Chapter 23

While Monica may have agreed to “work out all the other stuff later,” Bobby’s sisters, Barbie in particular, weren’t as patient. It might have helped if they had dragged their father to bed while Bobby was rocking Monica’s world, but nobody thought to do that.

Instead, they listened, and got jealous in the process.

When the couple finally came out of the bedroom, Monica was blushing and Bobby was strutting. He’d managed to give his lover three orgasms before he had his own.

“Slumber party tonight!” yelped Barbie.

“What?” asked Bobby.

“Us girls are having a slumber party tonight,” said Barbie, jutting her chin out.

“That’s interesting,” said Bob.

“No it’s not,” said Barbie. “Girls do it all the time.”

“Not girls who are competing for the same man,” said Bob, smiling. He had already decided that he hoped Monica and Bobby worked out. Any woman who could go through what she’d gone through was a strong, capable woman, and that’s what Bobby needed as a life mate.

“We’re not competing,” argued Barbie. “We’re just talking about things.”

“You have to let him go sometime,” said Bob. “You’ve known that all along.”

“Yes,” said Barbie, “we know that. But that day may not have to be here right now. When they get married, maybe, or whatever. That’s one of the things we need to talk about. That’s why we need to have a slumber party.”

“Things are going pretty well, all things considered,” said Bob. “Let’s not throw a wrench in the works by ‘negotiating’ too enthusiastically.”

“It’s okay, Mr. Carpenter,” said Monica. “I understand what she’s going through.”

“Under the circumstances, you can call me Bob,” said Bob.

“Maybe some day,” said Monica. “For now, Mr. Carpenter feels better.”

“Okay, then,” said Bob. He wondered about that, but it could be investigated later. It didn’t occur to him that she might be worried about the possibility of Barbie offering Bob’s sexual services to her as part of some wacky deal to have access to Bobby in the future. She didn’t know Barbie well at all, yet, but she was pretty sure that’s something Barbie might dream up. Keeping things formal was her way of resisting that idea before it was even voiced.

“So ... we’re having a sleepover ... right?” asked Barbie.

“Yes,” said Monica, softly.

Barbie turned to face her father.

“Daddy? I need to talk to you in private, please.” She had finally gotten to a point where she remembered there was another man in the house who could take care of the itch eavesdropping had developed.

Bob raised both eyebrows and then shrugged.

Barbie dragged Bob to a bedroom in the same fashion Monica had dragged Bobby to one. After the door closed, Julie seemed to come out of a trance.

“Maybe I should go check on them,” she said, blushing. “Barbie can get a little emotional, sometimes.”

When they were alone, Monica turned to Bobby. She draped her wrists around his neck.

“This is a very strange family. You know that, don’t you?” She stared complacently into his eyes.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “I know that.”

“Good. The rest of your family seems to be busy. Would you rather eat something, or make love again?”

He blinked.

“Both,” he said.

“You want to eat in bed?” she smiled.

“I want to eat you in bed,” he corrected.

For the next hour, the women in the Carpenter household, including the visiting woman, were serviced until all of them were finally calm and stress-free.

Nothing was said as they all reassembled in the kitchen. Bob had put a roast and potatoes in the crock pot when the girls left for the mall, and the delicious odors it emitted were what finally drew them all out of the bedrooms.

The meal was more normal than awkward, though there wasn’t much to talk about. Monica had already told them about herself. Bobby and her plans had been tabled for future discussion, once they’d had time to think and talk about it. It was Christmas Eve, and when Bobby suggested they tune into the annual showing of “It’s A Wonderful Life” there was agreement. Only Barbie wrinkled her nose, but when the time came, she cuddled up to Bob on the couch while Julie took his other side.

Monica sat with Bobby, on the love seat, and watched the TV instead of the girls and their father.

After the movie, Barbie announced it was time for the slumber party to commence.

“We have a lot to do,” she explained, unnecessarily. “We have to wrap presents and do each other’s hair and all sorts of things.”

“Riiiight,” said Bob. “Okay, then. Don’t stay up too late or Santa won’t come.”

“He does this every year,” said Barbie, to Monica. “He insists Santa is real.”

“Because he is,” said Bob, his voice calm.

“It’s okay, Daddy,” said Barbie, as if she were talking to an Alzheimer patient. “We understand.”

“So, this is to keep me from having sex with your brother ... right?” suggested Monica.

“Originally, it was,” admitted Julie. “But now we really want to get to know you better. You can have sex with him any time you want when you go back home.”

“Or here, too,” said Barbie. “I mean now that you know about Daddy, we’re not limited to just being with Bobby.”

“What freaks me out isn’t who you’ve been having sex with. I think I almost understand that,” said Monica. “What freaks me out is that I might end up married to him and you’re still going to want to have sex with him then!”

“If you share Bobby with us, we’ll share Daddy with you,” said Barbie, proving that Monica’s radar was working just fine.

“No we will not!” barked Julie.

“Finally, someone who is using some common sense,” said Monica. “I will not be sleeping with your father, and he should spank you for offering him up like some door prize.”

“I like it when he spanks me,” said Barbie, grinning.

Julie held up her hands.

“Look. We’re not here to be catty or trade lovers around like Pokémon cards. Let’s get in our jammies and eat some junk food and have fun.”

“I didn’t bring ... jammies,” said Monica. “I don’t wear them at home.”

“We don’t wear them here, either,” said Barbie. “Jules is trying to act normal.” She grinned. “How about panties and T shirts?”

That was agreeable. What felt odd to Monica, as she stripped down with the two younger women, was that it didn’t feel odd at all. Then she remembered all the sleepovers she’d attended in Wide Ford. Many of them had dispensed with the T shirt part of such outfits, and the girls ran around in only panties. That was the only time girls in Wide Ford could engage in naughty, wicked behavior and get away with it. Plus, she already thought of these two girls in the unfamiliar role of sisters she’d never had, so she went with it.

“Okay. What now?” she asked.

“Can we at least do each other’s hair?” asked Julie.

Monica grinned and sat down at the vanity. Julie immediately got behind her and started playing with Monica’s long hair.

“So what were slumber parties like in your town?” asked Barbie, lying on the bed. “From what you’ve said, it must have been all about how to get a man.”

“Most of us didn’t think about it like that,” said Monica. “We knew we weren’t allowed to have any of the local boys, and if we trapped one of those, it could get really ugly. Most parents wanted their boys to go off to college, or at least to the city, and get good jobs. Getting a girl from Wide Ford pregnant meant the boy wasn’t going anywhere, because the girl’s parents always demanded the boy do the right thing.”

“At least the girl would have a husband that way,” said Julie.

“Yes, but that also meant she was trapped in that town for the rest of her life, too. Jobs in Wide Ford don’t get you a fat savings account. You live paycheck to paycheck.”

“So what did you talk about at your sleepovers?”

“Music, a lot,” said Monica. “And movies, and TV shows. Gossip was big.”

“Who was there to gossip about?”

“Oh, you know.”

“No, we don’t. That’s why I asked.” Barbie was blunt.

“It’s not the kind of thing you’d be interested in,” said Monica.

“And you know this because?”

“Because you like boys,” said Monica. “Or at least you like sex with Bobby and your father.”

“Okay!” said Barbie. “Now we’re getting somewhere. So, you’re saying you talked about sex with girls?”

“It wasn’t because we all chose to talk about it. It was pretty inevitable.”

“You’re talking in circles. Come on. We all know each other’s secrets, or at least you know all our secrets. And I think you have to admit we’re treating you at least okay. So what is it you don’t want to talk about?”

“Look. You already know it’s hard for a girl to get out of Wide Ford unless she scores with a Temberson boy. And not everybody scores with a Temberson boy. Only the pretty girls usually get a guy that way. A few marry the guys who stay in town because they can’t afford to get out, either. A widower is practically besieged by willing women. But some girls never get a guy.”

“That’s sad, but what does it have to do with secrets?” Barbie had opened a can of Pringles and was eating them one chip at a time.

“To make ends meet, some of those girls ... um ... live together.”

“Okay. That makes sense. Share expenses,” said Julie.

“So, at a sleepover, sometimes we played this game called ‘Who would you live with?’”

Barbie paused, a Pringle halfway to her mouth.

“I don’t get it,” she said.

“She means the girls at the sleepover talked about who they’d want to live with if they never got a man,” said Julie.

“Oh,” said Barbie. “Why would that be such a secret?”

“If you live together ... you usually live together,” said Monica, her voice strained.

“You keep talking in circles,” said Barbie.

“Oh!” yipped Julie. “You mean they slept together? Like lesbians?”

“Now you know why it was all very hush-hush.”

“You mean all the girls in Wide Ford are lesbians?” Barbie sat up, shock plain on her face.

“No!” groaned Monica. “Not by choice, anyway. But you both know a girl has needs, and if there just isn’t a man to meet them then ... what else can you do?”

“You can buy a fucking dildo!” said Barbie. “Geeze Louise.”

“I told you, you wouldn’t be interested,” said Monica.

“I’m interested,” said Julie, who put a final barrette in Monica’s hair and said, “What do you think?” She’d piled the hair up in whirls that looked vaguely like soft serve ice cream. Monica laughed. They changed places and Monica picked up a brush.

“It’s not right out in the open,” she said. “I know personally of at least five sets of women - my mother would call them spinsters - who live together. Everybody thinks they’re that way, that they sleep in the same bed and all that, but there’s no proof. There’s tons of gossip, but no proof.”

“What do they do for jobs?” asked Julie.

“Well, let’s see. Two work at the Library. One runs the diner and another is a waitress there. One works for the health clinic as a receptionist and her roommate writes books. One weighs trucks at the grain elevator and she lives with one who runs a kind of dog grooming, training and humane shelter out of their house. Oh, and I forgot about Miss Isley. She’s a deputy for the sheriff, and she lives with Jane Henley. Jane’s the mayor, at the moment.”

“You have a lesbian mayor?” Barbie seemed stunned.

“An alleged lesbian mayor,” said Monica. “Besides, being Mayor in Wide Ford is like being president of your class in school. They’re usually elected by write-in votes. Nobody actually runs for office. If you lived in the city, you’d make more money working at McDonalds than you get for being the mayor.”

“So only one has no obvious means of support?” said Julie.

“They’re all employed,” said Monica.

“You said one writes books. I’d imagine it’s pretty hard to make a lot of money doing that.”

“The rumor is she writes dirty books,” said Monica.

“Dirty books?”

“You know. Triple X porn stories.”

“Ahhh,” said Julie. “Daddy has a bunch of those paperbacks. He used to use them to masturbate to before... “ She trailed off.

“You?” Monica suggested.

“Yeah, us,” said Julie, blushing.

“See, that’s the thing,” said Monica. “One reason I kind of get what you guys do is because of what women have to do to get sex in Wide Ford. One thing everybody agrees on - at least the women - is that you don’t poach some woman’s husband. Any man who cheats on his wife won’t get sex from anybody again, ever. Neither will the woman he cheated with. So, if you can’t get a man, then you kind of have to find another woman in the same boat. You guys were both waiting to get to college so you could have Bobby, but I know that wouldn’t have worked, because everybody knows everybody else’s business in that town. You might end up like those spinsters if you keep planning on Bobby being the answer to your ... needs.”