Team Manager 1: SWISH!
Chapter 44
THE NEW LOVERS awoke in each other’s arms. They would have gone straight to making love again, but they had woken up in the middle of the night to do that and both needed to use the bathroom before they could start again. Natalie grabbed his robe and ran across the hall to the bathroom. Dennis waited for her to return and then took the robe so he could go. He listened carefully on the way back and detected no one stirring in the house.
“I don’t think anyone else is up,” he said as he wrapped his naked girlfriend in his arms.
“Then let’s go back to bed and make love again,” she whispered as she kissed him. Dennis was willing.
The two tumbled back into bed and spent a long time just looking at each other in the early morning light. With the rush of the first time behind them, both wanted to explore and be explored.
“What’s this scar from?” she asked, tracing a line across his shoulder.
“When I was little, I tried to learn to ride a bike and ran into a tree. That was when my parents first realized I couldn’t see right and took me to an eye doctor. I was four and have worn thick glasses ever since,” he said. He leaned in to kiss one of her nipples. “Your breasts are so pretty. Why do girls all shave… um… down there?”
“Well, all don’t. I’ve never seen her, of course, but I’d bet Lana doesn’t shave. Of course, with hair as light and fine as hers, you probably couldn’t see her pubic hair anyway,” Natalie said.
“Um… I wasn’t thinking of her,” Dennis said.
“Yeah, I know, but sometimes she flits across my mind unexpectedly. So, most of us shave because we wear tiny underwear and it looks gross to have hair sticking out around the edges. Much worse if we’re wearing swimwear or a bikini. Then a lot of us get self-conscious about how hairy we are. If I went without shaving, I’d look like I had a hedgehog between my legs.”
“Oh. I see, I guess.”
“Yeah. That’s another reason. You wouldn’t think that something tucked into our pants would mean anything; except when we use the showers and parade around naked in the locker room, you see. Of course, all the other girls see, too, and since most of us are almost as interested in girls as in boys, we try to make it all look as nice as possible. Um… want to take a closer look?” she teased. “I shaved right before the game yesterday. I wanted it to be nice and smooth for you.”
Dennis worked his way down Natalie, pausing to kiss all over her breasts and suck on her nipples as she squirmed. Eventually, he got down between her legs and spent a minute looking with his tongue before he separated her folds and stared at her open pussy. He looked and then licked again. He saw that her coarse hair was already beginning to grow back, like a man’s beard the day after he shaves. Not that Dennis shaved more than once a week. His father shaved every day when he was working. Of course, he wasn’t now. Dennis wondered if his dad’s beard had grown while he was in the hospital.
“Hey. Where’d you go, lover?”
“Sorry,” Dennis said, resuming his job of licking around her hole and up across her clit. She shook. “Okay?”
“Yeah. Come and make love to me and tell me what you saw.”
Dennis pulled himself up next to Natalie where they could kiss some more.
“I saw how beautiful every part of you is,” he whispered as she reached to stroke his penis to full erection. “And I was… amazed, I guess. I can’t believe that you let me put my cock in there. It’s like one thing when I lick you, or even put a finger in you, but to have my penis, my cock, up inside you there is like a miracle I can’t understand.”
“Let’s get another condom on you and look for a better understanding,” she whispered. They got the condom installed and she pulled him over her with her legs spread. It seemed his cock had learned the way as it didn’t need directing to seat itself in her pussy.
“It’s just so amazing,” he whispered.
“It is,” she responded. “I can hardly believe you will share your beautiful cock with my pussy. You feel so good. Let’s move slow and see how long we can make it last.”
Dennis liked that idea. If he didn’t come, he wouldn’t get limp. If he didn’t soften, he could stay in this wonderful paradise and not be grabbing for the condom as he slipped out of her. He wanted to be there forever, feeling Natalie’s pussy gripping and relaxing around his cock.
Unfortunately, they were both sixteen. Waiting for a long time before they started moving faster and climbing toward orgasm wasn’t in the works. They spent themselves with a feeling of completion. Dennis began to soften as they continued to kiss and ended up reaching for the condom so it wouldn’t slide off his deflating cock.
“You know how I liked having you squirt your stuff right on my little clitty?” Natalie asked. Dennis nodded. “Someday I want to feel you spraying my whole insides. I can feel your cock pulsing in me—sort of—but I can’t feel it coming out.”
“I don’t think there was much that time,” Dennis said. “I guess I need more time to replenish the supply.”
“Let’s get up and make breakfast so you’ll have fuel to rebuild,” Natalie giggled. They rolled out of bed and quickly dressed. “You need to get rid of those,” she said, pointing at the little pile of condoms on the floor where he’d dropped them. He bent to pick them up, having to peel them off the hardwood where they stuck.
“I think I’ll have to wash the floor,” he sighed, dropping the spent condoms in his waste basket. “And move the waste basket closer to the bed.” They held hands as they walked out to the kitchen and began making breakfast of hot cereal and sausages. Dennis noticed his mom was still in her chair in the living room.
Peg didn’t want to go see her daddy again instead of staying home to play with her sister. So, Dennis and Dot made the trip into Des Moines together. For a while they just rode in silence.
“Are you happy, Dennis?” Dot asked. It wasn’t snide or accusing, so Dennis went along with the flow.
“Yes, Mom. I mean, I’m not happy about Dad being in the hospital, but the rest of life is pretty good right now.”
“I’m glad. I like Natalie. And her sisters. Her mother has been very kind and got some of the other churchwomen to help while I was so terribly out of it.”
“Yeah. They’re great people,” Dennis said, wondering where this conversation was going.
“Will you be breaking up with your other girlfriends now? I mean, now that you have Number One.”
“Um… I don’t know how to answer that. I really love Natalie and I’d never do anything to hurt her. I know the other girls tease and like to be with me, but I don’t think they all really want to be that kind of girlfriend,” he speculated. He needed to talk to Natalie to make sure the other girls backed off a bit.
“I don’t know about that,” Dot said. “When they started, I think they just felt there was safety in numbers. But I detect certain things. I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with my son. Your father should be talking to you, but he… He might not even recognize you.”
“I know, Mom. We just have to have faith.”
“Yes. That isn’t what I want to talk to you about right now,” Dot said, physically pulling herself together. “I’m sure you love Natalie, as much as you know of love right now. And I know you’ll want to spend a lot of time with her. Don’t become too possessive or try to take up all her time. Girls need room to breathe, just like you do. Um… Even if you don’t reduce the numbers of girlfriends, it wouldn’t be good to just run through them one after another, even if they pressure you to do so.”
“Gosh, Mom! You know, we all agreed to the first rule. No means no, and we don’t pressure anyone or try to convince them otherwise.”
“I’m proud of you for what you did for Lana Brown. That showed us all that you were serious about the first rule,” Dot said. Dennis hadn’t realized anyone outside of the team knew what he did for Lana. Small town news, he guessed. “But the girls have invested a lot of their time and energy in you, just as you have in them. Every one of them has spent the night with you. I tried to believe it was all just innocent companionship and—like you said—they just considered you one of the girls. I looked in on you when I got home Thursday night to say goodnight. I wasn’t trying to spy on you, but when I saw…”
“I thought I remembered you coming in to kiss me goodnight. But that wasn’t really what it looked like. We were just sleeping together.”
“Yes. I believe you think that. But those girls… the way they held you… They love you. And I’m not telling you that you should back off with any of your girlfriends. That’s between you and Natalie and the girls. I’m just suggesting that you don’t rush it. Don’t let them feel that the gates have been opened and now you can just do them all. In the long run, they would all feel less worthy and maybe even cheated a little. I know the temptation will be there for all of you. I’m just trying to give you the kind of advice I think your father would give you. Okay?”
“Okay, Mom. I understand what you mean. I might not love all the girls as much as I love Natalie, but I do love them and care for them. The last thing I would want is for any of them to feel bad about our relationship. Thank you for talking about it. I know it must be hard for you, not having Dad there to share the burden.”
“You don’t know the half of how much I miss him.”
The doorbell startled Natalie as she sat beside Peg looking at pictures in the family album. Peg had brought it to her and was happily pointing out her brother and mother and father in the pictures. Natalie got up from the couch and looked through the peephole before opening the door.
“Mom! Um… I was going to call you but Peg and I were looking at old pictures and I didn’t think about it.”
“Well, a call or even a text would have been nice so I knew my youngest daughter was okay and happy,” Lily said as she came into the house. “But Dot called and said she was leaving Peg with you and asked if I’d check in to make sure everything was okay. Would you like some company?”
“Sure. I hope you still like to play Chutes and Ladders. It seems to be Peg’s favorite lately.”
“I think I can stand it.” She hung her coat and turned to hug her daughter. “How are you?” she whispered.
“Great, Momma. It was so wonderful. It’s all I can think of.”
“Don’t become obsessed. You know you still have a regular life to live. And other friends. You can’t spend all your time here.”
“I know. But… um… is it okay if I spend tonight? I just don’t want to… you know… leave yet.”
“Oh, I understand that. It’s a wonder you let him go with his mother.”
“Mom! I would never prevent that!”
“I know. I just remember what it was like when your dad and I first got together.” They sat on the couch and looked at the photos. “Hello, Peg. You remember me, don’t you?”
“Hello, Mrs. Armor. Look at how pretty my mommy was when she got married.” Peg started humming the wedding march. She had a beautiful voice.
“Do you have an idea of what college will bring you, Nat? It’s not too early to start thinking about it,” Lily asked her daughter.
“I know I want to go. I can’t play basketball if I don’t go to college. But I don’t know what I want to do after that. Probably get married and have babies,” Nat sighed. “It’s easier for Dennis, in a way. He has to go to college in order to become a trainer. He has a goal in life. I just hope we go to the same place.”
“What will be will be. I went to college with nearly the same objectives as you. Only it was just to go and get out of my parents’ house so I was free.”
“Were grandma and grandpa too strict or something?” Nat asked.
“Or something. They were truly appalled when they discovered I’d moved in with the first boy I dated in college. It didn’t take long for your father and me to get involved. My parents were slightly mollified when they discovered he was almost out of law school and was studying for the bar exam. They were just afraid he was way too old for me. Six years!”
“See where we used to live?” Peg said. “We had a dog and chickens and a tractor.” Peg made a motion with her hands and what they assumed was supposed to be a tractor noise.
“Your daddy was a good farmer,” Lily said. Peg looked over at her skeptically.
“Daddy is sick. He doesn’t know me. I can tell.”
“Oh, honey. He’ll get better,” Lily said. “I have an idea. Why don’t we bake cookies?”
“Yes!” Peg shouted. She closed the album with a snap and jumped up.
“Better than Chutes and Ladders?” Lily whispered to her daughter. They giggled on the way to the kitchen.
Will was sitting upright and appeared more alert than he had the day before. Dot was hopeful.
“Good morning, Honey,” she said. “I brought Den up to see you today.”
“Oh. Hi. Uh… Don’t tell me. Are you the one with my pills?” Will said.
“I’m Dot, your wife, Will,” she sighed.
“Oh yeah. You sure are pretty.”
“Remember me, Dad?” Dennis asked as he approached his father. His dad looked at him hard for a minute and then smiled broadly.
“How could I forget my best friend in the world? We’ve had some times, haven’t we? How’s the team doing?”
“Um… We won the State Championship. It was great!” Dennis said.
“No. You’ve got to be kidding. I leave school and the team starts winning? We haven’t had a winning season since my dad was in school. Did you score?” Will asked.
“It was the girls’ team,” Dennis said. “I couldn’t play.”
“Yeah, but did you score with the exchange student? You know you need to wrap her up tight like I did with Dottie. Don’t let the love of your life escape!”
Dennis looked at his mom and she shrugged.
“Thanks, Dad. I’ll remember to do that. We… um… made love last night,” he said in a very soft voice.
“Yes! Way to go, Randy. Put a ring on her finger and a baby in her tummy. Ours is going to be born any day now.”
“Um… Thanks. I’ll um… I guess I’ll let Mom talk to you again.”
“Come and see us again, Randy. And I’ll be down next week to help disk that big field that always takes so long. With both of us working it, we’ll have it all done in a day,” Will said.
“Sure, Dad.” Dennis backed away from the bed so his mother could talk to his dad. He stepped outside the room and sank down against the wall. Tears were in his eyes but he refused to let them fall.
“Is that the first time you’ve seen your Dad since the accident?” a nurse asked. She slid down the wall and sat next to him. She seemed nice. Dennis glanced at her as he nodded. She looked like she could use the rest. “Where was he today? Last night he kept talking about suing the school for what they’d done to his son. You, I suppose?”
“Yeah. That was just last year. I kind of got bullied and Mom and Dad really went to bat for me. They got the worst kids kicked out of school.”
“Well, good for him.”
“But he thought I was his best friend in high school when I talked to him. How could he remember last year and now think he’s a high schooler?”
“The doctor could explain it better, but do you know what hypoxia is?” Dennis shook his head. “It’s lack of oxygen to the brain. When the brain is oxygen starved, it starts shutting down. Parts of the brain start dying. When a person is revived, those parts are still dead. The brain is pretty versatile and starts rerouting things but your father lost the connection between the prefrontal cortex, where short term memories are stored, and the hippocampus where they are organized and converted into long term memory. The result could look a lot like Alzheimer’s Disease. So, he might forget what just happened a minute ago but have detailed memory of something that happened twenty or more years ago.”
“He thought Mom was the pill nurse.”
“That makes sense. I was in to give him meds half an hour ago. The memory is fading and he thought he was remembering at least part of it. He doesn’t know why he’s in the hospital, but his coordination is way off, so other parts of his brain have been affected, too. You’re very lucky that he’s alive right now.”
“Lucky that he’s brain damaged and won’t recognize me?” Dennis said bitterly.
“Would you prefer that he was dead?”
Dennis sucked in his breath as if he’d been punched in the stomach. He didn’t want to lose his father and wanted him back the way he was. He just hung his head and propped it against his knees. The nurse patted his shoulder and stood to leave.
“Hang in there. Your father isn’t strong right now. He needs others to be strong for him.” She walked away.
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