Breaking from ‘tradition’, here’s a quick recapitulation. Alan Harrison, a software project manager, had married his college sweetheart, Laura, and they had two sons, Tom and David. Laura passed away from pancreatic cancer about a year and a half ago, and the men were lost. Tom met a girl at school, Julie Lawson, and their relationship beginning may be found in ‘Every Thing She Does is Magic’. Tom brought Julie home at the start of Thanksgiving week, then they visited Julie’s mother and sister. Julie convinced her divorced mother, Rose, to come to Alan’s home for Thanksgiving, bringing Julie’s sister, Maggie. Hearts and souls clicked and the three Lawson ladies quickly paired up with the three Harrison men. At the Christmas Eve worship, a ghostly image appeared to float upward and bid the Harrisons and Lawsons farewell. The events from just before Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve may be found in “Spirits in the Material World”.
From the end of ‘Synchronicity for Six’:
“Hear me out, Dad. Monday night, you needed to deal with some ‘output’, right? The usual and customary place for what was implied would be a bathroom and the toilet. You went to the living room to Mom’s picture. In my opinion, you need to turn first to Rose for your emotional support, not Mom’s painting.” Jaws were dropped all around at David’s insight. If she could love David any more than she already did, for Rose this would have been a clincher. “I’ve given this a lot of thought since the semester ended. Mom needed me to bring that picture home so she could manifest in our lives the way she did. And we saw her transition onward as the bell tolled on Christmas. So, the picture is no longer here for her benefit, and I believe it’s holding you back, Dad. So, may I take it to school with me?”
“Let me sleep on that, David. We will make a decision before you return to school. By the way, when are you heading back?”
“I will put off going back as long as I can, but I have a class on Tuesday at 9 am,” David answered. “I also want to give Robert as much time as possible with Amanda before we have to start negotiating for room time. I have to leave by noon on Monday.”
Now, Synchronicity for Six, Part 2
Thursday, January 14
Rose and Alan had a very serious discussion about David’s idea that evening in bed. As the head teller and assistant manager of a bank, Rose had experience with helping someone define their issue and finding a resolution that worked for everyone.
“Alan, what is your issue with David taking Laura’s portrait back to school for the Spring semester?” she asked while toying with his cock and balls. They were both delightfully unattired, and she was kissing his chest while manipulating his genitals. “Hmmm? This should not be a difficult decision to make.”
“I don’t know, Rose. I just don’t know if I should let her image go back with him. She was such a huge part of my life for so long. I get such a sense of closeness to her when I look at that painting. What if something happens to it?”
She stopped her fondling of him and placed both hands on his chest, forcing him to look her in her eyes. “Really? That’s your gating concern? ‘What if something happens to it?’ Or could it be losing a sense of closeness to Laura when you don’t have that painting to look at?” She paused for a moment then craned her head up to kiss Alan lightly. “Have you been having that same sense of closeness to her since Christmas Eve?”
“No, my love, I have not. As they say, ‘Elvis has left the building.’ And I feel so guilty at times about letting her go. I’m worried that my love for her will diminish with the passing of time.”
“Aren’t there other pictures of her around that you can look at?”
“The only other one on display is our wedding photo in the dining room, the one where she looks almost exactly like Julie. And, you know, that could start to become creepy for me because of that. I put away all the other ones after she died. Perhaps I should replace the wedding photo with a more recent photo. She will always be a beloved part of the Harrison men’s past. You are going to be a beloved part of our future.”
“Alan, I understand how important Laura will always be for you. I get it. It’s totally different from the relationship the girls and I have with Ron. I do think that David is right, though. You need to lean on me for your emotional support. I don’t plan to go anywhere that’s not by your side.” She paused for a minute, idly stroking his chest. “Have we skipped over some crucial steps in our relationship?”
“Once again, Rose, I don’t know. But I am certain that I never want you and the girls to leave us. We are blending our families into one. That’s never a simple process. Your presence, yours and Julie’s and Maggie’s, has done wonders for all three of us since you came into our lives.”
“Okay, then, there’s something special for you about David’s painting of her. Are you worried about it not making it back to school with David?”
“No, not really,” Alan answered slowly. “He’s been very responsible and good about communicating on his trips to and from school.”
“Are you worried that someone might break into the school and destroy that particular artwork?”
He grunted softly, bouncing her head off his chest. “No.”
“What if something were to happen to it, Alan? Couldn’t David just paint another? Sure, it probably wouldn’t be exactly the same, but it would still be a portrait of her. And for the record, I don’t feel threatened by pictures of her. Without her, Julie and Maggie would not have their nice boyfriends.”
“Okay, okay, your point is made. I give up. Yes, David may and should take the picture back to school with him.”
Smiling, Rose turned her head to look at Alan’s cock and resumed her gentle caresses of his sensitive bits. Then, she followed it up with her mouth, loving the sensation of his arousal and pleasure. “See, compromise can have its benefits,” she said, and then she got serious about demonstrating her love for him. They had to get up and go to work in the morning, after all.
= = =
“Tom what do you think about inviting Dawn and John over for supper next Friday?” Julie asked.
“Hmmm. It could be a good idea, if they’re still together. If they’ve broken up, then it might not be much fun,” he answered, thoughtfully.
“Good point. I’ll ask Dawn when I see her next.”
“Changing the subject now. Jules, what is your schedule going to look like this semester?”
“Monday, Wednesday, and Friday classes from 9 to 10, 12 to 1, and 2 to 3. Tuesdays, 12 to 2 and 2 to 4. Thursdays 9 to 11 plus meeting with a professional advisor from 1 to 2.”
“‘Professional Advisor’? What’s that about? Is that something new?”
“Yeah, I don’t have a lot of details yet. It’s to be a one-on-one time with someone who has actually taught children in the ages I’m targeting,” she answered. “How’s your schedule looking?”
“It’s a good thing for us that we’re now sleeping in the same bed. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday my classes are from 10 to 11, 11 to 12, and 1 to 2. Tuesdays are 10 to 12, and Thursdays are 10 to 12 and 1 to 3. Plus, I’ve pulled rank and will have the late afternoon shift in the accounting lab, so I’ll be home for supper and the evenings. And nothing on Fridays.”