Chapter 13: Revelations

Two days after her conversation with her parents, Penny was sprawled over Dan’s sweaty body after yet another after-school special.

“Let me up, please, I need the bathroom,” said Dan.

As he left, Penny grabbed his phone. Long ago, she had secretly watched over his shoulder as he entered his 4-digit code. Quickly, she looked at his messages app, but found nothing unusual. So then she opened the photo app, and gasped.

Just a week earlier, Phil had grabbed his phone and took several images of Dan pissing on and then screwing his mother. It was impulsive; Dan almost always had his phone with him, unlike Phil. Also, Phil was ignorant about how images were automatically uploaded to servers in the cloud, or he might have hesitated.

Nonetheless, the photos came up first for Penny, as they were the most recent in his library. At the last minute, Penny perceived Dan’s footsteps and put the phone down. When he was back in the room, Penny got to her feet.

“My turn.”

She needed some time to process what those images meant.

“I guess I know who has been working him besides me and Dora. Is this ... Is this incest happening often enough to wear him out? I guess so! And who took the pictures? Oh, fuck, it had to be Phil, so he knows all about it.

A knock on the bathroom door derailed her train of thought.

“Are you all right, Penny?”

“Sorry, I’ll be done in a minute.”

“I’ll be in the kitchen starting dinner. Come help me if you can.”

Hearing his departing footsteps, she suddenly recalled that she was invited to that night’s dinner and that this was Dan’s regular day to cook for his family. She agreed to help him when she accepted the invitation. This was routine and had been enjoyable for them several times in the past.

“But this time, I’m going to be eating with Dan’s mother, knowing she’s his partner for sex and also pissing. What a test! Can I keep quiet? ‘Please pass the piss, I mean, peas.’ Oh, fuck me.”

An hour later, the four of them were seated for dinner. With Penny’s help, Dan had prepared farfalle pasta (bow-tie noodles) smothered in a meaty Bolognese sauce. Also on the table was bowl of, yes, peas. And a bottle of Chianti.

Once they had all made substantial progress, Penny suddenly put down her fork. Without comment, she finished the remaining water from her glass and took hold of the wine bottle. Surprised, they watched pour a few swallows into her glass and then drank it all without pause.

Seemingly fortified by the alcohol, Penny addressed her hosts.

“This might be the last time I’m here with you, because I have something to say. What happens here inside or behind your house is none of my business.”

All three of them flinched when she said “behind.”

“Why would she say, ‘behind?’” wondered Phil. The same thought crossed all of their minds.

“Yes, I said it’s your business. But here’s the thing. I’m not good at sharing. If Dan and I are together, but he’s got nothing left for me then this is a big problem. I know it’s because he’s been pouring himself into someone else.”

Ella tried to deflect.

“Don’t you have a friend involved? Dora, isn’t it?”

“That’s very different. First, I’m always there with her. Dora knows that she comes second. Uh, she defers to me is what I mean. I didn’t know about this other partner, that’s really bad.”

Dan apologized, “I’m sorry, Penny.”

Looking very uncomfortable, he couldn’t meet his girlfriend’s eyes and he was carefully avoiding having his eyes on his mother. It didn’t matter, though. Phil was getting impatient with Penny, though, so he glared at her and demanded clarity.