Chapter 41: Catastrophe

Friday, July 26th, 1996, Sanford Maine

For once, I had awoken before either of my girls. I simply lay basking in their combined warmth from where they lay cuddled up into my sides, their heads resting in the crook of my arms. I was going to miss my Butterfly; this was the last morning that I’d be waking up with her in my arms for a while. She had to spend tonight at home in order to help her Mom do a bunch of housework before they left Sunday. We’d get to see her tomorrow afternoon and for diner Saturday at her house, but she’d be gone for a week after that.

I seriously didn’t know how we’d manage the business side of things without CC, and I was hesitant to ask one of our friends to fill in unless we had enough work to keep them on full-time. I knew that with how fast our little company had grown (and was still growing) that our friends who weren’t working were a bit jealous of the money we now had, and I would love to hire one of them, but how to choose? Stewart and Andy were my two best friends, but if we did hire someone, we only needed one. How could I pick between them? So that had me consider hiring Martin, but that might upset the twins if I passed over them. So if I was to be completely honest with myself, I had to admit that I was putting off a difficult decision because I was frozen with the fear of hurting someone I cared about. Maybe I should ask for some advice from either our Mom or Dad or both. I’d talk to Amber about it on Sunday after CC was gone.

Pushing thoughts of work aside, for now, I looked down at my sister’s peaceful face, remembering how we’d made such sweet and gentle love last night. It had been super emotional, making up for the horrible fight that I’d caused. I think a part of the reason why she’d forgiven me was that she’d been happily surprised when she’d overheard me asking our sensei for help in reigning in my temper. That had definitely helped thaw out her feelings towards me. We had reconnected, and although I knew that I had a lot of work to do towards earning my sister’s complete trust back, I was stoked that we’d made up. She’d been one hundred percent right after all. I seriously needed to start thinking before I acted; otherwise, I’d end up in the slammer for sure.

I brushed back an errant strand of hair from Amber’s forehead—our reconnection had been exquisite last night. I could still picture myself slowly pushing in and out of her sweet pussy while staring intensely into her Emerald green eyes. It had left me feeling even more determined to stop doing the dumb things that upset her. We were so intent on each other that it was almost as of we were alone even though CC was right there with us, alternating between stroking my back and ass cheeks and Amber’s silky blonde hair, shoulders, and arms. We’d unintentionally ignored her and continued to stare deeply into each other’s eyes even after I’d rolled off to the side.

Poor CC, who we’d left out of our lovemaking, had proceeded to clean us gently and lovingly with her mouth, and yet we hardly noticed. Making sure that we were okay again took precedence; we communicated our feelings without words, needing touch and looks alone. Finally, after we felt whole again and had snapped back to reality, we shared a glance, both of us flushing guiltily; we gathered CC up into our arms, smothering her in our affection. However, when we tried apologizing, she was adamant that it was okay, insisting that she was more than happy to see us patching things up before she left. If not, she explained that then her vacation would’ve been subdued, and she wanted to be nothing but joyous when visiting with her grandparents, whom she adored. Besides, she assured us, she knew just how much we loved her. Hearing her say that made me thrilled. It showed me how far she’d come since we started our relationship. The self-doubt inside her was slowly fading, and she had faith in our feelings for her now. That, to me, said volumes. I bet that when she achieved a basic level of competence in Karate, she’d be almost unrecognizable; her self-confidence would skyrocket.

Thinking about martial arts made me grimace. I hoped that I wasn’t too sore today, not after the strenuous workout that our sensei had made me do as punishment for my self-confessed transgressions against the Dojo’s code of conduct. Mr. Moss was sorely disappointed after he’d listened to me explain how I’d tried to get at CC’s tormentors to violently put an end to their aggravating behavior. He was even more disappointed when I confessed that a part of my reaction was due to my desire for revenge since I was frustrated that the assholes were still free to run the streets while I was the one being charged with assault. He’d explained that my one saving grace for escaping even further discipline was because I had immediately come clean and admitted my actions while simultaneously recognizing my faults and asking for help. Otherwise, if he’d heard about my thoughtless aggression third hand, I might have been demoted a belt rank as a consequence and would’ve needed to earn it all over again regardless of my technical skill.

I was under orders to ignore them no matter what they did unless it was a direct physical threat. Mr. Moss reminded me of the Dojo’s precept about violence being an act of last resort, something to be used in defense only. As a punishment and to help me realize that discipline was something that I needed to have at all times, I was prescribed a mind-numbing series of exercises to do daily for the next couple of weeks. I guess he figured that if I was too tired out between work and having to do two-hundred push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks every day, that I’d have less energy to even think about attacking anyone in anger.

I sighed happily after flexing various muscles, finding none that seemed to be sore. I snuggled my two loves and spent as long as I could reveling in the feel of their slumbering forms pressed up against me, enjoying their warm breaths as they blew rhythmically across my pecs. Finally, my body decided that I really needed to get to the washroom, and so regretfully, I slithered my way from between them, needing to piss.

“Davey?” Amber yawned as she rolled onto her back, her pretty eyes looking up at me in sleepy confusion. “Is it time to get up?”

“No, it’s raining out,” I whispered, bringing her attention to the pitter-patter on the window. “We have the day off, remember?”

“Oh, yeah,” she agreed, giving another yawn. “I’m staying in bed then. You coming back?” she asked as I stood up. Unfortunately, our conversation caused CC to mumble incoherently as she rolled over into Amber, looking for the warmth my body had provided.

“No, I’m too awake now. I’m gonna grab a shower and then go make some coffee. I’ll wait for another hour or so and then make us all some breakfast. Okay?”

“M’kay,” she agreed as she turned over and curled up into our girlfriend. “Love you,” she mumbled sleepily as she burrowed her face into CC’s neck.

“Love you too, Peaches,” I murmured back right before I scampered to our bathroom, squeezing my morning wood hard in my hand. I really needed to piss.

Freshly showered, I scurried down the stairs. I could smell coffee, and it had me salivating for my morning fix.

“Morning, Mom,” I greeted as I sauntered towards the kitchen. She was sitting at her usual spot at the table with a steaming mug in front of her; she was dressed for work and had her leather medical bag next to her feet. I bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug before passing her by.

“Good morning, Sweetie. Did you have a good sleep?” Mom asked, giving me a smile. “There’s more in the pot,” she added as she lifted her cup, taking a sip.

“Mmm, it smells good. Nothing like freshly brewed coffee right after a shower,” I commented while taking a deep whiff.

“Your hair is coming in nicely, Honey. I can’t see your scars anymore. You are such a handsome boy, you know,” Mom said, giving me a motherly smile. “Oh, and before I forget, your father and I both have Sunday off, so we were thinking about making it a family day and going down to the beach. What do you think about that?”

“I think that sounds like a great idea!” I replied enthusiastically. “We haven’t hit the beach in ages! Which one? I hope Willard, it’s much better than the one in East End. You’d think they’d be able to come up with something more original than just calling it by its geographical location,” I chuckled, making reference to a long-standing complaint that Dad made about too obvious names. Lakeside, Lakeshore, Hillside, Mountain road, West this or East that, or anything similar being at the top of his list of moronic place names. He had a plethora of them listed that he ranted about, and he had a point. “Wasn’t Dad’s day off tomorrow, though?”

“It was, but he pulled a double shift to cover for one of the guys. I didn’t catch who,” Mom shrugged before I could ask. “Anyway, I’m glad that you’re okay with having a day at the beach. I know how busy you’ve been and realize that you probably haven’t been seeing your friends as much as you’d like this summer. And yes, we’ll go to Willard, it should be less crowded, and I found that the sand was nicer there. We figured that it would help get your mind off of Cindy leaving for the week. I know how hard it is to be separated when everything is all brand new and shiny. When your love is still all-consuming and fresh, any time spent apart feels like an eternity,” she smiled sympathetically. “We’ll go out for a nice family diner somewhere too. It’s been a while since we’ve all gone out together.”

“I’ll miss her for sure, but I’ll be okay. A restaurant sounds great! Will it be fancy? I’ll need to make sure that my good clothes are cleaned if it is.”

“It won’t be black tie,” Mom chuckled, “but it’ll be dressy enough that jeans won’t do. Tell your sister so she can plan on a nice dress or something. Well, I’ve got to get going, sweetie. I have to oversee a bunch of calves getting their immunization shots in about half an hour,” she said as she stood up from the table and pushed her chair in. “Oh, and I’m going to be calling Tom this afternoon to see what we can do about the constant harassment those two jerks are doing to you guys. It’s just not right! I still say we should just call the police, but your father thought it made more sense to see what Tom recommends we do first because of that ridiculous restraining order against you. I’m sure there must be something he can suggest so that we can stop it!”

“Yeah, well, I agree with Dad. Those cops aren’t interested in the truth, and with my luck, they’d just arrest me for breaking the order even though it’s them that have been following me around! I trust Mr. Dickinson. If there’s something we can do, he’ll know it.”

“Okay, well, for now, you just make sure to stay away from them. If they go near you, I want you to leave—immediately. Understood? Neither I nor your father was happy with what you told us about how you tried attacking them,” she frowned. “I know that you confessed it to us on your own—and I’m proud that you did—but it does make me worry, Honey. Your sister is right; they’re probably baiting you. Either to get you into some serious trouble or even to use it as an excuse to hurt you all over again. I almost lost my baby boy once, so you keep your promise that you’ll keep a cool head.”

“I will, Mom. I already told you that I realized how dumb I acted, and I meant it,” I reassured her as I stirred my coffee and took a sip. “Besides, we finished up our work for the week since we knew that today would be a rain day, and we aren’t going back to work till Monday.”

“Okay, well, come give me a hug. If I don’t get out of here now, I’m going to be late,” Mom demanded as she walked over to put her empty cup in the sink.

“Okay,” I replied, wrapping her into a tight bear hug while giving her another kiss on the cheek. “Have a good day, Mom. Love you.”

“Love you too, David. Give the girls my love when they wake up. Oh, and since today is your father’s day off, remind him that he promised to take a look at the AC unit. It’s been making a weird humming noise, and having it break down in the middle of July would be the last thing we need. Now, goodbye, I’ve gotta run!” she gushed as she hustled over to the front door.

“Okay, will do,” I agreed, as she smiled gratefully, put on her work boots (since she’d be in the field), and slipped out the door.

As soon as she was gone, I took my coffee and headed into the garage. I figured that I’d get in a light workout and do all of my prescribed exercises at the same time.

“Hey! You guys are finally up! Just in time, too, because I just finished making breakfast and was coming to get you,” I said with a smile as I watched Amber and CC make their way down the stairs. They both looked so sexy with their messy bed-head hair and bare shapely legs sticking out from a couple of my old t-shirts.

“We heard Daddy’s truck leave. Where’d he go? I figured he’d be relaxing today,” Amber asked curiously.

“He went for groceries and to order a replacement compressor for the AC unit. Mom was after him to fix it since it started making that humming noise,” I shrugged. “He also mentioned that he’d be a while since he had to drive into Portland for that, said he might take a look at some exercise equipment for the garage that I’d asked him for while he was there. I think that he was hinting that I’d have some time alone with my girlfriend,” I smiled.

“Mmm, it smells good. I love bacon!” CC yawned prettily. She paused at the bottom of the stairs to stretch, which did wonders for her breasts as they pushed out against the thin cotton fabric of my old tee. I couldn’t help but ogle where her nipples were poking through.

“Our girlfriend!” Amber growled as she playfully squeezed CC’s tits as she paused with arms reaching high above her head.

“Mmm, you can squeeze me there all day, Angel,” CC murmured lazily. “I need to save up a week’s worth.”

Amber kissed her neck and then let go, passing her to make her way towards the kitchen. CC’s nipples were now hard bullets that had me salivating for later.

“Bro, if you stare any harder, your eyeballs will fall out. Is there still some coffee made?” Amber asked, lightly punching me in the shoulder as she passed me at the counter, heading to check the maker.

“Yeah, I just made a fresh pot,” I replied while tearing my eyes from CC’s chest to turn and step up behind my sister, hugging her tight. “I’m so glad that you forgave me and accepted my promise again last night. I love you so much, Amb,” I murmured as I kissed her neck and squeezed around her middle.

“You made waffles too!” CC squealed as she saw the plate full of them next to the stove.

“Yeah, I know how much you guys love them.”

“And they’re blueberry!” she added gleefully.

“Fresh ones that Mom brought home from Adner’s farm. Nothing but the best for my two ladies.”

“I’m glad too, Davey. But, you’d better keep it this time!” Amber hissed vehemently before tilting her head up sideways to kiss me firmly on the mouth. “Now lemme make my coffee. I’m still tired and would’ve stayed in bed, but a little miss, SOMEONE actually woke up before me for once. I’m not naming any names, but that same SOMEONE made me get up because she’s leaving us for a week and wants to spend some quality time with us,” Amber grumped even though I saw a ghost of a smile cross her lips.

“Hey! I told you that you could’ve stayed in bed, little miss grumpy-pants!” CC complained. “I’m just really gonna miss you guys!”

“She’s just messin’ with you, Butterfly,” I grunted. “See, she’s smiling.”

“Yup, just messin’ with ya, Sugar,” Amber laughed as she moved over and grabbed a couple of plates for her and CC.

I finished up the bacon and then scooped a few pieces on each of the girls’ plates before placing a small mound on my own. While Amber carried everything to the table, I waved at CC to sit while I made us both a coffee.

“It’s really starting to come down outside. I hope the power doesn’t go out,” Amber frowned as we all heard a loud peal of thunder as the rain seemed to suddenly double in force against the window panes.

“Well, if it does, I’m sure that we’ll find something to do,” I smirked.

“Hmm, well, I, for one, can’t wait until later! Even if I’m a bit nervous,” CC tittered. “Mmm, this is sooo good!” she added as she swallowed a bite of syrup-soaked waffle.

“Nervous about what?” I asked as I handed her a fresh coffee.

“Giving up her anal cherry, you big dope! You must still be needing that second coffee to fix your brains if you didn’t realize that!” Amber laughed, taking her turn to give a smirk.

I couldn’t help but grin stupidly at my sister’s comment for two reasons. The obvious one, that yeah, tonight I’d finally be sinking my cock into my sweet Butterfly’s sexy little ass, and the other was because the mischievous yet loving glint was back in my sister’s eye. God, I’d missed that over the past few days. Now, if she’d only bless me with one of her patented 20,000-watt smiles, I’d be happier than a pig in shit.

“I guess it’s normal to be a bit nervous. But don’t worry, Babe. I’ll be gentle and go super slow, and you know that if it hurts too much or if you don’t like it, that I’ll stop as soon as you tell me to.”

“Pfft, I know that, Tiger! Don’t be silly!” CC admonished while waving a hand at me, dismissing my concern. “I’m more nervous excited than nervous scared,” she clarified.

“Well, I feel the exact opposite about meeting Linda tonight. I’m more nervous scared than nervous excited, but I’m definitely happy to be going to see her. I hope everything goes smoothly,” I commented between mouthfuls of syrup-soaked bacon and waffle.

“Yeah, me too. I hope that she’ll understand when we explain everything to her—that then we can put this all behind us. And I can’t wait to ask her why she chose Old Man Garth’s farm to meet of all places,” Amber said, a perplexed frown creasing her forehead.

“Uh, remember, though? She asked for me to come alone,” I pointed out with a wince. I certainly wasn’t wanting to upset Amber again. Not after we’d just patched things up, and I knew that she felt slighted that she hadn’t been asked to come.

“Davey! You know that she must’ve meant all of us! She was upset, and it just came out wrong!” Amber declared forcefully, her frown deepening.

“Come on, you two! No fighting! You just made up! And it’s not Tiger’s fault if Linda asked that he go alone. She must have a reason, even if we don’t like it or understand it,” CC quickly interjected before my sister could say anything else. “I certainly don’t want to stay here wondering what’s happening either, Amb, but I’m sure that afterward, we’ll be able to talk with them both and figure things out. Let’s just see what happens between them first, and then we can make plans for what to do about it after David comes back. As you said, hopefully she’ll be okay with everything, and we can all go back to being friends and hanging out. I know you miss her. I do too. Let David see what she wants and go from there,” CC said pleadingly as she put her hand on Amber’s arm and gave her pouty doe eyes.

“Okay, fine! I’ll drop it for now, but we’re going to talk about this again before he leaves. I won’t fight about it, but I do think that Linda was blurting everything out without being precise,” Amber grudgingly agreed. “From what Davey said, she sounded scatterbrained, distracted, and nervous. I bet for sure that she would’ve said the same thing no matter which of us answered the phone,” she added, convinced that what she was saying was a fact.

I gave CC a grateful smile, and we finished our breakfast in uneasy silence. The thought of Linda and what she might have to say had changed our mood for the worse, and everyone was introspective. Thankfully our attitudes vastly improved once we got naked and took a shower together. Amber’s sullen disposition changed to one of playful giggles as CC and I took turns soaping her up. It felt good to have a day off. After orally satisfying each other under the hot, steaming water, we decided to cuddle up on the couch to watch a couple of movies our parents had rented the other night—Never Talk To Strangers, starring Antonio Banderas and Seven starring Brad Pitt. We’d already seen the second one in the theater last year, but our mother hadn’t, so Dad had picked it up for her. Amber wanted to see it again because of how much of a crush she had on her favorite actor. It didn’t bother CC or me, so we happily agreed. Besides, Morgan Freeman was in it, and he was one of my favorites.

I pulled off of old route 202 onto the time neglected gravel road, glad that the rain had finally stopped, although there was more in the forecast for later on tonight. The double wooden gate that used to swing shut across the lane, keeping the property free from unwanted trespassing vehicles, had long ago been smashed apart. Most likely by teens not wanting a barrier to where they liked to party. I was surprised that the rusty old mailbox was still there; it hung crookedly from its time-weathered two-by-four like a drunken sailor trying to stay upright. Although, perhaps that was how people identified the lane late at night when it was too dark to see where the driveway started.

I felt the tires of my truck settle into the well-worn ruts of the road. Tall weeds were growing on the unkempt hump in the middle. I was glad that my F-150 was high enough not to scrape the undercarriage. I doubted that CC’s little Honda would make it if she ever drove up here. Not because of the height but because of her tires; I’d bet they’d get stuck in the mud and spin out. Especially because the heavy rain from this morning and afternoon had turned half the roadway into mud puddles, which had caused me to sink a few inches deeper than normal.

Even though I hadn’t been here for a long time, I remembered this lane. Remembered how it winded its way through the forest that bordered the now barren fields surrounding Old Man Garth’s—now abandoned—dilapidated farmhouse. From what I’d been told, the place was built in the seventeen hundreds, and even though the original buildings had been torn down and rebuilt long ago, the laneways were the same old ones that had started as wagon wheel ruts. It would be a pretty sight if everything wasn’t overcast and drenched.

As I slowly drove up the drive, I looked at the dense thicket of old oak and birch. Quite a few stubby pines were mixed in between the taller trees, and the forest floor was thick with underbrush. I was keeping my eye out for the spot where you turned left, driving through a tunnel of trees to enter the field furthest from the old farmhouse. That was where everyone went to party and have the bonfires. It had been a while since I’d come out here, and it was the first time that I drove, so it seemed a little different from what I remembered.

Marty had convinced us to bike out this way a few times last summer. He wanted to sneak into the high school senior’s parties. Normally, they wouldn’t invite fifteen and fourteen-year-olds, but he figured they’d be cool with us and maybe even give us some beer if we showed up. He was right, and they hadn’t minded us being there and even let us drink a little. Amber had been pretty tipsy the first time, and I’d had to sneak her past Dad, who’d been home on one of his off days. I smiled at the memory now, even though I’d been shitting bricks at the time, convinced that we were going to get caught and grounded for life. We’d come a long way since then. I wish I was coming out here to party instead of needing to deal with Linda finding out about Amber’s and my incestuous relationship.

Why in the Hell did Linda want to meet here of all places? I’d been too anxious and glad to hear from her when she’d rang, and I hadn’t thought to question her choice at the time. I’d been only too happy to agree to meet her. It had caught me by surprise. Especially because all I’d been worried about up to that moment was how to fix my relationship with my sister. Linda’s call had definitely caught me out of the blue.

Both Amber and CC had wondered why she was so insistent that I come alone. Neither of them were content to stay home, insisting that Linda was their friend and that she probably meant for all of us to show up together. I had to argue with them that she really had meant for me to show up by myself. Amber didn’t like it but had grudgingly accepted my ultimatum that either she stayed home or I wouldn’t go.

I drove out from the shadow of the trees and into the barren field that had long ago turned to weed and fledgling saplings. It was a shame about all of the garbage that had been left here over time. The field was littered with the soggy carcasses of sunbleached cardboard beer cases, broken glass, empty bottles, and the plastic or aluminum remains of various cheap corner store food items. A couple of old rotting couches that someone had dragged up here were placed near one of the scorched firepits and were complemented by a half dozen cheap white plastic lawn chairs. They weren’t there the last time that I was here, but it wasn’t as if I’d been there more than a couple of times.

Hmm, I didn’t see Linda’s car anywhere. Maybe she was late? I checked the clock on my stereo again for the umpteenth time since I’d left the house; it was two past six. Perhaps she’d gone up to the farmhouse? She had said to meet at Old Man Garth’s field, but that was what everyone called the whole place, and she could’ve meant up at the old boarded-up house, I supposed. I slowly turned the truck around and headed back to the gravel lane to check.

A couple of minutes later, I pulled out from under the forest canopy and into what I imagined used to be the farmhouse’s grass-filled front yard. It was pretty large and must’ve been quite the job to mow back in the day. Now it was choked full of weeds, many almost as tall as I was and only the circular gravel drive, the double-wide lane that angled off towards the rundown old barn, and the space for two cars to park next to the house were left clear of tangled growth. Linda’s red Dodge Viper was parked right in front of the old porch, and I could see her as she started to open her car door. Damn, she must’ve rubbed the underneath getting it up the driveway. That explained the few bare spots on the hump of the road where the weeds had been scraped to the dirt.

The first thing I noticed when she stepped out was that she looked haggard. Her strawberry-blonde hair was unkempt, pulled into a loose ponytail, and she looked like she hadn’t slept in a few days. She was wearing a pair of tight cut-off jean shorts and a tight white t-shirt that looked like it had been splashed with a rusty red dye. I could tell that she wasn’t wearing a bra. One hand was behind her back, and she had a weird grin on her face. Something seemed off, very off, and seeing her made me feel a bit freaked out.

“Linda? Are you okay?” I asked out of concern. Her grin got wider as she shut her car door with her hip, still keeping one hand hidden behind her. I noticed that she stepped right into a muddy puddle, soaking her tennis shoes right up to her white ankle socks and that she didn’t seem to care. “We heard that you quit your job at the Dairy Treat not long after breaking things off with Marty, and we’ve all been worried about you.”

“I did it, David! I finally did it! I freed myself,” Linda giggled manically in response.

“Freed yourself? I don’t understand. Freed yourself from what? Your job? Or do you mean from Marty?” I asked, feeling perplexed.

“From him! From his lies and threats! From his dirty touches!” she shouted gleefully as she started walking towards me.

“Marty threatened you? His dirty touches? That doesn’t sound anything like him. Wha—”

“And now I’m going to free Amber!” Linda shouted, her face turning from one of happiness to one of rage instantly.

“Free Amber? What are you talking about, Linda? I don’t get it—Amber’s at home with CC. I’ve gotta be honest here ... You’re freaking me out,” I replied, feeling nervous over her bizarre behavior.

“Marty?” she questioned, looking genuinely puzzled for a second. “Oh! No, no, no ... Hmm, not Marty,” she trailed off for a moment before her eyes focused upon me once more. “No, Marty has nothing to do with this. He was nice to me; he made me laugh. I feel bad that I hurt him, but he wasn’t meant for me. I hope that he finds someone who will make him happy. He deserves a good life,” she said almost reverently.

“Then who are you talking about? I don’t understand. If someone hurt you...”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Linda asked with a giggle right before her face slowly turned to one of anger. “You don’t understand, David?” she suddenly screamed, her face a sudden mask of rage. “You don’t understand!? Well, you should! And you will soon! Very soon!” she yelled, spittle flying from her pretty mouth. Then just as quick as her anger had burst forth, she was giggling again as it abruptly turned back into giddiness. “Oh, I’m so going to make you understand! You’ll learn soon! Very soon! Just like he did,” she tittered.

“What do you mean? I’m confused here, Linda. Learn what? Something has happened, and you don’t sound right. You’re making me very worried for you right now.”