Chapter 3

It had been two days since Darla’s little show when I got an invitation to dinner. I went over that evening and things were just like normal. The door opened Darla gave me a small kiss and hug as I entered the house. I walked into the kitchen and received a slightly better kiss and hug from Corina. As was her way of doing things, even though we were eating take-out, the woman was putting the food on serving dishes so that when we sat down it felt like we were eating a home-cooked dinner.

We were all talking about our day when Corina told me that she had been talking to her mother Gloria, who, by the way wanted to know why I hadn’t either called or come by to visit. I felt rather embarrassed at the knowledge that her mother both wanted to see me, and that I had neglected to do so. Corina and Darla both began giggling at my reaction. “I knew it. I told mom that if I told you that you would turn red. Which caused you to get so embarrassed? Was it that she wants to hear from you or that you forgot to call her?” “Well if you must know it’s both.” “Glenn you are such an old-fashioned gentleman. Most men I know wouldn’t care, but not my white Knight.”

A thought occurred to me. “Has your mother had a chance to come out and see your new home?” Carina looked at me with the same embarrassed look that I had had. “As a matter of fact I haven’t. The only time she’s ever been out here was when I showed her the house before we closed the deal. She’s never even been inside. I know she hasn’t said anything to me but knowing her, she’s biding her time and building up guilt points.”

Corina sat and looked at her plate. “I guess I could call her tonight and see if she wanted to come out and spend the weekend with us.” She looked at me and it dawned on her. “Why that sneaky old woman. I can see her handwriting all over this. By talking to me about you and the fact that she hadn’t seen you would of course bring about the conversation we’re having now.” Corina turned to her daughter. “See what I mean when I say be careful around your grandmother. That woman has more brains than all three of us put together.” We all laughed at that and agreed.

I asked Corina if it would be okay if we had a barbecue her mother’s first night out. That way she wouldn’t have to cook after work. “Glenn you really know how to pull my fat out of the fire. I don’t know what I would do without you.” She reached out and held my hand and the world just seemed right.

After dinner Carina went to make her call leaving Darla and I alone. I sat on the couch as normal but the girl had different ideas. She came over to me, lifted one of my legs on the couch, and put herself into my arms. I figured if she felt safe enough doing this in front of her mother who was I to stop it? We were like that when her mother came walking in laughing. “Yep it was just like I thought. The old gal even had her weekend cleared and I know she usually has something going on with her church.”

As Corina walked over to us Darla jumped up and let her mother sit down up against me. I never hesitated in wrapping my arms around Carina and pulling her to me. She turned just a little so that she could stretch out as well. While this was completely new ground for both of us it felt like we’ve been doing this all along. I rested my cheek against the side of her head as she lay back against me and let out a contented sigh. She turned her head just a little bit and said “Yep I think I’m going keep you.”

The next day was Friday and I hustled around the house making sure everything was just right. I had asked Corina what kind of steaks she liked and she told me that she didn’t think her mother ever had a steak other than chicken fried in her whole life. Not that she didn’t want to of course, but that chicken fried was the most she could ever afford. I decided a couple of T-bones were in order. I also made up about four sides I figured the woman would enjoy. Thanks to the internet I was able to find recipes that were traditional to where she had grown up and found the highest rating from locals. I was just getting the grill hot when I heard Corina’s car pull up. I put down what I was doing and ran over to help them if they needed it. Gloria was just getting out of the car when I walked up. Corina was opening the trunk when I heard her say to her mother. “See, I told you he wouldn’t let me take in your bag.” I walked over to her to get the bag when she touched my face and guided me into a gentle kiss. I was surprised she would do that in front of her mother and I guess it made me blush. Gloria had seen the whole thing and smiled. “Yep, you were right. He is a genuine white knight.” I wasn’t sure if it was due to me getting her bag or the way I blushed. We all walked into the house and I was told to put her bag in Corina’s room. After a little chat I said that I needed to get back to my house as I had left the grill on. Everyone joined me as we walked back over to my place. Gloria asked if we weren’t going to lock up before leaving and we all giggled at that. “This is the burbs mom. I can tell you that by now everyone in the houses you can see probably know you are here visiting. If an unknown car parked in front of a house and no one was home someone would be calling the police. If someone broke into the house in broad daylight, the police would be here before the thieves would have their first armload to the car.” Gloria had a strange smile on her face. “It makes me feel safe and yet uneasy at the same time. I mean all these people are watching you all the time. Where is the privacy?”

I handled this one. “Actually it’s very private. Once you are behind your door it’s a different thing all together. No one ever violates another’s privacy out here because if someone did and anyone found out about it that person would be kind of an outcast. The protection would be pulled, no one would talk to them or offer to help them. We live in a community out here and there are just some rules you don’t break.”

That seemed to make Gloria feel more comfortable. We walked into my place and Gloria smiled. “That smells like cornbread, and beans cooking.” We walked into the kitchen and Gloria gasped. As she looked around the kitchen she could see what I had been cooking. She looked in every pot and pan and sniffed at it all as well. “Dear lord I think I have died and gone to heaven.” She looked at me and smiled. “I haven’t known many men who knew how to boil water and here you are cooking like I was back home at my Mama’s.” She came over to me and gave me a hug that felt like my own mother was holding me.

It was wonderful and when she stepped back I got busy. I grabbed the platter of steaks and headed outside to the grill. I told them to help themselves to anything they wanted. I had left a selection of sodas in a large bowl of ice on the counter. After putting the meat on the grill Gloria came over to stand by my side. “Glen I know I asked you to take care of my girls for me but I didn’t mean you had to go so far.” I looked at her in askance. “Corina has told me everything that has happened out here. The way you watch over them, the things you have given them, the way you have welcomed them into your life. That is more than just being a friend.” “Well Gloria I will be honest with you. Other than my own mother I have never felt this way about anyone. I guess that is why I never got married, I have never felt this. I don’t know exactly what this is but I am happy with it. If Corina wants more from me I will happily give it, but if this is as close as she wants me then I will be happy with this as well. I don’t do it for any other reason than I think it should be done.” Gloria looked at me and her smile broadened. “You really mean that don’t you. What am I saying I don’t think you could lie to me could you? Not about them anyway. You are something special Glen.” Then she kissed me on the cheek and went to sit with her family. Dinner was a smash. Every bite Gloria took brought me a new round of compliments. After dinner she tried to help me clean up and I asked her how she would feel if I was a guest in her home what her reply would be. She blushed a little and agreed. Instead she stood and talked with me while I cleaned up the kitchen. We then all walked back over to Corina’s house for TV and talking. As I sat on the couch Corina came over to me and made me make room for her on my lap. I felt a little uncomfortable doing this in front of her mother but didn’t stop her either. When her mother saw the look on my face she only smiled at me and nodded to me that it as ok. I relaxed and let my arms encircle Corina’s waist.

When it got a little later I made my excuses and went on home. I didn’t get to leave without giving each of the ladies a kiss though. Gloria offered her cheek to me, Darla gave me sweet kiss on the lips, and Corina gave me one that I would remember for the rest of the night.

The next day I was working away when the doorbell rang. I got up to see who it was. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Darla there. I smiled at her and headed back to my office. She came in, shut the door and followed me back. She took her chair and I asked how things were going. She was busy trying to see where I was and working to get a grasp on what I was doing. I was amazed that she was so quickly drawn into my world. “This isn’t a hack is it?” I was amazed she could grasp that so quickly. “No it isn’t. It’s a fix for a hole I found the other day.” “I thought so. It seems strong rather than sneaky.” I had never thought of using that kind of language to describe programing before. I looked at the code in front of me and tried to see what she was seeing, but I couldn’t. Maybe this girl was a savant? I had heard about such people in many fields but never computer programing. She was a major natural talent. We both got lost in my work. We didn’t notice the time we were spending together till we heard the doorbell ring again. I went to the door and found both Corina and Gloria on my doorstep. I invited them in and they asked where Darla had disappeared to. I told them about the work we were doing and I asked if they would like to see the girl in action.

They walked into the cave to see Darla scrolling through code. The two women stood there just looking but not seeing. I told them that anytime a person uses a computer the program was actually all the code they were seeing. I then explained that somehow Darla innately understood this language. It was then that Darla started bouncing up and down. I went over and she highlighted a long section of code. She explained it to me but at first it didn’t make sense. Then I scrolled around it and could see the hole I had yet to find.

I sat down and made a notation about the line and shut things down. Both of the women looked at Darla like she was somehow different. Darla didn’t understand what was so special about something that she found both natural and fun. We all went to the living room to just talk and relax. I let Darla play on my laptop while sitting with us so she wouldn’t be too bored or paid too much attention to us.

“Glen I have a question. Now I have no idea about all this computer stuff but I know my granddaughter, and I have never seen her so interested in anything like this before. It was like she was really alive in there, like she had found her place in the world. What kind of a living can she make doing that?” I smiled at her question. I could tell she wanted to know if she could make a living doing what we were doing. “Well you saw how she found a problem in the program we were looking at right?” they both nodded. “Now this is just a ballpark figure you have to understand but I figure that when we get it all done that one error will net me about a thousand dollars.” They both just stared at me. Gloria was the first to dare speak the question I knew they were going to ask now. “If that one thing makes a thousand dollars how much do you make from doing this?” Corina looked at her mother in shock. “Mom, don’t ask him that. It’s none of our business.” I held up my hand to calm Corina. “It’s ok. She is just asking so she can understand what kind of life her granddaughter will have if she follows this life.” Gloria looked at me in thanks for saving her butt. “Well if you work for a company and have a bachelor’s degree you are looking at around eighty thousand a year or so. I happen to be part owner of our security firm and I have a master’s degree from one of the best schools in the nation, so I make a bit more than that.” Both mother and daughter looked at me like I was crazy. “Are you telling me that after four years she could make almost twice what I make a year? And that if she spends six years she could make even more?” I nodded at them. They both looked at Darla as she was bent over a screen. I had a feeling that after this Darla would be allowed to follow her dream if she wanted to. We talked like that for a while when Gloria asked if we could go to the store. She wanted to make dinner for me tonight since I had been so nice making dinner for her. She then asked if I had any favorites that she could try her hand at. I remembered a conversation that Corina and I had and her telling me that Gloria’s specialty was her fried chicken and sweet potatoes. I decided to let the woman shine in my eyes and to tell you the truth I loved it but rarely had any worth eating. “Well I hope you don’t take this the wrong way but I hear you make some mean fried chicken. I don’t get it much because I don’t like how fatty it always is in restaurants. There is nothing in the world as bad as bad fried chicken.” She laughed and agreed with me. Gloria and Corina were getting ready to leave when Darla asked if she could stay with me. They looked at each other and Corina asked if that was ok. I of course told her it was and the two left to get the things needed. I asked Darla what she was doing and she turned the computer around. On the screen was the website of my company. She was looking at the description of me that they had posted. “You sure don’t try to impress people much do you?” I blushed at what she meant. “You have two masters degrees, and tons of certifications. It also say’s here that you have been given awards from the government and other stuff I don’t even understand.” “Well Darla if you put in the work, keep up with current technology, and do it for a few years you can have the same resume that I have there. You have a natural talent for this kind of work. If you keep at it and keep your enthusiasm for doing it I’ll bet it will take you even less time.” She got up off the floor and walked over to me. When she just stood there I knew what that meant so I made her seat for her. Once she had my arms around her I could feel her relax. “You really think I’m smart enough to be as good as you?” “Darla you have the potential to be even better at it than I am.” She looked up at me with those wondrous dark eyes. “Will you teach me?” “I will teach you everything I know if you want to learn.” The young girl smiled at me. “I will hold you to that.” And I suddenly felt that I had agreed to more than I thought. We stayed like that for a long time, just sharing each other’s space. “Will you stroke my back like you did the other day?” she asked. I slowly began to make circles along her spine with my fingertips. With a little wiggling the girls was tight against my chest and I rested my chin on her head. “Glen, I love you.” I kissed the girl on the head and let the feeling of her saying that go through me. I felt no hesitation and I responded to her. “I love you too Darla.” She squeezed my arm a little tighter for a second and then relaxed against me.

When we heard Corina’s car pull up Darla gave my arm one last squeeze. She turned towards me and gave me a long deep kiss and when I felt her tongue graze my lips I threw caution to the wind and let her questing tongue in. The moment our tongues touched she moaned deeply and she held my neck of little tighter. She sat back and smiled at me while looking into my eyes and saw the love I had for her in my eyes.

She put her hand on my cheek. “I have a question for you and I want you to be completely honest with me. I know you love me cause you said so but I want to know if you love my mom too.” I put my hand on hers and told her the truth. “I do love your mother. The thing is I don’t know how she feels about me.” “I think she loves you to, but I think she needs to know you like I do before she would do anything about it.”

Darla and I straightened up and headed over to her house. Gloria’s dinner was as good as everyone said. After dinner we all sat around and talked. After a bit Darla came in and asked me if I could help her rearrange some of her furniture. Corina started to puff up but I forestalled any argument. I told the girl I wouldn’t mind at all and we headed back to her room.

I could tell that the girl had started before I had agreed as the drawers had been pulled out of the chest and all the blankets have been pulled off of her bed. It took a little while to put things the way she wanted them but in the end she seemed very happy with the results. It wasn’t until we were done that I noticed her bed now faced the window of her room.

While she stayed in the room to make the bed and such I went back to continue talking to Gloria and Corina. I sat down next to Corina and when I did she reached out to hold my hand. It felt so very good to have just this much contact with the woman. We talked for a little while longer and then I decided to head home.

The conversations I had with the two women had occupied my mind right up until I went to take a shower. Once again I stopped myself from turning on my bedroom light. I moved over so that I could have a clear view of the bedroom that was only twenty feet away. The light was on but there was no one in the room so I grabbed a pair of shorts and headed for the shower. When I walked back into my room I was happily surprised to see Darla sitting at the foot of her bed in just her panties.