.......CHAPTER 3............After thinking about this for a while, I decided to see if it still hadthe same thrill for me that it used to. I finished ...another cup of coffeeand headed for the attic. I found the trunks, opened both of them andproceeded to put items in the small bag I had brought with me.I went back downstairs and put the bag in the spare room, went to themain bathroom and found some items that I might need. On the way Igrabbed a beer. It was only 10:30 but I needed to settle my. John was relieved he had solved his part-time help issue and filed a mental reminder to send Professor Burns a “thank you” note for finding Marella for him. John was pretty sure Marella would work out really well. John was extremely busy and time flew so when the next weekend came around he had almost forgotten about Marella arriving. John was on the back deck doing emails when the white Ford sputtered up the drive with a surfboard strapped to the roof. Marella gets out wearing an old worn. She slammed into it and her fingers raced over the neck of the guitar, then finished with an abrupt chord. There was more cheering and she turned to Mitch and signaled him to count them into the next song. Nate stepped over to Ryan afterwards. "Jesus, I can't wait until this is over," he said. She grinned. "Jealous no one's hitting on you?" He scoffed. "Are you kidding? I'm out of their league and they know it." Ryan snorted and then nodded at Mitch. She was glad they'd defused the tension, but. "I did say I wanted to be in control, and you didaccept it."I took this in too. Slowly I understood the ramifications. I couldstill break up with her, and presumably reverse what had been done. Butotherwise, she effectively had full control over me. But I told myselfthat this was not very different from the relationship that we hadalready had, and I had, after all, promised to do anything for her, andanyway, I loved her, and I was secure in her love for me, which wasobvious. So I just.