The Talisman open

[yaturtle]

It was early June as I made my way around the cluttered and crowded antique store. The sign out front declared everything must go due to the impending closure of the business. This had become my hobby. Retired at forty from the navy, my wife of fifteen years passed five years ago. My home is now littered with antiques , a passion I picked from her long ago. This place didn't seem to have much of anything I didn"t already own. Things like ornate furniture , a desk with a phone from the twenties ,several radios and an icebox from the same era, And many nautical items as well. I was just about to call it quits when I noticed a milk crate stuffed under the counter covered in dust. There were several small boxes inside ,most containing small religious trinkets or statues I had no interest in. Then I opened one and found a piece that looked to be carved from jade or something like it. It was a carving of two clouds, one on each end of the piece . A hand extended from each cloud ,the fingertips touching in the middle of the piece. Both hands appeared to have jewelry , one a woman and the other a man. I had no idea what it was but the material smacked of oriental and very old. The woman at the register looked it over then checked the box and shrugged. I said " I have no Idea what it is either , but I like it. Will you take fifty dollars for it?. She looked around for help and found no one to ask . She shrugged her shoulders again and extended her hand to take my money.

• It was still before ten am when I spotted a small bookstore cafe on my way through a small town halfway home. It was a quaint little place full of bookshelves and a row of small tables against the wall and in front of the window facing the street. At the counter you buy or trade books or get a variety of coffees and or cookies and pastries. I got my coffee and a muffin, took a seat at a table for two against the wall and searching on my phone to find out what I could about the piece I had just purchased. I discovered it was some kind of ancient Chinese Talisman . Some believed from a rough translation it would have been called the dream sharer . The ancients believed if two people of the same heart touched the talisman at the same time they would be transported to another world to share their hopes and dreams. Suddenly I heard a soft cough and a woman's voice saying excuse me. I looked up to see a woman holding a coffee and a book. At a glance I realized the little shop had filled up and quickly offered the other seat at my table. Sliding the talisman and my coffee aside to make room for I said " Busy little place isn't it"

 

[siobhancan99]

The bookstore was busy, overly crowded really. Everyone so happy that the pandemic restrictions were over they were all on top of each other now. While Emma could have just gotten her books off Amazon, she preferred to support the local shops. So there she was, a copy of the newest thriller in her hand. She wasn't sure about it. She needed a chapter to decide if it was for her. Searching around she found a seat, but there was a man at the table.

"Busy little place isn't it"

"Yeah it is. I kind of miss everyone hiding in their houses a little bit."

As he made room for her, she noticed a funny little Jade trinket. She smiled at his explanation "sure. My grandmother had one of those. She kept it in the wardrobe that led to Narnia." He had a good laugh at that, which made her relax and sit. Looking it over she noted the craftsmanship and the apparent antiquity of the object. She felt almost a compulsion to reach out, to touch it and feel it. She felt the coolness of the Jade under her fingertips for just a moment, then a warmth flowing from it.

Then that warmth was a cup of coffee. It was dark, with no cream or sugar. At once she understood that even though that wasn't how she, Emma, drank her coffee, this woman that she was drank it black. Her skin was a touch paler and as she looked down she saw her breasts were certainly much larger. Her hips more generous. She rose, conscious both of the fact that she hadn't made a decision to rise, and also conscious of the fact that she desired to do so. That her mind was at once her own and not her own. She had the sense of being a character in someone else's story. At once acting but also observing the goings on like a stranger.

She took him into the back, sitting him in an old wooden chair. The wood was smooth, polished by time to an almost satin sheen. She drew a silk scarf from around her neck, letting it trail through her fingers and luxuriating in the slide of the silk along her skin. She looked down at the man from the cafe, then looped the scarf playfully around a wrist before tying it securely. "This is what you like, mon ami?" She grinned and slid the scarf over to the other arm. She ties it off and then draws another scarf, scarlet where the first was blue. She looped it around each ankle, tying it off, then drew a white scarf from around her neck and looped it loosely around her neck. The tricolor. A nice touch given the parisian setting.

Suddenly she was back in the bookstore, looking over at the man who owned the jade piece. She wasn't sure she'd not had some sort of stroke or something. Magic wasn't real right?

She saw the same look of surprise on his face "So.... Paris right?" Looking for some confirmation that they'd had a shared experience.

 

[yaturtle]

Dan blinked ,he felt embarrassed ,excited and perplexed all at the same time. Could she actually have seen his dream? A dream he had not dreamed in years.
" yes ....well closer to the coast near normandy. Her name was Natalie, we met while I was on leave a long time ago."

For the first time he realized how extraordinarily pretty this young woman sitting across from him was.Happy that she wasn't running away screaming after she saw his dream. His mind was racing with a thousand questions and Ideas.

"Well apparently this Talisman thing really works. Are you as curious as I am ? I mean how did you see that particular dream out of all my memories?

He looked around the shop and noticed the clock on the wall read ten oclock. He checked it against his phone in disbelief. He knew he had been tied to that chair for close to an hour. He felt himself go red in the face thinking about how much did this woman see. No one in the shop was paying any attention to them at all . He twirled the Talisman around on the table and then moved it closer to her and left it there.

" I remember being alone in the room with Natalie. How did you see us? ....My name is Dan by the way, Dan Higgins."

 

[siobhancan99]

"Emma. Emma Hanson." She brushed her fingers along the Jade, feeling it cool again. "first I felt warmth, and then I was holding a coffee cup. I saw everything from her perspective, not yours. It was strange, like being in a play. There was a script I had to follow. I was aware of the thoughts not being my own, but rather than being scary it was like... a really immersive TV program or something, where I was feeling the feelings of a character. Rather than sort of having my own feelings over-ridden. I was acting but I wasn't acting. I could feel the physicality of the movement. I felt the muscles as if they were my muscles. The brush on my skin as if it was my skin, even though I was at the same time aware that it wasn't me. These things weren't happening to me I was just... feeling someone else's feelings. It was strange. i'm not sure about it but... I mean. Look, how often does... hey. maybe you're some sort of weird hypnotist or something and this is bullshit but if its genuinely magic..."

She didn't want to go off with some stranger somewhere, keenly aware of the fact that bad things happened to women who did that, but she also didn't want to miss an opportunity to see real honest to god magic. To feel and explore something mysterious and wonderful. "Do you know Morris Park? under the oaks towards Tasker street there's a Stone Gazebo. Its shaded so its always nice and cool. We could go sit there and maybe see how this thing works."

 

[yaturtle]

Dan listened to her talk about her experience with little hesitance , she seemed a little excited as she described it to him. He stopped himself from asking if she had enjoyed the dream, afraid of embarrassing her. Then felt a surge of panic as she thought he might be a hypnotist creep.



" Oh no Emma! I'm no hypnotist or magician of any kind. At this point you know as much as I do about this thing. Had you not mentioned Paris or told me what happened I may have thought it was all in my head. Wondering why that old dream popped into my head here and now of all times.It is a dream you know...I mean it happened but it was in Natalie's apartment not the cafe she owned. For some reason the dream happens in the cafe. I don't know why"

Wanting to make sure she knew he was being truthful he showed her the search results on his phone and pulled his driver's license out too.
She seemed calmer after seeing that and asked him about a gazebo.

"As you can see from my license I'm from Prattville ,over two hours from here. Made the trip just to have a look at that antique shop that is closing. I have no idea where the gazebo is. I could put in my map search but it might just be easier to follow you there. How do you take your coffee ? I will get some to go....my car is just across the street.

 

[siobhancan99]

"It will be easier if we take the bus, honestly. The parking situation down there is never great. You suburbanites and your damn cars."

They got their coffee and headed out. She led him a few blocks to catch a bus, and there was a quiet ride about a mile down a long riverfront road to the park. "Come on" She smiled and led him along the paths of the park. Near the entrance there were tons of families out having picnics, throwing frisbees, playing with dogs and the like.

She took him into the center of the park, near a stream there was a solid stone gazebo, and sitting on the stones gave a bit of coolness to an otherwise hot day.

When he set the figurine down and let go, she reached out, touching it. When he resumed the touch...


It was bright and sunny. He could feel the strong sun on his skin. Stronger by far even than the normal summer sun in the city he'd just been in. The sky was clear and perfectly blue, and the smell of salt was heavy in the air. As he looked around he saw the crystal blue waters of the Carribean crashing against white sand. There were people on the beach nearby. They were on some kind of balcony. A hotel. She was naked, though it wasn't her. It was some idealized younger version of her. Taut, toned and tanned. Her blonde hair a little thicker, her stomach flatter, her breasts larger and her ass rounder while still managing to be more toned. She was laid out on a table. When he looked down he saw the white shorts, sneakers and polo of a hotel employee. He could also tell from the tightness of his shorts that his cock was a good bit bigger than average. As he looked around he saw an assortment of oils on a tray next to the table she was laying on, and he understood, instinctively, that he was a hotel masseuse...

 

[yaturtle]

As he followed along and boarded Dan couldn't help but admire the sway of her hips and the outline of a perfect little ass under her light summer dress.
He feared she would inspire dreams in his mind that she may see through the Talisman. Dan kept his thoughts to himself as they walked through the park She must know she turns heads anyway. The coolness of the stone and the shade of the gazebo were a welcome respite from the heat of the sun. When they sat he put the sculpture down between and sipped his coffee while he scrolled through searching for more details about the dream catcher. The articles were vague at best,and hinted strongly that it was probably just folklore . He hadn't noticed her pick it up until he lifted his eyes from his phone and saw her holding it out to him. Immediately he felt the warmth she had described travel up his arm and he found himself standing on a hotel balcony high above the ocean. He looked down at the flawless beauty lying face down on his table. He reached for the oil and began rubbing it to the deeply tanned skin on her back. He could see the card bearing his name peeking out from under the pillow . The one she had left at the front desk requesting him specifically for this afternoon's massage. Charles Donohue had a reputation around the resort for giving women a massage they would never forget. She had almost certainly been talking with the girls from the pool bar below to have gotten his name.Still he would be cautious , he knew one accusation from a woman would get you fired and banned all over the island. His hands glided over her body with a gentile expertise that masked the real strength they held.
He took his time working his finger into the taught muscles of her gluts and thighs listening carefully to the responses of her body. Eventually he moved around to the top of the table working her neck, shoulder and arms.The ocean breeze was blowing his shirt and hair as he looked down on her.

"Well miss Hanson I am honored you asked for me today. You are a spectacular figure of beauty. How did you get my name by the way"

Charles Had timed his question with a purpose. He knew If she opened her eyes she would be unable to miss his erection straining the fabric of his white uniform pants. Experience had taught him if a woman was interested in more than a massage , This is when she would make it clear.

 

[siobhancan99]

She looked over. The dream was more vivid than usual. She knew she'd remember it fully this time. She looked him over. A strong, older man. Gray hair but a youthful face and body. The best of both worlds. Attractive but with a look that suggested a worldly experience. A long time ..massaging... women like her. When he spoke she felt her mouth open, and the words tumble out "Trudy Beekman said that for really truly deep relaxation, the kind you can't normally achieve through self massage, that you were the man for the job." She looked over, seeing the delicious swell of that cock straining against the shorts. She felt herself stir, wanting it, but wanting the rough strong hands of the hotel masseuse to first give her a truly excellent rubdown. She supposed it was a bit cliche, but every massage a man had ever given her in college had ended in a blowjob at least, so she had associations.
The sea breeze stirred her golden hair, whipping it toward him for a moment. When it stilled, so did she. His hands were magical. the pressure nice and deep how she liked it. His hands strong, rough like a man who worked for a living. Most masseuses weren't. All the lotions and such they used. She supposed that that was the benefit of the dream. He was what she needed him to be.

"You know, I really did a lot of hiking this week so... my glutes are just on fire. My hips too. I should really keep in better shape" She knew, at least the dream her, was in excellent shape. She knew he knew as well, with his hands all over her. It was a phrase that the other guests suggested would clue him in to what she wanted. "But if you could really focus there a bit, I'd appreciate it. I mean, I'm so tight right now I'd do just about anything to loosen up."

 

[yaturtle]

Ah so she had spoken with Trudy. Dear Trudy had been there earlier in the week. He remembered Trudy had what he would call ...a bit more junk in the trunk. However she adored the lilt of his Irish accent. He recalled her saying " I would do anything to loosen up" . He also recalled her telling him she had cum harder and more often in the last two hours than she had her entire life. She had left him a very generous tip. He had left her a trembling sweaty mess. Miss Hanson however appeared to be more of a challenge. Far more physically fit to begin with and definitely more confident and sensual than Trudy. He helped her roll onto her back on the narrow table , Then walked away from her without a word, knowing full well that her own anxiety and anticipation were the best aphrodisiac of all. When he returned he ran a fresh line of scented oil from between her breast down to the top of her newly manicured Mons.
" Well I do believe Trudy really enjoyed her stay. And I am certain she would like the same for you."


His Skilled hands worked the oil into every pore of soft skin and they could both smell it on the ocean breeze. Emma's eyes were closed as her body betrayed her desire and she lifted her body off the table as if she could capture more of his touch. Charles lightly kissed the tip of her nose while he his hand grazed the folds of her now moist sex. His deep blue eyes stared directly into her eyes as they opened

"Would you care for something more....miss Hanson?"

 

[siobhancan99]

"I think you are doing just a splendid job." She spread her legs a little "just keep doing what you're doing for now, but if you have anything that can really get in deep and work out those hidden tensions." She shrugged and grinned up at him "Otherwise this nice light massage you're doing is certainly doing the trick." She pushed up a little "Do you have a pillow for under my hips?"

When he produced one, seemingly from nowhere, she settled herself on it. Her ass was temptingly raised just a bit from the support of the little pillow, but her body was perfectly relaxed at the same time. She closed her eyes, purring as she felt the rough fingers ever so gently stroking the petals of her lips and the pearl of her clit. Her breath slowed, "again I do leave it to your discretion. You're the expert here" But her body was telling him she was enjoying what he was doing, and in that strange way that the dream had, he felt the compulsion to continue playing with her for a bit, building her up for what he felt was surely coming next. Indeed, after a few moments, he felt her hand reach out, squeezing his big hard cock through his white shorts, running her fingers along it, slowly stroking him through the thin material "You might want to do something about that." She joked, then dropped her hand away.

 

[yaturtle]

As her hand dropped away Charles grinned and he looked down at her. With all doubt removed he slipped two fingers inside working her in and out as they searched for and found that hard nub inside. This massage of a different kind caused her hips to rise up and meet his hand and elicited a deep moan from her throat. He bent, placing his left hand under neck and plunging his tongue into her mouth.He kept this up for some time until she wrapped her arms around his neck and her body tensed and shook while her orgasm washed over her. When she calmed he brought those fingers to his lips to share her sweet nectar while continuing to kiss her. From the corner of his eye he noticed people on some other balconies trying to get a good view from a distance.

"Well Emma dear you are in need of some deeper tissue work. While I believe I have just the thing for that I think we should go inside"

He took her by the hand and led her into the bedroom. Once there he kissed once again before sitting her on the edge of the bed. Charles gently pushed her onto her back while standing between her legs.Her finger tugged at her lower lip as he deliberately slowed everything down. Removing his shirt to reveal his swimmers chest. He slowly kicked off each shoe to build her anticipation before unbuckling his pants to let them drop to the floor. His engorged manhood now bobbing in full view. He knew exactly how to tease her burning need to an inferno. Instead of giving her what she anticipated he knelt on the floor lifting her legs and devouring her sopping wet flower. After a time her hips were buckling wildly. With a death grip on the bedding her head snapped to one side . With a scream she flooded his mouth swearing away. He smiled at her while she still gasped for air.

"Now miss Hanson I believe you are ready for that deep deep tissue massage"

Charles moved up between her legs letting his ball sack rest against her opening The helmeted dip dripping pre- cum just below her bellybutton .
He pushed it with his finger onto her bellybutton.

I think it will feel wonderful just about there. Don't you?

 

[siobhancan99]

"I think it would be hard to get it in that way though." She laughed, even her dream self was a smartass. She rolled onto her knees, lowering her face to the mattress, resting it on her arms. "Maybe you should take a different route." She slipped one arm from under her head, then reached back and brushed her fingers over her lips, lightly toying with them for a moment.

Her round ass shifted side to side, gently, rhythmically swaying like she was charming a cobra. Perhaps, in a way she was. She sighed and ran her fingers along her slit "I think you should push in as deep as you can go. But I dont think your fingers are gonna cut it."

Her hand reached back, stroking his shaft, reaching for his balls as well as she pushed back, letting his engorged cock rest between her toned cheeks. Her hips rocked slightly, dragging the soft skin between her cheeks along his shaft. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, there was a condom on the bed, and in his dreamlike state he instinctively put it on. Apparently in this dream she was a safety-first kind of girl.

The dream skipped a beat, as dreams tend to do, and without entering her he was inside her, buried all the way and accompanied by a moan of his own and hers. She squeezed him, gripping him tight, like a vice around his engorged cock "fuck that's big." Her body undulated beneath him, sliding her tight passage along his tool, which miraculously seemed just the right size for her. "but its juuuust right."

 

[yaturtle]

She was an amazing girl not only stunning and confident ,she had sense of humor as well. Charles put on the condom he had flipped onto the bed before losing his pants. It felt fantastic as she backed herself onto his rigid pole . Yes this is way with her he thought. He stood stock still as she worked herself up an down his shaft. A surreal calmness overcame him in this dream. No need to dominate or overpower her. He knew her voice ,her body would guide him to her ultimate satisfaction.

 

[siobhancan99]

As he drove into her, her hips moved faster, fucking him back. He could recognize the building tension in her, but before their release... he was sitting back in the cool stone Gazebo. The summer breeze was blowing through, subtly different than the ocean breeze of the dream. She was there too, skin flush, but mostly with embarrassment. She laughed and let go "Yeah I don't finish in that dream I guess." She worried her lip and shifted, clearing her throat "So uh. Do you think its only sex dreams or... you know, are you going to see that dream where I panic and have to go back to seventh grade as an adult to pass chemistry because I somehow never took it?"

 

[yaturtle]

Dan blinked. Still in a bit a fog while he looked around the gazebo. He felt odd , his adrenaline still pumping, sad maybe they had been ripped from that dream it seemed. And embarrassed too , afraid to look down at the ache in his trousers.
He listened to her question and shook his head.
" I don't know ...The carving appears to be the hand of a man and woman extending from a cloud to touch each other. Assuming the clouds represent dreams it could depict intimacy between the two.Yet we had never met. The translation if correct said people of like minds. That could mean many things I suppose. The one thing I can say for certain is the first time I had no Idea we would see that particular dream. From your question I take it you didn't know either...Did you?"

 

[siobhancan99]

She shook her head "no. And honestly I wasn't thinking about that dream when I sat down and touched the thing. I was purposefully trying to keep this dream in my head that I have all the time. It's this boring dream where I give a presentation at work, and its literally just me giving this presentation. Nothing dramatic even happens." She laughed "Maybe that's the thing right? the dream has to have some emotional resonance or something to it. It has to be meaningful? and something that someone could share in. I mean, can you imagine just sitting through my dream about tps reports?"

 

[yaturtle]

He laughed ..."No no I don't suppose I could. Nor would you enjoy standing watch on the bridge of a destroyer for twelve hours. I also wonder ....well Natalie was real even though the dream in the cafe was not. Did you know Charles?
I'm sorry don't answer that if you don't want to. I don't know what I was thinking."

He looked around the gazebo and back to her. He actually preferred her to her dream body.

"Emma I am not sure I can take any more dreams this afternoon. But In the short amount of time I have known you
It's not hard to imagine spending more time with you. Would you have have dinner with me tonight or sometime soon if thats to short of a notice."

 

[siobhancan99]

"no. I've never been to an island resort, and I've never been ravished by an older masseuse who doubles as a hotel gigolo" She laughed "so I don't think its showing us any kind of reality, except an inner reality."

Emma hmmmed "I mean, you've seen my innermost self naked so." She rolled her eyes at her own little joke "Tonight is bad. I have tickets to a show." She scribbled down her number "Why don't we think about Saturday, that way you can come into town mid-day and not have to fight traffic?"

 

[yaturtle]

Dan smiled , Saturday suddenly seemed a lifetime away even though it was only three days from now. His mind was still churning with excitement about her and the talisman. He put her number in his wallet and turned back to her.

" Saturday it is .....In the meantime I think we should keep the dreamcatcher to ourselves , It could turn out to be a very valuable item. If word got out anyone from the shop owner to museums or foreign governments might lay claim to it. I would like to learn much more before I have to deal with any of that. "

He picked up his coffee and looked around. Not really wanting their afternoon to end ,but knowing she most likely had things to do. Most people did not make their own schedule like him.

 

[siobhancan99]

She nodded "Yeah. I mean, either nobody would believe us, or the wrong people would believe us"

The next few days she started silent, but a few flirtatious texts started Friday morning, a little light banter coming in a few words at a time across space. In a way, she mused as she read one of the return texts, the phone was a bit like the talisman. If the phone had imaginary studs in it that were there to literally make your dreams come true. So not really like the talisman at all.

When Saturday came around she was dressed a little less demurely than when he'd met her. She was in a little black dress and some daring heels. Her hair fell around her face and she wore a simple silver necklace that drew the eye down to her cleavage. She wasn't sure if he'd brought the Talisman or not, and she'd planned on some dinner since she knew the City, then she planned on somewhere they could go sit and either talk, or use it again.

Seeing him approach the restaurant she smiled, then leaned in to kiss his cheek "Well hey there Dan. you're looking good" she gave him the once over "Lets go eat."

 

[yaturtle]

Since he had last seen Emma he had put a good deal of time into his consulting business but she was always on his mind. He sent a text on friday to confirm and felt a great sense of relief she had not changed her mind. She had sent back the details of where to meet her and when. These days he mostly lives in polo shirts and jeans but he felt he should step it up in case the restaurant was a bit more upscale. Fortunately for him he had stayed in shape and all his old uniforms and suits still fit. He chose a light gray with a blue shirt and tie his wife had always made his blue eyes pop. In fact he kept all his close in combinations she had selected because she used to say , he just wasn't born with a fashion gene in him. She was jaw dropping in her black dress when she greeted him and led him to find their table. Her heels accentuated the sway of her hips turning many heads as they walked. He had left the talisman locked in the car not wanting to use it in the restaurant and wanting to find other things to talk about. In fact he brought a second figurine as well he planned to tell her about later. Her dress had left him speechless until they were seated and he responded to her comment.

" Thank you , it's just an old suit I've had for some time. Of course I could be buck naked the way you're rocking that dress no one is looking at me anyway.
It seems a bit far from where we met. Did you drive here tonight?

The waitress appeared at his elbow with menus and asked if they would like anything to drink.

 

[siobhancan99]

"I don't drive anywhere. In the city it is such a hassle. There's good transit, and an Uber costs less than parking" She smiled and ordered a vodka tonic, then looked over the menu. She'd picked the kind of place that had no prices, so he knew it was going to be a hit on his wallet. "I used to come here with my ex girlfriend." She explained "food's great." as he looked over the menu "It's on me. You gave me a nice experience the other day, the least I can do is buy you dinner." She laughed "Besides you drove all the way in from the burbs. Its a modern era. I asked you out." She sipped at her drink as it came "How was the drive? were you able to park nearby? also we can go back to the park there's music there tonight and there's usually something going on. Or we can walk around here. There's neat little shops and stuff or there's a few good bars. We can get another drink or listen to some music at a bar. Or we can find somewhere quiet."

 

[yaturtle]

Dan ordered a Manhattan and thanked the waitress before returning his attention back to Emma." Well thank you. What gave me away as old fashioned ?" with a laugh he said I'm very accustomed to driving a bit to get most anywhere.
The peacefulness of small town country living grows on you. I was able to find a spot only a block away ." The waitress was back with their drinks very quickly. He raised his glass in a toast. " Here's to the wonderful little overcrowded shop that lent me the chance to meet you, and end up here today. I think we can decide where to go after dinner . I would like to hear more about you... Where you grew up, what your interests are? What are you doing now? everything really.

 

[siobhancan99]

Emma smiled "I grew up in Wisconsin. Dairy country you know. I got a Masters in History from UW Madison, and then I didn't really have it in me to get my Doctorate so I got a Masters in Education and I work for the school district here. I teach World history. My masters is in Ancient Middle Eastern and Mediterranean history but you know how it is. Its all BIsmark, Triple entente all that sort of thing. League of Nations." She shrugged and sat back, crossing her legs "Dated around a bit. never found a guy I liked. Tried a girl, didn't like that either. Not... I mean not that I didn't uh. Like my time with guys I just never found one that stuck."

She sipped at her drink "I read a lot, I garden. You have to be careful though with teaching school. No weed or anything like that" She laughed "I do enjoy a tipple" she swirled her glass around a little "I have a little townhouse but the lot next door was torn down and I bought it, so I have a greenhouse there and a little koi pond and a rock garden. So what do you get up to in the suburbs besides you know, going to the mall and chain restaurants or whatever?"

 

[yaturtle]

Dan smiled and listened carefully to Emma and got a chuckle when she felt she had to clarify about liking men." Sounds like an interesting life. I enjoy reading as well . Mostly fictional history , the stories that revolve around fictional characters interacting in real historical events. A good detective story or a John Grisham book works as well. I grew up in a small sea coast town near Boston ,went to Mass Maritime ,then the navy as an electronics specialist for weapons guidance systems. I met my wife Lisa when we laid over in Norfolk for repairs. I would have stayed in ,but it's impossible to be in a relationship and the navy at the same time. She convinced me to come out here where she grew up. I could never live away from the water entirely so we bought a place on the lake. She is the one that got me on the antiques kick . Unfortunately she passed from brain cancer five years ago. Now I just run my consulting business from home and dabble with my hobbies. And no I don't chain restaurants or mall's ,strictly a mom and pop's diner type of guy. Maybe you would enjoy a sail on the lake and a tipple or two?"