Checking the front door camera, we saw that all of them had arrived; apparently all dropped of by someone's parents. Kelly, doing her 'hostess' bit, went to let them in; once they'd shed their coats and scarves, they all trooped into the den. I stood up to welcome them, and was surprised when Susan moved right into my arms to give me a hug, and brief kiss full on the lips. Not far behind her was Robyn, also giving me a hug, though her kiss was to my cheek, along with a whispered'thanks!'. I was surprised to see that Candice had opted for a different haircut – from her mid-back tresses of the last party, to something that stopped short of her shoulders and curled in and under, framing her face – and those eyes! – very nicely.
Since Candice, Sandra, and Susan had never been there before, and Robyn only briefly, Kelly and Jan took delight in showing them around the house – and particularly Mabel, and all the convenience features I'd built in. Every time they saw a new feature, or went into a different room, I could hear a collection of oh's and ah's. When they got back to the den, all the newcomers had a vaguely overwhelmed look in their eyes – and, in turn, looked at me as though I were some kind of benign Dr.
Frankenstein. Of course, Kelly and Jan had to show off the voice command system, and the security system – at one point, I was obliged to go outside in just my shirt and pants, so they could see the video monitor in action, and hear as Mabel announced a visitor. Then Jan joined me, and they discovered that Mabel could make educated guesses about the number of people at the door, as well.
Once I was let back in – chilled, but okay – I had to explain to them that Mabel only answered to me, Jan, and Kelly, but that Mabel would learn to follow basic commands from all of them – lights, temperature, yes/no, the intercom and phone, and so on. Following that, there was a not-too-lengthy class, and we (Jan, Kelly, and I) managed to get them all trained on using Mabel. Following that, each of them got to phone home – using voice command, of course – and let their parents know that they'd arrived okay. Jan showed off by dictating an email to Paul; a while later, they were awed when Mabel not only announced she'd received a reply, but read the message to her, as well. With the introduction to my house done, Jan and Kelly got them all into the den, and explained the basic rules about the sleepover – heavily emphasizing that my office was strictly off-limits, and that if I couldn't be found in one of the rooms, I was in my office, and absolutely not to be disturbed. While that was going on, I went into the kitchen, and made them all some hot chocolate; by the time it was ready, the lecture was nearly over. As I brought them their drinks, Kelly added one last bit, something that surprised the hell out of me.
'We're all here for a sleepover', she said. 'That means that at some point, we're all going to be going to bed. Just exactly WHEN we go to bed doesn't matter; what DOES matter is that we – all of us – are free to get ready for bed whenever we want. And even more, we're all free to wear whatever we want, whenever we want, just like we were going to bed at home. You all know Dan, so you know he's not going to stare, or try to grab you or anything; so don't be afraid to wear as much or as little as you want, whenever you want.'
When she finished, there was a slight pause, and Robyn spoke up, surprising both Kelly and Jan, and even more, me.
'I understand that, and I don't have any problem with it. After the way he treated us during the last party we had, I trust him completely.
But Dan is still going to be here, and some of us may be topless or even naked; and I wouldn't be surprised if accidents don't happen – like he'll turn around with one of us behind him, and come in, uh, contact with us. Or we'll bump into him, Or he'll be reaching for a drink or something, and not see us, and accidentally put his hand on us. I trust him not to do it on purpose or without permission. But I think we should all say something about it, so that there isn't any mistake about it later. In fact, if they'll give me a piece of paper and a pen, I'll be happy to write down that I'm okay with it, and don't mind the risk of an accident.'
When she was done, both Jan and Kelly looked at me, while I looked at them. Kelly gave me a small shrug of her shoulders, letting me know that she didn't know that Robyn was going to do anything like that.
Candice, Susan, and Sandra were quick to voice their agreement with what Robyn had said, and after a brief glance at me – standing there like a statue, holding a tray of hot chocolate – each asked Jan or Kelly for a piece of paper and pen. While the paper and pens were retrieved, I served the hot chocolate – and not one of them hesitated to look me in the eye.
When they'd gotten the paper and pens, there was a brief pause after Susan asked, 'Would it be better I printed it, or wrote it out?' Sandra said 'I think in our own handwriting would be better, to make it obvious that we really wrote it.' With that, all four of them began writing, with the occasional pause for a sip of chocolate. As each finished, she brought her note over to where I was sitting, and handed it to me before sitting down again.
Robyn: 'I am at a slumber party being held in the home of Dan Marshall.
My friends Jan and Kelly are holding this party, and Mr. Marshall is here to ensure our safety and security. Because this is a slumber party, I will be wearing little clothing. Any physical contact between Mr.
Marshall and me is either accidental, or with my permission. (Signed) Robyn Carson
Candice: 'I am at a slumber party being held by my friends Kelly and Jan. It is in the home of Kelly's boyfriend, Dan Marshall. Mr. Marshall is here to make sure that we don't get into any trouble. Since it is a slumber party, I will be wearing my nightclothes, and if Mr. Marshall touches me, I trust that it is accidental and do not object. (Signed) Candice Towers
Susan: 'Mr. Marshall is the boyfriend of my friend Kelly, and he is letting us use his house for a slumber party hosted by Kelly and another one of my friends, Jan. I trust Mr. Marshall, even if I am in my nightgown for the slumber party. If he touches me, it is by accident or by my request. (Signed) Susan Moore Sandra: 'Kelly and Jan are having a slumber party at Kelly's boyfriends house, Mr. Marshall. It is a slumber party, and I will be in my nightie, but I know that Mr. Marshall will not touch me except by accident, or because I asked him to. (Signed) Sandra Kindrick When they were all done, I looked at them, and nodded, saying 'Thank you. I don't think we needed these, but since you've been kind enough to write them, I'll accept them in the spirit they were intended. Robyn, I'd like to thank you in particular for your vote of confidence, and understanding.'
At being singled out that way, Robyn blushed slightly, but continued to look right into my eyes.
I told them 'I'm sure all of you have things you want to talk about, so I'll go back into my office for a little while; I'm not going to be working on anything important, so if you get to the point where you don't mind having me around, you can reach me on the intercom. Supper is whenever you get hungry, and there are plenty of snacks in the kitchen and drinks in the fridge. Help yourselves.'
With that, I got up and went back into my office, where Kelly joined me a few seconds later.
'What was that all about?' I asked her.
'What was all what about?'
'That bit about it being a slumber party, and what they did or didn't wear.'
She blushed a bit, and said 'Jan and I are so used to going nude or wearing only panties around you that we didn't want to have to stay dressed just because a bunch of our friends are around. So we decided on the wear- what-you-want idea as a way to let us stay comfortable, and let the others do what they want, too.'
'And I take it that that bit with Robyn was as much of a surprise to you as it was to me?'
'You better believe it! I wish I'd thought of it!' she answered.
'Okay. It looks like she'd trying to make good on her promise to 'do right' by us. I'll ask her what's going on later. Go on back, and have fun; give me a call when you're ready to have me around again.'
She grinned at me, and gave me a kiss before heading back toward the den. I closed the office door, and sat down to get some paperwork and other administrivia done – after I put the notes from the girls in a safe place.
It was a little after six o'clock when Jan finally called me on the intercom.
'We're hungry, and we thought you might want to have a vote on what we have for supper', she warned me.
'Whatever you want is fine with me. Or do you already have something in mind, and just need me to pay for it?' I asked, and heard a chorus of giggles in reply.
'We kinda made up our minds, but wanted to make sure you got some, too.
But now that you offered to pay, we accept!' from Kelly, again accompanied by laughter.
'Okay, I'll be there in just a minute. What are we having?'
'Pizza!' was the chorus.
'Okay, go ahead and order it while I get finished up in here.'
When I got to the den, I saw that all of them had taken off their shoes, and the couple that had worn sweaters had removed them, as well.
