Chapter 22

Friday, April 5, 2002

Elizabeth woke me up, her hand on my erection, a firm stroking grip that reminded me of Jenny's abilities in that arena. Thinking that led me to places I didn't want to go; however Elizabeth was a lot more determined than I was dissuaded.

"Are you getting close?" she whispered in my ear.

"Getting there!" I was too, in spite of distractions.

Elizabeth giggled. "Then it's my turn." She rolled away, sat up, shedding a pair of panties quickly.

"Where's Jenny?" I inquired, a little curious. I'd gone to sleep with Jenny, and had dreamed of Elizabeth. Now I was awake again and Jenny was gone, and Elizabeth was here.

"Taking a shower," Elizabeth said, as she moved to straddle my chest.

I reached out and pushed her closer, my hands running over her bottom, then up Elizabeth's back. Returning towards her waist, my thumbs took a few seconds to rub two small, pale rose nipples to hardness. My tongue was lapping at her clit, moving it back and forth, causing Elizabeth's hips to start moving. Elizabeth steadily grew more excited and I shifted my focus to Elizabeth's lovely pussy, forgetting the world, dreams, everything except what was in front of me.

Finally it was Elizabeth who shifted, moving down over my body, bringing her lips to lightly caress mine. "I need something more," she said, moving my erection so it slid neatly inside her. I pushed deep, then held my position, while using my hands on her bottom to pull her more tightly against me. Elizabeth gasped, and I felt her muscles tighten around me.

"Oh you!" she said with exasperation. "No fair! Too short!"

I pulled almost out, pushed back. "Short is it?"

She sighed with pleasure, "No, I guess not." Elizabeth was lying across my body; a position that was okay, but not in my top ten list. I felt her muscles contract again, and then she moved up a bit, and then pushed down herself.

"Before you came into my life." Elizabeth kissed me on the nose, while pushing me deeply into her. I realized it was a pun, and laughed. Another, odd, nice feeling. Usually, it was the woman I was with who laughed; this was a nice feeling too. "I didn't like what I saw around me. Girls who were too young, too immature, making love to boys who were significantly too immature.

"I couldn't understand why they did it. I didn't understand my own sister. I'd masturbated a couple of times, and it was... ho hum. Eventually, I decided that I was frigid, or something like that. I didn't understand my dreams, Tom. I was like the high priestess of mathematics; I didn't know what to make of them. I thought I was going to be a nun, when I grew up."

She kissed me lightly. "And yet, always, there was someone there, just on the edge of my awareness. Someone whose presence made me feel good, someone who could, just by being there, make me feel warm and loved. I never could reconcile the cold analytical me with the part of me who loved the presence there, just slightly out of reach.

"And then one day, it wasn't a presence, it was you in my dreams. You and I were doing this." She wiggled to make sure I was following the story, to make sure I knew what she meant. "I laughed at myself; I'd figured it out. I just hadn't met the right person, yet. And it was that person I was going to feel warm and loved by, the way I felt in some of my dreams. And when we were apart, I'd be all cold and analytical, like in the rest of the dreams."

Elizabeth smiled and kissed me. "Imagine my surprise when I saw you the first time, and learned you weren't a figment of my imagination."

Elizabeth and I made love, beautiful love; it was like our first time together. We joined, spirits and bodies; I don't know how to describe how it works. If you've felt it, you'll know what I mean; if you haven't, you won't. All I can say is that I lay there afterwards, spent, as happy as a person can be, my arms wrapped around someone who I could not love more.

Elizabeth leaned close, kissed my cheek, put her arm around me. "You and me, Tom; we're like the Yin and Yang symbol from Asia. We fit together."

"Yes!" I said with pleasure. "Yes!"

"You are hot passion, deep love, mixed with compassionate concern. I'm cold calculation, careful thought and planning. Mixed with hot passion and deep love, too."

I grinned, pleased that someone like Elizabeth loved me the way I loved her.

"Tonight, Tom. We're going out."

I nodded and added my thoughts. "With all my friends. To celebrate good fortune, to put the bad behind us. Mine, Jenny's, your family's."

She nodded. "Your friends, to celebrate all of our good fortune. And tonight you'll be with Mom. Jenny and I will be together, Shannon and Joanna. Your parents."

That sounded pretty good to me, so I smiled. Elizabeth smiled enigmatically in return. "You have to remember, Tom, that I love you. Mom loves you. We both understand that we have to share you with others, and we accept that. Don't worry about us, Tom."

"Worry about what?" I asked, but I was fairly sure I knew what she meant.

"We'll always be here, we will always love you. Shannon doesn't understand how to do that, but Mom and I do."

I shook my head. "I'm learning things, Elizabeth. Sure, I've made love to a lot of girls in the last couple of weeks. I promise, I understand myself better now. It's not going to happen again. I've been too casual, letting my hormones do my thinking." I kissed her. "Trust me."

"You never have to ask, Tom. And you never have to worry. Or apologize."

As if on cue, Jenny opened the door and stuck her head in the room. "Shower's free."

I remembered then, that last night, I'd dropped Elizabeth off at her house. Elizabeth must have read my mind because she said, "I felt like a walk." She kissed my cheek again. "Now, run along, get a shower. You need one."

I stuck my tongue out at her, and Elizabeth simply waved at the door. On the way down the hall to the bathroom, I was trying to remember the last time I'd been told I needed a shower; I'd been six, I thought. Fresh from a rare Arizona cloudburst and playing in the mud.

I'd hardly got the water running, when the shower enclosure door slid open and JR was there, grinning at me. "I heard a rumor this morning that there was a naked horny boy in the bathroom."

I glanced at her as she got in and laughed when I saw her erect nipples. "Well, maybe the rumor was wrong. Maybe there was a naked horny girl on the way to the bathroom."

JR grinned. "Funny you should mention that, big brother. The problem about having five people in the household is that now and then, someone sleeps alone. You have no idea how horny I am."

I stared at JR's erect nipples, capping her small, lovely breasts. Here you go, Tom. Last night you made love to Jenny, this morning Elizabeth. Time to say no. You told Elizabeth you were going to say no...

JR wrapped her arms around my neck, kissed me really hard, rubbing her breasts against my chest and her pussy against my erection.

My arms went around her, and I kissed back. Our tongues came together, and her hand moved around and tugged me so that I could slide into her. Like Elizabeth not so very long before, I had no trouble entering her, and even less trouble moving inside her. Her pussy wrapped around me like a tight velvet glove, and I could feel every muscle movement she made.

The water started to turn cold, and she laughed. "Hurry up, big brother! You've got me more than ready!"

I put my hands on her bottom, pulled her tightly to me, and came. She squirmed, rubbing me hard enough to be a little painful, before she came too. We had gravitated to the dry end of the shower, however the cascade of cold water a few feet away was more than enough to send a chill into the shower stall.

I shriveled up pretty fast, down to a pale shadow of my usual self. JR, in turn, was looking at the shower and laughing.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, I heard Mom and Dad's shower go on as I started over here." She nodded at the now freezing water coming out of the showerhead. "What do you want to bet we don't get talked to about running out of hot water this morning?"

We had done that, regularly the last few years. Finally Dad had started taking showers at night, and that had relieved the pressure on the hot water heater in the morning.

I sighed, stepped under the water and rinsed off, trying to ignore the chill. Trying to work out why I could be telling myself one second that no, I wasn't going to make love to a girl, then a second later, be doing it.

"You look, big brother, like that didn't quite hit the spot," JR said after a minute.

I shrugged, decided that if I couldn't tell JR the truth, who could I ever tell the truth to?

"I told Elizabeth I wasn't going to be sleeping with so many girls any more."

I wasn't prepared with the look of concern that came across JR's face.

"Me too?" she asked softly. She took a step closer to me, ignoring the cold water. "Does that include me?"

I looked her in the eye. Making love to your sister isn't right; how many times had I heard that in my life? I'd learned my mom had been with her brother since she was JR's age. The two things didn't add up.

Elizabeth said she and Mary would understand. Shannon said she never could. Here I was with JR, who's understanding was more like Elizabeth's and Mary's. What in the name of heaven was right?

My voice cracked. "I don't think you need to worry, JR," I told her.

I couldn't help it. I turned and leaned my head against the wall, my mind unwilling to deal with what was around me. What was staring me in the face. It was talk, nothing but talk. I was a bundle of hormones, going where they led me.

"Tom," JR's hand was on my shoulder. She cuddled up close; I could feel her breasts against my back. "Tom."

"JR, I don't know what to do." It wasn't very hard, but I lightly slammed my head against the wall. "So many..." My mind traveled along the time line, since Marsha. "I don't know, JR, I just don't know..."

JR, being JR, was more direct. "Fuck this!" I heard her crank the valve, turning off the water.

"Look at me, Tom," JR's voice was hard, demanding.

I pulled myself off the wall, away from my self-pity.

"What exactly do you mean?" JR asked, standing now, hands on her hips, glaring at me.

"I mean, JR, that the other day, coming home from Penny's you were thinking you were a slut because you'd made love to two boys in a day. And I told you I'd been with three girls in two days."

JR nodded, remembering.

"JR, last weekend in two days, I was in the double digits. More than ten. Three times a slut, maybe five times."

She reached out, put her finger on my chest and pushed me lightly. "Listen to me, Tom." She pushed me again.

"You were the one who told me to pay attention. You said that the number wasn't important; it was who they were that mattered. Tell me true, Tom. How many of the double-digit lovers you were with, how many would you kick out of bed? How many do you have second thoughts about being with?"

"None." I wanted cry, but tears had been in short supply, ever since I'd found myself upside down.

"How many of those girls have told you they regretted it?" JR went on.

"None," I said, but, reached out and touched her. "But JR, half of them I've never seen again. Maybe more than half."

"I'm not you, Tom. I was with Penny, you, Roger, Kim, Mom, Dad, Uncle Craig, Jennifer, Sue Ellen and Shannon. Oh wait, double digits too!" JR waved at the shower enclosure door. "Tom, we're both all wet! I think if we both dry off, these things will pass."

"How can I love that many people?" I asked her.

"I have no idea," JR told me. "I do know that you will try your best to love us as much as you can and as much as we need. That, Tom, is the bottom line as far as I'm concerned."

JR paused, and then simply bent double, laughing wildly.

"What?"

"I forgot something," she told me, a new, enigmatic look on her face, one I'd never seen from my sister before.

She had gotten a grip on herself, now she looked at me. Now that is the true grin of a Cheshire cat, I thought. Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile, eyes dancing with laughter.

"What?" I repeated, mystified.

"Tom, let's just say that I'd forgotten for a second what sex with you is like. Believe me, brother, believe me. That alone is worth it."

She slid the shower door open, grabbed a towel. "Come and get dried off, Tom."

Later I had breakfast. It was an odd breakfast. Jenny hugged me, Mom hugged me, JR did and Elizabeth hugged and kissed me. I didn't know if they'd talked or not, but each and every one of them was saying that they loved me, loved being made love to by me, and please, please don't stop loving them.

I had barely finished loading the dishwasher when Tony called. "Say Tom, what are you doing this afternoon?"

"I didn't have any real plans." Thinking about things; there was one hell of a lot to think about.

"Sue Ellen says come over. Time she says, for you and me to work on our tan lines."

I blinked, stared into the distance. Connecting dots; the way to work on tan lines, would be to not let anything get in the way, as it were.

"A couple of people are coming over. Mindy and her friend, Michelle," he paused, "Fleur."

"Cool. I thought Sue Ellen said Fleur was leaving, though."

"This evening. I don't know what she did, but she twisted her old man around her finger."

I remembered Fleur's father from the police station, and then contemplated Fleur. That was pretty impressive, if she could do it!

"Should I bring a friend? Can I?" I corrected myself in mid-sentence.

Tony chuckled. "Tom, there's not enough room in the pool if you bring all your friends. Juniors only party."

Tony and Fleur. Mindy and her friend. Sue Ellen and me. Sue Ellen had said she wanted to make love again before she and Tony were going steady again. Today was supposed to be the day. How many predictions lately had I heard that went wrong?

Like so many of late, Tony was reading my mind. "Skinny-dipping, Tom. Sue Ellen's mom and mine are going to be chaperones."

I had to laugh myself. "A parent chaperoned skinny-dipping party?"

"Sue Ellen's mom is letting my mom come over to chill for a while. Mom told Dad he has until this evening to make up his mind whether he's going to move out, because I'm moving back." He chuckled again, "They're going to ask Dad over about eight or so; they're going to be watching a Sun's game on the big screen in the family room, the surround sound, the whole nine yards."

"Oh, dirty pool!" I told him, laughing myself.

"No, we have to leave the pool clean!" Tony kidded, and I smiled. Things really were coming back together. Again.

"What do you want to do about cars, tonight, Tom?" he said, changing the subject. "I'm not able to drive mine."

"Funny you should mention it," I replied. "You haven't seen my new wheels. Let's just say, I have room for you and Sue Ellen, JR and Shannon, Jenny and Katrina. Mary's going to bring Elizabeth."

"What are we going to see?" Tony asked.

I'd looked at the morning paper, so I some suggestions. "How about Clockstoppers?" I asked.

"That the one about the time traveler?"

"Ah, time stopper, anyway. We could see the Time Machine, it's showing."

There was a moment's pause, and then Tony laughed. "Saw it a couple of weeks ago with Sue Ellen. The girl in it has nice breasts. I was just remembering something Sue Ellen said then. At the time I thought she was yanking my chain. I said something about how much better Sue Ellen's were, and Sue Ellen said the girl wasn't too shabby; that she wouldn't kick her out of bed." In my mind's eye I could see Tony shaking his head. "I never imagined..."

I was fairly sure that at some point in time, Sue Ellen and Tony had had a discussion about Sue Ellen and girls. Well, we'd both had an education in the last couple of weeks.

I got to Sue Ellen's a little after lunch. Tony and Sue Ellen really were skinny-dipping in the pool, so were Fleur, Mindy and Michelle.

"When in Rome," Tony said with a laugh, "do as Sue Ellen says, or get beat up." He pointed to a chair. "Drop your pants."

I did, dove in the pool, swimming the length underwater. Well, maybe two-thirds of the length.

We splashed and had fun. Everyone was relaxed; no one seemed embarrassed by being nude. We listened to music; in a word, it was nice.

Oh yeah, I went the entire time without an erection.

Around three-thirty in the afternoon, Fleur had to get dressed, as her mother was due to pick her up, so we all got dressed as well. While we were in the living room, I pulled out the picture I'd gotten from Johnnie Dugan and passed it around.

"Merde!" Fleur exclaimed.

French isn't my thing, so I promptly mistranslated the word as something to do with death. "I wasn't hurt."

I think she saw in my eyes, what I was thinking.

"Merde is French for shit," Fleur told me, looking at the picture.

I was a little surprised by Mindy's reaction. She started crying, and then she turned and walked away. Michelle went to her; while I was left feeling like an idiot.

Right then Fleur's mother arrived, and we all exchanged pleasant greetings. Even me, who was tongue-tied. Fleur's mother was tall and elegant, like Fleur's father. She smiled at me when Fleur introduced us, then surprised me by leaning close, kissing me on each cheek.

The smell of her perfume, the warmth of her body close to mine, the fact that I could look down the top of her dress and see her unfettered breasts, all hit me like a blacksmith's hammer against an anvil. I had an erection; it was a total sensory experience quite unlike any I'd had before.

She pulled back, regarding me. "Fleur is a swan, you know." She nodded at her daughter, "She doesn't believe it, but I see it in your eyes. You know."

I could only nod. I wished I'd been paying more attention when Fleur had told us her name.

Before she left, she hugged Sue Ellen. "Thank you for being so kind to my daughter."

"No problem," Sue Ellen told her. "My pleasure."

Sue Ellen's mother made an appearance, the two women hugged as well. "It isn't to Jean's liking," Fleur's mother told Mrs. Wells, "but we will be back in the summer. He doesn't know it yet, but he is in line to be made Consul-General here."

Sue Ellen's mom smiled. "Ah, dear Jehanna! Together again, at last!"

The two laughed. It was like I was there again, watching my mother and Melinda, the TV reporter. Oh! No wonder Sue Ellen liked girls too! The two women exchanged smiles, and then Fleur and her mother were gone. Sue Ellen's mother vanished as well.

Mindy had pulled herself together when Fleur's mother had appeared, now she came to me. "I'm sorry, Tom."

"It's not a nice picture; I wouldn't show it to anyone again. It just..." Words failed me again.

She smiled at me, leaned close and kissed me on the cheek, a lot like Fleur's mother had... although just on one cheek, no perfume and no unfettered breasts. "A few years ago, we lived in a town called Mohave, in California. My father worked for an aerospace company that had a lab near there.

"One day there was an accident at the lab." Her eyes bored into mine. "He was killed, so were a lot of others. They took Mom and some of the others who'd lost family members to see it. Afterwards, Mom cried for days and days; more than when she first heard Dad was dead."

I decided that mentioning someone had died at the accident was never going to cross my lips, at least in Mindy's hearing. I hugged her, and she smiled at me. Pale and sad. I looked over her head, caught Michelle's eye.

"Please take care of her," I pleaded wordlessly.

Michelle came and hugged Mindy. Mindy wrapped her arms around Michelle and held on for dear life.

I mentally consigned the picture of the accident to a place in the bottom of the bottom drawer in my room. I'd survived; others hadn't. Who needed reminding about friends and relatives who hadn't been as fortunate as me?

The picture was a reminder to me about how lucky I'd been. It was something I never intended to forget, but at the same time, it would mean something else to others. A lot of people are killed and injured in accidents; more people had family or loved ones killed or injured. Who needed that kind of reminder?

There was another knock on the door, and this time it was Michelle's uncle, a man of about thirty or so, looking even more Hispanic than Michelle. Mindy perked up when she saw him. "Please, Uncle Marty. Please! Ice cream! A ride in your car!"

He grinned at her, then at me. "You have to be Tom."

"Yes, sir."

"Please, it's Marty." He held out his hand, and I shook it, mystified.

"Mindy tells me you play a mean game of poker."

I almost fainted, remembering the poker game. I was pretty sure he knew what kind of a poker game it had been, too. Would I tell Uncle Craig about the poker game? I sniffed in mental derision. Not!

"One of these days, when we don't have something else to do on Friday night, like going to a movie, we should get up a poker game."

All I could do was nod, not having a clue. I'd been lucky, not clever, to win the poker game at the party. In fact, if there was a best player in the game, it had to be Anna, who had had the best strategy of anyone.

Then they were gone; it was getting to be like a parade. Sue Ellen's and Tony's moms appeared, announced they were off to get some beer and chips for 'our party'. Again, I was flabbergasted. I'm not sure why; it would have been flat impossible for it not to have gotten out to them what kind of a party Sue Ellen's and Janey's had been. Saying they were having 'a party' had to be irony, right? Or maybe teasing?

How about them sitting in the house talking in the kitchen while a half dozen nude teenagers splashed around the pool, working on their tan lines?

I'd lost track of Sue Ellen, but when I saw her again she was wearing a very short pleated white skirt and t-shirt without a bra, something that was very easy to tell on Sue Ellen, particularly when she had erect nipples.

Tony grinned at her, and Sue Ellen gave a little twirl, going around twice. Pale blue panties. Who was being teased now? Me? Tony? Both of us? I shook my head. You'd think with everything that had happened to me, I'd have learned to handle anything. Instead, my mind kept flashing back to Sue Ellen's blue panties and Fleur's mother's breasts.

Tony didn't seem to be troubled or confused at all. "I'm going to get a shower, I hate having the chlorine smell hanging around," he announced.

He turned and went towards the back of the house, leaving Sue Ellen and I alone. It had been, maybe fifteen minutes since Fleur's mother had kissed me on the cheeks.

I could see Sue Ellen's lips moving, her eyes intent; I hadn't a clue what was going on in her head.