The Ten of Them – Chapter 4: Kathryn and I are learning to be lovers

I let the Coach use the bass boat to go fishing. In a way I wish to been able to go fishing with the Coach and the boys but I would spend time with Kathryn just to see her smile.

After arriving at the mall Kathryn and I snuck off for a while simply walking hand-in-hand talking and window-shopping. We walked by a bridal shop and Kathryn’s eyes lit up seeing some of the wedding dresses. I whispered in her ear. “You want to go in and try some on?”

She shook her head no slowly before she says. “I got three more years to wait before I’ll need one of those.”

The second summer once we get out of high school I’m thinking. When my cell phone rings bring me back to reality. I keep my cell phone four times like these I don’t have coverage very far out of town which is fine with me. In town while in high school the phone was normally off but I have used it to call Joan from time to time and when we’re out like this it helps us find each other without having to walk the entire mall. Its Mom calling she wants to know where we are at. We tell her were standing in front of the bridal shop. Mom giggles. “You’re not buying that dress today.” She has us meet them at Victoria secrets. Walking there I’m thinking I should buy stocks in that company.

Mom sends me off to the computer store. While they shop at Victoria’s secret I give a chance to look around for a new laptop. Jokingly mom says. “We will call you when it’s time to pay.”

I pick up five laptops the ones you change the back on for Kathryn, Kara, Krystal, and Maria and one for myself. There in the trunk of the car before I get to call from mom to let me know it’s time to go the Victoria’s Secret she wasn’t joking, she wants me to come and pay. I’m hurrying back into the mall when I arrive at Victoria’s Secret they are nowhere to be seen. Walking up to the cash register I asked. “Have you seen seven women were in the store waiting for me?” The guy behind me makes remark that sounds like a lucky bastard, it only makes me smile. Then I noticed coming from the dressing room it’s Krystal followed by Kara, Maria, Michelle, my mother, Helen, and finally Kathryn. Each blocked the view of the other as they walked directly towards me in sexy new dresses that make the younger girls look twenty something and my mom and Helen look younger. Kathryn nearly knocks me over she is so hot. The same gentleman remarks slightly louder and I can hear clearly as he says. “Fucking lucky bastard not only are there seven with him but there also totally hot.”

Salesclerk giggles. “So that’s them?” Shaking my head I paid the charges already totaled before they changed into the dresses, also two large bags waiting for me to carry. I gave my totally hot girlfriend a quick kiss before taking the bags to the car and returned to meet them at their next store they want to shop.

All through the mall the girls are getting looks from almost every male that passes them a few even turn to follow them until they turn into a store or stop me to talk to them. Kathryn giggles saying. “You’re our protector to keep all the other horny men away.”

I whisper to her. “But who’s going to protect you from me.”

Giggling merrily Kathryn says. “Who said, I wanted protection from you?”

A few more hours later and several thousand dollars, we start home after a meal. Mom informs me that she’s determined to finish furnishing the house one wing only has my old bedroom furniture in it. She wants Kathryn’s help with the task. Again we stop at that high-end furniture store and Kathryn makes a few more purchases for our room. Mom and Kathryn picks out the furniture to replace the master bedroom suite and furnish the other two rooms in that wing. Mom also decides it’s time to replace the living room furniture. With Kathryn’s help the entire house practically will be redecorated.

Kathryn looking at me says. “You could take care of everything else I’ll take care of home from now on.” Setting her credit card down Kathryn is waiting for the total. The same clerk is busy totaling today’s purchase today’s total is four times as large as the last. When Kathryn’s card is again approved the clerk asked. “How do you get such a high limit for your age?” Kathryn grins before saying. “I have a wonderful teacher in my boyfriend. He taught me how to trade stocks. He helped me get started big time, over the last year we made 65.1 million together.”

Salesclerk smiles at her and says. “The best thing any of my boyfriends’ ever got me was flowers. You are one lucky girl.”

I grin at her saying, “Not bad for a couple of kids.” Mom and Helen giggle in the background but the rest of the girls are wide eyed staring at their sister. After leaving the store Kathryn is bombarded with questions from her sisters and more than a few requests. She grins and says to her sister’s request, “Well I’ll think about it.” I know her, her sisters will have anything they want. It would just mean a few more trips for me to drive them here. Kara and Krystal have requested laptops and I smile to myself knowing I have already gotten them.

It’s time for us to drive home, before we’re out of cell range I give mom a quick call to let her know I need to stop and get gas. The SUV is refueled earlier so she doesn’t need to, mom said see you when we get home.

When I finally get home the SUV is still in the Edwards driveway a police car is parked outside on the curve. I drive on into the house parking the car and walked into the living room just as the phone rings. It’s Mom calling she wants me to bring Kathryn, Kara and Krystal over immediately.

Kara, Krystal, Kathryn and I walked over to her old home a walk we made probably thousands of times over the years but today it feels as long as all those walks together some reason Kathryn clutches to me afraid of what is going to happen.

Walking in the police officers we pass on the walkway they’re silent as we pass. On entering the house it feels strange normally a happy feeling pervades the house but not now. Helen rushes to Kathryn and holds her tight; she’s crying and can’t bring herself to say what’s wrong. Mom has tears streaming down her face. Mom approaches the three of us as I try to comfort both Helen and now Kathryn as they both cry.

Mom takes deep breath to steady herself before she begins. Looking at me she says. “The boat exploded and Michael and Eddie are missing. Michael Junior and Mark survived they were thrown into the water another boat pick them up.” The Coach had become a substitute father to me. I knew he and my mother were close friends as well. Mom continues. “They are more boats out looking for them right now, Michael Junior said they jumped into the water just before the boat exploded they said there was a fire and everyone got out but were are separated. They were knocked out and couldn’t tell their rescuer that there’s two more in the water.

The phone rings and everyone jumps shaking Helen answers. Her facial expressions change an instant hearing Michael’s voice. She puts the phone to her chest and screams. “HE’S ALIVE, THEIR OKAY.”

We rush off to the hospital where the four are at. It doesn’t take his very long to get there, but it seems like forever. The Coach is a little worse off than his sons, he was the last to get out of the boat and have a few burns that are serious. They all will survive which is a good thing.

Michael Junior Mark and Eddy had some time in the hospital being treated for minor burns and concussions, released in a day. Edward has to stay two more days, but the coach’s is there for an entire two week. He’s lucky that the burns her on his back and legs. Although little scar badly he won’t be too disfigured from them. They do some skin grafts due to the loss of such a large area of skin. A lot of special care will be required. As a result he will not be able the coach this year.

I felt so bad about it being my boat that exploded and injured them. They had to be a reason. I hired an investigator, to retrieve the boat from the bottom of the lake and find the causes. What the investigator found surprised me. The fuel tank had a problem when it was on the trailer it was stressed by road vibrations. Small cracks due to metal fatigue eventually developed. Creating fuel leaks from the tank, when enough fuel buildup between the deck and hull the bilge pump coming on could ignite it. The fuel vapors in a confined space would then explode. A secondary explosion as the fuel tank ignited usually was much larger. If I had been on the boat I would’ve been injured or possibly killed too, the fuel tank was located near the pilot’s seat. That’s where the Coach was near when the explosion occurred. What really made me angry was the manufacture had done a lot to cover up the problem. The way the boat was designed replacing the fuel tanks was very problematic and usually required replacing the entire boat. I got a lawyer and begin the action against the Corporation that built the boat.

The Corporation offered a large out-of-court settlement to the Edwards family. When their lawyers discovered I was the initiator of the action the settlement doubled. They reluctantly accepted it on the condition that the corporation would recall all the remaining boats that had that problem.

It took time but they would heal, and the coach was restless not having anything that he can actually do due to his injuries. Kathryn and I made sure her mother and father’s finances will not be a problem during Michael’s recovery. Kathryn pays off the mortgage on the Edwards farm, and covers all the bills.

Mom decided that Thanksgiving dinner is at our house and Helen agreed.

Thanksgiving dinner is good; mom had plenty of help making it. Michael Junior and Mark both made it in with their fiancés, both were going to leave on Friday to visit their fiancés families before returning to school. Mark and Michael Junior were taking classes at the same university.

Michelle also made the long trip in. Michelle pulled me over to the side and needed a special request of my time. She informed me she had not done well having taken her father’s near loss harder than she thought she would. She had gone to college far from everyone else. She said she just needed to leave for a while, she requested knowing that I was paying the tuition to take the rest of the year off she wanted to come home and help take care of her father. I wrapped her in my arms saying. “That will be fine with me I can always use another sister the push me around. I know your Mom can really use the help.”