Chapter 12

"I wasn't raped!

JJ couldn't believe Alice's words when she shouted them the first time. They were just as loud the second time she shouted. "But who? Why? JJ blurted the words at her.

"Why, does it make a difference? She shouted at him. "You'll leave regardless. You've made up you mind. I can see it in your face." She began sobbing as he released her.

JJ stood, looking from Alice, to the partially made bed, and back to Alice. She just told him she wasn't raped and he could see cum and pussy juice still oozing from her pussy. Her outer lips were red and enlarged, her breasts reddened, and she was remaking the bed. She fucked someone in his bed.

Rage overcame him, and he raised his hand to strike her, dropping it to his side quickly. He wasn't a violent person; however, she had degraded the bed they shared. Staring at the bed a full minute, he turned and walked from the room. He didn't understand how she could see the look of disgust he felt inside. Surely, it wasn't showing on his face as she declared. Then again, he knew he wasn't too good at hiding his feelings therefore, it may be possible. He thought again and realized there was a high probability she could see his displeasure. He saw soiled merchandise when he glared at her reddened breasts and dripping pussy.

He felt the tension building and he had to get her out of his sight. His steps were deliberate as he walked from the room and down the stairs. His fists were opening and closing and he felt the veins in his neck expanding. He was in the truck when she shouted at him.

"JJ, YOU ARE NEVER HOME ANYMORE AND I HAVE NEEDS. I can't help it; I did the same as you have been doing." She was shouting as she rushed toward the truck.

JJ drove to the end of the driveway with Alice rushing after him. Turning on the street, he glanced back and she had stopped. Driving without a predetermined destination, he found himself in a neighboring town. Stopping at a truck stop, he filled the gas tank and walked inside for a cup of coffee. Lingering for more than an hour, he ate a burger along with the coffee. The burger was actually a delay tactic. Alice's words continued running through his mind, 'I have needs... I did the same as you have been doing.' The words hurt because they were true. However, she had brought a man to their bed. To him, it seemed an unforgivable act.

Walking to his truck, JJ couldn't decide on a direction in which to drive. He couldn't return to their garage apartment, his rage would continue. He thought about going to his father's and changed his mind. It would look as though he was running home. Turning on the street that would take him to the highway, he eventually decided his sister was the one person with whom he would confide. Tina was older and she could advise him. Turning a 'U' on the highway, he cursed himself for driving aimlessly in the wrong direction; it would now be a six-hour trip to Tina.

The drive was troubling for JJ and as much as he knew, Alice's words were accurate. He was spending more time with others, particularly other women, and neglecting the one he held most dear. In an attempt to lay blame elsewhere, he felt Alice was responsible because she hadn't complained. Justifying his lack of foresight, he would have certainly spent more time with her if she simply brought the subject up, however she hadn't. He felt she was responsible.

Alice spent many hours with Helen and Morgan and surely, they would have brought the problem to his attention if they felt there was a problem. Erica visited Alice daily and she could have definitely informed him if she saw a problem. Neither Erica, nor his parents, had confronted him about an ongoing problem.

The searchlight caught his vision many miles back, and when he went over the rise he could see the light much clearer, however it was still miles ahead of him. As he approached the town, he noticed the sign as he passed read, "That's Her Man," and a few seconds later another sign appeared, "Burma Shave." Chuckling to himself, he thought of Alice reading a similar sign and commenting, "You're My Man." He was quite confident he had everything in perspective and he would spend two or three days a Tina's before Alice would call, apologizing, and begging him to come home.

He had attempted to sum up all logical reasons Alice would ask another man to their home, however he couldn't justify any of them. He was certain of one thing, he was not going to sleep on that bed again as it would go in the dump as soon as he returned. There were a few other things they would need to discuss, mainly the women Alice accused him of sleeping with. Actually, she was aware he wasn't sleeping with them, merely fucking them. The subject wasn't discussed at length; however, she had given her permission. She was well aware it was business.

He approached the searchlight and saw it was an advertisement to a grand opening of a new service center for trucks. He saw the sign, "Free Coffee and Doughnuts," and a few hundred yards later a sign that read, "Gasoline 24.9 cents, Ethel 29.9 cents." He could picture a gas war starting in the area as he pulled into the station for a fill up. The two young and eager attendants were approaching the truck before he came to a full stop. Declining the Ethel fill up by requesting the regular, he walked to the restaurant and took a seat at the counter.

His server was cheerful, although she looked tired. He assumed she had a rough day and being six months pregnant wasn't helping matters. He noted she was a little flirty, bending at the waist when she spoke, exposing a great expanse of soon-to-be milk bearing breasts. In his opinion, she was overly friendly, and her direct approach placed a thought in his mind. He wondered if she had a boyfriend on the side or if she remained faithful to her husband. She was wearing, what appeared to be, an expensive looking engagement and wedding ring set. He tried to picture Alice tempting a man, as his server appeared to be doing. He wondered how she would lure them; her breast were much too small to use as bait.

JJ felt much better after draining his bladder, stretching his legs, and excepting the free coffee and doughnuts. The last few miles to Tina's passed quickly. He was anxious to see her although they had spoken to one another on the phone three weeks earlier. He knew she would be glad to see him because she sounded homesick when they spoke earlier.

He turned into her driveway expecting to see a darkened house. He was surprised to see a dimmed light through the curtains realizing a light was on somewhere in the house. After walking to the front door and knocking, he was again surprised to hear people talking before the porch light came on. The door opened quickly and Tina stood, mouth agape, staring at him. It seemed like a full minute after JJ said hello, before he opened the screen and walked in. She continued staring silently as he approached her.

"SMACK." He saw the hand coming, felt the sting, and heard the sound her hand made as it struck him.

"You bastard," she said as her words came at him sharp and spiteful. "What are you doing here? You should be at the hospital with your wife! What kind of a person do I have for a brother who has an argument with his wife and leaves her in the driveway?"

"What are you talking about? We didn't have an argument."

"I don't know whether to slap you again or hug you?"

"May I make a suggestion?"

"NO!" Tina yelled as she moved to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "I'm so happy and proud; just think I'm an aunt now!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Alice! She had twins! You didn't know?" Tina spoke bubbling with joy and then looking at him as though he was strange. "You don't know that Alice had twins tonight?"

It suddenly dawned on JJ what she was trying to tell him. It took only a moment for him to feel a strange pride overcome him. "Are you telling me Alice had twins this evening?"

"Yes!" She shouted joyfully. "You really don't know?"

"No! Alice was at home when I left."

Suddenly Tina broke into tears and began pounding on his chest, "You son of a bitch! You left your wife lying in the driveway! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" She said repeatedly as she pounded on his chest, tears flowing from her eyes.

JJ became upset and grasped her wrist, preventing her from striking him further. "What are you saying? Alice was fine when I left home and yes, she was in the driveway and she was okay."

Tina stopped struggling and looked up to him through her tear stained eyes. "JJ, Alice was found lying in the drive tonight and they had to rush her to the hospital. She was hemorrhaging and they did an emergency C-section. You have twin daughters. You don't know?"

"No, as I said, Alice was standing in the driveway when I left. We had... ," he couldn't tell Tina what occurred therefore he ad-libed. "We had differences," he said in lieu of a better word. "I had to get away for a while and I thought about you, and here I am."

"Something doesn't sound right. Mom called at 10:00 p.m. and she said the babies were delivered at 6:00 p.m. There is a lot of time between 6 p.m. and the present time, 2:30 a.m. Something is going on; there is something you are not telling me. What is it?"

JJ thought for a moment before speaking, and as far as he could recall he had told her everything he wanted her to know. They had a disagreement and he left; he couldn't even call it an argument. It was as simple as that, or so he thought. "Look, it's like I told you, we had a disagreement and I left. I wanted to be alone for a while, and then I thought about coming here. So here I am. The reason it took me so long to get here is I had no thought of coming here, or anywhere else. I made up my mind to come here many hours after our disagreement."

"But what could be so bad that you would leave her lying in the driveway. That is the part I don't understand." She responded with a pathetic look on her face.

"I didn't leave her lying in the driveway; she was standing at the top of the driveway when I left." JJ was becoming agitated because of her false accusations. He looked across the room and Lana was standing in the hallway door, a look of disgust on her face. Pushing Tina from him, JJ stepped back, and shouted, "Look! Both of you, for the last time; Alice was okay when I left home this evening. She was standing at the top of the drive."

"I didn't say anything," Lana said sarcastically. "Don't you think the right thing to do is give her a call? You seem to have an answer for everything else. Try explaining your presence here instead of with her tonight."

Lana's tone was crisp and sharp as JJ stared at her. She was seven months pregnant and looked absolutely gorgeous posed in the doorway. He had to admit that pregnancy in no way hindered her looks. He did admit however, her bark was much sharper than he ever imagined within her capabilities.

One year later

"JJ, come over here and look at this," Helen said as she waved her hand frantically at her son.

JJ walked behind his mom and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly against his body. He chuckled, "It's hard to tell the kids from the adults, isn't it?" His father and grandpa were on the floor with the twins, trying to keep the party hats on their heads.

"Yes, and it's a miracle your father gives thanks for constantly. He never thought he would get to see the twins reach their first birthday," Helen said as she placed her hands over JJ's and pressed his hands firmly against her soft body.

"I see five miracles," JJ said responding to her hands by kissing her lightly on the neck.

"You better watch it bud," Helen said and then asked. "Five, what are you counting?"

"Well dad, for one has outlived the time the doctors gave him. The twins were miracle births and as for Alice, they said she wouldn't make it; the same for grandpa when he had the heart attack. We have much to be thankful for, wouldn't you say?"

Helen nodded. "Alice told me why you weren't there when the girls were born." Helen spoke softly as she informed her son she knew of the reason for his absence.

"When did she do this? What have you two been talking about?"

"Don't worry; I'm not going to say anything. I made a comment about putting a chain around your neck next month to keep you home and she explained why you weren't here to see the girls born." Helen twisted her head and looked at JJ to see his expression, fearing she spoke when she should have been silent. Alice told her it was a forgotten subject.

"Do you know that you could probably get in Charlene and Erica's good graces if they knew the whole story? Have you thought of that?"

"Mom, neither Alice nor I are worried about what they think. We have talked about it many times. I have forbidden Alice to tell her mother anything about that afternoon; Erica will have to come to terms with her own conscious. It's her loss refusing to talk with us; she is missing the enjoyment of watching her granddaughters grow. Charlene, well she's another story. She just needs to mind her own business. You know that all she does is keep Erica upset about the entire ordeal. Erica has called a dozen times and asked to come over, and then she talks to Charlene who convinces her to stay away."

"But... Ellie... she comes to see you," Helen said looking confused.

JJ nodded, "Yes she does, but she never tells Charlene. Jessica comes often also. They are Alice's real friends," JJ said as he pulled Helen from the view of the partygoers. "And mom, you don't have to wait until the weekend to visit."

"Son, why did you allow Alice to become pregnant so soon after the twins? You know she had a very rough time. I heard the doctors tell her to wait at least a year, or longer."

"Mom, think about your question. You know Alice told them she was going to get pregnant the minute they told her she should wait. Furthermore, stop changing the subject; why wait until the weekend to visit? You know I'm out of town most weekends and I rarely see you and dad."

"That's something I have wondered!" Helen exclaimed pushing from JJ. "Why did you take that job traveling?"

"Mom, I work two days a week, three at the most. I have much more free time to spend with Alice and the girls. You are sure inquisitive. You know it's best for the girls to stay with me while Alice is in school, rather than some sitter. Martha and I do quite well and Sam helps out once in a while."

"JJ, I know that Martha is a good housekeeper, and Sam keeps the grounds immaculate, but why did you break up with Wigwam? I thought the two of you worked well together."

"Mom, we didn't break up, we're still partners. Let me explain please. I did a lot of thinking the two weeks Alice was in the hospital. I became aware, after she pointed it out, we were drifting apart, and each had many changes to make if we were going to survive our marriage. You know the talk after we married, the chances of us surviving marriage. Grandma and grandpa made us this proposition and we talked about it at great lengths. It was a giant step for each of us, however we are much better for the decision we made."