Chapter 2

"Well, what do you think we should do?" Weena asked Gordy.

"I don't understand. What could we do?"

"We could keep them apart. You could refuse to get Pat condoms. Michiko could refuse to get Rachel pills!"

"What good would that do? I guess we could keep them apart, briefly. But we can't keep Pat under 24-hour surveillance. And not allowing them birth-control will ensure that we'll end up premature grandparents. Be calm. Try to be calm. I've never asked, but you must have had a first time. Was it a good experience?"

"Horrible. And messy. And uncomfortable. And brief."

"Do you want Rachel to experience that? Do you want Pat to just ram it in and get his rocks off? Behind a hoarding or over a table? They're too young for the rear-seat of a car."

"You make it sound disgusting!"

"No. Furtive. Fleeting. Rutting, not loving. That's not what I want Pat and Rachel to experience."

"What about you?"

"I was about a year older than Pat. One of the women in the band taught me. That's what they did. The older women lie with the young men when they show signs of puberty. They do it in the superior position. Sometimes mothers initiate their sons. It was totally unembarrassing. A day or two later, it was a different woman. I was at university before I knew a woman my own age."

"Strange. So sex didn't have to do with love."

"No. Did yours?"

"He told me he loved me. I don't think either of us knew what that meant. He wanted my knickers off. And my bra. It didn't seem erotic. Or romantic. I felt used. Not even well-used."

"Is that what Michiko wants for Rachel?"

"Oh. You're right. But I don't know. They seem so young."

"They are young. That's why they need our support, not our rejection. Let's go to bed. This isn't useful."

"Dad?"

Gordy put down his coffee cup. "Yes?"

"I need to talk to you."

"I've got a good idea what about."

"Yeah. Well, Rachel and I ... uh ... want to have sex."

"Yes?"

"Around New Year's, depending on ... uh ... Rachel's schedule."

"Right. Well, I'm not going to prohibit it. What could I do? Interpose my aged body?"

Patrick giggled. "No. But would you buy me some condoms?"

"Yes. But we'll shop for them together. I want you to understand what's available and what to do with them."

"Wow!"

"And you and I need to talk about anatomy. Serious talk; not just the names of the parts."

"Rachel's asking her mum to get her birth-control pills."

"So you'll both be careful and not make us sudden grandparents?"

"It can't be sudden! It takes nine months."

Gordy finished his coffee. "Ready for school?"