Chapter 10: Adjustments

Alan’s joining our family was a process. The school district gave him grief over his lousy records, but eventually he showed them he had plenty of ability. He was simply a year behind, so they put him in with the sophomores even though he was the age of a junior. At least he avoided any of the remedial classes, and early reports showed he was performing well and turning in all of his homework on time.

On the other hand, he still seemed tense and anxious, as if he feared losing his place in our house and having to go back in the system. We all tried to reassure him, but there was a lot of damage to overcome. At least he was putting on weight and staying healthy.

At night when the three of us cuddled in the bedroom, Nancy told us about a new issue. Our house didn’t have air conditioning, and it was warm inside because of the weather. Before Alan, the girls could be naked all the time and be comfortable.

Now they were wearing an absolute minimum of t-shirts and shorts and didn’t bother with bras.

“Charley, he’s got his eyes on us all the time whenever he thinks we won’t notice. If we catch him looking, he hides in his bedroom with the door shut.”

“Nancy, he’s sixteen, and you’re a ten. That’s just math. You too, Terry.”

“It’s more than that. Alan has a constant hard-on whenever he’s around us. And when I do his laundry, his sheets and his underwear are all crusty.”

“Again, he’s sixteen. Twice a day is not unusual.”

“I get that. But it’s like, oh, I don’t know, it’s like we stress him out. He acts like being horny is a terrible thing. That’s worrying us.”

“Yeah, I see your point. He needs to relax and be comfortable around us. Let’s talk to him after dinner tomorrow.”

When we got together, that meeting was very difficult. Even weeks later it was hard for me to think about how Alan’s life had been before us. I started out describing how our marriage had expanded to include Nancy and Carmen. How extremely lucky I felt to be loved by three beautiful and sexy women.

“We can all see, Alan, that you are naturally excited by them, but that seems to cause you stress. Why is that?”

He burst into tears, throwing me for a loop. I would have sold my blood for a peek at bare boobs when I was sixteen. Finally, he spat out an explanation. His mother, damn her, had been molesting him. It screwed him up badly because he couldn’t resist her but couldn’t enjoy it either. He thought there was something terribly wrong with him, being a literal motherfucker.

“I’m finally free of her, but I still can’t control my reactions. You people have been nothing but kind to me, and in return I’m perving on you.”

His head was down; he couldn’t look in our faces.

“Not enough,” Terry commented. Not enough? I tried to keep a soft tone.

“Is there anything else we should know?”

“Other boys in the group home were trying to have sex with me, but I wasn’t in there long enough for them to succeed or overpower me.”

“Alright, I think I understand now. You’re straight, not gay; you’re sixteen, and your body is flooded with hormones. Because of that, you are constantly saluting these two beautiful young women with constant hard-ons. Is this reaction a surprise? Of course not. Before you moved in, I did the same thing, and I’m way past sixteen. Close your eyes for a minute and think about this. In the house, they were naked all the time.”

I had to smile when I heard him gasp.

“Nobody here is going to hurt you or take advantage of you or touch you without permission. Nancy isn’t related to you, and Terry is your cousin, not your parent. In fact, this state is one of many where cousins can get married. You can’t marry Terry, though; she’s mine.

“We need to find you some counseling to help you with all this historical shit. It was brave of you to explain what you’ve been feeling. But in the meantime, why don’t you go on back to your bedroom and take it easy for a while?”

“I can’t, Charley.”

“Why not?”

The poor kid gestured at his crowded crotch.

“You said they were naked.”

“Oh, if you insist.”

I pulled my shirt over my head. He stared at my chest hair with big round eyes, then grinned, cackled, and finally roared. We joined with him, and when he settled down, he could walk out of the room comfortably.