Chapter 12

As much as Lupe and Raul loved and appreciated their new homes, the highlight of all of it, for them, was having those newly planted pistachio trees. We had only been able to put in forty two trees in the land they had available for cultivation. They did all their irrigation with a single sprinkler roller and a long hose for the connection to one of the pumping mains at the lake. They loved being growers in their own right.

Whenever Lupe or Raul tried to call me Jefe after that, I started calling each of them Jefe right back. I explained that we were all growers, equals, and that they should remember to call me by my given name. In truth, when it came to farming, I was the student, and they were the teachers.

For Christmas, I had five nice white cotton tee shirts made with "Jefe" spelled out in big letters on the back. For Ricky Ricardo, I bought a hat to go along with his tee. The hat had "BIG JEFE" embroidered above the bill. Rob never seemed to get around to wearing his shirt, but Lupe, Raul and I wore ours frequently. Ricky was never without that hat, whenever he played outside.

Tina and I were married in a very small and private ceremony held out on the farm. Only blood relatives and their spouses were invited. The guests numbered almost two hundred. On my side was Rob, and my mother's widowed older sister. All the rest were Tina's relatives.

It was a Catholic wedding, and I'd needed to take instruction in the religion prior to being allowed to be married by a priest.

Anita was there, and served as Tina's matron of honor. Tina insisted that I had to dance one dance with Anita, so I did. She told me that she was happy that Tina was finally getting what she'd most wanted. By this time, all of us on the farm were aware that Anita wasn't happy in her marriage. Being married to a man who came from a wealthy family wasn't the same as being married to a wealthy man. It turned out that her husband had no money of his own to speak of, and that his family, who did have it, weren't disposed to doing much in the way of sharing their wealth with Tim.

"Tina told me to ask you if I could move back here, and get my old job back, if I ever decide to leave Tim?"

"Are you considering leaving him?"

"I'm almost certain that I will. He hasn't turned out to be what I expected. Living in town, being part of his social circle, that it isn't what I expected either. That kind of life isn't very satisfying for me. He pretends to be much more than he really is, and most of the people he calls friends, they're just the same. They all pretend to be successful businessmen, but they aren't. Our house is mortgaged for a hundred fifty thousand more than its worth. Tim's car is leased, by his father, and he owes money on all his credit cards. We can't even afford to make the minimum payments on them anymore. I thought I loved him, but it was the idea of living the rich life that I really loved. Now, I feel sorry for him, but that isn't enough for me."

"If I did allow you to come back here, to live and to work, I wouldn't be willing to put up with you causing any trouble for me. Not with Tina, and not with anyone else who lives out here. Don't even think about trying to get my spare bedroom as your new room."

"Tina told me the same thing, about the spare room. I spoke to my cousin, Alicia, and she said I could double up with her, in her bedroom. There's already a spare bed in there. Tina told me that I can have Connie's old room, as soon as she gets Rob to let her move in with him."

"All you girls do all your plotting and planning together, don't you? All these things are like a military campaign for you. Once you get Rob and me both married off, you'll pick out your next objective. Who are you planning on getting for Emay and Alicia?"

"No one for Emay. She wants things to stay the same way they are now. Alicia is still too young yet. Our next objective will be to make sure Enrique really does marry Elena. After that, we'll need to find someone to marry Theresa. Depending on how long all this takes, it will either be Alicia's turn, or else maybe mine again. I'm pretty sure that I could get Felipe interested in me again. I hear he's been doing very well with his business, ever since it opened here on the farm."

We'd already danced at least four dances by then, but there was a lot for us to get settled, and Tina didn't look concerned that it was taking us so long.

"I'm glad we had this talk. Tell Tina when you've decided for sure. Get everything settled before you move out here. I don't want anything messy happening out here because you two had too many unresolved issues."

"Tim won't be a problem, he never is. I think he'll actually be relieved when I tell him I want a divorce. His father might start treating him well again if he doesn't have me in his life. His family never approved of his marrying me. His sister refers to me as "The Mexican". I've heard her saying it, when she didn't know I was around."

For our honeymoon, Tina and I drove up the coast, all the way to the border between California and Oregon. We visited quite a few small farms and vineyards, both on the way up, and when we were returning. It was a quiet and relaxing time for me, and Tina, who had suggested this for our honeymoon, seemed to like it also. Still, after more than three weeks away, I was glad to be back on the farm again.

It must have taken longer than Anita thought to get everything worked out with Tim for their separation, and, later, divorce. It was five months after our wedding before Tina told me to expect her sister to arrive in a day or two.

I made the mistake of asking Tina if there was anything I could do to make her happier? She paused for a minute or so, obviously thinking about either the how or the what of what she wanted to ask me for.

"Can I have our spare bedroom to use for my sleep over's? Before you tell me no, let me tell you why I think it would be better for everyone if we did it this way. Now that Anita's coming back, there won't be any bedrooms left where only one person lives. Alicia and Anita in the same room isn't going to work out very well. Alicia and Emay in the same room would be a lot better, but Emay wants to be with Connie, for as long as Connie isn't living with Rob. On any night when I was on a sleep over with someone in the spare room, Anita would have another room that she could go to if she wanted to get tuned up too, without disturbing Alicia, who tends to get a little bit jealous of both her sisters, whenever it comes to either of them being with Anita or me."

"I remember us talking about this, and you told me then that no men were allowed anywhere near where these tune up's were taking place. I'd be right here, next door to you. I'd probably be able to hear you. How am I supposed to get to sleep with that image burning inside my head? You're going to have to do better than you have so far, if you really expect to get me to agree to allowing it."

"The bed in the spare room is a king sized one. All the bedrooms we get to use in the trailers only have single beds. Even if we put two of them together, it isn't ever very comfortable. Sleeping in here with you, I've gotten used to how nice everything is up here. Elena and Theresa only have each other over where they are, and between both my uncles, and Enrique, who doesn't even know about any of what we do together, they seldom get many opportunities to get themselves tuned up."

"I can see why you'd want me to allow this, but now I need to know what's in it for me? It seems to me that you're very selfish about some of this. We have our little deal in place about you being free to go on these sleep over's, but now you're asking for a lot more. What do I get?"

"When we talked about this before, you didn't ask for anything. You said you were willing to let me have some fun whenever I wanted to."

"True, and I still am. In the trailers, away from where I am, so I'm not as much involved with it. Now you want to go changing our agreement. You want much more. At the risk of being repetitive, what do I get out of giving you the go ahead.?"

"You'll end up having fewer problems with all the younger women who are living here. That has to be worth a lot to you. Now that Anita's coming back here, there will be more tune up's going on than ever. Elena and Theresa are both going to be trouble if you don't quickly find a way to set things up so they can both get tuned up regularly too."

"Nothing you've told me so far has me the slightest bit motivated to allow you what you're asking. I had a feeling we needed to get this tune up thing settled up the same way we did with the farm when we signed the pre-nuptial agreement. You know, from when this issue came up before, that I'm not inclined to let anyone use my spare room, not for any reason."

"Be that way then. You're the one who asked me what you could do to make things better for me. Now that I know how you're going to be, I won't tell you anymore about what we're doing."

"You never do anyway. You might talk about what someone told you while you were on a sleep over, but you never talk about the interesting parts, only the gossip."

We went to sleep right after that, but I could see how badly Tina was coveting my spare bedroom. The next morning, before he went to work, I asked Rob if he knew what it would cost us to buy and set up a concrete pad to put up a twenty by twenty clubhouse and guest bedroom next to our house?

"You could probably buy one of those big prefabricated storage sheds, if all you want is a single large room with water and power. Put in a large natural gas space heater, and some wall insulation and electrical sockets, and that would probably do just fine. What did you say you wanted it for, some kind of a clubhouse?"

"Tina's idea. She's been complaining because there aren't any good places for her and all her cousins to meet and spend time together. She wanted to use our living room, but I told her no way. I figured the cheapest thing to do was build them a clubhouse to use, and put in a guest bedroom, just in case. If we can get it done cheaply enough that might be a better deal for us then constantly having all of them in here."

"Would ten thousand be too much? We could probably do it for that, if we got Lupe's nephews to give us a hand with the pad and the electrical and insulation. Would Tina want to be the one picking out the furniture?"

"Beats me. I just wanted to run the idea by you, and see what you thought about it."

"Kyle, have you ever heard Tina mention anything about tune up's? The reason I'm asking, is because of something Connie told me last week."

"Tina mentioned some of that to me before too. It seems to be a part of what Theresa said to us before, about Anita, Tina, Elena, and Theresa all fooling around together. Did Connie tell you that she's a part of that too?"

"What she said is they all are, even Tina, and after you two were married too. I tried asking her more about Tina's part in it, but she stopped talking when she found out I hadn't known anything. We were talking about things we both needed to know before she would even consider the idea of moving in with me."

"You guys are really already to that point, so soon? Have you slept with her yet?"

"Not yet, but that is a different part of what we're talking about. She said she isn't ready to give up what she already has, with her sisters and cousins. She said she has never been with a man before. Don't you think that's unusual?"

"Connie is unusual, but I'm finding all these young women living out here are. Tina told me they have to do these tune up things, or else they'd be fighting, and pulling each other's hair out at the roots. I'm not sure what to believe."

"I can understand that, especially when they're all living right on top of each other in those small trailers. What I mostly have trouble with is why she'd insist that her moving in with me wouldn't change her keeping on with doing that. Did you already know that Tina still does that stuff with them?"

"I didn't know for sure, but I've suspected. You know she goes on those sleep over's of hers, a couple nights a week, right? I've heard her mention that she and Emay, or Connie tuned each other up. Come to think of it, she might have told me she and Alicia had tuned each other up too."

"Do you think they're all lesbians? Theresa told me a few times that Anita and Tina were the ones who were most into that."

"I really don't believe they think of it that way. It might all just be part of family members helping each other out. You know, looking out for each other?"

"Let me ask you this, if you did know for sure that Anita was doing sex things with all her cousins, would it cause you any problems in your marriage?"

"You're my brother, and I know this is a serious question, so I'll try to give you an honest answer. Thinking of Tina with all her cousins, doing all those girl on girl things with them, it just about drives me crazy with how horny it makes me."

"I'm relieved, Kyle. I thought there must be something wrong with me because how knowing about it affects me. Have you been trying to think of some way we could get a chance to see them doing any of this stuff together?"

"I know they have strict rules about keeping any guys away from seeing them doing these tune up's. I was hoping, if we made the clubhouse nice enough for them, that they'd relax those strict rules for both of us. From what Tina has let slip, I think Anita, Theresa, and Elena are the three who might be most willing to make us a trade to have access to that clubhouse, and to the guest bedroom we'd put inside. They could keep out all the guys they want to, except for the two of us. I'm only thinking about us watching, maybe once a month, not trying to join in with them, right?"

Later that morning, I went out to the side of our house and measured off a twenty by twenty foot square. it seemed too small to me. Twenty five by twenty five seemed much better. I wondered what effect the extra square footage would have on costs?

"What are you doing, Kyle?" I turned around and watched Tina walking towards me.

"Rob and I were talking of putting up a building here and using it for our meetings and as an office. I'm tired of having to run upstairs every time I need to look at plans, or check an invoice. It would be better to have everything in one place."

"I saw you and Rob talking before he went to town. You were together a long time."

"Connie told him about the tune up thing, I guess. Your name came up, and he wanted to know if I thought you were a lesbian?"

"What did you say to him when he asked you that?"

"I told him I wasn't sure. He's worried about Connie too. He said she told him she'd never been with a man, but has been doing these tune up's since she was a kid. She told him she wouldn't give them up either. I wonder if Rob isn't getting scared off Connie? Maybe he and Anita might hit it off this time around?"

"You guys aren't supposed to get yourselves involved with that part of our lives. Why can't you just let us figure out what's best for us?"

"We do, and we expect the same thing from you. Rob and I are the best judges of what is good for us. So far, the only ones asking for anything extra are you and Connie. When I ask to get in on something extra, you make it seem like I'm being unreasonable. I'm not sure I like that, and Rob is sure he doesn't. I was willing to give you what you said you needed, but now you want even more. I'm not sure I like the way this thing keeps getting made more and more important. If I ever find out that this is something you and Anita are cooking up together. Let's just say, if I do, she can't say I didn't already warn her about what would happen. I'm not another Tim, and both you girls would be well advised to remember that."

"Forget what I said about the spare bedroom. That isn't really that important to me. You still need to think up something for Anita, Theresa, and Elena."

"That's what I'm out here measuring this area off for. Rob and I have decided to build you girls your own private tune up room. That way you'll have everything you asked me for, and you won't keep me awake all night, trying to listen to hear what you girls are getting up to."

"Were you serious before about Rob worrying about Connie? She really has her heart set on being with him. I think she really loves him."

"You told me the same thing once about Anita and Tim. Sometimes, I think your whole family, at least all the young females in it, are playing some kind of game, with Rob's and my emotions being part of the prize in that game. I'm not going to just stand by and watch Rob get fucked over, like Theresa tried doing to him by pulling that scam on him about her pregnancy."

"Funny you should bring up the subject of pregnancy. I'm already a month late, and I just threw up my breakfast twenty minutes ago. I think we're about to become parents."

"Is it mine, or Connie's?"

"We'll just have to wait and do the test when he or she comes, won't we?"

"Absolutely! Rob asked me if you wanted to be the one to decorate the tune up room?"

"He doesn't want to do the decorating?"

"Only as far as where he wants to place the interior security cameras. Rob is insisting that he wants all you girls to feel safe from any intruders. He promises to keep a close eye on things whenever you have your little get together's."

"He wants to watch us too?"

"What do you mean too? Have I ever told you that I wanted to watch?"

"No, but I always assumed you did. You don't want to?"

"I didn't say that either. I suppose someone has to keep a close watch on Rob, if he ever does get to watch. I'm probably the only one who might be able to control him if he starts to get carried away."

"You'd be willing to make that sacrifice?"

"To keep the mother of my baby safe? You bet your sweet, perfectly round, absolutely beautiful, gorgeous ass I would."

"This would be a very big room. You could make two bedrooms, and put a king size bed in each one. That would be on one side. On the other side, you'd still have plenty of room to put in a couple couches a few chairs and a home entertainment center, with satellite hook up. How much am I going to get to spend decorating it?"

"That depends on how solidly Rob and I manage to get behind this project. It all comes back to the same question: What's in it for us?"

It was funny how quickly word of our proposed project spread among the seven women who'd be benefiting the most, if it ever became a reality. Several times each day I'd have new questions asked about the tune up room. The idea of it had captured the imagination of all the younger women on the farm. With Anita back on the farm, Tina's average number of weekly tune up nights went up by one. Her morning sickness continued for the remainder of that first week, and into the next. We went to get her tested, and it was confirmed that she was pregnant. I was excited by the news. Tina had already been certain she was pregnant, so she took the doctor's confirmation in stride.

By the time a month had passed, and nothing new developed concerning the tune up room, the ladies sent a three person delegation to negotiate with Rob and me. Rob and I were seated on one side of the table, and Elena, Theresa and Anita were there on the other. These three were the oldest. They told us that was why they were chosen. I knew they were also the neediest, which was probably the reason they had broken ranks with their sisters or cousins and came to the bargaining table.

"What do you two want to get you to build us that recreation room?" This was Theresa, the eldest, starting things off for the ladies side.

"That's what you're calling it now? Recreation room?" This from Rob, presumably because he too was our eldest.

"Tina told us you were going to build it, but we haven't seen anything even started yet." Anita, although I thought Elena might be slightly older than her.

"We hadn't decided what we'd use that building for, or if we'll even go ahead and build it. I favor putting our office in there. Rob thinks we should make it a multi purpose room. We aren't going to do anything until he and I agree on what we'll do with it after we build it. I know Tina and I talked about turning it into a tune up room and letting you women use it, but she never got back to me about a question I asked her."