Chapter 44

The night Cal got back from Cheryl's tournament, Martin sat down with him as he was having a late snack. "While you were gone, the calls started."

"Calls?" Cal asked.

"From football coaches," Martin said with a grin. "They were all looking for a kicker."

"Am I supposed to call back?"

"I told them that you had already started at your chosen school," Martin answered. "I hope that was all right."

"You maybe could have saved yourself a lot of money if one of them gave me a scholarship," Cal prompted.

"That's not an issue," Martin assured his son. "Would you really have considered going anywhere else?"

"No. I do feel guilty, though, about what you'll end up spending," Cal said.

"I know you don't pay much attention to the business," Martin said, "but it is doing extremely well. I could retire very comfortably right now. Honestly, college costs for you and Rebecca are a privilege, not a burden at all."

Monday morning, after his trip to watch the end of Cheryl's volleyball season, Cal happened to pass Jolie in the hall between classes, and found himself puzzling over what had bothered him about her appearance.

Jolie and Missy had become inseparable and Gretta was slowly but surely making them a threesome. He sat with them at lunch at least a couple of times a week. He also saw Jolie much more often around home. He just could not put his finger and what had bothered him just then.

It was when he was leaving his next class that he figured it out, walking behind a senior girl who was about 6'3". At lunchtime, he almost ran to the cafeteria, and managed to catch Jolie still in line.

"Jolie, would you sit with me for lunch? I want to talk to you about something." She agreed. Her current attitude toward her cousin made it hard for her to deny him anything. After they got their food, she stopped and told Missy and Gretta that she wouldn't be eating with them, then the cousins found a small table alone.

"You know I'm your biggest fan, don't you Jolie?" he asked. Waiting for her to nod, he went on, "And you know I wouldn't say anything to hurt you, don't you?" This time, her nod was accompanied by a look of worry over what might be coming next.

"I don't know if you're aware of it, Jolie, but you still walk around school like you did when you were in the gang."

"Walk?... how?... what do you mean?"

"You know I love women who are tall and slender, don't you?" he asked.

"Sure. Cheryl. Mom. Your Mom."

"And you. But it looks like you want people to think you're about 5'2"," he told her. She looked puzzled, then thoughtful, and then she flushed a little. He was not sure if she was embarrassed or angry or what.

"I... I slouch?"

"I didn't think you were even aware of it," he assured her. "Ask Missy and Gretta. See what they say."

"I guess that's just the way I walk," she said defensively.

"Last time I saw you at the pool in that sexy bikini, you stood tall and stuck those delicious tits out proudly."

"Well, that was different," she objected. "That was... that was..." she dropped her head and looked up at him. "That was for you."

"And I appreciate it. I really, really do." He took her hand as he said to emphasize his sincerity. "Jolie, why don't you do it at school for that special guy who is about to fall in love with you?"

"Who... who is that?"

"I have no idea, and he doesn't know it yet. He may never know it if you keep hiding how beautiful and sexy you really are. All I'm saying is that you should walk around school like you walk around our pool."

"In my bikini? I don't think that fits the dress code," she said with a giggle. That giggle eased his mind tremendously. He did not want to alienate her in any way.

They finished their lunch, and as they stood up, she looked around before giving him a quick, highly illegal kiss. "Think they suspend kissing cousins?" she asked with another giggle. "Really, Cal. Thanks. I'll think about it."

As he sat in his next class, Cal wondered what was happening to him. Not that long ago, he had been determined never to mess around with other people's lives. Now, it was Darlene, and Laura, and Jolie. Even last year, it was Dante. What was going on? Did he no longer think that interfering was wrong? Did he think that he had the answers for other people?

Just a few days before Cheryl would come home for Christmas, Cal's aversion to messing in other lives was put to an even more severe test. During his talk with her, she said, with unmasked anxiety "You've got to talk to Mom. She is so upset with Dad!"

"It's tough to find a time. Tell you what. Call her back and see when she takes a lunch break at the club. I don't want to call - you be the go-between, OK?"

Cal did not frivolously cut classes. However, his attitude toward school was such that if something more important came along, class became secondary. When Cheryl's voice sounded like it had, it was very, very important to her. That made it Cal's top priority.

He picked up Darlene in front of the club and they went through the drive-up at a fast food place and took it to a rather secluded park area. She was at the bursting point, but did not seem to be able to start talking. "Darlene, remember how you said I was like a part of Cheryl? Then talk to me as if I was Cheryl. You can say anything. You know that."

He had pulled the plug, and it all poured out. "I've tried to treat him like he was a sex god! I'm sneaking touches and rubs whenever I can. With the kids upstairs, I've pulled it out and played with it in front of the TV. I'm, uh, flashing him all the time. I get in the shower with him. I tried my first... first blowjob." She had to stop to blow her nose.

"And how does he respond?"

"Little by little, he's letting me do more things, but he won't do anything more to me. If I stick... if I stick a nipple in his mouth, he turns away. I'm so frustrated, Cal!"

Continuing the pattern started on the trip, she shared with him as if he was another woman. For a good half-hour, she poured out her need and her frustration.

"Darlene, do you love Hal?" he asked when she stopped talking for a while.

"It's not love like I see between you and Cheryl, or your parents, or Robin and Bud. I've never had that. I want that, and I could have that with Hal. We've got a whole life together, and that means something. But I can't have it without sex.

"Hal is my husband, and I will faithful as long as we are married. I can't believe he loves me if he won't try to please me." She ended with tears.

"Do you think there is anything I could do to help?"

"It may not seem like it, Cal, but I think he respects you. You fit his definition of a man. I can't ask..."

"Yes, you CAN ask, Darlene. You said I'm like part of Cheryl. Well, you're part of Cheryl, too. That means you're an important part of my life. I will try to get through to Hal."

If Cal had questioned himself after his little intervention about Jolie's posture, he was conducting a full-scale self-inquisition as he waited down the block from the Carson home in the very early morning. He know that Hal kept typical construction hours, starting very, very early. He did not know the current site where Hal was working, so he had to follow him.

It was just the morning after Darlene had unloaded her frustrations on him. Her agitated state had made his current mission urgent, in his opinion. There were a couple of things that he was depending on to give him at least some chance of getting his message across, and he needed every possible advantage. Otherwise, how was a high school kid supposed to jar his father-in-law out of complete, disastrous sexual ineptitude.

Darlene had said that Hal respected Cal, and Cheryl had said that she agreed. There had never been any outward evidence of that, but he would have to take their word for it. Months ago, during the attempts to save Darlene from Jeremy, there had been speculation that Hal himself was submissive, but very good at hiding it. Those 'maybes' were his only strategic advantages on this crazy mission. Well, that and the shock effect of the pending confrontation.

The tricky part of Cal's plan was catching Hal just getting out of his pickup, with no one else around. Up ahead, he saw what appeared to be a likely site, so he took a chance. Passing Hal's truck, he kept his face turned away and zoomed ahead. He had time to park and sprint to where Hal stopped.

He was breathing just a bit heavier than normal when he started his carefully rehearsed spiel just as Hal stepped out of the truck. Any kind of elaborate preamble did not seem to fit with Hal, so Cal just let it fly.

"I came to see you this morning to tell you in private that you are in danger of losing Darlene. She would never cheat on you, but she will divorce you if things don't change."

Cal could see that Hal was about to say something, and he could not allow that. "Just listen, please. You are one of the luckiest men alive. Your wife is beautiful and she has a huge sex drive that she has just recently discovered. You are not satisfying that sex drive, and it WILL drive her away from you."

Hal was angry by now, and he managed to say "What the hell business is it of yours."

Cal managed a snarl in his voice as he shot back "Because Cheryl is going to be my wife. She loves Darlene and is very worried about her. She does not want to see a divorce break up the family. She is as certain as I am that it is about to happen."

Hal was even angrier, now, but it was sputtering anger, allowing Cal to forge ahead before Hal could marshall his thoughts. "You need to get help to save your marriage. If you are too timid to do that, at least do what Darlene wants you to do. Dammit, Hal! How could you even think of letting that woman get away?"

There was much more that Cal could have said, but he hoped he had made the important points. He spun around and hurried off. As he had hoped, Hal did not call after him. Time would tell if his risky intervention would have any effect. The fact that he could make things worse had dogged his sleep during the night.

He debated letting Darlene know what he had done, but he decided against it. Of course he would tell Cheryl in detail. If she chose to tell her mother, that was up to her.

On their nightly call, he and Cheryl spent a long time talking about the encounter with Hal. She was not happy that he had done it, considering it very risky. Still, she agreed with his assessment that Darlene was approaching her breaking point much faster than either would have guessed. They wondered again if the events on the trip had helped or had made things worse.

"It's done, Baby," he told her. "We can only do what we think is right. Sometimes, we will be proven wrong later. We know we can't just sit back and do nothing."

After some more talk, he lamented "This was supposed to be the year I was just a normal high school kid having fun. What happened to that?"

"That wasn't ever my idea," she answered. "why would I fall in love with some ordinary high school kid, anyway?"

He sort of grunted in response, but she was not finished. "Cal, you've got this problem with a need to make things right. That puts you in the middle of other people's live. Every time. I'm blessed that your in the middle of mine, and don't you dare try to back out of my mother's life, either! It's gotten way too important to me."

At least when the psychodrama started to get Cal down, he had basketball. That was clear-cut, straightforward, and pure fun. Just put the ball in the hole more than the other guys, then celebrate.

It was even more fun than ever this year. Coach Meinert seemed to be more than thrilled that he was out of that messed-up college deal and back where he belonged. He was even looser and more jovial than before, and he was even more committed to a fast-paced, high-scoring style. After having quit the year before, Cal appreciated it more, too.

Mahmoud tried several times to persuade Cal to take back the point guard spot, but to no avail. "'Moud, I am not even going to play college ball, you know that. The numbers are just against me. You've got pro talent, but at 6'4", you can only make it as a guard. I'll get plenty of chances to handle the ball and I'll get more shooting this way. Forget it. I'm not changing my mind. Besides, Coach agrees with me."

Cal had lied just a little to Mahmoud. Despite his 'firm' decision, Cal still thought about college basketball occasionally. As he thought about his dream of a 'normal' student's life, though, there was another very good reason to forget about basketball in college. Next year, when Cheryl was done with volleyball and he was done with football, they could do 'normal' college student things together for the rest of the year. That was something to look forward to.

One of the reasons for so much optimism about the team was the extraordinary improvement in Terrell Roberts' game. He had been expected to be the main inside strength on a rather 'height challenged' team. He did not have the height or weight of his graduated brother Dante, but he had a tremendous vertical jump and he was serpent-quick.

Mahmoud and Terrell were frequent lunch companions of Cal's, even outside of basketball season. One other player had begun to join them early in the fall, Jason Fiedler. Jason was a 6'5" sophomore, and Terrell's favorite tease of Jason was "How'd a white guy get to jump like you do?" The fact that Jason came from a large, poor family perhaps endeared him to Terrell, whose own hard-working family depended on scholarships for their sons' education. Jason was the third of six children, with the only other boy being the youngest, just four years old.

Cal liked Jason because his on-court personality was a lot like Cal's. He was a fierce competitor, too intent on the action to be demonstrative. He was also a coach's dream, taking instruction cheerfully and doing his best to comply. He was the first front-line substitute and played a good share of each game.

Jason's whole family, even the older sisters, were faithful fans at every game. The second girl, Sandy, a senior, was in one of Jolie's classes and they knew each other, but not well. During the third game, Laura said to both Jolie and Missy "Why don't you two talk to Sandy for a while?"

Just a few months earlier, Jolie would have responded to that question with scorn. Of course, she would not even have been at the game, but Sandy was definitely not in Jolie's previous social circle. It was a credit to Jolie's desire to change that at half time she sought out Sandy, with Missy right behind her.

The initial conversation was a little strained, mostly about their shared class. Then Jolie said "It seems like every girl I know with a younger brother wishes they didn't have one. Do your folks make you come to his games?"

"Oh, no! I could watch Jase play every night," Sandy retorted. Impulsively, she added "I wish he wasn't my brother."

"That's what the all say," Jolie observed.

"No, that's not what I mean!" Sandy said quickly. "I mean, I wish I could date him!"

Jolie and Missy just stared for moment, then Jolie said softly "I know what you mean."

"You don't have a brother, do you?" Sandy asked.

"My cousin, Cal," Jolie admitted. "So, Jason's a good guy, huh?" The ice was completely broken, then, and for every following game, the three girls were watching and cheering together.

The best thing about Christmas was having Cheryl home. Of course, she was not 'home' like she was when they were together in the apartment. She spent a lot of time at her house, and he understood how important that was. Still, they managed to see each other every day and find time to make love almost every day. The upcoming time between Christmas and spring break was the longest stretch of the year, and they were never sure how many times they could get together in between.

The next best thing about Christmas was that the rest of his old circle of friends were back in town. For the first few days, Rebecca almost forgot about Bobby, staying as close to Cal as she possibly could. There had been a very sweet interlude in the hot tub with the whole family, except for Pete. Elaine had dropped some real wisdom.

"You two are seeing what your relationship may have to be for the rest of your lives - making the most of what time you can be together. Of course, no one would be happier than I would if you both ended up back here. That's just not something we can plan on."

Pete was not there that night because he was with Ismi. Pete seemed to be with Ismi every moment of his time at home. That did not disturb Martin and Elaine too much because they knew that Pete would be coming home to work with Martin when he finished school. They could not have been happier about his apparent choice of a mate, and they decided that building his relationship with Ismi was more important right then than family time. Rebecca and Cal would have liked to see more of him, but they were closer to each other than either had ever been with Pete.

Rebecca, Tessa, and Cheryl spent a lot of time together. All three were happy and excited about their lives. Rebecca and Tessa commiserated with Cheryl about having to be away from Cal and about her concerns about her mother. That did not in any way spoil their reunion, though.

A few times, Jean called Cal and asked for advice about the busy Christmas schedule, but she did not ask him to help with any shoots. Cal was pleased that she and Jared seemed to be maintaining and growing the business.

There were the expected visits with grandparents, aunts and uncles, and more food than anyone should ever face. All in all, a typical Christmas.

During the week between Christmas and New Year's, Cal and Cheryl were talking about Jolie and her progress and Cheryl suggested "Why not get a friend to ask Jolie on a double date with us?"

That suggestion caught Cal completely by surprise, and he drew a blank on what friend he could enlist. "Anybody on the team who would do it?" Cheryl asked, and that made Cal think of Jason.

Jason was more than reluctant when Cal called him, mainly because Jason did not know who Jolie was. After several minutes of unsuccessful attempts at persuasion, Cal said in exasperation "Ask Sandy about her. They sit together at the games."

"Oh, her!" Jason exclaimed. "I've noticed her. She's cute! But isn't she a junior?"

It took several more minutes, but Cal finally got past all the objections, including the money problem. That very night, the two couples had a casual dinner out and a movie. Unlike his demeanor on the court, Jason was talkative and quite a jokester. Having seen that in practice, Cal was not surprised. Jolie was no shrinking violet herself, so she was not overwhelmed by him. Her problem was that her interactions with boys had been so different from what she was experiencing. She liked it, but it was still a little disorienting.

Cheryl left one negative piece of news until the day before she had to return to school. "Mom has not seen a bit of change since you confronted Dad. She is very discouraged. She is going to try withholding sex, only doing for him what he will do for her. I'm not optimistic about that changing anything. She described how she got in the shower with him and washed him. When she asked him to wash her, he just rinsed off and stepped out. Something is very, very wrong with him, Cal."

Darlene had been seeing and talking to Dr. Julia Waxman qbout her attempts to seduce her husband into some satisfactory sex. Julia was concerned about the growing signs of hysteria in Darlene. Finally, she asked point blank "Darlene, why are you so much more desperate to resolve this now? It seems like it has gotten worse in the last month or so. I know there have been huge changes in your life, and I am very happy about them. But this desire for better sex with Hal is becoming an obsession, and I am concerned. I would hate to see you suffer a setback after the progress you have made."

"When we went to Cheryl's volleyball tournament," Darlene started, then spent the rest of the hour describing in detail what had happened between the three of them.

"Darlene, please let me schedule an extra appointment for you tomorrow. We must explore the events of that trip further, and very soon."

The next day, Julia opened with a summary. "On the trip, your relationship with both Cheryl and Cal became much, much closer. You had some sensual experiences and witnessed some sex that made you even more aware of what your marriage was lacking. In addition, you admitted your feelings and frustrations to Cheryl and Cal. That has made it harder for you to suppress the feelings. Does that sound like what has happened to you?"

Darlene had a wide-eyed, very serious look as she nodded. Julia continued. "You have been trying very hard since September to get Hal to be more active sexually. We have discussed several things and you have tried them all. Hal has become more, uh, tolerant of your attempts to initiate sex and your more suggestive dress and behavior. However, he has absolutely refused to do anything more to stimulate and satisfy you. In fact, he does not even show affection with simple things like kisses, hugs, and pats. Is that where things stand right now?"

Darlene nodded, then took a while to control her voice before saying "I've decided I am going to use sex a weapon. I won't do anything for him that he won't do for me."

Julia forced herself to take a deep breath before responding to that. She decided not to respond head-on, but to circle the issue. "OK, let's try to picture what will happen the first time you pull away from him when he wants sex. What will you say to him?"

After questioning and prodding for ten or fifteen minutes, Julia had Darlene almost on the point of tears. "Darlene, sex between husband and wife should be an expression of love. It should be a means of bringing pleasure to your partner. When it is used a weapon, only bad things happen."

"Well, he isn't using it to bring me any pleasure!" Darlene shot back.

"I understand that," Julia assured her. "But if you stop giving him pleasure, then there will be two frustrated, probably angry people. How will that get you closer to your goal of sex that is satisfying to you?