Chapter 2

Things in the Phillips household were a little sedate for the next couple of days. Heather kept to herself, staying mostly in her room or downstairs in the family room when Alan was home. She was embarrassed and a little afraid to face him. He had told her not to say anything to her Mom about their sexual encounter and yet she had.

So she was leery of being caught with him unless Mom was present. Not that he would have done anything, she knew that. It was just facing him and knowing that she had let him down.

But that Friday, things would change. Alan went off to work as usual and after he had safely gone, Heather came out of her room timidly, making sure “the coast was clear”. Martha was in the kitchen getting the breakfast dishes ready for the dishwasher when she saw her little mouse come around the corner.

“Oh, there you are. Good, because I want to talk to you. Sit down honey,” Martha said.

“Am I in trouble for something?” Heather asked, as she warily sat down.

“No honey, you aren’t in trouble. But I do want to talk about what has happened to this family,” Martha said. “You have been avoiding your Dad for the last two or three days ever since we had our talk and you told me about what happened while I was gone. I understand why you have been so reclusive, but it’s time for it to stop. You are hurting Alan, your Dad, by not talking to him. He thinks you are mad at him and he doesn’t know why.”

“But I’m not mad at him! I just ... I am ashamed. I promised Dad I wouldn’t tell you about what we did. Actually, if you want to know the truth, I was hoping we could continue playing. But I knew the moment you got home, I couldn’t do that to you. I was just wishing I had someone. I still do. Mom, I don’t know what to do. I want us to be a family but how can I face Dad? How can either of you love me after what I have done! Oh, I’ve messed everything up so bad!” Heather said breaking down crying again.

“Listen, sweetheart, I think I know a way that everyone can come out of this a winner,” Martha said. “Now I know you feel like you have torn the very fabric of our family in two, but you haven’t. Your Dad would love nothing more than to have BOTH of his girls back again. And he does consider us both his girls.

“Alan loves you, honey, he really does. He has told me that you are more than he could ever hope for in a daughter and I have seen the way he cherishes you. And I also know that you love him. Hell, you are calling him Dad now and he loves that. He says he feels like this is his family, or at least he did. And he wants that back.”

“So do I, Mom. I would do anything to turn back the clock to before this all happened. I want Alan to feel like he is part of the family – I want him to BE part of the family. I want him to be Dad. I do love him and I don’t mean to hurt him or anyone,” Heather said.

“I know and so I have been thinking and trying to figure out how to make everyone here feel like they won and not at someone else’s expense. And I have come up with what I think is a workable, albeit unusual, solution,” Martha said.

“What is it? I will do anything to make this all better!” Heather said.

“Well, let me explain ... Heather, you are feeling abandoned and like no one could love you. You have had your heart broken and think you aren’t worthy of a man’s attention. Alan wants only to have both of his girls and make us all close like we used to be. And I don’t want us all living lives afraid of bumping into each other. I want us to sit down for a nice meal at the end of the day and feel like we all belong there.

“So this is what I am proposing. How would you feel about sharing Alan with me? I mean sharing him in sexual ways as well as in father and husband ways. Of course, this would all have to be kept strictly within the three of us – no one outside this family could ever know we are doing this. But I think if we all felt like we could ‘bring this to the next level’ as they are so fond of saying these days, it might be just what this family needs to reunite,” Martha said.

“You mean you’d be okay with Dad and me...?” Heather said.

“Not just you and your Dad ... all three of us at times too. Honey, your Mom and Alan grew up in the hippie days of the ‘60s and we were both a part of the ‘free love’ flower children commune generation. Your Mom has slept with and loved both women and men and, at times, both at the same time.

“And I know Alan would love to have two hot women in his bed! So if you are game, we could just call it OUR bed. We would need to set down, all three of us, and work out some of the details, but just sitting down to talk is a step forward from where we are now.

“You proved the other day that you and I can enjoy each other and you have already enjoyed Alan. So it’s not like we would be doing anything new really, we’d just be doing it all together. And personally, I think it would be fun to try at least once.

“I’m sure once we discuss the logistics, that we can all agree on how to go about this. We all want it to work, it’s just making it so we all feel good about it. What do you say, Heather?” Martha said.

Heather sat there dumbstruck for a couple of moments. She could not believe what her mother was proposing. Finally, she found her words.

“Mom, I think that is a WONDERFUL idea! Oh Mom, yes, yes, yes! Oh, I can’t wait to tell Alan – I mean Dad – about this! This is so amazing of you! Thank you, Mommy! Thank you for being such a wonderful, amazing, loving person! Oh, I’m gonna cry! I’m so happy!” Heather said, fanning herself to keep from bawling.

With things headed back to normal again, at least for the time being, the girls got down to the housework that needed to be done that day. Heather was back to her regular form again although it seemed like she was turbocharged – she sped through her chores like she was hopped up on Red Bull! Before Martha was halfway done with her part of the chores, Heather was finished and looking for something more to do!

With all of their housework done early, the two girls could sit and talk about this new relationship idea further. Between them, they hatched a plan to surprise their man when he got home that night.

Later that afternoon, a completely unsuspecting Alan Phillips arrived home from work. He parked the car in the garage and came in through the kitchen which connects via a mudroom to the garage. He always liked that arrangement because it made grocery shopping (a task he was none too keen on) easier. Coming inside, he called out for his wife.

“Martha! Honey I’m home!” he called out. No answer at first. He hung up his coat and hat and then started into the house further still calling her name. “Martha! Are you home?” he called out again.

This time he heard her calling him from the bedroom! He figured maybe she had been resting or maybe she was cleaning the connected bathroom or making the bed. He walked in and that’s when he got the surprise of his life. There kneeling on the bed was Martha and Heather ... and both were completely naked!

“What the ... what’s going on here?” Alan said, his jaw hitting the floor in surprise.

“Hi, Daddy! It was Mom’s idea. She wants us all to play together!” Heather said, almost bursting with happiness.

“Honey?” he asked, not quite sure what to make if this scene before him.

“It’s true, sweetheart. I hate the way we have been since all this went down the other day. I liked it when I first came back home ... how we were all happy and hung out together and we were a family. Then Heather here told me what happened while I was gone, and even though I said I am okay with it, that I accept what happened and the reasons for it, everyone has been acting like everyone else has the plague or something! Heather here practically lives downstairs and you can’t wait to get out of here in the mornings so you don’t have to face her! What kind of family avoids each other like that?