Cory was finally getting around to organizing his garage and getting some type of work area set up. He had purposely bought this house as the two-car garage had an expanded area for potential as a workshop area. Even though he had been living here for 8 months, he was just getting around to it, compensating for a busy work schedule that included a bit too much time on the Navy bases around the Norfolk area. Not that the time at work really bothered him, being divorced for three years, and he enjoyed the activity; he had no one to answer to except himself.
The sound of a large truck coming down the street and its air brakes engaging, drew his attention to the front of his garage. Picking up his cold brew as he wandered out to his driveway as anyone would do. A commercial moving truck had pulled up and parked in front of the house next door. It was soon followed by a much smaller van from the same company and two cars. From the small van, 3 guys exited and started opening the various doors on the larger truck and then pulling out the ramps. From the cars, a man and woman left them and headed to the house.
New folks in the neighborhood! Finally, Cory thought, maybe he would no longer be the curiosity. Mainly a subdivision of 30 somethings, married and starting families, he would no longer be the standout being divorced and no kids. He had chosen the area since it was an easy commute to work and quick access to the beaches. The couple, he assumed, looked at the younger side of thirty if not just before that milestone, while he was rapidly approaching the opposite end. He chuckled a bit as he turned and headed back into his shop area figuring he better get hot on finally unpacking before his new neighbors did.
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Darlene almost ran from the car to their new house...their very first house! No more apartments! Her husband, Dana, was close behind her, just as excited about the new home as she was. He wasn't as bored with apartments as his wife was, but he knew her urge to have a space for a family was at the forefront of her thoughts. Dana was comfortable with small spaces since he lived a lot on board naval ships on cruises. Darlene held up at the front door after opening it and turned to him.
"Carry me across the threshold, lover!", she all but shouted with a huge grin.
Laughing, Dana scooped her up in his arms and used his foot to push open the door, stepped them across the threshold, then landed a big kiss on Darlene's lips. He couldn't wait to christen this new abode properly with her, but that would have to wait until the movers got everything in and they had some privacy. He'd take every opportunity he could to make sure her desire for a child happened as they had been trying for several years now.
Dana kissed her deeply, then said, "OK, a plan. You stay here at the door and direct the movers to what room the items go to as they bring them in and check them off that master list. As soon as they get our bedroom pieces in, I'll start setting up our bed and unpack the urgent boxes for the kitchen and bathrooms."
"You got it, lover! I can't wait to make this house a home with you," she replied with a bright smile and eager face with another deep kiss that signaled so much more contact soon.
Darlene anxiously checked off the boxes and furniture pieces as the moving guys brought the items in. All the while hoping this new duty station and their house would bring them the luck of getting pregnant finally. She just wanted it to happen, tired of all the tests and frustrations of what seemed so simple for other women. Some issues had been identified with Dana's sperm. It wasn't just screw more; in fact, they were on a strict schedule to only do so at the right time in her cycle. These next few days were prime time, and he was leaving for three days, back in for four then gone four 4 weeks. She hoped this try would finally take, but his time at sea complicated things even more by her being peak fertility but Dana out to sea.
Darlene dutifully checked off the items, while her mind was running fast forward. On the drive here, Dana and she had a long conversation about their mutual desire for kids. They ran through their options as presented by the doctors. They had concluded that his infertility issues were not going to go away, even with hormones. It would be extremely unlikely that her pregnancy would happen naturally by him. He also seemed to fully understand her reluctance for IVF, even if they could afford the cost. For her, it seemed so mechanical, or laboratory like without any human connection associated with it. It just sent a shiver up her spine to think about it. She wondered if he would come around to her thought of someone directly impregnating her. He gasped at first when she mentioned reading about it, but his first question about it was how they would choose someone. Not the act itself, but on who. Darlene was taking that as a positive sign that he was open to the idea.
The crew unloading the truck were fast. Boxes quickly stacked in the appropriate rooms per Darlene's guidance. Then came the furniture pieces. Dana started arranging the bed frame pieces and suddenly realized he needed some tools to connect the head and foot boards. He had no idea where his tools were as the movers were stacking all the odd stuff in the garage. He could see his toolboxes were buried behind a wall of boxes 3 or 4 deep. Sigh, it would take an hour to dig out and find what he needed.
"Hey Darlene, I'm going to see if the neighbor can loan me the tools, I need to get the bed together. Mine are just completely buried in the garage."
Darlene chuckled as her mind was already thinking about that bed set up, "Okay, lover! Hopefully all your "tools" are not hidden! There's one that I most definitely need later!"
Dana, as he walked next door, thought, just three days to have another try during her prime time. Then three days out, four days in, then 4 weeks gone. Which meant it would be now or a long time before she would be at the prime time again, and he would be home. He didn't even want to think about the impending 6-month cruise just a short week after the 4 weeks out. He supposed they would try during the days in, but it wouldn't be likely, even if he didn't have issues.
Just all those chances that would be lost for the two of them to achieve their dream of a baby. So, it boiled down to now or after that long cruise before he had the possibility of giving both what they dreamed of since getting married. He was still somewhat surprised at her suggestion of a physical donor. He fully understood her reluctance to IVF and how mechanical it was. Hell, he still wasn't over having to give so many samples for testing. It was embarrassing as hell to do it and then discuss the results, especially with a female doctor, let alone handing a sample of his sperm to the female lab tech. He was shocked that he had so indirectly agreed to a physical deposit to cause pregnancy. No way he could back down now. It was all about satisfying their desires, and unexplainable to himself, he didn't have a real issue over her being with someone else, intimately, if it achieved their desires.
Dana enters the garage, "Hello! I'm Dana Edwards, your new neighbor. I was hoping you could help me out with a couple of tools to get some furniture set up."
Cory came around the corner of the work area. "Hey, I'm Cory James. I'll be glad to help you out. I know how hectic move in day is. Tell me what you need, and can I offer you a brew or water?"
"Nice to met you. Sure, I could use a brew, it's been a long hectic day. I could use a medium sized #2 Phillips and a 6" crescent hammer if you got them."
Cory grabbed a couple of brews from the refrigerator designed as if a toolbox, a luxury for sure but so many macho points. "I'm still trying to get squared away after being here for 8 months. It's a never-ending job."
"I've only got three days to get Darlene settled in before heading out to sea. We just got transferred down from Connecticut and I'm catching the final preps for a more extended cruise and things are rushed. Not the best way to introduce the wife to a completely new area."
