Mac is a born storyteller. He really can't help Himself. He is really good at it and can have a room in stitches over something a family member said or did when He was young. Like the time He and His cousin sold His grandmothers cherries. They didn't think they had done anything wrong, because she only told them not to eat the cherries, she didn't say anything about not selling them. And the time He got alcoholic poisoning on a school field trip at the ripe old age of 14.

His favourite stories to tell are the ones about His grandfather. I never met Mac's grandfather. He passed away when Mac was 16 but Mac has spoken about him with such colour and humour that I know that I would have loved him. I do love him. He provided Mac with a foundation on which to become a man.

Mac is a rugged rough rugby player with a mouth on Him that would make a dockyard whore from Hull blush. He can be loud and self-confident (arrogant) and He is very scary when He is angry. His temper is quick and fierce but thankfully short lived. He is strong and tough and rarely lets anyone get close to Him.

But one of the things that His grandfather told Him was "there is more to being a man then just being male" or, Mac's translation of it, "there is more to being a man than having a penis." He can laugh at His arrogance and He can be quiet when someone needs Him to listen. He can be gentle when someone is scared and be patient when someone is confused. He curbs His anger when dealing with people He knows cannot take the full brunt of it and often He can turn an ugly situation into a joke.

I remember a night when a guy at a bar started to make fun of Mac for some obscure reason. Mac was in a fun mood and this guy just kept making snide remarks until Mac turned to him and in a menacing voice said to this man 'Before you make any more smartass remarks about me, there is something you really should know about me pal.'

The guy looked at Mac and said rather snidely 'Yeah? What's that?'

'I cry very easily,' Mac answered rather sheepishly and hid his face against my shirt. Even the guy who had been taunting Him had to laugh.

Just when people think they know the measure of this rough tough arrogant male He will surprise a room full of people by calling His mother's cats "the grand old ladies." He will shock everyone by saying that His favourite time is the silence that comes after the snow. He will startle everyone by publicly apologising when He has made a mistake and He will accept an apology with grace and never mention the incident again. He does it all without realising the effect it has on the people around Him.

I know that Mac is blushing deeply as He reads this so I will just say one more thing before I stop. Mac is the type of man that His grandfather would be proud to call a friend. I can't give Him any higher praise than that.

W/we had a really lazy Sunday. Emma called and said she was tired of working and she just wanted to spend the day in front of the television and wondered if Mac and I wanted to watch some DVDs. Mac said W/we could so long as they were not girl movies so I whispered to Emma to get one movie with guns in it knowing that Mac was hardly likely to sit still longer than one movie anyway. He told me to tell Emma to wear her camisole and panties that match mine. She said she already had them on.

I took the spare beds mattress into the family room and rearranged the furniture so it would fit on the floor in front of the television. Mac watched me organise pillows and quilts somewhat bemused. Every time I walked past Him I would mention that Emma was coming over, just in case He had missed it the 35728 times I had told Him before. He told me I was like a little girl whose best friend was coming over to play and I would have argued with Him, only He was right.

Emma arrived and we snuggled under the quilts and ten minutes into the first girlie movie Mac decided He needed to go to the gym. By the time He got home Emma and I had watched the first movie and eaten some popcorn and spent some time gently making each other come. We were snuggled up together naked and content and somewhat sleepy so Mac showered and joined us in the makeshift bed and W/we put the boy movie on. Emma was lying tucked up against Mac's left side and I was tucked up against His right and I was holding Emma's hand across Mac's chest. As I drifted off to sleep I thought how wonderful it is to be loved and I hoped that Emma and Mac felt it too.

Emma spent the night again. Mac watched the Super bowl, which didn't finish over here until something like 3am so Emma and I kept each other entertained in the bed on the floor. Mac frowned at us giggling and mewling and purring but we both knew He didn't mean it and He enjoyed our half-time show so much that I am still not sure how He managed to stay awake during the rest of the game.

They are both still fast asleep in O/our bed. Emma woke long enough to call in sick and Mac told me last night not to bother, He would deal with whatever came up when He woke.

Now it is time for me to go back to bed too.

I think it is going to be a good day.