Upset that my friends had canceled again, I pushed past the ragged, dirty woman…until I heard her.

“Spare some change?”

I recognize voices, so I turned and knelt down.

“Linda?”

Her eyes widened. “Jeff? Oh, fuck…”

She dropped her head and started crying.

“Linda…please…let me help…”

I finally coaxed her back to my apartment.

The shower ran a long time, steam curling under the door.

But the angel who emerged was the confident, beautiful woman I had longed for in high school.

“Merry Christmas, Jeff.” She smiled, hips swaying as she let the towel fall…

She walked slowly towards me, a smile on her lips, her eyes boring into mine. But when she reached me, she slowed and frowned.

“Are you okay, Jeff? You’re shaking!”

I couldn’t meet her eyes. I was scared.

When she reached me, she knelt down – naked – in front of me. “Jeff? Are you okay? What’s the matter?”

I looked off to the side, “Uh…Linda…would you do me a favor and put something on? There’s, um, a robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door.”

She looked at me quizzically. “Sure, Jeff. Whatever you want.”

She got up, and walked quickly away, then returned doing up the tie around my old toweling robe. She was biting her lip and looking concerned.

Perching on the edge of the sofa next to me, she was quiet, then said, “Would…would you like me to leave? Did I cross a line?”

Quickly shaking my head, “NO! No – I, uh, I’ve just always been, um, intimidated by how gorgeous you are, right from first grade.”

I looked up, “But Linda, you are welcome to stay here for as long as you need. You’re my friend.” Looking deep into her eyes, I wanted her to understand that I wasn’t rejecting her, the way the rest of the world had, that I truly was her friend.

I could see her shoulders and face relax. She moved fully onto the sofa and sat back next to me. “I’ve always thought you were kinda cute, too, Jeff.”

I could hear the smile in her voice, even if I was ashamed to look at her.

Her finger touched my chin and pulled my head around so I was facing her. Now there was concern on her face. “Why would I intimidate you, Jeff? We’ve been friends for, what? Twenty years or more? Did I do something to hurt you?”

I shook my head, “No, you’ve always been friendly. It’s just that…well, I could never compete. I was never on a sports team, I was never cool, I was always a nerd – and it still scares me to talk to pretty women.”

I looked at her and marveled all over again at how drop-dead gorgeous she was. “And you are so much more than just pretty, Linda. That scares me.”

She drew back slightly, and I wondered if I had hurt her feelings.

There was a hint of a smile on her face and she leaned closer. "Jeff, you always scared me with how smart you are, yet I never felt that you looked down on me for being dumb. It’s not fair that you should be scared of me for being pretty.”

She looked sad. “It’s not my fault – and heaven knows it hasn’t helped me much.”

I stopped shaking and gawked at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”

She sat back again, and this time she turned away, letting her long brown hair curtain her face. Sighing, she said, “I always seemed to attract the bad boys, the tough guys, the oh-so-cool dudes.” She turned back to me, “But most of them are losers, Jeff. And they dragged me down with them. They used me as…for sex, then discarded me.”

She swallowed. “And the last one told me I was too old and fat for him and threw me out.” She turned to me, “That’s how I wound up on the street. He just threw me out with nothing. He wouldn’t even let me take a suitcase with my clothes. Said he’d bought ’em so they were his. And I didn’t have any money…”

She trailed off, and I guessed she was close to tears.

She looked tired. “I trained to be a hairdresser and esthetician.”

I nodded. “I remember. I recall talking to you once while you were waiting for the bus to vocational ed, and remember thinking that you were stunningly beautiful!”

She gave me a small smile, “I remember that conversation. I remember thinking, ‘Wow! My smart friend remembers who I am!’”

I stared at her, then burst out laughing. “Oh no! You mean you were intimidated by me? If I’d known that…”

I turned away, overwhelmed by the “if only’s” that flooded my mind.

Then I felt her finger on my chin again. Thinking she was going to say something more, I turned, words forming in my mouth…

Only to find her lips pressed to mine.

Startled, I went rigid and almost pulled back. Then I remembered something important: we were friends, and always had been.

Most of all, I wanted this - so I relaxed, closed my eyes, and kissed her back.

Then was surprised again when I felt her tongue slipping between my lips. I was surprised again – then relaxed and sighed against her.

She moved closer and put her hand behind my head. I felt her breast press against my arm – then decided to be bold, extricated the arm, and put it around her shoulders.

She broke the kiss, smiled at me, then scootched closer, hip to hip, turned my shoulders towards her, and gave me a full-on, drop-dead, I-really-mean-it-kiss.

At first, the physicality of it all overwhelmed me. I don’t kiss pretty girls every day. In fact, I think I’ve only done so three times in my life and twice I’ve been slapped for my trouble. But I had known Linda since kindergarten, and we had always been friendly, even in my horrible high school years, so I eventually relaxed, and tried to give as good as she was giving.

I felt her hand take mine, and place it on her breast. I was shocked and stiffened yet again – then forced myself to relax. Well, at least my upper body relaxed. My cock was getting hard, and it embarrassed me. What if she noticed?

Now I was starting to tremble, not in fear, but with excitement. Was this really going to happen?

I started to explore her breast, stroking very gently, afraid I was going to hurt her, but never going any further than feeling that one breast.

She broke the embrace and stood up. I was sure I had blown it again until she grabbed my hand and pulled me up, then led me to the bedroom, smiling. I glanced down at the shape of her ass through the robe, and couldn’t quite believe that it was me experiencing this. It was almost an out-of-body experience, like I was floating – except now I was shaking hard with excitement, and my dick was so hard it ached.

When we reached the bed, Linda turned, pushed the robe off of her shoulders, letting it puddle on the floor, then stood there smiling for a moment to let me look at her.  I was dumbstruck by how beautiful she was, and how so, so, incredibly sexy!

Then she started unbuttoning my shirt. I started to help, then thought better of it and, dropped my hands, and let her. I moved my arms when she slid it off my torso, then gulped when she kneeled down, face at crotch level, and undid my belt, then unfastened my trouser button, and unzipped my fly. It was impossible for her to miss that I had an erection by this time, and my face felt hot.

Placing her hands at my waistband, she paused, looked up at me, and grinned. “Take a breath, Jeff. I don’t want you to pass out on me! Besides, I won’t bite – this time!”

Then she pulled my pants down to my ankles and struggled to get them off my feet. I put my hand on her shoulder and lifted my feet, first left, then right, leaving me wearing just my white briefs and black socks. Chuckling, she skinned my socks off my feet, then reached up and slowly pulled my briefs down.

When my dick sprang free, I instinctively cupped my hands over it, embarrassed. Linda didn’t say anything, merely helped me step out of my briefs.

Now I was as naked as she was but far more embarrassed.

She stood up, then crawled up onto the bed, patting it next to her. “Come here. It’s okay, really.”

I tried to keep my hands over my dick while I crawled up next to her, but had to put one hand down to do it, and felt like a complete dork for my clumsiness. Fortunately, she didn’t laugh. I don’t know what I would have done if she had, but it wouldn’t have been pretty.

Finally, I lay next to her on my side, right hand over my dick, leaning on my left arm, facing her.

“Jeff, if we’re going to have sex, you can’t keep your hand over your cock. I’d like to look at it.” She grinned. “I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours!” she said as she spread her legs, lifting one knee and placing her top foot flat on the bed, opening her pussy for my inspection.

That forced an unexpected laugh from me, and I hesitantly dropped my hand away, hardly breathing. Hardly? My dick was more than hardly!

Linda scootched down so her face was right by it and smiled. “Mmmm…” was all she said, but it sounded sweet coming from her.

She put out her hand, then stopped and looked up. “May I?”

Jerkily, I nodded.

She gently took my throbbing cock in her hand and examined it. I was mortified that it was dripping and felt sure she would find it repulsive.

It leaped when she touched it, and I shivered, which she ignored. “You’ve got a good-sized piece here, Jeff. But you know that, right?”

I quickly shook my head. “Uh, no, I have no idea. I’ve never, um, had an opportunity to compare…uh, dicks. Well, yeah, I guess in the locker room at Williamsport High, but I always looked at the floor and held a towel over me as long as I could.”

She leaned forward and kissed the head. I’m circumcised, so there was no foreskin, and it felt like an electric shock went through me. My ass cheeks clenched hard, and I came, fountaining cum that splashed against her cheek and into her hair.

Oh, fuck!

I jackknifed forward, hands over my cock, face burning.

“Oh, God, I’m so, so sorry, Linda, I…”

To my astonishment, she smiled, used her hands to push me upright again, and placed her finger over my lips, silencing me. “Shhh. It’s okay, Jeff. Really.” She used her palm to wipe her hair, and a finger to wipe the cum off her cheek, then, eyes on mine, smiled – and sucked it into her mouth.

And even though I had just cum, I could feel my dick jerking up to attention again.

She giggled, then pushed me on my back, dick sticking straight up. Well, actually it curves slightly to the left. She lifted her left leg over, straddling my hips, with my dick resting against her lower abdomen. Leaning forward, she pressed her tits against my chest and lowered her lips to mine, French kissing me.

I decided I liked it and tried to let her know it by kissing her back.

It was beyond anything I had imagined, let alone experienced. It felt so good – and I felt as if she wasn’t looking down on me for my extreme dorkiness, that she actually was enjoying it, too!

I broke the kiss and looked up at her. She was smiling, much to my relief.

“Not too bad?” she asked.

I slowly shook my head. “No, Linda. It was great. God, you’re beautiful!”

Putting my hand behind her head, I brought her face down and our lips met again. This time I pushed my tongue into her mouth and felt her tongue welcome it in, rubbing lightly against mine.

She broke the kiss, lifted slightly, moved back a bit, and grasped my cock, then rubbed the head back and forth between her pussy lips. They felt hot and very slick and slippery. I was seriously afraid I’d cum again, but took a deep breath and consciously relaxed my body.

With a look of concentration – and with her tongue poking out slightly from one side of her mouth – she eased my cock into her pussy, then straightened up, and gradually pushed down.

The sensation was incredible! My dick felt like it was being swallowed in hot oil – and then she squeezed! I jerked at the sensation, and she giggled, smiling down at me, then straightened up, placing her hands on my chest, and began to move her hips up and down. I felt my dick sliding in and out of her pussy and convulsively shook my head as if I couldn’t quite believe it.

Which I couldn’t. Could this really be happening to me? God, it felt amazing! I…I couldn’t believe it! This was so much better than whacking off!

And then I came again…

My whole body prickled like I was being stung by a million bees. My head felt like it was exploding. I could barely breathe, and each gasp was shallow and quick, like an overheated dog. I lost track of where my hands were, my legs were. I felt as if I were one giant nerve, plugged into a socket, jerking with pleasure.

I heard a voice. It sounded familiar, but higher and louder, and grunting and moaning…then realized it was me.

Oh…

I lost track of myself, and when I finally found me again…I opened my eyes and saw Linda smiling down at me, continuing to pump up and down.

How many hours, how many days had I been gone? No idea.

I saw my hands reaching up, stroking her arms. The back of my hand, my fingers, stroked her cheek, and her smile broadened – and softened. She took my hand and turned it around, then kissed my palm and held my fingers to her cheek. Her eyes seemed to glow with an inner light, and there was warmth and affection there.

She moved my hand to her breast and helped me massage it. It wasn’t the light, tentative touch I had done earlier, but stronger, yet oddly gentle. I kept the movement going, and started – carefully – to pull on her tit. She reached down and took my other hand and placed it on her stomach, moving it slowly back and forth, then took her hand away, returning it to my chest as her hips continued to slide up and down.

The angle was awkward, so I used the back of my fingers to lightly stroke her stomach, and I swear she purred like a cat.

She closed her eyes, her lips pursed, frowning, and started to move up and down faster. I continued to massage her tit and stroke her tummy, then started to move my hand down lower to her mound, awkwardly because of how near she was. With the back of my hand, I stroked farther left and right across the top of her mound over to one hip, then back to the other side.

Her back arched and her mouth opened. She sat upright, causing my hand to drop from her breast, moving up and down from her thighs, faster now. She placed her hands on her tits and started pulling and twisting them harder than I had.

“Huuuhh…HUuhhh…HUUU…oh FUCK!”

She dropped her head, a look of pain on her features, her bum moving faster and faster until she shoved her hands down hard on the bed on both sides of me. Her back roached, arching like a cat, her mouth opened and she moaned softly, then louder. Finally, her whole body trembled and stiffened – then she collapsed on top of me, FLOP!

…and lay still, breathing hard.

Uncertain if she was okay, I gently wrapped both arms around her, and kissed her temple. Her hair smelled of cum and shampoo. There were prickles of perspiration on her forehead, and her body felt hot and damp against mine.

We were still. She lay there as if she were dead, except for her chest rising and falling, fast at first, then slower and slower, until I think she slept.

I stroked her back, then, awkwardly, reached for the sheet and blanket, and managed to bring them both over us.

Her weight was pressing down on me, but somehow I didn’t mind.

~~~~~

After a while, I felt her move, then heard a wet, sucking sound at the same time as I felt my dick slide out of her and flop onto my thigh, limp. She rolled over onto the bed.

I thought about waking her to ask if we could have sex again, and was very tempted, but decided she must be exhausted from being on the street, so – reluctantly – decided to try being patient. I flipped the covers over her, then put my arm out as a pillow, causing her to nuzzle in close, head on my shoulder, eyes closed, a smile on her lips.

“Mmmm…”

~~~~~

Eventually, hydraulic pressure forced me to slide her head onto the pillow. As quietly as I could, I got out of bed, being careful not to let cool air under the blanket and sheet, and padded off to the loo.

I closed the door carefully, and stood, pee streaming out with reassuring force, splashing in the bowl. I dropped my head back and sighed.

I felt good all over and grinned into the darkness.

As gently as I could, I slid back into the bed, turned away from her, cushioned my head on my pillow, and was rewarded when she moved up behind me and we made spoons.

~~~~~

When I woke the next morning, I rolled over, expecting her to be gone. My heart leaped when I saw her there, lying on her side, eyes open, and a smile on her face.

“Good morning – stud.”

I gaped at her, then guffawed. “And good morning to you, sexy!” I reached over and stroked her cheek with the back of my fingers. “And thank you. That was – you were – amazing.”

Her eyes crinkled, then said, “Ready for more?”

“I don’t know, let me check…” I lifted the blanket and sheet and looked down at my more-than-stiff dick, let the blanket flop down, and said, “Imagine that! If I were any readier, my dick would probably burst! You’ve put a spell on me, you have.”

She started to reach for me, but I lightly grasped her hand. “Linda…”

Her brow furrowed, “Yeah?”

I looked away, “You, you…don’t have to let me…make love to you to keep yourself off the street. You can stay here without sleeping with me, as long as you want.”

I looked up, straight into her eyes, “But if you really want to…”

She smiled and put a finger across my lips. “Shhh…You know your problem? You talk too much. You always have.”

Her hand snaked under the covers, found my dick, and started to work it up and down. I shivered and then shivered again when she threw the covers off both of us. She crawled down to my cock, showing me her delightfully naked ass, licked her lips…then licked my dick. It was a long, slow, sliding lick from where her hand grasped it up to the tip, found the precum on it, and drew away, trailing a bead of precum from her tongue to my cock. I shivered. It was getting to be a habit!

Glancing at me, she moved closer, and took the head into her mouth, running her tongue around the edge. I bucked, pushing my hips up. “Oh GOSH, that feels good!"

She shifted position to get a better angle. Then she slurped and smiled, started going slowly up and down on me, deeper each time, her eyes locked on mine. I have never felt anything like it, it was beyond description, and once again I was afraid I’d cum too soon and embarrass myself all over again.

Next, she did something I had read about but didn’t really believe was possible. She took my whole dick in her mouth and throat – deep-throating, I guess – and held it there, her nose pressed against my pubis, eyes on me the whole time.

I had to fight not to cum, breathing heavily and squirming, and even so it was, in the famous words of the Duke of Wellington, “the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life.”

She smiled around my cock, her lips pressed tight around me, then with painstaking slowness moved back up – and then let my dick flop free of her mouth.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she smiled, “Want a lesson in how to please a girl – stud?”

All I could do was nod.

She moved over parallel to me, then dropped her head and shoulders, on her knees, ass up, legs spread wide, face turned towards me. “This is doggie style, and I love it because it lets you rub my hot spot and baby button with your cock, and it always makes me cum hard.

“So – wanna doggie fuck me, Jeff?”

I scrambled into position, being very careful not to crush her leg or knee with my knees as I moved between her legs. I almost lost my balance as I kneeled up when I leaned back too far, but caught myself on her hip, then reached down to grasp my dick.

“Now, don’t just shove that big thing hard into me. Let’s make sure you’re nice and slick with my cunt honey first. Rub the head up and down between my pussy lips, a little deeper each time.”

I did as she instructed, and she shivered. “Ohhh…God, you’re good. Now, slowly push into me a little bit, then out again, then in again, deeper each time…”

Again, I followed instructions and found I had to hold myself back from just shoving all the way in. The temptation was incredibly strong, but I kept control of myself out of a desperate need to please her.

Apparently, I was because she began to whimper each time I pushed in.

When I finally pushed myself all the way in, as far as I could, she reached a hand back and grabbed my side. “Stop there…” I halted, holding deep inside her greatest depth, waiting there and breathing hard.

She was panting, “I want this to last. It’s been so long since a guy treated me nice…” She shivered again. “Oh fuck that’s good,” she said matter-of-factly.

She gulped and licked her lips, waiting, then said, “Okay, start again, but slowly.”

I did as she asked, pulling myself out inch by inch, as slowly as I could manage such an awkward movement. The head of my dick was starting to come out of her pussy when she cried, “No! Don’t go! Please don’t go! Come back inside me – please!”

Happily, I complied, going as slowly as I could manage again.

As I was bottoming out, she arched her back, turned her face into the pillow, and moaned, pushing back hard against me.

I paused, then slowly inched out of her until I was just barely inside her lips, then pushed back in…

“A little faster!” she said, slapping the bed by her head with her hand. “Faster!”

I started to speed up – not fast, but faster – until I had sheathed myself entirely, then pulled back again, still slowly.

“Faster!”

I started to pull back more quickly – and went too far, my dick slipping out of her.

“OHhhhhHH!…FUCK! Quickly get inside, get inside me!” She pushed her rump back, spreading her knees wider, back arched. I could see her pussy was wide open now, the lips puffy and pink. Part of me was tempted to stop and look as I had never seen an aroused woman’s pussy before, but I’m not quite that daft.

Fumbling, I slotted my dick into her pussy and shoved, bottoming out quickly.

“Oh, God! Yes! That! THAT! Keep going, for God’s sake, don’t stop!”

I grabbed the front of her hips as handles, and started to move faster, pulling out – but not so far as to leave her – then plunging in, out, and in, pounding now.

Suddenly, I knew I was cumming, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. “Oh, God Linda – I’m cumming! Is that okay?” I shouted but got no reply.

I shoved myself forward, pushed hard, and drilled myself deep, pulling on her hip handles to crush myself as deeply as I could inside her.

And I heard, muffled by her face in the pillow, a long cry, starting low and then rising to a scream. Her ass moved convulsively left and right and her whole body shivered. Her body shoved back hard against me, pushing me even harder against her.

I felt my balls tense and release, and felt light-headed as I came, and came, and came…

Then collapsed on top of her, putting my hands down on the bed to stop my crushing weight, panting, my breath pushing me up and down on top of her bum and back as my stomach inflated and deflated.

After a few minutes, she turned her face to the side, and said in a strangled voice, “Okay, get off…gently…please.”

I lifted myself up, pulled out of her pussy, dribbling, and almost fell to the side, then rolled onto my back and looked at her. Her face was still jammed into the pillow and squished sideways, but she was smiling.

I put my arm out towards her, and she rolled over heavily, flopping onto my arm, then snuggled in close. “Oh my…Jeff, you have hidden…lengths!” And giggled.

Still breathing hard, I replied, “Only when I’m buried inside of  you!” And I leaned over and kissed her eyes, one, then the other.

I was surprised to see tears appear in the corners. She reached up with a hand, wiped both eyes, and sniffled, but said nothing.

I pulled the covers over us with some difficulty, and we slept.

~~~~~

This time, when I woke up, she wasn’t there. I thought she had gone to the bathroom and called to her. I was surprised when she came into the room dressed in one of my shirts tied at the waist, and her dirty slacks with her old coat over her shoulders.

Her face was no longer beautiful, more anxious and pained.

“Do you have any booze, Jeff? Beer, vodka, anything…?”

I shook my head. “Sorry, I don’t normally drink.”

She looked down and bit her lip, then looked up again. “Would you like to go get a drink? I know of a good bar near here.”

I glanced at the clock by my bedside. It was 11:17 in the morning. “Not really. Wouldn’t you like something to eat? We didn’t have any breakfast, and…”

She was shaking her head. “No, I’d really like a drink. Want to come with me?”

Her insistence gave me pause. The last person I had known who was that insistent on having a drink was my mom. She had been an alcoholic and Linda was talking the way mom talked to dad when she was needing.

“Look, Linda, let me at least get some food in you, then I’ll go down to the…”

“No! If you don’t wanna drink, then…then I’m going to go get one!”

“But Linda, you don’t…”

“No! G’bye!” She turned and stomped out of the room.

I scrambled out of the bed, realizing I was naked but thought, screw it, and kept going. “Linda, wait. Please…”

She stopped with her hand on the doorknob, but wouldn’t meet my eyes. “What?”

I took a deep breath. “I…uh, look, my mom was an alcoholic, and…”

She turned on me, eyes blazing, not looking pretty at all. “So you think I’m an alcoholic? I’m not. I’m not an alcoholic! I just want a drink, all right? Are you coming, or not?”

We stood there, hearts both racing.

Finally, her face softened. “Please, Jeff…” She was pleading.

I carefully crossed the space between us. “Linda, I understand, honestly I do. But if you go out that door and find a drink, it may be the end of your life. Not right away, maybe, but sooner or later and probably sooner. Please – stay here with me and let me make you something to eat, and let’s talk about it, okay?”

She was breathing hard, then I saw her face cloud over, and knew, before she said anything, what her decision would be.

She threw open the door and stalked out.

I stood there, naked, on display to the hallway, and hung my head. It hurt – not for me, but because I knew she was crashing down a long and painful slope. I carefully shut the door and got dressed, wondering if I’d ever see her again. Or if I’d find her, sitting on the pavement, begging for coins again.

I was sitting at the dining room table, staring at the meal I’d prepared – for two, out of hope – but unable to touch it, even though I was hungry. Then I heard a soft tap tap on the door.

I scrambled up and opened it.

And there she was, tears running down her cheeks, lips trembling. “Jeff…please…please help me…” and collapsed into my arms.

I hugged her tight, drew her inside, and shut the door.

Leading her over to the sofa, I pushed the coat off of her shoulders, and sat her down, then moved close to her, putting my arms around her.

She was weeping now, deep racking sobs. I let her cry, stroking her hair, “Go on, let it out. You’re safe now. I won’t let anything hurt you. Shhh, shh, shh…”

When her weeping slowed, she looked up, her face a mess, her eyes red, her nose running. She wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve.

“Oh, God, Jeff. I was so close. I found the bar, sat down, and waited – and sure as a bear shits in the woods, a guy came over and offered to buy me a drink.

“And I smiled at him. ‘Vodka tonic,’ I said. He signaled the bartender, who quickly brought two. I looked at the bartender when he delivered the drinks, then back at the guy…and recognized him.

“I don’t mean I’d met him before. I mean I’ve met guys like him all my life. I knew how it would all play out…and how I would end up, empty, used, and back on the streets again.

“And there was the drink. I wanted it – wanted it bad. It was calling to me, ‘Just one little sip…just one…’”

She shook her head. “But you were right and I knew it. I knew one would never be enough. And I knew that if I took that one little sip, the rest of my life would be crap, and I’d never get out.”

She looked up at me, tears now leaking from her eyes. She wiped them with her hand, then with my handkerchief when I fumbled it out of my pocket.

She looked down. “Jeff…please help me. I can’t do it by myself. And there’s no one else. Please…”

I gathered her into my arms and rocked her gently. “I’ll help, Linda. Whatever you need. Have you ever done AA?”

She moved slightly away and shrugged. “Yeah, several times. But on my own…”

“You’re not on your own anymore. I’m here.”

I took a deep breath, then mentally said, fuck it.

“Linda, stay with me. You don’t have to sleep with me, just live here. Do you still have your hairdresser and esthetician credentials?”

She shook her head, “No, they lapsed, but I could reapply and take the test again.”

“Then do that. I’ll finance it – no, you can pay me back,” I rushed ahead as she tried to interrupt. “And I’ll support you in AA.”

She looked at me, hope and concern crossing her face. “Jeff, thank you. But…why are you doing this? You know what alcoholics are like.”

She dropped her head, “You know you can’t rely on me,” she whispered.

I looked at her. “I don’t have a good answer as to why, Linda, but it just…feels right. You know?”

She stared up at me, then leaned up and kissed me, lightly at first, then…well, then in a way that felt like it was for the rest of my life.

I’d like to say it was all easy from there, but life’s not like that. There were incredible challenges and dark days for both of us. Fortunately, Linda discovered that if she was feeling particularly needy about having a drink, then having sex instead diverted her enough that she could hold it off.

And I was fine with that! I mean, what self-respecting husband wouldn’t sacrifice himself like that to help out his wife when she needs it?

So now we have two children, a boy, and a girl, and we are both happier than we have ever been, problems, mortgage, and all.

Then, one day, our son asked Linda why she married me “’cause you’re so pretty, and Daddy isn’t!”

Linda just smiled and said, “Because he rescued me from ugly trolls and evil spirits,” which shut him up, the little snot.

And our lovely daughter, perhaps out of a sense of loyalty to her old man, piped up in her lisping soprano and asked, “And why did you marry Mumma, Dadda?”

I smiled at her and said, “Because she rescued me from a deep, dark dungeon.”

“Why were you in a da…dark dundon, Dadda?”

“Because I was too afraid to leave it.”

She stood there and thought for a moment. “How did Mumma get you out?”

Linda came over and stood behind my chair, placing her hand on my shoulder. “By loving me, honey. She gave me the courage to escape my dungeon, and become your daddy, sweetie.”

She thought that over for a while, then nodded. “That means you live happily…ebah…aftah!” she said, clapping her hands. “The end!”