by Callie Norse
“Where’s his basket?” Maggie asked.
“What basket are you talking about?” Greg asked.
“One like in the Wizard of Oz!”
“Why do you ask that?”
“You don’t know, Daddy?”
“Afraid I don’t, honey. I guess you’ll have to explain it to me.”
“Look at him, Daddy. He looks just like Toto in Wizard of Oz! And, Toto rides in a basket on the bicycle!”
“Oh, I guess he does!” He now understood the need for a basket. “So, what is this puppy’s name?” he teased.
“Daddy, you know, don’t you? It’s Toto, of course!”
It never ceased to amaze Greg how quickly Maggie always came up with such cute, appropriate names.
Needless to say, Toto was the center of attention for awhile. Greg and Marta sat and watched, as they talked quietly, Marta still curious as to what was under Greg’s robe.
Toto became interested in the ribbons on the gifts under the tree. This gave Maggie a renewed interest in opening the rest of her gifts. “Time to stop the kissy, kissy stuff and open presents.”
Toto helped Maggie remove the red ribbon from the package containing the red knit doggie coat. He wiggled and squirmed as Maggie put the little coat on him. It was a little big for him—hilariously cute, nevertheless. Maggie loved it. They laughed watching him try to take the hat off, which didn’t take long, as it was too large for him. Maggie rode him around in her buggy, until he jumped out and slid across the hardwood floor, bringing giggles from all. He was even cuter than Tinker Bell.
Suddenly, Marta jumped up from the sofa and walked toward the hall, “I almost forgot. I left some gifts in the back hall.” She returned with two attractively wrapped gifts. She handed the larger one to Maggie; of course she was delighted with another gift to open. Toto grabbed hold of the blue, glittery ribbon, which was curled tightly as if it had been hand curled with a scissor blade. The beautiful ribbon quickly became only fragments of a bow.
Maggie was thrilled to see the gift was a bed for Toto. “Thanks, Marta. We need one of these!”
Greg smiled, “Yes, Mart, it’s a good thing somebody is thinking!” He brought a gift out from under the tree and handed this last one to Marta. “Merry Christmas, sweetie.”
Marta, wearing a glowing smile, handed him a gift.
“Ladies first,” said Greg, also smiling.
Greg’s gift to her was beautifully wrapped from an expensive department store, which she immediately recognized. She lifted the tissue paper to find a beautiful, sleek, black dress—her correct size.
“Perhaps you can wear it New Years Eve when we go to The Towers.”
“Really, we are going there?” Marta knew reservations had to be made well in advance, because it was an extremely popular, elite nightclub.
“Yep, I made the reservations weeks ago.”
“And you assumed I would go with you?” she teased.
Greg was grinning that sexy smile of his. “Was that presumptuous of me?”
“Well…not really.” She gave him a quick kiss, one that she would have loved to pursue, but Maggie was there, and Greg had a gift to open yet.
Greg slowly removed the ribbon, then the paper. “Now, what can this be?” He recognized the name of the jewelry store on the small box. He lifted an exquisite watch from the box. “Marta, you shouldn’t have. This is great, such a handsome watch. This will definitely be for special occasions, such as New Years Eve.”
Knowing the gifts had all been opened, Maggie suddenly lost interest, “I’m hungry, Daddy, we forgot to have breakfast.”
“Forgot, not really, it isn’t much past breakfast time now. Remember, we have been up since four!”
“Oh, my, that early?” Marta laughed, remembering how she used to get her mom up at extremely early hours, on Christmas morning. She would try to convince her, with no avail, to go back to bed for awhile. Once, she pretended to go back to bed and snuck into the living room and played with her new dollhouse for some time, before returning to beg her again to get up. She acted surprised to see the dollhouse, but her mom knew. She hadn’t hid a thing from her. The furniture in the dollhouse had been rearranged. Her mom told her years later she had known. Then there was the year that she ruined Christmas for herself. She found a large box hidden in her mom’s closet. One by one, she examined each gift until she knew every Christmas gift she would receive. That was the last year she snooped. She had learned her lesson.
Greg interrupted her thoughts with, “Who wants pancakes?”
“Meee”, squealed Maggie, as she skipped into the kitchen with Toto in one arm, her new doll in the other.
She was far ahead of Greg and Marta, as they stayed behind to enjoy a long passionate kiss.
“Later,” smiled Greg. “Maybe we can convince Maggie to spend the night with Lori and Steve, so Toto and Tinker Bell can spend a little time together.”
“Great idea! Then if I’m not being too presumptuous, I can spend the night…in your bed?”
“That you can, sweetie! For now we need to scurry into the kitchen and whip up some pancakes.”
They had expected to find Maggie in the kitchen setting the table. Instead she was in the sewing room, seemingly introducing Toto and Dorothy, the new doll, to her invisible friend. Even on Christmas, there was no break from the invisible friend.
Marta quickly mixed up the pancake batter. Greg got out the syrup and set the table. Maggie soon came bouncing in. “We need two more chairs for my new friends.”
“You mean one more. Puppies don’t sit at the table. Why don’t you go get his pretty blue doggie bed and put it over there in the corner? He must be tired from all the excitement. He has played hard. He needs some rest before we go to Aunt Lori and Uncle Steve’s for dinner.”
“Oh, goodie! Toto can meet Tink!” She laid Dorothy on a chair and put Toto down on the floor and ran down the hall, with an exhausted Toto trailing her. Maggie met him half way down the hall on her way back with his doggie bed. She picked him up and carried him back to the kitchen and placed him on the bed. Surprisingly, he stayed while she sat Dorothy on a pillow on a chair beside her. Marta set a plate of two small pancakes, topped with strawberries, in front of Maggie.
Toto settled down and fell asleep. By the time Maggie finished her pancakes and milk, her eyelids were drooping. It wasn’t even her normal time to get up yet, and she had already been up for four hours. Greg himself was feeling a little droopy. He convinced Maggie to go lie on the sofa by the Christmas tree. He and Marta would clean up the kitchen. They quickly finished and retired to the parlor. “Finally, we are alone. Well, sort of.” Greg put his arm around Marta and snuggled up close. It was always difficult waiting until he could be alone with her. Desires had been mounting since she had arrived. Greg got up, closed, and locked the door. Surely Maggie was asleep by now, in the next room. He sat down beside Marta and opened his robe, which revealed a sheer, red, string thong and one terrific piece of equipment.
“Oh, Greg,” Marta moaned.
He tossed the thong, wasting no time, as they were both very ready, and they couldn’t be sure how long Maggie would stay asleep. He laid her down and partially undressed her; placing his knees between her thighs he spread them. This alone, took her up a notch. As he took himself deep within her, her hips began moving sensually to his rhythm. She was being taken higher and higher, until she soared, flying through a bright, color drenched universe, where Greg joined her, exhausted.
They lay quietly, catching their breath, until Greg broke the silence. “God, that was good! Wow, what we do to each other!” He gave Marta a sweet, loving kiss. “I need to go take a shower,” he said, as he put his robe on. “Do you want to shower?”
“I should. Would you check on Maggie? I certainly don’t want her to catch us.”
Greg went around the corner to the grand drawing room to find Maggie fast asleep. He returned to Marta. “The coast is clear, let’s go up the back stairs so we won’t w
ake her. I’ll use the master bath. The shower seems to be working okay now. Just in case, you better take the other one. Here, wrap this throw around you.” As they passed the kitchen, they noticed Toto was still asleep in his bed.
They quickly showered, dressed, and got back downstairs before Maggie awoke. Toto was stirring. They decided to let Maggie sleep a little longer so they could have some quiet time to talk. They returned to the parlor and made sure they hadn’t left any signs of lovemaking. Marta fluffed the decorator pillows on the sofa. All was in order now. They were almost afraid to sit close again, after what just happened. “Do we dare?” Marta asked Greg.
“Who knows, the way things work with us?” They both chuckled. Greg moved close to Marta, put his arm around her, and drew her closer. Their lips met. Greg so loved her soft lips and everything else about her. He loved how she made him feel. He did ask himself though, “Is it just sex with Marta, or can I possibly be falling in a sort of love with her?” He wasn’t comfortable with either answer. He knew Lisa was his love.
Maggie came into the room rubbing her eyes. “Where’s Toto?”
At that moment Greg caught sight of a red string hanging from the back of a chair. He felt a sense of panic, thinking Maggie might see it, and go over to it, to get a better look. How would he explain this? She knew nothing of men’s sexy underwear and that was nothing he was ready to educate her on. He could only hope she wouldn’t see it. He tried not to direct her attention to the chair or the red string. He looked straight at Maggie as he answered, “He’s still asleep in the kitchen. He must have been worn out.”
Maggie left the room, and turned toward the kitchen. Greg wasted no time grabbing his string thong and stuffing it in his pants pocket. Meanwhile, Maggie found Toto off his bed and stretching. She picked him up and went into the sewing room, where he leapt from her arms and began running around circling the wooden rocker and barking at it. As Greg and Marta approached the room, they heard Maggie saying, “It’s okay, they are nice people. You don’t need to bark at them.”
“Oh, my,” thought Greg, “there is more than one of them.” He let Maggie know he was there when he said, “Maggie, it’s time for you to get dressed to go to Aunt Lori and Uncle Steve’s.”
“I’ll come upstairs and help you pack a bag in case you and Toto decide to spend the night,” Marta chimed.
“Don’t forget Dorothy. She will want to stay, too!” Maggie reminded Marta.
Greg smiled, thinking Marta had paved the way to some alone time...the entire night! Marta was also smiling that same smile.
Maggie was anxious to show Toto and Dorothy to Lori and Steve. She was at their door before Greg and Marta had barely gotten out of the car. Greg went around to the back of the Tahoe and gathered up the gifts they had for Lori and Steve. Steve was holding the door for them. “Come on in, the pups are getting acquainted. Your little Toto sure is a cutie.”
The house smelled wonderful. The aroma of ham and cherry pie took over the house. Marta set the homemade rolls, which she had made the day before, on the counter. “We will probably want to warm these.”
Lori agreed, “As soon as I take the ham out of the oven, we can put them in. I’m sure they’ll be yummy.”
And they were. Everything was delicious. They all seemed to be enjoying their time together. Although Greg was sure everyone was thinking of Lisa and how much life she always brought to the party. He tried not to think too hard. Lisa deserved the thoughts, but he knew she wouldn’t want him to dwell on her and what couldn’t be. Marta was becoming very important to him. She helped him enjoy life more than he ever thought would be possible after losing Lisa. He and Lisa had a perfect love—the kind so few ever find. And now, he felt he was beginning to experience another love like few ever find. Marta truly was a lot like Lisa. Lisa had known this, just as she knew it could be possible for Greg to love Marta, as he had loved her.
They weren’t sure who enjoyed the gift exchange more. They laughed thinking the pups enjoyed playing with the gift-wrap, as much as the rest of them enjoyed seeing the gifts they received.
The two pups romped and played all afternoon. They were so cute together. Toto jumped up on Greg’s lap, wanting Greg to play with him and the wadded up wrapping paper. He really was an active little pup, teasing Greg with the paper. As he jumped down onto the floor and began scurrying across the room toward the kitchen, Greg noticed something red hanging from Toto’s mouth. He almost gasped. No one else seemed to notice as Tinker Bell had caught their eye as she played with a rubber toy, looking exceptionally cute. Greg immediately got up and followed Toto into the kitchen where Steve was getting a drink of water. Toto dropped the red thong at Steve’s feet.
“Hey boy, what do we have here?” Steve examined the red fabric and almost burst out laughing as he looked over at Greg entering the room. “This wouldn’t happen to be yours, would it?”
Greg had totally forgotten about the thong, after he became so disturbed over discovering Maggie was talking to more than one invisible person. “I suppose it could be,” Greg said blushing.
“Any idea how Toto got it,” Steve said, laughing.
Greg quietly explained how he had quickly stuffed it in his pocket after the earlier incident. He knew Steve would never let him forget this. They were both glad no one else had noticed.
Lori and Steve were happy to have Maggie and Toto spend the night. Greg brought Toto’s bed and carrier in from the Tahoe, although Lori felt it probably wasn’t necessary, as they could share Tinker Bell’s bed. Tinker Bell was so well behaved that they didn’t use the carrier anymore, except for travel. Of course, they didn’t know how Toto would behave. Greg, especially, hoped Toto would behave. He made sure his red thong wasn’t left behind for a repeat of the incident.
*****
As Greg and Marta drove off, Marta was trying to imagine how it would be to have Greg all to herself for the night. It didn’t happen often enough for her. He, too, had been dreaming about this night for some time. In his thoughts he planned a very romantic evening with wine, candlelight, the Jacuzzi, and, of course, Marta. When they arrived, he led Marta upstairs. The Jacuzzi filled as he poured the wine. With their glasses in hand, they sat on the bed quietly sipping their wine, while slowly undressing each other. He soon was wearing only a see through white string thong and she a red nylon thong—each a tremendous turn on for the other. Marta’s desires intensified as she eyed his growing progression, especially in that sexy thong. He sipped the last of his wine and gently laid her back, pulling her thong to the side to expose her clean-shaven lips, something new in recent weeks. He knew how to tease, and was deliberate in his approach, bringing her to the point of no return. Tonight he would take his time. The night was theirs, and they would make the most of it. His passionate tongue and magical fingers began taking her there too fast. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet, watching the thong strap settle into place—wanting, needing.
He led her into the bathroom. She let out a shrill scream at the sight of the Jacuzzi—now a bubbling blood bath, almost ready to run over the sides. It appeared to be clear coming from the faucet, turning into a substance resembling blood as it touched the bubbling mixture. Greg quickly turned the faucet off, and the substance stopped just as it reached the top of the Jacuzzi, continuing to bubble to a rapid boil. He led Marta back to the bedroom and slammed the door. He couldn’t be sure the bloody substance wouldn’t overflow, although he couldn’t stand there and watch.
Should they leave the house, go to the parlor for the night, or sleep in the spare bedroom? Marta agreed to try the spare bedroom, as the picture was now back in the mansard, and for some time there had been no activity in the mansard stairway, around the corner from this room. After all, whatever was causing all these mysterious happenings had not harmed anyone. They pulled the covers back and crawled in, leaving their underwear on—just in case! The mood had definitely been broken by the Jacuzzi’s mysterious substance. Greg held Marta closely, as she snuggled
next to him—no passion—only closeness. Sleep finally came after several hours of soft whispering, not to be overheard by anyone or anything.
Greg awoke early and decided to check on the Jacuzzi while Marta slept. He let out a yell when his foot hit the floor. It felt like he was stepping in a puddle of water. He was almost afraid to look down.
Marta awoke with Greg’s yell, “What’s wrong, honey?”
When he looked down, he found he was standing in a clear liquid resembling water. “Sweetie, the floor is wet. I’m not sure why.”
“Is it red?” she asked, looking over the edge of the bed. Her eyes followed the clear liquid up the wall—she screamed, “The portrait is back!”
Greg glanced over at the wall. The portrait indeed was back on the nail where they had hung it weeks before. The girl in the portrait was crying. Tears were running down the picture onto the wall and onto the floor. Greg was standing in a huge puddle of tears. “Here we go again! I thought we had her put away where she wouldn’t bother us anymore. Maybe we should burn the picture this time.”
“No, we need to keep it—at least until we can determine who she is and hopefully why and how she cries tears,” Marta disagreed.
“Okay, how about if I take it to the carriage house? Not that I care to go in there. I haven’t been in there for awhile. Hard telling what I might find in there.” He went down the back stairs, with Marta on his heels, and grabbed some rags from the cellar way, returning to wipe up the wet substance. He was tempted to taste it to see if it was salty like tears.
Just as he was ready to touch his finger to his tongue, Marta screamed. “No…what do you think you are doing? We have no idea what that substance is. It might be poisonous!”
“I guess, you’re right. I’ll pass on the taste test. I don’t think I’m ready to die yet. Before this happened, I was headed down the hall to check on the Jacuzzi. Care to come along?”
