Preview: CONTROL
CONTROL
CONTROL MANKIND’S MIND
CONTROL THE WORLD
Chapter 1
Can you believe it?
There will be days or nights we can never forget; this night for me is one. It was late Friday night in early August winds were blowing through the canyons at hurricane force. The local news at 10:00 pm said gusts in this area of the San Gabriel Mountains reached 82 mph. The shutters on the house were banging against the walls, clattering as if they would blow off. The sound reverberated throughout the canyon, magnifying then echoing it back; sleep was impossible. I lay in an upstairs bedroom on the West facing side of the house, praying that one of the numerous large trees surrounding my property would not fall crashing through the roof.
Looking out the window, all I could see was a torrent of rain running off the roof like a waterfall. Then being blown into a swirling mist by the blustering winds, darkness enveloped the house. Not a street light shone through the clouds of leaves and tree branches wildly swirling around the house trying to get inside; it appears they also seek a place of shelter. I have seen storms like this in Florida, but never before in Southern California.
The storm passed the next morning; it was a little after 9:30 am when I could go outside to survey the damage. I heard a thunderous crash about 3:00 am. Finally, I could see what caused the crash. One of the large old oak trees that line my driveway outside the massive wrought-iron gates, had fallen or one-half of the tree had; it was split down the middle as if divided by some giant ax. I can see it will take a giant ax to clear the driveway; the tree completely blocked it. There is no way I will be able to get my car out without removing that tree. My yard looked like a forest floor, piles upon piles of leaves, broken branches, and litter of all sorts, a heck of a mess, but the tree is my concern.
I need to go downtown Pasadena to pick up some files from my office. I called every tree service company in the book; all were busy, trees all over the region were down, some significant streets blocked, and I was going to have to remove it myself. By the time I fetched a pair of work gloves, along with an ax I have not used in 5 years, the sun was blazing hot. How strange a few hours ago, the skies were dark with mighty storm clouds, winds howling like a devil trying to destroy all in its path, now the sky is clear, not even a speck of a cloud, the air outside so humid, sweat ran down my cheeks almost as if the rains are still here. I almost quit, and went inside the house; however, the need to get my car out to the street offset my aversion to the hard work facing me. This tree must weigh over a ton. I tried to take the ax and chop off the smaller branches, but this old oak is hard as a rock, time for the big chainsaw. I have not used that saw in 2 years. To get it to start, it took 32 pulls on the cord. Now the sweat blocks my vision and not helping my attitude as I find myself yelling at the saw. Damn saw did not care how much I berated it. However, it finally relented and screamed to life. Now I will tear up that darn tree, so I thought.
My plan of attack is simple, cut off the large high branches first. When it is a log, cut the log into pieces that will fit in the fireplace. The first cut was on the largest high branch, the saw cut rapidly into the oak, about 1/2 way through the large branch the saw bucked and pinched to a stop, it was bound. I could not move it. After applying 22 choice cuss words at the saw, I thought if I could put a rope around the branch’s top, I could pull it down, freeing the blade. I threw a rope up over the branch, secured it, and took the other end in hand and pulled. This oak is stronger than me, I suppose; I gave it a mighty tug, then the branch broke free. It happened so fast it caused me to fall backward on the driveway; the branch fell on top of me. My driveway is made of broken concrete pieces placed in a pattern leaving a 2-inch gap between the stones; grass grew in filling those gaps; when I fell backward, my head hit on the edge of one of those stones. I could feel the blood flowing down my neck; I was attempting to get up when the tree branch fell on top of me, causing my head to hit again; I lost consciousness.
I have no idea how long I lay there; when I came to, I was in my living room, lying on the sofa, my daughter and her husband standing over me talking in whispers, it seemed.
“Dad, you’re awake, my word, you lost a lot of blood, we stopped the bleeding, bandaged your head, how do you feel?” Annie asked.
“Alive, tired, and damn angry at that tree,” I said.
“Can you stand?” Annie asked.
“Sure, why not? It was not my legs that got hurt; now I want a warm shower and bed; thanks for helping,” I said.
“Dad, you want me to take you to the doctor?” Annie asked.
“Hell no, why pay him? You both do better for free,” I said.
“Can I fix your dinner? We came over to take you out,” Annie asked.
“Not hungry, dear, I need to rest; the body is sore; are you staying here tonight?” I asked.
“No, Dad, we have to pick up the boys at 7:00 pm; sure you will be OK?” Annie asked.
“Yes, and thank you both, it is appreciated,” I said.
That night and the following day changed my life, certainly the direction, the objectives I would follow. Rather than a shower, not wanting to get the bandages on my head wet, I took a warm bath soaking the muscles allowing the warm water to relax my sore joints. After a prolonged soak, I felt much better even though my head was throbbing; my body felt good, just tired. Poured a glass of fine Merlot, placed a tape of Mozart concertos to play softly, and slid under the soft down comforter. Within minutes I was fast asleep, at least my body was, the mind was not, it was churning, spitting out visions of things beyond my understanding.
In the vision or dream, if you like to think of it as a dream, I was out of my body floating somewhere above this earth, when a voice spoke saying;
“All is recorded, all the words are here,” the voice said.
“I could not see who was speaking, so I asked what was recorded; what do you mean?” I asked.
“Up here, all is recorded from down there,” the voice said.
“I do not know what you are speaking of,” I said.
“My son, you study the scriptures, you have been told;
“Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”
“The time is soon; you are to speak those words.” the voice said.
“What words?” I asked.
“First, I wish you to understand how life works, how all is recorded, every word from the mouth of man since the day he is born. At birth in heaven as on earth, your birth is recorded, your names, time, and date of birth. Your location at birth is entered into the file, the book of human life. From that time, all the words spoken by a person are recorded in their file. Those files can be searched much as you do a file on a computer; you need the device, the data of the person you are searching, their date of birth, their birth names, the time and location of birth.” The voice said.
“How can that be with billions of people now and those who have gone before?” I replied.
“Son, the universe is vast; the numbers you speak of are small, but a speck of sand. You do not need to know-how, only believe what I say. Now I will show you the device needed. Once you have the device, all will be revealed; no man can hide, no man can lie, all can be exposed, do you understand?” The voice said.
“I do; this can be very dangerous, to reveal what evil men say in the dark, will they allow that? Does this mean we can look back in time, to hear the history of any person?” I said.
“Yes, all is recorded. Here is the device,” The voice said. I saw what appears to be a large golf tee in shape. Son, light carries information; the light shining upon the cup is transmitted through the point; the data can be recorded.
“How does it work?” I asked.
“Son, that is for you to explore; I have provided you the key, you unlock the door, the most important door your world will ever see.” the voice said.
Not sure how long this vision lasted; when I awoke, my body was soaking wet from sweat, the bed also, I was shivering as if cold, yet it was hot. I felt sticky, so uncomfortable; I needed to take another bath to calm my body and mind. After a bath, I felt calmer, but needed to put fresh sheets on the bed as I could not lay in those damp, soiled sheets. I tried to return to sleep, but sleep would not come; the vision consumed my mind. I looked at the clock; it was 3:25 am. Time does not matter; I must record what is in my mind. I sat at my morning room table and wrote all I was told, then drew an image of the device, noting what it did and how it worked, at least how I was told, now I have to find if it is possible.
Nothing can be accomplished if you do not believe it is possible. Why work on a project with no hope of success? My business is data systems, so I can envision the possibility of what I saw. The data storage of the words is not that complex, but how do the words get into the matrix is. I should not dwell upon how the words get into a file; the voice told me it was not important how. But, only necessary, that I believe what I saw is true. This conclusion makes the research less complicated; I need only to see how light can carry the data then access and receive it. Radio waves and microwaves carry voice communication worldwide, so it is entirely possible visible light waves can do the same.
The phone’s constant ringing in the other room forced me out of the congestion of information my mind was sorting.
“Hello, good morning, dear Annie; thank you for your help. I am feeling much better; no, it is not bleeding; you did a fine job. How did you stop the bleeding?” I asked.
“Lawrence had some butterfly closures in his bag, he clasped three of those, he said the wound needs to be cleaned today, we will come over after church around noon, OK?” Annie said.
Annie, my dear daughter, married Lawrence seven years ago; they now have two fine sons, twins, William and Alexander. Lawrence is a veterinarian, so treating wounds is familiar, well on animals, but we humans are also animals. This animal needs some food; I did not have any food yesterday. A bowl of cereal with bananas revived me somewhat, my mind is no longer in a turmoil, so perhaps I can get some rest; I think best when at rest.
I awoke to the boys yelling Papa N can we see the blood? They call me Papa N because I dislike being called Grandpa; I am too young to be a Grandpa. In my mind, I am still 30; at least some girls I date on occasion say I look 30; they would not lie, would they? Her mother, Mandy, and I divorced when Annie was only four; I am now 47. The blood was cleaned up; if you want to see blood go out to the driveway, you can find gallons of it, Annie told them. Down the stairs, the boys bounded.
“Dad, Larry picked up a couple of workers at the builder’s supply store to cut up that tree; he told them you would pay them $100 each if they cut it into firewood, is that OK?” Annie asked.
“Sure, dear, thank you, I did not relish tackling that saw again,” I said.
“Let’s see your head; it looks great; you heal fast,” Larry said.
“Thank you for the help, Larry, mighty lucky you came by,” I told him.
“Dad, Larry, call the boys, lunch is ready, I know you like Mexican food, so we picked up a feast,” Annie said.
“Lawrence, what do you know about light waves carrying data?” I asked.
“Communication is not my forte, but all energy beams or waves can transmit data is my understanding; why do you ask?” Larry asked.
“Curiosity, last night I had a dream, more like a vision; I was told that all human speech is recorded in a matrix somewhere in the universe,” I told him.
“Who told you that?” Larry asked.
“I have no idea, only that I was floating around, outside of my body, and a voice said, all is recorded, every word out of the mouth of man,” I told him.
“Dad, you had a blow to your head; the trauma caused a bad dream,” Annie said.
“Dear Annie, this was not a bad dream, actually a great one. The same voice showed me a device, looks like a large golf tee. He said the cup, the top of the tee receives information, and the point can record this information on a disk, similar to how a computer writes a file on a disk,” I replied.
“So, where does the information come from?” Larry asked.
“Not sure, but I was told to make the device then I would understand,” I said.
“Dad, this was a dream; it is not real; why would you want to hear that anyway?” Annie asked.
“Annie, think of this, he said all words are recorded since the birth of man, this goes back in time, imagine we could access that data, then listen to words spoken hundreds or even thousands of years ago,” I told her.
“Dad, it is hard enough to listen to my children talk each day; why worry about others makes no sense,” Annie said.
“Probably not, but it is interesting, don’t you think? Court trials could be simple, playback the true words spoken, none could lie, all would be exposed. Politicians could no longer spout the incessant horseshit they now do; they would be accountable, all could be known,” I said.
“I agree it is an interesting concept, but hypothetically, who would own such a device?” Lawrence asked.
“Lawrence, that is the question, who could be allowed to control this data, they could then control the world, they would hold all secrets,” I said.
“This is a perilous scenario; why do you think this dream or vision was real?” Lawrence asked.
“Lawrence, this is the only time in my life when a bible verse was quoted to me in a dream; I had not read that verse, I did not know it, so where did it come from?” I asked.
“What verse?”
“Luke 12-3, I looked it up this morning.
“Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”
“That scripture confirms what I was told. The voice said all is recorded like the state records a birth, the birth name, the date and time of birth, and the location; he said this goes into a matrix in the heavens,” I said.
“Where?”
“I was told that is not important, only that it was, and could be searched. The voice said that light transmits data, so my thinking is that since any search would be by name, date, and time of birth and location, there would need to be a grid containing the data,” I said.
“That is somewhat reasonable, but does not answer the difficult question, if such a device could be made it could cause more harm than good?” Lawrence said.
“Lawrence, I have no answer for that; it intrigues me, though,” I said.
“Dad, you are not serious; you are not going to pursue this, are you?” Annie asked.
“Dear Annie, we are just having a conversation, don’t you find it interesting?” I asked.
“Dad, I know you; when you say it intrigues you, that means you are serious,” Annie said.
“Annie, I am a data systems architect; this described to me is the largest data system imaginable; how could I not be interested at least to determine if it is feasible? What does my dear family have in store for the rest of the day?”
“We are driving down to Fullerton to see Larry’s mom. Dad, the men, have the tree finished, please pay them; we will drop them off when we leave,” Annie said.
“Thanks again. Have a safe trip.”
Chapter 2 The Universe
Dreams or visions can be compelling if you believe them to be valid; in my case, the matrix described to me must be a reality; if not, it would be impossible for the scripture quoted to be correct. My engineering background enables me to visualize the workings of a complex system. That is what was described, a data storage system, those are systems I design, but my systems utilize hardware, processors, with disks to store and sort data. The system described to me does not use hardware but another means of data storage: the x, the unknown factor. Because I was told not to be concerned with how the data is stored, only how to access it makes it doable, at least in my mind. I have never studied Astronomy, Astrology, or Numerology; this problem seems to require all those disciplines. Where do I begin? In the universe where all began, the Alpha and the Omega. I purchased a 6-foot star map of the universe that mapped all known constellations, stars, and galaxies. As I will call him, the voice said that data was stored by date, time, name, and location of birth, but where? The voice said light carries data, which would indicate that the matrix must be located in front of a light source to allow its light to shine through the matrix and transmit data. But what light source? The stars in the constellations are so distant from the earth, the time to tranmit data is too great. It could take a hundred years or more to receive data even at the speed of light. If I were designing this data system, I would use the sun as the light source, but how? It is all mathematics, so there is an answer; that is why we conduct research, trial, and error until we discover the truth. I will start the quest tomorrow; today is a day of rest.
Monday morning, the sun is bright, skies are clear, the weather is warm, not humid, the birds are singing, my spirits high, glad to be able to drive out the driveway once again as I took the short drive to my office on Green Street in downtown Pasadena. I purchased this building; it used to be a real estate office on Green Street. I love the shade trees lining the street, the excellent restaurants, and fashionable small shops nearby, all in all, a pleasant, quiet environment to conduct my business. My firm, DSD, for Data Systems Design, has been relatively successful. I began the firm after receiving my BS in data systems engineering from Georgia Tech.
I grew up in Pasadena, left for Georgia right after high school to play football for Georgia Tech. I always wanted to be one of the ‘Ramblin Wreck’ from Georgia Tech. The name ‘Ramblin Wreck’ is the mascot of the team; it is an old 34 Ford model A coupe that has inspired hundreds of great athletes. I am not saying I was great, just saying I loved being on the team.
During my 3rd year in Atlanta, our team played North Carolina at Chapel Hill when I was injured; I could not play the rest of the season. Since I had no desire to continue football after school, I left the team to concentrate on my degree and plan my future after school. The medical staff agreed it was for the best, as did my parents, who never wanted me to play football. Saying the sport is too dangerous, your mind is more important than some accolades. In this instance, mom knew best; she proved her wisdom in the next issue as well.
Mom and Dad took a beach house in Sarasota, Florida, for the holidays; they asked me to be with them for Christmas and New Year. Mom said if I wish to bring a friend, they would be most welcome. My good friend and classmate, Chase Rogers, is from New Hampshire. Chase told me the girls in New Hampshire wear flannel shirts and jeans; he said the girls in Florida wear bikinis, easy choice Norm, love to go with you. Chase owned a new Pontiac convertible; it is a dark sapphire blue with a white leather interior and loads of chrome trim. The girls at school love to crowd into his car. Chase and I packed up our stuff and headed for a fun holiday.
“Hey Norm, what should I give your parents for Christmas?” Chase asked.
“Give Mom a case of good wines; that way, we can share, but you will get the credit; we can pick up in Sarasota; they have great shops there,” I said.
“Have you been to Sarasota before?” Chase asked.
“Yes, Chase, Mom has rented this house for three years during the holidays,” I said.
“Know any local girls?” Chase asked me.
“Chase the beach is loaded with talented chicks, all the snow bunnies come to get out of the cold, you will not be lonesome,” I replied.
“What’s your Mom’s name?” he asked.
“Allison, but call her Ally, don’t say Mrs. Wilde, and Dad is Henry, he likes to be called Hank, we are not a formal group, so leave off the sir, mam, Mr. Mrs and such, you are coming as a family, so act like it,” I said.
“Hey man, I like that, my kind of people,” Chase said.
“How is your family Chase, are they stuffy?”
“Kind of; Dad is an attorney, being appointed judge this coming year, so he feels he needs to keep up appearances, you know. Mom enjoys being looked up to, so she tends to be a bit formal for New Hampshire; most there are more down to earth folks,” Chases replied.
“We are in Bradenton not much farther, stay on the 41 until you come to John Ringling Blvd, then turn right, go straight to the house,” I told him.
“Norm, is the house on the beach?”
“Chase, If you were any closer, you would drown.”
“Shit, these houses are mansions. Are your parents wealthy?”
“That is a subjective word, compared to who?”
“Norm, you know what I mean, well off.”
“Dad is a developer, specializing in industrial properties, he always wanted me to become an architect so he could save the fee. Well I am, just not the kind he had in mind, he is a swell guy, and a good Dad. Mom is loads of fun, you will see. Just don’t bring any broads to bed in the house; she would kill us both. She is sweet and a devout Christian.”
“Do we cross the bridge?” Chase asked.
“Go till the road ends and make a turn; the first street will be Bryant Dr, at the end is the house.”
“Norm, this is something; I love it; thanks for inviting me.”
“Come meet the family; then we will bring our stuff in.”
“Mom, we are here; what smells so good?”
“Norman, hi son, you are Chase, I am Ally, Hank is out with some guys trying to catch a fish, he probably won’t, so I am cooking ducks. Chase, we are so glad you would honor us for Christmas; Norman tells me your family is in New Hampshire; he speaks highly of you, come let me show you your room; want a glass of wine?”
“Always Ally, always,” Chase said.
“Norman, pour us all a glass of Bordeaux, come upstairs, bring your bags,” Ally said.
“Ally, this is special; my folks are freezing in New Hampshire; here I can put shorts on; I love it.”
“You guys change, then go find your Dad,” Ally said.
“Norm, this room is super; I can look right out at the ocean, well the gulf; what are you going to wear?”
“Tee shirt and shorts, leave the shoes, we will walk down the beach; I know where Dad likes to fish.”
“Norm, you were right; this beach is loaded with chicks. Do you know any of these girls?” Chase asked.
“No man, relax, there is Dad with that group of guys. Dad, where are the fish?”
“In the sea, Norman, we are letting them play for a while; you look good, son, is this Chase?”
“Yes, sir,” Chase said.
“Sir, the name is Hank, welcome, you know how to fish?”
“Sure, get the right bait, throw a line in, if there are fish around, they bite.”
“What do you use as bait?”
“For the females, I add a $20 bill; for the guys, I let them swim?” Chase said.
“Funny guy, OK, smart ass, take this rod to show us how New Hampshire men catch fish.”
“What bait do you have?” Chase asked.
“Lures, what else do you need?” Norm asked.
“Some shrimp would be good.”
“Hey Terry, do you have any shrimp?”
“Yeah, but they are dead now,” he said.
“Chase does not care, right?”
“No problem, let’s try, tides coming in now should be a good time, sure this line is strong enough for the big ones, Hank?” Chase asked.
“Funny, come on, show us your style, bet you catch nothing.”
Hank and the other guys are having a beer standing around laughing as they had caught no fish in two hours.
“Norm, I need to throw the line way out past the breakers; fish love to feed on the incoming tide,” Chase said.
“Ready men, Chase is going to catch our dinner,” Hank said.
“Darn, I need more weight to throw that far, Hank. Can I have another sinker?”
“Sure, Chase, in the tackle box, take your choice.”
We all watched as Chase threw the line out about 100 feet, then slowly began to reel it in; less than 30 seconds passed, we saw the rod buck, Chase pulled it up hard, the hook was set, the reel screaming out, men were cheering, bring her in. Took about 10 minutes, but he pulled that fish ashore, flopping desperately to get free; the darn thing was a nice sand bass about 10 lbs. Hank took Chase a cold beer, saying, boy, you can fish with me every day, brought us luck, and dinner, let’s take this baby to Mom; she never thinks I can never catch anything.
“Dad, you didn’t do it. Chase did.”
“Son, it was my rod, so we share the fish, OK, Chase?”
“Anytime, Hank, anytime.”
“Baby, look what I brought you, my love; you thought your man could not catch fish.”
“Hank, you caught that?”
“My rod caught it; Chase here pulled it in; he did a great job.”
“Wonderful, you clean it, boys; we have a crowd for dinner. Will you pick up some wine?”
“Sure, Mom, who is coming?”
“You know the Martins, plus some friends coming down from Tallahassee their daughters attend Florida State, when I told them our son and his friend are here from Georgia Tech, seems the girls were more than ready to come, be nice to them, go fetch the wines, get some fresh bread from the bakery.”
“Norm, Hank is a kick. Do you know these girls Ally said are coming?” Chase asked.
“No, Chase, I know the Martins, their daughter Cynthia is too young for you, only 17, but cute, you best leave that alone, don’t want Mom pissed.”
“What wines does Ally like? This is on me, my Christmas gift”.
“Get a selection, say three bottles of 4 different wines; she will love that.”
“This shop is fabulous; we don’t have wine shops like this back home,” Chase said.
“Here they cater to a crowd that demands the best; you pick the wines, I am going to the bakery; it’s a couple of shops away.”
Walking in this bakery, my senses come alive, the delightful aromas drifting out as soon as I open the door. There is nothing like the aroma of fresh-baked bread, mixed with the sweet smell of cinnamon and spices; I was so engrossed I did not notice the beautiful girl, who said; “Hi, saw you on the beach awhile ago.”
“Hi, my name is Norman; you are?”
“Mandy, my folks have a house up the key.”
“You live here?”
“No, Norman, I live in Atlanta now; I attend Georgia State.”
“I am a senior at Georgia Tech.”
“Wow, you live here?”
“No, Mandy, my parents always take the house on Bryant for the holidays; we are from Pasadena, California; since I attend Tech, they like to be near for the Holidays. Mandy, I need to get my buddy; he is picking up wines, the family has a crowd for dinner, can we meet tomorrow, maybe look around?”
“Sure, I would like that, say around 10 am, meet you on the beach.”
“Norm, what is taking you so long? The wines are in the car; hey, is that babe the reason?” Chase asked.
“Yes, her name is Mandy; we will see her on the beach in the morning.”
“Ten minutes, I leave you 10 minutes, and you hook up, where is mine?”
“Come on, Romeo, Mom, is waiting.”
“Norm, I am going to love Sarasota.”
“Norman, why so much wine? I only ask for extra wine for dinner. Did you charge this to the house?”
“No, Mom, this is a gift from Chase.”
“Chase, these are incredible wines; why?”
“Ally, you were kind enough to invite me to spend the holidays with you; this is my gift, my Christmas gift to you.”
“Dear boy, you are a love, you both best go change. We have some lovely young ladies coming,” Ally said.
“Lovely ladies for me, I will hurry, have you seen them?”
“Chase, have faith, young man, trust me, but be nice; they are very proper.”
“So am I, very proper with sweet young ladies, never fear.”
“Go; they will arrive in 30 minutes.”
“Chase, you ready, come on, man, the guests are coming.”
“I am ready. Have you seen the girls yet?”
“Stop worrying about girls; we are going to have some fun; Dad is bringing in the tree, we have to help decorate it, Mom always likes to have what she calls a tree trimming party.”
“Hi boys, grab some wine, help Hank with the lights outside, you both look nice,” Ally said.
“Norm, Chase, you boys mind getting the ladder from the garage and stringing these lights above the door?” Hank asked.
“Sure, Dad, do you want the entire top done?”
“Just the entryway, like to have that look festive before everyone gets here.”
“Hi Norm, I heard that seductive young voice call out.”
“Hey, Cynthia, you are looking sweet; nice to see you.”
“Hi, you must be Chase; Mom said you were here with Norm.”
“Yes, Cindy, came to see if you are as pretty as Norm said; he is right. Where are your parents?” Chase asked.
“Coming in a minute, they are bringing a cake; Mom is finishing it. Want me to help with the lights, Chase?”
“No, Cindy, we are about done,” Chase said.
“Turn them on, Dad, we are finished. Just in time as a car is pulling into our short street. Mom, they are here, come out and greet them, Norm hollered, coming down the ladder.”
“Merry Christmas, Linda, Mom said as they hugged. The greeting is for you also, Lee. Is this your daughter Lori? Meet our son Norman, his friend, and ours, Chase Rogers.”
I watched as Chase greeted the Andersen’s, but Lori was in his sights; I know that gleam.
“Hi Lori, how have you been? We met last year; it was wonderful,” Chase told her.
“Met last year, where? I don’t recall,” she said, blushing.
“In my dreams, in my dreams,” Chase said.
“Chase, you are embarrassing, Lori,” Ally said.
“No, it is OK, he is just having fun; I don’t mind at all; nice to meet you Chase, and you Norman.”
“Lori, call me Norm, my friends do; let’s go inside, grab some wine, sit by the cozy fire.”
Cynthia was all for that as she rushed in to get her spot on the large sofa; Chase sat next to her, then Lori next to him; I am forced to sit in the sofa chair. I almost laughed out loud, observing Cynthia trying to get Chase to pay attention to her, but he is engrossed in conversation with Lori.
“Leslie, Teddy, Crissy, so glad you could come, just in time for wine, come meet the boys. Norman, Chase, these are our dear friends the Larson’s, Leslie, Teddy, and their lovely daughter Crissy,” Ally said. “Merry Christmas to all, grab a glass of wine.”
“Mom wants to decorate the tree; please come with me, Crissy, ” Norman said.
“Take this wine to your Mom and Dad, then it is our job to place the lights on the tree; the others will decorate.”
“Mom said you attend Georgia Tech. Are you planning on being an engineer?” Crissy asked.
“Sort of Crissy, my degree will be in data systems architecture, computer systems that is?”
“How interesting, I attend Florida State; I major in political science.”
“Are you planning on entering politics?”
“Not sure, Dad is a lawyer; his practice is with government agencies, I think he wants me in politics to throw business to his firm, that’s a joke, I find it interests me, how to manage, and control events.”
“Crissy, help me to control this event; two girls are clawing over Chase, he loves the attention, but it is a no-win situation for all,” Norm said.
“Norm, I can see why; he is very good looking and so confident, girls like that.”
The evening was enjoyable; all had a great time; mom is ecstatic, Chase is a little too close to Cynthia, she is smiling like a little vixen after her prey, but my mind is on the morrow. Seeing that girl Mandy, she seems so sexual; she exudes it. I can envision her slinking up to me like a cat, rubbing her fur on my face, then stroking my legs with her tail; damn, I am getting aroused. It is time to rest, rest I did, but those were not sugar plums dancing around in my head. It seems like I just went to sleep when I heard Mom call out;
“Norm, come down for breakfast,” Ally called.
It was 9:15 am; the sun was sparkling over the smooth waters of the gulf like diamonds casting beams of light through my window, into my eyes, through my eyes to my heart.
“Chase, come on, man breakfast, we have a babe waiting,” I said. “Good morning Mom, what’s for breakfast?”
“Hanks fish, and some scrambled eggs, coffee is on the stove, where is Chase?”
“Right here, Ally, a great party last night.”
“Which part did you like best, the food, wine, music, or girls?” Ally asked.
“Tough choice, Ally, all were superb.”
“Norm, what are you men doing this morning?” Hank asked.
“Fishing Dad.”
“When? I will join you,” Hank said.
“Dad, not that kind of fishing.”
Mandy and two other girls were anxiously waiting at our spot on the beach, good morning Norm, who is this?
“Chase, my schoolmate, Mandy, introduce your friends.”
“This is Carolyn; she is local and Sheila from New York.”
“Hey ladies, I am Norman; this is Chase; want to go for a swim or grab a snack.”
“Snack all agreed.”
“Do you want to go to the Snack Shack?” I asked.
“Norm, my parents are in Orlando; we can all make snacks at my house,” Mandy said.
“Sounds great to me Chase told her, let’s go.”
“Norm, come, I will race you,” Mandy yelled.
“I am in no rush; I like it slow and easy, it is too early to sweat, just hold my hand; that is enough excitement for now,” Norm said.
“What about for later?” Mandy replied
“That will be determined. Chase, catch up, man.”
“Norm, I have to carry two girls; they slow me down,”
“You don’t need to carry me,” Sheila scolded. Later it was around 6:00 pm when Mandy’s parents returned to find a cozy party going on. We departed without the usual pleasantries. Chase and I have been best friends since that holiday. I continued to see Mandy in Atlanta; she somehow forgot her birth control pills, became pregnant, we married, and stayed married for a chilling three years. Mandy returned to Florida, but left behind our daughter Annie. My mother said, Norman, you should have listened to me; I never liked that girl. God must have a good sense of humor; he never gives you yin without a little yang. Mom was happy; she became Annie’s mom; they both thrived on the love between them.
