Chapter 44

Dinner went well. If you didn't look too close, it would seem to be just like it used to be with the addition of a friend for dinner. I spotted a smile on Mary's face a few times. That had been missing for far too long.

They say misery loves company. I got the idea that these two would help each other and their misery would be short lived. God knows I wouldn't wish this on Sara, but if it had to happen, it couldn't have come at a better time for Mary's welfare.

The phone rang and Mom got up and answered it.

"Hello? Hi Bea. He did, huh? No, I'm not mad. No, I've got something I need to be around for. Yeah, I can work for you tomorrow, I just can't take off to God knows where for who knows how long. Oh, pleeease. Good luck if you can get it. All right, have fun. Hey, maybe you can join the mile high club. Yeah, go for it. OK. Call me when you get settled. Goodbye."

She sat down. "Well folks, you'll be on your own tomorrow. I'm going to go in and cover Bea's shift. John talked her into going to Houston with him."

Mary's curiosity got the better of her. "What was all that stuff about the mile high club?"

"Oh, Bea was asking if I had any hold on him. I told her to go for it."

"But what's this club?"

"Oh, come on Mary. Don't tell me you've never heard of the mile high club."

"No."

"Neither have I."

"Me too."

"Geez. Where have you kids been? First of all, it's not really a club. It's just all the people who've had sex in an airplane."

"How can they do that? Won't everybody see them?"

"Most of the time they go into one of the restrooms."

"But those things are hardly big enough for one person. How do they do it?"

"You'd be amazed the ways people can figure out to do it."

"I guess. I wouldn't want to do it in a restroom on a plane."

"It's more of a thrill or status thing. So you're able to say I've done it in an airplane."

"Oh."

"I don't understand why people would risk getting in trouble and being that uncomfortable just to say they had sex in an airplane."

"Sara, am I safe in assuming you've never had sex?"

"Yes."

"That's OK... It's nothing to be embarrassed about. So, one of these days you'll have sex with someone you really like and you'll find out that it can be the best way to show him how much you love him. But you'll also discover how much fun it is. And you'll probably want to do it all the time. And, believe it or not, there are a lot of people who enjoy doing it in places other than a bed. We bought this house when Mary was just a baby and Jackie was barely two. The kids' father and I spent the first two weeks making love in every room in the house. Including the garage. And the crawl space above the hallway. And the patio. And if we had ever flown somewhere together, I'm sure he would have been able to talk me into going into a rest room with him. I'll let you in on a little secret. I was laying on that table right where your bowl is one of the times we made love in the kitchen."

Sara moved her bowl aside and looked at the table where it had been.

"I'm sure she cleaned it off since then, Sara."

"Very funny, Jack."

I glanced over at Mary. My sister had tears working their way down her face from each eye. I reached out and squeezed her hand.

"Oh, Mary. I'm sorry. I didn't think. Are you OK?"

"I don't know, Mom. It wasn't like that for me. I wanted it to be. So bad. But then they hurt me. Why did they have to do that? We didn't do anything wrong. We went to the party and when they crashed it we left. We were just driving down the road. And when they ran us off the road, we didn't do anything to them then, either. We just walked for help. We didn't do anything wrong. And then they hurt me. And Charlie. It's not fair."

"I know Baby. It's so unfair. I wish I could do something to help."

By this time Mary was really sobbing. Mom had long since scooted her chair over and was holding Mary to her chest, letting her cry it out.

I hadn't seen Mary react to the rape before. I'd seen the fear of contact, of having a male, any male in the vicinity. And it looked like we were working through that if we hadn't already.

At first I thought it was anger. But that's not where she was. She was confused. Because it didn't make sense. She had done the right things. She found a boy she enjoyed being with. She was just starting to explore the male-female relationship in all its glory. I don't even know if they'd kissed yet. And then their whole world fell apart because five evil men did what they did best. They were evil to them. And that didn't make sense to someone who was raised with and lived by "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

Mary was still crying against mom. It was something she'd been holding inside for a long time and I didn't think it would be over soon. I got up and started clearing the table, rinsing and putting dishes in the dishwasher. When I got near Sara, she got my arm and pulled me close to her.

"Jack, I'm going to need some clothes. All I've got are these." She indicated what she was wearing.

"Do you want a ride to your house?"

"Yeah. Can you come in with me?"

"Sure. Let me finish with the dishes and we'll go."

Mom and Mary got up and went into the living room and sat on the couch. Mary was still crying with no end in sight. I got the car keys from the nail near the door and held them up where Mom could see. She looked confused.

"I'm going to take Sara home so she can get some clothes."

Mom nodded. I went in and helped Sara out to the car. She seemed a lot looser than before. She only lived a couple of blocks down the same street. But I could just see me and a stiff Sara carrying armfuls of clothes down the street at 10:30 on a Saturday night.

Her mother opened the door when Sara put her key in the lock.

"So, you've decided to come home where you belong. Who the hell is this?"

"This is Jack, Mom. He's been my friend for years. Not that that would mean anything to you and and your bully."

"No wonder he beat you up, the way you talk to him. You're going to need to watch your mouth or you'll get more of the same."