Chapter 3

“Sorry honey, I’m just trying to make my point that we knew it was wrong, but as we grew up, we were doing more and more until one day, when our dad came home early and found Sarah, laying on top of me and we were kissing each other, both fully clothed,” James said making a point by emphasizing the final three words.

“He read us the riot act, and we kind of talked our way out of it, by saying we were trying out what we saw in the movies. I don’t think he ever really bought that excuse. By this time it was the early sixties, and we were upstairs a lot together listening to ‘The Animals, ‘ The Hollies’ and of course ‘The Beatles.’ We actually skipped school together and drove 200 miles to go see the Beatles. We didn’t have enough money, so we stood by the door and heard it live, just didn’t get to see it live.”

“Excuse me for interrupting Dad,” Michael said. “But, you and Mom eventually started having sex and John came around, right?”

James responded, “We knew that was inevitable, so we’d applied to the same colleges, and luckily got in. We went off to places unknown, and started having children. We ended up here in Indianapolis, while they all stayed in Oregon, sending us money for school and board, which we stretched. I cut back to part-time College and started working for the US Government. I’m sorry, but I can’t go into detail about that.”

“Didn’t grandma and grandpa ever come out to visit?” Wendy asked.

“No, dear – but they sent Phyllis and Carol to check on us. They found us living together in a one-room apartment, with one infant in a crib and another in a bassinet. I think Sarah was already pregnant with Michael, but that was a long time ago - CAROL!”

“Yes, Mr. Whittaker,” the nurse said, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just check on my breathing tube connection please?” James said.

She went around back behind him and turned some knobs. James pulled himself out of his chair, removed his air tube, and stood up straight.

The four children all stood up as this happened.

“Nurse Carol, please come over here to me?” James said.

“Show them, dear?” he said, his voice changing from weak to strong as he stepped forward a few steps.

She removed her white cap, and pulled off a silver wig to reveal their mother, Sarah Whittaker. They all went around and everyone - hugged everyone else for the longest time. The girls were crying seeing their mother for the first time in over three years.

John turned to his father and said, “So, are you dying, Dad?”

“Hell No, John – I’m as strong as an ox.” James said to his oldest son.

After finding out that their mother wasn’t dead, their father wasn’t dying and that their parents were brother and sister, the four Whittaker children had a meeting.

“Can you believe Daddy?” Wendy said.

“I’m beginning to,” Michael said.

“John, I don’t want to break up your family,” Wendy said.

“I know, beautiful. Even if I weren’t married, I’d not know what to do about this. Why not come home with me and you can visit with your sister-in-law and our kids. We’ve plenty of room,” John said, looking into her eyes.

“Are you sure?” Wendy said.

“Yeah, we need to talk some more about this, don’t we?” John said.

“OK, big brother. I remember it gets awfully cold in Minneapolis this time of year - Will you keep me warm?” she said, walking over to him and sitting on his lap.

“Oh, Michael,” Kathryn said. “I plan on kicking my cheating husband out of the house, the moment I get back. You want to give up that slut of a girlfriend and move in with me? I’ll promise you right now - we’ll have sex every day.”

“Kathy,” Michael explained. “I’d love to, but I need to break it off with Clara, face to face. Then I’ll move to Nashville with you, if you’d like.”

Everyone went back to their homes to think about what was ahead of them.

John lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota – He and Wendy flew there together, arriving at his home.

His two kids, Jeff 10, and Mary 7, greeted him at the front door

“So wonderful to see you again Wendy,” his wife Carrie said as she opened the door for them. They hugged each other.

John followed in with the little bit of luggage Wendy had brought with her.

“Thank you for letting me stay here for a couple of days, Carrie,” Wendy said.

“The kids love you, so you’re welcome to stay for as long as you’d like,” Carrie said.

Later that evening, while the kids were in the back yard playing, the three of them sat down and talked. John explained what happened with his father to a quite shocked Carrie.

“He fell in love with his own sister? That’s amazing and sad at the same time! Any of you four kids could’ve easily been retarded, or worse,” Carrie said sounding a bit mean-spirited.

“Dear, that’s not helping, statistics show that the chances of a ‘special needs’ child in the general population is only 5 to 7%, so perpetuating a stereotype doesn’t do anything except cause trouble,” John said.

“It sounds to me like you’re OK with the fact that he not only dated and married his own sister, but he also knocked her up, not once -- but four times,” Carrie came back with. “Ooh, the whole idea of falling in love with your own flesh and blood absolutely sickens me. It’d be like if you two suddenly fell in love. Isn’t that bizarre...”

“Carrie,” Wendy interrupted. “Unlike you, I grew up with a sister and two brothers. Being an only child, you just don’t seem to understand how easily something could happen. Something remarkable!”

Carrie looked up and saw Wendy was on the verge of tears. She also saw her husband’s hand on his sister’s thigh.

“Wendy, are you telling me, that you’ve had those kinds of feelings growing up in a household, with John and Michael?” Carrie said measuredly.

“Carrie, back when I was 13, the youngest of the bunch, I was always waiting for John and Michael to come home ... from wherever they were. I always gave them both a great big hug. Those feelings could’ve very easily turned into more, but they didn’t. I still love them a lot, but only as brothers, OK?”