Chapter 4

Mary Molnar had been living with her in-laws since she and Sig had gotten married. They intended to get their apartment. But after the Pearl Harbor attack, Sig along with millions of other young men in enthusiastic response joined the military. She was pregnant but Sig only got short leaves to come home, so they didn’t have much time together as husband and wife. He died when his 101’st Airborne plane went down over France.

She gave birth before her husband died. But the trauma of his death left little room for the joy of new motherhood. Her life was in turmoil. Additionally, in response to his grief and anger at his son’s death Edgar Molnar joined the service. So, the two women Mary and her mother-in-law Pearl were alone in the house dealing with the strange combination of grief of Sig’s death and the joy of childbirth and pain of separation.

One day while Mary was wandering through the house with her baby in her arms, she found herself in her mother-in-law’s bedroom. The baby started crying and needed to be fed. So, sitting on the edge of the bed she put the child on her breast. Absently opening the drawer on the bedside table, she spied a stack of photographs turned upside down. Unable to quell her curiosity she picked up the stack and turned it over. What she saw stunned and confused her. It was a picture of her in-laws. They were naked and in an inconceivable position. In ear-buzzing shock, she thought Oh my God as she realized that her mother and father-in-law were performing fellatio and cunnilingus.

Having been married just a brief time she didn’t realize that sixty-nine was more than just a number. Breathlessly she turned over the next picture which showed Pearl straddling Edgar sitting on his cock while facing him. Pinching Pearl’s nipples, Ed leered into the camera. In titillated wonder Mary looked through all the pictures as her baby nursed, viewing the incredibly perverted story that unfolded before her.

At the turn of each picture, she was astonished that her in-laws would do something like that. Wondering who must have taken the pictures her question was answered when she turned over the next picture showing two women, Pearl, and Mildred Pickney. They were kneeling with their bottoms thrust into the air. Behind them, two men, Oliver Pickney and Ed Molnar were plugged into the two women’s pussies by their erect penises. Mary was not even familiar with the “doggy” position at the time.

The men behind the women were laughing as if one had told the other a joke. For Mary, the joke was that Ed Molnar was fucking Mildred Pickney while Oliver Pickney was fucking Pearl. She knew that Oliver’s hobby was photography, he had all the equipment ... even did his developing. But who was taking that picture?

The next picture answered that question as well, Beth Cross was on the floor on her knees. Ed’s cock was in her mouth and Oliver was fucking her from behind. Mary knew they were all close friends, knew about Ollie’s penchant for taking pictures, and knew these pictures were highly unlawful. Though aware of these pornographic pictures Mary never confronted her mother-in-law. But from that point, she looked upon her in-laws and their friends uniquely.

During the brief time they were married, she and her husband Sig had enough sex to know it was like catnip to cats. But she never conceived it could be an adventure of the magnitude captured in her mother-in-law’s pictures. At the same time, while she was breastfeeding the baby her body was constantly in a state of sexual excitement. She often felt guilty while nursing her baby when she would go back to Pearl’s bed, sit, look at the pictures and masturbate. Before her baby was born, she never conceived that she would have sexual feelings while her baby nursed. She wondered if she would even think like this had she never seen the pictures.

As Josh Cross’s secretary at Angus Meat Processing Mary had always been smitten with her boss’s urbane, handsome, and masculine appeal. Because of her father-in-law’s recommendation, she considered herself lucky to be in the position of working for Mr. Cross. He was a good boss and supportive of her during her period of grief. After numerous relooks at the pictures in the drawer, she began fantasizing about him, often masturbating while pining for her lost husband.

Strangely, it was Beth who intensified Mary’s feelings toward Josh. She told Mary to take advantage of Josh’s empathetic nature and pay attention to his counsel ... that he had a unique capacity to help people put difficult life crises into perspective.

Shortly after becoming his secretary, just before noon on a Wednesday Cross said on the intercom, “Call Joyce in Mary, I’m taking you to lunch.” Joyce was her replacement when she needed to leave her desk. Mary wondered what it was all about. Nobody at Angus Meat above her station had ever asked her to go to lunch. She usually ate in the cafeteria.

As they walked to the restaurant around the corner from the office Mary was understandably nervous about such an event. Though there had always been underlying sexual vibes between Joshua Cross and herself he had always been both an ideal boss and a perfect gentleman. Nevertheless, she was concerned that something might be amiss. When they sat down at the rear corner table in the restaurant, she could not help herself from blurting, “Have I done something wrong, Mr. Cross?”

Goodness no Mary,” he said with a chuckle. “You know that Ed and Pearl Molnar have been great friends of Beth and me. When we heard the news of Sig’s loss, we went to them right away. They told us what you were going through. We of course understood ... we were grieving for Sig in our way and our hearts ached for them and you.”

Reaching across the table and patting her hand, he went on, “Anyway, since Ed has been away in the service Beth has been spending more time with Pearl. She told me how concerned Pearl is about you. While she’s suffering Sig’s loss as a mother, she’s concerned that with the baby you are becoming isolated from people your age and wished that you could get out a little.”

As a good friend of Pearl Molnar Beth was always the more sophisticated of the two. It had been her idea to get the three couples together into a swinging relationship and use Oliver’s expertise in photography to memorialize their escapades. Because she spent a lot of time with Pearl, she got to know Pearl’s daughter-in-law Mary well. One day while talking to the young woman she detected a judgmental aspect in Mary’s attitude toward her and said, “I’ve been getting the idea, Mary, that you might have some kind of problem with me.”

“Oh no,” Mary said trying to work through her knowledge of the pictures, “I don’t know why you would say that Beth.”

“I know you well enough to recognize something different in the way you are talking with me, Mary. You’re being defensive about something.”

Feeling as if she was cornered Mary said, “It’s nothing, Beth. Everything’s just been such a blur since Sig died. I’m just sad and confused.”

“It’s something else,” “Beth said, “and I would like to clear the air if we need to.”

“I...”

“Something’s wrong dear,” Beth interrupted, “and I care too much for you to let it fester. Might I have said something to offend you?”

Feeling trapped Mary blurted, “I ... I...” then in frustration, she went on, “It’s the sex you’re having with Mom and Dad and the Pickneys.” Turning bright red from the discomfort of what she had just said she couldn’t believe it had come out of her mouth. Expecting a sleazy denial Beth’s response shocked her.

“Oh THAT,” she said with a curious giggle.

In confused anger, Mary said, “How can you just say, ‘Oh THAT?’ It’s both immoral and illegal!”

With the same kind of understanding smile with which she managed every situation Beth said, “I know you’re a good person Mary ... and a good Catholic to boot. But you also know that my outlook on life is, shall we say, eclectic?” Hypnotizing Mary’s eyes she went on, “I know you like me Mary... a lot. Am I right?”

Taken aback by Beth’s response she said, “Um ... um yes but just the same it is immoral and illegal.”

“Tsk, tsk sweetie, priests and nuns talk about that kind of thing all the time, but it doesn’t mean a thing to me.” Comfortably gazing into Mary’s disbelieving eyes, she went on, “Pearl and Ed, Ollie and Mildred, and Josh and I have been dear, dear friends since we met years ago when our men were in the service.” Giving her a cockeyed smirk, she continued, “What we do in private is our business and our business alone. We hurt no one and have a delightful time enjoying the bodies that God has given us ... sharing them with our beloved friends.”

Watching Mary trying to understand what she was talking about she added, “Oh. I’m sure you didn’t know that I grew up in a nudist family.” She laughed. “I’ve spent lots of years running around my parents’ home naked, just as my parents and siblings did.”

Taking Mary’s hands, she went on, “I guess you can say that I brought nudity to our friendship (referring to the group).” She watched as Mary’s eyes widened. “We love each other, and he-he-he we have grown to love each other’s nakedness as well.” Smiling and rolling her eyes. “We act so much more freely and more naturally when we are in the nude.” Tilting her head, she giggled. “It’s hard to run around naked together Mary and not want to play with what is so plain before our eyes. So, what you saw in your mother-in-law’s drawer is just our record of some of the things we’ve done together ... in private ... while hurting nobody.” She patted Mary’s hand.

Everything her parents had taught her was now a jumble of confusion. Before the time, she discovered the naughty pictures she had never even considered something as inconceivable as sharing sex with other people than to whom you were married. Premarital sex was wrong ... she had resisted Sig’s pressure until they were married. But the almost juvenile elation in which Beth was talking about what their “group” was doing in the pictures was pushing back on her cultural values. With Sig Mary enjoyed sex and missed it terribly. Why should it be fair that I must suffer in this way? But having sex with your friends?

“I can’t imagine that Mama Pearl would have come up with the idea herself,” Mary said.

Beth laughed. “She didn’t. Pearl is quite shy. It was all my idea. And if you think Pearl is shy now you should have seen her in high school. Now she’s having the most fun of all of us, romping around naked together.” She giggled delightedly. “Oh, sweetie all of us love our lifestyle.”

She hugged Mary who pushed back. “I know that this is probably a little too much for you to process comfortably now Mary, but I’ll bet you’ll understand it more when the time is right for you.” When Beth hugged her tighter, she stopped resisting and allowed Beth to pull her closer.

As their soft bodies came together, she didn’t know why Beth’s hug seemed sweeter than before. She doubted she would ever understand. She was confused by the idea of “the time is right.” She felt better about her uncomfortable knowledge now that the pictures were out in the open.

Beth cautioned, “But I wouldn’t say anything to Pearl Mary. She wouldn’t know how to deal with it ... she might feel uncomfortable that her son’s widow whom she considers naïve knows about it. I’ll talk with her about it in my own time sweetie. In the meantime, mum’s the word, ok?”

Though nothing was said Mary always felt odd when she was with Beth, especially in her mother-in-law’s presence. It became an elephant in the room that always threatened to make its presence known at any moment.

With her boss Joshua Cross it was business as usual. But there was a difference in her attitude toward him. She had always been a bit infatuated with him; he’d always been so charming. But considering the fact of having seen his naked body engaging in sex acts in the pictures with Beth, Mildred, and especially her mother-in-law Pearl, there was a more deeply seated awareness of his masculine appeal. In his business presence, he was charismatic with a magnetic appeal. In the pictures, his fitness despite him being a “mature” man trumpeted his desirability.

As related to his sexual endowment it was both larger and more attractive than the other two men, like Michelangelo’s “David.” Her thoughts became depraved when she looked at the pictures, lubricating copiously while thinking lustfully of Mr. Cross. Being a widow who had already experienced the joy of her husband’s nakedness and the visual awareness of his erect penis and how it felt inside her, she couldn’t stop wondering what Joshua Cross’ larger, more rugged endowment might feel like if it were to be moving in her vagina.