Chapter 20: Delightful Revelations!

June, 1985

[Beth chuckled and said, “Charlie, it’s nice to see you again! You should close your mouth though, before all the flies get in.” As she said it, she used her finger and lifted my chin back in place.]

To say that I was shocked would be like saying that Mount Everest was just a hill! My mind was going a hundred miles an hour, trying to figure out what to say. When I turned around and saw my family, every one of them were snickering at me. Even Bob and Greg, who I was sure had never met Beth before.

“Okay, you got me. What gives?”

Mary came and gave me a big hug and kissed me sweetly. “Jamie and I met Beth last night. She told us she’s known you for a very long time. We all wanted to make this a surprise for you, that’s why we didn’t say anything.”

Greg flashed that his dad had told him about Beth a week ago and that he had put two and two together and figured out that she was MY Beth.

He told Bob and asked him to keep it on the QT. I flashed, questioning him if everyone knew about my relationship with Beth. He flashed back that ONLY the girls knew that she had been my first lover. He wasn’t sure if his dad knew.

I was glad to get THAT information. I might’ve said something VERY embarrassing!

I suggested that the rest of us get ‘suited up’. Dan and Beth used the bathroom downstairs, while the rest of us went to our rooms to ‘don’ our swimming suits. When the four of us came down, the dads were ‘cat calling’ Mary and Jamie and the moms were ogling Bob, Greg and I.

When Dan and Beth came out it continued as Beth was wearing a ‘Wild Weasel’ and Dan was wearing a suit just like Greg’s only black.

When we got to the patio, we ran into our four neighbors who were there waiting for us. They got wide-eyed and Sally giggled, “Wow, you told us your parents were cool, but your parents are WAY cool!”

I started laughing, but managed to introduce everyone and enthusiastic hugs were given all around.

When Beth and I were hugging she whispered in my ear, “I see you found your soulmate Charlie. It seems that Greg has found his too. I’m very happy for both of you! Now do you understand where I was coming from back then?”

“I do Beth, but I’m never going to forget you. You’ll always be very special to me. I hope you and Dan have many wonderful years together.”

“I think we will. I don’t know if Dan is actually my ‘soulmate’ but I feel much closer to him than I ever did my husband.” She chuckled, before adding, “Dan said he thinks Greg considers him a prude. Tell Greg that nothing could be further from the truth. Dan is almost as good a lover as you are and way kinkier!”

I was snorting at that thought. “How much have you told Dan about you and me?”

“Everything Charlie. He and I don’t have any secrets and the relationship we’re forging is incredible. My new ‘family of eight’ is more than I could have ever hoped for. I’m so glad that your dad introduced me to Dan. Oh, and speaking of secrets, it seems the four of you have some interesting ‘secrets’!?”

I chortled, “The five of us, my brother Bob is included in that.”

“He’s doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

I chortled again, “Not if you ask Mary or Jamie. As far as they’re concerned they’re BOTH Bob’s girlfriends. But to answer your question, he and his soulmate are currently on separate ships but sailing toward each other. Kind of like you and Dan were a few weeks ago!”

Beth grinned, “So, you’re a clairvoyant like your dad?”

“Something like that. Dad says that the five of us can do things that he could only dream of ... until just recently.”

Beth kissed me on the cheek. When we turned around everyone was looking at us.

Dan snickered. “After all this time, all he gets is a kiss on the cheek?”

With that Beth pulled me into a steamy French kiss that curled my toes. I had a vision of the first time that we kissed at her house after mowing her lawn.

When we separated, Mary just grinned at me and flashed, “Did that bring back fond memories Charlie?”

“Oh yes! She’s the best kisser ever ... until I met YOU, sweetheart! I flashed.

“Nice save sweetie.” Mary snickered.

I suggested we all go swimming before dinner. With 17 of us in the pool, it didn’t seem like it was as big as when just the four or even eight of us were in it. We decided on a quick game of basketball and went parents against kids. Being 8’ deep in the center, where the basket was, definitely made it more interesting as it was almost impossible to dunk it.

The game was going back and forth in a hotly contested match. We only needed one more basket to win. The next thing I knew, Bob threw the ball to a giggling Jamie and she sprang out of the water and slam-dunked it like Moses Malone!

All the parents were laughing and Dad cried foul.

About that time Greg popped out of the water with his fingers interlocked indicating that he gone to the bottom and boosted Jamie. Bob swam over to Dad and took Dads hand and put it on his forehead. “If I’m lyin’, I’m dyin’ Dad!”

Dad hugged Bob and me and said, “That was pretty slick I have to admit. You guys make one hell of a team!”

I responded, “For a bunch of old folks, you guys do too.”

That started a dunking contest and I don’t mean with a basketball. I should say dunking and groping but it WAS a lot of fun and finished breaking the ice amongst the 17 of us.

Greg and I fired up the grill while the girls went in to start parboiling the ribs. Ed had a bowl with his ‘world-famous, top-secret sauce’ and set it down next to the grill. Half an hour later everyone had a plate full of their favorite meat and side dishes that all the ladies brought out.

Everyone commented on the ribs and I told them that kudos had to go to Ed for supplying the sauce and showing me his secret. (He DID give me the ingredients!)

The talk migrated to the Rockford PD’s ‘corruption bust’ and the State Trooper’s ‘biggest gang/drug/weapons/kidnapping bust of all time’. The media was all-in on the stories and we were relieved that, so far, only one line involved any connection to us.

“It was reported by gang members that they had been lifted 30’ in the air by the ‘Invisible Man’.”

Then Capt Gregory was quoted as saying,” he attributed those stories to the fact they were in a drug-induced stupor.”

The way he had casually ‘covered up’ for us went a long way towards making me more than willing to help him again.

Ed was dying to know the details of our escapades, but was being cool about it. He wasn’t buying the ‘drug-induced stupor’.

Ed and my parents were the only ones that knew about our ‘levitation’ skills. Bob and I decided it was best to keep it that way.

Over dinner, Dan, Greg and I got into a discussion about the problems with the Oak Brook construction job.

Dan was convinced, when he heard the dimensions, that it had to have been for a circular type building. Like Greg and I, he was incredulous that the building was square. Dad, Bill and Ted (Jamie’s dad) were listening and giving their opinions. Bill, an investment banker, had an interesting comment about a ‘revolutionary’ circular building in Pittsburgh.

One of his clients had ‘unwisely’ invested in it and right after construction started, the main holding company went bankrupt. That was about 9 months ago. There was speculation of fraud on the part of the investment broker, holding company and the steel company. Millions of dollars’ worth of steel had mysteriously disappeared before the bankruptcy court could take possession of it. No charges were ever filed, as the steel was never found.

When I realized the job was in Pittsburgh, a cold chill went down my spine. I asked Bill if he could get me the name of the Steel Company and the architectural firm that designed the building. He said he’d contact his client, because he might know.

Greg flashed that he knew what I was thinking. We BOTH had a sneaking suspicion about this bit of information.

Suddenly we got splashed with water and four giggling girls yelled, “are you guys gonna talk shop or PLAY? The moms and BOYS against the dads and GIRLS.”

We had a spirited game, especially since the dads figured out how two of them could boost one of the girls for a dunk. The dads and girls won, even though we had an extra person because of Bob.

After the game, our parents helped clean up and then they headed home since we ALL had to work tomorrow.

By 8:30 PM we kissed our parents goodbye and the nine of us headed back out to the patio to relax with another drink.

Sally said, “Your parents are the best. They acted like they were just like us.”

“They ARE just like us you know!” I joked, the eight of them are all intimate with each other and I have a feeling they’ve done things that we have yet to do.”

Jamie giggled, “I had a feeling! Every one of our dads was feeling us up and were grinning when we felt them up.”

Bob said, “I think Mary’s mom, JoAnn, has the hots for me! She felt me up at least five times and kept sneaking hot kisses!”

Greg said, “Alice, Jamie’s mom did the same to me and kept putting my hands on her breasts and telling me to squeeze!”

Sally and Gracie had ‘poop faces” on and said, “I think we got gypped. They never did that with us.”

I replied, “probably because they didn’t know you that well and didn’t want to appear to be too inappropriate!”

Gracie said, “Tell them next time, Sally and I are FAIR GAME!”

“I will. I take it the same goes for Bill and Ed?”

Ed grinned and said, “Hell yes, you guys have some of the hottest moms I’ve ever seen.”

Bill stated, “We have GOT to do this again. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”

Bob said, “I talked to Dad right after dinner and I’m heading over there tonight. He said my room is just the way I left it and I can stay there as long as I want.”

Mary said, “Bob, don’t be a stranger! You know you’re always welcome here and DON’T need an invitation.”

Bob gave her and Jamie a hug and a kiss before announcing that he was headed home.

Bill and Sally then said goodbye and headed home themselves, because Sally’s mom was bringing Kelly back any minute.

Now that Ed and Gracie were the only ones left, he really wanted to know the scoop.

Gracie asked, “Were the police over here around 2:00 this afternoon? I thought I saw an unmarked squad car parked in front of your house.”

I chuckled, “That was my dad’s friend, Capt Jim Gregory of the Illinois State Police. He and his son Tom, a Sgt with the St Charles Police, stopped over to say hi.”

Ed tittered, “With friends like that, this neighborhood feels safer already!”

Gracie added, “Is that the same Capt Gregory that was quoted in the paper about the Invisible Man?”

“Yes it was. Has Ed told you what Bob and I can do besides communicate?”

Ed’s eyes got as big as baseballs and he said, “Oh God, I haven’t told her about that yet.”

I chuckled. “Gracie, I don’t want to throw Ed here under the bus, but, if I tell you something, you have to keep it an absolute secret. You can’t even tell your mother! Can you do that?”

While I was saying that Ed was doing his best ‘Barney Fife’ imitation of furiously zipping his lips shut. Seeing him being that adamant, I decided to ‘hedge my bet’ just a hair. I put my hand on Gracie’s forehead.

She was thinking, “I’ll never tell my mother, but my sister is an entirely different story!”

I instantly knew why Ed didn’t want me to tell her. She never keeps ANYTHING a secret from her sister.

I looked at Gracie and stated, “You can’t even breathe a word of it to your sister.”

Gracie’s eyes grew wide, then, with a defeated look, “Awww, I can’t even tell my sister?”

Ed jumped in, “NO! Especially not your sister! If you tell HER, you might as well put it on the front page of the Chicago Tribune.”

Now I was getting nervous. “Gracie, have you told your sister about the five of us?”

“No, not exactly.”

Ed started freaking out. “What do you mean, not exactly? WE PROMISED to keep their secret!”

“I told her that some friends of ours had done some amazing things and we were going to get together this week and I was going to tell her the rest.”

“Gracie, do you realize that if the wrong people found out what the five of us could do, it could get us killed? Do you remember when Joshua got all weird and made us go in the house?”