Chapter 4

Life for Henry, Flora and Romi fell into a lovely pattern as the days turned into weeks, then months, and so on. The young one still had elementary school to deal with, along with the litany of childhood troubles and adventures we all negotiate, and she handled most of them with a surprising level of grace. She’d been well-trained by her mother on how to act like a proper lady while still standing up for herself – the result of which was quite stunning; Romi looked like a perfect little angel in the way she dressed and carried herself, not to mention her inherited beauty. But all of that wrapping covered her tomboy nature. She was mischievous, but not troublesome. She was curious but didn’t meddle. Parent/Teacher meetings at her school were nothing to fear in the Giddings household, because her teachers and the school counselor had nothing but praise for Romi.

As their first wedding anniversary approached, Flora asked Henry a heavy question.

“Henry, honey, would you ever consider adopting Romi?” she wanted to know.

He was a little baffled. “What do you mean? She’s your daughter, isn’t she? I mean, she’s not an orphan you kidnapped years ago, right?”

Flora shared her signature musical laugh. “Of course, she’s mine, silly! I squeezed her out my coochie myself,” she continued to giggle to herself at her husband’s sense of confusion. “No ... I mean would you ever considered adopting Romi yourself? So, she would legally be your daughter too?”

Henry had lost most the feeling in his legs. He fell backward onto the sofa, plopping down heavily as he pondered the question. “I mean ... she’s already one of my two favorite people. I love her like she was my daughter anyway ... so ... yeah, that would be pretty great. But I don’t want to do anything that would make her uncomfortable, ya’ know? I don’t want her to think I’m trying to erase her biological father’s existence or anything.”

“Hey,” Flora sat next to Henry and took his hands in hers. “He died before she was born ... remember? In her mind, you and Jorge are the only father figures she’s ever known. Besides, she’s been positively chomping at the bit to call you ‘Daddy’ ever since you and I got married.”

“She can call me that, if she wants,” Henry replied. “We don’t have to get a lawyer involved just to fix that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Flora responded. “But this would be for all of us. Think about it – you love her like she was your daughter anyway. I know this. I see it every single day, honey. And she loves you more than she knows how to express. I see that every day also. And finally, you are the father I’ve always wanted Romi to have. Because you are kind and strong and you love her just as much as you love me. So ... will you think about it, please?”

“I don’t need to. If it’s something you both want, then let’s do it,” Henry answered.

Flora gave kissed him deeply. Henry noticed a few happy tears when she pulled away from him. “We’ll just have to talk with Carlos’ parents first. They don’t have any legal weight when it comes to Romi, not really. But I think it would be a nice gesture if we let them know ahead-of-time that we plan to go through with this. They’ve been so kind through the years, and I don’t want them to feel like we’re doing something that would hurt their son’s reputation or, ya’ know ... legacy ... or whatever.”

“That’s ... huh ... I hadn’t thought of that,” Henry mused.

“I’ll take care of it, if you want. I mean, you’ve only met them a couple times. So, if it makes you uncomfortable...”

“No, I’d like to be involved. As you said, we want them to know they’re not being cut out of Romi’s life, and you’re not trying to erase their son. So, I think it would be better if I stood with you. Why don’t we invite them over this weekend? I’ll fire up the grill, we can share a meal, and then have the discussion...”

“Good thinking,” Flora said. “I’ll call them tomorrow morning.”

The next Saturday, Carlos’ parents, Francisco (Frank) and Neomi, came over to the Giddings house. While prepping the grill, Henry introduced Frank to Shiner Bock beer. Through the afternoon, they would each enjoy their fair share while discussing college football, cars, and assorted other ‘manly’ topics. Neomi allowed Romi to pull her around the house for a detailed tour, focusing on her own bedroom and her every-expanding collection of stuffed animals. While the ladies entertained one another and gossiped, Henry prepared some salmon steaks on the grill, along with a foil-wrapped pouch of veggies. A pleasant time was enjoyed by all. As the afternoon drew to a close, Romi went inside to play games on her Atari console, and Henry began getting more and more nervous about how the elder couple might react to the adoption news. But Flora had been right all along; There was nothing to be concerned about, because Frank and Neomi were both genuinely thrilled that Henry planned to adopt little Romi.

“Every little girl deserves to have a man in the house she calls ‘papi’,” Neomi posited. She then glanced at Henry briefly before adjusting her terminology. “Or ‘daddy’, if that’s more fitting.” She chuckled at her gaffe and then continued. “It’s the only way to make sure she grows up to be a good woman. Without a good man in the house, she might not grow up right.”

Frank nodded his agreement. “And we’re just so happy that Flora found a good man that loves Romi as much as we love her. But how is Romi adjusting to the news?”

“We ... haven’t told her yet,” Flora answered. “We wanted to give you a heads-up, so there would be no surprises. But now that we know you’re okay with it, Romi will be the next to know.”

“Next to know what, Momma?” Romi asked as she walked onto the back patio. “Is it a horse? Am I getting a horse finally?” The young one’s face lit up as she clapped her hands in glee.

“Whoa! Slow down there, cowgirl,” Henry said with a smile. Romi’s face dropped a little, but she was clearly still curious to know what the grown-ups had been discussing.

Flora turned her chair to face Romi’s, then took the young girl’s hands in hers. “Romi ... honey ... would you like it if Henry was your daddy?”

Romi’s face showed her confusion. Her eyes darted back and forth between her grandparents’ faces and her mothers. “I ... um ... I thought he already was.”

“Well ... yes and no,” Flora replied. “Ya’ see, when Henry and I got married, he became your step-father.”

“Yeah?” Romi said, proving her understanding.

“Right. Well, in this case, Henry would like to ... demonstrate his devotion to you and me. And if he adopted you, it would mean that he’d legally be your dad, not your stepdad.”

“So, Henry would be my daddy ... but like ... for real?” Romi asked, her eyes wide.

“That’s right, baby,” Flora said.

Romi sprung from her patio chair and jumped into Henry’s lap side-saddle, the impact causing him to emit a small ‘oof’ sound before she wrapped her skinny little arms around his neck and squeezed as tightly as she could. He put one arm around her and held her close while the child sniffled and wiped her nose on his shirt. Raising her misty eyes to meet his, with her bottom lip slightly quivering, she said, “This is the best day in the history of ever, Enrique.” She then kissed his cheek and burrowed her face back into the base of his neck. Henry did his best to keep from crying but wasn’t entirely successful. He tried to shush and calm Romi, rubbing her slender back while the child vented her emotions. Everyone at the table shared some sympathetic tears of happiness.

“Now, Romi,” Flora said after wiping her eyes and nose on a napkin, “Frank and Neomi are important to me and you, so they’re still going to be in our lives. You understand that, right?”

“Yes Momma, I understand,” Romi said while offering a small smile to the elder couple.

Flora also had other reasons for wanting the adoption process to take place, reasons she’d only made known to Henry. She also wanted to make sure that if, God forbid, she herself could not make legal decisions regarding Romi, then Henry would be able to do so. In addition, as much as she loved Frank and Neomi, she feared they would try to play a larger and more intrusive role in Romi’s life as the years passed. This action would arm Flora with some legal protection against that.

Several months later, the paperwork had all been signed and a judge had approved the adoption. Romina Rodriguez legally became Romina Giddings, daughter of Henry Giddings.

Flora had arranged a small celebration gathering in their backyard, surprising he and Romi entirely. Jorge catered, Frank and Neomi attended, Flora’s mother called to wish everyone well and Delores rang in with her congratulations also.

Though she couldn’t be sure of an exact date, Flora was sure that a change happened sometime after Romi’s adoption had been finalized ... she began to feel the fever once again. The baby fever. Sure, Romi was already seven years-old, nearing eight, and it would be a big gap in years between siblings, but Flora’s body simply wouldn’t listen to that type of logic. Her hormones drove her to a point of obsession, needing to bring another life into the world and nurture it. She discussed this with Henry openly and was thrilled when he agreed that the two of them should ‘make some babies’.

So, Flora stopped taking the pills, and setup an appointment to have the IUD removed. This turned out to be a truly heartbreaking day in the lives of Flora and Henry. While trying to remove the device, the OB/GYN informed her that the IUD had become embedded in her uterine wall. It would have to be surgically removed to ensure she didn’t experience life-threatening long-term effects. Less than a week later, the operation was performed by a specialist in Amarillo, who informed her that she would likely be infertile, due to the damage the device had caused while embedded.

Flora was bereft. Beyond heartbroken. She felt as if the essence of her womanhood had been stolen. She still tried to put on a kind face for her child and husband. But inside, she felt hollow.

After about a week of witnessing his wife’s despair and feeling useless because he couldn’t offer any real assistance, Henry suggested that she talk with his mother about it. Delores had only been able to birth one child herself, due to complications she experienced during the process of labor. Henry hoped his mother would be able to talk through the issue with Flora and help her find solace.

Upon hearing that her daughter-in-law was in need of counsel, Delores leapt into action. She called a travel agent friend and began shopping for a plane ticket. The following evening, she knocked on the front door of her son’s home. Over the course of almost three weeks, she made herself available to Flora for any discussion she requested. Moreover, she spent a great deal of time with Romi, so Flora and Henry could make more time for themselves. Eventually, based a recommendation by her own therapist, Delores was able to find a psychologist in the Cactus area for Flora. She even accompanied her to the first appointment. In all, Delores stayed with them for nearly seven weeks, until she felt Flora was improving enough. Then, she hugged each of her son’s family and flew back home to her friends and near-daily tea socials and bridge club and tennis lessons.

Flora’s recovery was not rapid, but it was remarkable. Within 6 months, she found herself amorous toward Henry again. Within a year, she no longer felt angry at the medical community as a whole. And within two years, she had accepted her life and the intangible riches it contained, no longer covetous of every other new mother. Though she did still crave the feeling of holding a newborn, its smell and weight in her arms, the waves of emotions that a baby’s smile could bring – she accepted that she would not create a new life inside herself again.

By the four-year-mark, her mentality about it flipped. Over the years since her operation, she had begun to think of sex as a marital duty, not necessarily one that she would enjoy every time. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, she started to see herself as a woman who could fully explore her own pleasure without fear of unwanted pregnancy. A woman who was in control of her own body. This filled her with a sense of freedom, and she seemed to undergo a sort of sexual liberation. She still had no desire to lie with anyone other than Henry, but she became greedy with his physical affection and his semen, insisting that his first load of any lovemaking session be deposited inside her hungry, shaved snatch. “I may not be fertile, but my coño still feels so good when it’s full of Henry’s cream,” she thought.

This, of course, was just fine with Henry. For as much as he loved the sight of his busty wife with his jizz dripping off her face or plastered all over her wobbling fun bags while she massaged the scuzz into her skin, nothing beat the sensation of blasting his cum inside her warm, wet, welcoming pussy. Nothing. And nothing raced Flora’s motor more than feeling his cream jetting inside her, plastering her cervix and sloshing around until it overflowed and dripped across her butthole to the sheets. As she felt each spasming of his thick cock, her own body would lock up, doing its best to pull him further inward as he painted her innards with ‘salsa de papi’.

As children always do, Romi continued to grow. She got taller, of course, marked by a new line in the doorway on her birthday each year. As she reached her 12th birthday, she was only 3 inches shorter than her mother. And much to Henry’s dismay, Flora’s prediction about Romi’s inheritance of body shape seemed to be finding some truth in reality. As she raced headlong toward puberty, her body began to lengthen and fill out in normal ways; longer legs, improved muscle tone, and a her little butt began to bubble out. Just like her mother, Romi’s hips were still narrow, and her face was a caramel-colored angelic gift all by itself. But what most people noticed first was her chest. By the time Romi had her period, she was already wearing B-cup bras, and they were in need of replacement. The young girl’s breasts grew so quickly, Henry sometimes made jokes about hiring a seamstress just to keep the girl in undergarments. Though he never made those jokes when Romi was in earshot ... he didn’t want the girl to become overly self-conscious about her shape. Instead, he saved those remarks for when he and Flora were in bed. And even then, he wouldn’t say anything unless prompted by his wife.

“I’ve gotta take Romi into Amarillo this weekend so we can go to the mall,” Flora said on numerous occasions. The most recent mall trip was announced, and Henry responded.

“Bra shopping again, or just boy-watching?” he joked with his wife.

Flora sighed. “Her bras are too small. Again. And now, she’s probably gonna need a C-cup. Although, on the boy-watching front, I better warn you that she’s showing some interest. I mean, she would blush and giggle when I mentioned boys to her before. But now, she’s trying to sneak glances at cute boys when they walk by ... staring at their butts or their little bulges,” Flora said before purring to herself and rubbing Henry’s expanding meat missile. “Maybe you should go with her some time, instead of me. She wouldn’t be looking at those little boys with her big, strong Daddy close by. And, you never know, Enrique ... she might just need Daddy’s help to get her boobies smushed into her new bra.” She then chuckled and took as much of his manhood as she could fit into her mouth while Henry moaned and whimpered his arousal.

Flora had been licking and stroking Henry’s veiny shaft for a few minutes when, from the next room, they heard a loud THUNK followed by more boisterous clattering. It sort of sounded like a bookshelf full of heavy objects had fallen over. Alarmed at the sound, and fearing her daughter might be hurt, Flora stopped stroking and jumped out of bed to grab her robe and go check on the source of the noise in the adjoining space, which happened to be Romi’s room.

Flora rushed into Romi’s room to find the girl naked and frantically trying to restack piles of old toys and boxes of clothing in her closet. Flora did her best to survey the situation before speaking, fearing that her own fear for her daughter’s safety might cause an overreaction. Once she’d calmed her own breathing a bit, Flora spoke.

“Mija, are you alright? We heard something fall down...”

Romi’s heard jerked upward, her eyes full of fear. Moments later, she realized she was still naked and lunged for the bed, hastily covering her body with one of the sheets. “I was ... um ... I was trying to get something from the closet and accidentally broke one of the shelves. I’m sorry, Momma. I’ll clean it up in a little bit ... ya’ know ... after I put on some clothes.”

“But you’re okay? You’re not hurt?” Flora asked.

Romi shook her head, “I’m fine, Momma.”

Flora sat on the edge of the bed and patted Romi’s shoulder as the girl pulled the sheets up to her chin. “Put on your sleepy-time shirt or something, I’ll help you put this stuff away.”

“That’s okay, Momma. I’ll do it,” Romi replied, a little too anxiously.

“Oh shush,” Flora playfully swatted Romi’s sheet-covered leg. “I’m here now. If we work together, we’ll be done in no time at all. Let’s just get it over with.” She then rose and moved toward the closet, grabbing a couple small boxes along the way.

As Flora neared the closet, Romi bounded out of bed and nervously tried to block her mother’s path. “Really ... I’ll do it ... um ... just...”

“Romina!” Flora half-gasped. “Is there something in the closet you don’t want me to see? Are you hiding something from me?” Flora then narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Is it a sex toy?”

“What? No! Ugh, Mom! Gross!” Romi answered, appalled. “It’s just...”

“Well, let me in there then,” Flora said. As she stepped into the closet, she surveyed the damage. Only one shelf had fallen, its moorings in the drywall ripped from their station. “How did you even...” Flora began to ask, then she noticed something unusual higher up the wall. There was a hole about 5 ½ or 6 feet off the ground! Flora stacked a couple plastic crates and stood to look at the curiosity. As soon as she got to eye level with the hole in the closet wall, she gasped. She could see the bed she shared with her husband! The whole bed and much of the room were clearly visible. She saw Henry sitting on the edge of the bed, his feet on the floor. She could plainly see his immense cock laying over his left thigh, slowly losing the rigidity she’d felt only minutes before. Collecting herself as well as she could, Flora stepped off the crates and faced her daughter.

For a moment, her lips moved, but no sound came out. She didn’t want to scar Romi by yelling at her, but she knew something had to be said. Shaking her head to clear quickly appearing cobwebs, she told Romi, “Mija ... you should go to bed now. Get some sleep. You and I will talk about this tomorrow morning after your dad goes to work.” And then, she walked out of her daughter’s room, closing the door quietly behind herself.

When she re-entered the master bedroom, Henry looked up with questioning eyes. “Everything okay in there?”

Flora just nodded, her jaw still hanging open. Then she said, “I’m sorry, honey, but I don’t think I’m up for any more fun tonight. You should put on your boxers ... or something.” She then walked to her side of the bed and flopped down on it, still in her bathrobe.

“Care to share?” Henry asked while pulling on a pair of boxers shorts.

“Not tonight. I ... we can talk about it tomorrow when you get home from work ... important thing is everybody’s okay.”

Henry thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. He’d learned enough to know when not to pressure Flora. She would share when she was ready, and not a moment sooner. He kissed her on the cheek and rolled over, silently trying to wish away his semi-hard erection.

Flora lay awake most of the night, aware that her daughter could see everything she and Henry were doing anytime they were near the very bed she rested in at that moment. “How much has she seen?” she wondered. “How long as she been watching Henry and I?” and more terrifying still, “Has she been listening too?”

Flora knew she’d eventually have to tell Henry about her own sexual awakening. But she’d been successful avoiding the subject thus far, and secretly had hoped she might be able to avoid it forever. Such was not the case, apparently.

The following morning, Romi left the house while her mother was making breakfast. She left a note that said she would be at her friend Michelle’s house. By itself, this wasn’t an unusual event, those two girls spent almost all their time together outside school. But Flora knew her own daughter well. She was sure Romi had left early to avoid having to talk with her mother about what she’d seen the night before.

Henry also had to leave quicker than expected, receiving a call from the office just as he sat down to breakfast. So, he grabbed a travel mug of coffee and a couple warm tortillas for the road. Flora spent the day cleaning, which was not uncommon. But the intensity of the effort was doubled because of her own anxiety about the conversation she expected with Henry once he returned from work.

In the late afternoon, Romi breezed back into the house, doing her best to make it to her room unnoticed. Flora saw her and thought about cornering her but decided against it. She needed to approach Romi calmly, she knew that for sure. Otherwise, what was intended to be a teaching moment could quickly devolve into a mother-daughter shouting match, or worse ... silence. Plus, the more she considered it, the more she was convinced that she needed to have her own discussion with Henry first. So, Flora left Romi alone in her room while she continued her cleaning efforts.

Less than an hour later, Henry sauntered in the door, tired as an old dog. He went straight to the bathroom, dropped his clothes and took a quick shower to wash away the day’s sweat and grime before re-dressing in casual clothes and finding Flora to give her a kiss. She offered her smile and returned the kiss before telling him that they needed to talk right away. She grabbed him a beer from the fridge and escorted him to the garage, since she wanted to talk without Romi listening in.

“I have something I need to tell you...” she said. “Two things, actually. But the first part is tougher for me. So, I’m going to ask you to let me speak – no interruptions, no questions – until I let you know I’m done, okay?”

Henry nodded nervously before hoisting himself to a sitting position on the workbench, “Okay. I’m all ears.”

Flora took a couple deep breaths to steady herself, and then said, “Back when I was much younger, I gave my virginity to my father.”

Henry’s eyes shot wide open, and he immediately moved to speak, but she cut him off.

“Nuh-uh. You said you’d listen, so listen. Now ... you’ll notice I didn’t say he took my virginity. I gave it to him. Apparently, it happened all the time back when my parents were being raised. Fathers taught their daughters about sex before they started dating, so they’d be better prepared for what to expect, and how to do it safely. Don’t get the wrong idea, gringo, it’s not some weird Mexican tradition or anything. From what I’ve heard and read, these kinds of things used to happen in little towns and villages all over the world at different points in history ... maybe it still does, I don’t know. What I do know is that after I got my period and started noticing boys, my mother and father took me aside and let me know that I could learn about sex from them. At home, where everyone loved me, and I could feel safe. So, after a while, I sorta ... took ‘em up on their offer.”

“Can I...?” Henry risked.

“Yes, you can speak now,” Flora smirked.

“Okay ... um ... wow,” Henry said, almost in a whisper. “That’s ... jeez.”

“Yeah, I know it’s a lot to process,” Flora said, still carefully watching her husband to catch his every reaction.

“So, is Romi...?”

“OH!” Flora reacted with shock. “No. Nuh-uh. I made her with Carlos, just like I told you before.”

Henry’s shoulders relaxed a little. “Alright ... so ... what about the long-term effects? Ya’ know, like mental stuff? I’ve heard about kids that experienced incest and grew up to be hateful toward themselves and especially the grown-ups who were involved.”

“No, nothing like that. I promise,” Flora answered him. “You see how my mother and I get along, right? I mean, I still call and talk to her 3 or 4 times every week. And she was there every time my father and I made love.”

“Every!?” Henry nearly did a spit take with the beer in his mouth. “How many times ... you know what? It’s none of my business. Never mind.”

Flora eased closer to him and laid a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, honey. I’ll answer any question you have, and I promise to be truthful. You’re my husband. The literal walking and talking embodiment of my dream man. I love you more than I know how to say. And even before we got married, I meant it when I told you that my body is entirely yours. Before you and I met, I’d only had intercourse with two men: my father and Carlos. Sure, I messed around a few times with other guys in high school. And I told you that I went on dates between Carlos and you. But only three men have been inside me. You’re the last and best of them. Hands down.” She caressed his cheek and continued watching his eyes as she said this.

“Okay ... um ... phew,” Henry was still collecting his thoughts, stammering as he did so. “That had to be difficult for you to share. So, thank you for trusting me enough to share it with me. And now, I have to ask, why tell me now? What’s so special about today? Did we just reach an anniversary that I screwed up and forgot?”

Flora giggled in her tuneful way before replying. “No, nothing like that. But it was important for me to talk with you today because of what happened last night.”

“What happened?” Henry asked, genuinely curious. “Oh, you mean the dirty talk about me taking Romi bra shopping? Honey, I know you were just playing around, you’ve explained that before.”

“Not that ... but related to that,” she said, somewhat cryptically. She took another breath and then told Henry about what she’d seen in Romi’s room the night before. Once again, she carefully studied his face for his reaction. In a flash, he displayed a surprisingly full emotional gamut, from disbelief to anger to shame to arousal, and then, confusion.

“But why would she...?”

“Girls get just as worked up as boys do,” Flora informed him. “Or didn’t you know that?”

Henry sort of half-shrugged while shaking his head.

“I promise you it’s true,” she said, lovingly patting his arm again. “There are just as many crazy hormones blasting through a girl like Romi as there would be in a boy her age. No doubt about it.”

That part made sense to Henry. But he was having a lot of difficulty picturing little Romi secretly gouging a hole in her closet wall so she could spy on her parents in bed. Flora could almost see those thoughts racing through her husband’s mind as he silently wrestled with them. At the same time, she could see his cock slowly beginning to expand and reach down the leg of his shorts. With no conscious awareness of it, Henry’s body was betraying him and showing his arousal at the notion of Romi naked in her bedroom closet, pleasuring her petite body while she watched he and Flora as they enjoyed their filthy fun. Flora spied her husband’s increasingly rigid rod as it kept reaching further down his thigh, causing her own nether regions to begin tingling, adding some sogginess to the gusset of her panties.

“So, the reason I had to talk about this stuff today is pretty clear ... I didn’t want you to be left in the dark about our little girl’s ... development, or her antics. I recognize that you paid for this house with your own hard work, but I’d rather not punish her for putting a little hole in the wall. I’m afraid if we react too strongly, she’ll be scarred forever. Does that make sense?”

Henry nodded, “Yeah.”

“But at the same time, I can’t just ignore it or the fact that she’s clearly been watching us have sex. So, here’s what I’m proposing.” She took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I think I should talk with her myself ... ya’ know ... birds and bees stuff ... mother to daughter. That way, if she’s just curious and needs answers, I can be there for her.”

“Makes sense,” Henry agreed.

“Good,” Flora nodded. “But if she’s actually past that point already, then I think we should invite her into our room to watch.”

Henry sprayed a full mouthful of Shiner Bock across the garage floor. “What?!” he half-yelled, half-whimpered.

“Shhh, not so loud...” Flora admonished him. “It’s the way I was raised, so it’s what I know. At first, my mom and dad only let me watch them. I was allowed to touch myself if I wanted, but I couldn’t touch them. After each time, my mom would answer whatever questions I had. Eventually, I got more involved on my own. But I’m telling you, Henry – those times when I was allowed to watch them with their permission, those were the times I learned the most. After that, I felt pretty confident, and sex wasn’t something to giggle about or be scared of anymore. It was crucial to me becoming a well-adjusted young woman.”