Chapter 19

The timing was perfect. Andy had worked long hours at the Tee since it opened, forgetting about school in the interim. On days when the high school guys were at school, he and Ryan were the daytime staff, along with Gretchen and Carol. Paul was on site a good deal of the time, but between operational details of the Tee and his growing outside business, his time with the residents had decreased over the months.

One mid-morning, as Paul came into the office after breakfast with a new client, he called Andy into his office. "Andy, I've got a proposition for you. I need to hire an accountant. The workload is just too much, and I've got prospective clients I can't even get to. Are you interested?"

"But I don't even have my degree, much less my CPA," Andy objected.

"I know, and you'll have to get back to working on that," Paul answered. "But I'm sure you can do the work, and I will just review and certify it until you complete everything. I've talked to Julia, and she doesn't want to lose either of us. She sees this as a compromise that at least keeps us around. What do you say?"

Actually, it could not have been more perfect. With his desire to marry Andi, Andy had come up hard against his lack of sufficient income. He had thought he would have to struggle through finishing his degree before he could do anything about that.

Though she was healing rapidly, Andi wanted to stay at the Tee, as much for her mother as for herself. This offer would allow Andy to keep spending a lot of time with her. It took him only seconds to give Paul his enthusiastic acceptance.

After further discussion, Andy decided he would try completing his degree online, as Andi was doing. They discovered there was no residency requirement before sitting for a CPA, and that was the main goal. It would save him a lot of travel and marginally effective classroom time, as the U extension was not rated any better than his online choice. He would undoubtedly finish his degree in a shorter elapsed time.

Andy was the beneficiary of another creative move. Julia asked if he would be willing to live full-time on site and handle overnight duty for both sides. When he was a little reluctant at first, Julia used the clincher: he and Andi could share a room in the center section.

Andi had not been on birth control long enough, yet, so condoms were still necessary, but that decreased the couple's joy only marginally. In the weeks they had been together as resident and attendant, they had been forced to go through the getting acquainted process in a way that too many couples totally miss out on. With their shared concern for Dottie, they had a common goal to work together on, as well. They had had sex just the one time before, and neither had made an issue of asking for any special permission.

In evaluating the operational aspects of Transformations, Julia had found a number of policies that needed change or relaxation. The policy against conjugal visits was fine, except that already two unique situations had arisen. With Mary and Floyd, both husband and wife were residents, and enhancing their sex life was a key part of their 're-birthing'. A staff member falling in love with a resident was a situation Julia had thought about, but not expecting it to happen so soon, she had made no specific provision for it.

The center section offered a number of possibilities, including rooms where men and women could sleep together. Julia decided that was something she would exert arbitrary control over. Other factors were more important than uniformity of treatment for the residents.

After much discussion with Frank, Gerald, and the consultants, an expansion of the center section was decided on. Actually, it was more the completion of another whole section. The common facilities and the existing center rooms would be maintained, but the anticipated third section that was constructed but not finished off would be completed. The estimate to completion was only four or five weeks.

The new section would be open to men or women at their discretion. The nudity rule would be in effect at all times, except for staff. If families wanted extended visits, they were welcome in the new section, as long as they were naked. There would likely be other people there, and that was an additional hurdle for visitors. Julia was not certain how many families would avail themselves of the option, but she felt it had some immediate benefit for the residents.

Residents would not move to the new section permanently, but would retain their rooms on their respective sides. Julia explained the new arrangement to Mary and Floyd before construction started.

Since Mary had been willing to go naked to the men's side to be with Floyd, she had no hesitation. Surprisingly, Floyd's only concern was over the other male residents seeing his wife naked. His own exposure no longer bothered him at all.

Andi was an atypical resident from the beginning, because of age, appearance, and financial arrangement. She often felt guilty for taking up a position, yet being there for her mother was extremely important to her.

With Andy providing overnight coverage, Barbara no longer needed to stay onsite constantly, and she moved back home. It was a long commute, but no one expected the arrangement to be permanent. Julia offered Andi the evening assistant manager's job, with the stipulation that she could still be a daytime resident for a while longer. The offer was accepted enthusiastically.

Because of the many nights he had slept with his sister, his aunt, or his mother, Andy was used to snuggling up to a female companion. He loved his sister Beth deeply, but until he and Andi got together, he did not realize the difference in his feelings.

To Andi, the constant closeness was new and thrilling. On only a few occasions in school had she spent the night with a guy, and none of those encounters were that memorable. In her time of slavery, her encounters were mercifully brief, and she kept herself from feeling anything for the johns. As much as possible, she tried not to even notice them.

Largely because of her 'training' from Hector and his friends, Andi was an enthusiastic and skillful lover. She tried to apologize to Andy for that, but he honestly proclaimed his good fortune because of her skill. He himself was far less experienced at intercourse, but his other attentions left her feeling boneless.

As they made love, Andi wanted almost constant kissing. She told Andy it was what made it different from her slavery days - she never kissed the johns. The two had talked often about the challenge to their relationship from Andi's days on the street, and Julia had spent some time with them. All agreed that the key was to talk about it, openly and often.

Since Andy's relationships with his family fell outside of the norm, it was another issue they had to discuss freely lest it loom as a barrier between them. In a strange way, their backgrounds made them closer and more committed to each other. They both showed great determination to build the life they wanted together, despite what had gone before.

Another interesting phenomenon at the Tee was the way the female residents seemed eager to tell the male attendants everything. Apparently, too few had ever had a man who would listen to them and converse at an intimate level. Being careful that no resident would overhear, the guys often commented to each other that they should be honorary shrinks.

Several times, Gretchen had seen her son Andy leaving one of the conversations with a bemused expression. Finally, just before she left for home one night, she caught him and teased "Whatsamatter, Hon, TMI?"

"For sure!" Andy responded, then just shook his head in amazement. "That must be the kind of stuff women spend their time talking to each other about. Is it fair to assume that every woman here knows everything detail about every other woman's sex partners?"

Something about the way his mother giggled in response set off alarm bells for Andy, and his shoulders slumped. "You know," he said, trying to sound hurt, "guys aren't allowed to kiss and tell. How come it's OK for the women?"

"Andy, Honey, you already know the answer to that," she chortled. "Sex is women's business. We get to make the rules." Seeing that he truly was not very happy, she tried to console him. "Oh, don't worry, Andi gives you an A+++. That girl is so in love with you, it makes us all cry, besides getting us all hot. Her, uh, report makes me wish my scruples weren't so damned strong." With that, she gave him a short but very passionate kiss.

Quickly changing to a sober mood, she told him "With everything that has happened to you two, it's a good thing you have so much practice with intimate talk. You're going to have to talk, talk, talk about everything to keep the past from being a problem. I'm guessing you're doing a pretty good job of it already."

"Yeah, I'm really trying," he answered. "She starts to think about her time with Hector, and I can almost see this cloud come over her face. I keep telling her it doesn't matter, but..."

"You may have to tell her another million times or two," Gretchen counseled.

"Mom, you don't think it's just gratitude with Andi, do you?"

"Not at all. She was attracted to you - VERY attracted to you - back when you met at school. The gratitude is there, but it's not the reason for the love."

Hearing that, Andy sat in a nearby big chair and pulled his mother onto his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder, and they just communed silently for several minutes. Neither noticed when Andi came up and knelt by the arm of the chair. A soft sniffle gave away her presence, and they could see the tears coursing down her cheeks. It was Gretchen who reached out and stroked Andi's hair, instinctively picking up on the girl's feelings.

Now would have been the perfect time for Andy to take Andi to their room, but she had to get dressed and go to the men's side for the evening. Barbara had been staying until supper and leaving right afterward. There wasn't a lot for Andi to do most evenings, and she filled the time with some of the menial tasks. Still, the responsibility made her feel less guilty for not paying her way.

The intimate conversation phenomenon was not limited to the women, either, as Andi had quickly found out. The men had talked a lot with Barbara, but somehow, Andi's presence made them even more loquacious. They shared freely about their home situations, many times agonizing over mistakes they had made and relationships they had ruined. Other times, Andi got disturbed over the way some of the women had treated these men, vowing that she would never, ever treat her man that way.

When the couple finally got to their room together, Andi asked about his conversation with his mother. "It was just so sweet to see her sitting in your lap like that," she enthused. "What I wouldn't give to have Dad hold me like that - or Matt!"

"Did that used to happen?" he asked.

"With Dad it did, when I was younger. I guess he thought it wasn't proper after I grew up."

"Or maybe he just couldn't withstand the, uh, stimulation," he teased, trying to lighten things up.

"Oh, Dad wouldn't think of me like that!" she objected.

"Why not? I sure think of my mother like that," Andy told her. "Was your house pretty modest, or did you see them pretty much undressed?"

"Pretty modest," she replied. "Oh, we weren't paranoid, or anything, but I never saw either of their dicks. We never sat around in our underwear, and we usually wore robes to breakfast."

"Poor guys!" he remarked. "Just look at what they missed!"

With that, he pulled off her two garments, and she returned the favor. Without anything being said, they walked together to the women's side, rinsed off, and got in the hot tub. There, they sat as close as physically possible, but otherwise respected propriety. They talked until they started to feel overheated, rinsed off again quickly, and went back to their room hand in hand.

The door was still swinging shut when she jumped up on him, arms tightly around his neck and legs around his waist. He quickly got both hands on her ass to support her, and they kissed hungrily. His hands moved down from her cheeks and his fingers pulled at her lips from both sides. She hissed and moaned her approval, then gasped out "Not you fingers, your cock!"

Andy was not a big, beefy guy, and she, while slim, was not tiny. However, weight and strength seemed to mean nothing at that moment as he used one hand to line up his already-hard member. Sensing its presence in just the right spot, she let herself sag down and he popped right in.

Ever since the tender moment with Gretchen and Andy, Andi had felt like she was on an emotional edge. His intrusion into her was all it took, and she came, almost lifting herself off of him as her legs straightened in her convulsions.

He was holding on to her tightly as she trembled. The feeling of his bare cock in her was so marvelous, he just wished - BARE!? Almost in a panic, he used every ounce of strength to lift her straight up and off of himself. She had barely cleared when he lost it and started spurting. Some hit her ass and thighs, but most just went onto the carpet.

"Oh, Andy, I should have told you!" she said sadly, still jerking from aftershocks. "I'm due in about two days, and I'm safe."

Not knowing how to react to that news, he just started laughing as he set her on the floor and held her up. She definitely was not ready to support herself standing. After they stood for a moment, he led her into the bathroom. Grabbing a washrag, he wet it and wiped his cum off of her backside. By this time, she could stand by herself, and he went in and cleaned up the globs from the carpet. By the time he rejoined her, she was the one laughing.

"Honey," she said as she wrapped him in a hug, "let's promise we'll always let sex be fun, OK?"

"You got it," he assured her. "And another thing: let's always talk about everything, especially those ghosts and demons." That just increased the intensity of the hug.

"I hate to think we wasted any of my safe period," she lamented. "Think it's ready for another go?" It was, and before morning, they joined three more times.

After some wake-up loving, Andi raised her head and looked at him for a long time before she spoke. "Honey, are you serious about marrying me?"

"Am I ever! If I had the money, we'd be married already."

"You're that sure?"

"Absolutely! Not a single doubt."

"Well, I just want you to know: you don't have to worry about money or anything for my sake," she told him. "I don't even care about a wedding. In fact, I don't think I could go through a wedding."

"Oh, Darling," he objected, "your wedding is supposed to be the highlight of a girl's life."

"Not this girl! This is my highlight. Just the promise that I can have this forever means more than any ceremony ever could. I don't like to keep bringing up the bad stuff, but it's there. Walking down the aisle in a long white dress: It would not be a high point for me. It would feel like a lie."

"But we've been over and over that," he lamented. "That was not your fault. You shouldn't feel guilty."

"... and maybe after we go over it a hundred more times, my feelings may change," she explained. "I hate to think I have to wait for so many things to happen before I can be Mrs. Andy Berg."

The conversation was interrupted for a while be a torrid kiss that might have escalated into much more if his penis had not temporarily gone on strike.

"But what about your Mom?" he asked after a while. "Won't she be looking forward to her only daughter's wedding?"

"Oh! I suppose she would be."

"Besides," he added, "a wedding could be a good way for your family to get together. I don't mean it would change everything, but at least they would all be face to face.

It was at breakfast the very next morning that Dottie sat beside her daughter and just said "I'm ready!" Andi did not have to ask what she meant. Andy, sitting on the other side of Andi, handed Dottie his phone.

After they ate, Dottie pulled Andi with her to a secluded corner. She was trembling so hard she could barely dial. When Warren answered his office phone, he had to say 'hello' three times before Dottie could stammer out "W... W... Warren?"

"Dottie? Dottie? Oh, God! I'm so glad you called! I am so sorry for the way I treated you!"

"No, Warren! I'm the one who is sorry. I..." The next five minutes were spent with each trying to out-apologize the other. Dottie cut the conversation off after twenty minutes, promising to call back that evening. When she hung up, she and Andi fell into each other's arms, crying.

Over the next few weeks, Dottie and Warren and Andi and Warren talked every single day. Much of the conversation covered ordinary everyday details of life, things they should have talked about more in person when they were all together.

The day after Dottie and Warren talked, Andi called Matt. Matt had suffered as much guilt as had Warren over cutting off his mother completely. He was very much his father's son, and his even more rigid personal code just could not deal with adultery. Intelligent as he was, he lacked the maturity and life experience to understand how people could be led into things that were unthinkable to them. The time since the breakup had taught him a lot.

When Matt took Warren's side, Andi had reacted angrily and broken off contact with him, just as she had with Warren. That had hurt Matt deeply, as much as he loved his sister. When he had been unable to find her later, he assumed she wanted him completely out of her life. He could not understand how their closeness could be sundered so suddenly and completely, but the evidence was there. Every few weeks, he had tried to reach her, with no luck.

Over the intervening months, Matt's view of things had changed a lot. First of all, he deeply regretted his own actions toward his mother. He could understand how his father felt, but Dottie's sin was against Warren, not against Matt. In every other way, she had been an exceptional mother. With every passing day, more of the good things from their past came to his mind.

Within a month of the breakup, Matt was ready to talk to both Dottie and Andi, but loyalty to Warren held him back. Warren's change of heart took much, much longer. Then, when Andi seemed to have disappeared, he feared any attempt at contact would not be well received. All of that, coupled with a healthy dose of male pride, kept him from making the move he more and more wanted to make.

As a result, Matt had no idea of the desperate condition Dottie had sunk into until Warren called him after hearing about Andi. The fact that his beloved sister had been a hooker, and scant miles from his campus room, almost cost him his grades for that semester. For many days, he was unable to concentrate and study.

That fact that the prostitution was not Andi's fault he could understand. But the drugs that had led to it... Matt's college experience seemed to be more about morality versus reality than about the degree he was supposed to be pursuing. Both of the women in his life had fallen short of the standard he had set for them. Were they just immoral people? Or was his standard unreasonable?

For a while after the breakup, Matt had thought that his love for his mother and sister had died. It would have been much more convenient for him if it had. It did not take long before the longing for a smile, a giggle, a touch, or a hug started to crowd out the indignation over Dottie's betrayal. As he watched the coeds showing their wares around campus, the image of Andi made them all seem dowdy. At his times of greatest depression and uncertainty, memories of his mother stroking his hair and shoulders and proclaiming her love for him drowned out the pain of her infidelity.

Andi's call was the final blow. Just the sound of her voice left him speechless, with tears coursing down his cheeks. She was not in much better shape, but her experience at the Tee, and the strength she gained from Andy's love, gave her the will to speak first. "I... I've missed you terribly, Matt."

"God, Andi, you don't know how much I've missed you! I tried to find you many times, but..."

"Did Dad tell you what happened to me?"

"Yeah, he did. I... I feel responsible," he admitted.

"Why?"

"Well, if we hadn't gone off angry with each other, maybe you wouldn't have gotten into the drugs, and maybe..." he tried to explain.

"Oh, Matt. We'll all go crazy if we start thinking that way," she chided him. "I just want to see if we can get back some of what we had. The love is still there, I just know it."

Within a couple of days, Matt was also talking to his mother on a daily basis.

At first, it took a huge effort, and she had to come to Mark afterwards, sometimes in tears. But Lindsey set out to spend meaningful time with her mother every time she was at the Tee. She explained what she was doing to Julia and apologized for the time not spent on tasks. Julia responded that it was therapy for Mary, and well worth the time.

Lindsey tried to make the get-togethers natural, such as exercising with her and sitting by her at dinner. Mary knew what was going on, and it was hard for either of them to be relaxed and easy. Still, habits were building and supposedly impenetrable walls were fracturing.

One night, Lindsey had been busy until late in the evening, so she asked Mary to join her in the hot tub. She knew it was very hard for her mother to see her naked, but that was just one more thing that had to change.

Lindsey was quiet, just coming down from a strenuous day, so Mary took the conversational lead. "I suppose you know the rules about your Dad and me sleeping together?"

"Yes. I heard he has to meet his weekly goals or use his hand." Lindsey had just said it, not intending any attack as she might have in the past.

"Honey, don't say that about your father! He wouldn't!"

"Of course he would. He should," Lindsey insisted. "Don't you?"

"But that's sinful!"

"Chapter and verse, Mom? Look, you guys are learning how good sex can be. You're seeing that it can take your relationship to new places. Sometimes, you have this pressure and you need relief. Last week, Dad goofed off, so you're alone tonight. Isn't it almost unbearable?"

"Well, I'm not as young and full of hormones as you are," Mary tried to rationalize.

"But you're closer to a woman's sexual peak than I am, Mom." Calling her 'Mom' had gotten easier by the day. "Almost every woman here has a vibrator or some other aid. Let me get one for you?"

"You would go and buy something like that?" Mary asked in total disbelief.

"Don't have to. There's a stash of them that Julia bought just in case."

Mary was silent, and Lindsey decided to let the matter go for the moment. Instead, Mary changed the subject. "Lindsey, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your taking these times with me. Are you spending some time with your Dad, too?"