Chapter 8

The next weekend was a whirlwind for me.

We woke up the next morning and drove to the airport, but not before taking a shower together. As we dressed, Kevin threw me down on the bed and fucked me like a wild man. Only instead of cumming inside me, he pulled out and left a thick load of cum on my belly. We didn't have time to shower again, so he rubbed it in to my skin. I spent the rest of the day knowing that I was going to have to face my parents and children, as well as his parents, with Kevin all over me. It was both embarrassing and kind of hot at the same time.

I called him an "evil, evil man" but he only laughed wickedly and smacked me on the backside.

Kevin cashed in some of his frequent flyer miles and the two of us flew home.

He caught a cab and went to visit with his parents. I told him that my parents wouldn't approve of me just showing up on their doorstep with him. They were, after all, still a little traditional. When I got home, I greeted the kids then took my mother aside and told her that Kevin insisted on meeting them again after eighteen years.

She looked a little shocked and was somewhat dismayed at the short notice, but she didn't object. Then I had to take a deep breath and break the news to my father. He seemed to take it well.

"I knew you had someone special in your life, Melanie," he told me. "You have been much happier lately."

Basically, I gave Father the short version of my whirlwind romance with Kevin, and stuck to his lie about being a community college professor. Like Mother, Father has his biases against community colleges, but his recollections of Kevin were uniformly positive and he was pleased that my new boyfriend had done well for himself (if only he knew!). It helped that Kevin had earned a Ph.D. from a "respectable" school.

Then it was the hardest part for me: breaking the news to my kids. I told them that an old friend of mine was coming to dinner. I didn't explain any details, only that Kevin was very special to me. They also handled it well; I think being around their father and his girlfriends made it easier for me to introduce someone to them.

About mid-afternoon, I drove over to Kevin's house and sat down with his parents. There were butterflies in my stomach, but their friendly demeanor immediately put me at ease. Very simply, Bud and Carla Westcott are the two nicest people on the planet.

Both remembered me coming over infrequently to work on a school project with Kevin. They asked about my parents and my brother. They said they couldn't wait to meet my children.

Kevin's dad Anthony (no one ever called him that, though; when he was in the Army, someone started calling him "Bud" and it stuck) was a retired banker by trade, so he and I compared notes about the business. His mother was a child welfare advocate and despite all the reasons for her to be jaded and cynical at life, she was without a doubt the kindest person I had ever met. I could tell they doted on Kevin and realised that it was because of them that he had become such a good person.

We left right before dinner with promises of meeting again the next day for lunch.

"They really like you," Kevin said as we got in my car. I was in the passenger's seat, having coaxed him into driving.

"They're very nice," I said, taking his hand.

"Mom wants to know what took me so long to find you again."

"And what did you tell her?"

"That we were meant to be together. Not when we were in high school. Not five years ago or even at last Christmas. But now."

I took a second to look over at him. He took his eyes off the road long enough to smile lovingly at me.

"Do you believe that?" I asked softly.

"Yes, I do, Mel," he replied simply. My hand slipped into his. Neither of us spoke for the remainder of the drive back to my parents's house.

If Kevin was nervous, he didn't show it. We pulled into the driveway and got out. Kevin brought with him a bag that contained a nice bottle of sake and some vintage plum wine. He held my hand as we went inside.

Father was playing in the living room with my kids. Mother was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner. Everyone stopped what they were doing and came to greet us. I introduced Kevin to my parents.

He spoke a few words of greeting in mangled Japanese. I could see them smiling inwardly, but I knew they appreciated the gesture.

Then it was my turn to introduce Kevin to Emily and Toby. My children are unfailingly polite, something expected in a Japanese household. Although they can be as rambunctious as American children, they are almost always good for strangers.

It seemed to me that Kevin took an instant liking to the kids, even going so far as to play Wii Bowling with Emily and engage in a little bit of restrained horseplay with Toby. If Mother and Father disapproved of my new boyfriend, they certainly didn't show it. Of course, they would never be rude to him, but I could tell that I wasn't going to hear about it later.