Chapter 9: Communication Breakdown

We gathered the bags and drug them to the Bitch’s car. I packed them in the trunk. Pete objected when I told him to get in the back, “I usually ride up front with Amy.”

“Not today.”

The Bitch begged, “If you let me, it won’t take long ... I can do you after?”

“First rule of atonement club.”

She lowered her eyes and apologized, “I’m sorry, Grandpa. I can’t.”

Pete looked between her and I several times before nodding and getting in the car. Jenn was more willing to comply, though she insisted on asking 99 inane questions divided about evenly between being addressed to me and to the bitch while we headed to the Denny’s a few miles from the airport.

We entered and found a booth. The Bitch ordered a Salad. I ordered French toast. Jenn and Pete stuck with pancakes. When the plates arrived, I decided to end the small talk, “So, what do you know about what’s been going on?”

The two glanced at each other and Pete answered, “There was some kind of misunderstanding with Mark and Amy and apparently you’ve been feeling left out for the past few years, even though James said you didn’t want to be involved. Daisy and Helen said you agreed to some sort of deal that would let them get back in your good graces.”

Jenn added, “I am so happy you finally agreed to join the family.”

“Alright, Let’s address those things in order ... First, there wasn’t a misunderstanding between Marky Mark and Amy. I uploaded the video to the group chat I’d been left out of. You can’t pretend you didn’t see that video. You can’t pretend that video showed anything other than a rape attempt.”

Amy nodded, “Mark would’ve taken what he wanted if Johnny hadn’t stopped him.”

“Silver.”

Jenn responded, “I saw it. It does look bad, but Mark is just a kid ... it was just a mistake and after an apology all will be forgiven.”

“He’s 19 and the fuck it will.”

Pete weighed in, “We’ve talked to James and Mark has learned his lesson.”

“Why do you people keep listening to James? I really don’t get that. You already know he lied about my desires and intention, but why would you trust him in the first place? He and I were never close. I was close to my Dad and Minnie. Those were the only adults I could count on ... but even now you KNOW he lied about that ... for years and you just take his word that Mark has seen the light and will never rape again after less than 24 hours have passed.”

Jenn tried to mitigate, “Perhaps we should change the subject? Why did you finally decide to join the family?”

I upped the slider on my phone just a bit and earned a glare from the Bitch, “I haven’t.”

Jenn scoffed, “Daisy said you slept with her.”

“Yeah, I did. She offered and I didn’t have anyone better to do at that particular moment. So, Amy (the bitch) said you’d been sending me gifts and letters ... and that one you sent me on my 16^th was allegedly ‘heartfelt.”

Pete’s voice raised an octave, “Yeah, of course. You’re still our grandson ... are you saying you didn’t get them?”

I dialed the slider up another notch, “Amy.”

Amy seemed to be squeezing her thighs together, “Are you really going to make me do this?”

“I’ve never made you do anything. You claim to want to atone. Confession is part of that.”

I dialed the slider up another notch and Amy bit her lip, “I took the letters and presents. I kept the cash, gave away the gifts, and kept the letters.”

Jenn looked at her with disbelief, “Why would you do that?”

Amy answered with a squeak in her voice as I dialed the slider up to maximum, “I ... shit ... I thought he deserved it. After he hit me, I wanted him punished ... I kept expecting him to apologize and he never did, so I just got madder and madder.”

Pete seemed to flush, “I can’t believe you did that...” He turned his head from her to me before continuing, “I’m so sorry ... We thought ... we thought you just didn’t want to have anything to do with us.”

I dialed the slider down, then up again till the bitch started to shake and I dialed it back down to a low buzz, “So, you remembered my birthday, but you never reminded Daisy or Helen. You took James’ word about my emotional state and my alleged refusal to join any of the family activities. Part of me wants to say it’s nice to know you actually cared, but you did a half-assed job of it. I have a few questions. The first is pretty simple. Why did you take James’ word on this?”

The two glanced at each other than Pete answered, “James was the only male role model for you after your dad died ... I just assumed you’d come to respect him.”

“Why didn’t you mention the birthdays to Daisy or Helen?”

Jenn answered this time, “We did the first time, but you were being punished ... so it just made sense you’d done something else the next year and I suppose the year after.”

“Why was it so easy for you to believe that I’d have done something worth a punishment like that?’

Jenn answered again, “You did hit Amy.”

“Why didn’t you ask me about that? I’m not exactly prone to violence, so any sane family would’ve asked what brought out that kind of outburst.”

The two glanced at each other again and then I saw a quick game of rock-paper-scissors with Jenn winning. I dialed the slider back up a notch and the Bitch let out a mini-moan before she managed to stifle it. Pete seemed hesitant, “I thought you were taking after your father.”

“My father wasn’t a violent man. He wasn’t abusive.”

Pete shook his head, “He loved you and all of his kids. I think he even loved Daisy and Helen in his way, but he wasn’t a good man. He took advantage of Daisy and Minnie’s mental health issues. What he did to James was unforgivable. Even Helen got roped into his designs because she was in love with Daisy. So, you acting out ... it just seemed like you were taking after him.”

“What did you think about me not being offered to ‘join the family’ as you put it on my 16^th birthday. I know you were here, cause I saw you with the Bitch.”

Jenn’s eyes went wide, “And who are you calling a bitch?”

I dialed the slider up another notch and Amy replied, “Me ... it’s a nickname.”

“It’s an apt descriptor. Answer the question.”

Pete glanced at Amy before locking eyes with me, “We just thought you didn’t want to join. You’d been so distant for years. It just seemed like it was the inevitable outcome.”

“And you didn’t ask Daisy or Helen?”

Pete didn’t hesitate, “I assumed it would upset Daisy if I asked ... since you came along.”

I interrupted, “Since she took me from Minnie.”

Pete continued, “Since she adopted you, she’d been looking forward to your induction; to being your first. Normally, you pick the person you’re closest too and I assumed if you’d turned the family down than she would’ve been distraught over not getting that moment.”

“Two more. How did this shit start?”

Jenn looked briefly like she wanted to complain about me cursing. Instead, she answered me, “Before I married Pete, he told me it was a family tradition ... that had been going on for at least 10 generations before him.”

“Not quite a real answer, but okay ... Now the big one ... in that five years you sent me letters I didn’t receive, sent me gifts I didn’t get, and you believed James and Amy when they lied about me. I get that, but why didn’t you ever just talk to me? Why not ask me why I didn’t want to ‘join the family’ or go on vacation with you or why I didn’t send you a thank you note? I know you don’t live here, but you pop in a couple times a year and you go on vacation with the family three or four times a year, so you had the opportunity. If you actually care ... why not just talk to me?”

I dialed the slider to maximum and then dropped it back down and Amy whimpered. The two looked at each other and eventually Pete eked out, ‘I don’t know.”

Jenn asked, “Does this mean we’re okay? Cause we did try?”

“I don’t know. From my perspective you were just as distant for the last five years as everyone else. I can’t pretend I feel the same way about you I did five years ago. If you’d just bothered to talk to me or remind Daisy or Helen, things might’ve gotten easier. I’ll read the letters you wrote. If they truly are ‘heartfelt’ I’ll give you a chance. You’ll be starting ahead of the rest of them in that regard. If after I read them I believe you really do care, when I leave I won’t cut off contact with you.”

Jenn asked, “Is that really on the table for Daisy, Helen, and your sisters?”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

I dialed the slider down all the way and silently directed Amy to take over the conversation. It quickly moved into pointless small talk while I tried to process the conversation and today’s events. Eventually, we left and dropped them off at their vacation house. It was a few blocks away from our house in the opposite direction of Sarah’s.

When we got back to the house Amy followed me down to the basement, “What?”

She got down on her knees begging, “Please ... I really need to be fucked ... your toy ... you drove me nuts all day.”

I went over to the toy cabinet and got out the hot water bottle, a green rabbit vibe Mandy was quite fond of, and a prodigious amount of lube, “Have you been wearing the plug?”

She answered, “You know I have.”

I handed her the hot water bottle, “Go give yourself an enema and wash the toy and plug. Don’t masturbate, come back when you’re done.”

She rushed upstairs and came back a half-hour later naked and rushing over to my bed and then got on her hands and knees with her ass up in the air. I couldn’t help laughing at the misplaced enthusiasm. I saw the ‘Property of Silver’ Tattoo and the tribal style markings around it and got a thrill from it, “On your back.”

“I thought you wanted to fuck my ass?”

“I’m going to, but we’re going to do it missionary.”

She complied, but was obviously confused. I got up from the sofa and stripped, before taking the toy and lube with me, “So, where did you leave the vibe and plug?”

“Uh, upstairs. In my room.”

“I’ll want the vibe back. I’ll need to charge it.”

“Okay.”

I put my hand to her pussy. It wasn’t wet, it was a biblical flood. I noticed the red curls above it had been shaved into a heart, “Why the heart?”