Chapter 2

The next morning, Paula is sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. She is thinking about her past. Getting pregnant at age 20 and never getting married. She did not consider getting pregnant a mistake. It was a blessing. She had Sharon, and she was forever grateful for that. Sharon’s father, Terry, was in the military when he and Paula met. Paula was deeply in love with Terry, and they had planned to get married when his enlistment was up.

When Terry’s mother called the college and insisted that Paula be called out of her English lit class, Paula knew something was terribly wrong. Terry’s mother was crying on the phone and asked her to come over as soon as she could.

Paula raced to her car and drove the thirty-five miles to Terry’s parents’ house, already feeling the beginning of tears in her eyes.

An Army chaplain and a Sergeant were waiting for her with Terry’s parents.

Lt. Terry Nickels was dead.

It was nothing glorious. The Sergeant informed Paula it was an accident while on a training exercise with junior noncoms. They were not forthcoming with details, and Paula was too upset to ask. Five weeks later, she found out she was pregnant and could not have been happier. Paula informed her mother, father, and Terry’s parents, and they were also elated with the news. Both sets of parents supported her emotionally and financially throughout her pregnancy until she finished college. To this day, both sets of parents keep a loving eye on Paula and Sharon.

Paula and Sharon moved away from her hometown in the Midwest about two years ago. Paula accepted a technical writer / editor position at a software company on the west coast. It was her job to rewrite and edit the raw data supplied by the engineers. She often provided feedback to the engineers as she checked their input against the performance of the beta software.

It paid well, and she could work from home when she wasn’t needed in a meeting with the engineering staff to discuss schedules, budgets, and plans for updates, new products or other duties that might require her to be in the office.

Still in her bathrobe and sipping her coffee, she heard Sharon come into the kitchen. Sharon went to the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of juice. She plopped herself down at the table across from her mother and said, “Hey, how come you’re not dressed for work?”

Paula grinned and said, “I’m working at home today and thought I would spend a little extra time annoying you before you went to school.”

“Oh, Mom, you’re soooo annoying.”

“So, how was the movie you and John watched last night?” Paula asked with a grin.

Sharon did not give her mother the knowing grin back with the suggestive innuendo she was expecting. She looked at her mother with a serious look and said, “Mom, we need to talk.”

Paula put down her coffee cup and said, “Okay, let’s talk.”

Sharon took a deep breath, “Mom, I know you know what goes on after John and I finish our homework and even on weekends if John comes over. John and I have been dating for almost two years now. Five months ago, I started taking birth control pills. For a few months before that, John and I started to get into some heavy petting. I told you I was thinking about going all the way with him, and you took me to the doctor. John and I went all the way four and a half months ago.” Sharon looked at her mother and grinned. “Thanks, Mom. Everything worked out perfectly after that little doctor visit.”

Paula confessed that she knew what was going on and that she knew it was more than heavy petting and they were having intercourse. And that Sharon knew she was allowing it to happen. Now that things were out in the open, Paula got curious and asked Sharon, “So, where was your first time going all the way with John?”

Without a bit of hesitation, Sharon told her mother that they had done it in John’s bedroom while his parents were out for date night. “Now, we only do it here. That’s why we always have so much homework.” That solicited more grins.

“So, Mom, are you sure you’re alright with this? And will you stop torturing John by pretending you don’t know what is going on when he comes over? He knows, you know, but is still a bit nervous that you will open that door and see him in bed with me and ban him from the state of California for life.”

“Okay, I will stop teasing him. You know I like John and think you two are good for each other. I can see that he treats you the same way your father treated me and is totally in love with you. He has the same look in his eyes as your father when we were together. I also know that two people as in love with each other as you two are will make love when they feel the time is right. I could be strict and ban that kind of behavior in my house, and all you would do is go somewhere else and do it. This way, I know you are safe and not on some back road in the back seat of a car or a seedy motel.”