Andi's Dream - All Aboard Andi's Dream

by Duleigh

©Copyright 2024 by Duleigh

Introduction: A recap from Book 1 - A Blizzard in Buffalo

In early December, Dr. Adrianna "Andi" Roberts and her twin daughters Sandi and Madeline traveled from Denver to Western New York to visit Andi's friend, Dr. Lucy Kocis, then go up to Toronto for Christmas. Unfortunately, Andi got stuck in a Western New York lake effect blizzard and drove into a ditch on a country road. Paul Jarecki, the owner of a nearby cabin, was the sole person who could assist her after she got stuck in the ditch. Paul brought a tractor and took Andi and her daughters to his cabin, where they stayed until the storm passed.

They were stuck in the cabin for almost a week and suspicion became friendship, and as they learned about each other, friendship became love. They emerged from their snowy confines engaged with plans to marry on Christmas Eve. Andi's life changed completely when they arrived at Paul's house. She realized that she and her daughters no longer need to worry about money, as Paul is wealthy. He even gifted Andi a yacht for Christmas.

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Chapter 1

Dr. Andi Roberts, now Mrs. Andi Jarecki, stood marveling at her kitchen. When her brand-new husband, Paul Jarecki, built what he thought was a gourmet kitchen, he went all out. From the huge eight burner double oven gas stove to the 48" wide refrigerator, this kitchen was incredible, and Andi felt daunted by it. The kitchen was enormous, and Andi was not. Andi was a short, curvy, busty bundle of joy with a license to practice medicine. She has a beautiful face, not fashion model beautiful, but 'down to earth my god who is that angel' beautiful. Norwegian farm girl beautiful. Laughing mom helping her children color pictures beautiful. Concerned almost tearful doctor who is trying to give her patient bad news beautiful.

And she's short, not Peter Dinklage short. She was four and a half inches taller than him. She had a marvelous sense of humor about it, because being buried in a mountain of student loans, being left by your husband while eight months pregnant, and being the single mom of twin preemie girls for five years you must have a good sense of humor. That and a strong will, bear trap memory, and incredible friends.

It was barely a month previous since she was traveling from Denver to meet up with her closest friend, Lucy Kocsis (pronounced "coaches") when she got lost in a Western New York blizzard and ended up in a ditch. She and her girls were rescued by Dr. Paul Jarecki, a bit of a recluse with seventy-five acres and a cabin, and a house in town. And a house in Florida… actually, two houses in Florida, and ten Ford dealerships. She didn't find out about all that until after they were married in a candlelight ceremony on Christmas Eve.

For Christmas she gave her new husband a watch and a wallet, and a coffee mug that said, "We love you poppa!" featuring a picture of the twins. To Paul, these were the most wonderful gifts he could imagine. He used his coffee mug every day and gently washed it when he was done. Andi purchased them with the money she had available and was completely unaware of Paul's monetary worth, so these little gifts came from her heart and emptied her purse.

In return Paul gave her his Victorian Mansion, a new car, a seventy-two-foot sports motor yacht, two houses in Florida (co-owned with her brother and sister-in-law), a cabin in 75 acres of forest, a dozen chickens, then gave her a full accounting of their money. None of that moved Andi as much as when he gave the twins a plaque to hang in their room that announced to the world that he was adopting them.

The morning after Christmas, Andi was waiting for the restaurant model Bunn coffee maker to finish a fresh pot and for her dear friend Lucy to arrive. They had plans for a Boxing Day (whatever that is) breakfast, followed by an activity that Paul didn't describe to her other than to say it's traditional.

"Good morning, Mrs. Jarecki!" startled Andi out of her thoughtful funk. It was her husband's brother John and his wife Macy. John is a shorter, younger version of Andi's husband Paul, and Macy is a tall, slim, gorgeous black girl that was born and raised in a fishing village in Quebec which gave her the most delightful French accent. When it comes to looks, Macy and Andi are complete opposites. Macy is tall, slim and her skin is deep black. Andi is short, curvy, and very pale, but the moment they met, they fell in love. Neither woman had a sister and now they're drawing as close as Andi's twins are.

"Bonjour mon cher! The showers in that bedroom are so delightful!" purred Macy as she kissed her husband.

"Wait until you try the tub," said Andi, as she poured John and Macy a cup of coffee. It has been a tradition for John and Macy along with anyone else that wants to spend the holidays at Paul's house, and Andi encouraged that tradition. Currently, the big Victorian is housing Paul and Andi, John and Macy, the twins, Andi's parents, Harold and Heather Driscoll, Lucy Kosis, Gus Didomissio, Katrina Mays (Andi's favorite Nurse Practitioner), and Wonka the chocolate lab. Paul is currently taking Katrina to the airport to return to Denver. She only got to spend a few hours in Buffalo and she and Andi had been up since four AM chatting.

As John and Macy, still in their Christmas pajamas (they had a pajama party on Christmas Eve while Andi and Paul were spending their wedding night in Paul's cabin) sat at the large table in the very large breakfast noon, Lucy returned from work.

Lucy Kosis is a renowned pulmonologist and thoracic surgeon and unfortunately, she spent Christmas night at the County Emergency Medical Center emergency department performing one Christmas Miracle after another. Lucy is tall, athletic, and incredibly plain looking. She is a wonderful woman with a glowing smile, but she feels she is ugly, so she puts her heart and soul into being good at everything else in life. She's an Olympic caliber cyclist, runner, skier and anything else she can do to avoid men. It didn't work because Gus Didomissio, a local contractor, has fallen head over heels in love with her, but she is trying (unsuccessfully) to keep him at arm's length as a 'buddy.'

Lucy arrived at Andi's house, dragging her exhausted body in from a 16-hour shift at the CEMC 'Knife and Gun Club' and plopped down at the table. Her newlywed friend, Andi Jarecki, looked at her with pity. Not being a surgeon, Andi only has a rough idea of what happens on these arduous nights, but the sorrow on her friend's face and the blood splatters on her scrubs told the entire story. And to top everything off, Lucy just missed her friend Katrina's departure by a half hour.

She sniffed a few times, her eyes bleary from crying all the way from Buffalo to Springville. "I have to get out of there…" she said to Andi, "what kind of woman cuts up her 3-year-old son just because she's mad at his dad?" She lowered her head to the arms she crossed on the table. "Animals," she whispered, and the tears began again. "Animals treat their children better."

Andi put on her reading glasses, became Dr. Andi, and sat down trying to console her oldest friend, but it was no use, she couldn't save the chopped-up toddler, but he was just the first in a blood splattered 16 hour long nightmare that was Dr. Lucy Kocis' Christmas evening. John and Macy immediately went to their friend's aid, but Lucy was inconsolable. John was a church pastor and Macy was an ordained minister with a doctorate in theology and psychology, but nothing John and Macy said helped Lucy let go of the dreadfulness of the past 16 hours. She wailed in horror about a pregnant 13-year-old and her 28-year-old 'baby daddy' with a knife, and she put her head down again and shrieked. Her body shuddering from her sobs. She waved away anyone who tried to talk to her about her shift through hell.

Gus, a tall fifty something widower, came down the back staircase and surveyed the situation and shook his head. "This isn't how to do it," he said. "Lucy needs something else." He leaned over and whispered to her, then took her hand and she slowly rose. With Gus leading the way, they headed down the back-basement stairs. The friends all shrugged, expecting maybe Gus would take her down to the couch in the media room for a snuggle, but the sound of a treadmill being used came up the stairs. "I'll go check on her," said Dr. Andi, and she headed down the stairs.

"I can't run with these damn things. They're all floppy." Lucy was standing on a treadmill, holding the legs of her scrubs and flapping them about.

"Then take them off," said Gus. "If it will make you more comfortable, then take them off and run."

She sat down on the bench and yanked her scrubs pants off over her sneakers, then stepped on the treadmill in her panties and started an easy jog. She let down her hair, then tied it up even more severely and began running. Faster and faster she went, sprinting, cursing, crying. She pulled off her scrubs shirt, leaving her in a tank top t-shirt and threw it across the room screaming, "Why do people do this shit…?"

She sprinted, her legs a blur, on and on until she was exhausted, as tired in body as she was in heart, and trying to push the shrieks of cut up children out of her head she slowed down, cooled down at a walk for a couple of minutes, then stepped off the stopped machine and went over to Gus and began weeping on his shoulder. Gus wasn't sure where to put his hands on the nearly naked surgeon that was leaning on him for support. From across the room, Andi was trying to signal, "Just hold her!" and eventually Gus got the idea and put his arms around Lucy. She pulled him tighter and shuddered, then calmed down. Gus led her to the back of the gym. "Come on, you'll feel better after a hot shower, and maybe a steam."

As he led her through the dressing room door, he called out to Andi, "Could you run up to her room and get her something to wear?"

"No problem."

Andi went up to the room that Lucy was using during the holidays and found underwear, a sweater, and a nice pair of jeans. She brought those back downstairs and left them with Gus, who was waiting outside of the dressing room. "How did you become such a wonderful coach?" Andi asked Gus.

He just grinned. "When you have three daughters who all join the track team, you learn quick."

Andi returned to the kitchen and Macy asked, "How is she?"

"Better. Gus put her on a treadmill and made her run it out. She's showering now."

Back in the kitchen, the talk was about the horrors that Lucy suffered. Even John and Macy, whose Christmas should be jolly and bright as they celebrated the birth of Christ, are all too familiar with the reason for the season: sin. "Every year, and it's getting worse," said John, "People get all boozed up during the holidays and then the fights break out."

"It's bad in Denver too," said Andi. "There's nothing you can do. Denver county just lets them go."

Lucy eventually came upstairs drying her long mouse brown hair with a towel. "How ya doing, babe?" asked Andi.

"I'm done with CEMC. I'll do in-home nursing before I go back to that slaughterhouse." CEMC is in a dangerous neighborhood and sees the worst of the worst with gang violence, domestic violence, and drug violence.

"Glad Gus could get you downstairs and let you burn out some of that anger," said John.

"Yeah, he was the perfect gentleman," she said, then made an angry face and smacked Gus in the gut with the back of her hand.

"What did I do?" asked Gus.

Lucy gave him a dope slap in the back of the head. "Nothing, that's what you did! Attsa matta fo you-eh? You see a chick, obviously emotionally vulnerable, obviously in need a buona cazzo duro, eh?" She made motions with her fist that left no doubt in anyone's mind what buona cazzo duro means, "Ba-boom ba-boom ba-boom, but what… you leave her hanging! Attsa matta Fredo? What kinda buddy are you, eh?"

Gus looked genuinely shocked. "I hope you're kidding me."

She held his face with one hand under the chin and shook his face a bit. "Yeah… mostly." Then she leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "Thank you for not taking advantage," and kissed his cheek.

He placed his hand on her cheek and their eyes studied each other, "Per te qualsiasi cosa," (for you, anything) and they kissed gently. Then she stood next to him, leaning close to bask in his warmth.

"You good, hon?" Andi asked her friend.

"Not yet, but I will be soon." And she wouldn't comment further.

"So… what's a buona cazzo duro?" asked Andi.

Gus blushed and mumbled, but Macy, Andi's elegant, beautiful sister-in-law with beautiful mocha black skin, said as she peered into her coffee, "It's what you were getting at twelve forty-five last night."

"I… we… uh… oh." Sputtered Andi, getting the idea. Twelve forty-five last night is why her pussy aches so much. She looked at Lucy and said, "You must tell me how you knew that."

"Where's the traditional Boxing Day breakfast?" asked Macy before Lucy could answer.

"Some slow poke lost a quick race last night and was supposed to make breakfast," said Andi.

"Did I say make? Or did I say provide?" said Paul as he strolled into the kitchen. "Let's load up folks. Ayato is waiting for us at Worzles."

Grandma and Grandpa Driscoll promised to watch the twins when they woke up from the most active day in their little lives, so the six piled into their vehicles and drove the few blocks to Worzles and found the 'gin mill' open.

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Chapter 2

They could have walked, but their vehicles were filled with gifts that needed to be transported among the sick, elderly, and needy of Springville and their caregivers. Entering Worzels, they immediately saw a couple of bar flies were already sipping draft beers at the far end of the bar. John went directly to the two usuals, while Paul walked up to the bar while tugging Andi along by the hand. Ayato and Paul looked at each other for a moment. "Colonel," said Paul in a greeting.

"Colonel," replied Ayato, then his inscrutable Japanese features broke into a smile as they shook hands, "great spread yesterday." Ayato and his wife were guests at last night's Christmas feast at Paul's house.

"I'm hoping to see an equivalent feast this morning."

Ayato thought for a moment, snapped his fingers, and said, "I'll open an extra can of fruit salad." They both chuckled and Ayato continued, "the table is already set up in the back."

John appeared and, pointing to the two early morning drinkers, said, "can you get those two some breakfast to sop up that beer? Put it on my brother's tab."

"Will do Padre."

Ayato's wife Julissa, a tough chick if there ever was one, brought out bowls of scrambled eggs, plates of bacon, stacks of biscuits with sausage gravy on the side. She saw Paul and greeted him with, "Mornin' Colonel."

"Morning to you too, sergeant. Care to join us today?"

"For breakfast or the distribution?"

"Both, if possible."

The hard-bitten NCO screwed up her face and thought, "I better hang around here, except for the Sisters of Mercy home. I have friends there." The Sisters of Mercy is a nursing home that was one of their usual Boxing Day stops.

"I'll make sure whoever draws the Sisters picks you up."

Once everyone was seated at the table, John said grace and they dug in and explained to Lucy and Andi that Boxing Day is an old British holiday where "postmen, errand boys, and servants of various kinds" expected to get a Christmas gratuity. It's not a holiday in the US but in Canada le Lendemain de Noel. The day after Christmas is a national holiday, and since Western New York is close to Canada, it's not unusual to see Boxing Day celebrated in the area.

Boxing Day is celebrated in different ways throughout the world but is always centered on giving to the less fortunate. John's Springville Congregational Church and other churches in the village team up to hand out gifts to the elderly and forgotten of Springville. As they ate, groups from the other churches showed up and sat at the tables and the booths and had breakfast as well.

Once breakfast was done, Father Juan from St. Aloysius held up a clipboard and whistled for attention. Father Juan was a short, wrinkled gray-haired Hispanic with an infectious grin and a gift for organizing. He read off the instructions for the Boxing Day distribution, a task that would be boring, but Father Juan could draw out laughs from the entire crowd as he went through the myriad of dos and don'ts. When he was done, he called for the teams to get their gifts and head out.

Teams were set up in twos and fours and as they headed out to the parking lot, their list of locations was handed to them. Gift boxes were in Paul's truck, John's car, Father Juan's jeep, and the trunk of Pastor Vincent from Trinity Lutheran church's car. Folks checked their list, picked up as many gift boxes as they would need, and off they went to distribute the gifts.

The weather was typical Buffalo weather for Boxing Day; it was frigid when they went into the bar, warm and sunny with snow melting rapidly when they headed out to hand out the gifts, and cold and rainy when the gift distribution was over.

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"So, this is the one, eh?" asked Father Juan after the distribution was over and teams returned to Worzils to hand in their completed lists.

"Yes Padre, this is the woman who has held my heart captive for five years," said Paul, putting an arm around Andi.

"He did the same to me," said Andi while shaking Father Juan's hand, "and neither one of us knew it."

"This must be an interesting tale," said Father Juan, holding Andi's tiny hands in his.

"Paul is going to have to tell it, Father. Macy, Lucy and I have shopping to do before we set off on our Honeymoon cruise," said Andi, antsy to get going.

"You go shop then and stop by St. Aloysius when you get back. I'll light a candle for you." As the girls exited the building and hopped in Paul's truck and headed for Orchard Park, Father Juan signaled Pastor Vincent over to their table, then caught Ayato's attention and held up one finger. "So, what is this I hear about? She held your heart captive for five years?"

Ayato showed up with a pitcher of beer and several glasses and, knowing his clientele, he brought a pitcher of Coke, then stayed close. He wanted to hear, too. "It's probably nothing at all, but we like to think it was something. Five years ago, I went to a medical conference in Minneapolis. I think it was in November or something like that. All I remember is that it was frigid, thirty below. When I was there, I met Andi. She was pregnant and had that radiant smile that women who are happy to be carrying have." He paused for a long sip of beer.

"I hope there's more to it than that. I have work to do," groused Ayato.

"Oh, hush up. I'm trying to hear too," called Julissa from behind the bar.

"I don't know. You tell me. Before, and I mean just before Andi and I met, her husband met up with a cocktail waitress and left her. No kidding, he was a real piece of work. Left a note on the nightstand and took off with this babe for Branson, Missouri," Paul said to the mumbles coming from the ever-growing crowd. "So, like I said, we met, we talked a little lung doctor talk, we talked a little heart doctor talk, we posed for a group photo, and that was it. The whole thing was a waste of time, as far as I was concerned. Good thing South Boston hospital picked up the tab. She went back to Denver, and I came back here and that was it."

"So, where's the twilight zone material?" asked a voice from the crowd.

"So, she goes back to Denver and suddenly she started to have complications and fierce contractions. They rush her to the ED and next thing you know; the twins are born caesarian. Tiny, tiny preemies." Paul paused for a moment, trying to imagine the twins at birth. He wished for the thousandth time he were there to help, to hold Sandy and Madeline, especially his Maddy. Paul and Madeline have a special love for each other. He continued; "Meanwhile, I come back here and what do I do? I started updating the house on Howard, darn near every room…"

"That's right," said Gus. "Paul has had me and my guys on that house non-stop and we're still not done."

"Not done?" asked Paul.

"Andi has a few ideas she brought up to me. Go back to your story," said Gus to general laughter.

Paul glanced sideways at Gus, then knocked back his beer and poured himself another cold one from the pitcher on the table. "So, what is going on? Out on the farm, I built a second cabin with all the modern conveniences…"

"Indoor plumbing and the works!" added Gus, who did the work.

"That's right. But I also dug out the pond. I ordered four truckloads of sand and added a beach. What am I going to do with a beach?"

"Macy and I came up with a few things to do on the beach," added John to the general laughter.

"And I built a lifeguard tower…

"I thought that was a deer stand," said a drunk at the bar.

"It's that too," said Gus to general laughter.

"But the moment I met Andi, it was the last time I talked to a woman alone. No dates, no movies, no calls, and you know what? I didn't care. I was busy. If you remember, that's when the car business exploded, too."

John nodded in agreement. "I remember that. You kept saying that you had to put money away 'for a rainy day' and you pushed and acquired more dealerships. I don't remember you ever having as much as a savings account before this, and suddenly, you're investing and setting up annuities."

"Meanwhile, in Denver, Andi is having the same thing with men that I'm having with women. They're not calling her and she's not caring. She's got her job and her babies. Then one day her boss sees that South Boston, tiny little South Boston hospital is going to have a medical conference and offers Andi the chance to go, and she jumps on it because she has an exceptionally good friend here working at CEMC. She packs up the twins, flies to Buffalo, and gets stuck in a snowdrift practically in my backyard. The Town of Concord PD calls me and asks if I can go pluck a tourist out of the ditch."

"When I see her, she's terrified. She doesn't know me from a mad rapist. She wouldn't let me help. In fact, she told me to go away. I couldn't go. I could not leave her and the babies behind. So, I knelt down in that storm in the middle of the street and prayed that something would happen. Anything that would help. I'm freezing, cold, wet, and just praying for those babies. And just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, her phone rings. It's 911 telling her who her rescuer would be…"

Paul took a long drink before continuing and one of the barflies yelled, "Who's it gonna be???"

After the laughter settled down, Paul said, "Me! Why else would I be telling this? She let me take her back to my cabin and warm up some, and soon we warm up to each other. And soon it was like… like our hearts flowered, we couldn't be apart more than 10 feet. I asked her to marry me, out of the blue, the idea just popped into my head, and at the same time I asked her, she asked me, the idea just popped in her head too."

The room was quiet except for the chatter from a football pregame show on the TV.

"Anyhow, that's the story," said Paul. "Take it for what it's worth, but that's what happened." He got up and placed his empty glass on the bar. "I have to go back and help the twins take down the Christmas tree so we can get on the road."

"I'll catch up with you," called out John, and after Paul had left and started walking home, Pastors John and Vincent, and Father Juan all leaned back in their chairs. John sipped from his cola and shook his head. "They both believe that it is the Holy Spirit that brought them together in Minneapolis, and when they separated the Holy Spirit isolated them from the opposite sex until the Holy Spirit saw fit to bring them back together and, they both told me this on separate occasions, 'unlocked their hearts'."

"Spiritually, where are they?" asked Pastor D'Angelo.

"Right now? Andi was brought up Christian until her father was killed in Iraq and her mother's faith was shattered. Her mother remarried. Harold is a very nice guy, a lapsed Jew. She went to friends' weddings, she attended church on random occasions for random reasons, but otherwise a lost soul."

"But now she has a real hunger for God's word, she told Macy that when she first sat down to dinner with Paul, and he broke bread during grace, she knew it was communion, and knew there was a reason for her being there at that very moment. It's been a hectic few weeks, but she wants to learn, she wants to join our church, and when it comes time, she wants to be baptized in their pond."

"As for Paul, he's doing very good. He is on the brink of eldership."

"What do you, the brother, think?" asked Father Juan, finishing his beer.

"I really don't know," said John. "I see a couple happily married after knowing each other for only a few weeks, and they are truly in love. Or at least think they are. Andi tells me that quick engagements and long marriages run in her family. She and Paul are the slowpokes. If you total up all the time between the moment they met and the moment they said, 'I do' for Andi, her mother, her grandmother, and her great-grandmother you come up with less than 3 months total, but their marriages have all been till death do us part."

"It truly has to be His spirit. Nowadays we just don't recognize it," said Pastor Vincent, nodding in agreement.

Father Juan shook his head, "I don't know, I'm not convinced, and what about her first marriage…"

"ENOUGH!" roared Ayato. "You guys, you theologians get together and pick, pick, pick, you dissect everything and take the joy out of life. Let God be God and let Him do His thing and let the lovers' love! Isn't their love a reflection of God's love? Didn't He say, "Though the mountains be shaken, and the hills be removed, my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor will my covenant of peace be removed?"

The Springville men of God looked at Ayato in shock. From back in the kitchen, Julissa yelled, "You tell 'em, babe!"

"It was a month for Julissa and me," said the retired lieutenant colonel as he picked up the empty glassware.

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Chapter 3

"I can't wear this to a party, it might be handy if I was breastfeeding twins again though," Andi was trying on dresses to wear to the New Year's Eve party and the current selection showed incredible amounts of side-boob from multiple directions.

"You look darling!" said Macy.

"Paul will like it a lot, but not out in public." She was wearing a copper sequin plunging cowl neck, a backless minidress that Macy picked out for her. More of her skin was exposed than covered. The neckline plunged to her naval and whenever she moved, one of her nipples popped out. The dress was backless, and the beltline was so low the dimples above her rear cheeks could be seen.

"I like it. You should get it."

"This makes my legs look fat. Why did you pick this?" demanded Andi.

Macy smiled. "Because look!"

Lucy stepped out of the dressing room wearing a gold sequin plunging cowl neck, backless minidress, the same dress as Andi, just a different color. Its plunging neckline showed off her incredible abs, and the backless dress showed off her muscular back. "I feel so naked," she said sadly. She turned to Andi. "One wrong move and you show off everything you have, and I show off everything I wished I had."

"You look beautiful! If we do something with your hair," said Macy, taking Lucy's hair out of its perpetual bun and she began teased it with a comb until she was satisfied. "Just wait," said Macy and she ducked into the dressing room and came out moments later in the same dress but this time in silver, which both Lucy and Andi said was beautiful on her.

"You forgot the important part," said Macy, producing a roll of double-sided 'Fashion Tape.' She applied pieces here and there, using tape to hold the dresses in place on the doctors. "How is that?"

Andi and Lucy moved around and found that they were still covered. The dresses stayed in place. Macy handed her phone to the salesgirl and asked for her to take a photo of the three of them together. She took a few minutes trying to get Lucy and Andi to strike poses worthy of a professional model, then stepped between them, struck a beautiful pose, and nodded to the salesgirl. "Everyone say 'penis'!"

The photo was beautiful, the three of them in saucy poses and huge smiles, but the following photograph was even better, Andi and Lucy in a fit of giggles and Macy in the middle dumbfounded, eyes rolled skyward, that two medical professionals were giggling over an anatomical term.

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When Andi got home, the big beautiful blue spruce in the parlor was gone; the ornaments, garlands and lights were boxed up and hauled off to storage, the tree disappeared, and the twins were in tears. "How can your unicorn have a magic castle if the giant Christmas tree is gone?" they cried. That logic confused poor Paul nearly to tears, but Andi was used to it. The twins are Sandy and Madeline, were darling little five-year-old girls with bright blond hair and were much smaller than the average five-year-old, and they're also much brighter. They're both math wizards for their age and read reluctantly at a third-grade level. Sandy was outgoing and vivacious. Madeline was reserved and thoughtful, but together they could be little terrorists if they put their minds to it.

"Did you girls help daddy take down the tree?"

"Yes, but we didn't want to," said Madeline angrily.

Andi crouched down and gathered the girls to her. "But we had to take the tree down so we could go on vacation, and ride the boat, and play on the beaches…" encouraged Andi.

"And see Anna?" said Sandy.

"And Ella?" said Madeline.

"And Minnie?" they said in unison.

"Why don't you girls bring your dirty laundry down here so we can get ready to go see Anna, Ella, and Minnie."

The girls took off like twin rockets, leaving new dad Paul bewildered in their wake. "How did you do that? I've been trying all day to light a fire under them."

"They're sort of self-igniting, if you know where the secret buttons are located," said Andi, giving Paul a hug. "One of those buttons is at a theme park," she said as they kissed. "This is one of those shoals we mentioned that you need to navigate through."

"Is Lucy around?" asked Paul after they kissed again.

"Sure, why?"

"Why don't you two meet me in the kitchen. I have two more boxes to hand out."

Andi looked perplexed but found Lucy, down on the treadmill as usual, and asked her to come back upstairs when she was done with her workout. Soon the two women joined Paul, who had two gaily wrapped packages about six inches long, two inches high, and three inches wide. Lucy and Andi's minds both went straight to "Dildo," and they started giggled again. He handed one box to each woman, who found that the boxes were quite heavy for their size, too heavy for a dildo. Lucy opened her first and found that it was a box of business cards. Andi's were the same.

"Doctor Adrianna L. Roberts, Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Tift Memorial Veterans Clinic… What is this?"

"Doctor Evangeline L. Kocsis, Thoracic surgery, Pulmonary Medicine, and Critical Care, Tift Memorial Veterans Clinic… same question and don't ever call me Evangeline." Lucy glared at Paul.

"Look at this as a job offer. The clinic will not be ready for months, so you have time to consider it, but you heard my talk at the seminar. Five percent of the civilian population has sleep apnea, while up to sixty percent of veterans have it. In the civilian world, pulmonary hypertension is incredibly rare, 2 cases in a million. In our veterans, the rate is much higher, as is arthritis of the lungs. COPD is killing our vets. Men and women are coming back from the desert with COPD so brutal that they are being rated at 100% disabled. I want to implement a three-prong approach in our clinic: help our veterans who have it, try to determine a cause, and come up with preventative measures so we don't lose a generation of soldiers."

"I'm in. I would like to get back to regular thoracic surgery," said Lucy, "not this meatball M*A*S*H nightmare I've been living."

"If it means that much to you, it means that much to me," said Andi. "I'm all yours."

"I'm not the head honcho on this endeavor. I'm just the damn fool that walked into the VA and spouted off and wouldn't shut up until they did something. I'll be on staff just the same as you guys."

"This will be interesting, I never slept with a colleague before," said Andi with what she hoped was an innocent little smile then rubbed her round ass against his crotch.

"You get used to it," said Lucy, then noticing the shocked stares she was getting, she called out, "What?"

Trying to ignore Lucy's accidental revelation, he continued. "Our mission in this endeavor is primarily research, then treatment…"

Paul was interrupted by a loud banging from the laundry room, and they all rose to investigate. In the laundry room, they found Sandy and Madeline standing on a pile of clothing and banging their hands on the drier as they yelled, "Let's go!"

Andi looked at the pile of clothes and sighed, then laughed… they brought down every stitch of clothing they had here in New York. The clean clothes were mixed with the dirty clothes, so now there was a lot of laundry to be done. Paul took her in his arms as she tried to determine whether to laugh or cry. "Got their fuses lit pretty darn good, mama."

"Our babies want to see Anna," sighed Andi.

"And Ella!" they shouted.

As they got the laundry drama sorted out, there came a knock at the back door. "Come on in, Veronica!" called Paul without looking.

"How did you know it was Veronica?" asked Andi, as they properly loaded the washer with as much of the girls' clothes as they could.

"She's the only one that knocks."

"Aw! You took your tree down," said the vivacious blond. "What about January sixth?"

"Yeah, what about January Sixth?" asked Andi.

"That's the day I traditionally take the tree down. What's up, blondie?"

"I just wanted to ask if I can borrow your library tomorrow night. The company party is Thursday, and Mitch and I want a few more practices." Veronica was once a beauty queen (she won Miss Ohio and came in 10th at Miss USA) and her talent was ballroom dancing. The company she works for puts on a huge holiday party and she and her coach Mitch dance there every year. Paul's library is a big empty room with a sprung dance floor.

"Sure, no problem," said Paul. "Hey, we're going to Cheektowaga for our annual Christmas Eve dinner in a little bit. Would you like to join us?"

"I don't… Christmas Eve? We're about three hundred sixty-four days early, don't you think?"

"We're two days late… there was this wedding… It's a long story. Come on along."

<><><><><>֎<><><><><>

Chapter 4

Against her common sense, Veronica von Köster rode with Gus and Lucy in Lucy's Lexus into Cheektowaga for dinner at Giardino's Italian Family Restaurant, a place she has heard of for ages from Paul, but she's never gone. Good Italian food is not conducive to a trim waistline. "Thank you for getting my reading room done so nicely, Gus."

"Reading room?" asked Lucy.

"I added a small reading room to her house," said Gus. "It has five sides and is big enough for what, two rocking chairs?"

"It catches the morning sunlight so beautifully. This morning I had my tea out there and saw the most beautiful cardinal in my tree," said Veronica.

"Don't let the twins see that. They want to put a cardinal in a cage."

It was snowing as they followed Paul off US33 on to Harlem Drive and they turned onto Maryvale drive then into Cedargrove Heights. "Isn't this Tiorunda Housing?" asked Veronica.

"Yup," said Gus. "It used to be called that." He pointed toward a large, gray, slab-sided two-story building. "That's where John and Paul grew up."

"That's kind of gloomy," said Lucy, seeing the trash around the dumpsters and the bicycles sticking out of snowdrifts.

"It used to be really bad," and he continued around the park. Many of the buildings were split-level duplexes and decorated with Christmas lights, but the big gloomy two-story gray boxes only had lights in the occasional window. After cruising through the neighborhood, they pulled on to Genesee Street and there was Giardino's. They pulled into the parking lot and Gus complained that a proper Italian Restaurant should have several black 1968 Cadillacs in the parking lot.

"Hush," said Lucy. "People will hear you."

"I'm Italian. What are they going to say? Come on, Veronica." Gus led them to the entrance and as soon as he entered, they were assailed by Momma Giardino.

"Augusto!" she cried and threw her hands around Gus. "You finally come home."

"I was here two weeks ago, momma."

"Not enough for a hardworking man! And who do you have with? So pretty!"

"Momma, this is Veronica von Köster, a neighbor we have been trying to get to come here, and you have met Lucy."

As Momma Giardino teased Lucy for being too skinny, Veronica smelled the wonderful medley of fragrances wafting from the kitchen… it smelled like Italy. It's been a while since she's been there, but she remembers those smells like it was yesterday. Momma led them to a table in a private room where Andi, Paul, Sandy, and Madeline sat with John, Macy, and Andi's parents, Harold, and Heather Driscoll. Their waiter Tony pulled chairs out for Veronica and Lucy and the twins swarmed into their grandparent's laps. Harold and Heather were heading back to Denver after dinner, so the twins were getting as much grandma and grandpa time as they could.

"Such a happy family," sniffed Momma. "Such love! It's a shame Pauli and John's parents weren't here to see this." Andi and Paul were taking a moment to study each other's eyes. Even after everything that happened in the past five weeks, Paul's breath still catches in his chest when he looks into Andi's eyes.

As their lips parted, the newlyweds realized everyone was looking at them. "Um, sorry," mumbled Paul. "Gus? Would you like to do the honors?"

"Why I'd be happy to," he said and Andi and Veronica folded their hands to say grace, but Gus had turned to Tony and said, "We'll have the antipasto and wedding soup, lasagna, bring a whole pan, rigatoni with pork ragout, lamb Osso buco, gnocchi ala Romana, your seafood stuffed shells, bowtie carbonara, and your spaghetti."

"Meatballs or sausage?"

"Bring both. And for dessert we'll try the…" but Gus was interrupted by the twins chanting.

"Tear Sue, Tear Sue, Tear Sue!"

"Tiramisu," said Tony, writing it down. "Anything else?"

"The house wine you get from Pordenone, and Welshes for the girls."

"Wow, that's quite a load," said Lucy. "I'm going to be on the treadmill all day tomorrow."

"Mind if I join you?" said Veronica. She was going to be house and dog sitting for Paul and Andi while the family goes on a cruise. This meal will give her the excuse to try all their exercise equipment.

Soon bowls of the Italian Wedding soup were set out and even the twins liked it. They weren't wild about it at first. They are primarily chicken noodle connoisseurs. "There are meatballs in your soup," said Andi.

"Meatballs?!?" they asked as they wrinkled their noses but peering in their bowls, they saw the little meatballs.

"There are leaves in there," complained Sandy.

"It's spinach," said Uncle Gus.

"Spinach makes you strong," insisted Madeline, so they tried it and when Tony came back with the Antipasto, the twins informed him that the soup wasn't bad in their opinion and they should sell it to everybody.

"I will be sure to tell the chef that the wedding soup gets the twins' approval," said Tony.

"And the sticks," said Sandy as she dipped the end of her breadstick into her soup bowl.

As the bowls and platters of the main courses were set out, Veronica's eyes closed in pleasure as she smelled the fragrance of each dish set before them. "Oh, if you only knew the torture of a photo shoot in Italy," she said. "You could smell the food everywhere, but your agent and the photographer were right there demanding that if you ate, it was water and a rice cake. A tiny rice cake."

"Oui!" said Macy, "I had a shoot in Napoli and the smells were so dangerous!" Macy escaped life in a fishing village by becoming la femme noire distante (mysterious black woman) for a photographer and parlayed that into a career which paid for her school expenses, which allowed her to become a theologian.

"Naples was the worst," agreed Veronica. "I could gain five pounds just sniffing the food…"

"We have ANOTHER fashion model with us?" Lucy almost wept, which caused most people to laugh, but Gus and Veronica felt sorry for her.

Other than that, the dinner was a success. The couples laughed as they ate and talked about their plans for the next couple of weeks. Cruising on the warm Caribbean, basking in the warm Florida sunshine. Swimming, fishing, and relaxing on Andi's Dream. "I'm going to catch a fish THIS BIG!" declared Sandy, holding her hands about six inches apart.

"That's kind of small, isn't it?" asked Gus.

"She likes fish sticks," said Andi, trying to fight back the giggles.

"Waste not want not!" said Madeline, coming to her sister's aid. "Gamma always says that, right gamma?"

"Right, little one!" said Heather proudly.

Harold Driscoll took picture after picture of his wife Heather as she posed and smiled with all the guests, especially Macy, whom she thought she needed to make up for her earlier remarks. Harold looked truly happy for the first time since Andi met him as a young teen when her mother remarried. She hugged Harold and said, "You and mom look so happy."

"I think you and Paul showed us what we really had," said Harold. Until this weekend their marriage was one of quiet friendship, but when Heather finally admitted her inner pain to Andi, it changed their relationship forever. Her marriage with Howard truly warmed up.

"You can come and visit any time you want, dad," and Andi kissed her stepfather on the cheek.

"That's the first time you ever called me dad," he said.

"Paul had a talk with me too," said Andi. Paul and Andi talked Christmas evening while cleaning up after the feast about how she treated poor Harold, who only wants peace between Heather and her daughter Andi. "I'm sorry I've been unfair to you. It's not your fault my father died, but I didn't think of that…"

"Stop," said Harold as he hugged his stepdaughter. "It's ok, I always understood."

Andi looked up at her stepdad in surprise. "You did?"

Harold gave her a kiss and said, "We'll be back this summer. After all, we are looking for a place to retire."

The Christmas decorations in the restaurant were lavish and made a great background for photos and the other customers were cheerful and sang spirited Italian songs that only Gus and Lucy understood. Tony was a big hit with the twins and more than once they hopped down and began following him around as he greeted new diners, causing people to laugh at Tony's girlfriends.

"You're not going to be here for New Year's Eve?" asked Momma Giardino.

"No momma, we're going to be on Andi and Paul's boat," explained John for the fourth time.

"But it's not New Year's Eve without you and Macy not drinking and Paulie drinking enough for all three of you."

"Momma!" said Paul, "we agreed not to speak about that." But Paul saw Andi glaring at him. "It only happened once," he told her.

"Once I can see," said Andi.

"Once a year," said Macy.

Sadly, it was time to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa Driscoll. Their red-eye flight to Denver departed in a few hours, and they had a rental car to turn back in. "Next time let us pick you up," said Paul, "I can get a loaner for you when you get here."

"Thanks Paul, that's swell," said Harold as they shook hands.

"And if you like it, I'll let you buy it," said Paul with a playful grin. "We'll be up there in March. I have a friend getting a big assignment in Minot. We're going to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Olson, then come down and close out Andi's condo and sell her car."

"Can't wait to see you again," said Harold and for the first time since he married Heather, everything looked like it was going to be ok.

[c]<><><><><>

Andi and Paul soaked in the enormous bathtub in their bedroom… it was big enough for the two of them and the twins, too. Several candles flickered as they held each other close, kissing and whispering endearments. "You know, I put these tubs in because they looked right for this position in the bathroom. I never dreamed of actually using them. I prefer the shower."

"Showers aren't any fun, especially when you're alone," said Andi. "You can't do this in a shower." Then she leaned back on Paul and moaned in contentment.

"Can't do what?" he asked, and then he noticed her fingers were below the waterline and rubbing her clit in circles. Paul opened the drain, then reached for her breasts and pinched her nipples and twisted them between thumb and forefinger.

"Oh god that's good" said Andi, as she masturbated in the loving arms of her husband. She always wondered what it would be like to do this, and it was so good! Paul kissed her neck and whispered encouragement into her ear as she brought herself to orgasm. The water level dropped slowly, revealing Andi's actions below the bubbles.

"You look so beautiful when you love yourself," he whispered in her ear. For Andi, his words of encouragement were just as effective as her fingers. She gasped as she climbed to orgasm and Paul whispered, "cum for me, show me how hot you are." Andi mewled as Paul's words and his hands pushed her over the edge. "More, he hissed. "Show me how you like it."

Now both of Andi's hands were stirring up her orgasm. Her two middle fingers of her left hand were plunging into her pussy while the same fingers of her right hand flickered back and forth over her clit. Paul hefted her round breasts while he pinched her nipples hard, the way she liked. "Don't stop," she gasped. "I'm gonna…" and her words were trapped as the tensions built to a fever pitch.

She shrieked as she came. She pushed herself back against Paul over and over, and the waves of pleasure had their way with her. Paul held her close and laughed as she came so deliciously, it was glorious that she would share this intimate moment with him. When it was over, they sat in the empty tub, Andi lay back against Paul panting and shuddering. "God, I love you," she said.

"Now it's my turn," whispered Paul.

"Oh, no!" she gasped. "My virtue! Please, kind sir!" Paul chuckled; this was an interesting game. He suddenly wished he had a mustache to twirl. He eased his way out of the tub and scooped Andi out in his arms. "Sir, no, please, whatever you do, don't…"

"Heh, heh, heh," Paul gave an evil laugh. He laid Andi down on the bed, her damp skin glistening in the candlelight. So sexy, so delectable. "What are we afraid of, little lady?"

"I'll pay the mortgage, kind sir," said Andi. She rolled over and tried to crawl away.

Paul grasped her by the hips and got between her legs. "I got you now, milady," he said in his best 'bad guy' voice. "This is what I meant by compound interest!" and he eased his cock into her sodden pussy.

"Oh!" cried Andi. "I am undone!" and his enormous cock slid into her, spreading her open and reaching for her cervix. She crossed her arms on the bed and lay her face down on her crossed arms and watched in a mirror as she surrendered her pussy to Paul. "Oh, yessssss," she hissed as he fucked her with hard, deep strokes. Then she whispered, "You bad guys are so damn easy."

Trying not to laugh, Paul fucked in earnest. He drove into her as hard as he could. The air was filled with the sound of their bodies slapping together, but he wouldn't last long. He was so worked up from watching her cum earlier and Andi was still worked up from her show in the bathtub that they were both close to climax. Andi got up on her hands and thrust her ass back at Paul, gasping, "Harder… harder!" and soon they were cumming.

Paul collapsed on Andi's back, and she collapsed to the bed as he flooded her pussy with semen. "You're a pretty bad bad guy," she groaned. "I need another bath now."

"Let's make it a shower," said Paul. "We have to go to Niagara Falls tomorrow.

<><><><><>֎<><><><><>

Chapter 5

For normal people, leaving on a honeymoon is as simple as getting on the airplane and going. Sure, you may need to have someone watch the cat or feed the goldfish, but in the end it's just you and your honey and your tickets to wherever you're going. Paul and Andi chose not to go the easy route, and took the twins along. To watch the twins while they were otherwise engaged, Lucy was enlisted to come along on the trip. Since it was a cruise, Lucy asked Gus to come along. But Gus still had work commitments, and Lucy and Gus needed to return to Western New York shortly after the new year started. Because of this, Macy was asked to come along and watch the twins, to which she agreed, and she would bring John, and he would return to Western New York with Lucy and Gus. Irma Hirsh would take care of the chickens and Veronica would keep Wonka company and mind the house until John returned.

It was planned that the newlyweds would leave first and spend the day in the Magic Kingdom, then head over to Port Canaveral and check out the boat. Paul had something to do at Patrick AFB, so maybe they could pick up snacks before heading out. They would head out to sea and test the boat, then pick up everyone else in Melbourne the next day.

This was all decided on Christmas afternoon before dinner without Paul, John, or Gus's knowledge.

When Tuesday dawned foggy and cold, Paul loaded up his brand-new family in his Ranger and headed north and continued north past the airport and up into Niagara Falls NY. "Ok, here's our first stop," said Paul.

"Can we see Anna?" called Sandy from the depths of her comfy child seat.

"And Ella?" called Madeline.

"Not here," said Paul as he pulled up to the entrance to the Niagara Falls Air Force Base. At the main gate, a guard stopped them, and Paul handed the guard his ID card. The guard snapped to attention and gave Paul a sharp salute, which he held until Paul returned it. They chatted for a bit. The guard gave him directions, and they headed on to base. Andi was full of questions. "Why did he salute you but not the car ahead of us?"

"Because I am an officer and he had to salute me, the people in the car ahead of us were not."

"You asked him how to get to Sea Beau. What's that?" asked Andi.

"Sea Beau is the lazy way of saying CBPO, which is the Consolidated Base Personnel Office."

"And the deer's you asked him about aren't real deer's?" said Andi.

"Correct. DEERS stands for the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. It is the personnel database which we are entering you and the girls into, so you will be listed as my dependents. That way you have access to things like Tri-Care, the BX, and the Commissary."

"What is that?" Andi was used to being bombarded with jargon and acronyms, but these were alien to her.

"Tri-care is the medical insurance benefit I receive from the military, including prescription coverage. The BX is the Base Exchange, a large department store on base, and the commissary is a large grocery store on base."

"And why would I go out of my way to go shopping on base?"

"It's tax free."

Andi smiled; he could see her eyes glinting behind her sunglasses. "There you go talking all sexy again…"

Inside the personnel office, away from the snow, rain and the stifling humidity, the air was warm and dry. Even the sounds were muffled and quiet. For the first time in her life, Andi realized the meaning of "Hurry up and wait." Paul had called the personnel office and reserved "a slot" before they were married when they first figured out their honeymoon plans. They showed up dead on time, quite early in the morning, but the wait remained.

She was sitting in a waiting room filled with people in and out of uniform. Many of the people were obviously retired, like Paul, here for one reason or another. A big screen TV showed a list of names and their status in line. A block of the screen was showing either "Did You Know" trivia about the personnel office, or videos of C-130s taxiing around the air base. "I can see why you insisted on bringing crayons and coloring books," she whispered to Paul. The girls were laying on the carpeted floor, furiously coloring the Disney characters they had recently made plans to speak to.

"Nothing changes, 'we wait because we wait.' It's part of an old fighter pilot drinking song," whispered Paul quietly so as not to break the funeral parlor silence in the room.

"You were kind of a fighter pilot; I saw your wings and pictures of you in an airplane."

"Ahhhh no. I was their sworn enemy. I was the mean doctor who wouldn't let them fly with a sinus infection or any other disqualifying minor irritations."

"So now I'm Mrs. Mean Doctor?"

"You're now Mrs. Colonel Mean Doctor…we're up!" said Paul as the sign now said "Now Serving: LTC Jarecki"

The screen informed them of the cubical number that contained a waiting airman, ready and eager to help. Ok, maybe just ready. They gathered up their girls, crayons, coloring books, and stray sneakers and marched off to the allotted cubical, Sandy and Madeline both limping oddly because both had kicked off their left sneaker. As they entered the cubical, the young Hispanic airman snapped to attention. "Good morning sir," she said as she smiled. "How can I help you today?"

"First of all, you can relax, Airman Hernandez, and tell us your first name."

"It's Anna, sir," as she eased into her seat. At the sound of her name, the twins perked up. Anna is their favorite Disney character, so they silently slid up next to their new heroine to watch her in action.

"We're here to change my marital status and enroll my family into DEERS."

"Ok, if you will hand me your ID card and sign in over there," and she pointed to a small black box on her desk. Paul put his index finger on the box, which scanned his fingerprint, and signed him in. Meanwhile, Airman First Class Anna Hernandez double checked his ID card. "Ok, I'll need your marriage license and your birth certificates."

Since Andi's original plans were to travel to Canada, she brought birth certificates for herself and the girls and their passports along from Denver, and when they packed for Florida, Paul insisted she bring them along for that same purpose. They may end up entering the Bahamas. Airman Anna scanned the documents, entered information into her workstation, and finally printed up several forms which showed the information she prepared for the database. "Please double check everything in these forms. It's a real pain in the neck to correct something once past this point." And she handed Paul several pre-filled out forms.

He and Andi looked over the forms to ensure all birth dates and names were correct and handed them back to Anna, who was chatting with her new fan club. "Are you going to see Mickey and Minnie?"

"Uh-huh!" said the twins in unison, "And Goofy and Donald and Daisy, and Princess Leia, and the Mandalorian!" said Sandy with mounting excitement.

"And baby Yoda?" asked Airman Anna

"Grogu!" sternly corrected Sandy and Madeline.

"Who do you want to see the most?" asked Airman Anna.

"Anna and Ella," said Madeline softly with a reverence that caused Airman Anna to laugh. Paul handed back the forms and said that they were correct, and Airman Anna scanned them in and said to the twins, "Poof! That's it! Now we take a picture of your mom to mark the occasion."

She had Andi stand on a spot in her cubical in front of a blue screen and took a picture with a pre-positioned camera. Then she had Andi look at one more form, ensure that spelling and date of birth was correct and when that was confirmed Anna pressed a key on her computer and a machine behind her desk produced a peach-colored ID card for Andi. Anna handed it to her and said, "Welcome to the United States Air Force, Mrs. Jarecki, and if you have questions, please call. My extension is on that other card I gave you. Colonel Sir, I suggest you introduce Mrs. Andi to the USAF as soon as possible, the BX is only a couple of blocks away," she grinned.

"Thank you, Airman, but we will be hitting the BX at Patrick Space Force Base tomorrow."

"OOoooo, nice!" said the airman. "Take me with you!"

<><><><><>֎<><><><><>

Chapter 6

They put their coats and sneakers back on and got into the Ranger and headed south to Buffalo International Airport. The twins have already flown from Denver to Buffalo, so they considered themselves world travelers and as soon as they hit the airport, they pulled off their jackets and put on their sunglasses and strolled through the facility with their backpacks and carry-on roller bags. There was slight confusion at TSA when the agents found that juice boxes had somehow been added to the twins' back packs and had to be disposed of.

"That is not what I meant when I asked you to help pack your bags," scolded Andi.

"But we need them!" pleaded Sandy.

Madeline put her arm around her sister. "She gets very thirsty."

"There will be juice for you on the airplane, Ma'am," said the TSA agent.

"He called me ma'am," said Madeline, beaming.

"No, he called ME ma'am," said Sandi.

"No, ME!"

"MOM! What's a ma'am?"

"Put your shoes on and let's go!" demanded Andi.

They made it to their gate with plenty of time to spare, and the doctors whiled away the time, reviewing plans for the new clinic and reading medical journals while the twins played with their stuffies at Paul and Andi's feet. Finally, the plane was ready for passengers to board.

"Welcome to United flight 775 direct service to Orlando. We will start boarding shortly. Keep in mind that this is a sold-out flight today, so there will be no empty seats. We have a standby list, so if anyone would like to take a bump and fly later, please come up to the desk now."

The twins started packing up their tablets and stuffies, then donned their sunglasses, ready to hit the beaches. They were still wearing their bright yellow church dresses, but the sunglasses made them look cool.

"We will start boarding with anyone who needs extra time…"

Paul had to nudge Andi to get her to close her laptop and get ready to board.

"Any newlyweds traveling with twins, please board now, any newlyweds traveling with twins…"

The people waiting to board chuckled at the announcements, but Sandy and Madeline left their parents behind and walked onto the jetway, pulling their carry-on bags and wearing their shades, their noses in the air like they owned the airline. As the embarrassed couple had their boarding passes checked, the flight attendant said, "Ernie and Mary Kraft say bon voyage."

Andi probably didn't hear because she was scrambling after Sandy and Madeline, but Paul did. "Pardon?" he asked.

"Ernie and Mary Kraft say bon voyage," repeated one of the attendants, and then she pointed over her shoulder to the customer service desk behind her. Over there was one of Ernie and Mary's granddaughters, waving to Paul. Was that one Gwen or Sarah? Paul could never keep them straight. He waved back and thanked the attendants, then dashed to catch up with his bride. Paul didn't think that Ernie was the kind to pull a gag like this. 'Well played Ernie', he thought.

The family had first class seating, and it was decided that Paul and Madeline would sit on one side of the aisle, Sandy and Andi on the other. The twins complained about the seating, but Andi played the parent card and sat the two on separate sides of the aisle with a separate parent each "because I say so." Actually, it was the airline that didn't want the two toddlers seated side by side without a parent at hand. Both twins refused window seats. They wanted to sit in the aisle to be nearer her sister.

During loading, the twins looked at each other. The agony of their separation was painted plainly on their faces, their eyes filled with tears. Occasionally, little hands would reach across the aisle for each other. Silently fat tears crept down their faces to collect on quivering chins.

Their silent suffering broke the hearts of the entire cabin crew, and the flight attendant tried to cheer them up, but Sandy and Madeline's world didn't include anyone but their sister at this moment. "They're so pitiful," said the flight attendant as she handed Andi a glass of cranberry juice and a small bottle of vodka. "How old are they?"

Andi looked at her suffering babies, and her heart ached for them. "They just turned five in November," she said as she sipped the cranberry juice and slid the bottle into her purse.

"Oh my gosh, I would have guessed three, maybe early four. Preemies?" and she sat another bottle of vodka on Andi's tray table. Andi looked at the bottle and picked it up while the flight attendant said, "from one twin mom to another."

Andi smiled and said, "Thank you. They were born at 28 weeks, they're never apart." Andi upended the vodka into her cranberry juice.

Boarding was complete, and the passengers were settling down and buckling in, but the twins were reaching out to each other, the flight attendants could barely look at them, their tiny sad faces and their big tear-filled eyes… finally, a fellow in a uniform walked slowly down the aisle and stopped at where the twins were reaching out to each other. He stood there until they looked up at him in terror. He tipped his hat back and crouched down and asked, "What's wrong here, you two? I can't fly this big old metal bird with sad little girls onboard." Both girls looked like they were going to run away screaming in terror. Eventually, Sandy whispered something. "I didn't hear you honey, what did you say?" the man asked.

"Use your words," encouraged Andi.

"My sister is sad. She should sit with me," said Sandy bravely.

The man with the fancy uniform and the shiny metal wings smiled. "Well, when we take off, we like to have all parents sit with their girl, so they don't get scared. You need to help your mama, and your sister has to help your papa. Once we get up in the air, you two can sit together. Is that ok?"

Tear filled twins nodded slowly.

"Good, would you like some coffee, or wine, or maybe a juice box?"

"Juice box please," they softly chimed, unsure of what this man was getting at.

The man took two sets of wings out of his pocket and showed them to the girls. "You're on my crew now, and I like a happy crew. Copy?" He waited for them to acknowledge what he said, then he handed the wings to Andi and Paul. "Mom and Dad can perform the pinning on ceremony once we're airborne, ok?"

A steward appeared and handed the captain two juice boxes, straws already inserted, and the captain handed them to the twins. "Are we good? Can we head to Florida now?" The girls each gave him a thumbs up as they sipped their juice and he smiled. "Good. I'll let the tower know we're ready to go." And he rose, spoke to the steward, and entered the cockpit.

The steward leaned over Sandy and said to Andi, "If you would like, after we reach altitude, you can swap seats," and she pointed toward Madeline.

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

Not long later, the airplane pulled on to the runway and started its take-off roll. When they flew from Denver to Buffalo, the twins were seated side by side with their mother in the aisle seat. Back then, they were together and busy with their stuffies and their baby stuffies and they were isolated from the trip. They had the bulkhead to their right, and their mom to the left, and seat backs in front and behind them; they were blocked in safely. Now they're hanging out over the aisle and were part of the aircrew. This was scary stuff.

Finally, the aircraft reached altitude and Madeline found her seat belt was released. She didn't know or care who released her, she just knew she was free, and she practically dove across the aisle. She scrambled up onto Sandy's seat and the twins hugged, rocking from side to side. While they were reunited, Andi got up from her seat and stepped out into the aisle. "Ok, you two, if you're going to sit like this, you both have to wear your seat belts."

"Aww mom!"

"Do you want the captain to come out and take those wings back?"

"Oh kayyy,"

Andi strapped Madeline in, then she sat down with Paul, who was reading a newspaper. She set up her laptop and started checking a few things; she logged into her bank and checked her accounts, then sat up in shock. She refreshed the screen, and the information was the same. Andi looked at her disinterested husband. "Honey?"

"Yes, dear?"

"It says here that my student loans have a zero balance."

"Isn't that odd…" Paul turned the page to see what the sportswriters were saying about the Bill's chances next year.

"It looks like a payment for the full amount was made on the 26th."

"You don't say… Looks like everyone in the NFL has decided that the Bills need better receivers."

Andi put her finger on Paul's cheek and made him turn his head toward her. "Would you like to know how that makes me feel?"

"Tell me," he said.

"Let me show you," she whispered huskily in his ear, then she pointed over to the twins, who were sound asleep, leaning on each other, their heads touching. "Safe, secure, and loved." She gave him a kiss, "Thank you so much," then she lay down, put her head on his lap, curled up and went to sleep.

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Chapter 7

If Paul and Andi wanted to go home after landing in Orlando, the twins would not have been sad. They thought the Orlando airport was incredible and the highlight of the trip. The twins weren't excited about the long walk from the airplane through the terminal, but when they got to the train station, they suddenly realized they were in paradise. They could see palm trees through the enormous windows and there was a little train waiting for them. Stepping into the section where you board the little train, they could feel the muggy Florida heat. Madeline turned and yelled, "Mom! It's summer!"

Paul and Andi hauled their carry-on luggage and the twin's car seats onto the train and slumped down in their seats. They looked at each other and sighed. "We made it this far, old man." She held her hand up for a high five. As he patted her hand, she said, "This was the easy part."

"I was afraid of that."

The twins ran from side to side of the train car, looking out of the windows, and it wasn't until they neared the main terminus that they noticed they were in front looking out of the front window and there was no driver on the train. "Who is driving?" demanded Sandy. "There has to be somebody driving."

"It was your turn to drive," said Paul, teasing Sandy. "Aren't you driving?"

"NO! I can't drive, I'm too little!" shrieked Sandy.

"And she doesn't have her car seat," said Madeline.

"There's nobody driving," explained Paul. "The whole train is a giant robot and the only thing it knows how to do is go back and forth, even if no one is riding."

"That's just silly," scowled Madeline. "where are its eyes? Where is its mouth?" with the absolute certainty that all robots have eyes and mouths.

"Maybe they are at the other end of the train. Maybe it's going backwards and you're looking out of his butt!" grinned Paul.

Madeline smacked her hand down on Paul's knee. "That's just silly! You can't look out a robot's butt!"

"What?" demanded Sandy, who wasn't paying attention.

"Poppa says we're looking out of a robot's butt!"

"You can't do that; everybody knows you can't look out of a robot's butt!" said Sandy with absolute certainty.

"Robots don't have windows in their butts!" agreed Madeline.

"Silly Poppa!" And with that they went back to watching out the front window as they approached the main terminal.

"Silly Poppa," scolded Andi with a smile.

"Hey, they stopped worrying that we don't have a driver," grinned Paul.

"You're settling into this Poppa job pretty well," said Andi with a little kiss.

"Aww," said an older woman, who watched the twins explore the small train car. "They're adorable!"

"They're slowly becoming Poppa's girls," said Andi, as she leaned her head on Paul's shoulder.

"Is this your first trip to Orlando?" asked the older woman.

"Not mine, but it is theirs," said Paul, signaling with his finger that he was talking about Andi and the twins.

"We're on a Family Honeymoon," said Andi. "We just got married," she said as she kissed Paul.

"And I adopted her girls… our girls," said Paul.

"We're going to Mickie's house!" cried Madeline, throwing herself on Paul's leg.

"Are you! What are you going to do when you get there?" asked the lady as Sandy sat down cross-legged in front of her.

Madeline jumped off of Paul's leg and sat next to Sandy. and they began listing their planned adventures, starting with a planned tea party with Ella and Anna. Paul and Andi scooped the twins up as Paul reminded Madeline, "You don't even like tea."

"But I like parties!" she said just before Paul started tickling her tummy, causing her to squeal and giggle.

"Ok you guys, we're coming into the terminal. Time to settle down."

"Oh Kayyyyyy," moaned the twins as they attempted to calm down.

"I must say, for a first-time dad, you're doing a good job," said the woman as she corralled her carry on and prepared for the train to stop.

"Told ya!" whispered Andi, with a nudge to Paul's ribs.

Soon the train came to a stop, and the doors opened automatically. The girls stepped into the main Orlando terminal, ready for their vacation to begin. It took a few moments for them to recognize it, but the twins had come face to face with the largest Christmas tree they have ever seen. The tree was forty feet tall and covered with 44,000 lights, surrounded by a ring of palm trees all decorated for Christmas. They stood at the base of the behemoth and gaped in awe at the majesty of the tree. Then they noticed that the great room they were standing in was ringed by six stories of hotel suites. Some of the hundreds of balconies had people sitting and watching the parade of people far below. Sandy and Madeline started waving at the people on the balconies, but no one waved back.

Then they saw it, the Mecca for five-year-old girls: the Disney souvenir store. Their sharp little five-year-old eyes saw Disney Princesses, Disney Superheroes, and Disney Cartoon characters, and their little transmissions dropped into drive immediately. They were three steps into their sprint for Disney treasures when they were snagged by their parents. "Hold on you two," ordered Poppa.

"We have to get our bags and our car first," said Momma.

Madeline pointed at the store shelves that were calling to them, "But…!"

"That's for people who are leaving," said Poppa. "We're going to Mickie's house, and they have much nicer stuff there." Big puppy eyes filled with tears, lower lips pouting out, tiny chins quivering… Paul was putty in their hands. "We can look, but we will save our buying for Mickies House."

"KAY!" and they were gone. There was nothing but a vapor trail leading to the Disney store. "They own you now. You know that, right?" said Andi, as they tried to catch up with the girls.

In the store, the twins gasped in awe at the multitudes of Anna and Ella stuff. Of course, they wanted everything, but they were handicapped by parents that were raised poor and didn't believe in splurging. After about ten minutes of looking, Paul said, "Ok girls, we have to go get our baggage or they're going to give your clothes away."

That was a preview of Andi's Dream - All Aboard Andi's Dream. To read the rest purchase the book.

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