Chapter 4

Randall really didn't know what to do with this new knowledge. On the one hand, it made him feel kind of special that they would trust him with it but on the other, it felt all wrong, like he was peeking in a window and seeing things he shouldn't be seeing. He felt so bad for his aunt and uncle but he had no idea how to fix their problem. Mostly, all he could do was just be there and act as a passive deterrent to his Aunt Rita's sexual fluctuations. He wasn't even sure he'd be able to do that.

Rita began taking her new medication the morning after Jack got home. A few hours after she took the first pill, he asked her if she thought it was working. She explained to him that it would probably take at least a couple of days to build up to a therapeutic level in her blood. But while it hadn't as yet affected her sexual cravings, it did make her feel a little bit low on energy. She hoped that would go away as her body adjusted to it.

Jack was home for three days. During that time, he and Randall tended the cattle, made some repairs in the barn, sprayed the peach trees and knocked out about a hundred other little chores before he had to leave on his next run to Indianapolis.

Randall didn't go out of his way to monitor their sexual activity but he was pretty sure it was a lot less than that first night because his Uncle Jack didn't look so worn out in the mornings. If the three of them weren't having a meal or if they didn't have some specific activity going, he spent as much time as possible with Sparks to give them time alone. There was no more discussion about Rita's problem.

When Jack kissed his wife goodbye and walked out the back door to his rig, Randall tagged along. As soon as he thought his aunt was out of earshot, he said, "Uncle Jack, when we were talking the other day, you said keeping an eye on Aunt Rita was part of what you were asking me to do. What else were you thinking about?" He needed to ask because it had been on his mind ever since and he had to know for sure if it was what he feared.

Again, Jack had to stop and think hard about how to say it. "You're a pretty smart kid, Randall. No, check that. You ain't a kid any more, you're a man. I had a lot of second thoughts about what I was gonna say before she walked in on us and in the end, I chickened out. But since you're askin', I might as well say what was on my mind."

He tossed his bag up into the cab and, laying a big calloused hand on Randall's shoulder, said, "Let's walk out and check the mail."

Randall fell in beside his uncle as they walked in silence for a few yards. "Well, what I had in mind was you bein' there in my place, if you know what I mean."

"I think I do."

"I know it ain't fair to ask. It's just that I hate the idea of her goin' off to be with her friend so much that it makes me almost sick to think about it. I believe he's a good guy n' all; hell, I suppose I'm even a little grateful for him lookin' after her but it still messes up my brain. Can you understand that, Randall?"

"Sure I can understand it. I never met a man as strong as you, Uncle Jack but damn, everybody has his limits! I don't know how you've been able to deal with it all these years."

"I don't know either and sometimes I wonder how much longer I can deal with it. If your Aunt Rita wasn't otherwise such a good, sweet woman, why, I reckon I would've split up with her ages ago."

They reached the mailbox and pulled out a couple of bills and a stack of junk mail. Jack turned to face his nephew and decided to go for it. "OK, son, I'll just come right on out n' tell ya what I'd like to happen. If your Aunt Rita starts to gettin' restless like she can't relax n' starts to fidget, or if she just comes right out n' says she needs to run some errands, that's your cue that her self-control is about to fly out the window. What I'd like for you to do is to offer yourself to her. Now, she's gonna fret over it and say it's wrong n' all that stuff. You just say we talked about it and it's what I want and what you want instead of her goin' off to meet her friend and her friend's friends. Do you think you might be able to do that?"

Randall's mind was a whirlwind of mixed emotions he couldn't begin to sort out. His suspicions had been right on the mark and the idea of being Uncle Jack's stand-in was exciting and terrifying at the same time. "Well but what if she isn't, um, attracted to me in that way? I can't make her do it!"

"That's right, you can't make her do it but you're not understanding the nature of her needs. It ain't so much you as a person you're offerin', it's your body. Hell, I might as well be blunt, Randall; she needs your dick to scratch her itch!"

So there it was! Now Randall had to ask the other thing that had been plaguing his mind in case he was right about the first thing. "But what if I do it wrong, Uncle Jack? I've never done it with a woman before!"

Jack got a slightly surprised look on his face and smiled. "Well, I have to admit I hadn't thought of that. You're such a big, strappin', good-lookin' young man I just assumed girls was hangin' all over ya. But look here, can you think of anybody better to show you the ropes than your aunt? Hell, she'd do everything she could think of to make you go as often and as long as possible, don't you think?"

Randall managed an embarrassed grin. "I guess you're right about that. I gotta tell ya, it sure feels weird standing here and talking to you about it." Then he had another thought, "Um, if it turns out that we, uh, do it, do you want me to tell you about it?"

"You can or not, it's up to you. I ain't gonna ask but let me say that I wouldn't feel anything but grateful if you did 'cause you'd be helpin' us both out." He turned to head back up the drive. "I need t' get on the road so let's not say any more about it, OK. You just do what feels right to you and I won't think any less of you whatever you decide."

"I'll try to do the right thing, Uncle Jack."

"I know you will, son. That's why I asked."

Janice Turley got back from her workshop in California two days later. She drove to the farm directly from the airport to see her son and ask if there was anything he needed for her to bring out to him. She stayed for lunch and got caught up on all of his activities over the previous two weeks.

As they chatted over tacos and iced tea, Janice noted that Rita looked a little tired and asked if having Randall around was more than she had bargained for.

Rita laughed and said, "Oh gosh no! This young man has only made my life easier. He helps with just about everything and he never complains. I think what you're seeing is the effects of the new medication I'm taking."

Janice laughed and said, "Really? That doesn't sound like the Randall Turley I know and love! What's the new medication for?"

Rita turned to Randall who was pouring some more iced tea and asked, "Would you hand me that bottle there on the counter?"

Her sister-in-law looked at the label and said, "Wow! This is some pretty potent stuff, Rita. I didn't know you were struggling with anxiety issues."

Rita brushed it off. "I'm sure it's just some phase I'm going through. Anyhow, the doc said we could try this for a while to see if it helped. I've been getting headaches too but I just take Tylenol for that. I'm not worried about it so you shouldn't be either."

"Well, OK but you be sure and let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Maybe you should think about getting a job teaching at the junior college or even Creighton. You already have all the credentials. I wonder if you don't get depressed being stuck out here on your own."

"Well, that's a thought. I think I'd like to get back into teaching but there are some personal issues I need to clean up first. Meanwhile, having Randall here has been a big help. I'm grateful to you for letting him stay for the summer."