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265 long they could keep him going. With Eddie flat on his back they had taken turns for over an hour and a half before he exploded into Kate who milked him dry. Sunday night she and Eddie made love. Startled from her thoughts by her daughter asking a question, Tanya blinked and saw Nicole’ s concerned expression.“ Mom! Did you hear me?” Nicole asked again.“ I’ m sorry. I spaced out for a moment. What did you say?”“ I said my hamburger is cold. I was going to heat it in the microwave.”“ Yes. Of course,” Tanya said.“ Are you okay?”“ We’ ve had a lot of changes around here lately. Your father’ s job. You starting to date. It is a very different world than when I was your age.”“ Like the big deal being push button phones,” Nicole said, and Tanya smiled.“ Yes. And not having to shovel dinosaur droppings from the front of the cave because they all mysteriously vanished when I turned sixteen,” Tanya laughed, trying desperately not to make it sound as forced as the smile felt. Nicole rolled her eyes and headed to the kitchen.
The small sun-room, off the living room, was where Tanya found Eddie, hunched over the old tilt-top desk, they found at a flea market. The student desk obviously came from an old high school because of the size, the inkwell, and the names and initials carved into the underside of the lid. Blue masking tape adhered the drawing to the surface. The parallel sides of the desk top allowed the T-square to function properly. Tanya asked how the drawing was coming along. The lines were so faint she could hardly see if there was any progress. Eddie was using the eraser and a piece of thin metal to clean some edges.“ Take a look,” he said, moving aside. Tanya looked closely at the paper and saw the lightly drawn floor plan.“ This is amazing Eddie. How... When..?” she started.“ Ninth and tenth grade drafting. I just have to darken in the lines and it‘ s done.” Eddie smiled.“ I am going to try to finish my book,” Tanya said, giving her husband a kiss and wondering what else she did not know about her husband. While she waited for the water to boil for a cup of herbal tea she found some rubber bands, took them and another beer to Eddie.“ Thanks. I guess I don’ t want to fold the floor plan,” he said. Tanya went to finish making her tea. She stirred slightly a couple of hours later as he removed the book from her hands and pulled the covers to her chin. After marking her page, he set the book on the nightstand, turned out the lights and climbed into bed.
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