Chapter 4

"Wha- what did you say?" Eleanor suddenly felt faint. She staggered over to a chair and collapsed into it. She must have misunderstood her daughter's statement.

"David raped me," Kelly repeated. She calmly sat down across from her mother and nodded her head in affirmation.

"There... there must be some kind of mistake. Your brother wouldn't do any such thing," the distraught mother declared.

"I know it's hard to believe but it's the truth. David really did rape me."

Eleanor Reed suddenly jumped up. Shock had turned to anger. "Kelly Ann Reed, if this one of your little jokes I don't find it the least bit funny."

"It's not a joke. It's the truth. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to confront your brother. That's what I'm going to do," Eleanor announced and started walking toward her son's room.

"You promised you wouldn't, Mother."

Eleanor wheeled about and returned to where her daughter was sitting. "You can't expect me sit here and take this calmly as if we were discussing the weather, can you? If your brother did... this thing... we have to find out why... and... and get him professional help. Can't you understand?"

"Well, I can tell you the why if you want to listen but you have to keep your promise not to go to David... at least not yet. Do you promise?"

Eleanor took a deep breath and sat back down next to her daughter. "I'm listening, Kelly," she finally said.

Kelly took a deep breath herself and said, "Remember the evening I told you that David told me to show him my boobs?"

"Yes, I remember that," her mother replied.

"Well... uh, I showed him my boobs."

"You did what?" Eleanor was feeling her blood pressure rise.

"I showed David my boobs."

"And then he raped you?"

"Not then... then he sort of... groped me."

Eleanor rubbed at her temples. A big giant headache was on its way. "Why did you expose yourself to your brother, Kelly?"

"I figured he might help me with my homework. I thought it was a good idea at the time." The pretty coed smiled tentatively. This was harder than she originally thought.

"You said nothing to me at the time," the older woman observed.

"No... uh... I didn't. I guess I was too embarrassed to say anything about it at the time plus... he did help me with my history test so I sort of thought he was saying he was sorry when he did that."

"So David... attacked you yesterday. You were very upset at the dinner table, you both were."

"That happened yesterday like I said."

"What in heaven's name provoked this attack?"

"Well, after that first time I figured David would continue to help me with my homework and projects. He owed it to me after all. Don't you agree?"

"Please continue, Kelly," her mother said noncommittally. Kelly shrugged her shoulders and continued.

"Well, David didn't agree at all. He thought helping me with one test made up for his playing with my boobs without my permission. Can you imagine the nerve of him saying that to me? Of course, that was completely wrong in my opinion and I told him so. I was feeling kind of desperate with more tests coming up and another project. I threatened to tell on him but he called my bluff. I went crazy and started screaming insults in his face and then he went crazy and the next thing you know I'm laying on my back with my clothes off and David is laying on top of me with his clothes off and his thing in me and he's calling me a whore." Kelly took a deep breath and said, "So, what do you think?" It was the girl's version of what really happened but Kelly didn't want to go into too much detail.

The headache's here thought Eleanor. "What do I think? I think I'm very disappointed in you, Kelly. I'm very disappointed in you both." She got up and got herself a glass of water. There was a bottle of pain reliever on the counter and the distraught woman popped a couple with the water. She knew it wouldn't do any good. For the first time Eleanor wished she kept liquor in the house. She wanted a drink badly. She turned back to Kelly. "Of course David had no right to assault you no matter what the provocation was. Do you realize what the consequences could be? My god! You could be pregnant at this very moment!" Eleanor always thought David had more self control than that.

"I think I'm safe, Mom. My period is due in a couple of days and if I miss it I'll let you know."

"That's a rather blasé attitude to take don't you think, young lady?"

"I had my fit of hysterics yesterday, Mother, as you well know. I feel a lot better discussing this calmly with you."

Eleanor nodded. Her daughter was right. The best thing to do right now was to talk this out in a calm and rational manner. "Speaking of discussions, I'd like David to join us. This incident is too serious not to involve him. He has to realize the wrongful nature of his act. He could be facing criminal charges right now if the police were called."

"I'm not calling the police on him," Kelly promised. "I certainly hope you don't because I'll deny everything."

"I'm not going to call the police on your brother, Kelly. I just want to make sure David realizes that sexually assaulting someone is unacceptable behavior and it can never be repeated... with anyone."

"Oh, I think he realizes it now. David and I discussed everything last night and he was all apologetic and remorseful. This won't happen again in a thousand years."

"I'm relieved to hear that," said her mother. "I still feel I should at least talk to him."

"Please don't say anything to him, Mother. David begged and pleaded with me not to tell you or anyone else and I promised him I wouldn't. It's just that I needed to confide in someone else about it and I knew I could count on you."

"Very well," Eleanor responded. "I'm glad you confided in me and I understand that keeping that promise with your brother is very important. It would probably be counterproductive for me to talk to him right now but I just want you to let me know if David starts acting odd again. Whatever you do please don't provoke him again." Eleanor felt she was acting against her better judgment. She wondered if she shouldn't be calling a mental health professional for her son.

"Thanks, Mom," said Kelly. She reached over and hugged her mother. "I'm sure you won't have to worry. Any sex between David and me from now on will be purely consensual."

"What did you say?" Eleanor gasped.

"I said--"

"I heard what you said and I can't believe you said it."

"I thought you'd be happy to know David won't be raping any more."

"I am... b-but... you can't do it any more... with your brother... even if it is consensual." Eleanor was beginning to fear her daughter was losing her mind. The rape must have been too much for her impressionable young mind. Either that or I'm the one going crazy the distraught woman thought. She vaguely wondered if there might be some tranquilizers lying around in her medicine cabinet. "I-I mean, why would you even want to after what he did?" The pretty mother actually began to hope this was all just a colossal joke in very poor taste. She'd now be grateful if it was.

"Normally I'd agree with you but after we slept together last night--"

"What did you say?" Eleanor gasped.

"I said--"

"I heard what you said and I can't believe you said it."

Kelly giggled. "We seem to be repeating ourselves."

Kelly's poor mother was feeling faint. "I need to go lie down for a bit, honey. We... we need to discuss this further." Her headache wasn't going to go away any time soon and she needed a while to herself to think clearly. She got up and walked unsteadily to her bedroom and then turned around. "And David was okay with this?"

"Yeah, I think so. He was kind of shy at first but he never tried to kick me out of his bed and I stayed the whole night."

"You spent the entire night together," she said as if trying to understand what her daughter was saying. Both of my children have lost their minds was the phrase that kept repeating itself in her mind. She continued to her bedroom. She was feeling suddenly very old and tired.

David had cleaned up after his jack off session and was lying on his bed reading quietly when the door opened and his sister walked in. "I wish you'd knock from now on," he said. David would have hated it if she walked in and he was still beating off.