The room was nicely appointed. “So is the baby asleep finally,” said Ronald?

“Yes, she always sleeps after she suckles, and now we can relax a little,” said Stacey.

They were sitting on the couch in his place and cuddling. He let his hand slip down the front of her dress and gently massage one of her swollen breasts. She turned to him and kissed him lightly.

“I love you, Ron, I really do,” said Stacey.

“And, I love you,” he said.

Her hand began exploring the front of his Dockers. “Hmm, seems like somebody is turned on,” she said. Her words energized his attentions. He began feeling her up more purposefully. Her breasts, her belly, her butt, her pussy all through her clothes. But then the clothes were on the floor, and his hand invaded the crease between her buttocks. He found her anus and invaded that. Pulling his hand away he licked his fingers.

“Sweet,” he said. She giggled.

“You always say that,” she said.

“And it’s always sweet,” he said.

“Then get on your knees and do me right,” she said. She turned on the couch so that her butt was pushed outward and back. He took his place between her legs and spread her cheeks. He began lapping at her crease and her anus with unabashed passion. While doing his duty, he slid two fingers into her secret place and massaged her there.

She rolled away from his ministrations and lay supine and open and vulnerable to him on the couch.

He stood looming above her. He pushed his cock inside of her, slowly but inexorably. Bottoming out, he paused.

“Don’t dally, Ron, fuck me,” she commanded.

He began the pushing and pulling rhythm they most liked when he did her, and soon she was pushing back at him trying to get all of his eight-inch penis inside of her.

Their grunting and wheezing and growling went on for many minutes. She felt herself stiffening and began writhing and squirming as a typhoon of orgasms overwhelmed her. He collapsed on top of her.

“Roll off of me big boy. I need to breathe,” she said.

The two of them lay inert for some minutes.

“God, how I wish my husband could do that to me,” she said. “He’s just so . . .”

“Inept?” he said, finishing her thought.

“I guess,” she said.

CHAPTER FIVE 1990

It had been raining for hours. Mom and dad were due at three o’clock, it was seven o’clock according to the kitchen wall clock.

“Honey, you better call. They might have stayed home on account of the storm,” said Stacey. I’d been worrying and pacing for some little time. Dad’s eyes weren’t the best. He hated driving at night. And driving at night in the rain! Not happening.

“Yes, they might have, but if so they would have called. I mean dontcha think that they would have called?” I said.

“Well, yes, but just call anyway. Maybe the phones lines have been down and in that case you’ll get some kind of electronic message when you try,” she said. What she said made sense. I made the call.

******

There’d been no answer to my four calls to the house of my parents, and there was no electronic message declaring any outages. Nor, had there been any contact with Ronald; and yes I called him after having failed to get hold of our parents. Of course, Ronald was surprised that mom and dad would even try to drive to our place, Stacey’s and mine, when the weather was so bad.

“But then I did get a call, and it was from Ronald. After I’d called him; he’d called a policeman friend of his. The policeman had checked for a car with the plate number that matched mom and dad’s. Ronald having sold them the car did have the car’s info and plate number.

The policeman had found the car, or actually found out about the car. It had skidded out and into an oncoming semi. Mom and dad Carter were gone. The sickness, the emotional sickness, that overcame the clan Carter on that day was not to be equaled.

******

The funeral was a somber affair as such things always were. Ronald gave the eulogy; he did a good job though he did break into sobs more than once. Hell, I could relate; I was doing the same in my pew. Stacey for her part was stoic, but ultimately sad; we all were.

And, then there was morning and evening of the next day and life went on.

CHAPTER SIX 2001

I was impatient for the lady to call me. The school was small, but that’s what we, Stacey and I, were looking for in a high school. No public school for our baby, well she wasn’t exactly a baby anymore, she was thirteen, gonna be fourteen soon.

“Mister Carter?” she called. I rose from the waiting room seat I’d been occupying and went over to her. She handed me the papers: Jenna’s class schedule and a short list of other things we had to get taken care of: the standard health clearance and the transcript from her junior high.

“Thanks,” I said, “when do these have to be in by if I may ask?”

“You should get them in as soon as possible,” she said, “no later than the end of the month though.”

“Okay, noted. And thanks,” I said. She nodded and looked to call the next parent waiting to get his or her kid admitted to Victorino Charter School.

It was still fairly early in the day, a little after 3:00PM. Stacey would still be shopping. She had Jenna with her. Well, school supplies were something of a personal thing with a lot of students Jenna among them.

I decided to drop by the Spur and have a beer, maybe two.

“Whatcha have, Mister Carter?” said my good bud Hammond Greely, head barkeep at the establishment.

“Just a Lite,” I said, “got a little time to kill.” The place was sparsely populated at that hour. It figured to get significantly more so after rush hour.

I was surprised to see a Marianne Woodley come in. I’d gotten the afternoon off to take care of getting Jenna enrolled at the high school, but Marianne surely had to be on duty; she never missed a day that I could recall. I waved her over.

“Hi Girl, Whaddya doin’ here; the boss needs you,” I said, dead panning.

“Yeah, I had to take some personal time. Hubby dumped me. It seems he needs someone with a younger point of view to help get him through the daily grind: significantly younger actually, like twenty years younger,” she said.

“Oh my God,” I said. “I am so sorry, Marianne. That’s awful.”

“Thanks. It happens. Happens to a lot of people. Just another statistic in the long and unmourned history of failed domestic relationships.” I nodded. I didn’t know what to say to her. I didn’t know what her husband could have been thinking: Marianne was a winner: pretty, pleasant to be around, intelligent the list of positive qualities was long.

“If there is anything I can do, just say the word,” I said finally. Her turn to nod.

“Again, thanks David,” she said.

“So what are you thinking of doing? I mean in relation to him?” I said.

“I guess, trying to get some alimony. Maybe the house too. I’m kind of numb right now. Not sure which way to turn,” she said.

“You turn to your friends, and I’m one of those. But, if you can’t get enough alimony, and what all, can you survive on what you’re making at Ferguson?” I said.

“Barely. I’d probably have to get a second job,” she said.

“I might be able to help you there, Marianne. My brother has businesses. He’d likely be able to help you out. I’ll ask him about it. Okay?” I said.

“Really?” she said. The hope in her voice was palpable.

“Yes, really. I mean I will have to ask him, but I will do that much,” I said.

“Thanks a bunch, Davey, I really mean it. Things are pretty dicey for me right now, and I could use the help, a better job,” she said.

******

“He came to me yesterday,” he said.

“Who? You mean David?” said Stacey.

“Yes, he asked about a job,” said Ronald.

“A job? He wants to quit Ferguson and work for you? My David?” she said.

“No, no, no, no, he asked for somebody else. Seems his coworker is in tough and needs a better paying job,” he said.

“What kind of job?” she said.

“He wasn’t too clear on that, but from what he told me about her qualifications, probably office manager for one of my dealerships,” he said.

“Okay?” she said.

“He’s never asked me for anything. And, with what we’re doing . . .” he said.

“Yes, you mean he deserves to have us, you, look upon this as a mandate of sorts,” she said.

“Yes, something like that,” he said.

“Do you need an office manager?” she said.

“I will have an opening next month when Martha Orson retires,” he said. But, I do have a few other candidates for the job, well qualified candidates.”

“Hmm, so?” she said.

“I don’t know. I guess I could meet with the woman and see whether or not she could handle the job. According to him she’s making twenty grand annual right now. If I hire her, her salary would jump to thirty-five grand,” he said.

“Okay,” she said. “So what if you interview her and she needs a lot of training to do you any good.”

“Hmm, that’s the deal. She really would have to hit the ground running in that particular job. The office manager of a new car dealership is a fast paced gig, and requires some serious management skills,” he said.

She nodded thoughtfully. “Why don’t you hire her now, before Martha retires, and get Martha to be her trainer? Yes, her salary would be an added expense, but I think we need to throw David this particular bone all things considered,” she said.

“Yes, that might work. At least she’d know what the ins and outs were before she would be thrown to the wolves—figuratively,” he said. “Yes, that’s what I’m going to do. Thanks.”

******

I was back at the Spur sitting at the bar, and I was bearing gifts. I saw her come in. She came directly to me.

“Hi, David, how are you doing today,” she said.

“Good, the baby keeps us busy at our house, but it’s all good,” I said.

“You said you had some news?” she said. I had to smile; the look in her eyes was pure hope.

“Yes, you’ve got the job. I mean if you want it,” I said. “But, my brother said you need to start next Monday for sure. You’ll be training with the one you’ll be replacing. Her name’s Martha, she’s retiring in a few weeks, and you’ll need to be up to speed before she goes. Sound okay with you?”

“Sure, but . . .”

“You mean leaving with almost no notice. I mean leaving Ferguson,” I said. She nodded.

“They’ll just have to understand. The pay on your new job will be almost twice what you’re getting now,” I said.

“Oh my God!” she said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, David! I am so grateful to you and to your brother. I’ll give notice at Ferguson in the morning. I’ll explain everything to Gerald. I think he’ll be okay with it. I hope so at any rate. I cannot afford to not take an offer like that.”

“Well good. And good luck to you. And, we’ll be seeing each other from time to time I’m sure,” I said.

******

“So, you hired his friend,” said Stacey. “What’s she like? Is she going to work out?”

“Yes I did and she’s nice and she’s evidently more than competent. Martha is high on her ability. That’s as good as the pope’s imprimatur as far as I’m concerned. According to Martha, Ferguson’s should’ve paid her more, their loss. So anyway, they didn’t, and David’s rec’ was good,” said Ronald.

“Well good, I’m glad for that,” said Stacey.

“Yeah me too,” said Ronald.

“On another note, Jenna and David are going fishing next weekend. You and I will be able to spend some quality time,” she said. His smile was a mile wide.

“Sounds real good. Real good,” he said. “My place or yours?

“Here, if he calls for some reason, or comes back early it’ll be less problematical,” she said.

“Hmm, yes, good thinking,” he said. He sighed. “I just wish we didn’t have to hide. It would be so much better if we could be out in the open about our feelings for each other.”

“I know. But we can’t, so we make the most of our opportunities,” she said.

CHAPTER SEVEN 2001



“This is an anniversary of sorts,” he said, looking over and smiling at the naked female fixing herself at the vanity.

“An anniversary?” she said.

“Yes, the fourteenth anniversary actually of the day we first, well, did it together.” He said.

“What? You’d remember a date like that?” she said.

“Well, not exactly. It happens that that was the day in 1985 that I got the news that my divorce was final from my ex, Madeleine,” said Ronald Carter.

“Oh, well that is something I guess. Anyway, was it good for you today?” she said.

“You know it was. A better question is was it good for you?” he said.

“Of course. We are a pair you and I. I just wish I’d met you first. David is such a doofus. But, it is what it is,” she said.

“He’s my brother, but if he wasn’t, my brother that is; well, I just don’t know,” he said.

“Ron, if I really were to divorce David? I mean we’ve talked some you and I . . .” she said, letting her words hang in the air. His look was nothing if not thoughtful.

“Yes, yes, I’d marry you in a New York minute,” he said. “But, he ‘is’ my brother, and it’s hard see how it might play to our benefit if we did that to him.”

“Yes, but you’re Jenna’s biological father. That would have some play in all of this. Anyway, I have been thinking about it. Damn I wish I’d met you first!” she said, changing her line of thinking but really not changing it.

“Me too,” he said. “But, you didn’t. So, we have to go with the way things are, I guess. Not much we can do about it all unless we’re willing to weather the major shit storm that would undoubtedly come of it.” She shook her head.

“Ron, I think I am going to do it. We deserve to be happy too. Living like this, I mean us doing what we’re doing. Hell, even David deserves better than the cheating whore I’ve become doing you all the time like I do. And, frankly, I’m tired of sneaking around; I mean fourteen years’ worth is more than enough.

“If I do divorce him, and like I say I’m thinking more and more that I will in fact be doing so, I will try to make it as painless as possible for him. I’ll give him the house and the savings. He’ll be all right. Hell, he’ll be better off without me and free to start over with a pretty good nest egg,” she said.

“Babe, okay, and yes we both will make an effort to be more than fair with him, even generous. But . . .” he said.

“But?” she said, looking concerned.

“But, what about Jenna? That might be the real fly in the ointment,” he said. She took on a thoughtful look.

“Yes, I see what you mean. Well, for one, she will finally find out who her real father is. Yes, it will be hurtful for David to finally find out too. He’ll be in a blue funk for a pretty good period of time; I’m certain of that, but he’ll get over it. He’ll have to. And, we won’t be cutting him out of her life. He just won’t be her only daddy figure anymore. Maybe more like what you’ve been all of these years, Ron, a really doting uncle,” she said. He was nodding, but it was a concerned nod.

“Okay. Anyway, let me know what you do finally decide,” he said. “Regardless, I better be getting going. He’ll be home pretty soon. And, I know you have to do some cleaning up. The place stinks of sex.” The two of them laughed.

CHAPTER EIGHT 2001

“Stacey, I just don’t know. He’s been her father, her only father, for all of this time,” said Ronald, “and again, what about Jenna?”

“Yes, all of that is true, but handled right he, we, all of us can get by it,” she said.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“Stacey, there is one other sticking point we haven’t considered and I don’t know why we haven’t,” he said.

“What?” she said.

“Getting him to accept that he is only and uncle and not her daddy is a biggee for sure. But, Stacey, losing you to me is going to be a biggee too, maybe even bigger than him becoming and uncle or uncle-daddy,” said Ronald. “I know it would be a killer for me, and I damn sure figure it’s going to be one for him.”

“He’s a good looking guy. He’ll find another girl to treat him right down the line,” she said. “I grant that it will be a stinger for him early on, but if we handle things right . . .” she started.

“Stacey, how do you figure we can handle this one right? A house and some money won’t mean a damn thing to David. He never has cared about money so long as he’s had enough to get by. You know it and I know it. We’ve talked about it often enough,” he said.

“There has to be a way, Ron, there has to be. Ron, I know for you it’s all about finally being able to be a dad. I understand that, and I hope that we can find a way to make it so David can understand it too. But, doing this, divorcing David, is for me too.

“We, you and I keep saying what a good guy he is. And, on one level he is a good guy. But Ron, he’s lacking in a lot of ways. I mean I know he’s your brother. And, I’m not bad mouthing him, but there are things about him that darn near drive me crazy,” she said.

“What? What are you talking about, Stacey? He’s not abusing you is he? I mean I’d never believe that he’d do something like that,” said Ronald.

“No, no, God no! Nothing like that. No, it’s that he has no get up and go, no ambition. He goes to work, comes home tired and plops down in front of the tube. A couple of times a week he comes up with a case of the hornies and socks it to me. And when I say ‘to me’ I mean to me not for me. The little shit leaves me hangin every time. If you didn’t take up the slack, well . . .” she said.

“No, Ron, I’ve got to do it and I mean I’ve got to do it soon. For my own sanity if for nothing else.

“And you deserve to be Jenna’s dad. And, I’m not saying he’s not been an okay dad all of these years that would be a lie. He’s been fine. Could he have been a better dad? Yes, frankly, he could have. I mean his unwillingness to do better for us economically when it would have been easy for him to have done so. I mean even if all he did was take the job you offered him, he’d be making twice what he does at Ferguson’s,” she said. He nodded his understanding.

“I see,” he said. “So, okay, you’re going to do it, divorce him. But, after all we’ve talked about these past weeks, we still aren’t sure how were going to go about it.

“You keep saying were going to do it the right way. Well what is the ‘right’ way as you term it? Apart from the divorce per se, what else have we got going here,” he said.

“Okay, one, we give him the house and the savings, the saving account has more than eleven thousand dollars in it. Next I sit him down and explain the paternity thing too him. I let him know, and that forcefully, that he will still be a major player in Jenna’s life, that nobody is trying to cut him out of her life. And we’re not, Ron.

“After that I lay out a generous shared custody plan to him; the courts are going to go along with what you and I are going to propose anyway, so that one’s a no brainer. Finally, we explain why we will be asking him to assume the role you’ve had all along: that of a doting uncle, or maybe uncle-daddy as we’ve talked about; something like that, so that he understands that you’re going to be her ‘actual’ daddy from now on,” she said.

“You have done some thinking on all of this haven’t you?

“But, uncle-daddy? He’s not going to be happy about something like that,” he said.

“Ron, you’ve suffered being out there as a de facto uncle all of these years. I’m just afraid if we don’t do something pretty formal to give you your chance to take your rightful place as Jenna’s dad, she’ll never accept you as such. But really, things won’t actually change that much. He’ll still be around and loved and respected by us, by all of us. It’s just . . .” she said.

“It’s just that I’ll be in your bed and he won’t, and he won’t go to bed any night without crying in his beer about that. I know that as a great truth,” he said. She nodded.

“It’s all going to come down to whether he goes off on me when I talk to him,” she said. “I will be doing my level best to make it easy for him. Hell, what we’re going to be offering him is generous, more than generous.

“Yes, it’s going to be a hit to his ego; I understand that. But, I will be thinking of some way to more than soften that blow too.

“As for him losing me, well, the truth is he already has. I just hope that he goes out and finds himself another woman to love him and do for him. Yes, he’s going to need that. I almost want to do it for him, I mean set him up,” she said.

“That is one place you don’t want to go,” he said.

“Yes, I know that too. And, I’m not. Frankly, the way he is now as I’ve described him it would be real hard for him to find a woman who’d want him. But, maybe he can change and do better,” she said. “But, whatever, that’s going to be on him.” Ronald Carter nodded.

“When do you plan to tell him?” he said. “And, would you like me to be there? I’d hate to have you weather the storm alone?”

“Soon, very soon, in the next few days. I just have to get my nerve up. Also, I’m going to clue Jenna first. I don’t want to be sandbagging her with all of this.

“And, as far as you being there. I don’t know. It might look like we were ganging up on him. No, I think I have to do the dirty work alone this time. I will ask you to keep your phone handy just in case. And, I’d appreciate it if you could not be out of town these next days. I might need you. I mean I will need you, but I might need you real fast and real badly,” she said. “I do anticipate a deal of screaming and yelling. I mean he has no clue, so he’s going to think that this is some kind of a conspiracy against him for sure. And, I guess in all honesty it kinda is. He’s going to react and not well.”

“You going to tell him that he’s been an ongoing cuckold for fourteen years, I mean the details?” he said.

“I hope he doesn’t ask, but he likely will. I think I have to be honest about it all with him. What do you think?” she said.

“When he finds out it’s me, well, the shit’s going to hit the proverbial fan. He might go off on me. I don’t anticipate any violence, but worst case, it might happen,” he said. Her hands went to her face.

“What! Violence? Surely he wouldn’t try to fight you! I mean you are so much bigger,” she said.

“No, I don’t think he’d try that, but who knows. This is so off the charts that almost anything ‘could’ happen, go wrong,” he said. She nodded, but slowly.

“Jesus, Ron, don’t beat him up. Okay. The little guy has not done anything to deserve that. I really don’t want to hurt him. That would be just awful!” she said.

“No, no, I’m not going to hurt him. Hell, I just might run away until he calmed down and would listen to reason,” he said.

“Okay then,” she said. “I guess we’re going to go for it. I just hope it will all work out for the best.”

CHAPTER NINE 2001

“Jenna come in here for a minute will you dear.” Stacey Carter, was pacing the floor nervously while she waited on her thirteen year-old daughter to join her in the den. The TV was on, but nobody was watching it. She grabbed the clicker and turned it off.

“Jenna, what’s taking you so long,” called her mother.

“I’m here mom, I’m here,” said a slightly miffed Jenna, coming into the room.

“Okay, well, have a seat, dear, over there on the love seat.” Jenna tendered her mother a questioning look.

“Mom?” said Jenna, taking the seat indicated.

“Jenna, you and I have something to discuss and it’s going to take a bit of time to cover it all. But, that’s just the way it has to be,” said Stacey.

“Huh?” said Jenna.

“Jenna, there are things that you are not aware of, but after we’re done here you will be, important things,” said Stacey.

“Okay,” said Jenna, her tone laced with concern.

“Oh my, this is going to be hard. Jenna, the things I’m about to tell you may shock you, even scare or worry you some. But, that said, never doubt that momma loves you and your welfare is my number one priority. Understand?”

“I guess, sure,” said Jenna. “Mom?”

“Jenna, your dad . . .” started Stacey.

“Daddy? He’s okay, right?” said Jenna. Her mother grimaced.

“Jenna, your daddy, well, he’s not your daddy,” said Stacey. She waited, watched nervously for her daughter’s reaction.

“Huh? What? Huh!” said Jenna.

“Jenna, years ago, more than 15 years ago, before you were born, well, I met a man. That man is David Carter. He was a good guy, and well, we were young the both of us.

He asked me to marry him. I was ready to be married, and I said yes. But, some time afterwards, his brother, who some time before had been married to a woman named Madeleine and was divorced, came into the picture. That, of course, is the man you know as your uncle Ron.

“At the time, Ronald Carter was still hurting bad because of his divorce even though it had occurred a couple of years earlier. I guess he’d really loved the woman.

“I could tell that he wanted me, and I have to say it; I discovered that I had feelings for him too. Well, and somehow we ended up in bed together. Jenna he had me, and well, I had you. Your uncle Ronald, the man you’ve known as your uncle Ron, is your dad, your real dad, not his brother David Carter. The man you’ve called daddy for your whole life up to this point is really your uncle,” said Stacey. “David Carter is really your uncle not your father.”

“Momma no!” howled Jenna. The older woman waited for her daughter to calm down.

“Momma . . .” started Jenna.

“Jenna, in the best of all possible worlds this, news, will only have a minimal impact on you or any of us. But, there’s more,” said Stacey. “And, I need you to be calm and strong, so I can get this all out there for you to understand. Okay?” The young girl nodded, but very slowly.

“The fact is, the man you’ve been calling daddy, David Carter, does not know he is not your daddy, your real daddy,” said Stacey. “I tell you this, because I am going to tell him everything soon, and I need you to not say anything until I have had a chance to talk to him. Can you understand that?” Jenna nodded slowly once again.

“Momma, daddy is going to be very mad; even as young as I am I know that much,” said Jenna.

“That’s a very real possibility,” said Stacey. “I’m going to do my best not to hurt him, but I guess when all is said and done; he’ll be the one to understand or not. And, Jenna, one more thing.”

“What, momma?” said a now tearful Jenna.

“Jenna, I will be asking your daddy, I mean your Uncle David, for a divorce,” said Stacey.

“Momma, but I don’t want you to divorce daddy,” said Jenna.

“Jenna, I’ve thought long and hard about this, and what we, I’m, about to do will be best for all of us in the long run. I’ve gone fourteen years keeping these secrets, Jen. Up till now I’ve been able to, keep the secrets that is. But, you’re growing very fast.

“Jenna I’m five-eight. My, our David, is only five-five. You’re still growing and you’re already as tall as me. Your real father is David’s half-brother, and he’s six-two. David, your daddy, the man you’ve thought of as your daddy, is going to notice. I’m surprised he hasn’t already. And there are other markers too, physical markers: eyes, ears, but anyway . . .

“When he does, the cat will be out of the bag, and me hiding all of this, all of this time, will anger him even more than how it’s going to be when I tell him. I think you can see that.”

“Mom! This is so bad. I don’t want a new daddy!” said Jenna.

“Jenna, David Carter will not be out of your life, our lives. I am going to be trying my best to get him to a place where we can still be a family, all of us. It will be a challenge; I won’t kid you, but I will be making the effort.

“The reason I’m telling you all of this now is to prepare you for the changes that are coming. And, also, to get you to a place where you can help me, really help your Uncle David, to understand and continue as a well-loved member of this family. You know, without a lot of anger and bitterness and all of it. Jenna, I guess I have to ask, can I count on you to help our David through all of this; and, help ourselves get through it all as well?” said Stacey.

Jenna jumped up, screamed, and ran from the room. Her mother flopped down on the love seat her daughter had so recently occupied.

******

“You say she ran out on you?” said Ronald.

“Yes, sort of,” said Stacey. “It was too much for her; she ran up to her room to cry.”

“Do you think she’ll go to him, tell him,” said Ronald.

“No, I don’t think she’ll do that. And, it may not make any difference in any event: I will be telling him myself in the next day or two, the weekend latest. Today’s Thursday, but starting tonight, Jenna’s going to be staying at one of her friend’s house for a few days. Actually, she’s asked me if she could.

“Anyway, telling David all of this, well, it won’t be pretty, but getting it over and done is the best of all of the bad choices, of that I’m certain,” said Stacey. He nodded.

“I guess. I’m just, I don’t know, kind of overwhelmed by the thought of all that’s coming. It’s going to be a hard nut for us as well as for him. I feel so bad for the man. He’s my brother; we’ve been close forever. But, after this, I just don’t know.

“I was nine when mom married David’s daddy and the family Carter was born. David came along almost immediately and I suddenly had a half-brother. And, like I say, we’ve been close all of this time, but now . . .” said Ronald.

“Yes, and you’ve been real close to his wife for a long time too,” said Stacey, smiling.

“Yes, that’s so. I couldn’t and can’t help myself. I love you, Stacey, more than anything. I need you more than I can express. Still, I just wish there was another way, a way to break it to David without hurting him. I know we’re going to be hurting him big time, I mean really big time,” said Ronald.

“Yes, I suppose that’s so. But, he’s going to find out the truth sooner or later. It’s better he find out this way rather than by accident. Our hiding it all, and for all of this time, is bad enough; we need to be in a position to control things to the extent possible. This way, the way we’re going to be doing it, will minimize the damage at least a little. It’s best, Ron, it’s best,” she said. He nodded.

“I guess you’re right. When does he get home from his work?” he said.

“The usual, I guess, 5:30ish,” she said. “I plan to sit him down and lay it all out for him after dinner, or, maybe tomorrow, Friday, or maybe Saturday. I’m still thinking on it.”

“I should ask. Again, would you like me to be there when you lay it on him? You know to support you?” he said.

“No, no, I’ve thought about it, but no, that would just complicate things. But, do be next to your phone these next days. If I need you, I’ll call. Otherwise you’ll hear from me when it’s done. Okay?” she said. He nodded.

CHAPTER TEN 2001



“Okay, Mac, see you tomorrow man,” I said.

“Okay, David, for sure. Good job today. Got everything out to the retailers; the boss is real happy,” said Macmillan Crowley. I waved him so long as I headed out.

We’d gotten off early, 2:30PM. All of the trucks were loaded and on their way to their various destinations: retailers throughout the southern part of the state. Ferguson Bros. Wholesalers, supplied soft goods, mostly clothes, but also a bevy of small appliances, electrical and plumbing supplies to over two hundred outlets. I loved my job, the people I worked with, and the perks. The money? Could have been a bit better, but I had job security: we were all teamsters, part of Union Local 770.

Getting off early, I discovered that I was thirsty. The Silver Spur, our local sawdust joint, had become my favorite sometime hangout and it was on the way home, oh, and they had Miller on tap. Yes indeed, my thirst was about to end. Then, I’d be going home to the little woman, my daughter and a whole lot of familial togetherness. Yes, it was going to be a very good day; I was certain of it.

I pulled into the lot and immediately recognized Marianne Woodley’s car: her vanity plate was like no other, PMS666. I had to smile every time I saw it.

Marianne who used to be part of our crew handling the phones and billing and general clerical, now worked for my brother: I’d gotten her that gig and she’d always been appropriately grateful. It’d saved her after her divorce from her personal asshole. I’d always liked her, everybody did. She also had a great looking ass; well, I was and am an ass man.

It was cool inside and kind of dark. I spotted Marianne at the bar. She had a yellow pepsi half empty in front of her. I decided to join her.

“This seat taken?” I said, plopping down on it without waiting for an answer. She sighed.

“It is now, I guess,” she said.

“How the hell did you beat me over here?” I said. “Not working today?”

“No, the boss, let us out of the cage early,” she said. I laughed, she didn’t.

“Well, I guess it’s going to be a good day then for all of us,” I said.

“Well, for you maybe,” she said. I was finally paying attention to her tone. She was kinda down that was clear.

“Marianne? Something wrong?” I said.

“My ex-husband has been harassing me. Read he’s looking to hook up with me again and refuses to leave me alone. I mean after all of this time,” she said. “I guess the chickee he dumped me for back in the day aged.”

“Anyway, girl, anything I can do?” I said. I liked Marianne. She was tops as far as good people went. Her ex-husband was regretting losing her; I guess it was ever thus.

“Thanks, Dave, I appreciate the sentiment. But, I’ll just have to deal with the asshole. I’ll figure something out. Not much choice,” she said.

“A restraining order?” I said. “And the kids?

“I don’t want to have to go the legal route again, the divorce was bad enough. And the kids? They’re adults: twenty-one and eighteen. They can do their own thing, I guess, make their own choices. I’ll be talking to them tonight. They’re both dorming it up at the university. They know what’s going on, at least the basics. I don’t know if they’ve even heard from him, but if not I’m sure that they soon will.

“Anyway, how are you doing?” she said, changing the subject.

“Good, our anniversary is coming up in about two more weeks, number sixteen actually,” I said.

Marianne nodded, kinda sadly, I thought. Well, it was understandable. I could see she was mentally comparing her situation with mine; hers suffered by that comparison.

******

He was signing some documents and handing them off to a subordinate. “Okay, Jim, you can make the deal. Just make sure the co-signer is gold plated credit-wise,” said Ronald Carter.

“The salesman nodded. “Will do,” said Jim.

“Hi,” she said coming up behind him.

“Oh, hi,” he said. “Anything happening?”

“No, not yet, just looking for a little basic support, I guess,” she said. “Tonight’s the night. Jenna will be out of the house, as I told you yesterday; so I’m breaking up with him now if I don’t chicken out and put it off. It’s going to be hard; I won’t kid you. Truth is I’m still trying to think up some way to soften the blow.”

“Yeah, I can dig it,” he said. “Stace, you, we, deserve better than we’ve gotten until now. Hey, even David can come out of this deal ahead if he doesn’t go crazy on us and just lose it. He’ll be better off financially, and he’ll have his freedom. And, while he won’t like it much in the initial go, he’ll be better off knowing the truth, at least that’s what I think.”

“Yeah, maybe. That’s the hope at any rate. The unrealistic hope,” she said.

“Yeah, probably,” he said. “So anyway, when? After dinner? And, I know you keep saying no, but really, do you want me there to share the pain?”

“You know, I don’t know. I’ve considered having you there, but . . . “

“Well, I’ve got a cell. Call me if you decide that way. I can be over there in ten minutes. But, again, after dinner?”

“Yes, and if I call you come. I figure to be done by 7:00ish. I probably won’t know for sure though, what I want to do, until the last minute. Okay?” she said. “And, if I don’t call, just hang loose until tomorrow.”

“Yes, okay, I understand,” he said. “That’ll be fine.”

******

I left Marianne sitting where she’d been when I found her three hours earlier. I felt guilty leaving her, but I did need to get home. Four beers were twice my usual after work embibeation; Stacey was sure to give me hell me for being late and for being a bit inebriated. Well, I had a good excuse, I thought. I’d been Marianne’s shoulder to cry on. Figured that would cut some ice with Stacey this time around.

I came in through the kitchen door, the one off the driveway. She was waiting for me. She was leaning back against the little kitchen table we almost always ate breakfast at. But this clearly was not breakfast time; it was a quarter of 6:00PM. And, it didn’t look like dinner was on the agenda either. Dessert maybe, but dinner no. She was absolutely stunning.

She was wearing the shortest of her summer dresses, and the sheerness of it created instant titanium in my underpants. I shucked my coat real quick. I came to her. I knew I didn’t smell too good after a day in the warehouse, but she’d brought this on herself, so she’d have to suffer me smelling bad.

“Jesus! You’re beautiful,” I said.

“Oh, well, thank you very much big boy. Gonna do anything about it?” she said. I went to her at but little short of light speed.

I wrapped my arms around her and then, of themselves, my hands began to roam. I buried four fingers in the still clothed crack of her ass. The heat was singular. I began kissing her feverishly while feeling her up.

I turned her around and bent her over the table. I flipped her dress up. She wore no panties. I dropped my pants and pushed my skivvies floorward kicking them off in the process. I coaxed her legs apart and she accommodated me. I pushed six inches of steel hard male flesh inside of her. I began screwing her slowly; I knew I couldn’t last, but I promised myself that I would get her off with a second go ‘round. Either that or orally; I wasn’t going to be an asshole today, no siree-boberino!

I did last for some few minutes before I began driving into her with everything I had. I shuddered. She hadn’t made it, but I was prepared for that. She tried to straighten up, but I short shanked her urging her to stay bent over. I dropped to my knees and began phase two. I licked and sucked at her slit with a wildness I couldn’t remember ever approaching in the past. I felt her shudder and convulse: she’d made it. Thank God! I thought.

I rocked back on my heels. She turned and offered me her hand. “Come on, stud, take me upstairs and do me again. You can do it. I know you can,” she said.

“Oh, yeah!” I said. “Oh yeah.”

In the room she shoved me down on the edge of the bed and pushed me backwards. She knelt between my legs and sucked and stroked my dick. I was hard again in no time. She was still wearing her sun dress and for some reason that seemed more sexy to me than if she’d been naked.

I took her again missionary. She made it too at least I think she did.

We lay side by side breathing hard, the both of us. I couldn’t remember her being so hot, or me either if it came to that. And, for some reason or no reason that little fact worried me.

“Good for you?” she said.

“The best ever,” I said.

“Well, good,” she said. “I needed you to know just how good a man you could be. That’s important to me.”

“Well, let’s just say you inspired me,” I said.

“Hmm, okay, well good,” she said. “We’ll talk later. I have some things to say to you, and some things to ask of you. Okay? But not now, a little later, maybe tomorrow.”

Her tone, her words, something wasn’t right, but right at that moment I could not have begun to guess what those might be. More, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. But what was also certain at that moment was that I was satisfied and happy and married to the most wonderful female in the world. Whatever she wanted, well, I wanted to give it to her if I could.

We slept, it was only 7:30PM, maybe a quarter to 8:00PM, but we slept. Well, we had burned a ton of calories, no doubt about that. Later, or maybe in the morning, tomorrow was Saturday, we’d talk as she’d said she wanted.

CHAPTER ELEVEN 2001

I woke up. I had to pee. Her side of the bed was empty. I wondered at that. Well, maybe she’d had to pee too. I looked at the clock on the dresser; it read 3:00AM. The bathroom door was open and it was dark inside. She hadn’t needed to pee. She wasn’t in our room at all. I called to her, but no answer. I grabbed my robe from the back of her vanity’s chair and slipped out of the room and into the hall. I looked over the bannister and down the staircase. There was a light on in the kitchen; I could see its glow quite clearly, and I heard mumbling. She was in the kitchen. Someone was with her. I headed downstairs barefoot and still stiff from sleep.

Nearing the kitchen I was able to hear them more clearly; she had a visitor all right—at fucking 3:00AM! This wasn’t good. I hung back around the corner from her, them, in the dinette, to hear what I could hear.

“No, I haven’t laid it on him yet. Tomorrow morning after breakfast maybe,” she said.

“But, you let him have you earlier tonight?” he said. I was stunned. There was no doubt about it. Her visitor was my brother, my brother Ronald Carter.

“Yes, it was our swan song; he just doesn’t know it yet. I wanted to prove to him that he isn’t a complete loser that he would be able to find a woman of his own. Yes, I know it was a crazy idea, but I think I did right in letting him have me the one last time. He’s going to have enough to deal with without doubting his manhood. I wanted to do what I could to help him with that,” she said. “I think I did.”

“Okay, but why did you call me to come now. I mean at this time of freakin’ o’clock!” said my brother.

“I have packed all the stuff I want to take; it’s under the stairwell. I need you to take it and get it the heck outta here. If he goes off on me tomorrow, or breaks down emotionally, I want to be able to get out easily and quickly. I don’t want to be hefting bags out to my car while he’s crying his eyes out or carrying on belligerently if it goes that way,” she said.

“Okay, I see,” said Ronald. “Makes sense I guess. I hope he takes it calmly, but like you, I have my doubts that he will. You know, especially about the big thing.”

I listened and was sick to my stomach. It was clear to me that in spite of the previous evening of sex, that she’d allowed me, she was intent on dumping me, and that apparently for my brother.

I considered crashing their party, but decided to wait till morning. By then I would be calmer, probably. I’d be doing some thinking between now and then. There was no chance that I was going to be able to sleep in any event.

I crept back up the stairs and let the two them continue with their conspiring. I felt awful and now other things began to concern me. Our daughter, what of her? Our relatives, Stacey’s and mine: how were they going to react to the incestuous relationship the two of them were obviously contemplating? And, what exactly did my soon to be ex-brother mean by ‘the big thing’.” Dumping me for him wasn’t big enough! I had a very bad feeling about this last, and I didn’t even know why, not yet.

I pretended to be asleep when she rejoined me in bed maybe twenty minutes after I had left them to their little conspiracy. She did not cuddle with me, but she clearly wasn’t interested in me anymore, so that little bit of marital neglect made sense.

******

Breakfast was a quiet affair. She was clearly uneasy. Well hell so was I. She’d gotten up before me. She’d made waffles and bacon for us. In spite of my upset relative to what I knew was about to go down; I was hungry. My decision to wait until this morning and to think things over, well, that is the things I so far knew about, had been a good idea. I was collected if not exactly calm and cool.

“The breakfast was good,” I said. “Thank you. You’re the greatest and not just in bed.” I was actually smirking. I was about to get my walking papers and I was smirking; what the hell was that all about!

“Uh, thank you, David. Nice of you to say,” she said. She was clearly off balance. I wondered if I was going to get the straight of it or if I was going to get a pack of euphemisms and lies. Well, at least nobody could claim that the situation wasn’t interesting.

“Dave, I have something to talk to you about. You know like I mentioned last night,” she said.

“Yes, right, I remember,” I said. “So . . .”

“Dave, I know this may hurt you, but I want a divorce,” she said. I leaned back in my seat. I used one of the cloth napkins she’d set out to dab my lips with.

“Excuse me?” I said, deadpanning. “So last night was just some kind of joke, is that it?”

“Heavens no. It was something I wanted to do with you one last time,” she said. “You’ve been a good and honorable husband all of these years, but I have fallen in love with another. Actually, I have been in love with another for a long time.”

“Oh yeah?” I said. “So who is it, and why are you announcing this to me now? Why not long before if you’ve been in love with another for so long a time, as you say,” I said. She looked disconcerted. I don’t think the conversation was going as she planned or thought it might.

“David, why are you acting like this? What’s going on?” she said. I decided to come clean, it didn’t make any difference, and it might get me a truer version of things if she knew I knew stuff.

“Because I overheard you and my asshole ex-brother conspiring against me last night,” I said. Her hand went to her mouth. I’d stopped her.

“Oh my God! How I must have hurt you,” she said. “Davey, I am so sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I said. “Just do me one last favor and forget the phony bullshit, okay. Just give it to me straight, the truth, I mean,” I said. She sighed and began to pace back and forth in front of the sink.

“The who? Well, I guess you’ve already figured that one out. The why,” she said. “Because there is no doubt that you were going to figure it out, the why, before too long, and then it was going to be infinitely worse. This way, my hope is that we will be able to salvage our family relationships, at least on some level, with a minimum of blowback.”

“How do you figure? You’re fucking him right, my ex-brother?” I said. “That’s incest if you didn’t know it. That’s definitely going to cause a typhoon of blowback among family members no matter what I do, think, say.”

“Maybe not,” she said. “And Ronald is not your ex-brother. He’s your blood that’s not going to change.”

“He was technically my half-brother, and I’m officially writing him off forever. Oh, and you’re dreaming if you think that there won’t be any blowback from your incest, and his,” I said.

“Nevertheless, your blood,” she said. “And, he cares about you. Believe me when I tell you that, but . . .”

“But?” I said.

“David, this is going to be the worst for you. I know it, and I would have, and still would, do anything to save you from this, anything within my power,” she said.

“Get to it, Stacey, stop beating around the bush; you’re killing me,” I said. And, she was, killing me that is.

“David, you are not Jenna’s father; Ronald is,” she said. Well, I knew what it was now, the big thing. And, looking at her at that moment, there was not a scintilla of doubt in my mind that what she said was true.

I just stared at her. I didn’t trust my voice.

“I’m sorry David. I met you first. I was ready to be married and you asked me, and looking at you at the time, I thought, well I thought, you’d make a good lifetime mate. But then . . .”

“But, then my ex-brother came into the picture and you began cheating on me,” I said. I figured it had to be something like that. Ronald had always been a womanizer. I smiled.

“You’re smiling. Can I count that as a good thing?” she said.

“Depends. I can get by your cheating, Stacey, even, as is obviously the case, the fact that I have been an unknowing cuckold all of this time,” I said.

“Okay?” she said.

“Shared custody, equal custody of my daughter. He might be the sperm donor, but I have been there for her all of these years not him. She’s my daughter too. More mine than his if we come right down to it,” I said.

“David, Jenna will be living with us. Visitation? No problem, but . . .” she said.

“But, you intend to cut me out of her life, at least mostly. Right?” I said.

“Heavens no! You will always be a part of our family life. Just as . . .”

“Just as?” I said.

“Well, just as Ronald has all of these years,” she said.

“Huh?” I said. I was missing something, but could not have immediately said what that something was.

“You’ll always be welcome at the house. You’ll be what Ronald has always been to her, a well-loved uncle, a very special person in her life, just as you have always been a very special person in her life,” she said.

“Uncle? Did you say I’d be her uncle? Not her daddy?” I said. I was speaking quietly but I know my eyes were narrowed into very angry slits. I think she shivered, but that might have been my imagination.

“A very special one,” she said.

“Trust me soon-to-be ex-wife, we’re going to war. The courts will be deciding this one. I will not accept being a mere uncle to the little girl I have loved as my own daughter for thirteen years. The only thing that would cut me out of her life, as you are clearly conspiring to do, would be for me to hear from her that that’s what she wants. I’m betting that I will never hear that from her, just from you two incestuous conspirators,” I said.

“David, get this. We, Ron and I, are not trying to cut you out of her life. But, Ron feels like he has been left out in the cold all of these years and wants to be a daddy to her. And, frankly, David, I think you can appreciate that. I mean understand his fatherly feelings,” she said. “But you will always be there for her, and for all of us; it’s who you are. Yes, our roles will be changed some, but not that much really.”

“Let me say just one last thing, you know, before you run off easily and quickly,” I said. “I will not accept anything less than shared custody, not without a fight. And, I will fight that one to the bitter end and beyond. Believe it!”

“Dave, think it over. We need to talk again when you’re calmer. Okay? But okay, I do need to go now. I will have Jenna with me. I’ll be picking her up from her sleepover later today, so don’t worry about her. And again, you are not being cut out of her life, not at all,” she said.

I just stared or maybe sneered at her and what she was saying, I’m not sure. And then she was gone. The love of my life was no more the love of my life; she was the hated enemy. Odd how a love as strong as mine could morph into something so totally different so quickly, but it had.