to the shower, with or without you."

"I submit, let's go."

He picked her up, and with his pant leg still dragging behind him, carried her to the main bathroom, put her down, and went to turn the water on. He nearly killed himself, because Laura stepped on the pant leg, believing the other one would come off. It didn't, and he fell, headfirst, into his new shower.

She stood there innocently looking down at him.

"You should be more careful when you're walking around like this."

"Yes I will. Next time, I'll make sure you are in another room. It seems my life is in danger when you're around."

He removed his slacks, turned on the water, and pulled her in to the shower, while the water was still cold.

She didn't scream, she's said, "I knew you would do something to get even with me."

"I did nothing of the sort Laura. You said you were burning up. I put you under cold water to cool you down."

"Water is not going to do it Adam. You want more, and as it turns out, I need more. You can touch me from hairline to hairline, but please don't make me kill you by traveling inside. That remains for December 26, and not one day before."

"I think it's time for me to wash your hair. Sit down."

"I thought you would..."

"Laura, sit down. You have given me the present I have wanted for a long time. I will open it properly."

"Bastard. I need you, and you're going to make me wait."

"I needed you, and you made me wait. Put your head back so I can wet your hair."

He wet her hair thoroughly, and put the wand back in its holder. He made the water a hotter, and positioned the water so it would hit just above her center. The hot water would cascade down through the valley of her thighs, between her labia, over her clitoris, and into or around her vagina, if he was lucky. It would excite her beyond measure.

Before she could think he did it purposely, he poured a large amount of shampoo onto her hair and began rubbing it in gently. He began telling her what beautiful hair she had.

After five minutes of talking to her, he asked, "Would you like me to use my nails against your scalp?"

When he didn't get an answer, he smiled. He knew she was in trouble, because the hot water was doing its job.

He continued washing her hair down to the very tips. He moved his hands to her shoulders and arms, and then slipped them under her breasts for the first time. She moaned.

He moved his face near hers, and she turned to kiss him. She was on fire, and the right spark would set off an explosion.

His mouth stayed on hers, his left hand stayed, played underneath her breasts, while his right hand moved down her body, and played to the top of her pubic curls. Her muscles did not contract when he reached that barrier. She was totally lost in the moment, and it was time to give her the release she needed so desperately.

He squeezed both breasts gently, and then began running circles around them. His kisses moved to her neck, jaw, and throat, and then back to her luscious lips. He moved to her side, knelt down, put his mouth over the nipple of her right breast, and began to suckle.

Laura's senses could not take any more. She screamed, and totally shut down.

After a few moments, she felt a cold compress against her head, and heard Adam calling her name.

"Wake up Laura, naptime is over. Come on Princess, drink some of this, and it will help you open your eyes."

She opened her eyes, and looked at him. He was holding a cold glass of water.