My apologies for taking so long for this fourth installment. I'm deemed an "essential worker", so my time has been limited in getting in front of my laptop. It's been a busy week and a half. I hope you all are doing well and being safe. We will get through this. God Bless you all.
This is my first attempt at writing a story for this site. It's seventy percent factual with about thirty percent artistic license and fiction added. It's turning into a multiple part story so be patient. Names have been changed to protect the people involved. All characters are over 18 years old. Thanks to LaurieLou for the editing help.
You'll need to read the first three parts of this continuing story for it to make any sense with the characters and where the plot is going.
Thank you! And thank you for all the comments.
*****
I had finished rinsing the dishes and put everything in the dishwasher. I put the leftovers from our dinner in the fridge, grabbed a beer and headed to my recliner. My phone chirped and I looked at the message. It was Charlie and he was replying to my picture text of Angie and Kat and Kat and me. I looked at the phone and smiled at his message.
'DAD, OKAY, SHE'S GORGEOUS. YOU'RE NOT ON DRUGS, OBVIOUSLY. IF YOU'RE HAPPY, I'M HAPPY FOR YOU. -CHARLIE'
I texted him back with a thank you and let him know he was back in my will. Just then, I got a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. It was local but, I assumed it was about my car's almost expired warranty or my credit card.
"Hello," I answered tentatively.
"Allan, you are about the best guy I've ever known," a female voice said.
"Angie?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's me. And you're amazing, you know that?"
"Well, duh," I answered. "You didn't know that already?"
"You have no idea what you did for Kat. She just hung up with me and all she did was cry and tell me about what you gave her."
"Oh, that. It was nothing, really. Kat told me about her studies and the lack of a sewing machine over lunch, so I thought I'd help her out. It's just a sewing machine, Kat," I said.
"It may as well have been the keys to a new Ferrari," Angie sniffled. "You've made her year and mine too."
I smiled into the phone, "Thanks, Angie. Your words and her reaction when I gave it to her, make me happy."
"Allan, I can't wait to come over again. I want to see you and Kat. It hasn't been a full day and I miss you guys," she confessed.
"We miss you too. You can come over and stay anytime, Angie."
"I want to soon. I love my parents but, they're cramping my style," Angie sighed.
"Well, I'm sure they appreciate having you home and seeing you. I wish my boys were home more. Hey, speaking of my boys, you saw my son Andy's picture, right?"
"Yeah, he's ho...uh, cute. Why?"
"Well, I sent a picture of you and Kat to him. I think you'd like him," I said.
"Uh, hello Allan. I'm seeing Owen, remember?"
"Yeah, I'm aware but, you're not like engaged, right?"
"Allan! You're awful... Uh, did he say anything about our picture?"
I could hear the shy, hopeful smile over the phone. "Oh, I haven't heard back from Andy yet. I can text him again and ask what he thinks of your picture," I teased.
"Nooo!! Don't do that! I was just curious, that's all," Angie said but, very unconvincingly.
"Better yet, let me call him and we can conference call. It'll only take a second," I continued to kid her.
"ALLAN, DON'T YOU DARE!" Angie shrieked.
I had to hold the phone away from my ear. "Calm down, Angie. I was only kidding."
"Oh, you jerk," said an exasperated Angie. "I'm going to kick your ass when I see you!"
"Oh, wow! Well, will you call me humiliating names and wear boots while you're doing that?"
"Wait. What? NO!" Angie exclaimed. "God, you're so frustrating!"
I laughed and then asked if I could give her number to Andy, if he wanted it.
"Owen, remember?" Angie chided me.
"Yeah, yeah. So, can I?"
Silence came from Angie's end of the conversation for a few seconds, then I heard a soft, "Yes."
"Thank you, Angie," I told her.
"I'm still going to kick your ass when I see you. Remember that," she warned me.
"You prefer to be called Mistress?"
"Yes...wait, NO!! GOD!!" Angie shouted and ended our phone call. I laughed at being able to get her flustered just as she did with me. I couldn't deny the slight sexual tension between us, but Kat owned my heart and I loved Kat. However, I'd flirt with Angie any day.
I texted Andy with Angie's phone number and asked what he thought of Angie and my Kat. Then I added Angie's number to my contacts. I grabbed my beer and headed upstairs to check on Kat. Kat had the sewing machine set up and things scattered all over the place. Fabric here, drawings there, and patterns on the bed. Kat sat cross-legged on the bed reading the manual for the sewing machine. I gently knocked on the door, so as not to startle Kat.
"Hey babe. How are you doing?" I asked.
"Just learning what this machine can do. And it can do a lot from what I've read so far," she told me.
"It does what you need it to do?"
"Oh yeah and then some. I can embroider as well so I can make shirts like, uh..." Kat looked all around the bed and grabbed a sketch. "Like this!" she exclaimed and held it out to me.
I walked over to the bed and took the sketch from Kat. It was a couple of drawings of t-shirts with sayings on them. One said, "Goth Bitch Princess" and the other was "Sugar, Spice and Everything Diced." It had a skeleton wearing a pink bow on its skull, and it was holding two bloody knives.
"That's really cute!" I told her. "It reminds me of Angie, with the knives."
Kat laughed and told me that I should be glad that she wouldn't tell Angie I said that. I thanked her profusely as Angie kind of scared me.