Prick Van Winkle

by Lubrican

Chapters : 1-2 | 3-4 | 5-6 | 7-8 | 9-10 | 11-12 | 13-14 | 15-16 | 17-18
19-20 | 21-22 | 23-24 | 25-26 | 27-28 | 29-30 | 31-32 | 33-Epilogue

Chapter 33

Bob left Martha's bed, trying not to wake her up. For whatever reason he had been able to go for a long time with her the night before, and their lovemaking had lasted long past her normal bedtime. He loved looking at all his daughters as they lay naked in bed. He wondered if that was how they had felt as they watched him lying naked in bed all those years. He hoped so. It was a good feeling, and the trouble they'd gone to, to care for him all those years needed to be repaid somehow.

He drove to the architect's office and told him about the winery. He watched in silent amazement as the man manipulated the computer to produce satellite images of the property. There was a large printer in the office and, when the man was done, they had a bird's eye view of the whole operation. It looked huge on the three foot by five foot print.

"This image is three years old," said the Architect. "When you were there did you see any major additions or changes to what's on this print?"

They went over each building and Bob was able to state with relative certainty that nothing major had been changed. Then they discussed where to locate a new structure so that it would fit in with the existing buildings and be separate from the primary traffic areas of the winery.

"What's this here?" asked the man, pointing.

"That's a stage. I guess they have live music once in a while or something ... parties for wine tasting ... that kind of thing," said Bob.

"Look at the sweep of the land right there." the man pointed. "It's a natural amphitheater. You have the makings for a bigger concert venue here, possibly even a resort." The man made a copy of the print and started marking squares and lines, creating a complex of buildings that would house paying guests. He mapped trails through the hills for hiking and trail rides. By the time he was done he had created a resort where people could come to listen to music, or submerse themselves in the wine making process, or have a family reunion or even host a small convention. He suggested that it could produce as much or more income than the wine itself would provide.

"You're talking a lot of money for a setup like that," said Bob.

"You could do it in phases," said the man. "You've already got the pool and the small stage. The complete infrastructure exists for horses and trail rides, except for the trails themselves, and that will take minimal cash outlay. Once a trail is broken, the horses will pack it down. All you'd need initially is some kind of housing for guests. I'd suggest a lodge by the pool, something large enough to take forty or fifty people in semi-private rooms, or maybe private rooms with shared sanitary facilities, and with a central meeting room with food production capability. Or you could just have a catering station, where food is brought in and served. That gives you a venue for family reunions and conferences, church retreats, summer camps, workshops in the arts and things like that. You could put that in for less than a couple of million with competitive bidding. Then, later, you expand the amphitheater and start booking major acts. There aren't that many outdoor venues for concerts, and the ones that exist are constantly booked solid."

The man stood back. "Of course it's up to you. I know that there are organizations out there who have a hard time finding venues for their events because of the cost. You'd be providing something more rustic than the glitz and glamour of the Hilton meeting rooms. Make it wheel chair friendly and you're a shoo-in for summer camping experiences for the disabled and things like that. For that matter, you'd probably be booked through the winter too."

"I'll talk it over with the girls," said Bob. "For now, we just need a place to live. That's the highest priority."

That took another two hours, but by the time they were finished the architect said he could have preliminary drawings ready in two weeks. If those were approved the dirt work could start immediately, with construction to begin in less than a month, assuming final blueprints were in hand. Bob left there with a copy of the satellite picture of the property and drove to the winery. He met with Annie and showed her the photograph. He shared the architect's vision with her. Her initial reaction was not positive. She was a winemaker, and that's where she wanted to center her attention. It was when Bob mentioned camps for the handicapped that she perked up.

"I have a nephew with Cerebral Palsy" she said. "He's in a wheel chair. His brother and sister get to go to camp every year, but he's never been able to go because the place they go can't handle wheel chairs." Her eyes went unfocused for a few seconds. "I couldn't take care of that though. I have my hands full with the winery."

"I wouldn't ask you to do anything other than make wine," said Bob. "But if we're going to develop this place into something more than just a world class winery, I don't want it to interfere with the winery. Your input will be critical to make sure that things get put where they belong, and where they won't affect your operation. We'd have to hire a manager for the other operations."

Annie was a lot more positive about the idea then, her imagination catching fire as she thought of hosting wine tasting competitions and things like that. He showed her the site for the Winkle housing compound, which was going to be made up of Spanish style stucco family units connected to a common living room and dining area by a grid of covered walkways with arbors and gardens. It looked a little like a fan, with the wide curving area behind the living quarters composed of garages. It would be mostly hidden from the big stone house and the amphitheater by a low curving ridge and plantings of trees and shrubs. A separate gated family entrance was sketched into the plan as well. You had to drive past the entrance to the winery to get to that gate.

Then they sat and made up a two year budget for operation of the winery. Bob said that as soon as the closing took place, she would have access to funds to execute that budget, and should make plans accordingly. He wanted the winery to be in full forward motion as soon as possible.

When he finally drove away, Annie was so euphoric about the future that she realized she was actually sexually excited. She had to retreat to her bedroom and masturbate just to take the edge off enough that she could return to her work.

Polly approached the den with no little trepidation. It was more or less Roger's studio, where he created his art works. He made a good living selling paintings and pottery.

When she went in he looked up and smiled.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you," said Polly. "It's important."

"Well, if it's important to you, it's important to me." he said smiling.

"You know I've been dating a man." she said.

"Yes," said Roger. "You seem a lot happier lately. He's pretty cute, by the way. You have good taste in men."

Polly wasn't sure how to take that. They had never discussed men before.

"I like this man a lot," said Polly. "Enough that I'd like to make the relationship a lot closer."

"Well, since you've stayed out several nights already," said Roger, "that would be pretty hard to do." He smiled.

"It hasn't been easy for you has it?" asked Polly.

"Oh, I don't know. You've been very good about our situation. I'm really glad you have someone to take the place of what I couldn't give you."

"What about you?" asked Polly. "Are your needs being filled?"

"There's a man I like a lot," said Roger. "It's awkward sometimes. I don't mind the situation here, but some of them are a little nervous about it." He wasn't a stupid man. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant," said Polly. This was what she was here to tell him, but she wasn't at all sure about how he would react. Admitting that she was pregnant might blow up in her face.

"Wow!" said Roger. "You did this on purpose?" he asked.

"No. I think I'd forgotten how dating can lead to things." she said.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

"He's asked me to marry him." she said, her heart in her throat.

"I see." he said.

"I thought that you could stay here, if you like, or we could sell the house and you could go wherever you want to. Fran will want to stay here, to finish school."

"You really think so?" he asked. He wasn't giving his emotions away.

"I know so," said Polly. "You're her father. She loves you."

"But you don't love me any more." he said.

"I'll always love you." she said. "You know that. But it's a different kind of love now."

"I know." he sighed. "I'm amazed you didn't do this years ago. You gave me the best years of your life, Polly."

"It could make your situation better too," said Polly.

"You're right about that." he said. He wiped his hands on a rag. "So what do we do now?"

"I don't know ... talk to a lawyer?"

"I don't want to make this difficult for either of us, and especially not Fran," said Roger.

"My grandfather has a lawyer. Maybe he could give us advice on how to do this in the least painful way."

"That's a good idea," said Roger. We already have separate checking accounts, and dividing the property shouldn't be that hard." His face was calm. "We've lived separate lives, for the most part, for years now."

"You know I'll always be grateful to you for Fran," said Polly.

"I know. I love her too, and I'm glad I was able to do that for us. She has made both our worlds a better place."

"Thank you Roger." she said. "This means a lot to me."

"Hey, it's the least I can do," said her husband.

"Gunderson Attorneys at Law, how may I direct your call?" came the bright voice on the phone.

"Hi, it's Bob Winkle again."

"Good morning Mr. Winkle, it's always a pleasure to talk with you."

"Thanks. Who would I talk to about divorce proceedings?"

"That would be Gus. Hold please."

"Bob! Great to hear from you again. Tammy tells me the closing on the winery is set up for next week."

"Yes, she called me. That's not what I need now. I need to know about the most painless way to get a divorce in California."

There was a moment of silence.

"But you're not married Bob ... are you?" Gus was taken aback. "You didn't run off to Reno or someplace and get hitched while you were drunk did you?"

Bob laughed. Then he described Polly's situation.

"No problem," said Gus. "Irreconcilable differences. If neither one of them contests it and an equitable property settlement is made, it will slide through with ease."

"What will you need to take care of it?" asked Bob.

"I can send my paralegal out to interview them and do up the property agreement. Once we get all the information the court will need then I'll file. There will be a hearing, but neither of them needs to be there if it's uncontested."

"Do that for me," said Bob. He gave Gus the address and phone numbers of the people involved.

Val was in a funk. She had had her ring for almost a week, but hadn't had the opportunity to expose it in just the right situation. Part of that was because she spent almost every evening and some nights with Zack. During the day people were at work, and she wanted to display the ring to everyone at the same time. She heard a noise in the kitchen and got out of bed. She looked at her watch. Her mother should have been gone to work long ago. It must be Bob. He was staying with them again.

Dressed in a night shirt and panties she went toward the kitchen, where she heard voices. That was odd. Who could Bob be talking to?

Something made her want to be quiet and she tiptoed toward the kitchen. It was Bob's voice ... and Zack's! He hadn't said anything about coming over, especially this early in the morning. She crept closer.

"I wanted to talk to you about something important," said Zack.

"I thought my case was dropped," said Bob.

"It was. This is something different."

"Okay," said Bob.

"You're kind of the head of the family ... sort of ... right?" asked Zack.

"I guess so. It's all pretty equal though."

"But you're the closest thing Val has to a father, right?"

"Yes, you could argue that."

"I'd like to ask for her hand in marriage," said Zack.

Val felt tears in her eyes and her chest hurt.

"Wow," said Bob. "I didn't think that was still the style these days."

"It's not, but I'm an old fashioned guy," said Zack.

Val backtracked to her room and got her ring out of her jewelry box. She put it on. She would just let someone notice it. Then, changing her mind, she padded back down the hall and went into the kitchen, ignoring both men, who fell silent as she entered. She got a glass of orange juice and went and plopped herself down on Zack's lap. She held out her left hand to Bob.

"See what Zack got me?"

She kissed Zack.

"I have to get dressed, and then we have to go find my mother."

"Yes dear." sighed Zack.

Bob called another family meeting that night. It was time to clear the air and move forward with whatever plans the family might make. Val wanted to bring Zack, but Bob asked her not to. He knew of a couple of things that were going to be discussed that Zack didn't need to be there for.

When everyone was present he let Val go first. Her ring caused the expected sensation and her mother crowed that she "already knew" but kept it a secret.

Bob had talked to Polly, who had decided to give her news. She had talked to Fran about the divorce already, before it was filed, and Fran was part of the interview with the paralegal. She had made a few stipulations, all of which had been agreed to readily. She would live with each of her parents in much the same way Bob was living with his female relatives. She'd maintain a room in both residences, wherever they were. Polly had also talked to Becca, who had talked to Gidget. They wanted to get it over with too.

Polly stood up. "Since we're talking about marriage, I'd like to announce that Roger and I have filed for divorce. As soon as it's final, I play to remarry. I don't have a ring like that yet, but I'm working on it." She sat down.

That caused a sensation as people asked for more information and she gave it. When it died down, she said "Oh yes, I almost forgot. I'm pregnant."

If her previous announcement had caused a sensation, this one raised the roof.

Becca stood up and held up her hands for silence. When she got it she just blurted it out. "Denny has asked me to marry him and I said yes and I'm pregnant too." She sat back down.

This time people were so shocked that no one said anything, except for Fran who yelled "Yayyyyyy!"

Gidget stood up.

"To round out the evening, I am last, but not least. I too, am pregnant. The only difference is that I'm not getting married."

There was a moment of stunned silence. Then, one by one, nine sets of eyes drifted and fixed on Bob. He smiled weakly.

After the meeting Sunny came up to Bob.

"You haven't stayed at my house yet." she said. "With Val gone all the time seeing her new beau, it's kind of lonely there in the evenings."

Bob stared at her. "After tonight ... you still want me to come stay with you?"

Sunny's gaze didn't waver. "Yes."

When they actually got to Sunny's house it was fairly late. She picked up the phone and made a call, speaking into the phone as if she were talking to a recording.

"I won't be in today. I have a family emergency. It should only take one day to resolve the situation."

She hung up and turned to face Bob. She took a step toward him.

"For thirty years you lay in that bed over at my mother's house. I grew up in the house with you there. You never moved ... never made a sound. It was like you were a piece of furniture. I knew my mother took care of you and loved you, and that my aunts felt the same way. I never understood that back then. I thought they were crazy for not just putting you in a home someplace. I thought you had nothing to do with our family ... didn't affect us in any real way."

She took another step closer.

"Then you woke up."

She took another step.

"Since you woke up, our family has been in complete and utter turmoil. All our lives have changed in ways that are amazing and astounding and ... and ... I can't even think of a word to describe how much things have changed. Val is getting married because you woke up. Becca and Polly are going to have babies because you woke up. Gidget is pregnant ... because you woke up. We have money. We have a future running a winery. Everything has changed. I can only think of one other way you could be more of an impact on our family than you already are."

She took the final step and pressed her body against Bob. He waited. She was on a roll.

She kissed him, and then leaned back, saying nothing.

"Do I need to have a bigger impact on our family?" he asked.

"As far as I'm concerned you do." she said.

"And you have an idea about what I should do?" asked Bob.

She nodded.

"Do I have to guess?" he smiled.

"You made my mother pregnant," said Sunny. "You made Aunt June and Aunt Betty pregnant. You've made Gidget pregnant now. Becca and Polly are pregnant because of you. Val hasn't said anything, but I've noticed she hasn't used any ... supplies in over a month. I don't know if she's thought of that or not, but in any case, Zack won't let any grass grow under his feet. If she's not pregnant now, she soon will be and I lay that at your feet too. Only Fran is left, and she's too young."

"What about you?" asked Bob.

Her smile was a feral one. "Oh yes ... me. I had a period two weeks ago. I'm ovulating right now, but I'm not pregnant. Not yet."

She kissed him again, this time molding her body to his and wiggling her pussy against his groin. She leaned back.

"We have all night tonight and all day tomorrow to rectify that."

Epilogue

Denny married Becca before the house was finished, but they brought the baby home to the new family compound. There was still interior work being finished up, but that wasn't much to cope with. Denny elected to cut short his police career in favor of joining the family business.

Brian and Polly Spruell also moved into the family compound with their new daughter. Brian also elected to quit police work, with the exception that he was an auxiliary deputy in El Dorado County. He was called on rarely, usually for search and rescue duty.

Val married Zack Simpson in a ceremony that was half pomp and grandeur and half fraternity party. Among the wedding gifts were over two hundred towels, packaged one per package. The label on each package said "For use after hot and sweaty sex." Sergeant Rollins, the Booking Sergeant at the North Substation, either found or invented (he wouldn't say which) the gift he gave. It was a small jar, about the size of a baby food jar, with a black metal lid on it and a thick waxy substance inside of it. The label said "GOAT HORN POLISH".

The couple stayed in Sacramento, where Val continued college while Zack worked on finishing up the last seven years of his career so he could retire. They were in close contact with the rest of the family though. It was anticipated that the concert venue at the estate would be finished, if all went well, about the time Zack retired. The opening of that venue would cause a serious explosion in the number of people who came to the property and a chief of security for the whole enterprise would then be needed. Zack had already put in his bid for that job. Val's first son was born ten months and two days from the date that he took her into "protective custody" at her mother's house.

Gidget had her second daughter on her fortieth birthday. Bob was her birth coach and stayed with her throughout her labor and delivery. She named the little girl Destiny.

Sunny delivered her second daughter three months later. The nurses gave Bob a cake in the labor room. It said "Welcome back Bob" and "For a Sunny Delivery". The cake was only half right. It was a long labor and the baby seemed to want to stay right where it was, even though Sunny was dilated eight centimeters. Fourteen hours later, when she gave her last convulsive push and the baby lay squalling in the doctor's hands, she lay back sweating as Bob wiped her brow. She smiled tiredly as the baby was laid gently on her chest, still crying and she caressed it, trying unsuccessfully to sooth her. She looked at Bob. "What do you think about naming her Stormy?"

Sally finished "The Longest Nap", her memoir of Bob Winkle, AKA Bob Van Winkle in a year. Since Bob's family had been so closed to the press, there was a lot of interest in it to begin with. The marketing campaign was brilliant. It played on the supposition that alcohol put Rip and Bob to sleep, and the irony of the fact that Bob was going to make wine for a living. She had chapters in which Dr. Adams gave his hypothesis about what had happened to Bob, but left out the potential value of Bob's gene structure. That would have caused a riot. She compared Rip's story, as told in his own hand, using excerpts of the journal, to Bob's experience. It was a smash hit, catching the imagination of everyone who read it.

The Rip Van Winkle Winery produced its first crop of award winning wines almost three years to the day from the date Bob Winkle closed on the property and gave Annie Montgomery a free hand to operate as she wished.

The wine was marketed with the slogan "Wine worth the time". Annie shared a special bottle with her employer after the awards ceremony in which Rip Van Winkle Winery was awarded best in two wines in the American Wine Awards, one in the under $20 field and one in the over $20 field. When the first bottle was gone, another was opened. Annie drank a lot more than Bob did, which is probably why she took off her signature faded checkered shirt to expose perky upturned breasts with nipples that turned out to be a mouthful. The rest of her clothes seemed to fall off of her by magic.

The wine is probably also why, as her hymen was pushed aside by Bob's steel hard penis, Annie felt very little discomfort. As she lay spread under the now legendary man in her bed on the upper story of the stone house, she thanked him repeatedly for letting her live her dream. Then she thanked him for giving her what she had missed in her quest for fame in the world of wine as his prick dug deep and she shuddered through an orgasm that laid to waste those she occasionally felt as she diddled herself. Then she thanked him for giving her a second orgasm. He said she was most welcome, stopped her babbling by kissing her soundly, and deposited as much of his potent semen in her womb as he could force out of his body.

Getting the winery to that point took a lot of work, and the women of the Winkle clan learned that it was the kind of work they not only enjoyed, but relished. Martha, June and Betty were trained by Annie to participate in and supervise the once a year pruning of the vines, which kept them busy during that time. Then there was pest control to deal with and the harvest after that. They chose to hand harvest the grapes both because they had the casual labor available, and because Annie preferred it that way. It took longer, but only the most perfectly ripe grapes were picked, and at precisely the right time.

Gidget had a flair for the distribution portion of the business, both to distributors and direct sales to customers on site or through the mail. That let her stay close to home, where she took care of her daughter and Sunny's daughter during the days.

Sunny, Becca and Denny developed and operated the animal portion of the enterprise, spending long hours with trail breaking crews on the mountain sides, establishing camping locations for overnight trail rides and getting stock and handlers in place. The riding operation began shortly after Sunny delivered. Becca preferred to keep her son with her during the day, carrying him papoose style in a rig that could be worn on either her back or front. Denny spent as much time with the carrier strapped to his body as she did. One of the signature programs of the Rip Van Winkle Riding Stables was the twice a year benefit program they had for disabled children and child cancer patients. Denny developed a travois with bicycle wheels that could be hauled by a horse and that would comfortably hold a person who could not mount or sit in a saddle. In this manner, the level of disability was no longer a factor in making the trail ride experience available, primarily to children.

Polly and Brian were well suited, due to their difference in ages, to dealing with the public. They did this in the tasting room, and in their role as event coordinators. Initially only a small conference center was built, with a meeting area and suites that housed eight people per room in bunk beds. They were intended to house kids, mostly, for youth camps, as a test to see if there was a market. The response was astonishing. Churches in particular wanted a place to go where they could have one or two day retreats in a rustic setting or a setting close to nature. Within the first three months of putting the building into operation they had four marriage seminars, six silent or meditation retreats, twelve corporate planning sessions, fifteen prayer retreats and a family reunion for a family that had meant to stay in the city, but whose rooms were overbooked. They found the Rip Van Winkle retreat center on the web and piled in their cars to drive out on the spot.

It became clear to them that the operation could be expanded, but catering was turning out to be too cumbersome and expensive. The expanded retreat center already on the drawing board would have a professional kitchen and permanent full and part time kitchen and maid staff.

Fran lived with her father, in Circleton during her Senior year of High School. She lived at the family compound when school wasn't in session. She had an apartment next door to her mother and step-father's house, but it wasn't unusual for her to end up staying with Bob. The only ones who didn't know what was actually going on there were Denny and Brian. When she graduated High School, Fran went to junior college to learn accounting, and then moved to the compound permanently, forgoing further education in favor of taking over the books for the company. Gus provided an accountant to supervise Fran, and do audits. Within six months she was wearing maternity clothing handed down from Val and Becca. Nobody asked any questions.

Five years after buying the winery and establishing Rip Van Winkle Enterprises, Bob's bank account was down to a reserve of twenty million dollars as programs were developed and put into operation.

Five years later, the company account held over forty million in fluid assets, and the property was valued at over twenty million. Val had taken over the concert venue which was booked solid for the next three years with six major concerts a year and twelve concerts that were termed "local interest". The retreat center was booked at an eighty percent level for five years out. The remaining twenty percent were reserved for special circumstances.

Annie Montgomery waited until after her first baby was born to accept Bob's proposal of marriage. She said she wanted to see "what kind of critter he was able to produce" before she tied herself to him permanently. In reality, she wanted to be sure he hadn't proposed out of a guilty conscience for knocking her up. Her relief, as her daughter was placed at her now swollen breast was palpable as Bob asked her "Now will you please marry me?"

In 2006, the human genome was finally mapped completely. Bob's wealth allowed Dr. Adams to suspend his practice of medicine and spend all his time looking for the gene that would revolutionize medicine. He has a feeling he's close. Time will tell.

Martha, June and Betty finally decided to retire. Spending time in the vineyard had been good for them, and all were in wonderful shape. The problem was that by now both Sunny and Gidget had had another baby. Both swore they were done. Polly had had another, devastating Brian by telling him she was done too. Val had had two more and, like it was a contest, Becca had matched her, almost to the month. Fran was about to deliver her second, and showed no signs of being anywhere near finished. If you threw in Annie's baby, and she was quite clear that she wanted two more, that put the number of children in the nursery anywhere from six, if school was in session, to fourteen or fifteen, depending on whether Becca's latest was on her or Denny's back, or in the nursery because they were on an overnight trail ride and didn't want to take the baby. And there was the potential for three more in the near future. Of course there was also the potential for the three ten year olds to start working around the place too, at least part time.

So it was a fluid situation. It would have been simple to hire professional child care specialists, but the three matriarchs of the family didn't think much of that idea. So they hired a few people to help them, and they quit the fields to raise children during the daytime. They called it "taking care of future Rip Van Winkle employees."

One other point, or issue, must be approached before this tale comes to an end. Bob's special relationship with the women in his family did not, interestingly enough, extend to his sons, who were thought of both by the world and themselves, as his grandsons. By the time he woke all of them had moved on and had families of their own. Perhaps they, like their sisters, had viewed Bob as "furniture" in their youth. For sure they had no real relationship with him. Even when he woke, and became famous, those grandsons felt no particular desire to reunite with him. Perhaps they were like old Rip's family, who were ashamed of him, and wanted nothing to do with his notoriety. Perhaps there was room for only one stallion in the herd. True, later on, those grandsons would eventually bring their families to the winery, to meet the mysterious man they had ignored all their lives. But visitors was all they would ever turn out to be.

These days, on a quiet summer's eve, down the mountain in El Dorado, you can sometimes hear the rolling thunder coming from up above. The townsfolk know that it's only the tympani, practicing for the symphony concert that will be taking place later up in the hills, outside of town.

But that's not what they tell the tourists.

What they tell curious outsiders is that it's Rip Van Winkle's children, playing ninepins up at the winery in the mountains.

The End

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