On Monday morning I drifted back into my routine/rut. I walked, I delivered papers,I kept the computer on almost all the time. Even in the cold I rode my bike at least a mile or two.

The time until Christmas passed slowly. It was my first Christmas 'Off Line', job wise that is. I got invited to three Christmas parties by Mary. I told her to pick one and I would go.

"Then I want you to come to my dad's party. I know he would like to wish you a merry Christmas."

"It's the one I would have chosen. I think I would rather spend time with him and your friends than the bar association's Christmas dinner."


Molly and Misty wanted to have a party as well, so I said. "Sure. same rules as before. Keep it inside and the noise down to a roar."

I planned to exchange gifts with the three women in my life on Christmas day. Dog was in line for a new chew toy from me. Molly and Misty had a sweater for him. I just knew he would never wear It no matter how cool they thought it was. Mary bought him a fancy new dog bed. The bed would stay at her house she informed me. So it was more her present to herself, I suppose. It was obvious that Mary intended to have Dog whenever I was out of town. Yet another thread in her tapestry.

"So you do own a tie," Mary commented when I showed up at her door the Saturday night before Christmas which was also the night of the Christmas party.

"Three actually, they are left overs from my shameful cop days."

"It's good that you have the right attitude going into a crowd of drunken lawyers. They will probably want to challenge you to a duel."

"Egg nog cups at thirty paces no doubt."

"No doubt," she agreed.

"How about we leave before they get too drunk?"

"If we do that, what are we going to do for the rest of the evening?"

"You choose, anything to get away from a bunch of drunken lawyers," I replied.

"Boy are you going to regret that." I doubted it, but I did try to look worried.

We left the party at before midnight with Mary slightly drunk but not mean or loud. What alcohol did was made her adventurous. For about three hours she kept me as busy as a porno star. It was interesting, but also tiring. I decided that, exotic sex was over rated.

Mary fell asleep about three AM and I slipped out quietly. Dog had been in his new present from me. chain link kennel. when I left for the party. He would be happy to be in the house, I knew. It was possible that he barked most of the time I was gone. It was also probable that if he did, the girls took him into their house.

When I finally made it home, I opened my door to find that Dog had been brought in by someone. I let him out on his front cable to empty his bladder. Afterward we crawled into bed. "Did the girls let you into the house?" Since he didn't answer, I assumed that they had. I would probably find something Dog had chewed, which he shouldn't have, in the morning.

Molly came to see me on new years day. "My Abba, I wanted to let you know that Misty and I will be moving at the end of the month. I am working now and I found a bigger place. I really am going to miss you." She was almost in tears.

"Well if you need anything just let me know. I can honestly say that I am going to miss you two as well." I wasn't close to tears but I did feel down a little. The two girls had been my models as well as tenants. Of course I hated the thought of looking for new tenants. I was like most guys my age, I just didn't like change.