Chapter 4

Sharon came into the kitchen, still wearing the nightshirt Paula had lent her the night before. “Good morning, Mom. What-cha making for breakfast?”

“My Saturday morning pancake special with bacon. And stop killing the English language.”

“Yum, sounds great. Hey, what is ya, uh English Lit majaa or sumtin?”

“Haha, that’s very funny. And don’t eat all the bacon before I finish making this stack of pancakes.” Paula brought the last of the pancakes to the table and sat down. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“John has a pick-up game at the park with some of his friends. He will come to get me before the game and drop me at the mall so I can meet Gail and Sue for a little shopping. His dad is home, so John has his mom’s car for the day. When we’re done shopping, I’ll give him a call. He will come get me and bring me home. So you won’t have pickup duty today.”

“Ok, sounds like a plan.”

“Mom, can I ask you some more questions about you and dad?”

“Sure. Fire away.”

“I know talking about dad makes you sad, but I want to know more about my father and you. I have seen his pictures that you keep in the drawer and the pictures at granny and pappy Nickels’. I know you could only be together for a little over a year.”

“Talking about your dad with you does not make me sad. Sometimes I think about him when I’m alone. That’s when it makes me sad. So what do you want to know?”

“The things I really want to know are, was he a great lover? Did you make love on the first date? Where did you make me?”

“Oh my, those are some very personal questions, but here goes.”

“Was he a great lover? Yes, I would say your father definitely was a great lover. He certainly knew how to romance my panties off.”

“Did we make love on the first date? No, we didn’t, but we didn’t wait as long as you did to have sex for the first time. I was nineteen, and your dad was twenty-one. He was stationed at a base only fifty miles away. Depending on his duty days and my class schedule, he could see me two or three times a week. We had been dating for eight weeks when he asked if I would spend the night with him. I told him to start the damn car, and I would pay for the motel. Of course, your dad paid. After that night, we were regular customers at that motel and even got the repeat business discount.”

“Come on. You’re kidding? You didn’t get a discount.”

“Oh yes, we did! But I think it was because the ex-military owner knew your dad was stretching his budget to be with me.”

“Where did we make you? I can tell you the day and even the hour. On Valentine’s Day, your father had reservations at one of the better restaurants for dinner. Then we walked over to the hotel where he had reserved a suite for the night. He had flowers and Champagne sent up. It must have cost him a month’s pay. The deed was done twice before midnight. I’m surprised you don’t have a twin. I think about that night a lot when I’m alone.”

“Thank god it wasn’t in a ‘65 Chevy.”

“What did you say, Hon?”

“Nothing, Mom. Just thinking out loud. I can’t understand how you have gone for 17 years without sex?”

“Well, to be honest, it’s not been that long. When you were seven, I met a nice man at work, and we seemed to get along well. We became friends and would meet at lunch to talk and sometimes go out for a drink or two at the end of the work week. He was single and unattached. I was a single parent, lonely and feeling a little sorry for myself. After a few weeks of going out for drinks, we fell into a routine of meeting after work about once a week just for sex. That lasted for three months, and then we drifted apart.”

“A couple of years later, I had another short affair. I guess I just gave up after that. And as you now know, I know how to masturbate—and speaking of masturbation. I know this may sound a little weird, but thank you for last night. Having someone you love to hold on to makes a difference. For a minute, I was with your father again. Now I have a question for you. Am I going to have to take you to a shrink after what happened last night?”

“No, Mom, you’re not. It was a beautiful moment when I think of it now, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I felt so much love coming from you while I was holding you. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if I had that feeling again.”

Paula got up and hugged her daughter, and whispered, “I have a feeling we will, sweetheart.”

“Now, don’t go and get all gushy and start crying again, or we will end up back in your bedroom. I have places to go and people to see.”

Paula laughed and released her daughter, “I’ll be fine Miss Funny Face. Now go up and get ready. Don’t make John late for his ball game.”