Chapter 18: Surprise!

The next day about noon, I was the first one out of bed, so I made coffee and went to wake up Charli. She was nestled into the covers with a pillow over her head, and I had a delightful time teasing and poking her until she yelled and threw a pillow at me.

As I left for the kitchen, I shouted, "COFFEE IS READY!" and giggled all the way to the table. It wasn't often I got one over on Charli.

I made breakfast — eggs and hash browns, juice and coffee, toast and English muffins — and kept my voice to a reasonable level throughout the meal. Charli was the only one of us who had overdone it a little, and I knew how bad hangover headaches could be.

About two that afternoon Charli decided she wanted to go shopping, so she got dressed and left, leaving Donny and me on the couch with our coffee cups and conversation.

The first thing Donny asked was, "Are the two of you going to be okay? I mean in your relationship?"

I smiled. "No, Donny, you didn't fuck it up. If anything, we're a little closer than before."

He frowned, turned his head away and almost inaudibly said, "Hooray for you."

Concerned, I asked, "What do you mean?"

Angrily he said, "It means I have feelings too, and last night was really good, but..."

I walked over to the couch and took his hands in mine. "But what?"

He scrubbed his face with his hands and softly said, "I'd like to find somebody just for me ... I have you and Charli, and there have been others, but I sit in my apartment night after night alone. I wish it would end."

"Donny, all you have to do is call, and we'd be over in a heartbeat to keep you company ... or a little more, if you wanted."

"Hani, I can find sex without looking very hard; what I want is someone to share my life."

I hugged him and said, "I'm truly sorry. I didn't know you were going through such a rough time. You started the ball rolling by kissing Charli last night, and it was all downhill from there."

He grinned. "It wasn't all bad. I got to make love with you."

I blushed. "I don't know if I should tell you this, but I felt the same way."

He leaned over for a kiss that I returned wholeheartedly, and we sat on the couch making out until Charli returned about four.

I think I have to say something here about big men and Donny in particular. Like Evan, he was tuned to my needs and wants, and kissed me accordingly. His hands were never rough, and he knew where all my hot zones were located. He made out like a girl, his kisses were always very gentle and soft, and he always let me set the pace. He also thought the hair under my arms was very natural, and kissed me there several times. I'll admit to getting the leg of his pants damp with an orgasm, caused by him sucking my nipples.

I drove him home after supper and we made out again in the cold car; trust me when I say that cold hands on a warm cock don't work too well.

Work returned on the following Monday and our routine resumed. Donny had the same days off as we did — Saturdays and Sundays — so we changed our dating habits a little bit. Friday night became date night, and Saturdays were for the three of us if we were all in the mood. We cheated sometimes and started on Friday nights, too. It was fun!

Sundays were for Charli and me, to clean the house and do laundry, to watch a little TV or just rest and recuperate from Saturday. Tuesdays and Thursdays were still school nights for me; Charli had completed her course at the same time she'd received her raise. Thankfully, my schooling would end in June and I'd get my degree.

March arrived and Beej and Lauren took a trip to Minneapolis for Lauren's surgery; she came home a few days later, walking very gingerly. Charli and I helped the pair with their wedding plans.

A side note: Lauren was born with what's called "ambiguous genitals". Her parents decided not to do surgery on her until she got older, and she coped with what she had until she reached puberty. Her parents raised her as a boy, but she's told me several times she always knew she was a woman. I saw a few photos, the before and after kind, and in the before ones a small, slightly deformed penis was evident, as well as one small testicle. In the after shots, her vagina looked normal except for the swelling and redness. During puberty, her breasts grew without hormone shots, and that was when Lauren decided to have the surgery.

The wedding was a spectacular success, and my parents even drove up from Arizona to attend. They held the reception at The Seven Seas Restaurant over in Mandan, and Beej informed me later it had cost a bundle.

In early June of '97, Charli and I were sitting on the couch sipping wine and celebrating the end of my schooling when we heard brakes squeal to a stop in front of the house. It was about five-thirty or six I think, and the sky was still bright with sunlight. The window was open in the front, and I heard the patter of running feet. I thought, 'Definitely not an adult, but it's someone in a hurry'.

The noise stopped and then the doorknocker rattled; I got up to answer the door. I opened it and saw a girl about twelve or so, standing there with her hand between her legs.

She was wearing a white dress and shiny black shoes — they're called "Mary Janes", if memory serves — and a soft, sweet voice asked, "Can I come in? I have to pee."

I pointed the five-foot-something redheaded little dynamo in the proper direction and got out of her way. I turned back to the doorway, and coming up the sidewalk was a tall man of slight build — with dark hair, and looking almost like the male version of Charli — carrying two suitcases, followed by a larger redheaded woman about fifty.

I said, "Charli, I think your family is here."

It was Charli's dad and mom from Fargo, and her little sister, Lisbeth. I got everyone inside and semi-settled, then went to get refreshments. Charli's mom was the first to speak after Charli introduced us.

"Charlene, can you take her for the summer? I've started work, and we've no one to watch her."

Lisbeth said haughtily, "I'm too old for a babysitter!"

Charli's dad said, "Shush, girl, and mind your manners."

The way they talked reminded me of Irish immigrants; it wasn't too obvious, but if I listened closely I could hear a faint brogue, especially in the man's speech. It was like listening to spoken music, very melodic and pretty.

Charli shrugged, looked at me and said, "What do you think? Should we keep the little rascal?"

Lisbeth exploded from the chair and launched herself onto Charli's lap, hugging and kissing her.

"Oooohhhh, thank you! Thank you!"

I smiled and said, "Why not? We need a new maid; the last one ran off with the gardener."

Lisbeth looked at me with fire in her eyes and stuck her tongue out, then grinned. Her folks chuckled with the humor and let out a sigh of relief. I just knew this little energetic pixie and I were going to get along fine.

I showed Lisbeth her room and her dad packed the suitcases into it for her. Meantime, I saw Charli and her mother with their heads together, talking quietly. An hour or so later, they had accepted the invitation to stay for supper and the night. I reminded myself to get the old cot out of the garage so Lisbeth would have a bed to sleep in.

Diedre, Charli's mother, was a sweet woman who loved her family. She said she'd had five kids and thought her childbearing days were over, and then along came Lisbeth. Elmer, her dad, coped the best he could while running the farm and a business on the side. Diedre had returned to work to save money for her and Elmer's imminent retirement.

Over dinner, we caught up with news from Fargo; Freddie was in jail and likely to stay there until at least 2003, and Jen had married a neighbor boy she'd known in high school. All of Charli's other brothers and sisters were doing well, farming or working for a good wage. Lisbeth had been the last loose end, and we had tidily taken care of her.

Later that night after everyone else had gone to bed, Charli and I were in our room, getting ready for bed. I'd taken a shower and was feeling a little frisky; there is nothing like pressing your clit against another to make a person feel good. Charli didn't react when I got into bed, patted her on the ass and gave her a tight hug. This was our unspoken signal for playtime if we both were willing.

Charli rolled toward me and buried her face in my neck, softly crying.

"What's the matter, Charli? She's only twelve, how much trouble can she be?"

"We'll have to find a babysitter for the daytime, I won't leave her alone."

"It's only for three months," I said. "We can afford it."

Charli sat up and gripped my shoulders very firmly. "I need to trust you. Will you keep a secret?" I nodded and she continued, "Lisbeth isn't my sister ... she's my daughter."

I gasped. "She doesn't know?"

Charli shook me and said, "NO! And she can't ever know. Promise me!"

I removed Charli's hands from my biceps and said, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Oh, shit!" Charli exclaimed. "I had her when I was sixteen, and Mom and Dad thought I was too young to be a mom; I thought so too, so I let them tell everybody she was theirs."

I did a little math in my head and said, "How old are you, really?"

"Twenty-eight."

"Why did you lie to me?"

"Because I thought it was okay to be six years older than you, but not ten. That smacks of cradle robbing."

I hugged her and said, "I don't care if you're forty. I love you."

That brought more tears, and I had to caution her to keep quiet. While I held her, I figured out that there was another fibber in the family, namely Diedre. Or maybe she was just trying to keep Charli's secrets. That's what Moms do.

I fell asleep, holding her and letting her cry. That's what lovers do.

The next morning I had another revelation revealed to me. After her folks left, Charli asked me to join her in a walk. We headed west toward the park, dressed in our usual summer attire — shorts, abbreviated shirts and sandals. We found a picnic table in the shade, just north of one of the rest houses, and sat on the table part watching some kids throw a Frisbee.