Richard's Story
by: Will B
(© 2008 by the Author)
Advisor: E Walk

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Aided, abetted, encouraged and edited by EW and GY,

Who are two of the nicest guys, editors, mentors, I have met

ever since I started posting in April 2007.

Part 3

In 1963, Richard graduated college and decided to follow his dream and go into police work. He enrolled in the Baltimore Police Academy, where he met another cadet, a Jewish girl named Linda Roth.

Linda’s father, Jacob Roth, had been born in 1919 in Germany. He had come to the US with his wife, Anna (Linda’s mother), in 1934 to escape the growing persecution of Jews. Jacob had worked hard, built up a men’s clothing business with three stores in Baltimore and the suburbs. Richard never met him because Jacob had died in 1960. His widow, Anna, was a quiet woman, intelligent and caring. She and Jacob had raised Linda to want to ‘do something’ to make the world—or at least the community—a better place.

Linda was beautiful, witty, and caring, and she made Richard feel wonderful. He had never felt  that way about a woman before. It was 1963, and he was 24 and she was 23. They were young, and randy as hell.

On their first date, Richard took Linda to a small quiet restaurant, where the ambience was ‘family style,’ the food was delicious and the wine, excellent. When he took Linda home to her apartment, he gave her a light butterfly kiss, and he felt a rising tumescence in his penis.

For their second date, Richard took Linda to Phillips’ ® Seafood Restaurant. They both enjoyed  platters of fish, crab-cake, clams and shrimp. When they got  back to Linda’s apartment, before Richard could do anything, Linda pulled him into her arms and gave him a warm kiss. Again Richard’s manhood was rising to the occasion, and he could feel Linda’s breasts hardening under her blouse. Breaking away from the hug for a moment, they looked at each other with tender expressions. Suddenly, Linda said “Good night, Richard,” and turned and went into her apartment and shut the door.

Richard was barely able to drive home to his apartment without hitting any pedestrians or going through any stop sign or red lights. In bed that night, Richard lay naked, his hand stroking his magnificent man-meat until he found release. He fell asleep thinking of the beautiful, witty, caring girl.

In her apartment, Linda also lay in bed, her hands roaming over her nipples and her bush, and then her sweet spot, until she also found release. She fell asleep thinking of a tall handsome fellow police cadet who made her feel like no other boy or man had ever done.

The next day, Linda said, “Richard, it’s my turn to take you to dinner. If you would pick me up at 7:00 Friday evening, we will go out. My treat!”

“Oh, sure! That would be great!” Richard said.

Eventually, 7:00 Friday evening came, and Richard was at Linda’s door with a bouquet of flowers. He rang the bell, and heard Linda say, “Come in, Richard.”

 He walked in and almost dropped the flowers. The living room was dark except for a dozen scented candles giving off flickering lights and a scent of jasmine. Linda stood on the opposite side of the room, wearing nothing but a diaphanous negligee.

Moving toward him so that Richard could see that she wasn’t wearing anything under her billowing robe, Linda put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a long lingering kiss. Her tongue pressed itself into his mouth, and caressed his  tongue.

“Richard, I lied. I am not taking you out to dinner—but perhaps I can give you a treat!”

Linda’s hands eased  Richard’s jacket off and began unbuttoning his shirt.   He kicked off his shoes, and unfastened his belt. His pants fell to the floor. They were joined by his shirt, tie, and tee shirt.  He stood there in nothing but his shorts, which were tenting hugely.

Linda turned around and backed into him and took his hands and placed them on her breasts, which could also be said to be tenting nicely.

“You’re not mad, are you Richard?”  she asked coyly.

“Oh, no. No! NO!”  he managed to say. She  took him by the hand and led him to the bedroom door. The bedroom was also filled with scented candles.

She  stopped him and said, “I’m sorry, sir, but this room is a ‘clothes free zone.’ Please take off the shorts and let me see . . . some means of identification.”

“Yes, officer. Sorry, officer. Was I going too fast?”  he  answered.

“Well, sir, actually, yes, but you can go faster if you like!” Linda took Richard and his raging rod into the bedroom. She lay down on the bed and pulled Richard into her arms. Then she rolled him over so that she was on top of him.

She kissed him all over his body, really all over! She licked and gently bit his nipples, and she moved her tongue down his chest, which was well defined and covered with light hair, to his flat abdomen and then to his cock and balls. Her tongue flicked over his glans, and she gently took his helmet into her mouth. It was almost enough to drive Richard over the edge—almost, but not quite.

Then she had Richard do the same to her. When his tongue caressed her labia and then her clitoris, she was almost screaming in ecstasy, “Fuck me, Richard, fuck me.” As he entered her, she wrapped her legs around his torso and used them to draw him closer.

Her first orgasm was all that was needed to cause Richard’s own seed to flood her body. He started to withdraw, but she said “No. Take me to that mountain top again!” Richard brought her to the mountaintop a second time, and then a third time as well.

The next morning, she woke him with a kiss and said, “I guess I understand why Viking men sailed in ships with dragons’ heads on the prow.”

Richard smiled and replied, “But we come home to fjords of deep and loving waters.”

Richard and Linda didn’t just have sex; they made love many times after that, but somehow, it was that first time that seemed to be the best, the sweetest . . . the most satisfying.

They loved each other. They knew that it was the beginning of a lasting commitment. They started making plans for the future. In two years, they would graduate from the academy and get married. They both planned to work, and Linda would save her money so they could buy a house.

The next two years went quickly. They applied themselves to their studies, and the Viking long ship was only able to sail into its fjord on weekends, but what weekends those were!

Finally, Graduation Day arrived, and Richard’s parents and sister came to the ceremonies. Linda’s mother was there, also. Anna Roth was a sweet woman. She and Richard’s Mama seemed to hit it off at once, and Anna and Papa also got on well.

They had all gone to dinner after the ceremony, and while they were enjoying their seafood platters, Richard and Linda began to talk about their plans. Suddenly, Linda got up, excused herself, and rushed from the table, holding her napkin to her mouth. In a minute, Anna said she would go check on her daughter, and she went to the ladies’ room, also. Two minutes later, she was beckoning for Mama to join her.

In a few minutes the three women came back to the table. Linda looked pale. Anna and Mama had funny expressions in their faces.

Linda spoke first. “Richard, I had planned to tell you first, when we were alone, but I’m afraid the cat’s out of the bag. I’m pregnant!”

“But . . . but, . . .how . . . how?” he stammered.

“I think you know HOW, my boy,” Papa said. “The question is WHAT are you going to do now?”

Richard stood up, squared his shoulders, and went over to Linda’s chair and knelt down. “Linda Roth, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I know we were going to get married eventually; I just think we should move the date up. This is NOT a ‘shotgun wedding.’ Life has just made us have to change our plans.”

Linda looked at him lovingly, and said “Richard Vidmark, I accept your proposal with all the love and joy in my heart.”

People at other tables must have heard Richard’s proposal because they started clapping. Richard’s family and Anna were clapping, also.

Papa beckoned the waiter. “I think champagne is in order.” The waiter gave a small bow, said, “Right away, sir,” and hurried away.

After the toasts, Anna Roth became very practical. “Where will you two live until you find an apartment? You could stay with me, but my apartment is too small!”

Mama looked at Papa who smiled and nodded, and she said. “Richard and Linda could stay with us for a little while. Richard’s room could be their bedroom, and I think . . ., yes, Fredrick’s room could be a sitting room for them, when they want to be by themselves. Would you like that, my children?”

Linda looked at Richard, and said, “I think that would be wonderful. After all it would only be for a few weeks, until we found our own place.”

Anna said, “Who is Fredrick? I don’t think I’ve met him, have I?”

Mama replied, “Fredrick is . . . was our oldest son. He . . . Korea . . .” She began to choke up.

Anna reached over and took her hand. “My dear, we have both had losses . . . You and Nils with Fredrick, and I with my Jacob . . . But we have these two young people to look after and love, and best of all, A GRANDCHILD to prepare for!”

And so Richard and Linda began to prepare for a life together.

They were married at Linda’s synagogue, but Richard’s pastor took part in the ceremony. He offered a prayer, and later handed them the glass of wine they would both sip and then Richard would break under his shoe. Papa’s and Mama’s voice could be heard above all the others in the traditional toast, ‘Le Chaim!”

The newlyweds had a short wedding trip to Ocean City, Maryland, and then they returned to Papa and Mama’s house on Haubert Street; Anna and Mama had learned their favorite colors, blue and white).

The parents and Richard’ sister had fixed up the couple’s two rooms with new curtains, new slip covers for the chairs, and the two had their own brand new RCA television set.

Richard had gotten a job with the Baltimore City Police Department, and he enjoyed his work. They had decided that Linda wouldn’t go to work until after the baby was born. They did spend some time looking at apartments, but somehow they just never found one that suited their taste or pocketbook.

In their second month of marriage and the fourth of Linda’s pregnancy, she fell, and the doctor ordered her to stay in bed for a while. Mama and Anna were wonderful. Each of them would spend some time each day with Linda while Richard was at work. There were never any stories about the ‘horrors’ of childbirth. They both wanted Linda to feel as though having a child were the most wonderful, natural thing in the world.

'Having a child' . . . or so they thought, until the day Doctor Mackowitz came, examined Linda, listened with his stethoscope, listened again, and then looked at Linda and Richard and said “Upon my soul! I think I hear two heartbeats. They sound strong and healthy, too. Yes, I think I can almost definitely say that twins are coming to this family.”

As soon as Richard and Linda told them the news, their parents and Richard’s sister began a veritable orgy of decorating, shopping, painting, knitting, and sewing. Papa repainted the other room a light blue. Nothing Linda or Richard or their mothers could say could persuade him that No one yet knew the sex of the two babies, but Papa was convinced. His first grandchildren would be boys! They would grow to be handsome, dashing, and intrepid--just like his own Viking ancestors!

In later years, Richard would think to himself, ‘Oh, Papa. If you only could have seen your grandsons as they grew to be young men. Indeed they were handsome, dashing, and brave—until their lives were cut short!’

Papa was right. They were boys -- boys in every respect. At their circumcisions, they liberally decorated the aprons worn by the 'Moyel' who was both, doctor and  rabbi. Then, at their baptism at the Martini Lutheran Church, Anna came, beaming with pride, almost but not quite ‘out-beaming’ Papa. Nathan and Joshua Vidmark were duly baptized. ‘Nathan’ and 'Joshua’ were not the usual Norwegian names, but they were chosen to honor their Jewish heritage.

Anna hoped the boys would be raised Jewish, but Linda told her mother, lovingly but firmly, that she and Richard would decide how their sons would be raised. For about ten seconds, Anna looked a little miffed, then she smiled and hugged Linda and Richard, and said, “Oh, well! The important thing is that the boys have two loving parents, and three doting grandparents. What else matters? “

Two weeks after the birth of the boys, Linda collapsed. She was rushed  to the hospital, but she died in the ambulance on the way. The doctors diagnosed an aneurysm. A blood vessel had burst and she was gone. In his mind, Richard thought, ‘Gone! Like that! Like THAT! Why, oh God, did you let this happen? Why?’ In his grief, Richard was almost suicidal.

Mama and Papa and Anna were heartbroken, but they continued to care for those two babies. Thank God, they were there. Richard didn’t know what he would have done without them.

Sadly, Richard began letting his work slip. He had found consolation. Every night he found consolation. Every night he craved that consolation, and  he was beginning to crave it during the day. It was the bottle of whiskey that he brought home and hid in his nightstand. He found oblivion in that bottle. He didn’t even seem to care about his sons.

A crisis came one day when Richard’s boss, Captain McCleary, called him into his office. He told Richard that he was in danger of losing my job—but worse yet, he was in danger of losing his life. “Vidmark, I know you’ve had this terrible tragedy, but you’ve got to have to pull yourself together.”

Richard just sat there with his head hanging low, and mumbling something about how sorry he was, but he would do better.

“You better had, Vidmark, or I can tell you that you’ll not only lose your job, but those boys. I know your parents are helping you out, but your sons need to have a father who they can be proud of, not an old man they’re ashamed to call father.”

Richard just sat there, with his head hanging lower, and mumbling over and over something about being sorry.

The next thing Richard knew, his head and shoulders were drenched with ice-cold water. McCleary had dumped half a bucket of water over them. 

“Look at me, you almost worthless piece of crap! Look at your commanding officer when he’s talking to you! Look at me, now!”

Richard looked up, and saw McCleary standing there holding out a towel.

“I am going to do something highly irregular. I would never do this if I thought you were fit to take care of your sons, but you’re not able to, so I WILL do this,” he said.

“I have taken the liberty of discussing this with your family and they agree that something has to be done. I have a friend in the Army, and he is going to help with this. Now, Richard, you are young, you have a college degree, and you are good at your job, but you are not very good at it right now. You will do what I tell you, or you will lose your job! Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir,” Richard replied.

“Good,” he replied. “Your parents have agreed that it would be best if you got away for a while, and they are willing and able to take care of your sons. Now, Monday morning, you are going to enlist in the Army.”

“What?” Richard cried.

“Hear me out, Richard. You’ll be assigned a position with the military police. You will be sent to England for two years. You’ll be able to come back to see your sons for a weekend every six weeks. You’ll have a very good salary. You WILL stop drinking. When your tour of duty is over, you’ll return to Baltimore, and there will be a very good job waiting for you in the Department.”

Richard just sat there, dumbfounded.

Captain McCleary went on. “You don’t have to accept this assignment. You can refuse, but the alternative is immediate dismissal from this department. What’s your choice?”

Richard thought for a few moments. “You say you’ve already discussed this with my parents?”

“Yes. They’re in full agreement with this plan.”

“Well, Sir, I guess I have to say, 'I accept.' And, thank you, sir. I know you are doing this for my own good. I know I have been drinking too much. This assignment will help to ‘take my mind off things.’ In a way, it’s like a new beginning. No, it IS a new beginning.”

Richard stood and started to shake the Captain’s hand. “Richard, you’re a good man. I don’t want to see you mess up your life.” With that, Captain McCleary, drew him into a hug, and said, “You’ll get through this, son. You will.”

Richard went home and told his parents and Anna . They had known that it was going to happen, so they weren’t surprised. Then he went into the nursery to say goodbye to his boys. They were sleeping, so he didn’t wake them, but for the rest of the weekend, he took every opportunity possible to give them their bottles and spend time with them.

The weekend passed and Monday morning came. Richard reported to the induction center and after the paper work and the examinations were over, Richard was told to report to a certain room.

Richard went to the room and knocked on the door. A voice said, "Come." Richard went in, and met his new commanding officer, Captain Sargent, who welcomed the new inductee, and told him to sit down.

"Vidmark, the military situation," Sargent said, "is such that I ought to be sending you to Vietnam, but you are enlisting, you have a college degree, and you are an experienced policeman. Moreover, you have two infant sons. I am assigning you to the military police barracks at a U.S. Army installation in England.

Sargent went on. He outlined Richard's duties as a member of the military police. Richard was supposed to arrest any of the U.S. military who broke any serious rules, and he was to liaise with the British police."

Finally, he said, “Vidmark, you aren’t married, and so I can’t offer you any ‘married officers quarters.’ In England, you’ll have to share quarters with a fellow MP.  I hope all of you will get along. I have sent for one of your fellow officers so you can meet now. You’ll be able to get to know him before you arrive in England.”

There was another knock on the door, and when Captain Sargent said to come in, in walked a man about Richard’s age and height. He had a pleasant face and a slender body with broad shoulders.

The captain introduced them. “Richard Vidmark, I would like you to meet your partner, Troy Hunter. Hunter this is Richard Vidmark.”

To be continued.

Feedback always welcome, because your messages feed my imagination.     

Author’s Notes: My esteemed friend, Ed, has pointed out that I have made some grievous errors in describing military practices. I apologize to any members of the armed services. I made the errors for the sake of the story.

Posted: 06/13/08