Chapter 3: Laney...

As Tom made the drive from the cemetery back to his home, his mood slowly shifted from one of deep melancholy to one of resignation. He knew his parents were both gone and no amount of wishing would change that fact. His short conversation with Mrs. Nelson had made him accept that the death of his parents could be viewed as the culmination of a tragic set of circumstances. Each of them could have changed their actions at some point, and if they had, things would have been a lot different for all of them.

About the time that he got to that conclusion, he pulled up in the driveway of his house. The street in front was full of cars, and he felt a bit surprised by the number of them.

Tom entered the kitchen by way of the back door, coming in just in time to almost run into his grandmother who was rushing across the room with a carafe of coffee. His aunt was cutting a cake and putting the pieces onto a serving tray, along with some of the pastries he had purchased, and then she quickly followed his grandmother around the corner into the dining area. Tom immediately went to the coffee machine to set up another pot.

The next half-hour was very hectic, as people were served and dirty dishes were brought back to the kitchen. Tom got a chance to mingle with the guests, speaking with those he hadn't already talked to at the cemetery, and being introduced to a couple of his mother's coworkers who had attended. The net result of the day's activities had been to make him really realize that there were a lot of people, many whom he hardly knew at all, who had been deeply saddened by the deaths of his mother and father. He received many offers of assistance, should anything come up that would require it. Fred Greenstein and his wife were most emphatic about their desire to help them, not as a legal client, but as friends of the family.

As quickly as the rush had started, it was over, and soon only his grandparents, his aunt and uncle, the Frosts, and his next-door neighbors, Al and Sara Douglas, remained. This comparatively small group now had the opportunity to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee together. Tom made the introductions, and in the process managed at one point to introduce Laney as his girlfriend, a faux pas that brought the color to his cheeks and a couple of small laughs from his guests as he stumbled to correct the record. He noticed that Laney didn't join the laughter, but simply smiled at him.

When their coffee cups were empty, and the Douglases had returned home, Tom offered to show Laney and Grace around his house while the remaining dirty dishes were cleaned up by his aunt and grandmother. They were impressed by the size of the house, and surprised to find out that Tom now owned the home free and clear, the mortgage having been covered by insurance. While they were upstairs he had shown them his room, and then, just before returning to the main floor, had shown them his parents' former bedroom.

They both commented on how large that room was, and Grace quickly followed that with the suggestion that perhaps Tom should consider moving into it, once the room had been cleared of his parents' things. It was a thought that hadn't seriously occurred to him, as he always considered the room belonged to his parents. It made sense, though, that he should now consider moving into it himself. Later that night, as he thought again about their suggestion, he realized that it might go a long ways in helping him past the fact that his parents were gone.

When Tom returned to the main floor with Laney and Grace, he tried to convince them to join his family for supper. They both thanked him for his offer, but told him that it was better that he spend some time with his family, and that they would join him for supper at a later date.

Now that Tom was alone with his family, they relaxed together in the living room. He managed to find a couple of bottles of beer in the fridge for his uncle and grandfather, and opened a bottle of wine for his aunt and grandmother to enjoy. The five of them had a long and pleasant conversation during which his grandparents expressed concern about how he would be able to manage on his own.

Tom explained to all of them the basic state of his finances, and that Fred Greenstein had taken care of all of the legal requirements necessary to transfer his parents' estate into his possession. Once he had explained everything, the others were visibly relieved that he was very well taken care of. His aunt and uncle had known some of these details, but Tom's recent visit with Mr. Greenstein had covered a lot of things that none of them had considered earlier.

Later in the afternoon Tom got each of the adults another drink, and then he began to prepare supper. He had made a Greek salad and a large bowl of potato salad to accompany the burgers he would be preparing on the barbecue in the backyard. He set everything up including the condiments in the kitchen, and prepared the table on the patio for use for their meal. In just over a half an hour the burgers were ready, and he called everyone to prepare their plate buffet style in the kitchen and then take a seat at the table on the patio.

Tom was pleased by the reception his meal and preparations received. He was able to tell them he was proud of the kitchen abilities his mother had taught him, and accepted their compliments graciously. Showing them that he was able to prepare and serve up a good meal for guests seemed to remove their last lingering concerns about his abilities to make it on his own. Tom was relieved that things went so well, as it bolstered his sometimes shaky faith in himself.

Later, after the meal had been completed and the five of them were once again relaxing in the living room, Tom reminded them that he would like them to look through his parents' possessions, mainly clothing, that he had decided to dispose of. Each of them found certain items that would be of use or would fit them. There were still a lot of things left, though, when they finally returned downstairs and prepared to say their goodbyes. His aunt and uncle were staying with friends, and were going to return to Omaha the next morning. His grandparents made sure that Tom knew he could visit them at any time, and made a promise to drop in on him often.

Finally, a long day was over, and Tom was able to sit down and relax. It seemed to him that a major turning point had been reached, and that he was now able to strike out on a life of his own. From this time forward he knew he could make his own decisions and take responsibility for them. It was a relief, but it was also a bit frightening.

Later that evening, when the last of the cleanup from the day's activities had been finished, Tom phoned Laney. He thanked her for coming to the service that afternoon and apologized for his misspoken introduction.

"I don't want you to think that I wouldn't want you for my girlfriend, but I suspect we should get to know each other a little better before I make that presumption," he laughed.

Laney was laughing too as she said, "You don't need to apologize. Actually, I was quite honored."

As their conversation continued, Tom mentioned that he still had a lot of his parents' clothing that he would have to box up for donation to charity, and said there was a lot of his mother's clothing still in the bedroom.

"What type of clothing is that," asked Laney?

"Oh, skirts and blouses, a few dresses, and basically all of her lingerie. My aunt is a bit larger than my mother was, and my grandmother's taste in clothing wasn't the same as mom's was. They both selected a few items, but not many."

"Do you know what sizes any of her things were? If you're going to be getting rid of them anyway, maybe there's something my mom could use, if you don't mind my asking. Now that my mom's hours are going to be cut back, she's quite worried about money."

Laney sounded reluctant to have asked, and Tom immediately replied, "I don't mind you asking at all, Laney. Give me a moment and I'll tell you what some of the sizes are." Tom got up and carried the cordless phone upstairs with him as he went to his mother's closet.

"I see Medium, 12 and 14 on some of the clothing in the closet." He walked over to the bed and began sorting through some of his mother's lingerie. "Her bras are mostly 36C, and I see Medium on a lot of things."

Laney was quiet for a moment, and then said, "Well, it almost sounds as if a lot of those items might fit my mom, or even me."

"I'll tell you what, Laney. I won't pack away her things for a day or two, if you and your mom would like to take a look at them."

They decided that Laney and Grace would drop in after supper the next night to see whether any of Mary Prentice's clothing would be of use for them. After they had ended their call, Tom walked over to the bed and picked up one of the fancier sheer bras and a matching pair of bikini panties, both of them a beautiful shade of blue, and imagined them on Laney. He was smiling to himself as he placed the two items back on the bed before leaving the room.

The next day marked the start of one of the summer classes that Tom was signed up for. The previous September he had begun taking the required courses for a degree in computer science. He had managed to finish the first semester, before dropping out just after the beginning of the second semester when everything had fallen apart. The two summer classes, combined with an extra one each semester, would put him back on track by the end of his second year. It felt good to get started on these two classes, as he knew that it was another step in getting his life back on track.

He and Laney had discussed their individual plans for the future, and she had told him how she had hopes of becoming an Occupational Therapist. She had mentioned to Tom that this degree wasn't available at their hometown University, and that she would be enrolling at the State University, a four hour drive away. Their separate educational tracks meant that their budding friendship seemed destined to develop into, at most, nothing more than a summer romance. Tom wasn't sure what Laney thought of this, but he knew that he felt a distinct measure of disappointment.

Tom spent the day on the campus, immersing himself in the education system once again. He had had some doubts whether he would be able to step back into that life, considering everything that had happened since his last time spent there, but by the time he left to return home, he was once more anxious to pursue his classes and get his education completed. He was actually looking forward to his next day there, later in the week. He would be obliged to spend two full days a week on the campus for the duration of the summer, but he could see that it was not going to be hard to get himself motivated to do it.

At about seven o'clock that evening, Laney and Grace Frost arrived to take a look at his mother's wardrobe. He told them how happy he was that they had wanted to do that, as it somehow seemed better than simply dropping the clothing off in a collection box at the supermarket.

When they entered the bedroom, the women were surprised to see how many items were spread out on the bed. "My God, there's a lot of clothing here! I sure hope that some of it will fit us," said Laney.

"There's more here in the closet," said Tom. He opened the doors to a large closet, one which now contained only his mother's clothing on hangers, as he had removed his father's remaining things. They were now in several boxes in the corner of the room.

"Everything seems to be in very good condition," Tom advised them. "My mom was pretty picky about how she looked, and it was one of the reasons she worked. She wanted to have the money to be able to dress well."

"This will probably take a little while, as we're going to have to try on a lot of them." Grace picked up a dress from the closet, and then looked at Tom expectantly.

It took him a couple of seconds to realize the implication, and he soon blushed and said, "Right! I'll go downstairs and make us some coffee. There is a mirror on the back of the door, and the shower door in the bathroom is also a mirror." He quickly left the room, closing the door behind him. He was still a bit embarrassed as he made the coffee, wondering why it had taken him so long to realize he couldn't stay in the bedroom while they tried on the clothing. Thinking about it though, he began to visualize the two of them as they stripped to change from item to item. He found that an extremely arousing exercise.

It was about 20 minutes later that the two women came down the stairs, laughing and talking to each other. Tom had almost finished his cup of coffee by then, and got up to pour theirs and refresh his own. "So, did you find anything you could use?"

"Did we ever! It was sort of like being a kid at Christmas. There is hardly anything that didn't fit one of us, if not both of us. Your mother had good taste in clothing, and I hope you don't mind if we take a lot of the things up there." Grace was clearly excited, and Laney stood right beside her nodding her head and smiling in agreement.