Part 3

Special thanks to my Proof Reader, George Davis

A few weeks after my encounter with Amanda, Suzy approached me during lunch break.

"Mr. Galloway, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course, Suzy. What can I do for you?"

"I want you to do with me what you had done with Amanda."

She took me completely by surprise, and I felt the blood draining from my face.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I know what you did with Amanda and I want it too."

"Suzy, I'm not sure I know what you are talking about. What has Amanda told you?"

I was really scared that Amanda could not keep her mouth shut and that our time together has become public knowledge.

"Amanda didn't tell me anything, and she didn't have to. I see her everyday and the day after her 'private tutoring' she was a different girl. She is totally happy and behaves as if she is on cloud 9. She and I had plans for you and I know that the change in her could only come from one thing. I want that to happen to me too."

"Suzy, I don't like your insinuations or your tone of voice, and your demanding something I'm not even sure what it is."

"Mr. Galloway, I'm sure you had sex with Amanda and I want it too, or do you want the school principal to know about it also?"

First, I was relieved that Amanda has not told her good friend anything. But I was outraged at the way the young girl spoke to me.

"This sounds like an attempt of blackmail, Suzy. You are imagining something and based on that imagination you are trying to blackmail me into something I do not want anything to do with. Let's go to the principal's office right now. I believe your parents should hear about this too."

What I said, and the way I said it scared her. Now it was HER turn to become chalk white. She actually started crying.

"No, No please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that. Please don't call my mother! I don't have a father and my mother is always busy at work. If you call her she will be mad at me even before she hears a word!"

"I'll forgive you this time, Suzy, but apart from things that are part of my official duties at the school - please don't talk to me again. You'll be in a lot of trouble if you continue with this kind of attitude."

Discussing the incident with Tina that evening, we decided to lay off the school kids for a long while. It has become dangerous, and if more kids reach the conclusions that Suzy has - we were in real danger of being exposed.

A few weeks later I saw Amanda trying to hide at a distant corner. She looked distraught and agitated. It was obvious that she had been crying. I waved to Tina who was on the other side of the schoolyard, and together we went to see what happened to Amanda.

"Hi, Amanda. What happened? Is there any way we can help?"

She burst out crying again. It took a while to calm her down.

"It's my parents. I heard them shouting at each other last night and the word 'divorce' came up a few times. I love both my parents very much and I don't want them to break up. I don't know what to do..."

"It's really none of our business, but have you heard any reasons for the fight?"

"Dad accused Mom of cheating on him. I'm not sure how, because I think they do the same things you do - going together from time to time and having sex with other people. So when is it 'not cheating' and when is it 'cheating'?"

"Amanda, you are telling us some very intimate secrets of your parents. I don't feel comfortable with it."

"Mr. Galloway, I need help right away and I don't know who else to turn to. I think maybe they think they are like you, but as you told me that only very few people can do this and maintain their marriage - maybe they do it and they are not the right people for it."

"How did you figure out they do these things?"

"I over heard a phone conversation in which they had set up a meeting at some club in Nothingville and spoke about potential partners. Also I heard them speaking once about a party they had attended the evening before, and they were comparing... Ummm... sex organs of men I've never met."

"Well, if you heard these things then your parents are not very careful of the things they say and where they say them. These are things that should never be heard by other people and certainly not by kids."

"Can you help me please?"

"This is difficult, Amanda. The only way we might help is by exposing our lifestyle which we are trying very hard to keep secret. Exposing our lifestyle can get us into a lot of trouble as I have already explained to you, and it can also bring your parents to a conclusion about the day you have spent with us."

Tina pulled me aside and whispered: "Have you not recognized her mother?"

"She looked familiar, but I don't remember from where."

"The day that I drove Amanda home and met her parents I recognized them immediately, although I don't think they recognized me. Her parents are indeed members of the HappyLife club in Nothingville. They are swingers all right. So if we confront them with that, we may be able to talk to them about what Amanda overheard."

"It's still dangerous. If they guess about us and Amanda we may yet end up in jail."

"I think we'll go to meet them and you let me do the talking, or at least start the talking."

"OK, but let's hope we won't be digging our own graves."

Turning back to Amanda. "We'll try to see if we can help. We'll talk with your parents in spite of the danger this may put us in."

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much! I don't want my parents to break up! I love them both so much!"

Later we called Amanda's mother: "Amanda seemed to be very agitated about something today. We'd like to come over and talk to you and your husband. Will that be possible tonight?"

"What's troubling her?"

"We'd rather discuss it face to face and with both of you together, if you don't mind."

"Fine, can you be here at 8.30 tonight?"

"Good. We'll be there."

We arrived right on time and were greeted by both parents - Don and Grace. Coffee and drinks were served and then I gently asked Amanda to leave us for an 'adult talk' and asked her to go to her bedroom.

"So what's troubling Amanda so bad that two of her teachers have to come?" asked Don.

Tine started the talking. "Look, we are both very uncomfortable coming here and talking about this. Amanda was distraught at school today and had been crying a lot. When we finally had her calmed down enough for her to tell us what was wrong, she talked about some things that were very personal and intimate concerning you two. So while we are very uncomfortable having to talk to you about it - and you may get very angry with us, we'd like you to hear us out. Can you two be very patient with us?"

"If Amanda was affected so badly by something we have said or done, we sure want to know what it is. But why didn't she just speak to us?"

"Because it includes some intimate parts of your life and she is too embarrassed to speak to you about it."

"Then how come she discussed it with you?"

Now we were starting to skate on thin ice.

"When Amanda was with us the other day we got to talking about many things that young teens are embarrassed about. I believe that from a few of the answers we gave her, she feels that we are friends who listen well and behave towards her more like to an adult than a kid."

"OK. OK. So let's hear what her problem is."

"Before we talk about her problem, do you recognize the two of us other than as her school teachers?"

Both parents looked at us questioningly. Don said: "You look familiar, but I assumed it is from the school."

Grace started smiling slowly. "You men with your short memory. We have met in Nothingville, haven't we?"

Tina confirmed that suspicion with a, "Yes. We have met at the HappyLife club in Nothingville."

"That's right. Now I remember." Said Don. "But what does that have to do with Amanda's problem? She knows nothing about our 'special activities' and even if she did - why does this concern her?"

Tina looked at me, and it was now my turn to talk.

"Amanda overheard a seemingly loud discussion you two had last night, in which the word 'divorce' came up a number of times. She says she loves both of you very much and is very much upset by the prospect of you breaking up."

"It also seems that you two have not been very careful when talking on the phone about your activities at the club. She overheard a few conversations - including one in which you were comparing member's sex organs - she added two and two together and is getting what she thinks may be the reasons behind your argument last night."

"Oh, God. What she must be going through." Tears started rolling down Grace's cheeks. "The club is not the full reason, but its part of it. Our girl is too smart. We can't seem to be able to hide anything from her."

"Especially as loud as we were last night and maybe more from our careless phone conversations." Don added sarcastically.

"We had an argument about the definition of 'swinging'. As you are swingers too I'm interested to know your definition for it." Said Grace.

"That's a very good question, because it will probably lead me to your problems too. I don't know the reason behind your argument yesterday, and it's none of our business, but I think that by defining what 'swinging' is we may uncover your problem too. Again, I do not wish to pry into your private life so don't try to make me a judge. I don't want it."

"My definition of 'swinging' is that a couple is having fun with other people. First, my definition of a couple is two people in a committed relationship, either married or seriously living together. When I say 'a couple' it can be several things - a couple going together to a swinging club or just getting together with other couples and have fun together or it can be that one person is having fun with someone else - by pre-agreement of the spouse, and then usually telling the other the details of what went on. It can also be when one or both people are voyeurs, that one person will be in the action while the other one watches. In general, the main definition is that both enjoy the action together, one way or another. The moment that one of them has some private action without the spouse knowing about it or having a chance to participate in it - then that is not swinging."

"There are also couples that decide to have an 'open marriage' of some kind."

"I'll just say that any kind of partnership that includes extracurricular activities can only happen with people whose love and trust for each other is un-questionable. There are not too many people with this kind of love and dedication, and when something starts causing suspicions or doubts and result in fighting later - those people should stop all extracurricular activities and concentrate on saving their marriage. There is another aspect of it - when the additional action is private and not within an establishment like a swingers club - they should refrain from having repeated relationships with the same people. Have your fun with an outsider only once, and then never again. If you continue - you'll have a relationship and that will involve emotions and most often, someone is going to get hurt. Most often in these situations, it's not just the couple - but their children that get hurt. People don't give enough thought to what their kids see, hear or know. They also don't give much thought to the child's feelings when everything breaks loose and they decide on a divorce."

"Without knowing your problems, and I really don't want to, I believe that at the least one part of what I just said should be the answer to your problem. The question now is only how much you care for each other and how much you care for Amanda."

Grace was crying quietly and Don was deep in thought as if he was alone in the room. I took Tina's hand and we got up to leave. Both Grace and Don jumped up.

"Don't leave yet. You were right. Part of your 'lecture' really hit the nail on the head. Both of us interpreted 'swinging' wrong and behaved accordingly. We both had our side activities, and we tried to hide them from each other. Luckily, none of us got emotional, but we did have steady partners. This brought on the suspicions and the accusations. We love each other, but you were right, the suspicions were killing us." That short speech was Don's.

"Grace, I've never stopped loving you. I want to put this entire thing behind us and restart our life together. Are you willing to try?"

"Oh, Donny. I love you so much. Let's give it our best."

They stood hugging each other, Grace crying and Don restraining himself not to.

Tina interrupted their hugging, "Hey people, it's getting late and we have to get our beauty sleep. But first, if you don't mind, I'd like to see Amanda receiving the good news."

"Oh, God, she actually saved our marriage by bringing you into this thing." Don said. As he went to get Amanda from her bedroom.

Amanda came into the room with an apprehensive - almost scared - look on her face. Her father gathered her into his arms.

"Don't be scared, honey. We owe you a lot. First I was mad that you brought strangers into our private life, but after we heard why you did it - it only filled us with warmth. Don't worry, thanks to you and to your teachers we are going to do our best to work things out. I believe that your concern and effort saved our marriage. Just how did you find the people who could help us so much?"

Amanda was scared again, but her mother started looking at her and then at us, suddenly breaking into a big smile.

"Don, haven't you noticed how happy Amanda became in the last few weeks? She has been looking as if she was walking on clouds. I believe that on the day Amanda was over at their place for math tutoring there was much more than that. Was there, dear?"

Amanda turned beet red, but was still scared. She was totally frozen.

"John and Tina, there are things only a mother can feel about her daughter. From the way Amanda behaved in the days after your 'tutoring' I know you made it very special for her. Thank you ever so much for making her first time so good and thus making her so happy."

Don flared up. "What is this? Did you have sex with my daughter and then come to lecture us? How dare you come... ?"

"Shush, darling." Grace stopped his raving. "I still remember very clearly and with pleasure a 25 year old teacher who took my virginity when I was 14. I'm still happily married to that teacher."

Don turned red and a sheepish smile appeared on his face.

"Oh, well, if you put it that way..."

Amanda's eyes shot open. Tina and I just chuckled. This family had a few big secrets that were slowly coming into the open.

Now Amanda was smiling. "I never did the arithmetic before, but it fits. I was wondering about the age difference between you two, and that Mom must have been very young when I was born. Ummm... 17? Why, Dad, you were a real cradle robber!"

"OK, guys. Guilty as charged. I did it, and the moment is blessed forever. Now, Amanda - was it really as good as your mother thinks it was?"

Now it was Amanda's and our turn to blush again.

"Dad, you are not mad at me?"

"You just heard a reminder from your mother about me when I was young. How can I be mad?"

"Dad, good is not the word. It was fantastic, fabulous and a whole bunch of other words. It was on my initiative. I went to Mr. Galloway and asked him to be my first."