The Inn of Destiny

by Gene P. Abel

  She knew just how hard to squeeze it to make Jerry lose himself in the pleasure. After she was sure it was clean, she decided it was time for another of her specialties‍—oral sex. Those twenty minutes got the night off to what would prove to be an outstanding celebration that would last until the sun came up the next morning.

  It was just about eight thirty when Jackie finished getting dressed. Jerry was already downstairs waiting for Mary and John. Jackie made her grand entrance in a striking red silk dress. She looked elegant, showing just a hint of the fantastic body she had under that silk. Jerry was a bit taken aback and told her how truly beautiful she was. Just as Jackie got to the kitchen, Mary arrived. John had remained at their house to finish a few things and wait for the help that would be working out of his house. The help arrived about twenty of nine, and Mary took one of the kitchen helpers and three servers to her house. The girls had tried to split things up evenly to help make sure this was truly one celebration.

  About nine o’clock the DJ arrived. He had set up everything earlier and only had to turn on the equipment and practice a few minutes. They were off and running about twenty after nine before the first guests arrived. After giving the help their final instructions, the two couples went to their front doors to greet the guests.

  The homes and the tent were outstanding. The Christmas decorations in the two houses made it clear these were two couples that did everything with class. The tent was decorated for the New Year with a large banner. There were potted plants placed throughout the tent, and the serving tables were placed to provide convenient access to the food and beverages without interfering with the dance floor.

  The selection of the food included peeled shrimp, oysters Rockefeller, imported and domestic cheeses, liver pâté, caviar, buffalo wings, sesame chicken strips, assorted fruits and vegetables, several types of dip and crackers, deviled eggs, pasta salad, potato salad, pizza squares, and a Swiss cheese fondue with French bread. The desserts were equally impressive and included assorted petit fours, pies, and cakes. There was also a chocolate dessert fondue with fresh fruit. The bar was stocked with every imaginable type of hard and soft drink. There were cases of champagne to celebrate the New Year in a fitting way. Coffee and tea were also available to round out the offerings.

  It was just after nine thirty when the first guest got to the Frenches’ home. After that, there was a steady stream of arrivals through about half past ten, when all of the guests had arrived. The party was a big success. The guests loved the idea of combining the two homes, and the tent with the dance floor. And the DJ was the thing that made it really work. The food and beverages continued throughout the evening. The dance floor was never vacant. The DJ took only a ten-minute break, as he sensed how much the guests liked the music. It was about ten minutes before midnight when the TV sets were turned on to prepare for the big event. The familiar scene at Times Square blared throughout the tent and family rooms.

  Everyone was served a glass of champagne as the ball began its inevitable descent to the bottom of the long pole. As the seconds ticked off, all were ready to do their part to greet the New Year. At the stroke of midnight, the guests sang out with “Happy New Year!” As soon as the merriment of that moment was past, the DJ returned to playing and everyone began dancing with their partners. There were couples dancing in the family rooms and living rooms and on the dance floor in the tent.

  After another twenty minutes of dancing, the crowd seemed to have worked up a fresh appetite and the food and beverages again took center stage. About twelve thirty, Jerry went over to the DJ and asked him if he would stay until 2:00 a.m. He agreed, and Jerry handed him three hundred dollars as a bonus.

  The music ended at two o’clock, and gradually people began to leave. By two thirty, the DJ had packed up and left, and the last of the guests walked out the door. The help did a great job of cleaning up and stacking the mounds of refuse in plastic bags behind the garage. The help was finished about a quarter of three, and they, too, said good night. Jackie and Mary were hyped up from the evening.

  17

  The Dreams of Others

  Although it was almost 3:00 a.m., they weren’t ready to end the festivities. Jackie got one of those looks on her face, and Mary wanted to know what was on her mind. “Let us start our sex life this year with something different,” said Jackie. Mary was almost afraid to hear what Jackie had come up with now.

  “What do you want to do? Have an orgy?” asked Mary.

  Jackie leaned over and suggested they exchange beds for the night. “I’ll go over and crawl under the covers with John, and you entertain Jerry.” Jackie suggested they try to keep their husbands from learning of the switch until they were well along the path to ecstasy.

  Mary thought for a minute and said, “Let’s do it.” She told John to go home, get into bed, and turn out the lights. She told him to pretend he was asleep and see what would happen. Jackie told Jerry the same thing. Both husbands were quick to cooperate, as they anticipated some great sex. Little did they know what was really in store for them that early New Year’s morning.

  Jackie went over to Mary’s and took off her clothes outside the bedroom door. She slowly opened the door of the darkened room and quickly slid under the covers with John. Mary took her clothes off in Jackie’s kitchen and went up to Jerry, who was pretending to be asleep. Mary was also successful in sneaking under the covers without Jerry suspecting anything.

  Jackie knew that John was very close to the top, and she decided to let him know that it wasn’t Mary giving him this pleasure. She gently pulled the covers down. There was just enough light in the room for John to see that it was Jackie in his bed. At first, John began to sit up but soon realized what the girls had cooked up. He allowed Jackie to finish the job without saying a word.

  Mary continued working on Jerry until he exploded. After he finished, she came out from under the covers and asked what he thought of the first round. Jerry was dumfounded. There had never been any hint of wife swapping. He was so turned on by what he had just learned, he began to kiss Mary and proceeded to give Mary her moment of pleasure. Jerry was as good a lover as Jackie said he was, and Mary decided this was indeed a great end to the New Year’s celebration.

  Things were about the same in Mary’s bed. Jackie was being treated to some outstanding sex. John kissed Jackie and gave her a great deal of pleasure. It wasn’t long before Jackie screamed with delight, as John was successful in pleasing her. Jackie got on top of John and was pleased at how quickly she could bring him into submission.

  Mary and Jerry continued their lovemaking until almost 5:00 a.m. Jackie and John didn’t stop until six. The girls had agreed to return home at eight thirty, and they passed each other in the tent on their way back to their own husbands. When the men got up, nothing was said about what had taken place that early New Year’s morning. It was as if they all knew this was a onetime fling and was as much a part of the fantastic party as anything. Both couples were very much in love with their spouses, and this was just a unique way to get the New Year off to a fast start. By noon, Mary and John were showered and dressed, heading to his parents’ for a New Year’s Day dinner. It took Jackie and Jerry a little longer to head for Jackie’s parents’ and their New Year’s Day celebration.

  The New Year was in its infancy when events surrounding their dreams began to cascade upon them. First of all, Optiscan kept going higher and higher in price. By mid-January, it had already reached thirty-five dollars per share. Second, Jackie had four calls on the answering machine. She copied the messages down and decided to call one woman, Mrs. Mann, who seemed anxious to talk with her about their stay at the inn. Jackie decided to return her call first, and after dinner she asked Jerry if he wanted to get on the extension while she called her. Jackie dialed the number, and in just a few rings a woman answered: “Hello? This is Joan Mann. How may I help you?”

  Jackie answered, “This is Jackie
French returning your call. My husband, Jerry, is on the extension. We want to thank you for responding to our note in the newsletter.”

  “I assume you had an unusual experience when you stayed at the inn,” Mrs. Mann said.

  “Yes, we sure did,” Jackie responded. She asked Mrs. Mann when they had been guests and if they’d stayed in the same room.

  Mrs. Mann told her, “Two years ago my husband and I spent a December weekend in room D. I was the one that had the dream, and it proved to be a life-altering experience.”

  Mrs. Mann went into more detail as she told them about the dream she’d had on that Friday night. She said she saw an automobile accident that resulted in the death of their only child. They were only going a short distance to the corner convenience store, and her daughter didn’t use her seat belt. A dump truck came out of nowhere and struck the right front of their car. She explained that her car was older and didn’t have an airbag on the passenger side. Her daughter went through the windshield and was killed instantly. “I woke up and was so upset by the reality of the dream that I woke my husband out of a sound sleep. He calmed me down and reminded me that it was only a dream. It took me over an hour to get back to sleep, and it haunted me for weeks after our trip.”

  Mrs. Mann told them that about six months later, she and her daughter were on their way to the convenience store, and she looked over to see that Donna didn’t have her seat belt fastened. At that moment she remembered that horrible dream. Immediately she told Donna to fasten her belt, and Donna did so. Less than two blocks later a large dump truck struck them in the right front. Her car was seriously damaged, but no one was injured. “When I looked at the car it was exactly like it had looked in my dream. The truck was the same, and even the driver seemed familiar. The only difference was that my daughter was fine.”

  When they got home, she had told her husband about her dream and how it had saved Donna’s life. “I often wondered why I had the dream. I didn’t associate it with the inn until I read your note in the newsletter. Have you talked with anyone else who had a dream at the inn that came true?”

  Jackie answered, “No. Not yet. You are the first call I returned. I do have three other calls to answer.”

  “If it isn’t too personal, what was your dream about?” Mrs. Mann asked.

  “Well,” answered Jackie, “my husband had three separate dreams on Saturday night, and I had one dream on Friday. My dream was very personal, but I can tell you that my experience and my recalling the dream prevented a very serious incident from taking place. In that respect, you and I are similar. My husband’s dreams were about investments. His first dream was about an investment that he didn’t make that was shown to be an error in the dream. In that same dream, he was also shown a second investment that he did buy and made a lot of money from, just as his dream predicted.”

  Jackie continued, “Everything in his first dream came true. Just like yours, every detail was accurate. He invested in another stock and purchased it the same as in his second dream. To date, it’s responding like it did in the dream. The real dilemma is the third dream, which depicts an event that won’t take place for over a year. We don’t know if this will come to pass, but if it does, it will have a catastrophic impact on us and our families.”

  “I can see your dilemma. With my dream it was once and done. The only thing we had to reconcile was how it saved our daughter’s life. I don’t know what I would do if I were in your situation. I can understand why you’re trying to contact others,” Mrs. Mann said.

  At the end of their conversation, they exchanged information, including email addresses, and promised to keep in touch.

  “Well, that surely lends credence to my dream,” Jerry said.

  “I can’t wait to see if we can uncover any other people who can duplicate the experience we and the Manns had at the inn,” Jackie responded.

  It was time for the kids to get ready for bed. After they were tucked in, Jackie placed a call to a Mrs. Johnson who had said she lived in Indiana and stayed at the inn last winter. The phone rang several times before a male voice answered, “Hello?”

  “Is Mrs. Johnson available?” Jackie asked.

  “Yes. Who shall I say is calling?”

  “It’s Jackie French returning her call.”

  “Just a minute, please.”

  Jackie motioned to Jerry to pick up the other phone.

  “Hello. This is Irene Johnson.”

  “Hi, I’m Jackie French. You left a message on my answering machine in response to my note in the newsletter from the Inn of Destiny. My husband, Jerry, is on the extension.” Jackie explained that she was attempting to contact other guests who had stayed at the inn.

  “I take it you’ve been having some unexplained events in your life that you dreamed about while staying at the inn,” Mrs. Johnson said.

  “We sure have. Both my husband and I had dreams that are coming true,” Jackie explained.

  “Did you stay in room D?” Mrs. Johnson inquired.

  “Yes.”

  Mrs. Johnson described the dream she’d had about her son being admitted to a particular medical school. Her husband had also had a dream about a serious problem with a partnership he was part of in Indianapolis. In both cases, everything had turned out the same as in their dreams.

  Jackie explained that she’d had one dream that changed her actions based on what the dream indicated would take place. She also told Mrs. Johnson about Jerry’s dreams and how one of them was only partially complete, while the third dream was over a year in the future. She also told her about the conversation she had just completed with Joan Mann. Jackie didn’t tell Mrs. Johnson Mrs. Mann’s name, but did describe her dream in general terms.

  After about an hour, Jackie and Irene agreed to keep in touch, and they exchanged addresses. Mrs. Johnson didn’t have an email address and didn’t seem to be into computers. She seemed much older than Mrs. Mann and Jackie. Jackie guessed Irene was in her early sixties.

  After this call it was late, and Jackie and Jerry decided to call it a day. They would try to call the other two people who had left messages the following night. At this point, there was little doubt in their minds that they had been given a look into the future. Not once but on four separate occasions. They went to bed and had a hard time falling asleep. They were anxious to hear what the other two guests had to report about the inn.

  The next morning finally arrived. Both Jackie and Jerry were tired because they hadn’t got very much sleep. However, Jerry got the old 7:20, and Jackie drove the kids to school as usual. Lisa and David attended the same school where Jackie taught, but they weren’t in her class. The school tried to avoid having children in their parent’s classroom. The day seemed to fly by, and it wasn’t long before the dismissal bell rang.

  As soon as the kids got out of the car, they changed into their play clothes so they could go out in the snow before dark. Jackie started dinner, and Jerry arrived home after six as usual. After dinner, the kids had some homework they hadn’t done due to playing in the snow. Jackie supervised their work and Jerry turned on the news. After the kids completed their work, they wanted to play a family game, and the four of them played Old Maid. Lisa especially liked that game, and it was something they could all play. After their game, the kids got their baths and went to bed.

  Jackie said, “Let’s try to reach the other two people.”

  “Fine,” Jerry responded.

  The first number Jackie called was busy. She tried the last caller, and after a few rings a man answered. As it turned out, he was unable to confirm any dreams or anything unusual. He did tell Jackie that they had stayed in room D, but that was all. Jackie didn’t go into the dreams because she didn’t want him to think she was some kind of nut. It was different if the other guest had had a dream that came true. In this case, she thanked him and hung up.

  Jackie then tried the nu
mber that had been busy before, and it began to ring. The woman who answered said, “This is Mrs. Bray.”

  “Hello. I’m Jackie French. You returned my call the other day.”

  “Oh, yes. What can I do for you?” she asked. Jackie had started to explain about the dreams when Mrs. Bray said, “I wondered if we were the only one. I guess your call proves there are others.” She told Jackie about the dream her husband had had in which his assistant was promoted and became his boss in the end. As it turned out, events at Mr. Bray’s job had made him think that his dream was coming true.

  Jackie relayed the dreams that she and Jerry had had and told her about the other two people she had talked with who’d had similar experiences. Like with the other two, they exchanged addresses and said they would keep in touch. It was as if they had formed a small club of futurists.

  After they completed their calls, Jerry turned to Jackie and said, “Now what? It seems everyone who had a dream that came true didn’t have our problem. We seem to be the only ones with multiple dreams, and the question is, Will the last one come true?”

  “Do you have any doubt that the market will crash?” Jackie asked.

  “Not much. If Optiscan falls into place by the end of March, I think we must act to protect ourselves. Now we must decide how to share this information with our family and close friends. April seems a long way off. However, it will come, and we will need to be prepared.”

  18

  The Decision

  Friday was a typical weekday at the Frenches’ and brought with it the expected daily activities. Jerry decided to have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast to help him prepare for a busy day at the office. He was about ready to finalize the negotiations for the major acquisitions his firm was considering. In addition, the matter of what to do about his last dream weighed heavily on his mind. He wanted some closure, at least, as to how he would protect his family and let his close friends know of this possibility.