Heartbreak And Hope Ch 09

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CIS = Cornwall Islands Social. The social media app of the Cornwall Islands that has functions of Facebook, Twitter, and Outlook combined along with shopping and cultural events.

My universe, my rules. I am aware the practices in my story do not happen in real life including the social scenes regarding sports. The culture in The Cornwall Islands is roughly 30% US, 40% UK, 5% other Europe and 25% my warped little brain.

St Ives. South island and current home of MC. The main town is named Somerset.

St. Austell. North island and the home of the other half of the people taking part in the project with Movie Max. The largest town is named Devon.

Covid does not exist in this world.

The design of the surgegate wouldn't work in real life. Pretend it does.

The Caterpillar 797F dump truck is almost 50 feet long and 25 ft. high. IE HUGE for moving loads inside a quarry and not one you will find on a typical road.

Credit to Hordholm, Kelliezgirl, and everyone else who helped me with ideas on the messageboard when I was looking to fill out the three different bands that 'appear' in this chapter.

PLC= Programmable logic controller= Small dedicated computer used to control machinery or mechanical systems in a commercial or industrial setting.

Split traffic circle. A traffic circle that is several blocks long. The two curved ends are separated by one or more straight roads a block or two long. It still has one way traffic.

Heartbreak and Hope

Chapter 09

Friday, May 1, 2020

Fridays were often my days for catching up on paperwork at the office so I started the day at my surgegate to see that everything was pretty much where it should be then I headed into the office to do my reports for the week. Once at my desk, I filled in one report with a rough estimate of the percentage completed for each trade on one form and filled in a few of the items on the Gantt Chart then sat back and smiled and reflected how even the stress of my current stressful days were a mere shadow compared to my time before Wife Swap X and Movie Max. Yeah, I was all smiles leaning back in my chair with good thoughts.

"Someone is smiling and slacking off I see."

I looked over to see Gemma at the side of my cubicle looking at me a bit amused and a bit questioning, teasing me. Yeah, I loved working for her; she was firm, but fair, and had a nice, but not overwhelming touch of sass and snark. She was a leader, not a boss and yes, there is a difference.

I nodded and said, "Everything is pretty much on time and for any item a bit behind, I have two a bit ahead."

Gemma nodded and chuckled, "I know. I'm glad to see my faith in you has paid off. Your gate is the furthest along, although not by much. Better step on it, Adam on the Northwest gate is right on your heels."

I nodded to her, "It goes well."

I thought about how I was loving life then looked at her and smiled, "Thank you. I love my job."

Gemma smiled back, "I had a good feeling when I looked at your resume after Movie Max forwarded your resume to someone in the government who forwarded it to Nathan Blaine."

She laughed a bit ironically, "It was put on my desk by Nathan Blaine who was no doubt influenced by the Tourism Department or goodness knows who else pushing because of Wife Swap X being made here. When I saw the resume I sighed and rolled my eyes expecting no experience and no qualifications. I was surprised when I read it that it had not only an engineering degree, but a masters and relevant experience and I had just learned Howard was leaving us. Perhaps it is a case of happy circumstances working out very well. You are an asset to us and you are most welcome, Joshua."

Gemma left me to finish my work and I was able to finish on time. I loved four hour Fridays and I walked out of work at eleven as usual and met Jennifer at the front door with a cheek stroke and an "I love you." She repeated the words back to me, smiled at me warmly and took my hand automatically as we walked toward The Fountain Sports Bar. Anthony and Sophia were already inside along with Squatch and Ems. Mom, that is my mother-in-law, was waiting for us at the front door and I paid for my family's cover charges. By noon, we had Jayson and Cara and Cal and Arra all joining us. Dad, my father-in-law, would join us at a quarter past four after work. Four hours of overtime meant an extra one hundred forty four dollars a week for them. After the privation of being jobless and homeless, he loved the extra bit of security and understand, you get time and a half after thirty-six hours so his work week was a total of forty hours.

Fuck yeah! They added hot honey to the condiments table, in a heated dispenser at the buffet just to make the spiced honey more gooey and awesome. How am I supposed to avoid eating fifty pounds of grilled chicken chunks with hot honey? I'll need to spend a week at the gym. Life was becoming... everyday life. There was my weekend life with Movie Max, but I could see my life after Movie Max... and I liked it. Stupid little shit like them adding hot honey to the snack buffet at The Fountain made my day.

Later, my father-in-law, Robert, came up to me right after he arrived at a quarter past four and invited me to go fishing. I protested that it would cost too much, but he insisted that he wanted to get to know the real me and that he was grateful for the way I treated Jennifer so I relented.

There was nothing all that big to stand out in the day, other than it was the day I fully realized that my social life had largely solidified and centered around some wonderful people and it made me smile. We had a solid group of friends and life settled around them... and soccer. SOCCER!? I'm from the US! I'm not supposed to be living around soccer.

Go Gunners!

Saturday, May 2, 2020

The TV alarm woke us at seven that morning for a shuttle van ride at eight. After Jennifer woke up in an amorous mood, she and I had one of our sessions as I bent her over the half wall at the outdoor shower and plowed her from behind with her enthusiastic approval. I had woken with ultra-hard morning wood and she saw it, smiled and had 'that look'. It was a pretty hard session, but our moods matched and I'm sure Movie Max would be happy with that video.

The shuttle van picked us up at eight and took us to the area by The St. Ives Marketplace, but across the street in an ordinary looking shopping strip. Nye's NYC Bagels were actually well above the norm though a bit impractically far if we only wanted a quick bagel breakfast. Once again, Movie Max had found a winner for our meal. Bacon Horseradish cream cheese on a bagel? YES PLEASE!

The reason for the location for breakfast became apparent when we took the van less than a mile to the East to the biggest go kart racing track complex I had ever seen. We drove past the sign that said 'Kartasaurus' which was a twenty foot tall tyrannosaurus made out of go-kart bodies. The Kartosaurus building was enormous and I was surprised when Jennifer had a look of happy anticipation. I was even more surprised when she looked me straight in the eyes and said, "I am going to kick your ass in kart racing."

After the shuttle bus stopped by the front door, we filed out of the shuttle bus to the entry where Jay talked to someone in the booth. A minute later Jay nodded and was handed a stack of red wristbands and we were each handed one. It was a wristband much like one for any festival except this one had a barcode on it.

Jay had this smile that told me the day was going to be epic, "Good morning couples! Welcome to one of the largest go karting facilities in the world. This morning, we are going to see which one of you is the best and... there are one thousand bonuses riding on the answer. This one is very much every man or woman themselves. There can be only one!"

Jennifer smirked at me and pointed to herself and said, "I'm the one."

I wisely said nothing for two reasons. One was what was I going to say? I figured to let the winning work itself out. Two. Insulting your wife is just... dumb.

Everyone looked to be happy, some more than others then Jay continued, "After the racing this morning, your wristbands are good for the entire day. Just scan the barcode at the machine or for the food and it is on us. In addition to go karts, there are bumper boats, axe throwing, and a very large video game arcade. Food is on Movie Max and this includes food service in the VIP loge."

Jay pointed to a mezzanine above us with food tables. At the far right end was a loge area with sitdown restaurant style tables with wait staff and it had a great view over the entire facility.

Jay rubbed his hands together in mock evil glee, "But first, we shall see which of you is THE ONE!"

We walked to the back and... wow! A ginormous go kart track with no one on it and it was all ours. Jay gestured to the track, "Well snap to it! You get two hours of practice. At eleven we have an open qualifying event. At half past eleven, the top four race to find out which of you is the winner!"

Jennifer just smirked at me as she got into a green go kart made to look like an F1 race car. It was two hours of ridiculous fun and I noted Jennifer was taking it all very seriously. Nick also seemed to be quite good at it as were Cara, Nathan, Jessica, and David.

At half past eleven Jay announced, "Okay! Open qualifying. This is a TIMED event. The third place winner of one of the five heats may well have a time faster than the fastest of another heat."

I was up against Zach, Nick, and Briana. They dropped the flag and I was quickly in second place behind Nick. and... that is where I stayed; second place behind Nick. Jennifer was up against Cassie, Hannah, and Nathan. Jennifer smirked at me again, but I gave her the thumbs up and cheered, "Go Jennifer!"

That melted the smirk right off her face when she gave me an, "Aww! I love you!" and a hand heart gesture. Pro tip! Remember ABC wife. Always be cheering for your wife.

They dropped the flag and Jennifer won and I'm almost surprised she didn't lap them. She won to the point she pretty much destroyed everyone in her heat and in the end, the final was Jennifer, Nick, Cara, and Ryan. The finalists were announced and I was not one of them, but Jennifer was. They lined up and again I cheered, "Go Jennifer!" I got another hand-heart and a mouthed, "I love you." Her reaction; Yeah, I scored some big points with her.

It wasn't close. Jennifer started in the lead then smoked them all hard. She was comfortably ahead then instead of showboating, she concentrated and won by even more! Damn I was proud of her! When she finished she looked up to see me cheering her win and it melted her heart again.

Jay was waiting in front of me to give her her winner's plaque, but she ran right past him, jumped onto me straddling me and dove her tongue down my throat! No her vagina was not on my dick, it was around my waist and yeah, that rocked. She smiled then said, "You support me! I love you." I then got another tonsillectomy from her. Finally, she got off me then took her plaque from Jay and posed for some video and still photos.

At lunch we headed to the loge with Anthony and Sophia and Jayson and Cara for a surprisingly good lunch on a surprisingly broad menu. I had some steak soft-tacos and Jennifer had some surprisingly good Chicken Parmesan.

The afternoon of axe throwing, bumper boats, and an old-style video arcade capped out a great afternoon and evening. Dinner was at the VIP loge where I was surprised to find I could have a New York Strip steak, Jennifer ordered the same, and best of all, it was paid for by Movie Max. Yes, yet another steak. YOU eat a year of store-brand noodles and baked beans for a year while on the road to being homeless and tell me to ignore a free steak.

We arrived home after nine that evening dog tired. We brushed our teeth and crashed with Jennifer cuddled up to me as usual with a soft, "I love you." Damn, she is soft and warm. NICE.

Well, she was right. Jennifer did kick my ass in go kart racing. She kicked EVERYONE'S ASS. No my penis did not fall off and I found out later why she did so well.

Sunday, May 3, 2020

I woke early to Jennifer playing with my morning wood at six and she again had 'that look'.

Winning the go kart challenge got her all hot and she was soon ass up on elbows with the simple words, "Pound me!"

Mental note, Telling Jennifer she is awesome at something gets her even hotter. ABC wife; Always be cheering for your wife sure works well. After two rounds of doggie in the bed, she wanted to go down to the pool shower to clean up. I was kind of out of bullets, but washing her fun bits is never a difficult request. She wants me to wash her vagina and boobs? YES PLEASE!

We had been up since before the TV alarm was due to go off and we had to meet the shuttle van at eight in the morning which took us to another harborside restaurant with a rear patio for seating. This one was an IHOP. Yes an IHOP, likely the nicest one on the planet, probably the best view, and certainly the only one where no one was wearing a stitch of clothing.

Jay announced that since Jennifer won the go kart event, so as a bonus, she got to pick the dinner for Saturday in two weeks. She picked Kitakyushu Teppanyaki, the Teppen table place we had tried on our own without the others and they were going to love it.

Jay announced some welcome news, "We have a nice one for you next week. Pack for a trip to Lands End, not the one in the UK, our Lands End which has a very nice sandy beach. Just think Friday night through Sunday as a much more relaxing time on a very nice beach. We run you ragged for some things and give you a nice weekend at a beach resort another week. Just some relaxing time at one of the nicest Holiday Inns on the planet. It's a three-star hotel with a four-star pool and spa. Everyone gets an hour of massage. Men note, your wives requesting you to splurge them more time with the massage when they request it is HIGHLY recommended."

After the big go-karting day the day previous, It was going to be a pretty low key day as the shuttle bus took us to The St. Ives Arboretum which was about thirty miles East of town set in a three and almost four-sided valley between some hills. Once we exited the bus, I looked around and WOW! Another view so beautiful it seemed fake. The hills to the East and West were taller and the one to our South, shorter, but it had a beautiful waterfall dropping somewhere around one hundred twenty feet.

Jay explained the day, "Welcome couples to The St. Ives Arboretum! You will note the location seems a bit unusual and there is a reason for the location. This secluded valley is between hills and sits in the Chester River valley. Unless a hurricane hits and tracks a very specific course, the hills will reduce the incoming wind greatly. This valley was relatively undamaged in all of the major hurricanes that have hit the islands, including the 1946 storm that wiped out Somerset and Devon.

Jay was almost smug in how proud he was of the beauty that surrounded us, "To our south is Queen Elizabeth The Second Falls, formerly known as Camden Falls. It was renamed four years ago on the seventieth anniversary of the arrival of two concrete processing plants given to us by the kind people of the United Kingdom after the August Hurricane of 1946. They were themselves recovering from World War Two and the gift touched us greatly. These were the first two built on St. Ives Island in the late fall of 1946 and they were commissioned the following spring near some ideal limestone and aggregate quarries. They were the first two of what are now hundreds of facilities for one of our biggest exports."

We were all stunned at the view and even humdrum Nick was looking around in wonderment. At the base of the falls was a pool where water collected and the whole damn thing was lush with plants and flowers and just... perfection.

The ticket booth was toward the waterfall from the parking lot and after Jay spoke with a person, we were let in without more delays. The arboretum was laid out in sections with different themes, some were foreign to the islands, such as the Japanese garden section which was twenty acres of stunning ponds, trees, and flowering everything. The English Garden was the same thing, but different plants laid out much like the gardens of finer historic homes in the UK. Most of the arboretum was dedicated to the plants of The Cornwall Islands, but they seemed to have a bit of everything from everywhere except Arctic.

After a nice afternoon walking hand in hand with my wife at the arboretum seeing nature at its finest and yeah, making out a bit, we headed back toward Somerset and dinner was at another place that immediately went into my favorites section on my CIS app. Peter Pigg's Barbecue was two blocks from the harbor and two blocks west of The Central Fountain. It was a pork barbecue place that had so many good choices I chose the sampler plate and loved all of them.

Yes, that was his real name, Peter Pigg was Cajun and from tiny backwoods or backswamp someplace South and West of New Orleans. He knew barbecue and he practiced his art with consummate skill. After another first-rate meal, Jay was again smug about his homeland, a neverending list of incredible sights and amazing food.

We arrived home not too tired so we had soft missionary sex with a lot of kisses and cuddles until we both had soft, but satisfying climaxes. Sometimes sex with Jennifer is hard and sometimes it is soft. She wanted it soft and I am always privileged to have relations with my wonderful wife and her letting me know what her mood is makes it easier to keep her happy. When she had her climax and I then had mine, she looked up at me with this dreamy relaxed smile as I was still inside her, "I love you, Joshua."

She was happy and I could see she was sated and satisfied. Yes! My privilege indeed!

After the sex, she was even more tired after the long day and she wanted a nice cuddle. She did not have to ask twice and yes, I like cuddling, especially after sex and my need for climax is low after emptying myself into her. She rubbed her cheek on my chest and sighed, "Thank you for cheering for me even after I beat you yesterday. You never had a shot against me, no one did. Aaron and I did it quite a bit in competitive leagues until the economy went to hell. Thank you for supporting me. It seems silly, but being a good sport about it and not getting all bitchy because 'a girl beat you' meant a lot.

Yes, I took mental notes.

I smiled and said, "I love you."

She repeated it back, kissed my cheek then sighed and fell asleep with the warmest, happiest, most content smile.

My Jennifer!

Wednesday, May 6 2020

This was the day I was to go fishing with my father-in-law and Gemma had been very accommodating when I had requested a day off, telling me that taking my time off is not looked down on in The Cornwall Islands and would not endanger me during my reviews. Things on my surgegate were progressing nicely and there was no reason to deny the request.

I was looking forward to it because I refer to my father-in-law as dad and enjoy the closeness of her parents who treat me as if they were my blood relatives. I arrived at the marina West of the center of town, and where dad was waiting for me with the biggest happy smile as he greeted me with a one arm bro hug and a clap on the back, "I always wanted a son. Now I have one!"

We walked to dock 37 to a thirty-five foot Boston Whaler center console boat with triple three hundred fifty horse Mercuries and a waiting captain who greeted us, "Welcome to the Tune-A-Fish. I'm Matt and I will be taking you out for some fishing. Mahi-Mahi have been running well lately and I would suggest we do that."