Adaptation of the Chameleon

by Douglas A. Schmitt

  “A lot of these building here were condemned. It wasn’t until the art school got here, when you could see improvement. I mean, they really went in and renovated the crap out of the places!”

  They finally arrived at the diner just as the lunch rush was beginning. They sat at a table and looked at the many delicious options available on the menu. Each chose something simple and highly recommended: hamburgers and fries with a chocolate shake. They gave their order to the kind, attractive waitress and waited patiently amidst the loud atmosphere.

  They sat in the corner of the narrow side of the diner. Nicole noticed pictures along the wall. Curious, she suggested to Luke that they take a look. Luke lifted himself from his chair and followed Nicole into the next dining area. Anna and Mary decided to stay and continue resting under the cool air conditioner.

  Anna sat across the table from Mary and began noticing a small grin appear on the middle age woman’s face. Intrigued by the elder, Anna began to speak.

  “Thanks, Ms. Mary, for allowing us to visit and stay with you. I really love your house and this town is amazing!”

  “You are welcome, child,’ Mary answered, ‘and I want to thank you for taking care of my boy. From what I’ve heard from his brothers and sisters, he could use a woman like you in his life. I got a good feeling that you are going to make him very happy.”

  “I will try, Ms. Mary,’ Anna answered. “I really love your son, and I want to be there for him. He means the world to me. I could never dream of hurting him.”

  Mary smiled, watching Luke and Nicole return to their seats.

  Shortly after lunch, Mary continued giving a tour of the old city. She took the group down Jones St. and through Chatan Square, introducing them to graveyards before escorting them to Bonaventure Cemetery in search of the “Bird Girl.”

  They arrivef at the gravel parking lot as the sun was setting. They walked up to the large gate to read the tour schedule of the historic piece of property. After noticing that they were an hour late, Mary said, “Oh, darn it. Well, maybe we can go next time you guys are in town.”

  The group loaded into the vehicle. Mary got behind the wheel and began driving home.

  An hour later, Luke was relaxing on the couch watching a movie, when he smelled a fresh spray of Anna’s perfume. He rose from his relaxed position on the couch to see Anna and Nicole strolling down the stairs. Confused, Luke opened his eyes wider and asked, “What are you ladies up to tonight? I didn’t know we had plans. I would have dressed for the occasion.”

  Anna walked up to Luke and rubbed the bottom of his chin. She kissed him on the cheek and responded with a stronger Southern accent, “Well, dahling, that is because you are not invited. Your mother, sister and I are going to Jazz’d.”

  “Wait,’ Luke said, ‘you are going where?”

  Anna rolled her eyes and then took a seat on a chair in the middle of the room. While fixing the heel of her shoe, she answered, “We are going to a tapas bar, just us ladies. We figure that since we are departing tomorrow, us ladies wanted one night out.”

  Luke smiled hopping back on the couch. He began turning up the volume when he said, “Good luck with that. You ladies be safe. If you get too drunk, call me.”

  Anna and Nicole walked out the door to wait for Mary on the front porch.

  Luke continued to lie on the couch, his eyes beginning to get heavy. He heard footsteps from behind him and instantly knew it was a person walking down the stairs. He turned around to see his mother approaching the rear of the couch. She placed her purse down and while finishing a cigarette, she declared, “You got yourself a keeper, Luke. I want you to know that I’m proud of you. I see that she is wearing my mother’s pendant. I know what that means. You have done so much, and I hate that I wasn’t there with you the entire time. I feel like I have missed so much of your life… and I know I can’t go back and change it. But I want you to know… I will do everything I can to be there for you from now on.”

  Luke forced a smile across his face. He looked up at his mother and responded, “I know, Mom, I know. You take care of my two favorite girls tonight. If you need me, I will have my phone off of silent, and for heaven’s sake, quit smoking.”

  “Oh sweetie, I used to only smoke when I was nervous or sad. It always helped, as a matter of fact. I got that from my mother. Typical.”

  Mary leaned forward, kissing Luke on the cheek. She opened the front door and walked through. She locked the deadbolt and follows the other ladies to the vehicle.

  The next day, while Luke and Anna were loading their belongings, Nicole and Mary rushed out to say goodbye. Mary hugged Luke and then Anna and said before walking back inside, “You guys drive safe. Don’t try to get home too soon, just take your time. If you feel like you need to pull over and rest, here is some money for a motel room.”

  Mary handed Luke a hundred dollar bill and kissed him on the cheek. She then walked back inside the house.

  Nicole walked closer to her older brother and looked at him while trying to hold back her tears. She lifted her arms out and waited as Luke went in to hug her. He looked at her and said, “You will do great things, Nikki. If you ever need me, call me… okay?”

  “I will. Please drive safe guys.”

  Nicole hugged Luke once more and then wrapped her arms around Anna. She looked at both of them while wiping the moisture from her eyes. She smiled, turned, and walked back towards the porch and into the house. Luke and Anna loaded into the vehicle and began making the long journey back to Mississippi.

  Chapter 15

  Weeks had passed since Nicole moved to Savannah. She was sure to keep in touch with Luke and the rest of the family on the progress she was making with the historic area. She explored further into the “bird girl” statue, only to find that it was removed from the cemetery and placed in a local museum within the city. She was making new friends and was looking forward to starting school in September.

  Luke was also preparing for his last year at “USM.” He was set to start the following week and was looking forward to getting the two semesters out of the way so that he could begin the next chapter in his life. Anxiety was building as he got closer to introducing his apartment to a new roommate. But all at the same time, he had become completely relaxed with Anna leaving temporarily to attend school in Oxford.

  Anna and her mother had everything set up for the upcoming school year at “Ole Miss.” All the paperwork was filed and the plan was set. She would even live with her sisters April and Emma at their house on Hill Dr., which was just around the corner from the center of campus.

  It was the night before Luke and Anna would make the trip with Stuart, Dana, and Becca to north Mississippi. It was arranged that the five would stay on Hill Dr. in Stuart’s daughter’s home while they were there because the two young ladies were vacationing with their mother in Cozumel. Anna had packed her belongings in her parent’s SUV and then drove to Hattiesburg in her Toyota to spend one last night with Luke before departure.

  The two had set the mood for the perfect evening. They placed candles around the room, and recycled an old playlist that was saved from an earlier evening. They even had a small clear bottle of massage oil as well as a variety of small fruit placed around an electric fondue fountain.

  The night began when Luke was instructed to wait in the living room until Anna called for his presence. As he waited patiently on the couch, he found himself reminiscing about the past year. He realized how far he had come in life since moving to Hattiesburg; how when he moved to the college town, he was broken and depressed.

  He continued to wait and thought more about how much joy Anna brought to his life and realized that the decision he planned for later that evening was the absolute right choice for what he needed in his life at that moment.

  Luke leaned forward with his hands placed on each side of his face waiting for the sound of the soft projected Southern voice from the back master bedroom, “Luke, I’m ready for you honey.”

 
Luke jumped from the couch and rushed down the hall. He slowed his pace as he approached the slightly opened white door. He peeked inside to see the candles lit, illuminating a wonderful mystery from which he was completely clueless of the activities Anna had in store. He continued to walk in and observes Anna lying across his neatly tucked bed. She lay there wearing an all-black tight corset, the sexy lingerie wrapped around her perfectly fit torso and large bosom.

  Luke approached the bed, leaning in towards his sexy girlfriend. He began kissing her slightly wet lips and moved down her lush body, kissing and softly licking the right side of her long slender neck. He took his shirt off and then his shorts. As he hovered over Anna, he winked at her and said, “How about a massage, baby girl?” Anna smiled, preparing to be oiled down by the firm masculine hands that Luke possessed.

  The generous young man opened the flip top bottle and squirts a small amount of the clear liquid in the palm of his left hand. He rubbed his two hands together and began rubbing the tense heel of Anna’s left foot. He gently moved his index finger up and down the middle of her foot. He then repeated the same actions with her right foot.

  Luke moved slowly but firmly up Anna’s legs, feeling every muscle begin to relax under his eager palms. He worked his fingers around her tight calves, admiring her exquisite physique. He stopped briefly at her thighs, to ensure that she received every bit of pleasure before continuing any higher.

  Luke heard Anna’s moans as he approached closer towards her crotch area. Realizing that she was moist, he began teasing and playing with her clitoris. He looked at her face and saw her biting hard on her bottom lip with her eyes tightly closed. Beads of sweat began glistening amongst the candle light.

  Luke then instructed Anna to flip over and lie on her belly. She looked at him and while breathing heavy said, “Oh baby, I don’t know how much longer I can wait to have you in me, but all this feels so good. If you want to massage my back side, you are going to have to unsnap me from the front first.”

  Anna pushed her chest forward, causing her breasts to appear larger. Luke’s hands shook as he unsnapped each and every one of the many connectors. Anna held the two sides close together until Luke unsnapped the final buckle.

  Luke heard an erotic sigh escape from Anna’s lips. He pulled apart the two sides, revealing two tanned and firm breasts. Luke realized the degree to which Anna was aroused by the thick hard nipples that topped each breast. He decided to further tease the eager young female by placing, one at a time, her hard nipples inside his mouth. He felt Anna’s hands dig deep on his rough muscular backside.

  He smiled as he looked up from Anna’s chest. Peering from between her breasts, he instructed, “Okay, my love, time to flip over.”

  Anna looked at him with a deeply sad expression on her face. She removed the corset and placed it next to her on the large king size bed. She rolled over, allowing Luke to complete her massage.

  Luke placed each of his legs on opposite sides of her slim body and started by rubbing her shoulders. He worked his way to just below her shoulder blades when he stopped briefly and said, “Sweetheart, you are so tense. I’m starting to wonder why I haven’t thought about doing this earlier. It seems like you really need it.”

  “I don’t know, babe,’ Anna explained, ‘I really just started feeling the tension after we got back from Savannah, when I realized that the summer was almost over and it was time to move, I’m still kind of nervous about leaving you. I don’t want you to fall in love with another woman while I am gone.”

  A slight smile found its place on Luke’s lips, as he worked his thumbs on Anna’s lower back. He took his fingers and gently rubbed the center of her back as he responded, “I wouldn’t worry about that honey - trust me. I plan on spending the rest of my life with you. I love you more than anything, baby girl. I know you are the one for me. Now roll back over - there is still one thing I want to do for you.”

  Anna smiled with curiosity, wiggling herself into the position on her back once more. She felt Luke kissing her. His tongue navigated towards the back of her mouth as it began massaging hers. She noticed his hands squeeze and pull at her chest, enveloping handfuls of her tender flesh. She then realized his hands move towards her genitalia.

  Aroused immensely, she pulled Luke’s face away from hers and passionately said, “Baby, please get inside of me!”

  “I will soon, baby,” Luke said, smiling, “but there is something I want to do first. I want to taste you.”

  Anna realized what Luke was planning and blushed, placing her entire bottom lip inside of her mouth and biting hard.

  Luke continued focusing his eyes on Anna’s face while holding her legs apart. He placed his face close to her vagina and massaged her rock hard clitoris with his tongue. He heard Anna moan and felt as she retracted her now relaxed back muscles as she gets closer to an orgasm.

  Several minutes passed before Luke felt Anna’s body begin to vibrate. With a deep roar of sexual release, Anna announced to Luke through her continuously pulsating spasms of pleasure that she had reached orgasm. Luke pulled his face from between her legs and watched her twists and turns to reach his body. When she finally relaxed, Luke lay his body close to hers. He watched her open her glossy eyes. She said to him while lightly digging her finger nails into his chest, “Oh… my… God. That was amazing. I’m wondering why we haven’t done that before. Do you want me to go next, baby?”

  Placing his face closer to Anna’s, resting his forehead next to hers, and kissing her nose, Luke answered, “No, don’t worry about it, sweetie. I wanted to give that to you, kind of like a gift - something to take with you to remember what you have waiting for you when you get home.”

  Anna placed her warm body on top of Luke. She reached for his crotch and placed the tip inside of her. She then looked at Luke and said while pushing his hands against the wall, “Okay, then allow me to do this for you.”

  Anna thrusted her body back and forth as she tightly held Luke’s hands. She felt his arms become stiff with the request of having them moved closer to her body. When she finally allowed him to gain control, he placed his hands on her chest and squeezes tightly as Anna continued to satisfy him.

  An hour after Luke reached his climax, he lies next to Anna as she fed him chocolate covered cherries. He placed his hands behind his head and enjoyed the feeling of being pampered like a king. While enjoying the change from cherries to orange slices, Luke decided it was time to initiate his ultimate plan for the evening.

  Luke took hold of Anna’s hand, licking the warm soft chocolate from its tips, and places his fingers between hers. He then sat up and said, “Anna, in this past year, you have made me the happiest person I know. I feel very fortunate and lucky to be a part of your life and thrilled that you are a part of mine. I love you in every way possible.”

  Luke noticed Anna’s face drop as he reached to the side of his bed and retrieved a small velvet box. He broke open the single hinged container, and pulled out a white gold band holding a one and a half carat emerald cut diamond.

  Anna placed her right hand over her wide opened mouth. Luke took hold of her left hand and requested, “Anna Elizabeth Winchcomb, will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me?”

  Anna began to cry as Luke placed the perfectly sized ring on her finger. She looked closer at the ring before placing her hands on the sides of Luke’s head and exclaimed, “Yes, yes, YES! Oh my God, yes! I will marry you!”

  She kissed Luke once more before taking another look at the gorgeous ring. She looked adoringly at Luke as she positioned her body closer to him. He was comfortably lying on his back, watching the love of his life shed tears of joy.

  The next morning, Anna was awakened to the sound of

  Luke’s alarm clock. She quickly rolled to her side to once again admire her new piece of jewelry. Luke turned to his left side and stared at Anna’s face while she was focusing on the diamond. He heard her begin to breathe deeply and sigh.

  Sti
ll feeling satisfied and glorious from the night before, Luke wrapped his right arm over Anna’s startled body and said, “Good morning, beautiful.”

  Anna looked at him and smiles, revealing a single tear making its way down her cheek.

  They started their day with a brief breakfast of milk and cereal. Luke was finishing his last spoonful of soggy golden flakes, when he looked at Anna and said, “Did I tell you that the woman from the hospital called me back yesterday? She said that I got the job.”

  “Congrats, babe. When do you start?”

  Luke wiped his mouth with his solid white napkin. “Well, soon actually. I have orientation this Tuesday and I start training the next day. They said that the training program will last the rest of the week and I start in the ER that following Monday. When I told Joe about the job, he was actually excited for me - even allowed me to give one weeks’ notice before leaving.”

  It was two in the afternoon when Anna received the call from her father, informing her that he and her mother were down the road and ready to enter the complex. She prepared her overnight bag and placed it neatly next to the front door. Luke followed behind, placing two overnight bags next to Anna’s.

  Luke placed his bags down and stopped for a moment to observe the multi colored bag that contained all of Anna’s belongings that were at the apartment. He began to feel sorrow when realizing that everything she had stored at the apartment was now packed inside of one large bag.

  He continued to stand next to the door, and remained focused on the bag as Anna walked calmly to the door. She noticed the sad look on her fiancé’s face and while reaching for his arm with her left hand, she placed her fingers between his. He felt her squeeze and tug his body towards hers and kissed his cheek.

  Luke then looked down to notice Anna wasn’t wearing her ring. Concerned, he frantically asks, “Babe, where is your ring?”