315 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
315 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
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- Digital Switching -
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As soon as I saw him I felt that old familiar rush of
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longing inside, like a big hole had just opened in me that only
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he could fill. Suddenly the rest of the world fell away and the
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only thing that mattered was how I was going to get him in my
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life. He was chatting with a group of his friends around
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one of the displays in the Computers section of the Museum. I was
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looking up at him through the skylight on between Computers and
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the Palaeontology section. As he laughed at some joke I couldn't
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hear (and probably wouldn't have even if there hadn't been twenty
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feet of slightly musty Museum air between us) his hair caught the
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light, and he appeared as a merry angel, limned in a golden halo
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of auburn hair and burnished gold. I felt that rush again, so
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strong that I felt I would black out, and just stared fixedly up
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at him. Luckily, the area I was in, the early mammals, was not
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very popular, because had there been anyone to see me there I
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would have looked like I'd been struck dumb. As I stood
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basking in the glow I had seen, a small but vital part of my mind
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noticed that he was about to leave. A switch closed in my mind
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and I took off like a sprinter through the Palaeontology section
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and up the stairs to keep from losing him. Luckily, he had
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stopped to look at the digital switching display, so not
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only did I not lose him but I had a precious few seconds to
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adjust my clothes and my composure, and saunter up to the display
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in a study of nonchalance.
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"Amazing technology, isn't it?" I opened, hoping
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desperately that the tremble in my voice
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wasn't too noticeable.
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"I'll say!" he replied, not looking away from the display.
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"You could have a million lines into a certain station and it
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could handle them all, with no noticeable effect on the user!"
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His dark blue eyes scanned over the information in the display
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like a child reading a story book, and his expression was
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one of enrapture.
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"Really? You mean the main computer wouldn't get confused
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with all those different lines giving
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it different inputs at once?"
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"Not with this system," he said, in much the same tone a
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proud parent uses when they say "Not MY child!" "Each line has
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its own built-in traffic control system, which reports to the
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main computer how busy the line is and tells it whether it should
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reroute the data or not. The computer can switch lines
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in an instant if one gets too busy or there's a security breach."
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I nodded intelligently. Computers were only a hobby for me,
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so the conversation had already gone totally beyond me. "Sounds
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like quite a powerful system."
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He nodded, still locked into his intellectual congress with
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the information in the display. "It is. This way the computer
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doesn't waste precious CPU time on users who aren't doing
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anything and can cut off in an instant ones who are doing
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something they shouldn't."
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Again I nodded, trying to grasp enough of what he was saying
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to make an intelligent comment. The seconds ticked by, and i was
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sure he was about to turn and walk away, totally forgetting me.
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Finally I blurted out, "That sounds kind of harsh, doesn't it?"
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He turned and looked at me for the first time, with a
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surprised expression. Inside I froze. You've blown it, old boy, I
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thought to myself. Now he thinks you're a total geek or crazy or
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both. You'll be lucky if he just leaves without notifying any
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institutions.
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But his surprised look melted into as he laughed a deep,
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rich, easy laugh, and chuckled, "I suppose it does, doesn't it!"
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My own surprise was total, but I had the good sense to laugh
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along with him. After we had had a good long laugh, he turned to
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go on to the next display, and gestured for me to follow him.
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Needless to say, I did.
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As we moved on, he said warmly, "I get the impression that
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you're not particularly up on the latest advances in technology."
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I smiled at him. "Well, no. I use my Internet account and run
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my applications, but other than that I just accept things on
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faith, I guess. I just stick to my faithful PC."
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He chuckled, and said "You really should keep up on the
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latest advances. You never know when something new will come
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along which will make your life a lot easier, so it pays to keep
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your eyes open for new opportunities. Now take this next display,
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on the new laptops..."
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And that was how the rest of the afternoon went. He, the
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gentle, kind teacher, teaching me more about computers in those
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few hours than I had known in all my life beforehand, and I the
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eager student, hanging on his every word. Now I will admit that
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he could have been talking about the anatomy of the flea and I
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would have been just as eager, for it wasn't the subject matter
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that kept me hooked in but the teacher. He obviously loved his
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subject, and brought to his lessons a contagious enthusiasm, not
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to mention (I just happened to notice) a kind, expressive face,
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an ease and grace of motion both hypnotic and relaxing, and a
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thin but well-muscled frame, like a dancer's. Every word he said
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burned into my mind and I drank deeply of the knowledge he so
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loved to share.
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Finally, it was five o' clock, we had exhausted every
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display there, and we were both tired and giddy from each other's
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company. So I was only mildly surprised when I heard myself
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inviting him over to my place for dinner and a movie from my
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collection. He accepted graciously, and we caught a cab
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back to my apartment.
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As soon as we got inside, I felt more confident, as I always
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do when I get home. Each thing in my apartment was out there by
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me, and carries its own air of familiarity and comfort, from the
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beat-up and oddly-coloured couch, to the enormous TV I won in a
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raffle at college, to the painting by my mother of my baby sister
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Clara at age three. I ushered him to the couch, which despite its
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extreme age and mildly arthritic springs is quite comfortable,
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and whisked off to the kitchen to whip up a meal.
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And if my confidence had soared when I entered my apartment,
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it reached escape velocity when I hit the kitchen. I feel I can
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say, and there are many friends and family members who will
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support me on this, that I am one damn good cook. For as long as
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I can remember, I have felt at home in the kitchen. Before long,
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the pasta was boiling, the sauce was simmering, the greens were
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boiling, and I could take him out a glass of wine. When I
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returned to the living room, I found to my utter lack of
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surprise that he had found my dear old PC and was fiddling with
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it and muttering something about abacuses and ease of use. I
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nudged his elbow gently with my own and handed him his glass.
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He turned away from the computer and took the glass, taking
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a long pull from it and leaning back in the chair, facing me. He
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favoured me with a warm smile (which incidently caused be to sit
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down just a little quicker than I had intended as my knees went
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all wobbly) and said, "I haven't seen one of these in ages. I
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didn't think there were any more around."
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I smiled and gave my well-worn old machine an affectionate
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pat. "Yeah, this machine and I have been through a lot together."
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He grinned wryly and said, "I suppose it would be useless to
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tell you how much faster and better all your applications would
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run if you upgraded to a new system?"
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I nodded. "Pretty much. When this old rig finally gives up
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the ghost I'll look into a new one, but until then, I'll just
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plug along."
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He shook his head in disbelief and said, "What is it you're
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cooking out there? It smells great!"
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I preened under his praise and said, "Oh, a little of this
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and a little of that." With that, I stood up and extended my
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hand to collect his now-empty glass. "And I should be getting
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back to it, I'm afraid."
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He handed me his glass, and as I took it our hands brushed
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against each other. I felt an electric chill run up my spine and I
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let my hand linger there for just a little longer than necessary,
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looking into his eyes to see how he reacted, hope and fear
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battling in my heart. Hope won by a landslide as he slid his
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finger over my knuckles quite deliberately and smiled up at me
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with a look of pure affection. My heart swelled and I practically
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skipped back to the kitchen.
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Supper went like a boat ride on a gentle river, the two of
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us talking freely, the words seeming to just pour out without a
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care. We were high on each other... whatever one of us said was
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the most amusing or interesting thing the other had ever heard, and then
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they went and said something even more wonderful, over and over
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again. By the end of the meal, we were touching hands frequently,
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and as we did the dishes together, our progress was severely
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crimped by the fact that we couldn't keep our hands
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off of each other. I don't think either of us were ever both
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working at the same time... one of us would be trying to work and
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the other would be nibbling his ear, or kissing his cheek, or
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hugging him from behind. Finally, as he reached by me to pick
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something up, our faces came within twelve inches of each
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other and before either of us knew it we were kissing
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passionately over the sink. A long languid moment passed before I
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even breathed, as our mouths met and our tongues caressed one
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another. My mind sang with an echoing joy as our souls met in
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that one blinding moment. An undermined number of eons later the
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kiss ended and we simply embraced, breathing heavily and grinning
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like kids who've just found genuine reindeer hoofprints on their
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roof on Christmas Day.
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"I think the dishes can wait..." I panted.
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"I sure as hell can't!" he chuckled, and kissed me again.
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Eventually, we made it to my bedroom. It was only down a
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very short hall and normally would take all of thirty seconds,
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but we felt the need to kiss, caress, or otherwise contact each
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other at every step, so it took us considerably longer. When we
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got there, I gently pushed him onto the bed and quickly relieved
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us both of our clothing, making him giggle at the speed and
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efficiency with which I did so. I climbed on top of him, our
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chests so close I could feel my heart beating against his, and I
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kissed him again, deeply and hotly. If the kiss in the kitchen
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had started the fire, this one ignited it. Our bodies were
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already slick with sweat as I pressed my mouth against his and
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rubbed against him slowly. Our cocks slid against each other, and
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the two heads met and exchanged a delicate kiss. I could feel the
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fire burning deep in me, scalding my soul and making my senses
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peak.
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I broke the kiss and dragged my tongue down his chest,
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leaving a trail of saliva and causing him to gasp lightly.
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Downward I licked, over his smooth belly, his slender waistline,
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and finally up the length of his straining member. I took a deep
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breath, then closed my mouth over his cockhead. Again I felt
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that electric thrill, but this time it hit me like someone had
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thrown a bag of black dust into my head, and it had fallen dead
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center and exploded in a dizzying swirl of lightning-streaked
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darkness.
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I suckled the head greedily, nursing it like a hungry
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baby, my eyes closed so i could focus entirely on the wonderful
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sensation of his warm cockhead rubbing on the roof of my mouth. I
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ran a fingertip up the shaft, causing him to tense slightly and
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squirt a delicious droplet of precum into my busy mouth, where it
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was briefly savoured then quickly disappeared. I tilted my head
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forward and leaned down, taking more of his cock into my mouth
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and sucking it vigorously, my tongue pressed against his cockhead
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so that as I sucked it rubbed against my tongue roughly. His
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ragged breathing and the way his legs were trembling assured
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me that I was being at least moderately successful. I made love
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to his cock with my mouth, running the very tip of my tongue
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through his slit, twirling around his length with the bulk of my
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tongue, and sucking on it like it was my air supply.
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He moaned
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and clutched at the pillows, his sweat soaking the sheets. I
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open my mouth fully and sank down on his cock, sliding it as far
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as it would go into my hungry throat, and bobbed up and down
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rapidly, determined to capture his prize. With a strangled sort
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of gasp, he came like a fountain, shooting his marvellous seed
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deep down my throat. I had to breathe through my nose rapidly as I
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sucked and swallowed his load, pulling on his cock with my
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well-developed throat muscles to suck him totally dry.
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Eventually, I could feel his cock softening in my mouth, and he
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was beginning to shift uncomfortably as I sucked on his now
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supersensitive cock. Reluctantly I let his
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cock slip out of my mouth, and scooched back up and gave him a deep
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kiss, letting him taste his own juices mixed with my saliva. At
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first he just lay there, dazed, as I kissed him, then a goofy
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smile spread over his beautiful face and he kissed me back
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tenderly.
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We made love like that for the rest of the night,
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mind-and-other-organs-blowing sex, pieced together with Edenic
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periods of cuddling and horsing around. Finally, around midnight,
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we were beginning to tire, so I suggested we watch a movie. I
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showed him to my collection, and he selected 'Lawnmower Man.' I
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took it from its case but noticed it was not rewound. I turned n
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the TV and VCR, popped in the tape, and started it rewinding, and
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went back to the bed to snuggle with him. As it happened, the
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news was on.
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"In local news, a local high school teacher is to be brought
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up on charges of sexual abuse of a minor after it was revealed
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that he had a long-running sexual relationship with a 14-year-old
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male student of his. Details of the charges are sketchy at this
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time, but sources close to the event say they suspected something
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was wrong when the teacher began giving the student expensive
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gifts. In sports, ....
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There was dead silence in the room as I numbly clicked off
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the television. They had shown a picture of the teacher accused,
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and it was the man, my angel, lying next to me. My mind still
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reeling, I hardly noticed when he got out of bed and began slowly
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and deliberately dressing. His posture was rigid and his actions
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were robotic. In a dead tone he said, "I can show myself out. It's
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been wonderful. Sorry it had to end like this."
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Somehow, an alarm went off in my head, and it dawned on e
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that he was leaving. "DON'T!" I blurted.
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He turned to face me with that dead look. Inside I cringed
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to see the same face I had seen show such carefree warmth
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suddenly become a dead, impassive mask. "Don't what?"
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"Don't leave me!" I almost yelled. This seemed to have no
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impact, and in my panic I began to ramble. "Don't leave me now,
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After what we have shared tonight! I don't give a shit about
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anything you've done. I know damn well that even if everything
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they said is true, it was no abusive relationship, you wouldn't
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hurt a fly. I know it's only been half a day, but I already love
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you more than I have loved anything in this world, and more than
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anything I ever will... if you leave now I will curl up and die
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inside, I just know it... Oh god oh god oh god don't leave me, I
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don't care about the news, I'll forget it ever happened just
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don't leave me!" My panic spent, and panted and tried to catch
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my breath as I awaited his reply, trepidation in hard icy layers
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around my heart.
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He paused, apparently mulling over what I had said, and for a
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brief bright moment I thought he was going to stay. But he just
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turned and walked out of the door and out of my life.
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I lay there, my mind frozen in that protective stupor that always
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surrounds severe trauma. I was dimly aware that I should be
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crying or storming after him, but it was too huge, too horrible
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for me to contemplate on any kind of emotional level right away.
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I just lay there, his semen still wet on the sheets beside me,
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his scent still all over me and the rest of the room. I could
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even still see the little bits of red yarn his battered cardigan
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had left on the chair near my bed. My mind refused to believe he
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was gone, and instead tried to figure out why he would leave (not
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that he would leave and not that he did leave but if he did leave
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then...) I had made it clear to him that I trusted him to have
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done nothing wrong. He must have known that I wouldn't turn him
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in, or whatever. But then my mind replayed our first
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conversation, and I realized the answer. I had gotten too
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close... I had breached his security. I had accessed files which
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I was not supposed to. So, through the miracle of modern digital
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switching, I had been instantaneously cut off, and he could go
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spend his valuable CPU time somewhere else. With a sickening
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lurch in my stomach, I began to feel the loss. The pain flowed
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through me like scalding-hot water through a sore throat, and I
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wept there on the bed that still looked as if he was going to be
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back any second, as if he'd just popped down to the store for
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some cigarettes. I could hear myself crying, but it
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sounded very far away compared to the roaring deluge of poison I
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felt twisting around my heart.
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After an eternity of crying, the pain slowly subsided till
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it was merely a dull-throbbing wound and not the fierce assault
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it was before. I began to tidy up the room methodically, telling
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myself it was to keep my mind off the pain and the day's events,
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but knowing that I was trying to remove his ghost from
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the room, so I could try to forget. As I puttered
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about robotically, I came to my old clunker of a computer. I sat down in the
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chair and went to turn it on, figuring maybe to find some solace
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on the Net.
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But I found myself running my hands over the keyboard and
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monitor, and thinking about how alike me and my old computer
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were. Slow, clunky, ungainly, nether of us accepted more than one
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user at a time. Both of us would easily be confused by more than
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one user, and if there was a security breach, we'd have to find
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the offender and deal with the breach. Just freezing the offender
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out wasn't an option for either of us. I rested my head against
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the monitor, and cried some more, wondering if we might both
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have become obsolete.
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