Points of View

by

Jackie Clouse

I consider myself to be a very lucky woman. Scratch that, I am a very lucky woman both in my professional and personal lives. Not that it hasn’t always been easy, in fact it’s been damn hard and if someone would have asked me as little as five years ago if I felt so blessed my answer would have been no. Having lost my family and spent most of my life alone I didn’t feel so fortunate, not at all
My father’s strong head for business and vision of the future created a thriving enterprise that will keep me more than comfortable for the rest of my life. Joshua MacKenzie was brilliant and full of spirit and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of him. He met my mother Elizabeth when he was in college and the two of them were inseparable from that day on right up until a plane crash took them away.
But my existence of solitude changed when two things happened, the first when I landed a job with the Phoenix Foundation as Head of the Archaeology Department. The second was when someone tall, blond and gorgeous walked right into my life. Actually he didn’t walk into my life; I walked into his, or rather Pete’s office but anyway.
From the moment I laid eyes on that blond dreamboat, I knew things were going to look up for me from then on and we hadn’t even been properly introduced yet. I often wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t walked right up to him and stuck out my hand?
Hmmm… Well that isn’t important, what is important is that that’s how Angus Ian MacGyver came into my life. His big hand gently sliding against mine led to something wonderful and I’m grateful every day to the Man upstairs that this kind hearted, wonderful, very special man fell in love with me. I love him too, with his sweet dimpled smile and large expressive brown eyes, one grin from him melted my heart into a great big puddle. And a short time later we were standing on a sandy beach at dawn, pledging our love to one another in front of the few yet important people in our lives.
It’s that stunning vision of my true love decked out in his khaki pants and bright white shirt sliding a gold band on my finger that rouses me from sleep.
I groan and roll over expecting to see him asleep facing me like he usually does. But no, there’s nothing but his side of the bed neatly made and his cold unused pillow. A strong dose of reality hits me, forcing me to wake up all the way and the answer to where my husband is comes back to me.
Damn, he’s in Washington, DC with Pete; the two of them at a conference for Environmental Studies representing the foundation. He didn’t want to go but naturally Pete just turned on the old charm and suddenly he was packing, grumbling about the two suits he had to pack with him and why was it that he couldn’t just wear a nice new pair of jeans and a button down shirt?
That’s my Mac...the king of casual! Getting that man to wear a suit is like wrestling an alligator with one hand tried behind your back and blindfolded. You might win but it wasn’t an easy fight. I don’t envy Pete that plane ride; my money says that Mac complained about that tight fitting tie all the way to Washington.
Oh well, I can’t mope around in bed all day. With a fling back of the blanket and sheet I sit up, climbing out of bed. I take this opportunity to stretch, my pink baby doll pajama riding up a little as I do so. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, seeing my hair mostly coming out of the pony tail I put it in. I have to do this, otherwise my dear Darling husband rolls onto my hair and I’m trapped like a rat for the whole night or until he rolls the other way. So to save myself a sore scalp, I put my hair in a pony tail or sometimes a braid before I go to sleep.
But with a quick tug, the rubber band is gone and my hair is hanging down my back as I go into the bathroom for a nice warm shower closing the door behind me.
I have the whole day free and I don’t have one clue what I’m going to do. Well, I better give it some thought…

A nice hot shower later and after slipping into a pair of my husband’s black shorts and a purple tank top I’m off to the kitchen. My sink is overflowing with dishes, it’s the one chore I can’t stand the most and it usually takes me at least a few days to do them, if I do them at all.
Mac knows I don’t like to do the dishes so he normally just puts them in the dishwasher and runs it at bedtime. Such a considerate man, he never once complains about it but in exchange for this he makes me do the laundry. I don’t like dishes, he doesn’t like laundry… aren’t we a charming couple? But now my dishwasher isn’t here so I better either stack them in the dishwasher or fill the sink and do them by hand. Well… what would it hurt?
My husband would be proud of me! Here I am, elbows deep in warm soapy water with the 80’s rock station blaring over my under the counter radio/CD player. And the scary part is I’m actually enjoying myself! What’s up with that? Dancing around my kitchen listening to songs I grew up with, if Mac were here he’d be standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest laughing at me. Can’t say I blame him though, I probably do look like I’ve lost my mind.
The song ends and because it’s Friday the radio station is having a trivia game, the prize is dinner for two at the brand new Creole restaurant downtown called Chateau de la Poisson. Oh that sounds great; I bet they have Cajun there. Cajun food is heavenly! Especially Seafood gumbo and Jambalaya, oh man I shouldn’t have mentioned that; now I want some!
“Okay Magic listeners, here’s the 80’s trivia question, good for dinner for two at Chateau de la Poisson. Name the popular 80’s show that starred one blond Cousin, one brunette Cousin, one knock out Cousin and a 1969 Charger.”
I think I set my kitchen floor on fire as I race for the cordless phone and snatch it, dialing the Magic 101 number with speed and determination. With a little luck I’ll be able to get through with the correct answer. The phone is ringing and it suddenly clicks.
“Hello Caller number 10 do you have the answer to the 80’s trivia question?”
My heart is pounding and I swallowed hard, licking my lips.
“Sure, the answer is The Dukes of Hazzard.”
All kinds of bells, whistles and cheering comes in loud and clear over the phone line and it nearly blasts my ears.
“That’s correct Caller number 10! Congratulations! Care to go for a bonus question? It’s good for a free movie rental from Movie Times.”
A bonus question? Is this guy serious? Well how hard could it be? A free movie would go great with dinner. “All right, I’ll give it a shot.”
“All right Caller number 10. What fashion style of shorts came from The Dukes of Hazzard TV show?”
Had a few pairs myself, I’m not exactly built like Daisy but I think I’d at least give her a run for the money in the leg department.
“Oh that’s easy, Daisy Dukes.”
The bells go off again and this time there’s the sound of hearty applause.
“Correct Caller 10! You win again! A free night of cinema courtesy of our friends at Movie Times! Who am I speaking to?”
“This is Gill.”
“Well Gill, hang on the line so we can tell you where to get your prizes and please tell the listeners who has the best 80’s music in LA?”
“Magic 101.” I shake my head as the DJ puts me on hold and another song comes over the radio. I can’t help but grin at my good fortune, it looks like Mac and I are having a nice Creole dinner and a free movie when he gets home.

With the dishes done and the kitchen clean it’s off to the backyard. The sun is bathing everything in its golden light and I raise my face to it and close my eyes. So nice and warm, and comforting too, makes me feel like a little girl. Mac and I have spent a lot of time out here working on the yard. It’s huge but half of it is going to be dug up whenever we decide to get the pool put in. The east side of the yard is where the pool will go so we concentrated everything to the west; that’s where the big pine tree is against the back fence. It’s a huge tree with its long branches, when I bought this house it was already pretty big. Someday it’ll have a tree house in it, I’m sure. Mac gave it a nice home there with some wood shavings and a red brick border.
To the right of it, framing the yard are some big wooden flower boxes, also my husband’s handiwork. Of course what goes into them is entirely up to me, so I’ve loaded the half dozen boxes with flowers. I planted roses, daises, violets and poppies. Thought those particular flowers would give our yard some color other than green of course. God it’s an amazingly beautiful day and its not even officially spring yet for another couple of weeks. A nice cool breeze is blowing, moving my hair away off my shoulders and caressing my face like a gentle hand.
I cross the yard and sit down right in the center of all these colors, the brightest being the poppies. They range in color from lemon yellow to sunset orange. I pick one and sniff it, the sweet scent making me smile, a nice reward for all the hard work it took getting these flowers to grow. I planted them when they were little sprouts but nothing I did would make them grow. Extra watering, fertilizer, direct sun, nothing worked until a stretch of unexpected rain. I went outside one day to find a surprise, little orange and yellow flowers everywhere. Talk about being proud! I burst with pride that day; I even dragged Mac outside to show him my little poppies. Something so sweet and innocent about them, I don’t know what it is. I look at them and they just make me smile. So I better grab my camera to preserve this garden, I love taking pictures and I think the flowers would come out beautifully.

Come on babies be nice for your mama now, another turn of the lens the other way finally brings my flowers into focus. Ah here we go! I’ve already taken photos of the daisy and roses, so the poppies are all that’s left. Photography is neat; I really enjoy it though I admit I’m not the world’s best picture taker. I’ve gotten better though, at least now my pictures are in focus and no one’s head has been accidentally cut off. So here I sit in the lush green grass with my sandals off with my legs tucked under me. A small smile comes to my face as I replace the lens cap and set the camera down.
My stomach suddenly growls and I put my hand over it and pat it gently, sounds like someone very teeny is hungry. I stand up and brush off my shorts as I pick up my shoes and camera and head back inside. It’s time to raid the fridge.
I open it and crouch down, seeing what I can have for brunch. Let’s see here, there are cartons of different kinds of juices and wall to wall fruits and vegetables. Hmmm, take a guess as to who did the shopping before he left town. You guessed it, Mac did and boy is it obvious! There’s enough juice here to float the Titanic! I guess Mac really has been reading that book. I push the milk aside and grab a bottle of water. That takes care of what to drink now what to eat? The second shelf has the meat keeper in it and I pull open the small drawer. There’s some turkey breast and a ton of cheese, Monterrey Jack, Pepper Jack, Cheddar, Mozzarella… I’m beginning to believe that Mac must have been a mouse in his former life. The image of my husband with grey fur and whiskers makes me start laughing so hard I end up sitting on the floor. Oh God what an image! MacMouse! Or would he be blond? Hmmm… well anyway, I get the Ziploc bags of turkey and Pepper Jack cheese out and set them on the counter. A sandwich sounds like a decent lunch; I make it and head into my bedroom for lunch and a movie.
Let’s see here, what would go good with turkey and pepper jack cheese on wheat? How about a nice horror movie? That’ll either help with digestion or give me heartburn. I’m digging through the cabinet of the small oak entertainment center the TV and VCR have been recently relocated to; it’s got wheels so we can roll it pretty much anywhere we want. Aha! An oldie but a goodie, Friday the 13th Part II ! Nothing like seeing scores of horny teenagers getting slaughtered to make my day complete. A quick pop into the VCR and a grab of the remote and I’m relaxing in the middle of my big bed enjoying the antics of Crystal Lake’s favorite invincible bad guy…reminds me a lot of Murdoc.
The plate is set aside and I stretch out horizontally across the bed, plucking my husband’s pillow from under the comforter and scrunching it up under my head. If I can’t lie on the real thing, his pillow will do for now. Being outside in the warm sunshine is beginning to take its toll on me….

“Gillian?”
A soft yet familiar voice is in my ear, I open my eyes to see the smiling face of my husband, he’s lying beside me in a t-shirt and jeans.
“Now this is what I call a dream.”
That gets him laughing as he leans forward and kisses me, touching his forehead to mine. “You’re not dreaming.”
He’s right, he’s way too warm and wonderful feeling to be anything but the real thing. The first thing I do is hug him, nuzzle his chest and take in the feel of his body and the scent of his skin.
“Oh I missed you, but I thought you weren’t coming home ‘til Sunday?”
Mac rolls us over, using little old me as a blanket. “Yeah that’s what I thought too but Pete showed mercy and let me come home.” His hands rub up and down my back slowly, sighing.
“Sounds like someone missed me.” I bury my nose in the crook of his neck and give it a little kiss.
“Someone did, having Pete for a roommate for the past two days has left me tired and cranky. He’s no substitute for you that’s for sure.”
“Of course, I don’t snore and I’m much prettier than he is.” I lift my head and flutter my eyelashes at him. He stares at me wide eyed and starts laughing, holding me even closer.
“Now there’s a thought.”
The tickets and the movie suddenly pop back in my head.
“You’re not too tired are you?”
“That depends on what you have in mind.” He rolls us over again and starts kissing my neck. His lips brush against the side and its instant goose bumps that make me cringe and sigh at the same time. It’s pretty clear what he thinks I meant, and its not that I’m not interested…
“Mac.” Ooops that sounded more like a breathy whisper than his actual name but it gets his attention just the same and he raises his head to look down at me. “Yeah?”
Those gorgeous eyes are peering right into my face and just their inquisitive gaze gets my heart pounding. I touch that handsome face gently. “The reason I’m asking is I won a dinner for two at that new Creole restaurant downtown and a free rental movie.”
“You did? How’d you manage that?”
I shrug, moving my hands up his cheeks and into his hair playing with it. I just love running my fingers through it especially now that it’s gotten longer.
“I’m an 80’s child; there were some great TV shows on during that time. I answered some trivia correctly.”
Mac nods, his eyebrows going up. “Oh well when you asked if I was tired I thought you wanted…” A grin blooms on his lips and I know it all too well. It’s that wicked little smirk that turns my insides to Jell-O and makes me willing to agree to just about anything.
“Who says I don’t?” Now I’m the one with the big beam as I tilt his head back and run my lips up his throat. God he tastes good, sweet yet spicy…I can easily make a meal out of his neck. With a gentle push on his shoulders I lay him back on the bed. He’s all mine, I can see that in those mocha colored eyes of his; they’re focused right on me as I stretch out on top of him.

It’s dinner time and believe me we’ve worked up an appetite! My husband and I ravaged each other and slept for four straight hours. Sleep isn’t quite the word; coma would be a better one. Not that I’m complaining mind you and neither is he. He just grinned at me, those dark eyes playful yet smoldering as he gets up from the bed and goes to take a shower. I hear the water turn on as I open my closet door and walk inside, I need something casual yet nice to wear to the restaurant. Hmm…how about a dress? Something short, yet nice that just might make my husband take me back to bed. Aha! My little aquamarine number with the Hawaiian style flower print, I even have matching pumps and my shell necklace should go nicely. Well that takes care of what I’m going to wear. The shower turns off and I lay my dress out and open the bathroom door, a wave of steam greets me as does the fresh clean scent of my husband’s shampoo. I can see his silhouette behind the curtain; I recognize that shape anywhere as I pick up his blue towel and throw back the curtain.
“BOO!”
Mac isn’t scared; he simply stands there naked with his hands on his hips.
“Very funny, can I have my towel?”
The water is rolling down his chest and stomach and his hair has turned a dark blond. He looks all shiny in the overhead light and his muscles are gleaming in such a way that it makes me sigh out of appreciation.
He cocks his head at me, crossing his arms over his chest. “Gillian? Can I have my towel?”
Oh! Right! The towel! I hand it to him, reluctantly, still enjoying the view as he unfolds it and presses it to his face. He dries off his chest and back before wrapping it around his waist as he steps over the side of the tub.
“The warm water’s all yours.” He announces as he shoots me a wink and leaves the bathroom.
I take a quick shower and open the door to find my husband standing in front of his dresser. My God I think I just swallowed my tongue. He’s standing there in a brand new pair of solid black jeans and a cream colored silk shirt. I’m gawking at him and he turns towards me and gives me a wide grin.
“Hey, what do you think?”
“What do I think? I think my eyes just popped out of my head!”
This only makes him laugh and shakes his head as he picks up his bottle of after shave and dabs some on his face and neck. He picks up his brush and fixes his hair before setting it back down. He goes to his closet and takes out his black leather jacket. I can’t help but whimper, with that jacket and that shirt I’ll be fighting off women with a whip and a chair!
I manage to come out of my stupor and start to get dressed, slipping into my bra and panties as Mac sits on the bed and watches me; a small smile on his face as he leans against the headboard.
“Enjoying the show?” I ask as I run my brush through my hair and fling it over my shoulder.
“You know I am.”
I put my brush back down and pick up my dress, taking it off the hanger.
“I can’t wait to try that place, I’m starving.”
“Yeah it should be good.” He’s still watching me, I can feel it.
A thought suddenly pops into my head and I turn towards him. “And speaking of food, what’s with all the cheese Mac?”
“Nothing wrong with cheese, it’s good for you. It has a lot of calcium.” He draws one leg up and hugs it. “Both your doctor and that book say you need plenty of it.”
“Yeah I know I need the calcium but I’m just one woman Mac. You’ve got enough cheese in that fridge to constipate a rhino.” I slip my dress over my head as my husband bursts into laughter.
“I do not; I just thought a little variety would be good.”
“A little yeah but there’s more cheese than Hickory Farms in that fridge, you’re going to have to help me eat it all.”
Mac gets off the bed and turns me around, zipping up my dress. “No problem, I love cheese.” He put his hands on my shoulders and kisses my cheek. “I just want you both to be healthy.”
I face him and put my arms around his neck. “I know that and believe me so do I.”
He leans down and gives me a tiny kiss, stepping back to look me over.
“God you’re beautiful.” His tone is soft as he raises his head to meet my face. Those shimmering chocolate eyes staring directly into mine as his fingers touch my hair and stroke it.
“Thank you.” I take his hand from my hair and give it a kiss. “But I better finish getting ready or we’ll be having dinner at midnight.”

Well this isn’t what I expected in a Creole restaurant, and I don’t think Mac expected it either. He pulls up in the Corvette to what looks like an abandoned red brick building with round arches all along the front of it. The words Chateau de la Poisson are in bright blue neon just above the arches. A young dark haired man in a red uniform jacket opens Mac’s door and sticks out his hand.
“Valet Parking sir, may I have your keys?” Mac steps out and hands him the keys while another young man with blond hair opens my door and offers his hand.
“Good Evening, welcome to Chateau de la Poisson.”
I take his hand and he helps me out, closing the door behind me.
I walk around the car, where Mac is waiting for me holding out his hand that I take as we walk into the pair of wide open oak doors with frosted glass panels. Another man in a black tuxedo gives us a slight bow of his head.
“Welcome to Chateau de la Poisson.” He’s a heavy set man with a balding head and a grey mustache that sort of reminds of Pete; a long maroon menu is in his hands. This guy might be the manager; he’s who I’m supposed to see for my prize.
“Excuse me, are you Mr. Nicholas?”
His eyes widen and puzzlement flashes across his face. “Yes? Do I know you Miss?”
“No, but the DJ as Magic 101 told me that you’d be the one to see for my prizes?”
“Prizes?” His blue eyes grow even wider briefly before he raises his head. “Ah of course, the trivia contest. Allow me to show you to a private table.” He gives a gracious bow and stretches out his hand towards the dining room.
A snow white tiled floor and a wooden staircase to the right are the first things we see. The room is filled with rectangle tables topped with maroon tablecloths. A sparking crystal chandelier hangs overhead and my husband lifts his head to look up at it.
“Wow, nice place.”
We’re lead to a table in another room, separated from the main room by a pair of glass doors. There’s no one in this section and the décor is slightly fancier. Only about a half dozen tables with dark blue tablecloths form a square around the room. The center has a gorgeous stone fountain and a small pond filled with koi fish, the sound of running water filling the empty room.
Mr. Nicholas puts us in a corner table beside a window; the sheer white drapes are open to show a view of the city. “I hope this will make you both happy.” He pulls a chair out for me and I sit down.
“It’s fine.” Mac has a seat and scoots his chair up to the table. He takes off his leather jacket and puts it over his chair.
He hands us two maroon menus and tells us that our server would be with us in a while.
Mac watches him leave before opening the menu and looking over everything. “Cajun cooking, it’s been awhile since I’ve been to Louisiana.”
“Yeah I haven’t been since I was a kid. I once spent the summer in New Orleans with my grandparents.”
Wow it all looks good and thank God I won this dinner because the prices are high! The cheapest thing on here is a seven dollar bowl of soup.
A pair of eyes looks over the top of the long menu. “Any idea what you’re going to get?”
“No, not really.”
“Oh! Well let me help.” He’s going down the list of entrées. “How about the Bayou Chicken Breast? That looks pretty safe.”
“Safe?” This word makes me close the menu and stare across the table at my husband. “What do you mean safe?”
His mouth opens a little. “Well I mean you know it won’t make you sick or…anything.”
Oh I see what he’s saying…I reach out and take his hand.
“I know you care and I’m glad but I still have a little ways to go before the things I eat or drink go directly to the baby.”
Mac gives my hand a squeeze. “So what are you going to get?”
“Probably the Bayou Chicken, what about you?”
He looks down at the menu. “I think I’ll have the Voodoo Jambalaya.”
The name of the dish gets me snickering. “Voodoo Jambalaya? Someone in the mood for something hot and spicy?”
“No, already had it.” He closes his menu, giving me a small grin as the waitress shows up with glasses of water and to take our orders.

“So what did you do while I was gone?” Mac sticks his fork in his Jambalaya, offering me a bite.
“Oh, just relaxed. Worked in my garden on Wednesday and Thursday; today I took some photos of the flowers.” I lean forward and take the bite he offered, he’s right it’s not spicy at all in fact it’s great. It’s got lots of shrimp and tomatoes. . . oh it’s heavenly!
“Good, maybe I should have ordered that.” I wipe my mouth with a napkin as I cut another piece out of my chicken. “Want some?”
“That’s my wife, Mother Nature.”
I know he’s teasing me; he always does about my garden. I don’t mind he’s never mean about it, under all those gentle ribbings he’s proud of me for my determination and hard work.
Mac takes my fork and has a bite, watching his lips slide down the prongs is enough to make me shiver. “So you have some photos for me to develop?” I can see his eyes twinkle; he knows exactly what that did to me as he casually hands my fork back.
“Yeah, about a dozen, I would have done it myself but I didn’t want to mess around with the chemicals and I figured you wouldn’t want me to anyway.”
“Good call, I wouldn’t.” A basket of rolls sits between us and he takes one and cuts it open. “The fumes and all that probably wouldn’t be good for you.”
“No, probably not.” I have a sip of my water and set the glass down. “Oh! And something else happened while you were gone.”
“What?”
“The microwave quit working. I tried to warm something up last night and it just stopped.”
Mac leans back in his chair, wiping his hands down his face. “Not again, what is it with that thing? I’ve already fixed it twice.”
“We could just get a new one you know. Wouldn’t it be easier instead of having to fix it all the time?” I take the other roll out of the basket and put butter on it.
“No it’s just some wiring that’s loose; it’s not a big deal to fix.” He straightens back up and sighs. “It’s just stubborn that’s all.”
“Uh huh stubborn, that’s exactly what I was thinking too but not about the microwave.”
He narrows his eyes at me and shakes his head. “Oh very funny.”
I can’t help but grin at his attempt to look all fierce and threatening.
“Fine, if you want to play with the microwave by all means Dear, be my guest.”
He finishes his dinner and pushes his plate forward. “I’m not going to play with it; I’m going to fix it.”
“It just bugs you to death to not fix it yourself, doesn’t it?” I’m done with my dinner too and set my silverware on the plate.
Mac picks up his ice tea and sips it. “I wouldn’t say that exactly.”
“Then let’s just get a new microwave.” I’m looking into his face and it cringes as he sets his glass back down.
“No, I’ll fix it.”
“Aha! See! You can’t just let it go and get a new one.”
He tilts his head and looks at me. “All right, okay so maybe I like the challenge.”
“The challenge?”
Mac’s moving his hands around, like he’s explaining some great scientific principle to me. “Sure! Man versus machine, the eternal struggle.”
“The eternal struggle?” I reach out and touch his arm. “Honey it’s a microwave not a bomb.”
He just shrugs his shoulders and grins at me. “Well no, but there’s something satisfying about fixing it yourself and not having to shell out a 100 bucks for a new one.”
“Satisfying huh? Are you sure you’re just not being cheap?”
“No I’m not just being cheap!” Mac gives me that sideways glance of his that tells me that I might be in trouble when we’re no longer in public. “I’ll fix it first thing in the morning.”
The waitress shows back up to take our plates away and hands us the dessert menu. My husband opens the teal green menu and his eyebrows go up. “Whoa! Talk about a sugar factory! I bet you one of these things has a thousand calories.”
He’s right of course; the desserts do look rather decadent. They have one called Chocolate Death that’s a chocolate pie with a dark chocolate crust, ice cream and syrup. Yikes! I love chocolate as much as the next woman but that much would kill me.
“How about we split a piece of cheesecake with cherry sauce?”
“Yeah that sounds safe.” Mac closed the menu and set it aside, reaching out to take my hand. “We get a free movie rental too right? So what do you want to get?”
“How about a nice science fiction movie?” I love the feel of his hand as it slides around mine, it’s so warm and comforting and I can’t help but close my eyes at the instant feeling of safety that floods my system.
My husband wrinkles his nose at me. “Science fiction? You want to see something involving aliens coming to this planet in big flying saucers?”
“Well no not necessarily, they’re other sci-fi movies other than that you know.”
“Like that one with the big circle thing that sends people to other planets. I mean how silly was that one?”
“Hey I liked that one, it was neat.”
“You think anything involving Egypt and archaeology is neat.”
The waitress comes back with our cheesecake, setting it between us with two forks. I snag one of them and cut into the cheesecake.
“Hey you like anything involving the Old West.”
Mac sighs in defeat; he knows he can’t argue with that one. “Oh all right we’ll get something science fiction. But nothing involving aliens in your chest, deal?”
My fork, with another bite of cheesecake, moves in a circle close to Mac’s face and he opens his mouth and I gently slip the fork into it. “Deal.”

We arrive at Movie Times, this wonderful little video store that’s all lit up like a Christmas tree with more neon signs than Las Vegas. The walls are nothing but video tapes and huge posters advertising the newest theater releases and the biggest hits now available to rent. The first thing I notice as we step through the glass doors is the heavy aroma of fresh movie style popcorn that’s for sale by the bucket. Popcorn would be good but we just ate dinner so I’ll pass. The videos are broken down into groups of white shelves that are in rows that start from one end of the store to the other.
Mac and I head straight for the sci-fi section. The employees are all dressed in white shirts, bright red bow ties and matching vests and as we pass a group of them rearranging tapes I notice that not only are they all women, but they seem to be following my husband like he’s got a spotlight on him.
Now, I know my husband is a handsome man. Let’s not split hairs here, the man is downright gorgeous and one of the sweet things about him is that he’s totally unaware of it. And sure enough, he’s too busy casually picking up video cases and looking at them to notice that the gawks of 5 women are burning a hole right through the back of his black leather jacket. Now I’m trying not to get jealous here but it’s not easy. But that’s part of the burden of marrying a man that’s very very easy on the eyes…every woman with a pulse notices too. The best I can do is stand beside him and take his arm.
“Find anything Gill?”
He crouches down search through the lower shelves and I hear a chorus of sharp breath intakes from across the video store. Oh man…why did he have to do that? Still he’s trying to find a decent movie for us to watch. I’ve got two options here, one is to stand in front of my husband’s bent butt and undoubtedly shatter the fantasies of a gang of women, or I can grab the first movie I find and straighten him up before he gets propositioned. I’m afraid I have to go with both here, shattered fantasies or not that bent butt belongs to me. I quickly side step behind him and scan the top row of videos, picking up one that looks interesting. It’s The Abyss and I lower my hand and wave the case near his head.
“How about this one? It’s by James Cameron.”
“Oh yeah? He did both Terminator movies right?” Mac takes the case from me and pops back up like toast. Thank God!
“Yeah, so it should be a good movie.”
He reads the description on the back and nods. “All right, we’ll take it.”
I slip my hand around his arm as we walk to the counter and the little gang of women all seem to have finally gotten the message that this man is definitely taken and definitely mine. Mac hands the petite dark haired woman the coupon for the rental and she puts in the register and slips our movie into a bag.
“You have a good evening now.”
“Thanks, you too.” Mac gives her a nice smile as he takes the bag from her.
Five pairs of eyes are still on us and as he holds the door open for me, a full blown grin on my face as I step through it.

Gillian and I are walking through the sliding automatic doors of Handy’s Hardware Haven and a blast of cool air and fresh wood hits both of us. I love that smell, its sort of like being in the woods if only for a second or two. Lately I’ve been here more often then the foundation thanks to a certain microwave oven, my wife’s garden and various other repairs that come with taking care of a house.
I reach down and take my wife’s hand, I know it seems silly to be coming to a hardware store at almost 9 o’clock at night but I don’t want to do it in the morning. I’ll be too busy battling with that microwave. I swear that thing has a mind of its own.
This store is small, and most of the people here know me by sight. I think I’m not only keeping this place in business, but also sending a few of Handy’s grandkids through college.
Gillian likes it here; she just loves to find new and creative ways for me to improve our house. I’m just waiting for the day she wants me to retile the kitchen or reshingle the roof. Not that I mind, I love to do that sort of thing and if it makes her happy than it’s definitely worth it. She takes my arm and points to the kitchen section. Uh oh, I see a new faucet and kitchen sink in my not so distant future.
“How about we go look at kitchen fixtures?”
Can I call them or what? She flutters those eyelashes at me, knowing I can’t resist them.
“All right, let’s go look at the sinks.” She grabs my hand and hauls me over to it.
I’ve got to hand it to Handy; he’s got a great selection of sinks and faucets. The display is huge and my wife is pointing to ones she likes.
“How about that one?” It’s a nice big double steel sink with a pair of clear handles and a sink spray. Not bad, the price isn’t either.
“Yeah that’s a nice one; the spray would come in handy.”
“Is there something I can help you with?”
A voice is behind me and I turn around to see a young guy with black hair, jeans and a bright orange apron that bears the name DEREK in marker.
“Yeah I need some components for a microwave.”
“Sure, that’ll be in the electrical aisle. It’s on the far side of the store in aisle number 3.”
“Thanks.”
I walk down the aisle to talk to my wife; she’s standing on her toes, trying to see something over her head.
“Problem?”
“Yeah, I’m a shrimp!” She points to a nice faucet with a long looping neck that’s about a foot above her. “I can’t see how much that one is.”
“79.95.”
Gillian wrinkles that button nose of hers. “Never mind, that’s a lot more than I thought it would be.”
“I have to go to the electrical aisle.”
“Okay, go ahead. I’m just going to wander around and look at stuff.” She reaches out and runs her hands up my jacket. “Maybe I’ll find some more seeds for my flower bed.”
“Maybe you will Mother Nature.” I plant a kiss on her forehead as she slings her purse over her shoulder and heads up the aisle.
I turn around and head for aisle number three.

I’m in the electrical aisle looking at wires and circuits when something out of the corner of my eye gets my attention. It’s Derek and it looks like he’s got a friend with him. He’s about the same height and build but he’s facing away from me and I can’t see what his name is. The two of them are sitting on the rungs of one of those big rollaway ladders and they’re watching something with endless fascination.
I really don’t pay them much mind and get back to my components.
After walking the length of that aisle at least twice, I finally find what I need for the microwave. It’s been at least 15 minutes and it seems Derek and his twin has disappeared. Whatever they found so interesting must be over with and they’re back to work.
Now it’s time to find my wife, she said she wanted more seeds for her garden so maybe that department would be a good place to start. I’m walking down the center aisle, trying to find her.
I see Derek and his twin walking towards me. They’re checking the aisles too and I stop in mid stride when I see Gillian come out from the far end of the store. She’s looking at the displays of china buffets and the Doublemint twins have literally turned around and directed their full attention at her.
I don’t believe what I’m seeing. They’re whispering to each other and watching her so closely I bet they know how much change is in her wallet. I can’t say I blame them; Gillian is after all a very beautiful woman. She’s got that sweet smile, that flaming hair that makes her pretty noticeable and those gorgeous legs. And I think that’s were their eyes have wandered to. Don’t these kids have a stock room to sweep or something?
Gillian can’t see what they’re doing; they’ve conveniently ducked behind a display of bug spray. But I can see them and frankly I’ve seen enough, I’m not about to let this pair of Creamsicles gawk at my wife.
“Gillian!” I wave at her and she waves back, meeting me halfway up the center aisle.
“There you are, I was looking for you.” There’s that smile I mentioned and its all for me.
I pull her into a hug, a nice tight one that clearly stakes my claim. And just to make it more interesting I take her face in my hands and give her a nice big kiss. She looks at me, a little surprised expression on her face.
“What was that for?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Oh no reason, do I need one to kiss you?”
“Well no but normally you don’t in public.”
I glance over my shoulder and Heckle and Jeckle are gone. Good.
“Did you find what you needed for the microwave?”
I give her another kiss and stroke her face. “Yeah, come on what do you say we go home now?”
“Sounds good, I want to curl up in bed and watch the movie.”
“I think that can be arranged.”
Gillian takes my hand but that’s not enough, I put my arm across her shoulders and gently pull her into my chest as we walk towards the front of the store.

Watching my wife get ready for bed is one of the secret joys of being a husband. I can shimmy out of my clothes in about three seconds but not my wife; she’s got a very specific routine. Must be a woman thing; my only routine is get naked, get on pajamas, brush teeth and sleep. Well…maybe not go to sleep right away, there might be some horizontal time if I subtly hint to Gillian that I’m interested. Subtly hint means anything short of a neon sign; Gill’s a quick one so I’ve never had to go that far.
Gillian comes out of the bathroom, she just brushed her teeth. She’s got on this little short set, a purple tank top with these little tiny shorts. She really is stunning, how did I ever end up with her? That’s one question I’ll ask everyday until they lay me in the ground. But anyway, she picks up her brush and takes the clip out of her hair letting those gorgeous red locks roll down her back. Oh man…it just got warm in here and I can’t just sit here on the bed any longer.
Gillian is standing in front of my dresser mirror about to brush her hair and I come up behind her and gently take the brush from her.
“Mind if I do that?”
She turns and raises both eyebrows at me. “You want to brush my hair?”
“Sure.” I touch her shoulders, sit her down on the edge of the bed and kneel behind her. Her hair is so long now, I remember when we first met it barely came to her shoulders and now almost three years later it’s to the small of her back.
I hold her big silver brush in my hands and begin, pulling it through that mane of hair; my fingers running through the soft, fragrant strands as I go. Gillian sighs, tilting her head back.
“That’s so relaxing Mac, you’re going to put me to sleep.”
It may be relaxing her but its doing other things to me. I brush aside that dark red curtain and nuzzle her neck, pressing my bare chest against her back. “Then I better stop because sleep is the last thing on my mind right now.”
“Oh? Is it now?”
Uh oh…I recognize that tone. It’s that seemingly innocent tone that’s anything but. Gillian turns around and plucks the brush from my hands. Those chestnut eyes of hers are all sparkling with mischief and wickedness.
“Your turn.”
“My turn? You want to brush my hair?”
“Sure. Fair is fair, you did it for me so I want to do it for you.” She crawls around me and leans against the headboard, opening her legs. “Come on, lie back and let me brush your hair. You’re way too tall for me to kneel behind you.”
She’s definitely up to something and there’s only one way to find out. I do as she asks and prop myself up on my elbows, leaning back against her chest. Her legs are on either side of me.
“Okay, go for it.”
Gillian plants a kiss on my cheek as she scoots back. “Just have to move away a little so I can get to your whole head.”
“Okay.” I sigh, we’re missing out on some serious horizontal time but she wants to do this so what’s the harm in letting her? The night is young after all.
Ohhh this is nice. Those big bristles are going through my hair at such a gentle pace, I can see now why Gillian said she felt sleepy. But sleepy isn’t exactly what I’m feeling, those little fingers of hers are running through my hair and down my neck and shoulders.
“Well what do you think? You like it?” She whispers in my ear, nuzzling it a little.
“Yeah.” That’s a nice generic answer without out one tiny clue that she’s getting to me and fast.
“Oh good.” Gillian shifts a little behind me and whoa! She’s just brushed her legs against my ribs and wrapped those gams around my chest. God they’re so nice and warm, so silky soft and smooth as they gently slide down my chest and stomach. The brush is back in my hair, pulling it away from my face, then the sides and the back; each section of my head lovingly yet thoroughly brushed.
I can’t help but groan at the double sensation of those nudging legs and that stroking brush.
“Is there a problem Sweetie?” Gillian’s stopped brushing and is softly saying this right in my ear. “Am I getting you all hot and bothered?”
Her legs have me pinned as her toes head straight for my crotch, making me jerk.
“There’s going to be a problem in about 30 seconds if your toes don’t find a new place to burrow.”
I’m whimpering now, oh that wicked wicked woman.
“Did that whimper mean yes?” She drags her tongue up the side of my neck and that crumbles the last of my control. I move my elbows and end up flat on my back but that’s okay, it lets me grab those legs and start doing some rubbing of my own. I sit up and roll over as I launch myself at her and start kissing her so hard and fast that her hair brush drops from her hand and falls to the floor.
Now who’s the one whimpering? Sounds like my wife to me. Sure enough those cocoa eyes are wide and stunned as they look up at me.
“I take it I might have gone a little too far?” She’s breathing hard rubbing her body against mine, making me shudder.
“Oh just a tad.”
I kiss her hard again, my hands roaming down her body to the waist band of those little shorts and my fingers can’t get her out of them fast enough…

The smell of bacon rouses me from sleep and I open my eyes to see that I’m the only occupant of our bed. I yawn and stretch lazily having finally gotten a decent night’s rest. Pete’s a good friend, more like a brother but he’s not the easiest roommate I’ve ever had. I kick the covers off, freeing my legs as I get out of bed and pull a pair of red shorts and a grey tank top out of my dresser. The door is closed, which means Gillian didn’t want to disturb me while she puttered around the house. Not that she’s all that noisy but I guess she figured I needed the extra sleep.
I can hear sizzling as I come down the hall to the kitchen doorway. Gillian is standing at the stove cooking turkey bacon; she’s got on a white red flowered tank top and red shorts. She’s humming as she snags a piece of bacon and flips her braid over her shoulder.
“I know you’re there Mac.”
Damn, so much for being sneaky.
Gillian turns around and looks at me, her eyebrow raised. “I knew you were coming the minute I heard the bedroom door creak open. How do you want your eggs?” She takes a pink carton of eggs out and sets it on the counter.
“Scrambled please.” I reach around her and swipe a piece of bacon from the plate with a paper towel on it.
“Sleep good?” Gillian takes four eggs out and returns the carton to the fridge.
“Yeah actually I did.” I get a couple of glasses out of the cabinet and fill them with orange pineapple juice, handing one of the little glasses to my wife.
“Oh good.” Gillian takes the juice I offer and sips it as she clears the bacon out of the skillet and cracks my eggs into them. “Going to fix the microwave after breakfast?”
“No, after I develop your photos.”
“Okay, that’ll give me a chance to water my flowers and maybe pack a little more potting soil around them.” She scoops my eggs out of the skillet and onto a plate that she piles up with bacon and toast before handing it to me.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks, how are you feeling this morning?” I put my plate down on the table and then take hers, setting it beside mine.
“Good, I was reading in my book this morning and it said I should start showing soon.” Gillian looks down at her flat stomach and runs her hand over it. “I guess I better get some clothes with an elastic waist band huh?”
“Yeah, but I doubt you’ll need any for a while.” A smile is spreading across my face as I sit down, imaging my wife with a little belly. “That book also says that all the organs are formed by now, just not working yet.”
My wife just grins and shakes her toast at me in a threatening manner. “Don’t skip ahead; I want to see how it ends.”
“Don’t worry I won’t spoil it for you.” Something’s missing from the table and my wife gets up and takes a small bottle of Tabasco sauce out of the cabinet and sets it down in front of me.
“Is this what you’re looking for?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
She’s watching me add a few dashes of orange to my eggs and shakes her head.
“That stuff’s going to eat a hole in your stomach you know.”
“Oh no it won’t.” I offer her the bottle and she puts her hand up.
“No that’s okay, I want to live.” That little button nose of her wrinkles as she eat more of her toast. “My husband and his cast iron stomach.”
The cap gets put back on and I just grin at her as I make a big production of eating my orange eggs just to watch her squirm. Such a loving husband, am I not?

Right now I’m in the arms of my nemesis, the tall blond man with the garage and fancy wooden work bench. This isn’t the first time he and I have gone into this little dank room and if I have my way it won’t be the last. He just doesn’t give up! He sits me down, turns me around and begins to take out my screws. We’ve been through this routine before; this is the third time he’s carried me in here.
With my back panel off he begins to poke and prod around trying to figure out exactly why it is I stopped working. The answer is clear but I’m not about to tell him that. He starts opening the drawers right below me and pulls out the same thing he did last time; some wires, circuits and tools.
“All right, let’s get down to business here.”
The blond man whispers as he turns me face down on top of my door. I can’t say I’m fond of him; he just loves to take me apart and put me back together again. The one I am fond of is the red haired woman. She’s nice, wipes me down if I get dirty and she takes out my glass plate at least once a week. She’s very careful not to chip it as she washes it and gently puts it back in place. She respects me and takes care of me, I like that.
The blond man is taking out my guts, a serious expression on his face. I had no idea my not working bothered him so, but apparently it does. He’s studying my wiring closely now, I think he’s found the problem. Damn. Oh well there’s always next time.
He’s plugging in a sodering gun, setting it down on the bench beside me. I guess he’s going to make sure my wire won’t come out for a fourth time but I’m optimistic. After all things do happen and sometimes sodered wires still slip out, especially when my door is slammed; a certain blond man just loves to do that.
Uh oh… this is interesting. Seems that the blond man hasn’t fixed my wire right. In fact he’s gotten it confused with another one that’s the same color. He’s not going to like what happens when it plugs me back in.
“That should do it.” The blond man has a smile on his face, he looks pretty proud of himself. I’ll give him credit; he really seems to have a knack for fixing things. But not this time, this time it’s going to be a lot different…

Mac whistled as he picked up the black electric cord and moved the little white microwave back; where it sat it couldn’t reach the electrical outlet. The garage door suddenly slammed and it made him jump, he wasn’t expecting it and the loud noise made his heart race.
“Gillian?”
“Yeah! I just went out and watered my flowers. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah the air just made the door slam. I had it propped open but don’t worry about it I have to fix that knob anyway. Now is as good a time as any.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Okay.”
Mac shook his head as he plugged the microwave in and bent over a little, looking into the digital display.
“Okay, let’s see here.”
He pressed the COOK TIME button and punched in 10 seconds and hit the START button.
A sizzling sound rang out and with it came a hiss of smoke. MacGyver’s eyes grew wide and he reached out towards the power cord wanting to pull it out of the wall. The next sound that came from the back of the microwave was a zapping; the smoke grew thicker as Mac yanked the cord out of the wall. The back panel shot out as the microwave exploded, bursting into flames.
“Oh man!”
Mac looked around, spotting the fire extinguisher hanging from the wall and he grabbed it, pulling the pin. His hand went down around the silver levers and squeezed them as he aimed the hose at the fire. The levers wouldn’t move and only a slight hissing came out of the hose.
“What the…?”
He brought his palm down several times on the levers in an effort to unstick them but they refused to move. The extinguisher fell to the floor and Mac next opened the dryer hoping for towels or sheets to battle the fire with but the white dryer was empty.
MacGyver swallowed hard as he watched his work bench start to burn. He ran over to the door and began pounding on it with both fits as smoke started to fill the room.
“Gillian!”
He tried the door knob, but it wouldn’t budge, that was the next thing he had to fix after the microwave.
“Gillian!” Mac gave the door a good kick hoping to get the attention of his wife.

Gillian came out of her closet, a few hangers in her hand. The strong smell of burning wood and smoke got her attention and she immediately dropped the clothes she had started putting away and ran down the hall.
“Mac?”
A few ribbons of smoke curled out from underneath the door and it made the young woman’s eyes go wide.
“Oh my God!” She grabbed the knob and tried to turn it. “Mac!”
“The door’s stuck and the microwave blew up! Get me out of here!”
Her husband’s words through the door set her heart racing as she immediately started looking around. She knew the fire would be electrical but the extinguisher in her kitchen wouldn’t put it out. The young woman thought of something and raced out the back door to the porch, returning with a bag of potting soil mixed with sand that she had just used in her garden.
“Mac I’m here! Give me a second to get the door open!”
Setting the bag down and gripping the knob again, she turned sideways putting her shoulder against it a little, determining whether or not she could break it down. I don’t have the strength… Gillian thought to herself as she spotted the hall closet and an idea flashed in her mind.
“Mac! Get away from the door! Do you hear me? Move back from the door!”
She flung back the closet door and spotted a purple vinyl bag with a black shoulder strap and two handles. The bag contained her bowling ball and she grabbed it hoping her twelve pound ball would have enough force to break the door down.
Gillian stood sideways and gripped the handles firmly in both hands. She turned away from the door and swung the bag as hard as she could at the door knob area. The wood creaked but still remained closed.
She did it again this time leaning into, adding her weight to the impact. The wooden door splintered and swung open and she dropped the bag and picked up the potting soil. Thick white smoke and the odor of burning wood greeted her as she went into the room.
“Mac!”
“Yeah, I’m here.” He stood beside his truck, wide eyed at her entrance.
“Get out of here, I’ll put it out.”
The blond man said nothing; he slipped out the door coughing as he stood in the hall watching her.
Gillian spotted the burning microwave and dumped the contents of her bag on it. The sand and soil smothered out the fire and also put out the burning work bench as the combination spilled onto the floor. She dropped the now empty bag, her heart racing within her chest as she looked at the blackened, melted microwave.
“Got it?” MacGyver poked his head in and stepped into the garage.
“Yeah.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she turned to face him.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so.” He picked up the fire extinguisher and showed it to her.
“This thing jammed.”
“And the door knob broke.” Gillian shook her head. “Exploding microwave, jammed extinguisher and broken door knob. You really had luck on your side today.”
“Actually I did have luck on my side today.” Mac set the extinguisher down and hugged Gillian.
“I had my fast thinking wife on my side.”
Gillian closed her eyes and returned it, leaning her head against his chest.
“You’ve come to my rescue who knows how many times; it’s nice to return the favor.” She pulled back and gave him a kiss, a smile coming to her lips. “Now can we get a new microwave?”
MacGyver tilted his head sideways as he looked at her. “Well considering ours just turned into a fireball...” He let go of her and walked over to it, brushing off the sand and potting soil from the bench.
“I guess I got my wires mixed up.”
“It happens.” Gillian put her hands on her hips as she stood beside him.
“So what are we going to do with this thing now?” Mac looked at the partially melted door and the back panel that had popped off.
“Oh I’ve got an idea or two.” A smile bloomed on the young woman’s face.
“What idea?”
“Well it’s a good size and deep, I can use it for a planter.”
Both of MacGyver’s eyebrows went up. “A planter?”
“Sure, think of it as recycling.”
Gillian fluttered her eyelashes at her husband as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “What do you think?”
“It’s possible; we just have to clean it up and take the door off.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “I know one thing for sure.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ll never tease you about your garden ever again.” Mac touched his forehead to hers. “Or call you Mother Nature.”
A smile came to Gillian’s face as she kissed her husband and poked him playfully in the stomach.
“I’m just glad I remembered my bag.”
He moved back and sighed. “Believe me so am I.” He looked down at his shirt. “Do I smell like a smokehouse?”
“A little.”
“I’ll change after I clean up this mess.”
Gillian shook her head. “No go ahead, I’ll get the broom and clean it up.”
“I’ll do it.” A smile came to her husband’s lips. “You’ve done enough.” He gave her a pat on her behind. “I have to fix that door, fix the extinguisher and make your planter.”
“Okay, but do me a favor.”
“What?”
“Just don’t set my planter on fire, okay?”
Mac’s mouth dropped open and he narrowed his eyes at his wife. “Oh you are so going to get it!”
Gillian started laughing and quickly ran out of the room before her husband could grab her.