As Book Three of the story of "Me And Sam" opens, the young teens return from their honeymoon. Joan wonders and worries how it's all ever going to work out.

Happily Ever After?

by Darla Raspberry

Chapter 1

What A Wonderful World

We said our goodbyes as Sam ushered me into the waiting limousine. Wherever we were headed, it couldn’t be far away as we both had to be home by Wednesday evening. No, not due to parental restraints, we just had things to tend to. Sam had the rest of his baseball season and I had a few painting jobs lined up for late in the week.

"So, where are you taking me sweetheart?" I asked again and was starting to get a wee bit annoyed with all the secrecy.

"Darling, I’m afraid it isn’t going to be the honeymoon that you deserve," he said with a tear in his eye.

I began to feel bad. What had I been expecting? Hell, it didn’t matter where we went as long as we were together. I quickly apprised Sam of that fact and hugged him tightly. The limo continued its trek down the coast. We finally arrived at our destination. Sea Bright was a resort town much like our own but catered to a more upscale crowd.

Three days and nights at Harrow House, an exclusive resort hotel. Everything about the area just seemed a bit cleaner. Sam and I walked boldly up to the front desk to check in. Thankfully, we didn’t look like a couple of lost kids in search of their parents.

"Mr. And Mrs. Sam Peters," his voice boomed proudly to the desk clerk. His pronouncement left me feeling very strange. Perhaps I should have paid more attention to "the sign post up ahead." Clearly we were now in the Twilight Zone. The clerk smiled sheepishly as he turned the guest book around for Sam to sign in. He leered at me just a bit. Perhaps I was becoming a bit paranoid?

How did I get here? Less than two short months ago I was a thirteen year old boy wondering just how I was going to spend my summer vacation. Now, I was married and living my life as a female. Maybe I should have had some of that champagne?

"But Sam!" I exclaimed as the bell captain showed us to our suite. "How on earth did you ever afford this?" Our room was on the second floor and had a small ocean front balcony. He simply smiled at me and told me that everything was taken care of. I came to find out much later that our parents had chipped in for the trip. Life was strange and getting stranger.

Sam had only one thing on his mind and quickly dragged me over to the bed. With one kiss, I realized that I had no regrets, none whatsoever. We cuddled in each other’s arms for the longest time. Both of us were out of our element and unsure how to proceed.

His hands began gently stroking my body as I felt his own tension building. He climbed on top of me and smiled down. All of my worries slipped away. It was total ecstasy. Still, in the back of my mind I began worrying about what would happen when we returned home. As hard as I tried to simply live "in the moment," I found that I couldn’t let go.

"What’s wrong Joan?" he asked me. I didn’t want to worry him needlessly. His own life was changing more radically than mine was. His look of concern wouldn’t abate and I knew that a response was required. I had to tell him of my worries. This was the person that I’d pledged my life to.

"I’m just worried about what lies ahead, Sam," I stated as vaguely as I could. With that he cupped my head and drew me to his bosom. I was both relieved and dismayed by his actions. I should be the one with the blossoming breasts, not Sam. He cooed gently in my ear and stroked my head till I eventually fell asleep in his arms.

It was nine o’clock when he finally shook me awake. "Come on sweetheart, I’ve got to eat something!" Remembering that he was eating for three, I voiced no complaint as I hustled out of bed and donned a pair of jeans and top.

Our first meal alone together as husband and wife and we found ourselves dining at a Burger King. I chuckled slightly at the situation. Sam attempted to order for me, but I quickly cut him off. I could see that I was going to have to assert myself just a bit more if this relationship was going to work.

With our food finished, we went for a stroll on the boards. I didn’t see much of my surroundings, I only had eyes for Sam. The next two days and nights went by in a blur as we did everything young people in love do. Finally, it was time to head back to reality.

At least we had arrived by limousine, I thought as we waited our turn to board the bus. Sam held my hand protectively as he escorted me to my seat. He was the perfect gentleman. "Well sweetheart, what now?" I asked him. Were we headed back to my house, to his house, or were we to be separated once again?

I’d have enjoyed our time together a bit more if we’d worked all of that out before heading off in the first place. The ride home was uneventful. I found myself absentmindedly rubbing his tummy as we proceeded to our destination. In less than seven months time there would be two more mouths to feed! I hoped my children would have a better relationship with their grandparents than I’d ever had.

Finally, the bus pulled into the depot. What now, I wondered as I grabbed our one suitcase down from the rack. Sam offered to carry it, but I insisted. We began the half mile journey home.

Shandy greeted us expectantly as we walked through the door. Her bark soon brought Aunt Melissa running out from the kitchen. "You’re Home!" she smiled and gave us both huge hugs. I began to feel a bit more at ease by her simple greeting. But, what now? I didn’t even have a bed! I became a bit disconcerted as I put our bag in the sewing room. Sam, quickly surveyed our surroundings. He shook his head from side to side, picked up the bag, and insisted we make our way over to his house.

I apologized to Aunt Melissa and told her we’d be back for dinner. She smiled at us a bit uneasily and I could tell she felt like an intruder in our home. I did my best to put her mind at ease as I followed my husband across the street. I couldn’t get thoughts of the kids out of my head. In my mind’s eye I tried to picture us five years hence. Sam and I, still in our teens with a couple of four year olds demanding our attention. Would they turn out as confused as we ourselves had been?

Aunt Alice was still at work as we entered his home. I couldn’t believe that I had no idea just what she did! I guess like most kids, it never really mattered to me. We slowly made our way up to his room. "This is alright for now, sweetheart," I informed him "but, once Aunt Melissa is gone, well, I hope we can return to my house?" I stated pleadingly.

He smiled at me and assured me that where we stayed was unimportant as long as we were together. That being said, I hugged him with a sense of urgency. My eyes quickly surveyed the room and I realized that I’d never really seen it before. Yes, I’d been in it hundreds of times, but now? Well, now all I saw was the mess! It was everywhere! No crevice was left uncovered, mostly with dirty clothes strewn about. I sighed as I began putting things in order. Sam made a feeble attempt at protest, but soon left me to my work.

He made his way down to the kitchen. I only hoped that he wouldn’t make good on his threat to make me a peanut butter sandwich. "There’s nothing to eat here!" he yelled up the stairs. "I’ll be back in a little bit," and with that he was gone. I had three piles of dirty laundry sorted on the floor and took the first load down to the basement. Our houses were exactly the same in size and shape, but Aunt Alice, like her son, was not into housework. I began to wonder if I’d now have TWO houses to maintain. I sighed in rebellion at the idea. Some changes were in order.

With the first load of laundry in, I began cleaning the room with a rag and a pail full of sudsy water. It was impossible to tell when the room had been cleaned last, if ever. I knew I didn’t want my children living in such a filthy environment. Sam was simply going to have to "clean up his act."

He returned shortly with a sub and a half. Presumably, the half was for me. Hell, he ate like a horse as it was and now he was eating for three. Besides, there was no way I could eat more than a half of one of those things.

Sam insisted on taking a nap after wolfing down the entire twelve inch hero. I made him wait while I put fresh linens on the bed first. I hauled the rest of the dirty clothes out into the hall and bade him goodnight. I put the second load of laundry in the machine and went over to visit with Aunt Melissa.

"So, did you miss me?" I yelled as I walked in the front door.

"Joan! You’re back!" I had to laugh at her statement.

"Aunt Melissa, I want to thank you for everything. Especially for being here with Mom. She’s been a bit on edge of late." I said it like I was telling her something she didn’t already know. "How did things wind up on Sunday?" I just had to ask.

"Well, your mother held up a lot better than I ever expected her to, or would have myself under the circumstances!" It was easy to see she was talking about Doreen. Yes, I’d never be able to forgive Doreen that, but, she’d befriended me and that went a long way in my book. I still can’t believe my father actually showed up and seemed to accept me. "Did you two have fun on your little getaway?" she asked me.

I turned several shades of red as I attempted to reply. Hell, we’d only ventured out of our room a few times and those were to eat. At length I told her that the trip had been wonderful. I made sure that she understood that Sam and I would stay over at Aunt Alice’s until she had to return home. Of course, I also told her that me and Sam would be by to sample her fine cooking. She laughed at that and asked me if I was ok. I considered her question for a moment or two before responding. Yes, we were beyond young and absurdly foolish, but I knew that I’d made the right decision. I only hoped that Sam shared my thoughts as well.

I thought I was a good housekeeper, but the house had taken on quite a shine since Aunt Melissa’s arrival. "Has anyone called you Mrs. Peters yet?" she asked me in serious mode. I considered her question and at length I had to admit that no one had. "Well, let me be the first then. Mrs. Peters, would you do me the honor of helping me prepare dinner?" she asked facetiously. I laughed at that and began making the salad. There was no shortage of food in our house as Mom and Aunt Mel had gone shopping anticipating our arrival. I asked her if she was ready to become a mother-in-law herself. She laughed at that and told me that she thought that Melissa had made a fine choice in finding her a proper son-in-law.

Just a week and a half remained before my cousin’s own wedding. I found my thoughts drifting back to the messy state of affairs across the street. My husband and mother-in-law were in need of a good talking to. I laughed at the absurdity of those thoughts, but was determined to follow through on them. I wouldn’t have my children raised in a pig sty. Six o’clock finally arrived and Mom, keeping perfect time arrived on the scene.

After tearful hugs and hellos, I headed back across the street to retrieve Sam. He seemed a lot more relaxed when I awakened him with a kiss. "Sam, dinner’s ready," I whispered and laughed. I knew if there was a way to get him out of bed, it was with the mention of food. Sam slowly got up from the bed and got dressed.

I’d already asked Aunt Alice (doubt that I’ll ever get used to calling her Mom) to join us. She hugged Sam tightly as he descended into the living room. "I love you sweetheart," she whispered in his ear. In all the years I’d known her, that was the first time I’d ever heard her utter those very important words to Sam. He gushed a bit and we made our way over to Casa Johnson.

Apparently the Moms had been in contact while Sam and I were away. Their plan called for us to split time between the two houses. I didn’t see how that could work in the final analysis, but I didn’t want to rock the boat. I reasoned that it would all work itself out in the end.

Aunt Melissa’s Beef Burgundy was a smashing success as all of her dishes were. And, although Sam had gone to bed with a full stomach, he managed to shovel down more than his share of the food. After dinner was finished, I managed to get Sam to help me to clean up. That in and of itself was no easy task. "You know, I do have practice tomorrow," he whined.

"Yea, yea, yea, well, consider this part of your getting back in shape program then," I harangued. He smiled at me and actually did more than his share. It was now Wednesday evening. I hadn’t even given any thought to the band or what was going to happen now. It seemed that my life was overloaded with responsibilities. Sam, housework, my job, the band, and in a very short time school and then, the twins. I needed to get organized and get my life prioritized. Could I possibly handle it all? I sighed aloud as we finished our task.

"Joan, would you mind if I went and played some ball with the guys?" he asked me as we finished. The guys? When had he had a chance to talk to them? My expression conveyed my thoughts without words. He laughed a bit before responding. "We sort of made plans to meet at the park on Wednesday evening before we left on Sunday," he said.

For the first time in my life I felt uneasy about Sam’s actions. He was carrying our babies and it seemed to me he wasn’t giving their well being any consideration at all. I choked back those thoughts and told him I thought he should go and have some fun. I also advised him to remember his condition and to please be careful. I couldn’t watch him every minute of every day. Sam thanked everyone for everything and headed out to join the boys. I hadn’t made any plans of my own. I decided to go and give Darla a call.

"Darla!" I screamed when I heard her voice over the wire. "How are you?" I could almost see her smiling into the phone.

"Joan!" she screamed back at me. We both stopped and started giggling for no reason at all.

"Are you busy this evening?" I asked her.

"Why don’t you just come on over," she said without expending any more words. I told her I’d be over in about half an hour. We said our goodbyes and I went to announce my departure to the grand parents. I giggled aloud at the thought of Mom and Aunt Alice being grandmas. I ran up to the bathroom and applied full makeup. I was a sophisticated married lady after all.

I told Mom I’d be home by ten and pedaled over to the Raspberries. It almost seemed silly seeking permission now, but I was just a fourteen year old kid after all. I found myself wondering whether Fred and Darla had gotten together in my absence. He was a bit old for us at this point in our lives. I believe from a legal perspective we were what was commonly referred to as "jail bait." I knew that Aunt Viv and Dr. Bob would never allow anything untoward to happen to Darla. She was their pride and joy.

Darla and I hugged continually upon my arrival. We finally released each other but couldn’t stop smiling. That little piece of paper seemed to have changed everything. I’d never been a carefree kid, but all seemed to be just a bit more somber now. "So, how’ve you been," I asked her. With no response forthcoming, I went on. "Anything happening with you and Fred?"

She looked about to burst and finally, it all came pouring out. "Joan, he kissed me! It was wonderful." It seemed Darla and I had something else in common. Fred had been the first boy that either of us had kissed.

"I hope you’re using protection," I said and laughed. She gave me a good shot in the arm and I knew not to tease her any more in that fashion.

"So, tell me all about your honeymoon," she begged.

"Darla, I’m not the kind of girl to kiss and tell," I replied somewhat cheekily.

"Well, tell me about the rest of it then," she persisted.

"What rest of it?" I asked and began laughing all over again. I told her about our stay at Harrow House. It seems she and the family had visited the facility before. I went on to explain that the two best things about the trip were having my freedom and having Sam by my side. Her look was one of pure envy. I was hoping to get a chance to chat with Aunt Vivian, but she was out for the evening. I’d have to call her up and schedule an appointment for next week. Darla began pestering me about band practice and told me that Fred was getting nervous about the future of our endeavor. I finally gave in and told her to set something up for Sunday.

She picked up the phone and dialed his number while I stood there waiting. They seemed more than at ease with one another. It was clear to me at least that some kind of bond had been forged between them. I was happy about that. If we were going to do this thing, I wouldn’t want to do it without Darla backing us up. We made arrangements for a long practice session starting on Sunday afternoon. I found myself hoping that I didn’t run into any conflicts with Sam about it.

Hell, for the next few weeks at least, Sam would be too wrapped up in baseball to worry about what I was doing. I still had to sit Mom down and talk to her about the coming fall semester. There was no way I was returning to school as "John." Would simply being Joan make me the target of convenience for everyone else at school? There was another middle school within equal walking distance in the other direction, but I definitely didn’t want to be separated from Sam as we continued our education.

Darla ended her conversation with Fred and shook me gently out of my reverie. "Are you alright Joan?" she asked with more than a hint of concern in her voice.

I told her that I was fine, but also explained my fears for the future. Sam and I were indeed proceeding where "No one had gone before," at least not in these parts. She hugged me and assured me that she and Sally would be beside me every step of the way. I then found myself wondering whether Sam had told Billy and company about the twins. I was reasonably sure that Billy still had the hots for Sam. Despite having been Sam’s "best man," I doubted that he’d take it well.

Then, there were the potential news stories. What happened when the county league’s best pitcher was found out to be a genetic female? Would Sam be barred forever from future participation? I knew that his love of baseball wasn’t something that was ever going to just go away. I found myself wanting to go into total shutdown mode and bury myself under the covers as everything else continued to unfold around me. I was determined not to fall apart under the pressure.

Darla shook me yet again in attempt to garner my attention. I smiled at her and assured her that I was back (for now) from my journey. We spent the rest of the evening talking and listening to music. Darla came up with a few songs she wanted us to learn. I listened to them politely, but was happy to defer to Fred on that front for now. It was closing in on time for me to leave. There would be no calls home asking if it was alright if I spent the night. What had I gotten myself into?

We said our goodbyes and I asked her to tell her mother to expect an appointment from me regarding a session next week. I asked her in passing if she’d like to come to the baseball game with me on Saturday. It turned out she was going to hit the beach with Fred. I smiled at her admission and wished her a lovely time. My mind drew a blank as I considered what was awaiting me upon my return home. It was just after nine-thirty as I locked my bike in the garage.

The three ladies were still where I’d left them earlier. They seemed more at ease with everything than I myself did. "Hi!" I shouted as I came into the room. "Has anyone heard from Sam?"

Aunt Alice informed me that he was across the street waiting for me. Instead of feeling joy and relief, I found myself feeling a bit anxious and ill at ease. I gathered up a pair of pajamas and the two teddy bears and bade them all goodnight. I reminded Mom that tomorrow was indeed a work day and not to stay up too late. The three of them laughed in unison at my pronouncement. I hadn’t intended it as a joke. I gave Shandy a huge hug and set off for my destination.

Sam was mindlessly watching something on television and chomping down on some nachos. I was beyond glad that he’d left the alcohol behind. For that matter, I hadn’t had a cigarette all day and was determined not to give into the temptation for this one day.

"So, how did your practice go?" I just had to ask. He simply smiled at me and told me he was ready for anything. I only hoped that he was ready for his appointment with Dr. Feingold in the morning.

We made out on the sofa for awhile and finally I cajoled him into coming to bed. I shunned the pajamas and slept in the nude with Sam on one side of me and Josam and Teddy on the other…