The Summer of 1981, Part 36: You Make My Dreams

[Padraig]

For those of you who would like to catch up, here are links to the earlier chapters:

Part 1: The Best of Times
Part 2: Wasn't That A Party
Part 3: The Boy From New York City
Part 4: The Voice
Part 5: Feels So Right
Part 6: Sausalito Summernight
Part 7: The Waiting
Part 8: All I Have To Do Is Dream
Part 9: Urgent
Part 10: The Theme From The Greatest American Hero
Part 11: Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through
Part 12: Life of Illusion
Part 13: America
Part 14: Deep Inside My Heart
Part 15: Mister Sandman
Part 16: Hard To Say
Part 17: Bette Davis Eyes
Part 18: Limelight
Part 19: Cool Love
Part 20: Don't Let Him Go
Part 21: Physical
Part 22: Hold On Tight
Part 23: Medley
Part 24: I Love You
Part 25: The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)
Part 26: Everlasting Love
Part 27: It's My Turn
Part 28: I Love A Rainy Night
Part 29: Promises In The Dark (Beginning)
Part 30: Promises In The Dark (Middle)
Part 31: Promises In The Dark (Almost To The End)
Part 32: Promises In The Dark (The End)
Part 33: I Made It Through The Rain
Part 34: For Your Eyes Only
Part 35: What Are We Doin' In Love


Any feedback is very much appreciated ? I would love to hear from those of you who have been reading. Or if you just want to reminisce about some of your favorite music or memories from 1981, please feel free to share. Thanks!!


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What I want, you've got
And it might be hard to handle
Like the flame that burns the candle
The candle feeds the flame
Yeah, yeah

What I got, a full stock
Of thoughts and dreams that scatter
And you pull them all together
And how I can't explain

Oh yeah
Well, well, you
You make my dreams come true

Well, well, well, you
Oh yeah
You make my dreams come true

Tug opened the door of his fully-loaded, luxury pickup truck and stepped out onto his driveway. He was glad to be home from his trip, especially after the long plane ride was followed by the long drive back from the Seattle airport.

Man, that drive gets old sometimes?I wish i had had someone to talk to along the way...

He grabbed his bags from the back and then walked up the porch. Fishing the key out of his pocket, Tug unlocked the front door and stepped inside.

The interior looked a lot like the house he had grown up in, but just a bit different. Bigger, perhaps, as if the entire Yates family home had been stretched and enlarged to make room for some oversized resident. The foyer was sparsely decorated, with ample room to greet guests, but the nearby living room was filled with expensive-looking antique furniture.

Tug closed the door behind him, and set his bags down next to the empty coat rack. He had gotten hungry on the drive back home, so he headed straight for the kitchen where he knew his housekeeper would be waiting.

?Good afternoon, Mr. Tug,? she said with a smile and a German accent. ?How was your trip??

?Excellent, Magda! You are now looking at the winner of 20 consecutive Mr. Universe titles.?

She clasped her hand in excitement. "Oh, Mr. Tug, that is so wonderful. I?m so happy for you.?

?Thank you. It was a thrilling victory ? probably the most satisfying of all the bodybuilding competitions I have been in.?

?Well, you deserved it, sir. You worked very hard this year.?

?Yes, indeed. And now that I?m back, I?d just like to relax for a while. Do you think you could rustle me up a snack??

?Sure thing, Mr. Tug,? she replied. ?The usual??

?Yes, please. I?m going to go upstairs to change, and I will be back in a jiffy.?

?OK, Mr. Tug.? She went right to work making his favorite afternoon meal.

Tug turned and walked upstairs to his bedroom, which took up the entire second floor. The bed was enormous, but still only managed to fill a small section of the room ? the rest of the space contained a sitting area, a desk, and various pieces of art.

He was headed for the closet to get a change of clothes when the phone on the desk rang.

?Would you like me to answer that, Mr. Tug?? called Magda from the kitchen.

?No, Magda, I?ll get it,? he bellowed back.

Before it could ring a second time, Tug picked up the handset and put it to his ear. ?Hello,? he said.

The voice of his agent, Calvin King, was on the other end.

?Hey, Tug, it?s Cal. How are you doing? Everything go OK on the return trip??

?Yes, Cal, all is well. And you??

?Good, good. I just wanted to run a few things by you, if you have a minute, before you start your vacation.?

?Shoot,? said Tug.

?OK, first, the reporter doing the People Magazine story on America?s Most Eligible Bachelor wanted to see if she can reschedule the interview from 4:00pm to 2:00pm on Tuesday. Apparently her photographer wants to take advantage of the natural light before the sun goes down.?

?Not a problem.?

?Great. Next, the producers of ?That?s Incredible? wanted to know if you?d be interested in coming on the show to show off your strength. Lift a bunch of people, maybe a car. That sort of thing.?

?Definitely interested. Just let me know when.?

?I?ll get back to you on the scheduling. We might be able to combine it with your trip to Los Angeles to meet Steven Spielberg about the circus strongman movie,? added Cal.

?That would be perfect.?

?And finally, I wanted you to know your FBI clearance was completed today, so there will be no issue when you meet with the President next month to set up the Tug Yates National Physical Fitness Campaign for Kids.?

?That was fast. I thought they said it could take up to a month.?

?Well, it was shortened because there was no spouse involved. Not being married saved some time, I guess. But anyway, everything?s ready for the big announcement in September.?

Tug smiled. ?Perfect. Thanks, Cal. I don't know how you pull it all together, but you?re making all my dreams come true.?

?That?s my job, big guy. OK, now I?ll let you get back to your well-earned time off. See you next week.?

?Bye, Cal.? Tug hung up the phone and then set off to continue his previous task.

He opened the doors of the walk-in closet and stepped inside to see a long row of clothes on each side, all of which were perfectly pressed and neatly hanging. Tug turned on the light and walked past them to view himself in the mirror that covered the entire back wall of the closet.

He stood 6?8? tall ? 4 inches taller than he had been in high school ? and weighed 350 pounds, and this towering height and bulk had earned him the nickname, ?Tug Mountain.? His brown hair was shaved close to the scalp, making his overall appearance seem slightly more boyish and youthful when he smiled, but giving him a menacing appearance when he frowned. He had piercing brown eyes, a sprinkling of freckles, and deeply tanned skin from his recent bodybuilding competitions.

Tug was wearing an oversized sweat suit that had been made especially for him by Champion Sportswear ? it was dark blue, his favorite color, and had the word ?Champion? stitched across the chest in big white letters. He liked that the fit was a little loose, because it was more comfortable to wear while sleeping on his private plane.

He reached down along the bottom and pulled the sweatshirt off over his head, revealing the smooth tanned skin and gigantic muscles of his unbelievable upper body ? one that made many folks stop, do a double take, and gasp the first time they saw it.

His shoulders were wide and strong, almost daring any doorway to try to stop them, and they were capped with bowling ball sized delts. They used to be one of his weaker points, when he first started lifting many years ago, but Tug had spent countless hours in the gym making them grow, and grow, and grow to the spectacularly freaky proportions that they now were.

Tug?s pecs were mighty impressive as well, with each roughly the size of a half a watermelon. These gigantic muscles possessed enough strength to bench press over 700 pounds, a stat of which Tug was incredibly proud. He was a bodybuilder, but his muscles weren?t just for show ? they were for showing off, too. Anytime he was challenged to show off his strength, he always wanted to demonstrate the power of his mammoth chest.

Not that he didn?t love to show off his arms, too ? Tug?s upper arms measured 27 inches at their peak when fully flexed, which was a Guinness World Record, and his forearms bulged with striations and were criss-crossed with thick veins. Even at his extreme weight, his biceps were powerful enough to perform over 50 chinups, and they kept growing larger and larger every year, often splitting the seams of his custom-made shirt sleeves.

And his abdominals ? never before had a bodybuilder so large had such a well-defined mid-section. While many of the other professionals struggled to keep the weight off, especially during the off-season, Tug stayed pretty close to his competition shape year-round, gaining only about five pounds after a show. He just had naturally perfect abs that cobblestoned down under his pecs and radiated both strength and masculinity.

After taking in the sight of his glorious physique, Tug hit his favorite pose ? the most muscular ? and beamed at the results. He was the biggest and best bodybuilder that the world had ever known, and his superhuman strength and movie star looks had made him an extremely wealthy man. He had everything that he could want.

All my dreams have come true?

After the mini-worship session, Tug kicked off his sandals and then took off his sweatpants to reveal the twin towers of power that were his legs ? hard as oak trees and strong as oxen, it was obvious that Tug did not neglect his lower half in the weight room. They were just as tan as his torso, with incredible striations throughout, and bulged with muscle as he stepped forward to put his clothes in the hamper.

Tug grabbed a pair of shorts and put them on over his underwear, and then put his sandals back on his feet. He thought about grabbing a shirt, but changed his mind and decided to lay out in the sun for a while.

He left the closet, shut the door, and headed back to the kitchen. Magda had finished his snack, a tray with two sandwiches and a pile of fruit, by the time he came back.

"Thank you, Magda. It all looks delicious."

"You're welcome. Would you like me to put your luggage away, Mr. Tug?"

"Only if you have time. If not, I can get it tomorrow."

"OK, sir. Enjoy your food."

Tug walked outside toward the pool and set the tray on one of the tables near the edge. Then he brought one of the reinforced chaise lounges next to it and lay down. He ate his food while rubbing his pecs and abs, all the while enjoying the heat from the sun.

It was calm, and peaceful, and quiet.

I have the perfect life?all my dreams have come true?

The rest of the afternoon was just as serene. Magda left after her tasks were finished, and nobody else called to interrupt Tug?s relaxation time ? which was strange, as he expected to receive a few more congratulations for winning the Mr. Universe title again.

After a few hours of lying in the sun, he went back inside and grabbed a couple steaks, which he grilled for himself on the barbecue. Tug had always loved to eat red meat ? every time he took a bite, he could feel almost the protein powering up his muscles. He gobbled both steaks quickly, along with a salad that Magda had made before leaving.

Following dinner, he cleaned up his utensils and dishes, and then went outside for a solitary walk along the beach to enjoy the sunset. It was just starting to get dark when he returned home, so Tug decided to turn in early so he could get in a workout first thing in the morning. He went upstairs to his bedroom, took off his shorts, and laid them on the chair next to the closet.

He tuned off the light and climbed into large bed, alone, and as was his custom, he told himself 'goodnight' just after closing his eyes.

All my dreams have come true?or have they?


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Tug awoke with a start, and found himself still on top of the comforter on his bed. Ben?s journal was sitting next to him, right where he had put it down before his nap.

Oh, Ben...what am I going to do?

He put his hands up to his face and rubbed his eyes, and then thought about Ben some more as he listened to Kenny Rogers softly singing on the radio.

I don't need you
I don't need friendship
And I don't need flowers in the spring
I don't need you
And you surely don't need me

I don't need love and affection
I don't need peace and harmony
I don't need you
And you surely don't need me

But we both want it bad enough
Yes, we both want it, don't we?
I don't need you, baby
And I know you don't need me

I don't need your loving arms around me
Oh, all I need is to be free
That's what I keep telling myself
And I tell you, 'you don't need me'

I don't need children in my old age
No more cluttered leaves around the trees
And I don't need you, baby
And I know you don't need me

But we both want it bad enough
Yes, we both want it, don't we?
I don't need you, baby
And I know you don't need me

We don't need each other, baby
We don't need each other, baby
Or do we?

[Padraig]

First up, Mr. Hall and Mr. Oates, with one of my all-time favorite songs. I love to listen to it in my car, driving along on a sunny day.

You Make My Dreams

Next, Mr. Rogers with his wistful tune.

I Don't Need You

[Padraig]

I thought I would add this version, too, which I just found on YouTube. I am definitely going to check out the movie. Seriously, what he starts doing about the 45 second mark is how I feel most of the time. :-)

(500) Days of Summer

[Padraig]

I'm bumping up the recent chapters so that nobody misses any. Chapter 37 coming this afternoon!