***Adam Marshall the 1rst…

My grandson had taken a bad beating while in lock up and apparently at the hands of someone in the employ of my son.

I can smell the apparently pretty strongly.

I know my son and he’s not built that way. He’s a bully and has talked a good game but that’s what he does for a living talk. He’s a lawyer and a decent one too but he doesn’t have the instincts, the killer instincts for truly hard things that happen in business.

See every time anyone gets to the scale of things like with my family things crawl out to eat you either organized crime looking for a piece and that ranges from the mob types with the old school labor unions here or the bikers with making sure that your transport trucks and routes are unmolested.

And there are always, always the politicians looking to leech off of you.

Plus there’s always your competition.

So you have to be ruthless and cunning to stay on top and you have to take risks too.

Like my grandson.

Oh he’s a damaged little shit I’ll admit to that and he’s let a lot of that run his life and I’m not in favor at all of the little feuds that have been going on.

They make you get in too deep and sloppy and bad for business.

Drugs do that too as well as falling into the pussy trap.

Oh women are fine as long as you keep things a certain measure. My son had a decent woman of decent breeding until he cheated on her after her own family had gone broke.

That messed with things a lot especially with my grandson and women. His mother left him with us and with his father and she said a lot of hurtful things when she did.

My son on the other hand free of his ex-wife went on a binge that only recently was stopped by him going to jail.

He collected both women as pussy is never a problem for the rich and a drug problem.

I think my grandson literally invented a drug and sex trade business to literally frame his father for it.

Which if all of this sticks will take my son out of running things with the family.

And my grand son started his own business.

Yes I’m legally backing him and the money too is from me but it is legally a loan. One I think is nearly paid off due to the drug cash he might have had available.

But he made Northstar Studios as his in town business and inside that he’s running Blackjack Records as a label.

And he’s actually making some money according to the books, not huge but there’s some okay money happening and he is getting things paid.

So there is good things that he is doing.

But getting beat, getting himself beaten badly well that’s real dedication to his long game.

Now if only I can get him away from the feuds he has going on.

Ah well...time will tell me and meanwhile I have other fish to fry.

And that does sort of involve the feud a little bit.

Miss Angel Benton and Starlight Records and Entertainment and the band Starlight Butterfly.

A little bird sang her praises in my hearing with things that she’s doing and working with the local Chamber of Commerce so I’ve taken a longer look at the girl.

Adopted from PEI and sent to the states where she ended up running away from Mark Benton who according to the police reports became a drunk after her mother was killed in a car wreck he made.

I can only guess what he started to do to the girl.

But she ran to Toronto where she somehow was living on the streets or with friends until she somehow met or contacted her Uncle Remy and this whole thing with her cousin Jason happened.

Apparently shen came to help and life just roped her into all of things with my grandson and with her current band.

She’s apparently learned a lot from Remy.

I like that man.

He’s not in my social circles but he’s one of those men that places just need. He’s a decently well off mechanic and he does large engines like semi-trucks and a lot of things that people that work for me use.

And I employ not just my own trucks but independent contractors with their own machines.

Remy Powers is that guy that will fix your truck so you can work and feed your family and says pay me later.

I am better off for there being a Remy Powers in town as much as everyone else.

Plus he is diplomatic enough that if I really need him or a part or something that’s for the businesses or the mill he will step up.

And the girl is equally as impressive with people and working people.

Diplomatic and smart and mannerly, I keep hearing just how mannerly and respectful she is.

So I went to go see her in person and to check on our booths for the Fall Fair.

The press on that was quite right and it is an improvement over years past.

And Miss Benton’s touch is all over the place.

She’s a bigger player than she thinks now.

The charity work, her voice in the community, her working with so many of the smaller businesses it’s all having spin offs and people are noticing her.

I understand my grandson with the pink wig fetish he now has going.

They don’t make women like her that often.

There’s a lot of things that I could do but i settled for watching her some while tending to my booths and the Blackjack Records booth stopping there as well even catching some of the shows and acts throughout the day.

Fisherboy was a good solid stroke of creativity meeting knowing your audience.

Angel bought social capital that doesn’t come around much.

Instinct.

Especially as from other things that I know she doesn’t have a formal education like myself.

And I’ve heard that she plans to get some all the way into getting her business degree.

My man Simon is good at asking around and finding things out.

And then there was tonight.

The making it special for the people that did come out here for the Fall Fair weekend, playing it up too and then the whole charity parts of things too.

Pointer pride...and that’s another thing...she has that phrase and she owns it too.

Marketable but more than that it has social capital, she just seems to accrue that very well.

I’m not up on the music but I do know what is good and that duet was good, very good and the after show encore.

Her skilled enough to direct other singers in that Beatles song.

It was just good sense for me to match everything that they had raised so that at least I look somewhat better.

I’m afraid that my grandson and son along with a few other things have made the family image a little rougher.

That might be a good thing.

That remains to be seen.

It was after the show when I called Summer over with her band and while some are definitely not to my taste in people especially this Muzz fellow I do like Summer’s newest playmate this Hannah.

I’ve looked at her too after rumors she got into my grandson’s face.

The boy Ian makes a pretty girl and a much better Hannah. And while I’m not up on all of that there has always been folks that crossed the gender lines.

Especially with the wealthy, there’s always someone in the families somewhere doing something “Socially shameful.”

I don’t care, usually the ones in those sorts of positions and at the centers of these scandals are better people than their families.

She’s wanted as a runaway and she’s fled two foster homes and a group home that was pretty much a fancied up form of juvenile hall.

When she came out, was found out her father beat her with the top half of a fishing rod literally caning her.

The fact this little slip of a person is meeting my eyes with a very open but clear look in her eyes says a lot.

I approve.

“Summer Wilson, I presume?” Saying as I look her over and she doesn’t seem as brazen as I’ve heard.

“Yeah that’s me.”

“I’m Adam Marshall.”

She nods. “Yeah I know, everyone knows who you are. You’re pretty much Adam Chandler.”

“Who?”

“Use google dude.”

I look at her sternly and she’s giving me this look of real attitude almost bordering on hate.

I think that what I’ve heard of her and my grandson is real.

Which is really unfortunate and it does anger me.

The boy needs to be taught more I think.

Her little friend though Hannah asks. “What can we help you with sir.”

Sir...a page from the Benton playbook perhaps?

“My grandson won’t be conducting business for some time do to some legal and medical issues. As the major backing shareholder I’ll be taking over those duties with regards to the studio and the label. Now I have many other things that will require my attention so for the interim I’m placing the company resources under your care miss Wilson in regards to your band. You’ll do your own work and production and everything all on your own terms and band management.”

They’re both blinking.

Hannah asks. “Do we get new contracts?”

“We can do that if you like, when?”

She digs through a bag and takes out a computer tablet. “Now?”

I chuckle. “Yes, we can do that now. I applaud your drive shall we go somewhere where we can have a coffee and have internet access?”

She looks at me again. “Tim Hortons is open and it’s close sir.”

“We’ll follow you then ladies.”

We all go to the nearest Tim Horton’s and I get a double-double and a fritter even if they’re both horrible because it is a man of the people thing.

I pay also for the band’s things as well and then we sit and we go over making a new contract with more autonomy and I do outweigh my grandson on this.

And I want to see how they do.

Hannah is very impressive in the hungry to work and do it way and Summer...she’s almost like a feral cat.

I am still naming her in charge of things with her band. I want her to learn and I make their creative freedoms a thing, the ability to say no to things concrete and put it all into her hands.

Hannah gets signed on as violinist, guitar, singer-songwriter and band manager.

I do wish Summer was more up for managing but that wasn’t going to happen.

But maybe she will learn.

And I sign them over a bonus, all of them for doing this with more responsibilities and for playing all of their enhanced parts at the Fall Fair.

Which makes all of them very happy.

I take my leave and thank them and head out done for the time being.

Well almost done.

“Simon, reach out and make sure that my grandson learns that sexual assault never happens again. Make sure he knows that Summer is off limits and make sure that the lesson sticks.”

“Yessir, anything else sir.”

“No, no I think we’re done for now we just watch for a while now.”

***Summer…

I don’t get why old man Marshall was like so intent on me but it creeped me out.

The dude reeks of power, real power and that old money sort of power too.

I know that, know it too well as my mother courted that kind of thing.

And trotted me out as bait.

I was surprised that he was giving us this much though when it came to some of the numbers and things well that was him and Hannah who is now a part of the band and we’re out from under Adam.

That might be it though.

Adam’s all tangled up with that hooker shit and the drug stuff under his old man and as Hannah put it he see’s that we’re making progress with new songs and bigger gigs and like Jem and Raven we’re making a name for ourselves just as hard.

So we’re money to him.

And if we’re too linked with all the stink then we’re worth less.

Actually that was a point that she had made with him while they were talking.

She sometimes reminds me of Angel.

Smart, really smart and she knows how to play folks.

I literally don’t have the patience.

I mean after tonight and SLB pulling that super emotional crap...seeing Angel in a duet with Rayne...and her looking that amazing and that happy it messed with me some.

I mean I know I’m a user and I’m an asshole but then there’s where you just sort of drown in feeling toxic to people.

I was feeling that way even when we went up and sang...okay not while we were singing. Music kind of let’s all my shit just fade into the background.

So the only thing that was offsetting all of that and the headache was the sugar from the biggest thing of timbits we could get and the caffeine.

That and the bonus cheques.

Money for working the booth as in paid wage, money for doing new songs and being above and beyond here at the Fall Fair...we’re all up five hundred bucks each.

I know Muzz is going to burn through it and I can likely do the same too but the others...it’s a bit more than just five hundred it’s big money live and in hand.

And you’d think Hannah would be super bouncy and stuff but she’s just quietly smiling.

“What’s up, you’re quiet.”

“Just thinking of things that I could spend this on and sort of not wanting to spend it at the same time aside from cashing it.”

“Having cash does that, what’d you buy?”

“Clothes.”

“Clothes?”

She nods. “Everything, everything I own is either pretty danged old or it’s belonged to other people Summer. I really, really want to stop, I want something like that’s mine...a place and then maybe, just maybe put down enough of an anchor that I don’t have to just pack up and leave someday.”

I slip my arms around her. “You can have that with us y’know.”

She turns her head and she looks at me and it’s there...she knows me...knows my reputation and everything else now.

And she’s really searching me to see if she can trust me.

It hurts.

It’s a good thing too for her.

But it really hurts.

And so does this.

I turn her around to face me.

“Hannah...I want you, I want you to stay, stay and be with me and I know my record sucks with this sort of thing and I...I...I know I’m really fucking damaged and that I sabotage myself and being happy...but I want this...us...I want to try.”

Yeah I’m admitting that I’m a big fucking mess in front of her, the band, God and Tim Hortons.

She tippy-toes up and wraps her arms around me and she kisses me sweetly.

“I’ll take that, I’ll take trying Summer….I love you.”

And people actually clap and yeah it’s mostly staff but still I’m blushing and I’m crying and not really sure why but she just...made the hurt better with a warmer deeper kind of hurt.

I wrap my arms around her more and we get really into kissing until some folks get too nosey and snap some pictures.

We head out and leave after that and I know what I’m going to spend my bonus on.

Or like who.

***Hannah....

It was quite the night and Angel and SLB was amazing to watch and that duet just about broke my heart.

So good and to plan it out with the charities and everything else with the indie shops she knows and is into...the carnival folks, the shelter, her friend that does her band tees who works SLB’s booths and tables all the time.

I’ll be honest Jem’s the kind of girl that I’ve been kinda desperate to grown up like.

I was so...so moved when we got called up, invited like as a musical community to come join in for the finale and that was cool and that was classy.

And that helped US as in K&T, showed we’re more than just our bad reputations.

I also like that little by little we’re getting past all the bad blood between our too bands.

Maybe we can do better.

It was good, it was a really good show and night and then Adam uppermost showed up with his manservant fellow and...wow.

I wasn’t expecting the respect and I wasn’t expecting that he was taking over because that asshole grandson of his is in jail.

I mean makes sense really and he’s cutting down his work by letting us...me technically manage ourselves with just help and input from him.

He even did this all online with the legal service he has as we hashed out the contract on tablet.

He’s paying our dues with the all of the stuff to get us more and more looking like pros, all those bonafides and stuff.

I’m actually following Jem’s lead with the stuff she’s told budding bands on the SLB page and how to build a resume or portfolio for your band and it’s members.

And we’re actually well into some of this with songwriting credits and things like that and the radio and commercial work we’ve done. Muzzie actually has a stories work history both good and bad and really bad but...he comes with pedigree...he’s a legit old band Brit rocker and a veteran of the whole scene. That adds some level of cred that we wouldn’t have without him.

He seems to have some “thing” for Summer though.

It doesn’t feel pervy but maybe he knows...like what Adam did?

I was kinda still processing that and the bonuses we got and just...well everything when Summer.

Okay she didn’t right out say a lot of things and she sure could have sugar coated the heck out of it but she didn’t.

She’s been off her selfish me, me, me fake game ever since she had the breakdowns.

Yeah more than one.

The first a while back in the car where she seen someone that brought up a huge past abuse trigger.

I’m a runaway, a street kid that’s moved from place to place and I’ve seen people like Summer.

And then Adam and the paid rape.

I’m familiar with that too.

But she’s been shook hard lately, and that’s jarred something real loose in her.

So her sweet, scared, self-blamey love confession was way more sweet than her being too slick about it.

And Summer is stunning when she’s legit happy, when she forgets her armor and a little of the real her slips through.

We get out of Timmy's taking the near obscene amount of Timbits and stuff they ordered to test “Old Mr. Marshall” and he really didn’t care except he maybe thought it cute in a juvenile kind of way.

But we have munchies for the sugar fixes that my little stoners will get for a few days at least.

It’s nice getting home and Summer and I are kissing all the way to our room and once we’re through the doors to our room we’re taking off each others clothes.

Summer’s a lot of things, she’s a lot of broken but she’s good with me being trans, she’s good with everything that comes with that and she’s good with my hurts too...my scars.

She fun tosses me onto the bed and there’s more kissing and she goes down on me.

Like a lot of trans girls that’s a lot of complicated in how that makes me feel but with her it’s actually a lot more on the side of okay as in between things she says stuff like. “Your clitty, your sweet outtie.”

And she does this entire thing where she uses my tuck and holds everything back from getting hard which isn’t a big problem for her considering my hormones and...and she’ll have both hands pushed flat to my pelvis with just the tip there trapped between this little space between her thumbs and forefingers as her hands are overlapped down there.

And she’ll literally lick my “Little button.”

That...that and a vibe inside of me buzzing away making it so much more intense as her hands push down making me feel flat down there and really, really right.

Right enough that we can do that actually helps, actually makes me feel more real.

She does that to me tonight and more, lots more and I return it all with all that I have too.

And we end up sleeping with Summer in her new fave position with her head on my chest arms around me and sometimes hugging really tight.

Morning comes early enough and I slip out of bed and shower and get dressed and pack stuff, notes for songs and music but other stuff for taking notes and ideas that I might have during today and I make sure our laptops are ready and find our digital camera.

We gotta do more stuff for the band site and with our fans.

Breakfast is leftover Timmy’s stuff but I do fry up some bacon and make a pot of coffee.

We take our time getting ready and head out pretty much dragging Muzzie with us as he’s still really drunk and in that half passed out half asleep thing.

Surprisingly Mr. Marshall is there with a take out place coffee cup or tea and he’s making sure that the booth is stocked with our band things and he passes me a file.

“Here’s copies of all the things that Adam had going with Kisses & Thorns and the contracts and commitments.”

“I...Uhm thanks?”

“And that envelope is for you young lady.”

I look inside and there’s...ID’s...Social Insurance...Birth certificate...all with my name on them and other things like carry letter…

He knows.

“Sir...I…”

He sips his tea. “You’re a nice young lady Hannah, we both know it takes all kinds and frankly I don’t care who you used to be. My world is full of fakers of all sorts and I’d wager worse than you.”

“But you...you did all of this how?”

“After I looked into everyone on the staff at Northstar and Blackjack I looked at you. Hannah you’re young and smart, talented and I don’t waste those things.”

“But this...it’s huge.”

He actually shrugged. “Not so much really, a few phone calls. You’re emancipated as soon as you sign the blue legals inside as well as the other papers in there. You’ll have to go to the Provincial works office down at town hall to get your Provincial ID and Medicare cards you need to sign and take a photo for one of those.”

I nod kind of like a bobblehead.

I’m crying and Summer’s coming over looking concerned and pissed.

“Why, why sir?”

“I told you, I need you Hannah. I’ve done no less hiring people and paying moving costs and the like. Well I’m off I have people to see today that I haven’t seen in a long time.”

He leaves to mingle and his manservant guy moves between us and him and Summer makes it to me as he’s leaving and she looks at me.

“Did he do anything creepy, you’re crying?”

(Sniffle.) “N..no...he...he knows Summer...he knows and didn’t care and he did this…” I pass her the envelope and she looks through it.

“Well that’s better of him than I’d ever think.”

“He said compared to rich folks and their stuff I’m no big deal...he said this was like paying moving expenses.”

She has this look like she’s thinking or remembering.

“He’s right, rich assholes are full of shit and yeah...he’s got the juice to do this easy.”

“He had us investigated Summer.”

She shrugs. “Par for the course actually, Karl’s a detailed villain.”

“Karl?”

“Hutchins.”

“I don’t know who that is?”

She grins. “Another soap villain. Never mind if we hurry we can get this sorted and be back the provincial office is the DMV here too and we can get things started.”

We leave telling the others and they’re more than cool with me getting legal.

Which is awesome really and Muzzie even gave me a hug.

“Go sweets, go git whatcha need and we’ll handle everything here.”

I hug his smelly carcass back and we take off to go wait in the happiest line I’ve ever been in.

*** Before…

I watch things in the mirrors just to make sure that we’re all safe and we get home without any problems but it makes me wonder what some people think sometimes when they see all of us driving in our little convoy and with bikers too no less.

Dad’s not here but off doing stuff with Danny’s rides and Max is there too and we hug the boys and Uncle Mitch and then we head inside the house.

We really don’t do much other than post up the videos we took for the band and we answer some comments and post up a few little cool bits and odds and ends as we’re all taking turns getting cleaned up and showered and once we’re all done I go around and check everything like the doors and all and make sure that there’s coffee ready to go and that we have bread and things for breakfast and I leave Post-it-notes for Kimmie and Brooklyn. “Get those papers started for school you guys.”

Yeah I’m still momming the group.

They’re my group, they’re my family.

And Family is Everything.

***And Now…

There are times that being a girl is literally awesome and being tired and at the same time freshly showered and dressed in something snuggly and slipping into bed with your girlfriend who’s sort of the same way but even more snuggly.

That’s such a thing that being a guy just can’t touch.

I’m a little bit in sleepy heaven as Rayne spoons with me and she has sexy roaming hands and there’s this whole thing of her breasts pressed into my back and her hands up and around and playing with my breasts.

Yeah they’re still small but they’re not flat either and this feels sooooo danged good because growing boobs ache.

And her hands are warm.

And her touch is soothing as much as it’s sexy because she knows.

We fall asleep like that somewhere in between feels and petting and making out in little bits.

Everytime I think that this is it and has been the whole top shelf of life stuff it just gets better and deeper and there’s always another moment that another knot inside of me comes down and I can sigh a little easier and deeper.

And tired, really tired helps too.

And for awhile just that really, really deep sleep that we all crave.

But dreams, just really good dreams too of like us, all of us and playing a bigger venue but still at the park because of the view. Me and Rayne in the winter...walking and cute clothes and snow.

And then they shift on me and turn steamier and steamier until I wake off popping!

Rayne with her hand down my panties and there was lube and her finger’s doing that capture my part in the groove between here middle and ring finger and she was literally rubbing me off as her mouth was going from breast to breast doing all these amazing things to me.

I’m not even sure which was better...but I’m not long getting out of my long sleep tee and returning the favor.

I could do this for hours, I think we did get close to that between Rayne riding my hand crying vocally out…”More, more! Harder Angel! Ff...fuck...another finger! I love your touch!!!...Riff me! Riff me!”

Riffing for us is when I do what she does for me...getting her clitty in between the space of my fingers and I jiggle them back and forth really fast in almost this same pace as you do when you really crank it out with high speed guitar.

I mean I did that until it got sore and then me going down on her for more and then her behind me with me pressed to the bed as she sinks in our strap on friend and she finds that spot that makes me cry out and pop without popping.

Which is getting better and better.

I mean I was never great at popping for obvious reasons but this, this is something else even if it’s sort of related to that and it feels like a pop that happens inside of me and that all that electric spurt stuff gets spread out inside of me because it has no place to go?

I know it doesn’t likely work like that but that’s how it feels.

And we even do that thing.

That thing you see in some movies where the guy does it to the girl and their up on their knees but he’s like half lifting her as he does the...y’know.

Only it’s Rayne doing that to me because she’s literally strong enough to do that and it’s her hands holding me so strongly but still so much the woman too and her huge breasts pillowed against my body and her hard nipples and the smells and the soft skin and her hair cascading down over my shoulder and the skin there because hers is so black and long and thick that those tumbled waves fall over me and tease and tickle my breasts….and that...the toy...the strap on I’m suspended so I fall deeper so much deeper down on it.

We were that loud that people are high pitched whistling and clapping after we’re done.

Molly sends us a animated gif of that clip scene with Michael J. Fox conducting sex for his neighbors in the movie Secret of my Success to our phones.

Which has us both blushing and laughing and giggling.

I...I like this, especially the laughing, touching, closer than close after sex stuff.

The sex is great too, and after we’ve been doing it for so long the weird non-het way feeling is going away with it and it feels like it’s normal.

It’s our normal sure but I’ll take it.

But the after is really sooo much better.

We slip out and shower together and get changed into some around the house lounging clothes and this time I’m on sheets and laundry duty and Rayne’s making the bed.

Oh...the washer has bedding in it that makes me cough it’s that strong with everyone else’s business.

Which has me giggling as I get it going and add a little bit more laundry detergent.

Goddess I feel...there’s this loose, free, unknotted feeling inside after the sex and there’s this sort of echo of being “toyed” that isn’t all bad either, I think I like it actually.

And I’m not the only one that looks like their feeling this way as Carmen’s making coffee and showered and she’s not just up but she’s glowing so much.

Definitely had something good last night or this morning going on and she just looks happy.

She gives me this shared grin and we both laugh and blush together and she goes to her purse and takes out a stop-smoking patch and peels off the back and puts it on.

“You’re quitting?”

“Yeah, the nerves are getting better and I’m getting through the drug bit and well Molly doesn’t smoke so…”

“That’s awesome!” I hug her. “Like seriously and the drug thing too.”

She blushes. “Yeah well...It’s not the only thing I’m quitting either.”

“Oh?”

“I’m not, not using the damned whitening cream shit any more.”

“Toothpaste?”

“Skin whitening.”

“Oh...that’s a thing?”

Kimmie comes in bouncey and all post sex happy too despite Max not being here and says going to the fridge for juice. “Oh hecking yeah Angel, there’s a lot of folks like me and Carmen that have like always done that stuff.”

Carmen says. “Or bleaching, I’ve got black in me so mom was really paranoid about looking the right skin tone because if you’re too dark back home and a model or just well anything else you can be too dark.”

Kimmie nods. “It wasn’t big in my family but mom was super paranoid about her or me or my sister getting tans and stuff. It wasn’t lines either it was this whole deal of darker meant poor and like low rent.”

“Holy cheese, I legit didn’t know this was a thing.”

We actually just hang and start making breakfast which is the girls making toast and lots of it as we drink coffee and talk about this whole skin bleaching thing and skin whitening thing and I’m learning more and more on there being a difference between the stuff that white girls like me even know about and things that other girls go through.

“I think we should do a talk on our site about it.” I say as I’m making scrambled eggs and showing Kimmie how I make them. Beaten fluffy whites a tiny pinch of salt, a slightly bigger pinch of sugar and a tablespoon of flour in the whole thing and half teaspoon of baking powder.

Seriously the teeny bit of flour bonds to the egg as you cook it and the double fluffy from the beaten whites and baking powder does this suflet thing where they are little clouds yet still taste like scrambled eggs.

Carmen looks at me. “Like what?”

I let Kimmie start mixing the second bowl.

“We’re not just a girl band but a girl site too and we’re kinda global...maybe we show talk about these things once in a while. I think it might help some kids with peer pressure issues on these things.”

Kimmie adds. “And a bit on like periods but how they’re treated in different cultures sometimes too. I mean I never seen a tampon in my life before I left home because there’s a big inserting phobia shaming thing.”

Carmen nods. “Oh definitely that...can I do a bit of hair and make-up stuff too? I mean there’s lots out there and all already but this is from a band to fan thing.”

I get some toast and pile some of the jam from the Fall Fair on it.

Mmmm...blueberry jam actually goes really good with coffee.

“I think that’d be a great idea, maybe we can all do sort of TED talk kind of things eventually with stuff for the band or working around it.”

Rayne comes in with Molly both getting coffee and I make Rayne some toast with jam on it and Carmen follows what I’m doing and gets Molly her toast with peanut butter and they kiss...and kiss...and kiss...and they’re so happy and everything that they’re really just super cute and sigh worthy.

The dancer ex-model with the heavy short goth punker girl.

Brooklyn and Mike are the last to join us and we’re all still talking about other things for the site and it’s mostly girl stuff and feminist stuff and that includes Mike. They join in but they are definitely post hook up happy touching and smiles and everything too.

Mike even chimes in with.

“We should do a self defence bit showing that it can be done but I was thinking that we get a good listing too of girl friendly classes or all women classes and like site links and things.”

I nod as I down some eggs. “We should look at that here in town too and maybe getting them on board, there’s should be something like that for women in town.”

I love the way this feels...the way Brooklyn looks at Mike as he makes his suggestions and Molly too as Mike’s one of the guys that’s never been a shit to her and actually one of her friends.

Rayne says. “We could offer a site spot to a pro-girl place and give them a boost.”

I nod. “All of that maybe even work with Lorna and get something like a community program with the town?”

Mike says again. “Get the shelter in on it and whoever gets good press, does the right thing and as a legit charity they can get tax stuff from that. I’ll even reach out with Dad and see if there’s any ex-police matrons doing this or people that know ladies doing this from my old MMA crowd.”

I’m making lists and Molly’s on her tablet and doing the same and then we’re cleaning up and Kimmie and I whip up some lunch to take with us instead of buying today with BLT’s and some Tuna which Kimmie makes really well and even some pickle sandwiches.

More than just pickles but they’re lettuce with onions then sweet pickles in a layer and even more lettuce with lots of pepper and a little fresh cucumber and then dill pickle and lastly more lettuce….big and thick and vegetarian too.

And we pack a cooler of waters and juices plus we make iced tea, iced coffee and even lemonade to take in a separate cooler.

There’s even some of the baked stuff I have just in the house to use up.

It sounds like a lot but it’s for all of us and all the way to tonight.

Then I make a bunch of big batches of bread dough and set it in big bowls to raise.

We get ready to go and changed into some performance but not gear with good make-up and accessories and everything to sort of look like we’re still SLB but that we’re dressed down because it’s daytime.

I’m in deep pink cheeky panties and matching bra with faded skinny jeans and a pink SLB band tee shirt and ankle socks and sneakers.

Rayne’s in her Wal-Mart gear mixed with her Raven look and she’s still running their booth and her pack everything up and I punch down the bread dough and knead it really down well and cover it just before we leave and the dough has wet down dish towels over it and it’ll be fine until we get home tonight.

We get there and even on the off Monday we’re greeted with loads of waves and smiles from the locals and there’s lots of people here already still.

Not just for us but it’s for all of the local events for here too and it’s seniors day.

Danny and Kate are running a grandparents special on ticket books for rides today and Kate has a lot of old school stuff at the concessions too.

The candy and caramel apples, kettle corn, homemade potato chips, peanut brittle, sponge candy...that’s that golden sponge stuff made with corn syrup and soda.

And I see Jimmy here with people he’s brining and that he’s pointing out to us.

Which is really cool as we start getting introduced to people and we start talking. You want to learn things ask the older generation. Especially when asking about what we’ve lost and what we’re trying to get back and how important it is to fight to keep things around.

A lot will be going up on our site and there’s a lot that will go into our other video for The Fall Fair, for our grant attempts and things for the video that’ll go to both the province and maybe to the federal folks with heritage and tourism and whatever we can get this kind of thing out to.

And we start talking about The Fair and Sawyers and the old stuff like that, even not that old of things either...I mean they’re old but there’s a lot of old rockers here too.

Seriously...people that grew up in the times of the old jukebox stuff and the booth dime player era’s and we talk about the stuff from the 50’s, 60’s on up. We talk about Harper's Point and who played here, who played from here and we have some old players playing for us even. I even get a few old radio DJ’s on camera doing their patter for us.

It’s heartwarming gold.

And it takes us all the way into lunch and us going to the bandstand and playing and there’s a really decent crowd too.

So we trot out a few of our songs mixed in with others opening with…

*Everyday* By Buddy Holly and that’s something I’ve played before a few times myself and it’s pretty familiar with the crowd and it’s a good start.

Then we do *Carousel* By Starlight Butterfly.

And then some more stuff that’s great for the fair like. *I’ve got a name* By Jim Croce...hugely underrated singer songwriter and someone my mom played a lot of.

*Washed away* By Starlight Butterfly comes after that.

And we follow that with *Everything* By Starlight Butterfly and we go from that to *A Little Good* By Starlight Butterfly and they’re all going over really well with the older crowd here today and we get some good applause when we transition over to doing *Fisherboy* By Starlight Butterfly and we’re done since it’s a mini-set because there’s a lot more acts coming and it’s a real treat getting all these nods from other players as we’re coming down from the stage especially from these older local country bands that play everything from country and folk to bluegrass and we’re even signing a few autographs and getting told things like.

“Oncology’s just heartbreaking and I love that you’ve been donating proceeds from the start.”

And a woman folk player call Tanya Roberts said. “I bawled last night that duet combo and then Mommy’s song I lost my daughter in a car crash a few years back.”

Of course we hugged and exchanged info and we did that with a few times and what the heck I even pitched Starlight Entertainment & Music to a bunch of them and then we headed off to get some lunch.

We meet the gang at the common eating area where the Sawyer staff hangs out after checking out the booth and seeing that everyone has everything that they need to eat and drink and Josie’s assistants are there and the girls from Gogo’s Bakery are there selling too and even it being the lull down week we’re doing good and we’re out of Sawyer’s Funrides shirts and that’s a good thing since it helps support them.

I honestly aren’t that concerned with SE&M making a profit off this stuff and the older crowd is very big on supporting them and keeping this alive.

I’m happy as heck that we’re sold out of our Pointer’s Rock T-shirts too and we have a big listing too of deliveries that are going out directly by shipping.

Canada Post always since we actually get a discount through being Chamber members. And I’d go that way anyway because business with them should be supported as they make good paying jobs.

We grab the lunch coolers and we eat with Dad and Max and Mitch plus Darlene’s there with Janey who squeals with joy seeing Kimmie and runs to her. “Roxy! Roxy! Roxy!”

The look on Kimmie’s face is priceless too as she kneels to pick her up and Molly snaps a few phone pictures and we settle in and it’s a little satisfying that we packed a lunch and Darlene looks surprised that we’re not all fast food people.

We all sit as a group and Kate and Danny join us and a few of their friends too and there’s a plate of fried lake perch going around and someone made this really great potato salad with mayo and dill but also celery and capers in it that has a great pop to it that goes with the fish in this tatar sauce but better sort of way.

And it’s talking about work things too with Dad and Max and Danny talking about things that have gotten fixed last night with the rides and how they’ve hauled a few older decommissioned rides that have been too long sitting because of cost and parts and that Dad’s getting a machinist that he knows to make the parts.

I look at him. “You need to do that through Power House or do you need us to sign off on it?”

“No it’s through us but we’re going to need a lot of parts too.”

Rayne asks. “Will that be a problem?”

Dad shakes his head. “No but we might see Tom Wilford needing to get busy again.”

Lorna arrives with boxes from Gogo’s handing a few off to people there and she has a take out bag from Crystal’s place which is really awesome since it’s all more local stuff getting bought and sold.

She looks at me and she smiles and i smile back and she blushes and I blush back.

Was that?

Rayne slips closer and we kiss some and is she?

Oh I think Lorna needs to meet a nice girl.

“We should talk to him about going through the community college program and getting maybe teaching shop grants and student working programs going Mr. Powers.”

“We? And it’s just Remy.”

She sits and nods. “We, I’m more than willing to bring everything that I know to the table with any local business in getting whatever programs that we can use that are out there. I’m sort of seeing that as a big part of my job here now instead of just the paper and office stuff.”

Brooklyn says. “Plus you have a voice with town council and others so there’s that.”

They actually share a grin and Lorna looks surprised as Brooklyn offers a fist bump to her over the table.

Dad grins at all of it. “We need to get that set up not just for Max here but with our auto body shop too. Bill and Davey aren’t going to be here forever and Bill is fully licensed so we can take in students and we’re going to need paint staff for the rides and all the other jobs we have coming in.”

I look at him. “We’re that busy?”

Dad grins. “We’re getting there. There’s a list for things and more with the new shop and we got four jobs just today.”

Lorna nods. “I’ll help get things going it’s the start of the year still and if we can get recent trade school grads in and have the promise of more grads getting their tickets there then I’m sure we can work out deals with the province.”

It goes like that with things like that and our ideas not just for the site and the talks but for the town to support things with the shelters and the hostel and the boys and girls club and that gets into the self defense idea too and just all of us Snowballing.

Jan and Kim Brewer show up in some Pointer’s Rock tee’s and hot looking jeans and they’re really openly together which has Lorna watching them and they brought a briefcase so them showing up becomes even more business as we finalize the contracts between SE&M and Sawyer’s Funrides to do a set out outside of The Cat and we get the fees transferred over as the deposit and Lorna goes over the permits just to be sure all of us are squared away.

It’s official we just signed Sawyer’s to a new job and piece of work.

And the looks on everyone’s faces is amazing as so many people are so happy with this. It’s a big boost for Danny and Kate as it’s work for them and their folks that work for them and The Cat gets rep in the LGBT+ community and Molly says the buzz in her corner of the net is good about the Halloween night event that’s really, really rare for around these parts.

We spin off a few other details like offering up day labor jobs to kids at the hostel and that leads to the Brewer’s donating to them and we do too and Dad puts out the offers for free work on their hostel vehicle as he cuts a check from Powerhouse garage to them as well.

We break things up to get back to work and we get asked to come and judge and maybe play a little at the community event tent which has the kids baking contests and after that a pie eating contest.

We bring shirts and other things as prizes and Rayne scores a few gift cards from her manager for extra prizes too as long as she wears her Wal-Mart shirt and we’re good with that.

We’re not the only judges there that brought things too and I see Mr. Walker there and we share hugs with all of us hugging him and he’s blushing after all of that and after we set things up to play which is cheered because it’s really popular that we’re here we settle in and start going and trying things.

It’s a good afternoon doing that, talking to the kids and giving out prizes and our prizes for some of the really good tries, the best supportive kids get shirts for being cool to others and I even admit to having bread home right now going through a long raising and proofing.

Which leads to talking about baking and bread and me telling there’s an old band called Bread from way back that was actually really good.

They we end up playing our little set that has us doing. *I want candy* By Little Bow Wow and we do *Magical power panties* By Starlight Butterfly which has the kids who are mostly girls cheering and we follow that us with *If I was a sailor scout* By Starlight Butterfly. Which the love too and we with *Fortune favors the bold.* By Starlight Butterfly which they like too and we get cheers and thanked before heading out and packing things up to get back to work for the afternoon and the evening show to come.

It slows down after that with kids being tired and we get time to work at editing and putting together the videos for everything and We have a short video part that we have for Sawyer’s Funrides with talking a little of this being nearly the last, a few fast clips of people talking about it being awesome and great and some about wanting it to stay around and we have clips of people having fun and our shooting videos with them, the staff eating together and all with music like with *Heart of Gold* By Neil Young that we did pay for.

We put that up once it’s done linked to our You Tube and as it’s own commercials that we do for Lucky’s and The Amsterdam and that’s another thing done.

We’re just thinking of supper when one of the older players comes over with a smile and he passes us a tray of coffees and offers us a note.

“We’d appreciate it if you girls would come.”

He gives us the old school country hat dip and walks off meeting an older woman in a nice sundress and hat.

I look at the note. “The Starlight Butterflies are invited to a barbeque and fish fry and kitchen party jam at 9:30 PM after the shut down with the Algoma County Players.”

Oh...Oh this, this is really, really cool these are all those old guys that play everywhere and all the little halls and weddings small little festivals and just even for churches or for fun.

My hand’s shaking with the note as I’m talking to the girls literally geeking out at how big a thing this sort of invite is within the musical community even if it’s locals.

Darlene’s close enough to hear and she, Janey and I take Max’s truck home so I can cook to bring something and get my bread done for tonight too.

I wasn’t expecting this!

This is so cool!