Chapter 11: Holiday Chaos

THE NEXT WEEKEND, I made a fast trip back to Tenbrook. I had a photoshoot in Chicago first thing Saturday morning and as soon as it was finished, I left Theresa and Leora to straighten the studio and I took off. Anna was waiting for me in Rockford and we took time for a few deep kisses, but I was on the road again in minutes. It had been seven weeks since I’d been back to Tenbrook. Even though Thanksgiving was only two weeks away, I couldn’t miss being home for Patricia’s nineteenth birthday.

Anna didn’t go to her own house when we got to town. We went straight to Patricia’s house. Anna was staying there to sit with our goddaughter overnight as I took Patricia out to the RV park for the night. There was no one there, including the owner. The water to sites was shut off, though we could use the toilets and sinks in the shower house.

As soon as we could get settled down, Patricia and I just stretched out on the bed and held each other. We didn’t rush to sex. It was enough that she was in my arms.

“Has it been hard these past weeks?” I asked.

“I miss you. All four of you. I’m busy with the baby, but I miss you so much sometimes my eyes hurt. I never wanted to be alone.”

“Do you want to come and live with me in Chicago?”

“I’d love to be with you in Chicago, but there would be a different kind of alone there. I don’t know anyone but you and Elizabeth. You’re in school or the studio. I’d have Toni all the time. I know it sounds terrible, but sometimes, I really like leaving her with Mom or Ellie, or even with your parents. I can go take a bath. I can come camping with my lover. I’d never get that kind of a break in Chicago. Maybe sometimes we could come for a visit, though,” Patricia said.

She definitely looked a little worn with circles under her eyes. I was afraid she was still too thin. I held her in my arms and just rocked her against me.

“We’ll arrange times to visit. There’s no reason for you to feel tied to Tenbrook all the time. You know, we’re thinking about buying a house up in Canada this summer. I know you’d want to be back here so Toni could be with her grandparents and ... to be close to Tony. But you’d be able to come up and spend special time with us if I have to run.”

“The war isn’t going to get better, is it?” she sighed.

“Not in the near future. I hear they’ve drafted 300,000 guys this year.”

“I hope you never have to run,” she said. “But if you do, Toni and I will come with you. There is no reason for you to be alone. And I have some good news,” she said brightening.

“What’s that?”

“I’ve been working some in the store as well as the studio. There isn’t really much to do in the studio with you in Chicago. I’ve begun taking reservations for senior portraits and Attic Allure sessions over Christmas break. But Mr. and Mrs. Barkley are talking seriously about retiring at last. I think they’re in their seventies. So, we’ve been talking about me taking over store management. It’s good because I could have Toni with me when I’m at work. She loves the studio. She’s beginning to scoot around a little.”

“I assumed they’d have Mrs. Longhorn take the store over when they were ready to retire,” I said.

“Greta is in her sixties. She’s said she’ll keep working for a couple more years, but she doesn’t want to manage the store. Everyone else is part time, including the high school girls who work after school. Imagine me in management!” she laughed. That was good to hear.

“You’ll be great at it. When do you start?”

“It will be a gradual transition and we expect to have it fully in my hands by the end of January. You just know Mr. Barkley will still pop into the store almost every day.”

“I can’t imagine it without him. When I first moved to town, I thought he must live there.”

Our conversation began to lag as we kissed and then went about rediscovering each other. I’d fantasized about Patricia almost since I got to Tenbrook, but never expected the fantasies to come true. She and Tony were so in love and so perfect for each other. I expected to be their friend for years to come. Instead, Tony lay in a cold grave and Patricia was lying in my arms. I treated this special girl with all the love and care that I had.

“I don’t think I’d have survived this year without you, Nate. Please don’t feel bad about loving me. I loved teasing you from the day we met. Now I love loving you and giving you all I teased with. Take it. Take me. Love me,” she said.

I couldn’t resist that kind of invitation. Why would I want to? I loved her breasts—the first live girl’s boobs I’d ever seen—and I loved everything else about her. I loved burying my face in the light thatch of hair in her crotch and licking her to orgasm. I loved sliding my covered cock into her wet pussy and driving us both to yet another. I loved having her roll over on top of me and pound herself down on me until we both came again.

We made a trip to the restrooms and then returned to bed to hold each other close through the night and wake up making love again in the morning.

“Happy birthday, lover,” I said as we peaked again.

“That’s how I want to wake up on every birthday for the rest of my life,” she giggled. “Just filled full of your love.”

“I’m happy to do that. But, it’s Sunday morning. Does my little squirt still have perfect attendance in church?”

“Absolutely. We’d better go rescue Anna, who is just now realizing that she’s been up every two hours all night long, feeding and changing the baby. I’m sorry that I may have spoiled your future, Nate. I doubt that Anna will be wanting children,” Patricia laughed as we got ourselves dressed.

“I think Anna had already begun to think that way. I was more afraid that being with Toni would get her in a mothering frenzy and she’d start thinking she did want children,” I laughed.

“It’s exhausting. But, Nate, if there comes a time when you feel you are ready for children, I’ll be happy to bear them.”

I stared at her. What a precious beautiful woman. We almost didn’t make it to church.

Anna, Patricia, and I took Toni to church and then joined Mom, Dad, and Kat for a birthday lunch. Then, of course, we took Patricia to have a birthday celebration with her parents and Tony’s family while Anna stopped in to visit her family for a while.

I couldn’t believe how big Toni had gotten in such a short time. She was up to 22 inches and almost eleven pounds at eighteen weeks. I carried her around and danced to our imaginary music as I hummed to her.

By three o’clock, though, Anna and I needed to head back east. I kissed Patricia deeply and told her I’d see her in two weeks. Then we headed out.

Before we reached Rockford, Anna and I found a place to spend an hour parked while we made love in the back of the microbus. It was soft and gentle and a reaffirmation that we loved each other. I managed to get back to Chicago about nine.

It was only ten days later that I picked up Ronda at O’Hare Airport. She got in at 2:30 and I was standing at the gate waiting for her. What a beautiful sight. She rushed to me and hugged me like she’d break my ribs. And then we kissed. We’d barely gotten out of the flow of people getting off the plane, and we didn’t move for five minutes as we kissed and cried as we held each other. When we finally looked around, all the passengers had debarked and we were alone in the gate area.

We picked up her suitcase and headed for the parking lot. Wednesday night before Thanksgiving and the traffic was miserable, but I wasn’t concerned with Ronda pressed against my side as I headed downtown to pick up Elizabeth. My professors had canceled everything in the afternoon, but Beth was on her flex term and the three-week course went right through until five. She had her bag in hand and was waiting at the door when we pulled up in front.

Beth and Ronda hugged and we headed out of town to go pick up Anna. We didn’t get to Rockford until seven-thirty.

“I have an idea,” Anna said. “Why don’t I drive from here to Tenbrook and talk to Elizabeth while you two stretch out in back. You need some time to just hold each other.”

“Anna, you’re so sweet,” Ronda said. “Are you okay with that, Beth?”

“Honey, you’re the one who hasn’t been with Nate since August. It’s not like we sleep together every night, but Anna and I have had at least a little time with our boyfriend. Get back there and get naked. Just don’t distract the driver,” Beth laughed.

“Really?” I said. I guessed so. Ronda and I were stretched out on the bed in back as Anna pulled out of Rockford. We took our time, but it wasn’t long before Ronda was naked and I was sliding in and out of her welcoming pussy.

“Can we spend all weekend like this?” Ronda whispered. “I don’t ever want to go back to Boston. Just hold me and never let me go.”

“We’ve at least got all night tonight,” I said.

“Are you taking me to the RV park?”

“No. I’m taking you to my bed.”

“What? With your parents ... They’re letting you bring a girlfriend home?”

“I don’t think they really know,” I said. “They went to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle. So, the Methodist parsonage is kind of empty tonight.”

“And you aren’t spending Thanksgiving with them?”

“Well, I see my aunt and uncle about every week, so it’s okay for me to come back to be with my girlfriends. They’ll be back on Friday, so we have two nights in my bed,” I said.

“Oh, I love you. Maybe tomorrow night, Anna and Patricia and Beth will want to stay with us.”

“We’ll see how it goes,” I said.

“Where are we having Thanksgiving?”

“At your house!”

Ronda looked surprised.

We managed to be dressed by the time Anna pulled into Tenbrook, but we were still holding each other and petting. I kissed Beth and Anna. Ronda and I got our bags out of the back and Anna drove over to her house with Beth.

“I feel so sneaky,” I said. “Mom and Dad knew I’d be here for the weekend, but they probably weren’t expecting me to have a guest in the house.”

“If it’s too much, I can go home,” Ronda said.

“Honey, I’ve missed you as much as you’ve missed me. I’m not sending you away.”

We went straight to the kitchen to get something to eat. We hadn’t had much since Ronda got off the plane. I guess my parents expected me to make a beeline for the kitchen. There was a note on the table.

“Nate, There’s meatloaf in the fridge. Makes a good sandwich, or fry it up if you want it hot. The salad is from last night, so it’s fresh. Your towels are on the rack in the bathroom. Kat put clean sheets on your bed—be sure to thank her. Fresh guest towels are on your desk. We’ll be back Friday morning. Have a good time at the Mays’ tomorrow. Love Mom.”

“Uh, Nate?” Ronda probed when we’d read the note. “Why would your mother put fresh guest towels on your desk?”

“Unless she was expecting me not to be alone tonight,” I finished.

“I wonder who she thought I’d be,” Ronda laughed. “We never succeed in putting anything over on our parents, do we?”

“I guess not. How about a meatloaf sandwich?”

“Yes. I’m starving.”

Ronda and I had a completely relaxed and laid back night, watching TV a while, making love, and whispering about how much we missed each other. And sleeping. We did sleep.

I’d just gotten downstairs in the morning to make coffee when there was a light knock on the door. Ronda was in the shower—with fresh guest towels. I answered the door and had a baby girl pushed into my arms. Patricia reached up to kiss me, and hauled in the diaper bag.

“Do you have any idea how much stuff a baby requires?” she asked as I wrapped one arm around her and held Little Toni in the other.

“I didn’t know! You’re looking bright and happy this morning. And babykins is giggling.”

“We’ve had a good week, haven’t we, Toni? I’ve been staying here this week, until last night. I needed to have a break from the other grandparents and Joyce invited me to sleep in your bed. I hope you don’t mind. Was someone else in it last night?”

“I brought Ronda home.”

“Good. I think Joyce figured I’d be here to welcome you to bed, but I figured you needed time with Ronda. I’ll need to go out to Ellie and Jim’s later this afternoon for a second Thanksgiving with my parents, too. I’ll join the rest of you at Ronda’s parents’ house for first Thanksgiving. Then, Toni is staying out at Kowalskis’ while I make Ronda scoot over so I can have a little time with my boyfriend in his bed.”

“Sounds like you have this all planned out,” I said.

“Honey, you have four girlfriends. Someone has to plan things out.”

“I suppose Ronda will move over to her parents’ house tonight,” I sighed.

“Not unless she wants to. I don’t mind sharing the bed or my boyfriend with her,” Patricia said.

“I’m so glad to hear that,” Ronda said from the stairs. She was wearing my old threadbare bathrobe that almost dragged on the floor behind her. “I’ll be happy to share.”

“Well, coffee is ready,” I said. “Why don’t we start by sharing breakfast.”

“They aren’t home,” Patricia said when Ronda and I stopped in front of Christine’s home. We were just looking up at the front porch. “I think they went to Peoria. I saw the whole family take off when I was on my way to your place this morning.”

“I guess it wouldn’t make a difference,” I said. “Christine doesn’t want to see us.”

“I didn’t think she’d actively avoid us,” Ronda sighed.

We walked on to Ronda’s house where Elizabeth, Anna, and the Marxes had already gathered. Ronda’s older sister, Nora, was also there. I’d never met her before and she was as far opposite Ronda as you could imagine siblings ever being. She was about five-eight and kind of round. She had a very earthy demeanor and a bubbly laugh. I saw no sign of makeup or nail polish. Her dark hair was cut short—as in above her ears.

“Glad to meet you,” I said as I shook her hand.

“Can’t believe it’s taken so long. Maybe I could get you to take a picture with my dogs this weekend,” she said. “Want to meet my babies?”

She practically hauled me to the back yard where three large dogs came bounding to the porch to greet us. Ronda, Patricia, Anna, and Beth followed us out, Toni having been intercepted by Anna’s mom.

“These are Jazz, Rock, and Rollie.”

She pulled a baton from her belt and tapped the porch railing. The three dogs immediately sat next to each other and looked up at her. She gave them each a treat. Then they performed a dozen tricks for our entertainment. They crawled, rolled over, walked on hind legs, and sang.

“I call her Jazz because she’s always half a beat late and a little off-key,” Nora laughed.

We petted all the dogs and finally were set free from Ronda’s sister to return to the house. Mrs. May had prepared a huge dinner for all of us and it was a lively conversation that did not strictly focus on either us or Nora or the animals. I did find out that Nora was in her first year of veterinary school after finishing a BA at University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. She was continuing on there.

“Elizabeth, are you at the same school as Nate?” Dr. May asked.

“No, sir. Not exactly. Student housing in downtown Chicago is at a premium, so students are often in the same housing as students from other colleges. Our building is shared by DePaul and Columbia. There might be some Roosevelt kids in it, too. Nate’s on the fourth floor and I’m on the sixth,” Elizabeth said.

“I’m surprised you didn’t just stay home and commute,” Mrs. Marx said. In all the time I’d been dating Anna, I think I’d only heard her mother speak half a dozen times.

“Well, it’s freshman year in college,” Beth laughed. “A kid’s got to get out in the world sometime. I admit, it’s easy to go home on a weekend, though, if I need a break.”

“We depend on Nate coming through to visit Patricia in order to see Anna,” Mr. Marx said.

“That might change a little this summer,” Anna said. “I’m thinking I need transportation of my own. Otherwise, I’m just stuck in the middle.”

“Talk about stuck,” Ronda groused. “I guess a car wouldn’t help me, though. I need my own plane.”

“Oh, dear God!” her father said. “Please let this be a passing fancy.”

“Don’t worry, Daddy,” Ronda laughed. “I’ve been to the Boston airport. No way am I going to fly my own plane out of there. And Chicago is just as bad. Now, if I needed to get from Nairobi to Babadogo, that might be different.”

“Not discouraged about international relations after the fall in school?” Nora asked.

“There isn’t really much to discourage me about the field in a first semester curriculum,” Ronda said. “It’s the location that I don’t like. I’m too far away from some things and too close to others.”

“What’s that mean?” her brother Danny asked.

“Mmm. Everyone is an insider. There are a lot of politicians’ kids, rich kids, and society kids. I don’t like being among them all that much. On the other hand, I’m too far away from Nate. And Anna and Patricia and Beth.”

“My sister is getting tired of the jet-setting life,” Beth said. “I just hope she stays a stewardess until I graduate. She promised me a trip around the world for a graduation present.”

“She’s only been at it a couple of years, hasn’t she?” I asked.

“Yes, but she went into it figuring she’d find a rich influential man to marry. She’s just enjoying being a party girl while she looks.”

About two o’clock, I bundled Patricia and Toni up and took them out to the Kowalskis’. Of course, I went in and said hi to everyone. Then I promised I’d pick Patricia up at seven and headed back to my house. Beth, Anna, and Ronda met me there. Surprisingly, so did Nora.

“I couldn’t get rid of her,” Ronda laughed. “She insists she wants to talk to you about a picture with the dogs.”

“We can do that,” I said. “It’s kind of a tradition to take a bunch of family pictures on Thanksgiving.”

We all headed over to the studio and Ronda joined Nora to pick up the dogs and escort her to the studio. I didn’t bring the Hasselblad with me, but I had the Nikon and quickly switched it out with the old 35 on the tripod. I thought about the dogs and we set up the cloudy sky backdrop.

I was a little surprised that Nora didn’t try to dress up for her picture or anything. She liked the backdrop and posed with the dogs on wooden cubes while we took a portrait. Then the dogs did tricks and I got pictures of all of them.

“She’s been wanting to do that ever since she heard I was dating a photographer,” Ronda sighed as she flopped down on the couch.

“It was kind of fun to see the Attic Allure magic take shape with non-human subjects,” Beth laughed. “You know, this room has such a great feel to it. I wish we could just package it up and take it wherever you are doing photos.”

“We’ve got good stuff in Chicago,” I said.

“Maybe we should bring Cassie out with us when come back for the mass senior shoot before Christmas,” Anna suggested.

“That would be cool,” Beth said. “Expose her to more of the Attic Allure roots. How’s she working out, Nate?”

“Great,” I said as I processed the film from our shoot with Nora and the dogs. We weren’t really doing anything else. I knew Ronda and Patricia were both on a pretty short fuse when it came to being horny, but Anna and Beth had more contact with me. “I think she can see what it’s all about and is beginning to guide what new props come into the closet and what gets recycled. Leora and Theresa are there more for the fun of getting naked and moving things around.”

“Sounds like Judy and Janice,” Anna laughed.

Just at that moment there was a knock on the door and it was pushed open.

“Nate? Are you here?” Judy called.

“Come on in. We’re just hanging out,” I called.

“Oh, look! Everyone’s here. Where’s Patricia?” Judy asked.

“Second family Thanksgiving,” I laughed. “How about Janice?”