Kenny Burns

Kenny Burns

happyhugo

Copyright©03/19/16

Romance/ Drama

31,418 words

 

Readers score  6.40

This is the story of Kenny and his family, told by him. He tells how he finds a woman to be his wife. It also tells of what the other members of his family are like. It takes Kenny awhile to learn how many surprises there are hidden from him being the youngest in the family. Did he have a loving family? Kenny tells it the way he found it.


Chapter one

I was sitting in my office looking out the window at the little park behind our hardware business. I had only been at my desk a few minutes when I saw this young girl sit down on the park bench. She laid a backpack on the ground between her feet. I wasn’t that close but I’d swear she was crying. I got busy for the next couple of hours and paid no attention to the world outside.

It was nearly eleven that morning when I had cleared my desk of the accounts that had come in overnight. I could now take on today’s reports that were trickling in from the offices up on the top floor. I worked alone undisturbed here in the rear of the business. My boss’s office was down the hall and I could occasionally hear the rumble of his voice on the phone or when someone was with him.

I glanced out the window and was startled to see the girl still sitting there. She appeared to be half asleep or maybe just letting the time go by. Suddenly she straightened and stood up, walking over to the water fountain to get a drink. This hadn’t been hooked up for the summer yet. She just came back and slumped on the bench again. She looked around and saw me watching her.

She was young, maybe sixteen-or-so. Her long hair was a pretty shade of brown with little highlights in it, but it hadn’t been combed today. Yes, she had been crying. A brave, “screw you” expression crossed her face and then she put her head down resuming the original position I had seen her take when she arrived. She stayed that way until it was time for me to go to lunch.

I walked out and sat on the far end of the park bench. I began speaking as if to myself. “Damn, I wish the town would hook up that fountain. It’s getting warmer all the time and a person sure could use a drink. Oh well an ice cold glass of Ginger Ale or a glass of Sprite would sure go down easy. Couple that with a hamburger or a Chilly Dog with chips would be good too.”

“Are you trying to pick me up, Mr.?”

“Am I that obvious, Sissy.”

“Don’t call me Sissy. My name is Francie Reilly.”

“Well Fran, let me guess. You act like a person who just got dumped. You’re young and don’t know which way to turn. The guy probably took all of your money, maybe your virginity and all of your self esteem. So you’re sitting in a park far from home and don’t know whom to ask for help. You most likely ran away after your parents warned you against the guy, so you’re too ashamed to call them to help you get back home.”

Tears started in earnest now. “How did you know?”

“I had a sister once who did the same thing. She sucked it up though, and went into a church for help. The pastor called my Dad and he came and got her. She’s married now with a child. She learned that bad boys can be exciting and a lot of fun. She’s a lot older than I am and that experience hasn’t changed her that much. I haven’t been that close to her because of our age difference. I do love my niece, though and she thinks I’m pretty wonderful. Come on, I’ll buy you something to eat. I don’t have that much time before I have to return to work.”

“What’s your name?”

“Kenny Burns.”

“Are you a bad boy?”

“I don’t consider myself one, but how can you tell?”

“I’ll take a chance. All your talk about cold drinks and food overrides any worry I have about you.” She didn’t say much and I didn’t question her during lunch. Francie was young and I could see she was going to grow into a pretty woman. I watched her out my window all afternoon.

When I got off from work, I asked her, “Follow me. I’ll give you a place to sleep and feed you until you decide that home is the best place for you.” Fran Reilly followed me home that night to my two-room kitchenette.

*******
I learned a lot about Francie. I shared I was twenty-two, and had been to college majoring in accounting. I told her about my family. I had a sister, Betty, who was married to Pete Cooper, and my niece, Becky. I mentioned my father, Philo, and my mother, Millie.

Francie did learn, in the three weeks she was with me, that I was employed in a business owned by my parents. My dad owned three hardware stores; this store here in Clearview, which father had opened just recently, and was where I was working now. There was the home store in Benson, and another one in Stapleton.

The one in Stapleton was the town my brother-in-law, Pete, came from, and with whom my sister had met while going to College. Pete and Betty now lived in Benson, and Pete helped manage the home store with my dad. Pete also oversaw some of the departments in all three stores. Pete and Betty went to the Stapleton store at least twice a month to see to that operation, much like Dad coming here a couple times a month. Dad was only here over night, whereas Pete always took four days in Stapleton.

I was just out of school and was learning the business by working in Clearview where I wasn’t directly under my father’s thumb. I pretty much did what my father told me to do because he had paid for my education. Sometimes I resented him a little. Not that he was a hard taskmaster, but because he owned three stores and was driven to excel. Dad had laid out a plan and it was up to me to follow it.

I saw no reason to impart that fact to this person who would soon be gone out of my life. It took me three weeks to convince her that her parents might not be all that she wished them to be, but they just might love her more than she believed.

What I found out about Fran was that she was the middle child in a middle-class family. Her brother Steve, was the first born. He would be the one to carry on the family name and was thought of as the most important. Her ten-year-old younger brother Sam was the baby of the family and was of course nearly as important. She had been the princess of the family until Sam came along, but that had changed dramatically and she resented it. Now sixteen she was left to fend for herself, or at least she felt that she was.

Fran was living with me in my little apartment as my step-sister. She could have been because we did live as brother and sister. I slept on a day bed I used for a couch. I suppose my being six years older I felt I had the right to preach about how she should live her life. Did she listen to me? I couldn’t really tell.

I didn’t own a car because I lived only a block and a half from where I worked. This was a bare existence for me and I knew it would get better someday. I took all my lunches from the lunch cart and often bought a heat-em-up meal in the microwave for dinner. That worked well for the two of us. I knew when I was at home with my folks I would have great meals and I often talked about them.

“Learn to cook, and your husband will love you forever.” This was one of the lessons I tried to impress on this wayward girl.

Day times Fran hung out in the library. Fran and I did things together after my day was done. We walked about the small city and went to the movies. We sat in the park and when the city turned the water on at the drinking fountain we both declared it was the best water we had ever tasted. One day when I came home from work, a week into living like this, Fran asked me to go get some feminine items for her. She was going to stay on the couch all day.

“I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well, Fran.”

“Don’t say that. I’m so relieved because I thought I might have become pregnant. For awhile I wanted to get pregnant, but I’m so glad I’m not. What would have happened to me if I was? Think of the mess I would be in? And think what would have happened to me if you hadn’t taken pity on me? You’ve fed me and given me a home for a few days and taught me so much. I really am immature, aren’t I?”

I grinned, “You were, but now you’re not.” Feeling better, Fran called one of her girlfriends and learned her parents were frantic with worry about their missing daughter. She came to the conclusion that maybe her parents did have some love for her. I was unaware of this and figured her being so sober one morning had something to do with her monthly.

That night we sat on the couch together watching the eleven o’clock news. When Fran sat down beside me, she sat right next to me. “Kenny, would you kiss me? In fact I’m yours to do with me what you wish.”

“Fran, I can’t do that. I think you are a wonderful person, but it wouldn’t be right. You really should go home and finish school. You leaving like you did will be a wake up call to your parents. They’ll give you the attention you were denied before.”

“Kenny, you must love me a little. I know I love you a lot. I know I’m young, but I have found out what love is.”

“I am very fond of you, I won’t deny that. But we are from two different worlds. I’m not ready to take on a wife at this time. If we were both older and settled into life, it might be possible.”

Fran stood up with tears in her eyes. “I’m not attractive enough for you, am I?”

“Fran you are very pretty and you will become more beautiful as time goes by. I’m thrilled that you consider me for love after the experiences you have gone through, but it just wouldn’t be right.” Fran was a temptation, though. Her body hadn’t firmed up like it would in a few years, but it promised something exceptional.

“Okay Kenny, I suppose you are correct, but I do love you and I wanted to show you how much. I’m going to bed now and think about you. I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.”

What had I got myself into? I did love this too young woman, and on several different levels, I knew getting any closer to Fran wouldn’t work. I didn’t get much sleep that night. I was half asleep when I got ready for work. I knew Fran was awake in the bedroom because I heard a bureau drawer close. As I opened the door to leave, Fran came rushing from the bedroom and threw her arms around me. “Kenny, I love you and I always will. I’ll never forget you either.”

What brought this on? Unthinking, I leaned down and kissed her. She gave me a sad smile. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Fran, we’ll talk about this tonight. Will you be in for lunch today?”

“No, not today, Kenny. Good-bye.”


********

I was bothered all day by a strange feeling. I felt something had happened and I should know what it was. I found out when I reached my apartment that evening. There was a folded note on the table. I sat down and when I picked it up, I felt something enclosed. I opened it and a pair of diamond earrings clattered on the table.

       Kenny, I took a hundred dollars from your slush fund for a bus ticket and traveling money. My father paid $1,500 dollars for earrings for my fourteenth birthday. That proves I’m not a thief. I thank you so much for rescuing me. You told me I fall for bad boys. I am here to say you are not a bad boy, but I fell for you anyway. Give the earrings to the woman you choose to live your life with, with my blessing.
     Love, Fran

I was saddened that my association had ended with Fran. Did she leave my thoughts for any length of time? No, she didn’t. I did feel good about the way I had treated her and her image would pop up at the most unexpected times. I began to date occasionally. I think it was to wipe Fran from my mind, but after a year she was still there.

Months went by, when my college had a homecoming event. All alumni were urged to attend. My fraternity was to have a party for the alumni to meet the new inductees. All of fraternity alumni’s past and present names and home addresses were listed. One address caught my attention for it was in the home city where Fran lived. Tom Bitner was a fraternity brother whom I spent hours playing chess with. I hadn’t planned to attend, but this year I was going to.

The party was as raucous as expected. Finally I spotted Tom who was standing against the wall watching the drunken goings on. I sidled up to him and we decided to have a game of chess. The party was getting really wild so we escaped to a back room off the kitchen. “Kenny, did you come all the way from Ohio to play chess with me?”

“No, but I did come to see you. I would like to have you check up on someone who lives in your town. I’d like it if you passed the word about the person back to me.”

“It’s has to be a woman, doesn’t it?”

“Not a woman exactly, but a girl who will be graduating from high school this next year.”

“What’s her name?”

“Francie Reilly.”

“Franny? How do you know her?”

“You know her then?”

“Sure. I work with her brother. I was invited to a pool party at their house last week. What gives?”

“Did you know she ran away from home a year ago?”

“I’ve heard that, but the family never discusses it. How do you know about her?”

“Well, she ended up at my apartment when the guy she ran away with dumped her.  She hung out three weeks with me.”

“Did you get to tap her? She was pretty damned wild for awhile. She seems to have changed now since she came home.”

“No, we lived as brother and sister. I was curious about her that’s all.”

“Call her up. I can give you her home phone number.”

“No, no, I can’t do that. We had words and she told me to find someone I could love. I thought we would talk about it some more, but she left suddenly.” 

“You dog you.”

“It wasn’t like that. I mean I didn’t hit on her. I tried to give her some advice, but she just wouldn’t see it my way. I did gain some affection for her and want to know how she turns out.”

“Okay, if I hear anything unusual about what she is doing, I’ll call you. Let’s get this game started. We came here to play chess, didn’t we?”

Tom did call or write several times a year. Some times he didn’t call about Fran but because we were friends. Invariably he would ask for me to send him a photograph of my family or my staff or my parents. I learned Fran graduated high school with remarkable grades considering what they were when I knew her. She was going on to the university, taking something in social science. 

One time, Tom made the comment that he escorted Fran to the wedding when her brother married. “She is one of the friendliest women I know, but damn she is deft at turning a man away from her. To be honest, I hit on her and got nowhere. She shut me down and I hadn’t even started.” Pictures of the wedding followed a month later.

I laughed, wondering why I was so pleased at this. My own love life wasn’t that much. My sister was always fixing me up. This was when I returned to the home store. I had paid my dues by working in the smaller store where I met Fran. I was fully involved at headquarters now. Funny, I didn’t have the urge to connect seriously with a woman. It seemed as if I kissed one, Fran’s face would be in my dreams that night. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t celibate. Any young man has his needs that can be satisfied without a firm commitment.

I did get enough involved with one woman named Sarah to move in with her, but she accused me of not being serious about our relationship so we parted after a bit. Analyzing my actions after moving on, I knew she wasn’t the one to give the earrings to.

The years flew by. I was always busy, being named as head of the accounting department in my family’s business and kept at headquarters. I also had the chore of auditing the other two stores the family owned. Word came one day from Tom Bitner that Fran was getting real serious with a young man and his name was Anson. Tom related that Anson began working at the Reilly firm as a sales associate and had rapidly moved up. Of course while this was going on he was making a pitch for Fran every time she was home from college.

This bothered me. I tried to tell myself I was acting like Fran was mine. What could I do now that Fran’s graduation was fast approaching? The hell with it! I had the earrings that she left with me. It was time I made a move to return them. Tom, now married and still best friends with Fran’s brother, was invited to her family graduation celebration around the home pool on a Saturday afternoon in May.

*************
I called him, “Tom, one more favor for me, if you would. Will you pass onto Fran, a small box while at the party? It is something she left with me six years ago. I’ll drive up Saturday, hand the package over to you, stay at a motel and drive back early Sunday.”

“Sure, I can do that. Why don’t you drop in and I’ll introduce you to her brother who is a good friend of mine?”

“Well, I don’t think I had better. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me as a casual acquaintance to give his sister a present. Understand it is something that she left behind when she stayed with me. I only knew Fran for a short time and she has most likely forgotten me. But it is something valuable and something her father gave her as a child. Now that she is starting life on her own it should be with her.”

“You’re acting funny about this. What is it?”

I sidestepped the issue and wouldn’t say. “I want to have it returned and it likely will embarrass her to have a reminder of the time she was a run-away-wild child.”

“Okay, but after the party is over, promise I can come over to the motel and beat your butt at chess.”

“Deal. You’ll have to work at it though. I’ve been whipping your ass three times out of four.”

“It’s time for me to win. As they say, my ship is coming in.”

“Okay, I’ll call when I get to town. I’ll be there about nine in the morning if everything goes according to plan.”

*******

Tom hung up and I walked across the room and stared into the mirror hanging on the wall. I shook my head at the image. Well, I had made a move and the die was cast. That is if I didn’t chicken out and stay home. What is my problem? Hell, I was just returning an object that didn’t belong to me. 

I arrived at the motel after leaving early from home. I called Tom and he declared I just had to meet his wife, Kate. He gave me directions to his house. It was really nice and his pregnant wife was friendly and attractive.

“So, you are the friend Tom talks about all the time. He says tonight he is going to beat you at chess so you had better watch out.” We laughed over this. Tom tried again to get me to go with him to the Reilly home, but I was just as adamant that I wasn’t going. I was tempted though.

I did agree to have breakfast with him and Kate tomorrow after our chess game. She knew the game often lasted this long. Kate almost chiseled out of me why this item was so important to Fran. I didn’t tell her what it was, but it was a valuable item left with me as collateral for money to return home. For now, I told Tom I was returning to the motel and get some sleep because I was on the road so long this morning.

I wondered how Fran would receive the earrings. Maybe I should have just mailed them. No, I wanted to know her reaction and I knew if I was there, then her reaction would take a different form. I was sure Tom would tell me all about it. I’d learn about it tonight. I lay down and unbelievably I slept. That is until there was some pounding on my door. I glanced at my watch and I had slept late into the afternoon.

“Open up, Kenny.” This was Tom. “You have guests. They want to speak to you.”

I looked out through the screen. There were four men standing there. Tom, of course I knew. I surmised who the older man was. It had to be Fran’s dad and of course, the other two were her brothers
. “Let us in.”

I did. I was backed up to the bed as they crowded in. Tom stood there grinning. Fran’s father announced, “Young man, I’m Timothy Reilly. These are my sons, Steve and Sam. You’re going to meet the Reilly women folk in a little bit. There is going to be a family meeting soon with all present and that includes you. No getting out of it.”

I turned to Tom, ignoring this man in front of me. “What happened?”

“No time for that now. You’ll find out when you talk to Fran.”

“Tom, at least tell me what Fran said when she opened the little box?”

“She didn’t say anything at first because she fainted.”

“Is she okay?”

“Sure, this caught her by surprise, that’s all.”

I hurried up and changed while being bombarded with questions being put to me. Tom stood in the background smiling. It was like I was a prospective son-in-law being questioned to see if I was good enough for his daughter or something.

I was soon ready wearing in a nice pair of slacks and a short-sleeved dress shirt. I took along a blazer in case I needed one. When we stepped out of the motel, Timothy told me to follow him in my car. Tom, and Sam, the younger brother of Fran’s, got in with me. “Tom, what’s going on? Fran’s father seems to know me pretty well.”

“Don’t ask questions. They will be a time for that shortly. You’ll soon see why everyone is acting the way they are. Now when we get there, you will be meeting Fran’s mother. Everyone else at the family graduation gathering will be gone. I’m to let you in the rear door and you are to go up the stairs to a door on the right. Fran will be waiting for you and she will answer your questions.”

Sam, from the back seat questioned, “Fran says she only kissed you one time. She’s been talking about you for years. One of you has to be crazy. I’ll bet you hardly remember her after all the time since that happened.”

“Sam, Fran is a girl to be remembered. Time and distance has nothing to do with it.”

“Sam, shut up. Fran will take over and ask and answer any questions from Kenny.”

“Thanks, Tom. I’m going to ask you some questions too. You seem more involved than being just a friend of the family.”

“Talk to Fran first.” Nothing more was said. Tom drove around to a rear entrance and pointed to the door. “Up the stairs.”

I came in and had to pause at the foot of the stairs. Three women were coming down. One was Kate, Tom’s wife. She stopped in front of me. “Kenny, this is Fran’s mother Phoebe, and Steve’s wife Rachael. We’ll get more acquainted after you talk to Fran.” I recognized both from the pictures sent by Tom at Rachel’s and Steve’s wedding. They headed through the kitchen toward the front of the house leaving me standing there looking up at Fran who had come part way down.

Fran was waiting for me on the stairs. She had on black slacks and a light blue top. Her beautiful brown hair was long but pulled back and gathered with a braided band to keep it out of her face. He figure had matured along with her age. The baby fat had disappeared and she was trim and proportioned perfectly. When I reached her, she took my hand and led me into a bedroom. “Kenny?” I could tell she was waiting to be kissed.

I opened my arms and she came into them, raising her lips to mine. I peppered her face and lips with kisses. I had played this scene through my mind for six long years. I could tell Fran had as well. We ended up just hugging together tightly.

I pulled her away so I could look into her eyes. “You didn’t get hurt?”

“What do you mean, did I get hurt?”

“Tom said you fainted when you opened the box I sent you.”

She laughed, “I have never fainted in this lifetime that I can remember. That’s just my cousin messing with your head.”

“Tom is your cousin?”

“Yes, and I’ve been having him spy on you for years.”

“Well cousin or no, he has been doing the same for me. I have a whole bunch of pictures of you. He was always sending me pictures of what he and Steve were doing and always you would be in the background somewhere. The one I treasure the most was of you as a bridesmaid with Tom at Steve’s wedding.”

“I picked that one out for him to send. I hoped you would like it.”

“I did. I even had your image separated from Tom’s and had the wallet-sized picture of you made to carry with me. Fran, let’s pause here for a minute. I feel I know you quite well, but I don’t really.”

“I know and I feel the same way. Can you stay longer than tonight or do you have to return home immediately?”

“I can be here for a week. Next week, would you go home with me and meet my family?”

“That would be great. Of course I can. Wow, two whole weeks together. You’re going to stay here. Your room is right next to this one. I sleep here and you can sleep there.” Fran paused and then continued, “Or we can sleep together.”

“What about your parents? What would they think if you became my friend with benefits?”

“I have it covered. After the way you rescued me six years ago and by urging me to grow up and return home, you’re in solid with them. I’m an adult now and can do anything I want to.”

I stared at her. This was the way she acted when I first met her. I didn’t like it then and I didn’t like it now. She laughed at my expression of disaproval. “Kenny, I can tell that last hit a sour note with you. Let me finish it. I can do anything I want to, but within reason and keeping other people in mind of how it affects them.”

“I do think we can work this out, but I would like it to be very discreet about sleeping with you. We can work on how much to share.”

“That we can.” Just before we left the room Fran said we still had a lot to talk about. I agreed. I wanted to find out how serious she had been with that Anson fellow that worked for her father.

We went down and were nice to her family. Tom thought it a great joke that he was able to play the intermediary for so long. It seemed that Fran came home and told her mother everything that happened to her when she ran away. She even told her of the note she left me along with the earrings. A year later, Tom came home and mentioned that his friend remembered Fran and was inquiring about the young runaway teenager. 

Fran’s mother then told her father and the rest of the family about me. Whenever Tom and I spoke, what I said to Tom was shared with all. Her father and mother implored Fran to contact me herself, but Tom knowing me better, sided with her and advised to let it play out.

“Kenny will come to his senses some day and will return the earrings to you. If I didn’t know about the earrings, I would think he is crazy. He works steadily and isn’t ready to take on a long distance relationship with Fran yet. I will bet he will approach her with the earrings as soon as she graduates.”

“Tom is right. I just know Kenny thinks about me as much as I think about him. If he returns the diamonds and is still interested, then I’ll know we can begin a relationship and really get to know each other.”

This all came out over the dinner table. I wanted to slow this down a little.

“Listen to me a minute. Fran and I barely know each other. Sure we have been dreaming about each other, but that isn’t good enough grounds to guarantee that we will begin a relationship. I’m going to be here a week and I have suggested that if we are still thinking about the future together, then she should travel to meet my folks the following week.”

Fran stated, “That’s the plan and Kenny is right. I want to spend my life with someone, but dreams or no, I have to be sure of whom it is with. This is reality and I pray it is as good as the dreams I have had. I guess you can say we are just friends now.”

Conversation moved away from us and I leaned over and whispered, “Fran, your maturity is showing.”

“I should hope so. Do you realize that I am the same age now you were when I met a wonderful man who talked to me and showed me I was still a child? I would like to think I am at the same level now you were at that age.”

“You are.”

I had a short conversation with Kate as she and Tom was leaving. “Kenny, I kept thinking that Tom was interfering in his cousin’s and your life. For five years he told me he felt you two belonged to each other and he was going to do everything in his power to bring you together. This started before I met him. He told me how excited he was when it was discovered by you that he and Fran lived in the same town and you asked about her. He said he never knew why he didn’t blurt out that she was his cousin, but he wanted to find out why you were so interested.”

“I wonder about that too. I was so surprised I was receiving so much information about Fran who was supposedly just a sister to one of his friends. Tom has always been my friend from the first day we joined the Fraternity together, so I explained it to myself, this is what a frat brother would do.”

“And that begs the question of why you were interested in Fran?”

“I guess it goes back to the original situation. I did a small favor for a woebegone runaway kid. She left an expensive item with me to thank me for what I did for her. She also charged me to give them to the woman who would make me happy. I’ve come to the decision, of whom better than she?”

“So it is all settled then?”

“I would like to think so. Returning the earrings gives us an opening now to really get acquainted. I think this is the time for everyone to back off and let me and Fran work it out.”

“I agree.”

Fran came up to me. “Kenny, lets go get your things and move them to your room here.”

“I was wondering about that. You’ll go with me, won’t you?”

“Of course. Mom and Dad, we’ll be back after breakfast in the morning. Kenny has to check out by eleven.”

Timothy, her father, cautioned, “Fran, you don’t know Kenny that well.”

“Dad, I spent three weeks with him when I was sixteen and that turned out okay. You’ve said so yourself.”

“Oh, go, I’m sorry I spoke. I keep forgetting you’re an adult now.”

“You’re the best, Dad.”

Fran ran upstairs and came back down with a small overnight case. We didn’t say much on the way to the motel. I had one hand holding hers though. I unlocked the door and turned to her. “Is this where I carry you over the threshold?”

“I think we had better wait for that. I’m hoping someday you will, but this is about fulfilling a dream I’ve had for six years. We do have to move from dreams to reality, but I don’t see anything stopping us from becoming friends with benefits. After all we are adults.”

**************

I took my shower first. I was sitting at the small desk in my robe while Fran took hers. When she came out I watched her walk toward me. She was a little flushed. “Kenny, undress me please.”

I started to say she was, but then saw she was wearing the earrings. I removed one and nibbled on her ear, moving down, nuzzling, and kissing her on the neck. I did the same with the other. I carried her to the bed. And when on it she stopped me from exploring more.

“Kenny, the day I ran away from you, I was going to meet you coming in from work just like I am now. It came to me finally, that you wouldn’t make love to me back then because I was too young. You did so much for me and I only had one thing of value to trade for a way to reach home. So I took some of your money for the bus and food. I was sure you would return the rings very soon but you didn’t.

“A year later Tom came home and we realized you were the knight in shining armor who saved me. I began to hope you might come to me and it would mean more. You’ve waited so long, though. I was really worried when we found out you had moved in with a woman named Sarah. I thought the earrings would go to her.”

“Fran, I never considered giving her the earrings. They were yours. Yes, I liked Sarah very much and I had to find out if she was the one to make my life happy. Truth to tell, you weren’t out of my thought for any great length of time. During my time with her, you were in my mind way too much. Sarah was smart and sophisticated, just the opposite of how I remembered you. She didn’t need me, but you might. So we split. You may meet her again someday, because she is still a friend.

“I knew the rings still belonged to you but it had been so long, I felt I couldn’t just appear at your door and say here are your earrings. So I have waited for a more appropriate moment. I settled on the day you graduated to be that day. I believe I have chosen the right one.”

“You have. You must realize that I haven’t been without my trying to find someone to love these long years either?”

“I have, I’ve heard about someone named Anson.”

“That was Mom and Dad’s choice for me. Remember though that you gave me a lesson on whom to choose. You told me that bad boys were fun and exciting, but not good for a life-time mate. Anson hasn’t crashed and burned yet, but he will. I don’t see him ever realizing his dream of getting any of Dad’s money either. That is what he was angling for. I was to be the way for him to get it.”

“Aren’t you afraid that I have become a bad boy and here to ravish the fair maiden who will leave you in the morning like what happened to you one other time?”

“That may be, but I could be a bad girl and you wouldn’t know it. So Kenny, why are we talking when we could be doing?”

“Good point.”

Fran and I had over six years in a dream relationship. This, our first intimate relationship, was no dream. This was real and more beautiful than any dream could be. Exhausted, we basked in the afterglow, just lying side by side.

Fran spoke first, “That was wonderful. We now know we are compatible. I was so afraid if we ever did come together that it would be a let down. It wasn’t.”

“Fran, I was going to say the same. What now for us?”

“You mentioned staying the week here and then I would travel to stay a week with you. I think we should not make any solid commitments until after.”

“Hey kid, your maturity is showing.”

“I hope so. I met a man six years ago who advised me I had to grow up to be happy. It was good advice. My heart tells me to go for the gold, but my mind tells me to go slow and be sure. I honestly believe that heart and mind will meet in the near future and I will be happy.”

“That is the best plan. I may have thought you were immature at the time, and in many ways you were, but the most mature thing you could have done six years ago was to leave me the way you did. Leaving your earrings at the time triggered dreams in both of us. If you hadn’t, we would have gone out of each others minds and would have been lost to the other. Very wise of you.”

“Kenny, I wasn’t trying to be wise, I was just saying thank you for befriending me. The dreams came later and now are coming true.”

I laughed, “You’re saying it was a stroke of luck?”

“That’s as good of an explanation as any. Doesn’t matter, we are here together and it is up to both of us now to see where it goes.”

Tired and satiated, we snuggled together and soon slept.

“Kenny, wake up, we promised Dad we would come for breakfast.”

“Fran, don’t wake me. I want to finish the dream I had last night.”

“Awake or asleep, it’s all a wonderful dream.”

I was concerned about facing Fran’s parents this morning. She pooh-poohed me. She was right. The only one who looked askance at us was Sam, her sixteen-year-old brother, but he said nothing.

“Mom, Dad, Kenny is going to stay until Friday and get to know everyone. Then he is going home and I’m going with him. This will give me a chance to meet his family. I’ll stay a week and by that time we’ll know if there is a possibility of us becoming a permanent couple.”

“Does that mean you won’t be joining me here in the family business?”

“Dad, I can’t say at this time. That would be plan B for me at best. Kenny is a vice-president of his family’s business along with his brother-in-law. There could be a position there for me in the human resource department and I would be working with him.”

Her father was disappointed. “You could be equal to your brother and cousin here.” He paused, “But I want you happy, sweetheart. We almost lost you once and I don’t want to go through that again.”

“I promise you won’t have to. I found, back then when I came home, how much family meant to me. And yes, father, I found how much you missed me when I wasn’t here. We were close while I was away at school and found it possible to continue even though I wasn’t physically present.”

“Franny girl, I was just making clear that I’d miss you.” I could see love shining in both father and daughter’s faces. 

It didn’t take a day or two before I realized that Fran was very intelligent. Her father owned and operated an insurance concern selling both commercial and personal insurance. The business was often discussed at dinner and Fran took part in the conversation. She would be an asset in my father’s concern just from that fact alone.

I did think about the fact that her family would miss her when and if she moved away. If we married, there would be several hundred miles separating us from them. But then there were holidays and vacations where she could be with family. Not strange in today’s world and shouldn’t be a deal breaker if we loved each other. We could work it out.

I told Fran much about my family. My sister and brother-in-law were eight years older than me. Pete had been groomed to help manage, with my father, all three of our stores. I was now working at the home store as well, heading up the accounting, billing, inventory etc. for all three stores. I delved into what living at home was like, telling Franny that Pete and Betty lived in their own house across town. I lived in a detached apartment on my folk’s property.
 
Franny commented when I mentioned this, “That’s convenient. Is that where you and Sarah lived?”

“Yes. We weren’t bothered at all. My niece, Becky hangs out with me a lot. She is like a younger sister to me, much like you were the three weeks I knew you years ago. She brings her friends over. The only restrictions I have for her is there is no drinking and absolutely no sex in my apartment. I have no doubt that she does everything teenagers do somewhere else. She is always asking about relationships and things like that. It is up to her mother and father to watch out for her morals, although I do pass on some comments, occasionally.”

“Kenny, I know all about your comments. It straightened me out and made me good enough to meet you again without having regrets about my life style after leaving you six years ago.”

I told her about coming back to the town of Clearview once a month for a day, checking accounts and talking with the person who managed the store for the family. Pete did that at the Stapleton store. I only went to the Stapleton store once or twice a year when there was a party or something.

Pete always took Betty with him. It bothered me slightly, for he was there on Friday, over the weekend, and returned to the home store for work on Tuesday. I was expected to have all my work in Clearview done in one day. Dad, I thought trusted me, but it seemed like he favored Pete more than me. I suppose Betty being the oldest was favored and that was why she could go to Stapleton and I suspected used the time there for a mini-vacation.

**********

I was treated with respect without reservation for the week I stayed with Fran and her family. Friday morning we left and headed for my hometown. We made a leisurely trip of it, arriving in the late afternoon. I ushered Fran into my mother’s office at headquarters.

“Hi Mom, I’m back from vacation. I’ve brought a friend with me to visit.”

“Kenny, I was wondering where you were.” She looked at Fran.

“Mom, this is Francie Reilly. I’ve known her for several years. I met her six years ago and we have just reconnected. We are thinking about making our life together.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Francie.” Mom looked puzzled. “It’s odd, Kenny has never mentioned you.”

“Not odd when you hear about how we met and why we are together now. We have had a relationship in the dream world and it has just come out into the open this past week. I was surprised Kenny hadn’t told you about me because my family knew all about him. But then most men don’t share their dreams.”

“This sounds mysterious?”

“Not mysterious, but as noted, odd. I will be here a week anyway and you will learn all about how we met and what kept us with a tenuous connection for six long years.”

Mom looked from Fran to me and back again. “Kenny, I’m all done for the day. Let me pack up and I’ll take you home with me. I’ll call your sister and have her over for dinner tonight.” She looked closely at Fran. “You’ve known Kenny for six years? You must have been very young at that time.”

“I was. I was only sixteen.”

Mom thought about this and turned to me. I was grinning and she was about to blast me. Fran laughed out loud. “Mrs. Burns, don’t chastise Kenny. He is one of the good guys, maybe even better than you are aware of. Can we wait to share until dinner?”

Mom had to have the last word. “Kenny, you didn’t trifle with her did you?”

“No Mom, remember I’m one of the good guys. Fran just said so.” Before we left, I showed Fran my office where I did accounting for the whole concern. My brother-in-law stuck his head into the office and welcomed me home. 

I introduced her to Pete Cooper. Pete, with a daughter and my sister, still liked to look and his eyes traveled up and down Fran. “You’re it, huh? Kenny has been waiting years for someone to catch him. I must say the wait was worth it.”

“Thank you. I actually caught him six years ago. He waited for me to grow up and become his equal, that’s all.”

I was smiling when he asked, “What do you mean you caught him six years ago?”

“I’ll tell, but you’ll have to wait for dinner tonight.” She turned to me. “Kenny, is your father in the store because I would like to meet him?”

“He should be up front on the counter. We’ll check. Pete, we’ll see you tonight at dinner. Mom is having the family in.” We walked by Pete and out into the store.

“You’ve created quite a mystery about how we met.” I said this to Fran while searching for my father.

“I hope it is okay. Pete kind of hit me wrong with his comment.”

“Sure, Pete was paying you a compliment and it didn’t come out right. He really is a nice person. He has to be because he is in charge of the help we employ. He is really good at it. You’ll like him when you get to know him.” I pointed, “That’s my father talking with a customer. You’ll like him, too.”

“Kenny, these are things I need to know about you?”

“Like what things?”

“You know, things like how you get along with your family. I can tell that everyone gets along well together. After what I went through when I was a dumb teenager it means a lot to me. But then it got straightened out and we all realized that family is a unit and needs to work together.”

“That’s very well put. I think you have done your share in making it happen.”

“It wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for you.”

Chapter two

Dad finished with the customer and turned toward us. “And who is this young lady?”

“Dad, this is Francie Reilly. Right now we are exploring a relationship. You’ll hear all about it at dinner tonight.”

“What’s to hear about?”

“How, when, and where we met. While away on vacation I tracked her down after six years. I’ve become acquainted with her family and now she is here to become acquainted with mine. I’m hoping before too long you and Mom will take some time and travel to meet her folks.”

“Sounds serious.”

“It is. We’ll explain tonight why we think it will work.”

“Good, that will get your mother and sister off my back.”

“How’s that?”

“They are after me to talk to you about finding someone. Haven’t you noticed how they are all the time fixing you up? You just go on not paying any attention.”

“Oh, I’ve been paying attention. Dad, I met Fran six years ago when she was sixteen. She hasn’t been out of my mind for any long stretch of time since. I find out she feels the same as me. Our being a couple isn’t set in stone yet. That’s why she is with me here. We have to find out if we have been living a dream and to see if the reality is as good as the dream. I think we have.” Fran’s arm came around me and pulled me a little closer.

“Mr. Burns, Kenny has said enough for now. Wait until tonight to hear the rest. It has to be told from when we first met and why I didn’t forget him and he didn’t forget me.”

“Fair enough. Hey, let’s head home. I’m the least important person around here. I can leave anytime. Your mother must be ready.”

“She is. She’s waiting on us.”

Fran went right into the kitchen with Mom, (Millie) and I talked with Dad, (Philo) catching up on what had gone on while I was on vacation while visiting Fran and her family. Dad asked, “So you’re planning on taking off for one more week?”

“That’s right, and you have to remember I haven’t always taken a vacation. I now have a reason, so I will be taking all I have coming.”

“That’s okay. Kenny, are you planning on leaving the business? I don’t see how I can replace you.”

“No, Dad, I’m not planning on it. A lot will be predicated on Fran finding work, though.”

“What’s she trained for?”

“Not pinned down yet exactly, but she’s smart and I think she would be a good prospect to take over when Mrs. Billings retires. She studied for a position involving human resources at the university.”

“I’ll have Pete do an interview. He would be the person working closest with her. What else do you know about her?”

“Not that much. That’s why I need these two weeks with her and she needs to meet with you and Mom. Can you get away for three or four days to meet her folks?”

“I guess. Kenny, take all the time you need. We can cover for you and yes we can get away.”

“Pete won’t like it.” There was a little of that rivalry showing in every family. Pete had his chance to get away from the home store twice a month. Dad never listened to me when I mentioned I should have the same consideration.

“Let me worry about Pete. He is always taking time off and I never say anything.”

“I don’t either. When he goes it is always something that has to do with Betty or Becky. I will want the same consideration when I start a family.”

“Fair enough and you will have it.” This made me feel really good. I often covered for Pete. Now he might have to do the same for me. I always claimed I was willing to do so, but then I had to rearrange my life sometimes and resented it.

Betty and Becky came at 5:30 and Pete showed up at 6:15 just as the food was put on the table. Mom announced that Fran had made the lasagna. Fran blushed, just commenting that it was traditional right out the package.

“Fran, I didn’t know you could cook? I love lasagna.”

“I remembered that you did. You took me out to a restaurant six years ago and you commented on liking it. Your Mom had the ingredients so I thought I would make it for you.”

“You remembered from that long ago?”

“Kenny, I remembered everything you said and did six years ago.”

Becky, my niece asked, “Fran, did you love Kenny then?”

“I must have, although, people would classify it more as puppy love. I don’t remember thinking that way. We were only together three weeks, but he impressed me as being the kindest and nicest person I ever knew.”

Mom spoke, “How come we didn’t meet you back then?”

“Mom, this was when I was at the Clearview store right after I got out of college. I just didn’t mention her when I came back here. Besides she was only sixteen and needed her parents.”

“Didn’t you want him to make love to you?”

Pete screamed, “Becky, that’s none of your business.”

Fran ignored Pete and answered, “Of course I wanted him to, but during our days together, and what he was saying to me, made me realize he would reject my advances and I didn’t want that. I had just been dumped and didn’t think I could handle another rejection. Besides what he was saying was making me realize what a child I was. His comments showed me I had been going in the wrong direction in my young life. Very subtle, he reset my life and got me on track. I just hoped he wouldn’t forget me.”

“Did you anticipate you would be together like you are tonight?”

“Absolutely not. Listen to me. Did you ever do something not knowing that it was something that would be more important than just a gesture? I did that and it turned out to be the most important thing in my life. I’ll let Kenny tell you what it was.”

Attention was on me. “Actually, it was two things that made me remember Fran. I had been urging her to return home and at the same time to not fall in love with me. I saw her as someone who was young and misguided. I considered myself as an adult and couldn’t see where there was any gain in my becoming closer to her. I knew she was totally in my power and if I had wanted to trifle with her I could have. Basically I felt she was trouble, but then I had made a friendly overture, and couldn’t just kick her out.

“I’ve come to the conclusion recently that something or someone else was pointing her in the right direction. Fran had one thing of value that I wasn’t aware she had. I had been open with Fran and she knew where I kept my extra money. In her mind and with the urging by me to return to her family one morning, she asked for a kiss and said goodbye. I wasn’t aware that she had made up her mind to follow my direction.

“I came home to my apartment that evening and found her gone. The kiss she had asked for really was a goodbye. That was six years ago and I didn’t see her again until this last week.”

Becky spoke, “Uncle Kenny, what were the two things you mentioned that made you remember her. Did you love her?”

“No, I don’t think I loved her at that time. Fran left me a note, that was the first thing, and the second thing was the pair of earrings with it. They went together.

Mom asked, “What was in the note? Do you remember what it said?” 

“Of course I remember. In fact I have it here with me. It is pretty frayed for I have taken it out and looked at it often. Would you like to have me read it?”

Fran jumped up. “You kept it all this time? Oh, I love you so much. Kenny, let me read it to your family, please?”

I carefully removed it from my wallet and handed it to her and watched as Fran unfolded and smoothed it out on the table. Tears were pouring from her eyes.

     Kenny, I took a hundred dollars from your slush fund for a bus ticket and traveling money. My father paid $1,500 dollars for the earrings for my fourteenth birthday. That proves I’m not a thief. I thank you so much for rescuing me. You told me I fall for bad boys. I am here to say you are not a bad boy, but I fell for you anyway. Give the earrings to the woman you choose to live your life with and with my blessing.
       Love, Fran

Fran looked around the table. “I wanted Kenny to love me. Right after he left for work that morning I thought I would meet him at the door that evening wearing just my earrings and nothing else, but I knew deep down it wouldn’t work in my favor. I wrote this note, took enough of his money to get me home. I found out that my family acted just like he said they would. That’s the minute I began to grow up.

“Always in the back of my mind I was hoping someday Kenny would remember me. Even deeper in my mind I wanted Kenny to return the earrings to me and he would choose me to be the woman he wanted to make his life with. Through a coincidence by both having the same dream, I think it will happen.”

Pete, my brother-in-law, said. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”

I rejected this. “Pete, believe this then. You know I went to university and joined a fraternity. I went to the Homecoming Day a year after Fran left. I went because I found out my frat brother lived in the same city as she. I met him at the frat house and asked if he knew Fran. He said he worked with her brother. During the next five years he played cupid between the two of us. I would ask how Fran was doing and often Tom would send me pictures of the brother and always a picture of Fran would be in it.

“As the years rolled by I knew I would return the earrings someday. The time didn’t feel right to me until last Saturday, the day she graduated from college. I found out that day that Tom and Fran were cousins. The two were collaborating on what pictures and information I would receive.”

“What about Fran’s family when a strange man showed up to connect with their daughter?”

Fran answered this. “I told my mother all about my experiences when I ran away so she knew about Kenny as soon as I returned home. Then a year later when Kenny showed interest, the whole family knew about him. Kenny shared what went on in his life with my cousin, Tom. I’ll tell you I had some sleepless nights when Kenny told Tom he moved in with a woman named Sarah. But then I had told Kenny in the note to give my earrings to someone who could make him happy. I did hurt for awhile until his connection with her ended.”

Attention came to me again. “I really thought I loved Sarah for a time, but then I read the note from Fran again. I read between the lines. I may have been only a dream of Fran’s, but I’ve had my dreams too.”

“Have you asked Fran to marry you?”

“No, Becky, I haven’t yet. We wanted to meet both our family’s first. That’s why I have asked Mom and Dad to go with me this next week to meet Fran’s parents.”

“This is so romantic, can I go with you?”

“Becky, I’d love to have you with me. I can tell you all about my family. I have a younger brother about your age. His name is Sam, and he’s sixteen.”

“Thank you Fran. Gram, can I go?”

“I guess so. They’ll be room if we take Grampa’s big car.” 

************

After the dinner I took Fran home with me and showed her the apartment where I lived. Her comment was, “Pretty neat and organized. Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.

We spent the next three days getting Fran acquainted with the family and going over what the family business entailed. Monday morning Fran went into the store and interviewed for Mrs. Billings’ position as Manager of Human Resources. Mrs. Billings was old enough to retire and very much wanted to, but my dad kept asking her to stay one more year. This year she declared she was leaving before Thanksgiving whether dad had a replacement or not. Fran was the only person who had appeared that could even remotely handle the job.

We talked about it that evening. “Kenny, I would love to have this position and working with you.”

I looked at her and could see she was undecided about accepting. “There is a, “but” in there somewhere, I take it?”

“Yes, there is. I was with Mrs. Billings all afternoon. Mrs. Billings hinted at something, but never came out and said anything definitely. Mrs. Billings took me out onto the floor. She told me to watch the interaction between Pete and the female help. First of all Pete does the hiring and most of the female clerks are young and pretty. You must have noticed that?”

“I have, but what has that got to do with this?”

“Mrs. Billings hinted that Pete harasses the girls. I didn’t notice when he interviewed me or by the way he looks at me so I didn’t say anything to Mrs. Billings, but I did listen to what she said. I can see she doesn’t like him much. You know one harassment suit could sink the whole business. I don’t want to get into a mess like that.”

“This is hard to believe about Pete. Maybe I haven’t been paying attention.”

“Don’t blame yourself. I was just giving you a heads up of what could happen if he was harassing the help. Remember I was taught what to look for. I doubt your father and mother would have noticed either. Any one who harasses would naturally keep it from the family.”

“Well, now that I know that it is a possibility, I’ll make sure it is settled before you become officially head of that department.”

“Kenny, you’re the best. I was afraid you would get mad when I said something.”

“But you said something anyway?”

“I did. I don’t want the business I work for to get into trouble if I can prevent it. I don’t want your Mom and Dad to get mad at me either.”

“I’m glad you spoke up, but forget the store for now. Believe it or not there is love in the air.”

Never one to let something slide, I talked to my mother the next morning. I hinted around just a little by making the comment about Pete’s hiring practices. She surprised me. “You mean you want to know if Pete ever harasses the help. That’s a dark secret that your father and I have under control. He had to pay off one person years ago. You were too young to be aware.”

“Does Betty know about it?”

“Yes, of course, she does. We didn’t tell you because at the time you weren’t working in the store. Pete knows that if it happens again, then Betty is gone, Pete is gone, and he is without a job. Your dad is on top of this and he settled it years ago. We just won’t tolerate it happening again. Why, did you think something like this could be possible?”

“Fran said Mrs. Billings hinted at it, so Fran wasn’t surprised. She didn’t want to work here if you and Dad knew about it and were ignoring it.”

“Good for her. She must love you a lot to bring it up to you.”

“She does love me, and I’m sure she will be satisfied with the way it is being handled.”


*********

Thursday morning we headed for Fran’s parents. Fran would begin training with Mrs. Billings as soon as we returned next week. I had taken an hour to buy a ring because I intended to propose in front of her father and mother sometime before coming home. Did I keep it a secret from Francie? No, I didn’t, and she went with me to pick out the ring. I wanted her to have exactly what would make her happy. Also we hated to be apart for even that length of time, even for a few hours.

Becky, Fran and I, sat in the back seat of the car with Fran in the middle. Becky began questioning her about her brother, Sam. Now we knew why Becky asked to come.

“Becky, I’ve been away at school for four years so I don’t know that much about him. I do know he is a bit shy or wants people to think he is. When I have been home for the holidays and we have a party or family gathering, he usually has a friend visiting. I must say, not all of them are boys. I noticed they all respect him, both girls and boys. I’m proud to say I’m glad I have him for a brother.”

We arrived before noon and Phoebe had lunch waiting for us. Becky was disappointed that Sam wasn’t there. He was off playing soccer with his buddies according to Rachel. “How far from here is it?”

“Go down the street and take a left. You’ll see them playing as soon as you turn the corner. They’ll be a lot of kids hanging out together. Tell him we’ll be eating in forty-five minutes. How will you know him?”

Becky grinned, “I’ll ask. Not many boys have a strange girl they don’t know looking for them. Someone will tell me.” I could just imagine that Sam’s status would rise up damned high with his friends. Some of the girls, if there any there, might give Sam a second look if Becky did what she said she was going to do. Becky was as tall as Sam and she had on designer jeans and a tee-shirt and looked hot. Kids were so bold in today’s world.

Mom was a little short giving Becky a warning. “Becky, you be good and behave like a young lady.”

“I will Gram, I promise.” Mom was shaking her head as we watched Becky hurrying down the street.

We now proceeded to get acquainted. Timothy, Tom, and Steve were working. I knew where the office was so I said I was going down there. Dad said he would go with me. Timothy welcomed me with open arms and glad I could make the trip. After introductions, he had us into his private office and set out a bottle. “Philo, how about a little nip?  This is good stuff. A customer of mine sends me a bottle at Christmas time.”

Dad looked at the bottle and commented that it was distilled in Ireland. 

“Yeah, people aren’t too positive I’m Irish, but I am. My Great-Grandpap dropped the “O” in O’Reilly, but we still go back to the Old Sod every five years or so. My grandmother is still alive. She’ll be a hundred and one this November. I want Fran to see her one more time before she passes on.”

I spoke up, “Fran was telling me about her. We have a tentative plan of having a honeymoon in the fall and will see her then.”

“Good. Oh, you are planning a honeymoon in the fall?”

“Yes. I’ve taken these two weeks away from my work just to meet Fran. I do have responsibilities. Fran understands. She has a job offer and wants to begin as soon as possible. That enters into it.”

“Then this bringing your dad here is almost making it official that you will wed?”

“There is no ‘almost’ about it. I’ll be proposing at dinner tonight.”

“That’s good, son. That will make her mother happy. I hate it that she will be leaving us, but we’ve been expecting it since you showed up to claim her.”

I did propose that evening. Fran was wearing her earrings when she sat down at the table. They were such an important part of our relationship we both felt this was appropriate.

Sam entertained Becky while we were there and they became friends. Mom and Dad enjoyed meeting my prospective in-laws and got on well with them. Timothy tried to sell Dad insurance to cover our business. Dad promised he would look into it when he needed to renew.

All in all, I think my dad and mom were pleased with the woman I had chosen and Fran’s folks appeared to feel likewise about me. The question was raised one afternoon while just Mom, Kate, and Fran were talking with Phoebe. Phoebe asked when we planned to marry. It was decided that we would marry the last weekend in August and would take place here in the church that Fran belonged to.

Phoebe said, “Thank you for having the wedding here. You’ll have to get me a list of your guests and what they require for rooms while attending. I have to say there was one period in my life when I wished I had all boys. But then Fran came home after she ran away. She was a totally changed person. We never knew why until she came to me and told me about Kenny

“I do believe Fran thought of him as God-like and maybe I do too. My estimation of him hasn’t dropped any since meeting him. Now I’m glad I didn’t give up on Fran. Oh, I’ll admit Tim and I waited for Fran to revert to her old ways, but she never has.”

“Mom, you didn’t, did you?”

“Franny girl, think about it.”

Fran’s face went rose hued. “Well, maybe I caused you a bit of anxiety.”

“More than a little, sweetheart. We are over that bridge now and you’re about to be married to a fine young man. From all indications you will have a wonderful life together.”

“I am going to, Mom, I just know it.”

*************

Fran went to work immediately in human resources the following week. Mrs. Billings enjoyed having another person in the office. Fran noticed every time my brother-in-law Pete came in the office, that Mrs. Billings cringed. We discussed it.

“Fran, Pete never comes into my office and never has cared much for Mrs. Billings. Maybe he’ll like you. You’re family.”

“I may be family, but I can have my likes and dislikes too. Kenny, I really like my job, it is just what I’ve been trained for. You know, I think your brother-in-law is a pretty good guy. He is quiet and does just what your father tells him to do. I can see he loves Betty too, but I have seen some constraint between them. Your Dad still loves her though. Did she ever do anything to make him mad at her?”

"Not that I know of. Whatever it was if there were something happened when I was either too young, or when I wasn’t here."

We had a month until Mrs. Billings retired. It came time for Dad to renew all aspects of our insurance. He spoke to Fran, “See what your father’s firm can do for us. I promised I would consider his figures.”

“Is it okay for him to see last year’s figures? It will give him an idea of what you need to carry. He might make some suggestions if he thinks you don’t carry enough or too much in some areas.”

“Sure, but get quotes from the carrier we have now and then it is down to just the price.” Mrs. Billings had been through this every three years. She and Fran worked on it.

Fran talked it over. “Kenny, Mrs. Billings thinks we should have a stronger sexual harassment clause inserted into our policy. I hate to bring it up, but Mrs. Billings is harping on the store needing it.”

“This is about Pete, isn’t it?”

Fran nodded her head. “Yes. Mrs. Billings says Pete stares at me when he comes into our office. It is as if he is fixated on me. I rarely look at him, so I haven’t really noticed. Since she told me, I’m a little bit uncomfortable around him.

“Okay, I’ll talk to Dad.” I went to find him. “Dad, Fran and Mrs. Billings are working on getting insurance quotes. Mrs. Billings thinks we should double our insurance in one area.” 

He didn’t let me finish. “It’s about sexual harassment, isn’t it? She’s always had a bug up her butt and has never liked Pete. Has she turned Fran against Pete? Pete is family.”

“Fran hasn’t said much about Pete and Pete seldom goes into the office with them. He of course is aware that Mrs. Billings doesn’t get along with him. It seems as if Mrs. Billings is trying to turn Fran against Pete.”

“Ken, go talk to them and come back and tell me your feelings. Pete is family, but one good case would break us. You’re going to be the part owner here someday. This is your chance to begin making important decisions.”

I went into Fran’s office, sent her out and closed the door. “Mrs. Billings, Fran mentioned to me that the store needed to upgrade our sexual harassment policy. Make it stronger as it were. She also told me why. Now, I need specific incidents if you have any?”

“I can give you one. When Pete came to work here, I liked him. He worked hard and was well liked. That was up until your sister was pregnant with Becky. He came into the office and made an excuse for me to pull some records. When I went up to the file cabinet to get what he asked for, he came up behind me and grabbed my breasts. Kenny, I’m twenty-two years older than him and happily married. What would he want with me?”

“Why didn’t you say something to my father?”

“I was shocked and too surprised to do anything immediately. I didn’t want to hurt your farther or your mother and besides he was needed because of his wife. Betty was pregnant and I liked her and didn’t want her to think badly of me either. Too, I needed the job here really badly because my husband was sick.”

“You should have complained. I just found out Mom, Dad, and my sister do know something about this. Somebody complained and the store had to pay up on someone previously. They didn’t do anything to Pete except to warn him for the same reasons you just gave me. You and Fran go ahead and compare policies. I’ll decide in a little bit what’s warranted.”

I walked out onto the floor. I could see Dad watching me, but ignored him. “Hey Pete, can we have a conference in your office?”

“Be right with you. My office, you said?”

“Yeah.”

I went into Pete’s office and closed the door. He came in leaving the door behind him open. “Close the door.”

“What’s the matter with you?”

“Pete, I’ve been discussing insurance with Dad and the two women in human resources. I’ve been advised to increase the insurance on our harassment policy. Are you okay with that?”

“Sure, I guess, but why?”

I stared at him until his face got red. “You found out about some stupid things I’ve been accused of in the past, haven’t you? Look Ken, that was 17 years ago and believe me, I’ve paid the price. Betty claims she loves me, but there is a little doubt still. Do you think I want to lose her or be canned for something like harassment? Think about this, Becky has turned into a beautiful young lady. I would kill the person who did to her what the woman complained about me to Philo.”

“What about Mrs. Billings? She says you grabbed her inappropriately?”

Pete was silent for almost a minute. “Kenny, if two people each swear about something the other did, who are you going to believe? Mrs. Billings heard about the indiscretion I was accused of before she came here.

“The woman in question made an accusation and your father wanted it kept quiet and it was never openly investigated. He did negotiate some, and this woman did get a small settlement because she thought she was pretty damned smart to put us in the position we were in. This pissed her family off when Philo let her go.

“Mrs. Billings is an extended member of that woman’s family which we didn’t find out for a few years. Now that Mrs. Billings has said something to Fran, I believe she is trying to take one last shot at me. Ask yourself if you believe Mrs. Billings if I did the grabbing or she did and was rebuffed. Your sister knows all about this and Philo and Millie do too. If they didn’t I wouldn’t be here.”

“Why didn’t Mrs. Billings make a complaint if you grabbed her breasts?”

“She didn’t dare and at the time she did need the job. I told her that if anything like this ever came up, Philo had a lawyer standing by. Mrs. Billings begged me to forget the whole thing. There is no love lost between the two of us. I have had to put up with her dislike because she has been a good employee except for that.

“Kenny, check with the other stores your father owns. You won’t find one iota of wrong doing on my part. Your father even brought in one of those anonymous surveys they do sometimes for the help to evaluate management. One of the questions on the survey was if any of the help was ever felt harassed. No one said they had been. I’m at the Stapleton store a few days every month. They were all included in the survey the same way as here at the home store.”

“I believe you, Pete. I have noticed before this that you and Mrs. Billings didn’t get along. There was one thing in her argument that I know she had all wrong.”

“What was that?”

“She said that when you hired clerks, they were always sexy with nice shapes. I remember when you asked Dad to buy loose-fitting tops with the embroidered store logo because many of them were coming to work in street clothes and not always appropriate.”

“That’s correct, that was my idea.”  

“So, are we good here? I believe you. I had to speak though.”

“I’m glad you did. Are you going to tell Fran about this?”

“Of course. She is my wife. Oh, don’t forget, I’m away the last two weeks of the month. We are heading for Ireland to meet more of her family.”

“I know. Mrs. Billings will be gone when you get back.”

“No, I don’t think so. I’m going to ask her to stay one extra week. You’ll have put up with her just a little longer.”

“I can do that.”

I headed for human resources. “Hey, I checked with Dad and Pete about your suggestion about how much harassment insurance we should be carrying. I’ve listened to you and to them. I’ve decided we will raise it somewhere in between. Settlements on lawsuits are going up and we do want to be fully covered. Mrs. Billings, you were retiring at the end of the month. Can I get you to stay one extra week and be here the week we return from our honeymoon?”

“I don’t really want to, but maybe.”

“Pete suggested we pay you time and a half for that week. Mrs. Billings, you’ve made a lot of friends here. Remember you are invited to all the social gatherings the company has after you retire. The picnic in the summer and you will still get your turkey at Thanksgiving. There is the Christmas party for everyone and all retirees are included. So, can you stay one more week?”

“Yes, of course. You are such a lovely young couple I want to make your honeymoon great anyway I can. I would be glad to.”

Fran tackled me when we reached our apartment. “Kenny, what’s going on? You were extremely nice to Mrs. Billings.”

“I was, wasn’t I? I was just trying to save us some problems down the road. Can you act naturally around Mrs. Billings if I tell you everything?”

“I think so, but I’ll bet I can get it out of you without making any promises.”

“I was going to tell you anyway. Look, Pete told me a story about Mrs. Billings. Pete did have a woman accuse him of sexual harassment. Dad paid her a little and got rid of her. She was a gold digger and I believe Pete, but maybe he did some things. They are pretty much settled and I don’t suppose I will ever learn what really happened. Enough so it would not look good in court if it came to that. The thing was the woman was a distant relative of Mrs. Billings.

“Mrs. Billings believed the woman, of course and all these years she has tried to get even by pulling the same stunt. Pete threatened to take the whole thing to court and she backed off. I don’t want Mrs. Billing to go away an unhappy retiree, so she basically gets a little extra and she is welcome to the holiday and store gatherings.”

“Was it really Pete who came up with this?”

“No, but I make out the checks and neither Pete nor Dad will know about it. Dad wants me to make more decisions, so I’m making some.”

“Your father will notice when he signs the checks.”

“No he won’t. He and Mom are on vacation that week and I sign the checks.”

“God, you’re devious.”

“Maybe, but it is in the store’s best interest.

***********

Fran and I had a lovely wedding the last Saturday in August and Fran’s father showed how much he loved his daughter by going all out. My family was all there except for Pete, who stayed to handle any problems that arose in the business. Monday was Labor Day and the family stayed over for a cookout Sunday. They left for home Monday afternoon and would be at work Tuesday. Fran, her mother, and father and I took off for Ireland the next day on our honeymoon. Fran’s great-grandmother lived in a town-house and there was room for all of us. 

The old lady was as sharp as a thirty-year-old. She had a brogue, of course, and Fran had to interpret for me, especially when the woman was cracking jokes. Fran and I left after three days, saying goodbye to Fran’s parents. We wanted to see some castles and see what the hinder lands were like. Fran’s parents were returning to the states a day later. We would spend our last day in Ireland with the old lady. We were asked to come see her again next year. We promised we would. Her 102-year-birthday … maybe?

Fran and I were glad to get home. We came home to several changes. While we were on our honeymoon, several things had happened to our business. The Manager at the Stapleton store announced that he wanted to retire, giving ill health as a reason. Dad got with his attorneys to come up with a plan to cover everything.

Dad decided to sell half the Stapleton store to Pete and Betty. I was to purchase half the Benson business. Dad would take over the Clearview site. This was reasonable because that was where Mom had grown up and she wanted to return there.

Fran would work into being a co-manager of this store along beside me. Where Pete did the hiring and firing for all the stores, we would each do our own from now on. My dad wouldn’t have any say of how I managed this store or in the one that was Pete’s, except for the annual review of how we were all doing. Human resources would be handled in-house as well. Fran then would have time to grow into the co-manager’s position with me.

Still, we would have a meeting to talk over how we were each doing occasionally, although the three stores would be separate entities. If one store should see their profits diminish, then the three owners would get together and come up with a consensus what should be done to improve the situation. This would be strictly in an advisory capacity.

The only fly in the ointment was Becky in Benson. She had started her senor year and was adamant that she would not move to the new location with her parents. Next year she wouldn’t mind because she was off to college. So I, Kenny Burns, twenty-eight, married to Francie Burns, twenty-two, had their niece, Becky Cooper, seventeen, living with them for the next nine months.

This could be a problem. Becky was a little headstrong and Pete and Betty had some trouble controlling her for the last year. She was the typical teen, who knew it all. But then, Fran treated Becky like a little sister and I was her older brother. Fran had bonded and never said much to me about my niece’s shared secrets, except to say Becky was apt to be a little wild. I couldn’t see it. Fran, I knew, was a good role model after what she had done as a teenager, six years ago. 

I declared to Fran, I wasn’t that worried. Becky had always looked up to me. “Piece of cake, I saved you and if she does things we don’t like, we’ll straighten her out.”

“We are a good example, aren’t we?”

Actually, Becky was a joy to have around. She often had supper started. She did her homework. We didn’t feel that we could control her comings and goings so we stayed in an advisory role, letting her out on dates with whomever she wished.

*********
Things were great until Thanksgiving. The whole family would join Pete and Betty in Stapleton for the day. This would be the day when we all would be coming together since Dad had split up his holdings.

Becky decided she would help her mother get the dinner. She said she was going to drive down late Saturday, although she hadn’t planned to leave until Tuesday in evening and help prepare dinner for Thursday. After all, she was a senior and her marks were good and she could skip some classes if she desired.

Becky was a good driver, and had made the trip every other weekend to see her parents. Fran and I thought we would be alone for a few days. We might get a little wild ourselves. We didn’t encourage Becky to leave, but we were glad to see her drive away. Fran and I went out to a nice restaurant and had to decide how to spend the rest of the evening. The decision was to go home, relax and play in the bedroom.

We had taken the edge off by my loving Fran in her favorite position. “So big boy, I’ve had mine. It’s time I gave you yours.”

“Wow, we haven’t done this for awhile.”

“I know, Kenny, but this is how it is going to be while Becky is away. I’ll have you worn out by Thanksgiving Day. That’s the day when Becky comes back and you will be so thankful.”

“We’ll see about that.”

We were getting into this, and it wasn’t going to be long until I was one happy husband. Suddenly, I thought I heard someone knock softly on our bedroom door. I stopped.

Fran cried out, “Kenny, why did you stop?  I’m almost there. This was the best build-up in a long time.”

“Fran, someone knocked on the door. Let me get my gun.”

“Are you sure?”

The knock came again. Both of us scrambled; me for my pistol, and Fran frantically searching for her robe. I asked again, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Becky. I need to talk to you.” I found my pajamas and Fran went to the door.

Fran opened it and Becky was standing there crying. “I need to have you tell me what’s happening. It was horrible.”

“Didn’t you get to your mom’s?”

“Yes, and that’s what I don’t understand. I came home because I need you to tell me about Mom and Dad.”

“Becky, go down to the living room and we’ll be right down.”

I turned to Fran, “What do you think is going on?”

“I have no idea, but something must have happened. Why didn’t she stay and talk with Betty and Pete?”

We went down stairs and saw Becky huddled on the couch. Tears were still streaming down her face and she was sobbing. Fran sat down beside Becky, putting her arm around her. Becky clasped Fran to her. “Becky, tell us what the problem is? Are your parents all right?”

“I’d say so. Mom was in my room being screwed by a big hairy person. He looked more like a black bear than a man. Dad was in their bedroom making love to a blonde-haired woman.” Becky burst into a loud crying jag after imparting this.

“What did they say when they saw you?”

“They didn’t see me, but I think they will know I was there. I left my bag and the stuff I was going to use to make pies by the door. I’m surprised they haven’t called by now.” She stopped speaking, until, “But then they appeared to be too involved in fucking.”

“Becky, that isn’t necessary.”

“Uncle Kenny, did you know Mom and Dad were swapping partners, swinging, or whatever?”

“No, of course not. This is all news to me. We’ll get to the bottom of it tomorrow.”

Fran put Becky to bed and it took two hours for her to stop sobbing and go to sleep. Fran finally came back to bed. We lay there discussing the situation. Neither one of us could figure this out. Fran remembered back to the summer when there was the discussion about sexual harassment and why we purchased more insurance bought for the stores. We both were inclined to blame Pete for whatever happened.

It was six in the morning when the phone rang. It was Betty and she asked fearfully, “Kenny, is Becky there?”

“I don’t know. She should be with you. She left here about dark last night for there. You mean she isn’t with you?”

There was a long silence from Betty. “Kenny, I think she did get here, but Pete and I had guests in. When we got up this morning Pete noticed Becky’s bag and stuff for Thanksgiving.” More silence.

“Betty, that’s strange. She should have just gone to bed if you were out.”

 “Kenny, we weren’t out. I was in her room. She must have seen me. Would you please check her room and if she is there, I want to speak to her. I’m going to give her hell for scaring us so.”

I came clean, “Betty, yes, Becky is here. Fran and I got a blow by blow description of why Becky couldn’t use her room. Who was the hairy dude that was screwing you? You might fill me in on the blonde woman Pete was screwing at the same time. What’s going on, my sweet, slutty sister?”

“Kenny, it’s not like that at all. We’ll be up in a couple of hours to explain.”

I thought I was being mean when I asked, “Shall I give Mom and Dad a call so you can explain to them at the same time?”

“No need to, they know everything, and have for years. You may be in for a shocking surprise about something else before we get there this morning.”

“Sis, what kind of surprise?”

“You’ll see. Bye”

“Sis, Sis! Betty, don’t hang up. Aw, crap.”

I hung up the phone. “Fran and Becky, you better get up. Pete and Betty are coming up to explain.”

Becky screamed she didn’t want to see either her father or her mother. “Becky, why don’t you go over to a friend’s house if you don’t want to face them? I will tell you this though, you will have to see them sometime. You’d do better stick around. I’m kind of curious about my sister and we’ll find out what is going on.”

“Okay, Uncle Kenny, but you didn’t see Mom like I saw her. That guy had heavy, dark hair all over his body. Some of it was long enough to have curls in the middle of his back. I wouldn’t let someone like that anywhere near me.”

“Maybe she loves him.”

“Ewe! What I heard wasn’t love.”

I put together some breakfast and I was hungry enough to eat. Fran did too. Becky refused it at first, but finally took a few bites. Becky didn’t say much and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. That is, until she said. “I’ll bet that hairy guy has hair on his dick and that’s why Mom likes it. She was screaming with pleasure last night.”

“Becky, that’s enough!”

“Well?” I laughed, then Fran did, and Becky couldn’t help but join in.

When we calmed down she said, “I guess I can handle this okay. Uncle Kenny, are you sure you didn’t know anything about this”

“Absolutely nothing. You saw it and Sis confirmed on the phone what she was doing. I still can’t believe it. She said your grandmother and grandfather knew all about it too, and has for years. This is getting more and more, strange.” Becky and Fran went upstairs and I supposed they had lain down again.

Chapter Three

It had been an hour since I talked to Betty and I knew it would be another hour before she arrived. Suddenly the doorbell chimed. I went to the door. A young woman stood there. I thought for a minute it was Becky, because she certainly had a lot of the same features as my niece. She had the same burnished blonde hair, and the figures were almost identical “May I come in? You must be the man I have heard Becky calls her Uncle Kenny. I’m Becky’s half sister, Pattie Peabody. She and I share the same father.” Here was the surprise Betty warned me was coming.

“I guess you had better come in. Becky is pretty upset and maybe you can calm her down.”

“I can imagine. I went through the same thing a few years ago. Did she see my father making love to her mother and her dad making love to my mother?”

“She did, but she didn’t say they were making love. She used a different description of the actions.”

“They do get into it, don’t they?”

“You appear to be okay with this?”

“Not much I can do about it. They have gotten together every so often since they were in college. All four of them have active libidos. Oh, they have had some rough spots along the way. But they have been doing this for almost twenty years.”

“How old are you, Pattie, is it? I don’t really need to know, but you seem to be about the same age as Becky”

“That’s an easy one to answer. My Mom got pregnant with me about six months before Becky was born.”

“That’s an odd statement. That would mean Pete got Betty pregnant, and then he got your mom pregnant while Betty was carrying Becky.”

“That’s how it worked. Uncle Pete’s a randy person just like my Dad. Two things caused this to happen. First Uncle Pete was harassing the help here in this store and one of the clerks complained. But Uncle Pete was doing that to get even with Aunt Betty because he found out my dad was screwing her. Hey, she was safe and couldn’t get pregnant because she already was. My dad is just as randy as Uncle Pete, maybe even more so.

“Uncle Pete caught Cameron, my father, and Aunt Betty together, and raised hell. Mom wasn’t involved until my father did Aunt Betty, although he knew her. I’ve learned Aunt Betty was a world class slut while in high school and the same in college. Anyway, Aunt Betty was pregnant and she and Uncle Pete were fighting all the time over her screwing someone.

“To get even, Uncle Pete started after one of his clerks and the woman wanted some money from Uncle Pete to keep her from telling on him. This brought Becky’s grandparents, Millie and Philo into it. First Philo got the harassment straightened out by paying the woman off. Somehow, he convinced the woman, it was ‘a he said, she said’ situation. He did give the woman some money if she would keep quiet.

“That finished, he talked with Aunt Betty and Uncle Pete about it. It seems it was all Aunt Betty’s fault for screwing around on Uncle Pete and Uncle was just getting even with her by coming onto the clerk. When he found out about my father and Aunt Betty, Uncle Pete was going to throw everything away, by admitting that he had targeted the woman to get even for screwing a friend of theirs.

“Philo was then afraid the business would now be charged with harassment and a cover up, if it came out. This would cost him megabucks in court. And he would lose Pete, one of his best workers.  Philo found out, that back while going to college, Dad had screwed Aunt Betty and they had been an item for awhile. Uncle Pete had dated my mom a few times, but nothing ever came of it. Uncle Pete thought that had stopped between Aunt Betty and Dad, but they had kept at it until Uncle Pete caught on.

“Philo then made some suggestions and set some rules. He told Uncle Pete he was fired from his job here in the home store. He was to leave town, and to take Aunt Betty with him.

“Actually, this put Philo on the spot for he had just purchased the store in Stapleton where my parents live, and he also had the store in Clearview. This would make his store’s management seriously shorthanded. Aunt Betty went to her mother, Millie, and said all four were highly sexed and this would cramp their style. She needed more than Uncle Pete could give her. My parents are quite-well-to-do, but if Uncle Pete got fired, he wouldn’t be able to get work in the same industry. Not only that, Aunt Betty was soon to have a baby.

“Philo didn’t relent about firing Uncle Pete at first, but Millie worked on him and four days later he did. Philo talked to my Mom and asked her to get into the mix and keep Uncle Pete happy. Uncle Pete could screw Mom all he wanted, so he wouldn’t be chasing after the help if he got horny. This was the way to even things up for Dad screwing Aunt Betty whenever she wanted. He gave Mom, Dad, Uncle Pete, and Aunt Betty the next week to get it settled. If they couldn’t, Philo would go back to plan “A” and fire Uncle Pete. He said, “Get back to work and get on with your lives, just keep quiet about it.

“That is the week when Mom got pregnant with me. Dad has an office in Stapleton and works with a couple of men who trade stocks. Uncle Pete and Aunt Betty would come down a few days a month and the four of them would get it on. It has worked well as far as I can see.” I stared at this young woman ... okay ... girl.

“How come you call Betty and Pete, Aunt and Uncle?”

“I can’t call my biological father, Pete can I?”

“I guess not. So, Pete and Betty are on their way here?”

“Yeah, they are going to talk to Becky and explain this to her. I’m running interference for them.”

Becky and Fran stepped into the kitchen. Fran spoke, “We heard it all, and I guess we can understand what is going on.” Becky and Pattie stood staring at each other.

Pattie was the one to speak first, “Hi, Becky, you look a lot like me. I’ve seen pictures of you. I caught your dad and my mom screwing a couple of years ago much the same way like you did last night. At least I didn’t have to see your mom with my Dad. That really would have grossed me out. He is so hairy. He is my father, though, and I love him. I also love Uncle Pete as much as I do my father.”

That made Becky smile because that was what turned her off the most. “How long have you known about our parents?”

“I discovered them when I was fifteen. I learned everything at that time, just as you are going to learn everything today. The only bad thing about this is; I wanted so to meet you, but have been told it wasn’t going to happen until we were adults. They said when I turned eighteen I could come and find you. It has just happened a few months earlier than expected.”

Fran, the ultimate hostess, asked, “Pattie, would you like some breakfast?”

“I’d love some. I didn’t get my coffee this morning. Mom called my grandmother –  she’s my mom’s mother. She got me out of bed and told me to head for Benson, find Becky and fill her in before they got up here.”

While Fran was getting Pattie’s breakfast, I asked, “So what is the deal with your parents? Are they swingers or just swap partners?”

“I don’t know as if there is a name for what they are. I do know when Becky graduates and about to move away to school, she was going to be told about what they do. The plan is for our parents to move into one big house together. It is being built right now, and it is beautiful. By Becky walking in on them last night, it has moved things along to what they were headed for eventually anyway.

“This plan has been in place for many years, set up by Aunt Betty’s father. First he wanted to get Kenny married and well able to take over the store here. Then he and Millie could return to her roots where she has always wanted to live in Clearview. Uncle Pete and Aunt Betty were to have the store in Stapleton and all would move in together with Mom and Dad. Becky and I would be off to college and out of the way.” 

She paused, “Becky, you wouldn’t want to go to the same college with me at the same time, would you? That would be a hoot, wouldn’t it?”

I questioned, “You are saying this was my father’s plan?”

“I think so. I’ve been a party to a lot of discussions, but I don’t expect I know everything.”

“So, when Pete and Betty moved to Stapleton, it was just to get together with your parents?”

“I guess. Uncle Pete did do what he was supposed to do to keep all the stores going. Of course, if you think back it usually included a long weekend so they could play.

“I heard Aunt Betty say she wished that Becky could come with them, but they didn’t dare because she thought Becky might find out and she would find out what her mother was like. A lot of this was to keep Becky’s Uncle Kenny from finding out about Aunt Betty too.” 

Pattie kept talking, “Society looks down on things like that. Don’t think it was all good for me, either, because for years I would get trucked off to my mother’s mother for that long weekend when they were doing their thing. Becky you’ll meet my grandmother if we get to be friends.”

“How come your Mom had a baby with Pete, do you know?”

“I do know why. My dad’s little squigglers never learned to swim and Mom and Dad wanted a baby. Philo said he didn’t see any problem, since with Aunt Betty being preggo it was obvious he could father a baby with Mom. So here I am.” Pattie had a wide grin on her face.

I think I had to think about this as much as Becky did. I was eight years younger than my sister and I had been oblivious to what was going on. I was athletic and I did date a lot so my interests were outside the family. I went away to college and then I was at the store where my mother and father were now. I was there for three years. It couldn’t have been too difficult to keep me in the dark. This was during the time I met Fran. I remembered now how I didn’t think it fair that Dad would tell Pete to go to Stapleton, and I never had the chance to go with him.

Things were getting clearer now about the past. Becky took Pattie up to her room, leaving me and Fran having another coffee. “Fran, would you believe this?”

“You had no idea?”

“None at all.”

“I suppose you’ll be looking for a little extra from someone now that you know your sister is into a different lifestyle?”

“Not ever, Fran, and you?”

“Kenny, I waited for you for six years. I’m not going to throw it away. I had a lot of pain when I was dumped and abandoned the day you spoke to me the first time we met.”

“Fran, I’ll think about this, but I don’t see where knowing about Sis and Pete is going to change our relationship in any way. Thank God I didn’t find out when it was all happening. We have a store to operate and we won’t be connecting with either my parents or my sister that much. These last few weeks show me that. With a few small changes in the way we operate now, we have increased our profit over what Dad did the same month last year and that was with Pete here, so I guess we’re doing fine.”

“Kenny, that’s great. I’m not even going to mention this to my parents. Basically it isn’t any of their business.”

“I’ll go further than that – it isn’t any business of ours, either.” I went to the foot of the stairs and listened. “I guess Becky has got over some of the shock of seeing her parents screwing. I hear the two girls laughing. Someday she’ll know all about it.”

“Oh, the screwing part she knows about. She’s done some of that herself.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really, and at least she lost her virginity while she was living with her parents. That was more than a year ago.”

“How do you know this?”

“We’ve talked about it and I’ve been guiding her a little. I told her about losing mine when I was fourteen and what a mess I had made of my life. I explained what a wreck I was until you came along and saved me. I’ll bet Becky wishes you were her parent rather than her uncle. I suspect that is why she came running back here last night, rather than confronting her parents.”

“We’d know Becky and Pattie are sisters, wouldn’t we? When I opened the door this morning I thought I was seeing Becky. Pattie seems to have her feet on the ground concerning her parents and with Pete and Betty. But then she has been aware of it for a couple of years.

“What do you think about your sister and Pete?”

“I think my sister is just what has been said about her. She’s a slut. Pete, well he may turn out to be the best of the four or maybe it will be Pattie’s mother. They’ll be along here in another hour. I suppose we should get ready for them.”

“How do you mean?”

“You know, get our minds straight of how we are going to handle this. I think I’m going to listen and not make any comments or ask any questions. I don’t want to get involved at all.”

“That sounds good to me. That’s what I will do, too.”

***********

When Pete’s vehicle turned into the driveway, I shouted up the stairs for Becky to come down because her parents were here. I looked again as another man and woman got out of the vehicle. “Pattie, I think your parents are here with Pete.” The pair of girls came down the stairs walking side by side. They were almost twins in their size and shape. Today, Becky didn’t have the confidence that she usually showed. She had taken a hit seeing her parents as she saw them last night.

I opened the door. My sister, Betty came in first, introducing the man beside her. “Kenny, this is my very good friend, Cameron Peabody. We have been friends for many years.” They walked by me right into the house.

Pete slowly followed with his arm around a pretty lady. It wasn’t a possessive hold, just a way to guide her.

By this time Betty and Cameron were across the room facing Becky. Pete spoke to me. “Helen, this is my brother-in-law, Kenny. Kenny, this is Helen Peabody, and mother of Pattie. Has Pattie explained her relationship to me?”

“That you are her biological father? Yes, she has. You and Helen must be proud.”

They both spoke at once, “We are.”

Pete added, “Cam claims Pattie’s as his own child, and get’s upset if it is brought up that he isn’t her biological father.”

“I understand. I’ll tell Fran. She is intelligent and would know it, anyway. I’m more concerned about Becky. She was a mess when she got back here last night. The best move you made was to send Pattie up here first. The two sisters are getting along great. I’m impressed with Pattie. She took right over and calmed Becky down. I heard them upstairs laughing just before you drove in.”

“Pattie has had two years to deal with our lifestyle since she learned of it, and she has easily come to grips with it. What about you and Fran, and how do you feel about Betty?”

“We are staying out of it. We won’t be asking any questions or making any comments. We will have to make some general observations when Becky wants to discuss it, but we promise what we say, won’t be against you.”

“Kenny, I had the feeling that would be the way you would talk to her about us.”

“Thanks, Pete. Come Helen, meet my wife.”

I left Helen with Fran, and went to hear what my sister was saying to Becky. Pattie was standing with Cameron. He had a frown on his face. I took it he liked to be the center of attention, but was being ignored somewhat. Pattie grabbed me and brought me over to stand with Cameron. “Hey Dad, talk to Kenny, I’m thinking of making him my uncle.”

“He is not your uncle and never will be.”

“He’s Becky’s uncle.” She could have added she was sister to Becky, but she backed off. I’ll bet this hadn’t been settled yet and I might end up being called Uncle Kenny by everyone except in front of Cameron.

I don’t often take a dislike to a person, but so far I hadn’t seen anything likeable about Cameron for several reasons. I made nice though. “Good trip up?”

“Yeah, unnecessary in my opinion, though. Pattie dealt with this okay when she discovered our lifestyle. There is no reason why Becky can’t.”

 “I know Becky quite well and I think she will eventually. It was such a surprise, that’s all. I am surprised myself. I had no idea my sister was living a different lifestyle than I knew about.”

“Dad, you’re going to be bragging again about how you and Aunt Betty got together. I don’t want to hear it all again.” Cameron just nodded and Pattie walked away.

Cameron continued just like he had not been interrupted. “Yeah, we met up in college. Betty just loves jocks. At the time, I’d go after anything – and I did. Betty didn’t like it, but she never forgot me after we went our separate ways. Helen got to me and, well, I guess I thought I fell in love with her. By that time Betty had married Pete, but we had something neither of us could let go. Then Pete caught me and Betty getting it on, and things all went to hell for awhile. Pete, he got blackmailed harassing one of his clerks while he was getting even with Betty.

“Your old man was pissed. Pete had knocked Betty up and you know how horny a pregnant woman can be. That’s how I got to her. Philo needed Pete to help run his three stores. You were too young and didn’t know a damned thing about any of this. One day Philo came and dug his married daughter out of my house with a gun in his hand. As I said he was some pissed. He sat the four of us down and proposed a solution … or else.

“I also wanted Betty because she was pregnant. I knew I couldn’t make a baby and I wanted a kid to call my own. Philo figured it out, and put it together, so we all came out on top. Pete was promised the store, but he would have to wait years to get it. In the meantime, he had the chance, if she would agree, to plant a baby in my wife. He could get it on with her as much as I got it on with Betty.

“I haven’t liked having to wait so long to have it all come together. Pattie is a sweet kid and I’m pretty proud of her. Becky, Betty’s kid, discovering this a year sooner than we planned is tough, but she’ll get in line. For me, it has been great having Betty where I can get to her anytime I want to and certainly for her too. It has been great these last couple of months having her living close by. Betty and Pete taking over the store on a permanent basis and is like me owning a candy store.”

I wanted to ask this asshole how his wife felt all about this, but I had promised Fran I wouldn’t get into it. Didn’t matter for Cameron spoke up without stopping.

“Helen wanted a baby. I tried to get her to go with different guys and get pregnant, but she wouldn’t. When Philo explained that to keep Pete from leaving, she agreed that she would use him. There’s not much fire between them, but he did give her a baby and they still go to bed together. I don’t know if they have sex. I never hear them and they never discuss it. They just shut Betty and me down when we talk about it.”

“I would think it would be pretty difficult to talk to your husband when your husband is making love to some other woman.”

“It doesn’t bother me and it doesn’t bother Betty; I guess you could say we are broad-minded.”

I looked around, keeping my face neutral. I hope no one could read my mind though. I couldn’t understand what my sister could see in a person like this. Pattie had walked around behind her father and sat down in a chair. She had heard everything her father had said. I did glance at her quickly when she turned away. There were tears slowly trickling down her face. She was embarrassed for him.

I was seeing and hearing a lot about my sister that I wouldn’t have believed if I didn’t hear it from the person that made her that way. I also was hearing things about my father that was very hard to believe, too. He was wielding a power I had never seen just to keep his empire together in any way he could. Also he apparently didn’t want it known what my sister was like.

My thoughts turned to Cameron. I suppose he could be considered handsome. He towered over me by as much as four inches. He was losing what looks he had. These looks were being diminished by the belly he was building. He was shaved and if he shaved this morning, he showed a three o’clock shadow already, for his face was dark. Why in hell was my sister so enamored with him?

I would find out before the family left today. Who to ask? Not Pattie, for if I was seen questioning her, I’m sure it would be held against me. It would have to be either Pete or Helen. I looked around and saw Helen talking to the two girls. I heard Pete ask Cameron to go over to my store with him and see it. They left saying they would be back in an hour. They didn’t invite me.

“Helen, are you taking Thanksgiving with the Burns family?”

“We have been invited, but Cameron isn’t comfortable eating with Philo present, although with Becky knowing about her mother it could be possible.”

“The dinner is going to be at Pete’s and Betty’s. It would be nice if Pattie could join us. I think Becky would enjoy having her at table with us.”

 “I’ll think about it. If Pete could arrange it, it would be nice.”

“Would you mind if I asked you some questions?”

“Only, if they don’t make me uncomfortable.”

“I won’t, I promise. First question: What does Cameron do for work? Pattie said something about an office.”

“He has an office where he says he plays the stock market, but he has traders doing it for him. He doesn’t know a stock from a bond, but all in all, he does pretty well. I have my own office in the same building doing the same thing. Actually, the last few years I have done quite well and I do my own trading. What else for questions?”

“I was thinking about Becky. It is too bad the two sisters couldn’t finish their last year of high school together. I don’t think Becky will move to Stapleton with her mother, especially now. I have the room if Pattie wanted to move up here and complete the school year.”

“There is no reason for her to move. She is doing well where she is, but that’s kind of you. I’ll mention it to Pete. Becky will still be here anyway.”

I thought to myself; I planned to stay out of my sister’s affairs and here I was getting into it deeper than ever. But then, I felt Becky’s pain, and wanted her happy. In the last two months she had been living with us, she was like a daughter to me. Fran was even closer than that for they considered each other as sisters.

Pete and Cameron came back just before lunch time. “Kenny, you’ve made quite a few changes. They must be eating into your profit margin?”

“They haven’t yet and in fact most of the changes are paying off very well.”

“How come you never did that when Philo and I were here?”

“I mentioned it a few times, but Dad shot me down every time. I’m twenty-eight and this is the first time I have been my own boss and able to put my own plans into play. I don’t own the store totally, but with what Fran had, I don’t have to answer to Dad for much. I guess Dad figures I’m still a kid.”

“He did say he wondered if you would make it. He is ready to prop you up if you fail.”

“Never happen even if I did fail. I think I would come to you first. How are you doing, now that you have your own store under your control?”

“It’s strange. I keep expecting Philo to show up and ask why I did something the way I did. I’m gaining more confidence in myself everyday. He not being there is a heavy weight lifted from me.”

“That’s good.”

“It is. This other thing with Becky may cause me some grief, and I have that to contend with. I don’t see any way out of the problem.”

“I read some about people trying to live a lifestyle that’s different. They rarely work. Yours has been going on for a long time, so you must be doing something right.”

“I don’t know. There are always cracks in it and they are getting wider all the time. Some of it is worry about Pattie. I know I don’t really have any say about my daughter with Helen, but I love her just as much as I do Becky.”

“I gathered that. I did say to Helen that it was too bad the two girls couldn’t finish in the same class together in the same school. I have extra room. I suspect if the two were here, there wouldn’t be a calm moment, but it would be fun. Fran isn’t that much older, so it would be three against me.”

“Cameron never would allow that to happen. You wouldn’t have any ideas how to make it happen, would you?”

“I can’t think of any right at the moment. I will think on it and I’ll be coming down Thursday for the holiday. I can’t stay long after dinner. My store is opening up on Thursday at midnight for Black Friday.”

“I saw posters in the store about your plans. You think it will pay to do that?”

“I almost have to. Most of the stores in town are trying it this year. Dad isn’t here to tell me I can’t. I even have Fran and Becky working to replace some of the workers that refused, or couldn’t work those hours. Probably Becky won’t want to now, although she has agreed to”

“You’re a real go-getter, aren’t you?”

I didn’t answer because Fran announced lunch was ready. It wasn’t very comfortable at the table. Becky glared at her mother and Cameron. She didn’t look as severely at her father and Helen got a pass because Pattie was sitting next to her. I didn’t know at the time that Helen had apologized to Becky for seeing her and Pete making love. Becky told me later that Helen emphasized the word “Love.”

Betty was trying to get Becky to tell why she didn’t stop her and Cameron from what they were doing, and why she left, leaving them unaware that she had been there. Big Mistake! Betty pushed on saying something like it was no big deal.

“Mother, I didn’t realize I had to call and let my parents know when I was coming home for Thanksgiving. I thought I was given a key of my own to use to let myself into my home. It was early enough in the evening where I thought you would be up to welcome me. There were some lights on. I walked in and set my bags down. I was going up to my room when I didn’t see anyone downstairs.

“Before I got to the head of the stairs I heard you screaming from my room. I pushed the door open and saw this hairy animal screwing you. I won’t speak what words you were screaming. I am too embarrassed, but they were about doing things that only animals would do. No, I take that back, there isn’t an animal on this earth that do those kind of things.”

Becky burst into tears and headed for her room. Behind her Cameron was screaming at Betty for having such a kid as Becky. She would never be allowed in his house. He also didn’t want Pattie to have anything to do with Becky either. He swore at Pete and Betty for siring such a little bitch.

I thought to myself that Becky had just opened up her parent’s wife swap to us all. Opened it up, and destroyed it – all in five minutes. “Fran, please go see to Becky. She needs someone.”

Betty jumped up, “I’ll go.”

“Sis, I don’t think you had better, I don’t think you are her favorite person right now. I’d like to suggest you all head for home. I’m not kicking you out, but I don’t think there is much you can do here. Talk things over. All three of us will be down for Thanksgiving dinner. Betty do you need help? We can be there at noon on Wednesday. On Thursday, we’ll be leaving, probably about four, because I’m opening the store at midnight.”

Cameron was ready to leave. “I hate this place; let’s get the hell out of here. Pattie you have your car. Us three will leave. You assholes can drive your own car. I don’t know if I ever want to see any of you again. Stupid bitch!” He was looking at Betty when he said this. Cameron, Helen, and Pattie got into Pattie’s car with Cameron driving, tearing down the street.

Pete looked at Betty, saying satirically, “Ah, the end of a beautiful friendship.”

Betty opened her month to fire back at Pete’s sarcasm then tears streamed down her face. “Pete, I’ve really screwed things up, haven’t I? I’m so sorry. Do you think we’ve lost Becky?”

“Of course not. I don’t think we had better get together with the Peabody’s anymore for a bit.” He was silent. “I hope Cam doesn’t take this out on Pattie or Helen. After all she is my daughter.”

“Pete, she loves you and Pattie will be of age by next summer. She’ll come to you. What about you and Helen? Your association with her is more than just a woman to swap me for. She loves you too.”

“Betty, I know that. What about you and Cam?”

“We’ve had a long run, but he has changed. I’m seeing him and myself through other’s eyes now. Becky’s mostly. Pete, I’m taking all the blame for this happening. If I had kept my legs closed when Cam tracked me down this never would ever happened. Somehow, I’m going to make it up to you and Becky. I think it will take some time though.”

Pete, urged, “Betty, let’s go up and speak to Becky through the door. We’ll tell her we are leaving and hope she can find it in her heart to come to dinner with us. Kenny, see if you can get through to her that we aren’t all bad. We do love her very much.”

Betty and Pete came down in a few minutes. She had tears in her eyes. “I don’t know, Kenny, I may have lost my daughter. She spoke to Pete, but wouldn’t answer me.”

“You’re going to have to make some changes. She can’t ever see you with Peabody again. You should be able to that, if you plan carefully enough.”

“I think I have that part figured out. As far as Cameron is concerned, he is out of my life. I’m so disgusted with myself.”

“It’ll work out if you don’t backslide and let him back in.”

“I’d kill myself if that happened.”

“That’s pretty dramatic.”

Pete spoke, “Come on Betty, we’ll go home. Kenny, work on Becky. It won’t be much of a Thanksgiving if she isn’t with us.”

I said, “If she won’t come, we’ll stay home.”

Betty answered, “Don’t do that, she would be fine alone.”

“No.”

Betty, exasperated spoke again, “Oh, for Christ’s sake!”

“Damn it, Betty, who caused all this? It’s all about you and I don’t mean in a good way, either.”

“Kenny, you’re against me too.”

“Not really, but someone is the blame. I’m not blaming you alone because all of you involved have to share the blame. Some of it has to be Dad’s fault too. It started when he covered up the harassment when Pete was getting even with you for cheating. To be honest, I didn’t take to Cameron at all, but Dad arranged it so you could keep seeing him by getting Pete interested in Cameron’s wife. He also suggested that Helen give Cameron a child, by providing Pete to impregnate her.

“Pete is happy because he had a woman to make love to while you were continuing to be involved with Cameron. Not only that, Pete was thankful for your dad covering up the harassment and paying off the woman. Also, I suspect he leaned on Pete pretty hard to keep you two together. He certainly didn’t want Cameron to be a permanent fixture in his household. But he did need a husband for his daughter, and you were already months pregnant with a baby.

“Let me ask you; would this have been put together and last for seventeen years if it wasn’t for what our father did?”

“I can tell you hate both me and Dad.”

“No, I don’t. I was just laying out some facts. I do think you both are selfish for thinking of only your selves. I think you can change. No, I think you should change if you are going to have any happiness with Becky.”

Betty had enough, “Come on Pete, let’s go home. Kenny, you call me and let me know if Becky will talk to me. I can’t see where we are getting anywhere with this.”

********
Becky came down stairs. Have they gone?”

“Yeah, it’s just you and us.”

“I guess I created quite a stir didn’t I?”

“That’s for sure. Are you going to hold their feet to the flame, and if so, for how long?”

“I’ll get it all straightened out soon. Uncle Kenny, I just didn’t like that guy. I don’t see what Mom sees in him. I do like Pattie, though, and I like her Mom. She’s kind of sweet and I can see how Dad might love her.

“Did you know that things are different between Mom and Dad since they moved to Stapleton? Pattie thinks her mom and my dad should both get a divorce. She said her Mom and Dad don’t sleep together, just like mine don’t. They don’t fight and are just friends who are living together.

After being quiet for a bit, she continued, “I don’t think I would mind if my parents got divorced. Maybe they could be happier apart then by living together. Pattie gets all this from her mother. Mom is into Cameron for the sex and that’s all, whereas Helen and Dad are in it for love. I’ll think more about this when I go to bed tonight.”

“Why?”

“Because, I like Pattie and she has to deal with this. It is like having another me with the same problems I have. She is my sister and I’d love to have her living with me.”

“Did you have a clue that your mother and father were in a different type of relationship?”

“No, but I do know they have been sleeping in single beds. I also know that Mom and Dad had a long meeting with Grandpa and Grammy while you were on your honeymoon. Right after that, Gramp decided to split the corporation into three individual companies. You would have this store, and Mom could in essence have the one in Stapleton. I was barred from asking questions or discussing it. I’m so glad I don’t live with them. Maybe Mom and Dad will decide what they are going to do by the time Christmas comes. I have promised I would stay with them during the holidays.”

“I’m sure they will.”

“Somehow, I’m going to make sure Christmas is going to come to Mom and Dad’s house. I know I freaked last night, but I don’t feel too badly about it. If I’m mistaken about the future, I still have you and Aunt Fran to fall back on.”

“Thanks, sweetheart, we love you.”

Fran and I went to bed that evening. We discussed the day’s happening. I began by apologizing for not knowing about my sister and her lifestyle. “Fran, I never suspected this of my sister. Oh, I knew she gave my parents a lot of trouble when she was a teenager. But this, I’m overwhelmed. I supposed she was a staid housewife, loving her husband and family. I take it that, although Becky knew that her parents weren’t as loving as we believed them to be, this was a surprise to her as well.”

“Kenny, I believe that too. I wonder what Betty will do now that the light has been turned on her. I also, would bet that that Cameron won’t come back to her.”

“I’ll agree. He said some damned mean things. I know if Betty considers going back to him, if he will have her, I will look at her in a much different way.”

“Kenny, she is your sister, and you will have to support her.”

“I guess I’m already doing that.”

Becky was up earlier than usual. I usually ate breakfast alone at 6:00. Becky had coffee ready when I came down. This was an hour before she ate and got ready for school.

“Thanks for making coffee. What makes you so early?”

“I talked to Pattie last night. Pattie said her father ranted and raved about me all the way back to Stapleton, and how I spoiled a good thing. He meant about my finding out about Mom. He is almost as mad at Mom, saying she is just into him for the sex. Helen told him, what did he expect, that was why he was screwing her. Cameron got no sympathy from either Pattie or Helen.”

“And?”

“The minute Cameron got home, he said he was headed for California to visit his mother –– and he might not be back! Pattie is pretty sad, afraid she never will see her dad again.”

“I’m sure she will.”

“Uncle Kenny, will you make sure I see her over Thanksgiving?”

“I’ll talk about it with Pete, tonight.”

“You’re the best, Uncle Kenny. I’ll also go see Mom and soon.”

“When are you heading home?”

“Tomorrow night after school. I think I’ll call Mom tonight to make sure I’m welcome.”

“She’ll be happy about that.” I couldn’t give Becky’s situation much thought today. I had a store to run and the big sale coming up Friday a.m. just after midnight, Thursday.

I called Pete when I had a break in duties about four. “Pete, how are things?”

“Better than yesterday. Cam took off for his mother’s out in California somewhere. I think he is planning on divorcing Helen. I guess Betty is planning on divorcing me. She saw an attorney this afternoon. Truth, Kenny, we haven’t had much of a marriage –– Certainly not since we moved down here to Stapleton.

“You might think it odd, but Betty said if she was married to Cameron, she would be divorcing him too. Getting together with him constantly hasn’t worked at all for any of us. A breakup was coming even if Becky didn’t discover it.

“Betty is seeing herself through Becky’s eyes. She was going to talk to Philo today, too. She wants to see if he will let her into the Clearview store and plans to move up there with her parents as soon as possible.”

“What about Becky, which one of you gets custody?”

“Don’t know yet. She only has a few months until she will be an adult. I’d be satisfied if she stayed with you and Francie. If that is where Becky will be the happiest, that is where I would urge her to stay.”

“Where does this leave you and Helen? I had the feeling there is more than sex involved?”

“I had a five minute conversation with her a few minutes ago. We aren’t going to declare ourselves until we see if divorces come into play. If we are each divorced, we will get together and look at our feelings at some later time. The best part is that Helen is going to urge Pattie to stay in contact with me. To be honest, I love Pattie as much as I do Becky.”

“How much does that bother Betty?”

“Not as much as you would expect. She doesn’t see her that much. I usually go visit Cam and Helen when I want to see Pattie.”

“Pete, how in hell did you keep this situation from me for so many years?”

“How? It wasn’t difficult because it was Betty and me who came down here to Stapleton on business. Philo saw to that. We thought you’d never find out. Becky wasn’t aware either, and that’s why we agreed so quickly to have her finish high school while living with you. But then of course it all went to hell.”

Pete had no more to say. I finished up the conversation with. “Fran and I will be down Wednesday. Becky is coming down tomorrow night. Be seeing you.”

Chapter Four

Fran and Becky drove down to Stapleton Tuesday evening. I was driving down late on Wednesday. When I got there Pete was home and everyone was waiting on me to eat. The house smelled like there were pies and bread ready for dinner tomorrow.

After we had eaten, Pete announced that Helen and Pattie were coming to visit. Betty seemed okay with it. She came out with, “Kenny, Pete and I have made some decisions about our life going forward. I am going to divorce Pete, and Dad has agreed to let me move in with him until I can find a place to live. I know this may seem wrong, but I feel it is necessary. We have explained to Becky what our situation is and she feels like it is the best we can do, considering how Pete and I feel about each other.”

“Just how do you feel about each other?”

“It’s complicated. But we are letting it rest for now. Pete and I will continue to hold ownership of the store in both our names. As long as I’m not here to contribute, my portion of the profits will go down from fifty percent to twenty-five percent. Dad will be paying me wages to help him in Clearview. We will continue as equal partners in all things concerning Becky, and that is to see that she gets a good education.”

“Will Becky be still staying with Fran and me?”

“Pete and I gave her a choice, and she would like to stay with you for now. Next summer she may move back with Pete and split her time with me. She will take every other weekend with one of us.

“Going forward. Pete is going to see what Cameron is going to do. Helen hasn’t heard from him since he left, but she expects he will contact her soon. The two men working for him have been asking whether they still have their jobs or should they look for different employment. Helen can tell you about it when she gets here.”

“Hey, you two are getting divorced. You are acting terribly calm about it, how come?”

Betty answered, “I told you it was complicated. Pete and I are down to being good friends. We haven’t slept in the same bed for awhile. That came about when I realized he and Helen were more than sex partners. I envy him some, but I can live with it. Me, I caused all of this with Cameron, so there isn’t any reason for both of us to be miserable. Now that I’m getting away from Cameron I can get on with my life and find some happiness of my own.”

“Are you sure you are over Cameron?”

“If I want Becky’s love, I had better be. I’m still a good looking woman. I’ll wait awhile and then begin testing the waters for love again. Be assured it will be love I’m looking for, and not just sex. Little brother, you haven’t criticized me openly, but I’m sure some part of your mind has. I cringe when I think of it.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sis. You’re my sister and I almost have to love you. You have some uncertainty ahead of you. You can come to Franny and me at any time for help, or even a shoulder to cry on.”

“Kenny, thanks, that means a lot.”

Helen and Pattie came in. Pattie went right to Beckey, saying. “Hi Sis. How you doin’?” Then both girls laughed. She then addressed Betty saying she was glad to see her. She didn’t say anything to Pete, just going to him for a hug. She then kissed him on the cheek. There was definitely love between the father and daughter.

She broke away and spoke, “Aunt Fran and Uncle Kenny, it is so good to see you again. Oh, it smells so wonderful. I’m hungry already. I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Pete asked Helen if she had heard from Cameron, “Yes, I have. I’ve been talking to him all morning. He told me what he wants in the divorce … Oh, by the way I should get papers from him next week about that. If he keeps to what we agreed today, I’ll have them looked at and then sign them.

“It is no big secret, I guess. He wants to sell the new house we were building. He has a buyer lined up, and is someone who has been interested in it since we broke ground. Pete and Betty, you will be getting back what money you have contributed. I’m to get back half the cost that he and I put into it. He is claiming whatever profit above the cost when it is sold. He is sending a release for that.” Helen sat back and waited for more questions.

Pete asked, “Is he coming back here at all?”

“He said not for awhile. He will be talking to Pattie once a week. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but he said the only person he loved was Pattie. He also said he didn’t have any regrets over the association we four have had together for so many years, but it was time for him to move on. I’m happy it has ended too, and it certainly is time to move on.”

Betty volunteered, “I feel the same way. No one is hurt too badly over the breakup.”

I was watching Pete. He did didn’t say anything, but he did look happy.

Betty again, “What is Cam doing about his business?”

“He offered it to me. I don’t know if I want to combine it with my own or not. He’ll be taking a lot of the capital out of it. I’d have to use considerable of my own money to replace the working capital so that any good sized trades could go through. I’m really doing quite well the way I am with my own day trading. I’ll talk to the men who work for him. Maybe if they would put up some money, I’ll consider working it on shares. I’ll have an accountant look over how good they are and go from there.”

I spoke up. “I could do that for you. Up until two months ago I was the accountant for all three of Philo’s stores.” 

“I’ll contact you next week if I decide to go that route.”

“Thank you Helen, anything I can do to help.”

“Uncle Kenny and Fran, I have permission from my father to ask if I can stay with you until I graduate next spring. I’m close to Mom but she works and Dad isn’t here. I need someone to get close to. If I could move in with her, I could really get to know Becky.”

I looked at Helen and glanced at Pete. Helen was nodding her head that it was fine with her. Pete looked totally surprised. I realized then that I thought Pattie was referring to Pete as her father, when it was Cameron she meant.

“My father said he would pay whatever you asked. Mom is fine with this too.”

“Uncle Kenny, please. Pattie and I promise to help you in the store whenever you can use us.”

“Betty, what do you think?”

“It’s a good idea; that is if you don’t mind?”

“Pete, you must have some say in this?”

“Not really, but you have done great with Becky. I’m sure you will do as well with Pattie. So if it is okay with Cam and Helen, I’m on board. She better not start until after the Christmas break. I can bring Helen up sometime before then to get her switched and find out if she will be in the same classes as Becky.” We left it at that.

********
The girls went up to Becky’s room. I talked with Pete telling him how much I expected to sell with the midnight opening of the store for Black Friday. Fran, Betty and Helen, were sitting around the kitchen table talking. I had no idea what they were discussing. When it got time to go to bed, Franny announced that she and I would be spending the night with Helen.

Not much was said on the way to Helen’s house. When we got there, she showed us the room we would be sleeping in. I showered and went to bed and was asleep when Fran came to bed. She poked me and wanted to talk, but I was too sleepy to listen. I dragged out the next morning and was drinking coffee when the two left to finish cooking Thanksgiving Dinner at Pete and Betty’s.

I arrived there just as my parents were driving in. I hadn’t seen my mother for a couple of months. She was happy. “Kenny, I love being back in my home town. I’ve looked up all my own friends and we have coffee klatches and sometimes we go out to lunch. I’m really enjoying myself.

“You know Betty is going to be staying with us, don’t you. She will be working with your father so she won’t be interfering with my life. I never in the world thought she would get divorced, but she says that’s what she wants. Do you know why?”

“Some of it, but you’ll have to get it from Betty or Dad.”

“He won’t tell me anything.”

“Bullshit Mom, You know every bit of what went on and have kept it  from me.”

“Well I don’t. I always liked Pete, and Philo says it has something to do with Pete and that harassment thing years and years ago. Oh well, I guess I’ll find out someday.

“Mom, that isn’t what I’ve been told.” I felt sorry for my mother. I couldn’t really say much to my father about hiding this from me all those years, but my mother wasn’t going to think I still was in the dark. Maybe I should be mad at Mom instead of my father.

Mom was introduced to Helen and Pattie. I thought she was going to deny she knew who they were. Maybe she had never met them, but after glancing at me, she didn’t attempt to. Pattie and Becky were side by side, and were wearing clothes much the same. It was obvious they were related.

“Oh, you look just like Becky.” She stopped speaking, not knowing what to say next.

Betty knew what game Mom was playing. “Mom, there is a good reason why they should look alike and don’t you pretend otherwise. She is Becky’s half-sister. Pete’s good friend, Cameron, asked Pete to donate sperm so his wife Helen, could have a baby when he found he couldn’t sire one. Pattie is Helen’s child and Pattie is something to be thankful for on this day. Now don’t go embarrassing anyone by asking more questions.”

I spoke to emphasize, “Mom, you’ll be seeing Pattie quite often. Plans have been made for her to join Becky while finishing high school and live with Fran and me. Becky is so much fun; Fran and I are looking to have the fun doubled.”

Betty spoke up, “Mom, come and help get dinner on the table. Talk to Helen while you are helping. The turkey is ready to come out of the oven and rest. I want pictures and then Dad is going to carve it.”

Dad nudged me, “I had no idea what to say.”

“Dad, you and I know this is pretty much is all Betty’s fault. Some of it is yours, too and I’m thinking Mom was just as involved as you. You didn’t let it all play out years ago when Betty was messing around on Pete. You had to keep Pete working for you in the store and you wanted to keep a husband for Betty. I will say I feared Betty was going to lose Becky when she first discovered what her mother was doing. If Becky wasn’t as forgiving toward her mother, she might not be here today.”

“Kenny, we just tried to keep it from bothering you.”

“Well if I had known maybe I could have saved Becky from being so traumatized Saturday night. I suspect Betty has good intentions about changing. There is no doubt in my mind that my sister is a slut, but if she doesn’t change some things, you will be having someone just like Cameron visiting Betty when she moves in with you and Mom. She is a pretty woman, but she is a slut and she acts like one.”

“That’s an awful thing to say about your sister.”

“It is isn’t it?” I looked Dad right in the eye and he could see I wasn’t going to retract my statement. He shook his head and walked into the dining room. The table was arranged perfectly. Soon we were ready to eat. Dad carved the turkey after the pictures were taken of it.

As always, everyone ate too much. It took awhile but I caught Betty watching me.

As the table was being picked up she said, “Kenny, I want to talk to you. I caught some of what you said to Dad.  I think you should explain.”

“It would be best if I didn’t. It isn’t any of my business. You are the way you are. You are my sister and I love you. I most likely would say some things that would drive us apart.”

“You’d say them to Dad, but not to my face? I think the damage is already done.”

“In that case, I’ll talk to you. Find us a private place. I’m going to be leaving soon. I want to get home and get a little rest. I’m opening the store at midnight. Fran and Becky are going to help so they will be going with me.”

“Come up to my room, we’ll talk there.” I followed her. Becky had told us that she and Pete had separate beds. It appeared to be so.

“Speak up little brother.”

“Sis, I’ve always been a little bit in awe of you. I’ve been married for three months now and there is a contrast between you and Fran. That’s not bad, but it has made me think about you. I noticed the same contrast between you and Helen the few times I’ve seen you together.”

“Spit it out, Kenny.”

“Okay, I’ve only had a week to think about this. I believe you have been controlled by Cameron for the last eighteen years of so. I think you have a problem with low esteem because of him. Think back to you and Pete in the store all the while we worked together. Pete came up with the idea of furnishing uniforms to prevent the clerks from being too revealing to the public. Everyone wore one except you.

“You wear those low-cut peasant blouses and anyone can see more than half your breasts most of the time. Your lipstick is way too bright. Your skirts are too high and your slacks are too tight. Anyone who sees you gets the impression you are a slut. Up until last weekend I thought it was an act, but I’ve come to believe you really are.

“My worry is; you say you are going to change, but can you if you continue to look and act like a slut? That’s all the type of men you are going to attract if you don’t.

“Getting back to why I think your esteem is low, I can understand why. Cameron, a former boy friend showed up after you married Pete. You immediately jumped into bed with him and got caught by your husband. Pete goes out to get even and screws one of the clerks working for him. Dad and Mom step in and the harassment charge goes away. But to keep everyone happy, Dad basically gives your husband to another woman and this assures that you are still under Cameron’s control.

“You are now returning to live with your parents when you are nearly forty. You aren’t going to want to hang out with them. You’ll soon be out looking for excitement and if you don’t change, you will attract another man just like Cameron. This from the signals you give off. There, I’ve said it all.”

Betty sat on the edge of the other bed. I was looking at her.  Her eyes were cast down and I could see she was mulling over what I had said. “Kenny, I said last weekend I was seeing myself through Becky’s eyes when she described me in bed with Cameron. I hated what I saw. I guess I hate what I’m seeing through your eyes too.”

“Sis, I do love you.”

“Kenny, I love you too. You’ve giving me a lot to think about. I’m glad you opened up to me. You know the one thing certain in this is; I’ll never let Cameron into my life again. I knew all along it was wrong, but I didn’t know how to change. This conversation with you has given me the impetus to make more changes.” We went down stairs. Franny and Becky were ready to leave. Pattie was going with us. Helen said she would be up to get her on Sunday.

We had both cars here, so Fran rode with me, leaving the two girls in the car behind us. We reached home at six. I set the alarm for nine and I lay down. Fran was going to get me up then and I was going into the store to get ready to open at midnight. She was lying down and I would call and wake her at one. Hopefully we would be busy enough to stay awake until morning when the regular clerks came in. People were lining up by eleven. It looked like I was going to have a good sale.

The two girls had lain down shortly after I did and were sleeping when I left. I decided to call Becky at a quarter to Midnight. “Hey girls, do you want to go to work? It looks like we are going to busy. There must be twenty people at the door already.”

“We’re up and just leaving the house. Fran is coming with us.” Becky had worked the cash register many times and it wasn’t long before Pattie was doing almost as well. I had enough clerks to staff all of the departments. Fran was in house wares and I was in the basement where the large lawn and garden equipment was. Most everyone who were buying, knew what they wanted, so I didn’t have to do much selling to make a sale. I had the elevator traveling up and down steadily with stock or busy putting reserved stock into layaway in the back.

It slowed down a little after four, but it picked up again before six. Becky went to MacDonalds and got breakfasts for the ten people who had manned the departments and cash registers. My assistant manager came in at seven bringing replacements with him. He and his wife had worked for Dad and I made him my assistant..

He asked how it went, “I’ll be ordering about twice as much replacement stock as I expected to. This was a good move being open last night. I told the women to go home. I think Fran got the least sleep of any of us.”

I stayed until nine and then I went home for a few hours. I went back to the store at five and closed it at nine. I stayed for an hour tabulating what we had taken in. Tomorrow I would come in and work on ordering more stock to replace my depleted inventory. It looked to be a great Christmas Season.

**********
Helen drove up Sunday morning to get Pattie. Fran and I both liked her. She had been talking to Cameron. He missed Pattie terribly and said he would come to see her soon. It would be here during the Christmas vacation. He planned on winding up most of his affairs in Stapleton at that time. He had put their divorce papers in the mail and Helen would be receiving them Tuesday.

Helen said she wasn’t moving in with Pete, but did spend a lot of time with him. They were in love, but were going to give their relationship some time. They were almost positive that they would marry after both divorces were final. Helen was leaning toward taking over Cameron’s trading business, with the two former traders now working for her. Pattie wasn’t at all interested in her mother’s business, but Becky asked innumerable questions about it. Helen promised to lend her books on the subject.

*********
My sister Betty, called and said she was actively looking for a place to live, someplace other than with Mom and Dad. Dad and Mom were telling her what to do and after her every minute because she had decided to divorce Pete. “As if I had a choice? Love has left us and there is no point in staying together any longer. I’m happy for Becky and Pattie that Pete and Helen are meant for each other. We should have done this fifteen years ago after the excitement died down about sleeping with someone other than our spouse.”

I urged Becky to visit her mother the first weekend in December. I didn’t know it, but she had arranged to have Pattie go with her. Betty called after they left for home and said she had a great time having them with her. They spent the weekend touring apartments and Betty had actually made the decision to rent one. She just had to get away from Mom and Dad.

The following weekend everyone gathered in Stapleton and we helped pack up Betty’s things. Pete was generous and allowed her to take from their house what she needed to set up living in her new apartment. Betty was a changed woman already. She had shortened her hair and had some permanent styling done to it. She was dressed more conservatively then I had ever seen her.

I didn’t comment, but Betty made sure I noticed. “Kenny, this is the new me. I’ve taken your observations on my looks to heart and I’ll see who I can catch this way. If I can’t catch a man like this, I can always go back to being a slut.”

“You won’t have to do that. I predict by Valentine’s Day you will have captured the attention of some nice man.”

“Kenny, I hope you are right, but I’ll give it longer than that.”

**********
My sales kept up better than Dad’s did last year. He grumbled about it some. Pete had a good year too. Fran and I were getting ready for Pattie moving in during the vacation right after Christmas. The two were together whenever they could be. The day after Christmas, which was a Sunday, both girls were here. Someone punched the doorbell.

I opened the door to find Cameron Peabody standing there. “I called Helen and she said Pattie was here. Helen said she was coming up with Pattie’s grades so she can start school next week.”

I stuck out my hand. “Come in, Cameron. The girls are asleep on the couch. Fran is in the office working on end of year figures. Would you like a beer or a drink of some kind?”

“No, I’m fine. You don’t mind me coming in?”

“Of course not, Pattie missed you for the Christmas festivities. We had Christmas Eve at Pete’s and dinner there yesterday. You were missed.”

“What about Becky, I’ll bet she didn’t miss me?”

“Believe it or not, she did for Pattie’s sake. She understands Christmas without your father or mother being with you hurts. Betty wasn’t with Becky for Christmas Eve so she can relate.”

“How is Betty?”

“She is adapting very well. She has a nice new apartment. The family got her moved and Pete gave her what she needed to furnish it.”

“I hope Betty isn’t expecting anything from me. What we had was getting to be unpleasant.”

“Betty is as pleased with the breakup as you appear to be.”

“Good, if we meet sometime, we can be sociable. I don’t ever want to return to what we had, though.”

“I can assure you Betty feels the same way. Come in, we’ll wake the girls.”

Cameron stood in the doorway looking at his daughter. Pattie was curled up in one corner of the couch and Becky in the other. The girls had styled their hair the same, and with their faces hidden, and curled up sleeping as they were, he had to hesitate a minute to decide which was Pattie.

“Hey, Kitten.”

Pattie came awake in an instant and with the next, was in his arms. “Daddy, you came to see me.”

“Of course I did. I intended to be here yesterday, but I couldn’t get a seat with everyone traveling. Your mother and I want to get you situated in school. She will be here tomorrow.”

Becky had gotten up to meet her half-sister’s father. Shyly she said, “Hi. Mr. Peabody. Pattie swears you are a good guy and I am totally wrong about what I thought of you.”

“Becky, I want to apologize for being such an ass the last time we met. Much of it was because of the shame of the situation you saw me in. I was totally embarrassed and I made it worse by being so defensive. My, you two girls look so much alike. I love my daughter and I know I’ll come to like you very much.”

“I’m sure I will like you too. Can I call you Uncle Cam, like Pattie calls my Uncle Kenny?”

“That would work very well, and I’d like that.”

I had seen Cameron at his worst at Thanksgiving time. Relaxed, he was a different person. Even Becky warmed to him a little. When the winter break came along, Pattie and Becky went out to California for the week. The two girls had a great time.

Fran informed me that she was six weeks pregnant on Valentine’s Day. I couldn’t have been happier. The whole family was pleased that Uncle Kenny was going to be a father. Fran’s family was ecstatic and they made the trip to visit us several times in the coming months and we reciprocated. Becky and Pattie were of course with us until they graduated and called Fran, “Little Mommy.”

When the spring break came in April, both girls stayed with Pete, their father. I say they stayed with him or Pattie did. Becky was intrigued with Helen and her business of day trading and she spent most of her vacation there with her and her two traders. Pattie worked in Pete’s store and he was teaching her the business. When Pattie and Becky came back, Pattie asked me to tell her how I was doing better in my store than in Pete’s.

“Some of it is the market, of course, and some of it is the marketing. Both Fran and I took courses in college that taught us a lot. Neither of us did much partying. Fran in school came along six years after I was there so she has a more modern take on what business is all about. Pete went several years before me and he just doesn’t have the most modern perspective on sales. Fran’s brothers, Tom and Steve would tell you the same.”

**********
The girls graduated high school with excellent marks. Becky had secured some scholarships to a first class business school and Cameron came up with Pattie’s tuition. Both girls were dedicated in wanting a good education, so we all knew they would do well.

At graduation, Cameron showed up with a new woman. She was not as attractive as either Helen or my sister. We had no idea if this was a serious relationship, or whether she was there as a companion. 

Betty came with a man named Bradley Sinclair and they had two young children with them. Brad was Dad’s assistant manager in the Clearview store. He was a widower with a boy of eight, and a girl of ten. I asked Betty if this was something serious.

“It is too soon to tell. We get along very well and I like his children. Dad isn’t too happy about it. I can’t see why, but then our father is still terribly controlling. You escaped most of what he is really like. I wished he would retire. He talks about moving to Florida and Lord knows he can afford to. Bradley and I both know the store would do better if Dad would spend a little money to modernize and advertise more. You and Pete are paying for the Benson and the Staple stores, I’m afraid I’ll never have enough money to buy the Clearview business from him.”

“You might be better to go out and find a business where you aren’t under Dad’s thumb.”

“Still, there isn’t any money to do that either. I will say that I’m happier the way I am now than I was a year ago. A lot of it is because of you. You’ve brought up Becky and she acts like a responsible adult. Where were you, and why didn’t I have someone like you to lead me into adult hood when I was her age?”

“A lot of it is Fran. She has mentored both girls these last few months.”

“Yes, but you got to Fran when she was in trouble at sixteen. That’s when I needed someone like you.”

I laughed, and said. “I was eight years old when you were sixteen at that time, and everyone was hiding things from me. That didn’t change either for twenty years.”

“You’re still bitter about that, aren’t you? I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I don’t blame you as much as I do Dad. How long before you are divorced from Pete?”

“Next week.”

Does Bradley know about you and Cameron?”

“He knows about us. I didn’t give specifics, just saying that Pete and I had an open marriage and Cam was a long term partner. Also, I said he was the only one I was with outside of my marriage.”

“That should be enough. Cameron is here today, as I’m sure you have noticed.”

“I have, but it is pretty awkward.”

“I’m sure it is.” I paused, looking around. “Betty if you don’t mind, tell me what your financial situation is? Do you have any assets at all?”

“On paper, I still own half of the Stapleton store, but all I’m realizing is a quarter of the profits in payment. That’s what I agreed to when Pete and I decided to split. Cameron promised us that we would get back what we contributed to build the house we were all going to live in. He was going to sell it, but I haven’t received anything.”

“I can check and let you know. I haven’t heard anything either. It seems as though I heard Pattie or maybe Helen say that he had a buyer for it.”

“Bradley owns his home, but it has a mortgage on it. I’m renting, so if I should move in with Bradley, that would almost pay the mortgage.”

Cameron hadn’t spoken to Betty at all. I felt sorry for my sister. She was the one who got the least out of her divorce. Cameron came and introduced the woman he was with. He drew me aside and asked, “How is Betty? I haven’t spoken to her, because I don’t know if her new man knows about us. I wouldn’t want to make things uncomfortable for her.”

“Betty is doing pretty well. Her income isn’t the greatest. Dad wants to retire, but needs to sell the store. Betty and the man she is with both are working for Dad, but they don’t have much for assets. I think Dad is too cheap to give her much of a deal on the store. I was lucky because Fran had money from her parents and if I’m not mistaken, you or Helen helped out Pete and Betty when he bought the store there in Stapleton.”

“It was me. I wanted to have Betty closer by. That wasn’t the best move I ever made. Helen reimbursed me when she said she and Pete were going to marry.  Helen is worth a lot of money, you know?”

“I didn’t know for sure, but I suspected she is. I probably will regret asking, but it is for Betty. You said once you were going to give back what Betty and Pete put up when they contributed for building the new house. Have you sold it yet?”

“The house has been sold, and yes, I’m returning what Pete and Betty put in. I was waiting until my divorce became final.”

“Is it enough to help Betty buy her father’s store?”

“It isn’t by itself, but putting Pete’s share together it should be. Talk to Pete, and maybe he will direct me to give his half to Betty.”

“I’ll do that. I also have to get Dad out of here and living in Florida.”

“Kenny, I have to tell you that Philo isn’t my favorite person. He came after me with a gun and threatened me one time. He was some surprised that it was mostly Betty’s fault because she is such a sl...” I knew what he was going to call her, but he was talking to her brother. “You know what I mean?”

“Yeah, you don’t have to say what she was. I say was, because I’m confident she has changed.”

“Smart girl. Betty does have her good points, but I’m glad we aren’t together any longer.” Cameron drifted away to speak with the two graduates.

Pete came over and asked what Cameron and I were discussing. Did he mention him or Helen?

“Not much. It was mostly about Betty. I was telling him that Betty doesn’t have enough money to buy Dad out of the Clearview store. He said she would have a little coming from selling the house you all were building.”

“That won’t be enough. It is only a few thousand dollars. Let me think about this for a few minutes. I also would like to see Philo living in Florida. I’ll talk to Helen. She is probably the richest of the four of us. She has made a good thing out of taking over the business and the men Cameron had trading for him.”

Nothing more was said that day. Betty did receive what her share of the costs two weeks later. She also received $7000.00 that was the profit on the house that Cameron was going to keep for himself. Pete and Helen received only the costs. His message to them was, “Pete and Helen, I’m not giving you any of the profit money. That was an agreement I made with Helen. She misconstrued what my intention was. What I gave Betty –– I guess, I can do –– Oh, hell I still have a little soft spot for Betty and she needs the money.”

Pete and Helen accepted this. As far as Betty knew the profit had been split four ways. Betty now had something to build on. It would be a long time though, before she would have enough to buy the store from our father.

I received a call one afternoon. It was Pete. “Kenny, I know you have been working behind the scenes in Betty’s interest. I want to know why? I know you were pissed at your sister for being a slut for most of her adult life. Can you explain? It seems now you have forgiven her.”

“Why is it so odd that I want my sister to improve her life? I love her even though I hated her former lifestyle.”

“We understand that, but it still seems odd you should want her to purchase the Clearview store.”

“I can tell you this when I thought of the four of you. Betty is the one who lost the most at the breakup triggered by her own daughter. You have a store; Helen has a good business and it is better because of the breakup. Cameron is doing very well and has actually done more for Betty than you two. And he never will go back to her.

“That said, with what he has done, eventually our father will retire to Florida and Betty can buy the store. I don’t think any of you will be happy until he is out of the area. He won’t even cut his selling price to Betty. It is like he is making her pay for what she did twenty years ago. Pete, Dad got what he wanted from you and he has got what he wanted from me. It was just fortunate that I married a woman who came to me with money enough to help me pay for my store.”

“Kenny, Helen and I have decided she and I can do a little more for Betty. I have been paying her a little every month because technically she still owns a portion of the Stapleton store. Helen has decided to buy out her interest. That should be enough so she can buy out Philo.”

“Wow, that would be great. That would put all three stores owned by this generation.”

“Yes, and it will get your father moved to Florida. This is going to cost you though. You have to convince Betty to let Becky go out to California for a month this summer with Pattie. Cameron talked to Helen about Pattie and he would like Becky to be with her.”

“Pete, you are one lucky father to have sired those two young women. I love both girls just as if they were my own, and I can relate to how you feel about them.”

“They are great aren’t they? Some of it is what you have done with them the last few months and we all appreciate it. I mean, she saw what her mother was doing and learned that I was being unfaithful at the same time. I never could have explained it to her without her thinking badly of me.”

“Give Fran the credit for that.”

“Maybe, but who made it possible for Fran to mentor Becky? I think it was you, what, seven years ago?”

Thanksgiving
 
It had been a year since the last Thanksgiving. A lot had happened. Fran and I had a baby boy. Divorces … Pete and Betty, Cameron and Helen. Marriages … Pete and Helen, Betty and Bradley. Cameron was almost married … I suspected it would stay almost. Mom and Dad not owners any longer of the three hardware stores and living in Florida. Mom didn’t sound happy. Something was bothering her. She was crying the last time we were on the phone.

Pattie and Becky were in college. It was their first year and they said they were having a hard time getting used to the life. That would change as they found more friends and were less conflicted in their unfamiliar surroundings. But they had each other and there were a lot of likely looking boys in their dorm. None of us wanted to hear about it. Fran told me not to worry because the girls were being advised by experts, meaning me and her.

Cameron wouldn’t be here today, but planned on being here for Christmas to see the girls. We didn’t see him very often, but he would arrive to see them, spend a few days, get to visit with everyone, and be gone again.

We had just sat down to dinner at Pete and Helen’s house. We had just finished with Pete saying the blessing. I heard the front door open. Helen asked me to go see who had come in.

“Mom, what are you doing here?”

“Kenny, I’ve left your father. The old fool has a long-time girl friend, who is someone he has known for years. She used to be a clerk in the store in Benson. I wondered why he wanted to move to a certain town down there in Florida. No beach or nothing, and just a dirty little town next to a swamp. He began visiting over the fence two weeks after we got there with a divorced woman. I knew that damned woman looked familiar. ’Course, it took me a couple of months to remember who she was.”

Mom, paused, “Pete, here?”

“Of course he is. Come in my and have some dinner. We’re just ready to set down.”

Mom was removing her coat. I grabbed an extra chair, and Fran was making room at the table. Mom looked around. Our son began to cry. She hadn’t seen him before this. She leaned down and peered at him. “Cute, he looks just like you did 29 years ago. Hi Becky and Pattie, how’s school? Betty, I see all of your family is here. You’re looking good, and Bradley how’s business? Kathy and Junior, I know you must be still missing your mom, but Betty writes she loves you. 

“Helen, I see you’re going to have a baby. Good you could sneak one in before you’re too old.” She stopped before she sat, “Pete, what was the name that of that clerk you were getting even with Betty so many years ago?”

“Mother Burns, not now, sit down and let Betty serve you. Or better yet, Pattie and Becky will. We’ll talk later. I don’t want this brought up now. What’s got you so excited and why aren’t you in Florida, anyway?”

Mom looked around, “Talk to you later, Pete. I have to find a place to live. Don’t think I’m asking to move in with anyone here. I have friends in Clearview, and someone will take me in.

“Mom, let’s save this for after dinner.”

“Okay, Betty, I’m hungry. It is so good to be back among my family for Thanksgiving.”

It was going to be another day like last year because again the store was opening at midnight for Black Friday. This year though, Betty and Pete were opening their stores as well. I had done so well, they were hoping for the same results.

Finally dinner was over and Mom gathered us all into the living room. It was a beautiful fall day out and Becky suggested they take Betty’s step children out for a walk.

“Tell us about what happened between you and Dad, Mom.”

“It goes back to when Pete got blackmailed for messing with one of the woman clerks. Philo took over and settled it. Betty was involved, because she was what caused Pete to do what he did. The woman’s name was Mavis Jones wasn’t it, Pete?”

“Yes, she was a woman a few years older than me and she was always flirting. She was the person I turned to, to get even with for what Betty was doing with Cameron. How did she come back into the picture and especially with Philo?”

“I guess she was flirting with Philo and I don’t know for sure, but he may have got some of what you did. Before Philo decided to sell out the three stores, he met her on the street a couple of years ago. She approached him wanting to know how everything came out after she left. She was laughing about collecting some money for doing what she would have done for free if Pete or Philo had said no money.

“She now has a home in Florida, is divorced, and has quite a settlement from her divorce. She is younger than me and looks good. I can’t compete with her in so many ways. Anyway Philo began talking about retiring and moving south someday. I guess he made plans with this Mavis at that time he met her up here. You remember he went down to Florida and was gone a week. He came back and said he had found a home he liked and knew I would love it. That’s when he sold Kenny the Benson store and Pete managed to buy the Stapleton store.

“We moved to Clearview and I was happy getting back to be with the friends I grew up with. Then Betty moved in with us, although she didn’t stay long before finding an apartment. When she was able to buy us out, Philo traveled to Florida, coming back saying he had purchased us a home. He said he was going anyway, even if I didn’t want to. I felt my place was by Philo’s side. After all we had been married for over forty years.

“That was a big mistake. I hated the place the first time I saw it. He tried to get me to be friends with the woman whom looked familiar to me, but couldn’t remember from where. He was spending most afternoon and evenings with her, leaving me at home. One night he didn’t come home.”

I had to ask, “Did you get a lawyer?”

“Kenny, I did that same day. Philo and I have been wrangling ever since. I must say he has made it easy for me. You know, I don’t feel like I was dumped. I’m a little sad over not being together, but he and I got mostly what we wanted.”

“So where are you now?”

“I have a permanent separation. I have a court directed health insurance policy to be paid by Philo and I have an annuity that is half of our combined assets. I also get my social security from Philo’s account which is half again bigger than my own. Kenny, I’m going to put this all into your hands and you can make sure I don’t spend myself into the poor house.”

“How big is the annuity?”

“Big enough to let me live well until I’m 98.”

“That ought to do it. So basically I’m to be your guardian?”

“Not entirely. I’m going to have Betty look after me in all things except my finances. That is for you to handle. You both will have to collaborate on my welfare.”

“I think we can do that very well, Mom. Where does that leave Dad?”

“He in Florida living next door to a divorced woman who has her fingers in Philo’s pocket. I can almost feel sorry for him, but I assure you he will never be in my life again.

Fran and I did go visit Dad during the winter. He was very happy to see us and tickled to see his grandson. He didn’t apologize for turning Mom in for a younger woman. He and Mavis looked happy curled up on her couch together. Dad had rented out his house and was living with Mavis.

Just once he asked how Millie was. “Mom is happy and she has her friends. She is involved with Betty and her family and Betty’s two stepchildren. They love Mom like a grandmother.”

“Kenny, I know you have resented me for the way I have handled things in the past with your sister and all. Now to your mother, – I have done some things you don’t approve of. Your mother and I were down to existing in the same house together. She wanted to be with her friends and I was working all the time. I set out to change the situation.

“I was fair and I gave your mother what she wanted the most. That was to get back with her friends. Maybe I was sneaky about it, but from all I can tell, we are all pretty happy. I guess when you start out on the path of life you never know where you are going to end up or how you are going to get there.

“I’ll give it a year or so, and then Mavis and I’ll be up to visit. I want to see Becky and Pete’s daughter, Pattie. I miss them more than the rest of you. I understand Pete and Helen have just had another child. That’s good. I imagine you are planning at least one more baby. I’ll want to meet them someday. He certainly looks like you.”

He stopped speaking for a minute. “Kenny, I’d like to stay with you when I visit. When I get there, I promise I won’t cause any trouble.”

“Just so you know, Mom likes the freedom to be with her friends. She doesn’t seem to be missing you at all. You will be welcomed to visit.”

“That’s enough. When you get home you can tell everyone I’m happy with no regrets, and that’s the truth.”

The End