Chapter 4

Bren, Karen, and her friends tried to find a good way to do a number on Frank.

I called Rich and we discussed all of our outstanding matters. When I described the billboard idea, he said, “Not only No, Ken, but Hell No! That idea is definitely libel. In my opinion, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind as to the outcome of the lawsuit ― the two of you would lose.”

The only approach Bren and her friends could think of was a rumor campaign and from the sounds of it they were careful in how they approached it. The essence of their approach was Bren would sit at one of the tables near a group of young women. One of Bren’s friends would join her and the friend would tell Bren the latest rumor about what Frank had said about her breaking up with him. Bren would then explain the truth about why she and Frank broke up. Bren answered her friend’s question in a normal, neutral voice with no disparaging remarks, which the young women at the neighboring tables could hear. Those women repeated what they heard. Bren and her friends had decided to do this the minimal number of times necessary to start the rumors about Frank. So after doing this twice, they stopped and monitored the rumors they heard. The rumor mill was churning out exaggerated rumors that were affecting Frank’s ability to find a girlfriend. The rumors about why other young women refused to date Frank also helped to destroy his social life.

The new difficulty with our life was due to Karen’s friends learning that she and I were in love with each other and that we had a very active sex life. They were giving Bren a hard time about her being nineteen and me being seventy and us having sex together.

Bren retaliated by providing her group of new friends with a detailed description of one of our sexual encounters. She asked if any of the ladies’ boyfriends ever turned them inside out like I did to her.

They didn’t believe her and told her so. Karen said she believed Bren because Bren’s description of how she responded to my lovemaking sounded a lot like the sounds that emanated from her Grandmother’s bedroom when she was living with Betty and me. Then they not only accepted what Bren told them ― they wanted to meet me.

Up until then, Bren and I had not sat with Karen’s friends. I would eat my lunch and then walk around the track so I would not intrude on her and her new friends. It was good exercise for my heart, reduced my blood pressure, and helped me start to trim some of the fat from my waistline.

That evening, Bren told me about their conversation, and that they wanted to meet me. The idea of being judged by a group of young women didn’t appeal to me, but I did agree to buy Bren lunch at the cafeteria the next day.

When I got out of class the next day, Bren was waiting for me outside of the cafeteria. We went through the serving line and I paid for our meals. Then Bren led me to the table where Karen and five or six of her friends were sitting. Bren hadn’t told them I would be there for lunch, so they were surprised by my being with her.

I think they realized who I was immediately. I’m not sure, but from the looks on their faces, I think they had dreamed of a sexy older man turning them every way but loose the way Bren said I did to her.

The looks on their faces actually reminded me of a National Geographic film I had watched of a pride of female lions taking down a gazelle and devouring it.

Bren introduced me to her friends and then Bren and I joined them at their table. I was silent at first, but then I said, “Your friends have met me now, Bren, and I think you have a problem. Based on their reaction to me, I suspect they want to do more than just meet me.”

I was actually trying to put her new friends on the spot. Bren, Karen, and I had seen the lust on their faces, even though they were trying to hide it.

Bren said, “I think you may be right, Ken.”

I asked, “What do you plan to do about it?”

She shrugged her shoulders and said, “Not much I can do about it.”

I decided to get cute and dissuade her new friends, so I said, “You’re the gatekeeper for our relationship, Bren. I won’t have anything to do with any of these young ladies, unless they come to you and tell you what they want me to do with them.”

I didn’t think any of them would actually do that, but some of them did. Apparently, the majority of the young men on campus didn’t know how to relate to a woman out of bed, and they were even worse in bed.

We had lunch together, and I left and went home, so Karen and Bren could get to their next period’s classes. That afternoon, after Bren got home, she just had to talk with me. She told me two of the young ladies asked her to let me take them to bed, so they could experience being in bed with a knowledgeable and experienced man. I sat there dumbfounded and only said, “Oh, shit!” I repeated that a couple of times.

We talked about the situation and how to handle it. We worked our way through possible responses other than Yes. Bren said a No would alienate her from her new friends, and the alternate ways we considered of saying No would have the same effect.

Bren said, “I really fucked up when I told them just how good you are in bed. Didn’t I?”

“Maybe, but I fucked up by telling them you were the gatekeeper and what they had to do to get me in bed with them. I basically promised to take them to bed.”

“What can we do about it now, Ken?”

“I could talk with them again and tell them that we have a special relationship that makes our lovemaking special. Since there is no relationship between me and them being in bed with me would only be an average bout of sex like the ones they now have with their boyfriends.”

“It sounds good, Ken, but I don’t think they would accept it. I get the feeling they have convinced themselves that you are a sex god who can give every woman you bed the ultimate in sexual pleasure. Personally, I agree with that.”

“We definitely trapped ourselves in a corner with our big mouths, Bren.”

“I know. Truthfully, Ken, I know you are and will be my man forever and there is absolutely nothing they could do in bed with you that would take you away from me or damage our love for each other. Let’s think about it some more. If we can’t come up with a good idea, we may have to consider letting them sleep with you for a night.”

“That is one option, Bren, but I would rather not go down that path. In a few cases, I might get to know the woman, like her, and develop feelings for her, and I may want to be with her again. I’d rather not see us in that situation.”

Bren giggled and said, “Hmm ... since reading some of SOL’s stories, I have enjoyed a few fantasies of being a harem girl for a powerful handsome Master. But I never thought about what actually living those fantasies would be like. This house would probably be big enough for me to have two or three sister-wives; but, I would rather not share you with other women.”

“I agree, Bren. At my age, you are more than enough woman for me. If I pushed it, I could possibly accept another woman in our relationship who didn’t have a libido as strong as yours.”

After making love that evening, we talked further about our problem. We reluctantly agreed that the best approach to take was to have the two young women join us for dinner tomorrow night so Bren and I could see if there was a way out of this predicament. It didn’t have to be a good way out, just something that would work without seriously hurting anyone or their feelings.”

Monday morning, Bren and I went to her appointment with Doctor Jessica Wixx.

We both liked her. After taking her medical information, doing a pelvic examination and a sonogram, she told Bren that she had reached the point where she would be hesitant to recommend an abortion. We discussed Bren and the baby’s health. When we were through, Bren made a follow-up appointment and we left. It was too late to go to our morning classes and we had no afternoon classes, so we went home.

We were home well before lunch, so we headed to the living room to talk. I sat in my recliner and Bren curled up in my lap.

“Ken, I really didn’t want to have an abortion, so that is why I’ve been putting off a decision as to what to do about the baby. I liked your suggestion about an adoption, but it doesn’t feel right for me. What am I to do?”

“I suspected that an abortion could be the reason you didn’t want to talk about the baby. I have been giving the situation some thought and have a couple of ideas. Before I talk about those ideas, there is one thing I need to know.

“Brenda Scott ... will you marry me?”

There was silence until Bren realized what I asked. Then she screamed, “Yes! Oh God, Yes!

“Wait a minute! What about all those rumors about me, raising the baby, getting to know each other, and the girls that want me to share you with them?”

“None of that matters, Bren. I don’t believe the rumors and once we’re married we will take care of that issue. Marrying me opens the door for several options about the baby. We love each other and have a good idea about who the other person is. We will have to discuss you sharing me with the girls. Is there anything else?”

“What kind of wedding are you thinking about, where, and when?”

“I thought we could elope to Las Vegas this weekend, but what do you want?

“Eloping to Las Vega this weekend sounds good to me, but what about Nancy and Karen?”

“We can call them after dinner. Right now, I think we should head for the mall for lunch and to get you a wedding ring set. How does The Cheesecake Factory sound to you?”

“I can live with that, Ken.”

“What about a dress?”

“We can look, but I would marry you naked.”

Lunch was great, but locating a ring set was a bust. We were shown a lot of rings, but they were either weird designs or they had no appeal. We would take the rest of the week off and try tomorrow.

We planned the call to my girls while we ate. That evening we called Nancy and Karen, they were both home. Bren placed the call.

Nancy answered and Bren said, “I have some news for the two of you. Have Karen come to the phone.

When they were ready, Bren said, “My doctor’s visit went well. After we got home, your dad and I talked about the baby. While talking, your dad asked me to marry him, and I said Yes!”

I could have been across the room with my head sandwiched between two pillows and still heard my girls’ screams. For the next ten minutes, they talked about the proposal, us wanting to elope, a ring, and the dress.

What I got out of their conversation was, we were going to have company on our shopping trip tomorrow. Nancy knew several stores in downtown San Diego and in La Jolla that we would just have to visit.

The conversation ended with them deciding when they would arrive in the morning. When Bren hung up the phone, she wrapped me in her arms and told me she loved me, I returned the sentiment, and she started kissing me. We moved our activities to our bedroom.

Nancy and Karen arrived at 7:00 for breakfast. I thought that was a bit early for the stores in La Jolla wouldn’t open until 10:00. They assaulted Bren with hugs and kisses, and then I got my share of their attention. My three ladies headed to the kitchen to fix breakfast and start planning the day. I knew I would be told what to do and when to do it for the rest of the day, so I went and relaxed in my recliner.

I finished my waffle, eggs, and bacon. Throughout breakfast the conversation had continued, but it had shifted to where we would go for our honeymoon. I had planned to spend the week in Las Vegas lounging around a hotel pool. Karen pushed for us to go somewhere romantic, but she had no idea where that would be. I personally didn’t care as long as Bren was with me. I excused myself and went back to my recliner until it was time to leave.

Once we were in La Jolla, we made our traditional stop at The Cottage for mimosas. When Nancy, and later Karen, were young, they had Hot Chocolate, which was made with actual chocolate, milk, and real freshly whipped cream.

Parking places close to the shops can be difficult to find in La Jolla. You have a choice of walking ten or more blocks from the Ace Parking lot or hunting down a parking slot. My energy level was rather low, so I decided to find a parking slot. I used to fill the parking meter with quarters, but now the meters read your credit card. It took close to ten long minutes to grab a parking spot, but I thought it was well worth it.

I hadn’t been in La Jolla for a long time, and everything looked different to me. Some of the stores I remembered were gone, and replaced by new stores. Nancy and Karen shopped in La Jolla frequently, so I followed them around town.

They took Bren to a small dress shop. She found her dress and only a few minor alterations had to be made. So we paid a premium for the seamstress to have the dress ready by noon Thursday.

The next item for the hunt was the wedding ring set. On Wednesday, we were in downtown San Diego at the Jewelers Exchange. There were eight floors of small businesses, most related to jewelry. We found a ring for Bren that was lovely. The engagement ring had a one caret stone with smaller side stones, not too flashy, and it seemed to be part of her hand. The engagement and wedding rings were slightly large for her finger but the store adjusted the size to fit while we waited. I made sure that the ring box containing the wedding ring was secure in my jacket pocket. The engagement ring left the store on Bren’s left hand.

We had an early dinner at our usual restaurant, and then headed home. We were all tired. Bren ended up in my lap, so we could talk.

She said, “We were sidetracked by you asking me to marry you. You mentioned several possibilities for the baby. What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking that you could put my name on the birth certificate as the father. Putting Kenneth Hawk and Brenda Scott on the birth certificate could cause a few problems in the future for the baby, but Brenda Hawk would not create those problems. For some time, I’ve been certain that eventually I would ask you to marry me. The baby just advanced our getting married.

“What if Frank creates a problem?”

“I am very angry with Frank and his friends. So I have a plan for Frank and the football players that are falsely claiming that they had sex with you. We will implement that plan after our honeymoon.”

“What are you planning to do, Ken?”

“I won’t know for sure until we hire a good paternity lawyer. But what I have in mind is, you will file a paternity suit against Frank. From what I’ve heard, Frank and his three friends who have been spreading their lies aren’t very smart. He will probably get his friends to lie for him in court. I think your lawyer will be able to prove they are lying.

“I recall you mentioning that you had a doctor’s appointment about a couple of days before you and Frank had sex. When my girls were teens, their doctors checked their vaginas as part of their normal physical examination. I strongly expect that your doctor checked your vagina during your examination. If so, he should have documented your being a virgin at that time.

“The lies they have been telling state that they had sex with you on several occasions both before you started seeing Frank and while the two of you were boyfriend and girlfriend.

“All it will take is to get Frank’s three friends to repeat those lies on the witness stand. Then your lawyer can call your doctor and have him reveal the findings of his examination. Recalling Frank’s three friends will lead to them admitting that Frank asked them to lie for him. Once that happens, a perjury charge can be brought against all of them. I’m not sure if conspiracy to commit perjury is a crime, but Frank can be charged with subornation of perjury, since he asked his friends to lie for him. If I understand what I read, Frank could face up to eight years in prison, and his friends could face up to four years in prison.

“I don’t really care about the child support that the court could order Frank to pay you, but that would be the cherry on top of the sundae.”

“I like your idea, Ken.”

“Good. Once that trial is over, you will be suing them for slander. Frank and his friends lied about you maliciously in order to destroy your reputation in an effort to support Frank’s denial of his being the father of your child.”

“I’m really going to enjoy that, Ken.”

“Well, I’m not through. You will also sue Frank for sole custody of the baby, and to prevent him and/or his parents from having any visitation rights. I’m not certain how you feel about it, Bren, but you may want to also sue your parents to prevent them from obtaining visitation rights.”

“I’m so glad I don’t have you angry with me, Ken.”

“One more thing, Bren. When all the legal effort is finished and the baby has been born, I am going to adopt the baby.”

“Ken, you are my avenging savior. I am awed by your plans for Frank, his friends, me, and the baby. The only way that I can show you my appreciation for everything is to be the best wife ever to you. Anything you want or need, I will strive to provide for you.

“Where are we going to stay in Vegas, and where will we get married?”

“I couldn’t imagine Nancy and Karen not going with us, but I wanted to wait until they confirmed their plans to go with us. Now, we can pick a good hotel and arrange for two rooms.

I cranked up my computer and did a search for hotels in Las Vegas. A picture of the Bellagio popped up on my screen. I had been fascinated by its fountain, but never stayed there. It had a good rating and Bren agreed it was for us.

Bren told me my girls planned to take their own car and follow us because they would be going home on Sunday. There was a lot to see and do in Vegas and Bren had never been there. So, we decided to honeymoon in Vegas. I reserved two connecting suites, one for two nights and the other for nine nights.

A search on wedding chapels in Vegas brought up a large number of chapels. Most provided theme-oriented ceremonies, which seemed to be ludicrous to us. We felt a theme-oriented ceremony would probably be sleazy when we looked back on it. We selected and made the arrangements for our wedding at a chapel that provided a traditional wedding ceremony. It would be a ceremony that we could remember fondly.

We would pick up Bren’s dress tomorrow, and I had also made an appointment with Rich to discuss my plans for Frank and his friends. Bren and I discussed what else we needed to do tomorrow for we would be leaving the following day. We went to bed earlier than normal, cuddled, talked, and slept.

There was no rush today to complete everything. We picked up Bren’s dress at 11:00, had a leisurely lunch, and we were at Rich’s office at 1:30.

Once Bren and I were seated in Rich’s office, he said, “Now I can see why you are so smitten by this lovely angel, Ken.”

I smiled, and said, “Rich, I am more than smitten. We are eloping tomorrow to Vegas and will honeymoon in Vegas.”

Rich said, “Well, congratulations and my best wishes to the both of you.

“Ken, you told Debra that you wanted to talk with me about several legal issues. What do you need from me?”

“As I mentioned, Bren is pregnant. The student, Frank, who impregnated her and a couple of his friends have been spreading false rumors about her. These rumors seem to be intended to do two things. First, they are intended to destroy her reputation, and second, they are intended to confuse the fact of who impregnated her. In the past, when this asshole broke up with a girlfriend, he instigated a rumor campaign to blame his ex-girlfriend for their break up.

“I told Bren that after we are married I plan to have her instigate a series of legal actions against Frank that would hopefully result in him being sent to prison.”

“How do you plan to do that, Ken?”

Bren and I told Rich about the legal actions she would file against the four students, and what I anticipated as the outcome of the legal proceedings. I did not want to call them men for I considered them to still be little boys, and Bren agreed with me. In the process of us describing these lawsuits, Rich made it clear that the lawsuits we wanted to file were not his specialty. I told him that what I wanted from him was to advise me on the probability of my plan working, and to recommend lawyers who were experts in the respective fields of the legal profession.

When we were through, Rich said, “I can certainly recommend you to a few lawyers. As I said, I am not an expert in those legal fields. Your plan sounds as if it will work, but everything is dependent on what you can prove in court and which judge you get.”

We thanked Rich and went home. Bren cleaned the vegetables and leftovers that would spoil, before we returned, out of the refrigerator and I emptied the kitchen garbage can into the city’s black garbage bin. This was before the city started using green bins. Nancy had agreed to put the bin out by the curb on garbage pickup day and bring it in once it had been emptied. We spent some time talking, and then we started packing for tomorrow. Before going to bed, we made a final call to Nancy and Karen to make the final arrangements for our departure tomorrow morning. We would be leaving very early in the morning and eating breakfast on the road to avoid the afternoon heat during the drive through the desert regions.