Chapter 1

My life is a little weird. Well, maybe a lot weird. I live at home with my mom, dad, and Aunt Lois.

My mom and dad were married for two years before I came along. Aunt Lois moved in a month later. Not because my mom needed help. But because Aunt Lois’ husband died in a car crash when he was drunk and left her with little savings and no life insurance. My Aunt was, and still is, a waitress and could not keep the house after her husband died. Mom and dad took her in, and she never left. That was twenty years ago.

We are what would be described as a blue-collar family. Dad works at the aircraft plant. Mom is a receptionist at a doctor’s office. When I graduated from High School, I got a job at the plant as a welder. A couple of years later, things became really weird.

Ever since I was thirteen, I knew my dad was sleeping with my mom and Aunt Lois. I also knew my mom knew dad was sleeping with Aunt Lois and was fine with it. Dad loved them both, and they both loved him. He would kiss both of them goodbye when we left for work. Take us all to dinner when he had extra cash from working overtime. Aunt Lois always came on vacation with us. I was fine with the situation. Aunt Lois is family. My dad was a super dad as far as I was concerned. He came to all my high school basketball and baseball games. He took me fishing and snuck me my first beer. He even helped me get my job at the aircraft plant.

I could tell who was sleeping with my dad by who came out of Aunt Lois’ room in the morning. Mom and dad’s room is downstairs. Aunt Lois’ room is upstairs across from mine. Well, technically, it was Aunt Lois’ room, but once or twice a week, Aunt Lois would switch rooms with mom and sleep with my dad.

I knew enough not to say anything when I was old enough to figure out what was going on. I loved my mom and Aunt Lois. It was like having two moms, and damn, those two women could cook. They knew I knew, but they never talked about it in front of me. It was just the way things were in my family.

My dad is ten years older than my mom. He married Mary Hill when she was eighteen, and they became Mr. and Mrs. Roger Higgins. Aunt Lois was their maid of honor and two years older than her sister Mary.

I have been working at the plant for almost two years and just turned twenty a couple of months ago. On Saturday afternoon, I walked in from the backyard and overheard my mom talking to my dad.

“Talk to your son Roger. You can’t keep this pace up. It’s not healthy. Talk to Steve. I’m sure he will help out. Better him than some stranger.”

I walked into the kitchen, ready to help my dad out in any way I could. “Hey, Dad, what do you need?”

Mom and dad were sitting at the kitchen table. Dad didn’t look too happy when they looked at me. Mom folded her arms under her bosom. “Tell him, Roger.”

I sat at the kitchen table with my mom and dad. Mom glared at dad until dad held up his hand as if to ward her off. “Okay, Mary, okay.”

Dad gave me the news, “I went to the doctor’s for a checkup, and they did some tests. They said I needed to slow down. My blood pressure is up, and the medication they gave me is ... This is crazy. Do I really have to ask him this?”

“Yes, Roger, you do. We are a family and we take care of each other. I know you don’t want to admit it. But you need to do what the doctor said. It may only be temporary until we can get your blood pressure down, change your diet and get you healthy again. I love you and want to keep you around for as long as I can. Now ask him, or I will.”