Chapter 10: Incest With A Twist

I was exhausted when I got to bed that night. By 9:00, I was sick of fielding questions about Mom, Dad and Jeff and diverting them over to Sandy. They'd slowed down quite a lot but it was still a real pain. I think what bothered me the most is that it was my own damned fault. Me and my big mouth.

I woke up refreshed on Monday morning. I might as well face the music. I wanted to get back into cheer leading and it was time to make an appearance. If any of the girls wanted the dirt, I'd send them right over to Sandy. I wanted to see the look on her face when I asked her how the word got out on what I'd told her in confidence.

I called Darcy and asked if there was a practice today. They were going to meet at the school at 11:00. She told me she and her brother would be by to pick me up around 10:30. A little early for a ten minute drive, but it would be good to spend some time with Darcy and Bill. They were still going strong. He would leave for Viet Nam in a week or so and she was doing everything she could to get pregnant. He was getting the time honored gift to soldiers going off to battle from the girl back home. Time after time after time.

Jaz was at the breakfast table, finishing up his Trix. Actually, finishing up the leftover milk in his bowl. Some of it dribbled down his face as he lifted the bowl to his mouth. He gave me a milky kiss on my cheek, then ran out to play with Billy, swiping his mouth with the back of his hand on the way out the door. Did I ever have that much energy?

Mom came into the kitchen and turned on the percolator. The bubbling sound was familiar. I always associated it with good times. I got a glass of orange juice.

Mom asked if I would like ham and eggs. There was a good sized piece of ham wrapped in Saran Wrap in the refrigerator. She lopped off a couple of thick pieces and put them in a frying pan as she melted butter for the eggs in another.

"I have raisin bread from Dudley's. How about some raisin toast?"

"Ooh, that sounds good."

"OK. You handle the toast and I'll get the rest."

There's nothing like a kitchen filled with the smells of breakfast. Somehow they all meld together yet stay distinct. Coffee brewing, ham, the butter with the more delicate smell of eggs cooking, the slightly sweet smell of the raisins as the toaster does its work. I smiled at the sounds of the hot water going through its final bubbling as the percolator sent that last tablespoon into the coffee grounds, the eggs spattering a couple of inches up above the pan and the toast popping up to signal its completion. The sounds of home, of family.

I put the toast on plates, making sure the butter was on the table. Always butter, never jam or jelly with raisin toast. If it's not a law, it should be.

Mom got the eggs, sliced them down the middle and proceeded to serve us both with a spatula. How she was able to get them out and onto our plates without breaking the yolks was one of life's miracles. It must be a Mom thing. The ham got speared with a fork. She held my piece just above my plate, waiting for me to use my fork to hold it down so she could pull hers out. A time honored tradition in our family, something we all knew to do without being asked. Her last actions were to pour herself a cup of coffee and get the pitcher of orange juice from the fridge and put it on the table.

She had just sat down when the doorbell rang. I told her to stay and went to answer it. It was Nancy, coming by the check on my brother. I told her to come into the kitchen.

"Would you like something to eat, Nancy?"

"No thank you, Mrs. Bond."

"OK. Sit down and have some orange juice."

She didn't want to impose but Mom's stern look changed her mind. She sat right at the edge of the bench, next to me. Almost as if she was afraid she'd soil it.

She drank her orange juice and we talked for a minute or so.

"I have to hurry. Jeff... I mean Dr Bradley is picking me up for a meeting at the hospital."

"You aren't trying to steal my man, are you Nancy?"

"Oh, Mrs Bond. I'd never do anything like that!"

Mom looked over at me and we both laughed. Nancy turned beet red.

She was on the way upstairs when Sam came through the kitchen door. Good old Sam. Good thing we weren't paying her by the hour or she'd break us. She took a glass of juice but went upstairs with it. I heard some raised voices shortly after she got up there. I guess Nancy was trying to exert her authority and Sam was fighting her on it.

Mom washed and I dried. She looked real good today. I know I felt good about our talk. I guess it did her a lot of good, too.

I took a nice long shower and put on some tight shorts and a pink T-shirt with some rhinestones on it. Full of good food, clean and looking sharp. I felt as good as I had in weeks.

Mom's doctor must have shown up while I was in the shower. They were sitting at the table when I went into the kitchen. He smiled at me.

"Looking good, Half Pint."

He was the only man I knew who could make me blush.

Darcy rang the front doorbell a minute later. We went out to the car and she slid over next to Bill, leaving most of the passenger seat for me. Bill told me I looked good, too.

We chatted on the way over to the school. Darcy told me she'd gotten five calls from girls on the squad about my parents and Jeff. The stories were all different and got worse and farther from the truth as the day wore on. Sandy was the first one to call and Darcy didn't know enough to say much. As the other calls came in, she chewed some butt, telling them she was pretty disgusted that they were spreading lies. She fully expected to get some shit from some of the girls today. And she was going to give some to Sandy when she saw her.

Bill didn't say anything but I could see he wasn't too thrilled with the callers by the grim look on his face.

We made our way onto the field. I was swamped by the other girls, all wanting to know the true story. I take that back. They all wanted some dirt. They could give a shit about the truth. Sandy was doing her best to stay away without seeming to. She was also avoiding my eyes.

I kept quiet, then made like I was going to talk. They all got quiet.

"I don't know. What do you think, Sandy?"

"Huh?"

"I said what do you think? I told someone I thought was a friend something very personal yesterday. She swore that she wouldn't tell anyone. And my phone started ringing two minutes later and didn't stop all day. So what do you think, Bitch?"

Sandy didn't like being caught. And she definitely didn't like being shown for what she was in front of her friends.

"My parents are getting a divorce. They've both found other people. My mother happens to have found someone who is ten times the man my father is, and I'm sure they will be very happy. My father has found someone who makes him happy. Now, I'm sure that all of you can hardly wait to tell everyone you know about it. And a lot of you, like Bitch over there will make it ten times worse than it is so you can feel important. So, have at it. I already know how most of you are between your phone calls and the way you all ganged up on me as soon as I got here to see if there was any dirt.

"Just in case any of you are interested, I'm doing very well, thank you. Of course, that's nothing you can gossip about so I'm sure none of you are. Now I'm going to go over there and sit with Darcy's brother until she's ready to leave. Because I'm not interested in associating with people who don't have any more respect for others than you do."

I started to walk off when Darcy called to me.

"Hang on, Les. I don't want hang out with these guys anymore, either. I'll drop off my uniform later in the week."

Just like that, the squad had three less people. Me and Darcy plus Sam. I was the only reason she went out for cheer and now she had Wes to keep her busy.

Bill was standing up, a big grin on his face when we got back to him in the stands. "That was great. You know you two are going to be pariahs from now on, don't you?"

Darcy grabbed his arm. "I know. But it was worth it. Damn, Les. I couldn't believe the look on Sandy's face when you took her out in front of everyone. And the way the rest of them looked guilty when you told them off was great. They were all perking up when you told them about your parents. But when you started accusing them of turning it into dirt, their looks were priceless."

"Yeah, but you know as soon as we leave they'll start in on us."

"Of course. As soon as we can't defend ourselves."

We headed over to the parking lot. For some reason, it seemed right for me to hold Bill's hand while Darcy held the other. She looked around him at me and smiled.

Neither of us wanted to go home so we just took off. We headed out the back way and made our way down Main St into El Cajon. Before we knew it, we were in the outskirts on Jamacha Rd. We found a park with lots of grass, trees and privacy. Ours was the only car in the lot. Again, we went as three, Bill holding on to both our hands.

We walked with no destination in mind, checking out the sights, feeling the warm sun on our faces. We finally came upon a spot that had a huge pepper tree, soft grass, and overlooked a reservoir. There was a cool breeze coming up from the water.

I don't think anyone planned on anything happening. And I think we were all kind of surprised that it did, but none of us knew exactly how to stop it.

Darcy and I were lying on either side of Bill. I still had his hand in mine, both of them on my stomach. I pushed the palm into my stomach. He started moving it in small circles. It felt good and I let out a sigh. I looked over to see Darcy looking at us and smiling. His other hand was moving on her stomach as well. The circles on her got larger and he was sweeping over the tops of her legs when he dropped down.