Chapter 48: Discussing the Harem with Parents

Witnessing the way beds had been shared the night before, and people would be even more compressed into less beds that night, Margie approached Marta about having Marta's parents and brother stay at the house instead of a motel miles away as they had planned.

"Your parents could stay in the upstairs guest room and Leo in mine," she suggested.

Looking out through the glass door and wall separating the family room from the patio and backyard and the steady snowfall, Marta agreed. She called her mom whose car had journeyed halfway to the house and let her know the change of plan.

"We don't want to be a bother," Peggy Riemer replied politely.

"Impossible," said Marta. "I'd feel less bothered with you not venturing out into the snow nodding from the turkey."

"I'll cancel our reservations," her mom relented.

"See you soon. Tell Dad to drive carefully."

"I will. We should be there in a couple hours."

"No hurry."

"We won't."

A wry smile shifted Marta's face when she ended the call. "We're going to be explaining the whole harem thing again," she said to Margie.

Margie shrugged. "They love you. They'll accept it."

Joe the chef emerged from the kitchen, an apron depicting a pig eating its own kind bought at a barbeque restaurant in Minneapolis protecting his front, and looked lightly scolding at Margie. "Have you slept at all?"

The question seemed to trigger a yawn and unexpected weariness. "I had to finish my blessing. I'm pretty excited about ... everything."

"My mom said they'd be here in two hours. I don't want to see you until then," Marta ordered.

"Yes Mistress," Margie smiled and loped cutely up the stairs.

Marta turned to Joe sharing his smile. "How's the feast?"

"I'm enjoying it actually. It's such a different activity from work. Believe me I need difference. I'm pacing myself, so there's no stress. It's sort of meditative."

"Good my loveable lunkhead. When Marianne wakes, we'll work on the pies."

"I should have everything prepped or cooking by then."

They shared a lingering kiss. "I'll go down and check on George," Marta decided. "Have you seen him?"

"He popped up pretty early looking like he hadn't slept much and had a waffle and milk. Why don't you bring him a sandwich and a Coke?"

"Good idea. I hope I don't wake him. I want to see if he needs any help. And I want to ask him something."

"What's that?"

"It's a surprise for tomorrow."

"Okay." They shared another lingering kiss.

While Marta fixed up a couple sandwiches in the kitchen, Joe settled into his chair and sipped his coffee, the last for awhile he decided. The guest room door opened and the older trio emerged, Helen pushing her husband in his wheel chair. "We didn't wake you?" Joe asked.

"You know we get up as early as you," his mother said. "We've been chatting."

"What about?"

"Decisions concerning who visits whom," said his dad.

"Sounds serious."

"I very much enjoy their company," said Harold. "We have work of course, but I seem freest."

"Heading back to your youth?" asked Joe.

"It's always a little weird going back to the Twin Cities. I've been there a few times mostly selling my books, but I rarely stay for more than a couple days. Of course having Felicity back in my life and talking to her mom will improve my enjoyment immeasurably."

"You plan on visiting your ex?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure about her husband though. I'm thinking about neutral ground with just Connie and the kids, maybe before the old grump gets home. Helen wants to meet my progeny and my ex, and I may need her to keep me brave."

They moved to the family room, enjoying the environment: the rich décor, the crackling fire and the quiet of the snow outside.

"Tell me about Marta, Joe," his mother requested after seeing his betrothed disappear down the basement steps.

"She's made me happier than I have ever been," Joe informed them.

"I can see that," his mother nodded, smiling. "You seem meant for each other. You're so close and contented, why the harem?"

"It's like meeting her opened my heart."

"Specifics, Joe," his father insisted.

Joe sighed. "I know I've needed an open mind from you. Specifics need the mind opened a lot farther."

"We know about Margie's rescue if that helps," Helen revealed.

"It does actually. It sets the theme I guess. Except for Debra and L, all the women have been prostitutes. Some still are."

"Oh my," his mom shirked. "Is that wise, Joe?"

Joe shook his head and sighed again. "Wise has nothing to do with it. How wise is love? That's what we're talking about."

"So Marta..." began his mother.

"Yes Mom. I didn't know it when our eyes met and we fell in love instantaneously. If it hadn't happened that way, and not because of what she did for a living, I'd probably still be a lonely nerd lawyer."

"Why's that?" asked his dad.

"I used to get nervous around women I'm attracted to. I'd never have the nerve to approach her, and if I pushed through my nervousness, I'd probably have acted the fool. That seems to have ended the moment our eyes met."

"You said some of them still are," his mom reminded him.

"Not Marta. She never wanted to be a prostitute. Circumstances forced her into it."

"Circumstances?" asked his dad.

"Did you hear about the fall of Georgy Belacourt?" Joe told the tale. "His son's downstairs helping us out. You'll meet him later at dinner."

"You're quite the hero, Joe," said his mom.

"L and her father did most of the planning and the others helped," shrugged Joe.

"What about L? She and Mary seem close," his mom inquired.

"A bit of unexpected matchmaking. We're getting good at that." He told them about Mary and her rough life, having glossed over it earlier, and her professional and loving relationship with L.

"And the ladies we haven't met?" asked his mom.

"Both Debra and Marianne worked last night as exotic dancers at the same club as Mary and Marta used to work, so they're sleeping in. Debra's my secretary."

"Joe!" exclaimed his mother.

Joe laughed. "I know. Actually the last lawyer she worked for got fired for fraternizing, but his interest in her wasn't mutual. We already had ... slept together when I moved up in the firm and happily got her to assist me. But Debra immediately compartmentalized our relationships. It could be complicated, but it's not. We demarcate our relationships through names: Debra and Mr. Solomon at work; Sexy and Joe at play; and Debbie and Professor when I'm teaching her about law."

"You're tutoring her?" mumbled his dad. "I always thought you'd be a fine professor."

"Thanks Dad. I thought I'd end up talking over my students' heads or get frustrated when they don't pick it up right away. With Debra, she stumbles, but she's bright and I could never get frustrated with her anyway. We get along much too well in all of our relationships with each other."

"Sexy, hunh?" smiled his mom.

"You'll see. Not right away probably, but it creeps up on you."

"And Marianne?"

Harold smiled. "May I Joe?"

"Of course Harold. I should get back to cooking anyway. I just hope I haven't freaked you out, Mom and Dad. Just know I love them and they love me and each other and it's made all of our lives ... so much better."

His dad held him back. "Just one question, son. You said L and Mary are in a lesbian relationship. Why are they a part of your harem?"

"Like I said before, Mary and Marta have been best friends for years. Mary wanted Marta sexually from the beginning. It turned out it could only happen with me involved and then it's ... amazing. I'll have Margie show you her poem we inspired. And L loves watching the three of us make love. But the main reason she decided to join us concerns her desire to become pregnant using my sperm. Unfortunately or fortunately it didn't take when we tried a couple weeks ago. The harem will help rear the child along with Marianne's."

"She's pregnant?" Harold shouted.

"Who's pregnant?" asked Roger entering the living room hand in hand with Carol.

"I should get back to the kitchen," Joe shrugged and left them. He chuckled when they couldn't hear him, thinking, "I wonder if it's too late for Margie's dad to grow up."

Helen studied Harold's reaction to the news. If anyone, she should have reacted the most, having found out she would soon be a grandmother. With her apparent sex appeal from Harold, the age thing didn't bother her. Despite the illegitimacy and the strange family in which the child will be raised, a pleasant warmth emanated from her womb. She asked Harold wryly, "You have a crush on the girl?"

"Who?"

"Marianne."

"What can I say? She's a lovely person. Every time we talk I feel like my soul's been fed a heaping of love. She's remarkable. I don't know if it's a crush. Maybe in the sense that I'm enamored with her and she's not with me. I know that if she chose to be with me intimately again, if we could have a relationship beyond just chatting on the phone, even though she's even younger than Denise, I'd be happy. But she has some sort of one way heart. She sends out waves of love, but doesn't accept the echo returned except from Joe and Marta and the harem. Really Joe more than the others.

"Talking to her, she crawls inside me and relaxes my brain, soothes away doubt and frustration and petty gripes like a mental masseuse. The poison releases, expelled from my thoughts and I feel refreshed and ready to write. I swear if our little sessions keep up, my next novel will win the American Book Awards prize!"