“Love and Family During the Great Death”
Chapter 05: What a Rumpled Bed We Make for Ourselves
Note: This story is being posted biweekly (once every two weeks).
This is necessary to ensure there's enough time to do it properly.
David made introductions all around and got the girls busy
putting their things away. He decided Alice’s friends could sleep in her room.
Amy and Erica, the girls with the broken arm and the injury respectively, were
assigned Alice’s bed while the others agreed to sleep on the floor of her room.
David figured none of them would sleep a wink. He also reminded himself to be
extra quiet after everyone went to bed, though he seriously doubted he’d be
‘getting any’ that evening.
Ma got busy on the girls sleeping bags. As David had feared,
they were torn and shredded from the debris that had impacted the car. The
girls also had numerous bandages and creams over their multiple cuts.
Once they got everyone settled in the living room
overlooking the pyrotechnical display in the night sky, they discussed their
adventures over the last two days. The tales were rich and detailed and took
quite a while to tell, and even longer in the retelling in everyone else’s
perspective. During the discussions, people kept coming and going between the
living room and the kitchen, where the women were busy keeping everyone fed
while David fixed everyone drinks.
When Ellen went to the kitchen, Linda quietly followed her
in.
“Pardon me, Ellen, but could we talk in private for a few
minutes?”
“Uh, sure, Linda. What’s the problem? If there is one, that
is.”
“I wanted to talk to you about David. I realize my showing
up now might be messing up your own plans, after all, I know what the first few
days and weeks of a new relationship are like.”
“But…?” Ellen asked, assuming there was a point David’s
ex-wife was heading for.
“Well, he’s probably told you a lot of things about me …”
“He and Alice said a few things,” Ellen admitted.
“and you’ve probably made your own assumptions …” Linda
continued, once again hesitating before finishing.
“And?”
“Listen, I’ve gone through a few boyfriends since David and
I divorced. None of them worked out in the long run, but I’ve been through a
lot since David and I split up. But what I’ve been through and seen the last
couple of days have, well—”
“They’ve reawakened your feelings for David?” Ellen asked
her, projecting her own feelings onto the woman before her.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Linda hedged. “Let’s just say
that I’m feeling lost and alone. I’d like to …”
“Go ahead and say it,” Ellen prompted her again.
“I’d like to ask if I can borrow David for a little while. I
don’t mean to intrude in what you have with him or anything, but I’m feeling
overwhelmed, and I’d really like to reconnect with him for a little while just
to reassure myself. It’s kind of like seeking the refuge of an old teddy bear
you’ve outgrown when you’re scared,” Linda explained.
Ellen remained silent, considering what she was being asked.
She was in a quandary. She wasn’t terribly fond of this idea, and she didn’t
feel confident it wouldn’t blow up in her face, but at the same time what she
had with David was too new and too unknown. For all she knew, once the
excitement of the meteor storm blew over they might find they had nothing in
common. Could she really refuse this woman something she felt she needed for
something that might not actually be hers to claim?
“Look, I know this is a lot to ask. All I want is that you
consider it, but let me know before too much time passes. After all, I don’t
want to miss an opportunity to flirt a little if I don’t have to. After all,
with as much time as has passed between us, I’m not sure it’ll be very easy
reconnecting with him.”
“I don’t think you have much to worry about,” Ellen found herself
confiding to her rival for David’s affections. “Although he’ll deny it, I don’t
think he’s ever quite gotten over you.”
“Really?” Linda asked, looking completely surprised. “He
never questioned the divorce, he never fought it. In fact, he’s never really
fought me about anything,” she said, stopping to consider what that might mean.
“That’s because he knew you wanted it, and he couldn’t see
asking you to feel something for him that you didn’t. Although I don’t know him
that well yet, I can feel that he’s got some odd ideas on relationships and that
he just wanted you to be happy.”
“That’s the stupidest …” Linda started to say before
hesitating once again. “It’s the stupidest thing he’s ever pulled, but it
sounds just like him. He’s always had this weird romantic notion that love
means everything, even if it kills you,” she replied, rolling her eyes.
“Yet it’s how he feels. If you go to him, he’ll likely
respond,” Ellen advised her.
“And what about you? Would you be willing to allow me this
one wild eccentricity?”
Again Ellen thought before she was willing to answer, which
was aided by Caitlyn’s entering the kitchen. Both women fell silent and busied
themselves, trying not to draw the girl’s attention. They waited until she
fixed herself a bowl of popcorn and finally left before they confronted each
other again.
“Now, what were we saying?” Linda asked, teasingly. Ellen
swatted her on the arm, feeling a bit more comfortable with the woman.
“As dumb as I think this idea is, and as misguided I feel it
is on your part, I understand that the events of the last two days can stir up
odd feelings, and I can hardly deny the emotions that first drew me to David.”
Here Ellen took a deep breath before continuing.
“If you feel this is necessary, go ahead and try. But I’m
not promising that David’s going to go for it. Just let him know that this is a
onetime thing, and that while I’m aware of it, it doesn’t mean that I’m not
interested in him. OK? I’m going to trust that you’ll tell him that, just as
you trusted me enough to ask me for permission.”
“I understand,” Linda replied, meeting Ellen’s intense look.
“As I said, I’m not looking to mess up anything you and David may have
together, but this is just something I feel I have to do for myself. Seeing
David so in control today, and seeing what he’s managed to accomplish—”
“Is making you reevaluate how you’ve felt about him these
past years?” Ellen answered for her.
“Well, yeah, but it isn’t just that,” Linda replied. “I was
thinking about this the entire way here. I’ve been reflecting about what I’ve
been looking for in the men I’ve dated since David and I split up, and I’ve
been trying to figure out if what I’ve been chasing makes any sense. I guess I
need this so I can figure out where to go from here. If I’ve been chasing
something … excuse me, if I’ve been running away from something, then I’d like
to discover it now, so I can change how I approach my life from here on out.”
“You know, for as odd as that sounds, it actually makes
sense,” Ellen admitted. “Look, just do me one more favor. If this triggers
something, if it rekindles your interest in David, then come to me first and
let’s handle this like two mature women rather than trying to undercut each
other, OK?”
“Sure, it’s the least I can do for granting me this favor.
And, Ellen, I really like you. I can see what David sees in you. I’m not likely
to bear you any ill will, and I’m interested in Alice more than anything else.
Could we please not mention anything to her about this?”
“Oh, of course, I’d never even consider mentioning this to
her,” Ellen said, as if shocked that Linda would suggest such a thing.
With that Linda leaned in and gave Ellen a quick kiss on the
cheek. “Thanks a million. And what’s more, I’ll tell David what a treasure he
has in you. I think you and he are similar in another way; you both have the
same sense of romanticism. You both believe that if the person you love doesn’t
love you enough to come back, that they’re better off without you. I can
understand why David didn’t fight me in the divorce by talking to you about
this now. I think you two are made for each other.”
The two women finished getting the snacks Ellen had
originally come in to get organized to carry back out.
“You know, after this, I think I’m ready for one of David’s
drinks,” Ellen said with a laugh.
David, unaware of what had just transpired, was busy trying
to keep track of a houseful of guests and a handful of willful teenagers, while
feeling like he’d lost control of everything.
He was stunned that his ex-wife was suddenly so friendly.
She managed to laugh at all his jokes, she listened attentively to whatever he
had to say, and she almost seemed to be flirting with him, but he was sure he
was wrong about that. That simply wouldn’t make any sense.
She’d been bringing him drinks and snacks, and she even gave
him a shoulder rub and massaged his feet briefly when she took his shoes off
for him. He couldn’t remember the last time she’d done that, even when they’d
been married. But then she was probably just thankful for having a safe place
to stay.
She’d also talked glowingly of what he’d been like years
ago, which sounded nothing at all like when she’d described the same details
during their divorce proceedings. Maybe she just didn’t want to speak ill of
him in front of Alice’s friends, afraid she’d embarrass her daughter. In any
case, it certainly couldn’t last for long, he told himself.
“OK, girls, I think it’s time to turn in,” David announced.
“Ah, do we have to, it’s still early?” Sara complained.
“If tomorrow is anything like today and we have another day
of this storm, we’ve got to get up early to get anything accomplished, and we
have a lot to do. Alice, we need to be on top of the cliff before dawn, though
your friends can sleep in until the sun crosses the threshold,” he teased.
Alice was well aware of what that meant, and she also knew
that when her father suggested there was a lot of work, that there was a
bloody hell of a lot of work. She knew her friends would be anxious to stay up
late gossiping about what had been happening, but she fully intended to get as
much rest as she could.
“David, while everyone’s getting ready for bed, maybe you
could get an extra blanket for me,” Linda asked her ex. “I think I’d appreciate
a little extra heat tonight,” she practically purred. David looked at her with
a confused expression, but figured she was just cold.
“I think I’ll stay up a little later,” Bobby told him. “I
want to check on what they’re expecting to happen tomorrow.”
David simply nodded. “That makes sense,” he responded.
“Speaking of doing stuff tomorrow, I should really return to
work but I don’t have a car anymore,” Ma said.
“It wouldn’t have done you any good,” David replied. “The
roads are in too bad of shape. You’ll have to borrow my pickup truck, we’ll
take my SUV.”
“I’ll take her in,” Betts suggested. “I want to pick up some
supplies. With everyone staying here, your supplies are going to run low pretty
soon.”
“I don’t think you should wait for me,” Ma suggested. “By
the time I get off the meteor shower is likely to start again. I can always
crash at the hospital. They usually have spare cots for people to rest. I’m
sure there’ll be other people sleeping over, but I can even sleep on a gurney
if I have to.”
“If you’re sure,” Betts responded. “In that case, I can either
pick you up when the storm starts or come for you in the morning.”
“I’ll tell you what; I was planning on taking one of the
spare short wave radios with me. I figured the hospital would appreciate being
able to communicate. I’ll call Bob tomorrow and tell you how things are at the
hospital. They may want me to stay over if they’re understaffed.”
“That sounds good. We’ll wait to hear from you then,” Betts
said, figuring that ended that discussion.
“I’ll help the girls get set for bed,” Ellen suggested. “Maybe
we can talk a little before we turn in.”
David was a little disappointed to hear that. He was hoping
that maybe he could cuddle up with her and possibly spend a little time
refreshing their budding relationship. He just hoped he didn’t fall asleep before
she came to the room, after all, he was fairly tired after the long day they’d
had. Oh well, hopefully she’d wake him if he did.
David and Linda walked upstairs together while everyone else
started packing it in, the girls giggling as they helped Amy and Erica up the
stairs.
“The girls certainly look happier,” Linda observed. “You’ve
managed to give them…, hell, you’ve given us all a safe reprieve from the
scariest thing to happen since any of us were born.”
“I didn’t really do anything. I just happened to have a
house that was facing in the right direction. If the house was oriented a
little differently I’d probably be buried under a mountain of rock at the
moment.”
“Maybe so, but that isn’t what happened,” she replied.
“Instead you have power, you have heat, you have running water, you have a
group of friends you’re supporting, and you have been working to make us all
comfortable. I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of you than I am right now.”
“I just did what anyone would have done. I could hardly have
turned my back on you and the kids, now could I?” he asked her rhetorically.
“Oh, but you could have, and most people would. You didn’t
just luck into this position, you planned for the future. You designed this
house, but you designed it intelligently, taking the time to think of all the
things most people never consider. An extra large built in freezer and refrigeration
unit? Who does that? Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I’ll appreciate having
fresh food if your power ever goes out, but we both know it’s not likely. You
should be proud of what you’ve accomplished here. I know I certainly am.”
“I think you’ve giving me way too much credit,” David
complained.
“Maybe,” she responded, linking her arm through his. “But
then again, maybe I haven’t been giving you your due all these years,” she
whispered seductively, kissing him on his cheek.
David blushed, not sure of how to respond. This friendly
behavior from his ex-wife was throwing him for a loop. He didn’t know how to
react. Should he respond in kind, or would she just respond in anger for his
making assumptions? Should he just ignore it like he had been, and risk
insulting her? Well, he didn’t have to worry about it much longer. They’d all
be in bed for the night before long anyway.
He opened the hall closet and searched for a spare blanket,
but Linda didn’t like any of the ones he suggested. She asked if he had one in
his bedroom she might be able to borrow. He shrugged and told her that was
fine. He could always do without if necessary.
She accompanied him to his bedroom, carefully shutting the
door as they entered. David was carefully examining the things he rarely used
that he stored in the footlocker at the base of his bed. He liked large beds,
even though he slept alone, since he liked not hanging over each end of the bed.
He’d purposely built an extra large bed simply because he’d found he liked
being able to spread out after years of having to make room for his wife, who’d
always stolen all the blankets.
As David was leafing through the items in the footlocker,
Linda walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him
tight, resting her head on his back.
“You make me feel so secure, David. I don’t know why I ever
let you go?”
“Seems to me you had a whole list of reasons during the counseling
sessions,” he reminded her.
“Well I was wrong. You’re a strong, thoughtful, caring and
sensitive man. I didn’t realize what I was giving up, just looking at short
term losses. None of the guys I dated ever compared to you,” she told him.
David bit his tongue at that, not wanting to ask what she’d spent so much time
doing with each of them in that case. Instead he held her hands in place in
front of him with one of his own and stood up.
“What’s this about, Linda? You’ve been acting oddly all
night. Are you looking for something? Are you trying to get something from me?”
he asked skeptically.
“No, you idiot,” she teased. “I’m trying to attract your
interest. You’re a handsome man. You always have been, and right now I’m ready
for some cuddling. I’ve been through what felt like hell the last couple of
days, and I could use some reassurance. Frankly, I can’t think of anything more
reassuring than your arms right at the moment,” she concluded as she nuzzled
his neck, whispering in his ear and speaking in a breathy seductive tone.
David turned in place, still holding her hand secure where
they were, and sat down on the bed facing his wife. His ex-wife, he reminded
himself, but Ellen had been right. David was old fashioned in an odd way, and
felt that marriage was for life, even if you found you couldn’t live with each
other. Linda would always be his wife, even if they no longer lived together
and she was off…. He decided not to pursue that line of thought at the moment.
“Linda, what’s this about? You know I can’t do that. Things
have changed too much between us. Besides, I couldn’t do that to Ellen.”
“That’s what I love about you,” she purred. “Always thinking
of others. You won’t cheat on someone you only met a couple of days ago, and
you don’t want to set your ex up for disappointment.” She moved in against him,
putting her knees on the bed on either side of him and pressing herself against
him.
“You’re always thinking of others, but sometimes you just
think too much. Haven’t you noticed that Ellen’s made herself scare? That she
didn’t object when I was flirting with you the whole evening downstairs? We
talked, the two of us. I told her I wanted to ‘borrow’ you, but just for one
night, and only because I’m feeling so displaced, like my whole world has
turned upside down.”
David was clearly uncomfortable, but he remained sitting
upright as Linda wrapped herself around him, enfolding him in her arms and
kissing his ear as she continued explaining what was happening to him.
“She agreed to allow me this one little dalliance. She was
nervous about it, but she said she could understand why I’d feel like I am, and
she said she thought this was something that we both needed.”
“We both needed?” he asked skeptically, trying to move his
ear away from her lips, which were nibbling on it.
“Yes. Ellen’s convinced you’ve never quite gotten over me.
And while I’d gotten over you, I’m reconsidering everything I thought I’d
learned over the past several years. Somehow, in the current situation, nothing
I shared with the guys I’ve been with since you left makes any sense anymore.
They were all superficial; interested in immaterial things and simply humoring
me in what I thought I was searching for. She thinks we need this so we can
finally deal with what we’ve both lost. She doesn’t think you’ve ever said
goodbye, and she doesn’t think I’ve ever examined what I’m looking for. She
thinks we can only figure out what we need if we work through this together.”
“Ellen put you up to this?” he asked doubtfully.
“She did. What? You don’t believe me?” She sat up and looked
him in the eyes for a moment and then stood up and walked to the door. Opening
it, she called out down the hall.
“Ellen, did you have any problem with me borrowing that
‘comforter’ you like so much?”
“No, I trust you’ll take good care of it for me, and that
you won’t damage it so I can use it again tomorrow,” Ellen called back, both of
them speaking in code so they wouldn’t alert the entire house as to what was
going on.
David was stunned. Ellen wanted him to make love to another
woman? This didn’t make any sense. Is this a test? Linda had always tested him
with all kinds of little traps, asking him if he liked other girls they passed
on the street, or whether he thought her ass had gotten too big. He’d learned
to be wary of any overly simplistic questions she asked him.
While he was thinking about the situation, Linda climbed
back on the bed, climbing in beside him and wrapping her arms back around him.
“It’s not that she doesn’t love you, because I can assure
you that she does. She’s doing this for you. Well, for both of us, but she’s
mostly interested in you. She wants to make sure you’re ready to let me go
before the two of you get too involved, and she thinks you can only do that if
we examine what’s left between us. What we’ve left unexplored for all this
time.” With that she pulled him back towards her as she leaned back, resulting
in them both laying back on his luxurious bed, him resting against her and
turning to face her, presenting himself to her embrace.
“This doesn’t seem right,” he tried to argue.
“No, it doesn’t. It’s confusing, it goes against everything
you’ve ever been told, what you’ve always believed. But that’s because we
haven’t resolved our feelings for each other. So relax. Ellen knows what we’re doing,
and after we’re finished she’ll come in here and replace me. You can show her
that you don’t think or care any less for her, and we can all discuss the
situation together tomorrow when we head out on your errands.”
She finished by kissing him. First along his neck, then
along his chest, finally back up his neck to kiss him around his ear and his
cheek, ending up kissing him passionately on the lips.
He tried to resist. He tried to hold himself aloof. He felt
it was necessary to prove his love for Ellen, but he soon realized she was
right. He still had a lot of feelings for Linda. He’d never actually stopped
loving her, despite everything that had passed between them. She’d just never
taken the time to notice that fact.
So he returned the kiss, and when her tongue came calling he
opened the door for it, welcoming it and providing it company so it wouldn’t
get lonely. Linda pressed him back into the bed, sliding herself across him. He
realized she wasn’t wearing the torn clothing she’d had on earlier that
evening. At some point during the evening she’d changed into a nightgown, which
she’d covered in the bathrobe he always kept on his bathroom door. Somehow the
bathrobe had disappeared, and in its place she was sliding her negligee covered
skin, her barely concealed breasts, across his flesh. David shivered with
feelings he hadn’t dealt with in a long time.
As wonderful as it had been to make love with Ellen the last
two days, and it was, this was something else entirely. For one, it wasn’t
hurried, it wasn’t conducted in the dark, and it was done with the full
awareness of both parties, as opposed to the fumbling experimentation of two
adults unsure of their footing.
Instead he was making love to his wife. He knew what she
responded to, and he remembered that she responded to his touch, even if she’d
forgotten during their difficulties. She wrapped a leg around his, and he
returned the effort by wrapping his hand around her left breast. It felt as
good as he remembered, and he remembered it well. It was just as supple and
firm as it ever was, and the nipple was just as hard and as excited as he’d
ever seen it.
“Love me, David,” she whispered. “Remind me of what I
stupidly left behind. Remind me of how well you know my body and how much you
love me. Make me quiver in lust once again. Make me call your name like I used
to. Make me scream it loud and long. Put your stamp on me, David. Remind me
that I’m yours, and that we were born for each other, even if we’ve both
forgotten it. We’ll deal with what it all means tomorrow. For now, just remind
me of how much we belong together.”
David took her suggestion, and he sought out what he’d long
found comfortable, and what he’d long loved. He enjoyed watching her respond to
his touch. He loved how her breath would catch when he’d lick her breast. How
the skin on her areola would wrinkle up as the nipple extended. How it seemed
to fit perfectly between his lips, fitting as well as her gasps filled a space
missing in his life.
They made long slow love with each other, enjoying each
moment, each touch and each caress. He showered her with love, he worshiped her
beautiful breasts, and he went down on her with glee and enthusiasm, tasting
her appreciation of him once more. And when it was time, she welcomed him home,
helping slot his cock into her pussy, pulling him into her as he thrust deep
within her. She sighed heavily and whispered his name with a reverence he
hadn’t thought he’d ever hear again. And it wasn’t a one-time thing, either. As
she’d promised, she proceeded to call his name over and over, though not as
loudly as she’d intimated. Still, it was reassuring to know he could provoke
such a response in her, and he responded by making love to her that much more
energetically, enveloping her with that much more love.
He ended by shoving hard into her, spurting wilding into
her, never having thought to ask her if she was protected. They’d never talked
about such things when they’d been married, so it never occurred to him to ask.
She responded by wrapping her legs around him and quivering in a reciprocal
orgasm, both of them cumming together at the same time. Afterwards they
collapsed into each other’s arms, simply enjoying being together, of having
brought the other satisfaction one more time. He finished by giving her a
gentle kiss.
“There really was a lot remaining between us, wasn’t
there?” he asked with a gentle smile. Not a smile of amusement, but rather one
of loving comfort.
“Yes, there certainly seemed to be,” she agreed, hugging him
once again.
“It seems like we were just doing this a short while ago,
doesn’t it? It takes me back to when we were young, when we were both blushing
newlyweds, eager to demonstrate how strong and sexy we were to each other.” He
gave a short laugh. “We’re hardly that young any more, are we?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It seems to me you’re still pretty sexy,
and you’re still as strong as ever. And your cock has certainly never faulted,
has it?”
David responded by twitching his cock, which was still
nestled in her pussy. She cooed in response and gave him another kiss. Despite
the years, and the long day they’d both endured, he felt himself recovering,
inspired by this lovely vision before him, a vision of things they’d shared all
these years. He began gently thrusting into her again, starting out mainly to
keep from slipping out of her delicious embrace, but as he grew firmer, he
started stroking again. She responded by rolling them both over and kissing him
passionately.
“God, I wasn’t kidding when I said you were as strong as
ever. Man, none of my boy … you really haven’t lost it,” she corrected herself,
not wishing to remind him of all the men who’d taken his place in her bed, if
not in her heart, these past years. She sat up and began rocking back and
forth, raising and lowering on his erect cock as he lovingly manipulated her
breasts just as she’d always loved. They make love again, enjoying it just as
much this time as the last. Only this time, for as excited as they both were,
David wasn’t quite ready to cum as quickly, though Linda still was. She came
several times before he quickened his pace, announcing his impending orgasm.
She pulled him back over on top of her. “Enough with loving
me, David, fuck me. Fuck me like I deserve to be fucked. Take out your
aggression over how I’ve treated you the past couple of years. Punish me. Fuck
me hard. Make me feel how enthusiastically you’ve felt about me since we’ve
been apart.”
David was eager to comply. He pounded her hard, sending her
scooting across the bed, once more making him glad he had a bigger bed. They
ended up sharing another orgasm, this one not so much a testament of their love
for each other, as it was their physical responses to each other, how much they
still found each other desirable, how much they physically wanted each other.
When they finished they lay in quiet exhaustion against each
other.
“I think we’d better clean up so we don’t leave Ellen a mess
to come back to,” Linda suggested. “After all, I borrowed her favorite toy. I
don’t want to return it all dirty and worn out.” David laughed and let her lead
him into the shower, where they cleaned up quickly while still having some fun
playing with each other. When they finished, Linda insisted on changing the
sheets so Ellen wouldn’t have to face sleeping in a wet spot left by her new
boyfriend and another woman. David thought that very good advice, as he
wondered whether he’d just screwed up a wonderful thing with a delightful
person he’d only just discovered.
Ellen had gone in to help get Alice and her friends
situated, but the enthusiastic kids got her involved with them pretty quickly.
They started asking questions, principally about David, Alice’s father, so
Ellen finally settled onto the floor, sitting cross-legged with the girls.
Their questions came flying at her fast and furious.
“So what’s he really like?”
“Is he as strong as he looks?”
“Is he a good kisser?”
“Is is as good at … ahem, other things as he is at
kissing?”
Ellen laughed easily at their eagerness. She remembered her
own youth and the fun of spending an evening gossiping during sleepovers.
“Well, I’ll say he was strong enough to carry me a good
distance like a sack of potatoes, so yeah, he’s as strong as he looks,” she
patiently answered, taking the time to look at each girl as she answered their
questions. “Since I haven’t known him very long, I really can’t say much about
what he’s really like. You’ll have to ask Alice about that. And, yes,
he’s a great kisser. He does it slowly, but he’s so intense he puts his whole
personality into the kiss. But I’m not going to say anything about more intimate
aspects of our relationship.”
“Ah, can’t you give us any details?” Julie pleaded.
“Hey, if you don’t mind, I’m not anxious to hear about how
sexy my father is, or what he’s like in bed, thank you very much,” Alice warned
her friends. “I don’t mind if you talk about anyone else, but let’s stay away
from my dad.”
“Oh, but he’s so delicious,” Caitlyn replied dreamily.
“Yuck, I’m having a hard time considering my father as a
tasty treat,” Alice replied, wrinkling her nose.
So they ended up talking about David, but they stayed away
from any outright sexual references, focusing instead on the stories that Ellen
had already detailed. The girls didn’t seem to tire of hearing the story again.
It seemed to Alice that Ellen was spending an inordinate
amount of time with them, and that got her thinking. She was wondering what was
up, and why Ellen seemed to be purposefully wasting time. Finally she just came
right out and said it.
“You know, Ellen, Dad was right, we really need to be
getting started early tomorrow. Plus I’m sure Dad’s waiting for you.” When she
said it, she was surprised that Ellen stopped and looked surprised, but she
quickly recovered and hid her reaction, saying goodbye to the girls and wishing
them goodnight before she closed their door and left.
Something still didn’t make sense, and Alice had an uneasy
feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was important to her that her father
finally got his life back on track and started living life once again, and the
idea that he and Ellen might be having a fight after only their second day
together really had her worried. Finally, unable to relax, Alice got up,
telling the other girls she had to make a quick pit stop, she slipped out of
the room. However, instead of heading to the bathroom, she turned and headed to
her father’s room.
Listening at the door, she had to listen for a while, but
she heard voices and the sounds of movement, but it didn’t allay her
suspicions. Ellen hadn’t left in enough time for her to already be involved
physically with her father. Alice knew something was up, and it was eating into
her consciousness like termites, undermining the structural integrity of her
composure.
So she headed downstairs. She looked around. It was mostly
dark, with some people sleeping on the living room couches and on the floor on
the area carpets. She kept moving. Finally she found what she was looking for
in the kitchen. There, sitting alone in the twilight sat Ellen, sipping at a
cup of tea.
“What are you doing here?” Alice asked.
Ellen jumped, almost dropping her cup. Placing her hand over
her heart, she motioned Alice over so they could talk quietly, since she didn’t
want to disturb the others or risk them overhearing what might get said. Alice
came over and stood over Ellen.
“Would you like a—”
“What’s going on? Why aren’t you spending time with Dad?
What did he do?”
“Your father didn’t do anything, Alice. I just thought he
needed some time to think. A lot has been happening recently, and we both need
time to process it,” Ellen said, trying to justify why she was hiding in the
kitchen in the middle of the night.
“Bull,” Alice challenged her. “You’ve been together for two
days. You shouldn’t be ‘giving each other distance’. You should be getting to
know each other. You should be spending as much time as you can together. Now
what happened? Why aren’t you and Dad together? Tell me or….” But Alice
couldn’t think of any threat she could hold over her, so she just let the idle
threat hang, hoping it would be effective nevertheless.
Ellen sighed. “There’s nothing wrong. Your father just had
to think some things through. We’ll be fine by morning. I wouldn’t worry about
it if I were you.”
Being a child of divorce, Alice knew a brush off when she
heard one. She could also tell when she was getting the run around. Parents
always think that kids can’t comprehend what’s happening around them, what
they’re exposed to on a daily basis. But Alice was in no mood to put up with
that today. She was concerned for her father. If this new relationship wrecked,
there was basically no hope for her father. He’d remain a solitary loner for
the rest of his days. It was vital that Alice figure out what was wrong so she
could help her father.
“Wait,” she said, thinking things through. “I stopped at my
Dad’s room to see if you were there and I heard sounds,” she said, leaving the
reference vague. “He’s up there with someone. Is that it? Is he cheating on you
with someone else?” she asked in disbelief.
“It’s nothing like that,” Ellen hurriedly answered, trying
to placate Alice before she took the next logical step.
“Who’s he up there with?” Alice asked. “There’s only … wait,
are you telling me my father is cheating on you with someone else’s wife?” she
asked, her voice rising in volume.
Ellen motioned for Alice to watch her voice, reminding her
that others were trying to sleep nearby, but that was hardly what was
motivating Alice at the moment.
“It’s not like that. You know your father, and you know he’d
never do anything like that.”
“Then who … there’s no one else in the house. My friends are
all in my room, everyone down here is married, that means….” Alice voice fell
silent as the only answer possible suddenly went up like a warning flare in her
brain.
“It’s Mom?” she asked, not really expecting an answer.
“Dad’s hooking up with Mom?”
“Look, it’s not what you think. They aren’t getting
back together,” Ellen tried to explain. “They’re—”
“No, you don’t understand,” Alice rushed to correct her. “I’m
not hoping they’ll get back together. I’m upset with what will happen. My
parents shouldn’t do this to each other. It’s taken my father years to
get over my mother, and just when he manages to make some headway, she sinks
her claws in him and drags him down into the abyss again.”
Ellen sighed, finally stopping to think how to address this.
She reached out to this delightful child, resting one hand on the side of her
head, cupping her cheek, while resting the other on her shoulder.
“It’s not what you think. It’s … well it’s hard to explain.
It’s something we all agreed to, and I think it’s going to be healthy.”
“What? Your leaving my dad is going to help him? Are you
crazy? It will devastate him, and if my mom then turns around and does her
typical thing, leaving him to go live her more glamorous life in the city,
he’ll be crushed,” Alice responded, getting worked up. Her mind was roiling as
image after image flashed through her mind. Not images of her parents becoming
intimate, after all, she had plenty of those of Ellen and her father. No, she
had images of her father holed up here on his own, not speaking to anyone for
weeks at a time. Of his cutting himself off and not venturing out anymore. Of
his being too embarrassed to speak to the few friends he had.
Ellen could see the alarm flitting across Alice’s features
and she tried desperately to calm her.
“ALICE!” she called sharply, which managed to grab the
youngster’s attention, as she now looked up to see what Ellen was yelling
about. “It’s not what you’re afraid it is. It’s … well it’s …” she sighed one
more time before forging ahead, “sometimes adults do stupid things for very
confusing reasons. But they are things they’ve thought out, and they’re really
the best available positions in a difficult situation. Sometimes life isn’t
fair, and sometimes it doesn’t leave you with the best options. Your father,
your mother and I are at a crossroads, and we need to work some things out
between us. We don’t know what’s happening well enough to describe it or to
justify it to you, but we really think this is the best thing for everyone
involved.
“No one is abandoning anyone. I fully intend on spending the
night with your father, and I plan on showing him just how much I care for him
and how much I want to be a part of his future. But he has some things to work
out with your mother.”
“Yeah, right,” Alice scoffed. “I can imagine what he’s going
to ‘work out’ with her now. I can imagine his ‘straightening’ a few things that
she needs to ‘take under advisement’.”
“Alice, if you keep going on that like I’m going to slap
you, and I’m serious about that,” Ellen told her severely. “Frankly I’d have
done it already, but I’m still hoping we haven’t already awakened everyone in
the house.
“Your father and Linda are working out some issues they
haven’t resolved before, and they’re doing it with my full knowledge and
support. Again, I can’t explain or justify it, but I really think it’s the best
option, and that everything should work itself out by morning. All I can ask is
that you trust me to do the right thing, especially since you don’t fully
understand what’s involved. Will you do me that much? Will you give me until
morning to see where everything lies?”
Alice considered that, thinking about what she was asking
her. Alice clearly had no idea what was happening, well, she knew exactly
what was happening, but she just didn’t understand why it was occurring.
She could also tell that Ellen was serious about this, and that she honestly
thought this was the best policy.
“OK,” she sighed resignedly. “I’ll give you until morning.
But if you screw up my Dad’s life, you and Mom are going to have hell to pay
for it. I’ll never forgive either of you, do you understand?”
Ellen looked Alice in the eyes and solemnly nodded her head,
showing that she was fully aware of Alice’s intent. They ended with Alice
throwing her arms around Ellen and breaking into tears, though whether the
tears were of worry and grief, or from the relief that maybe the adults had some
clue what they were doing, wasn’t clear, but Ellen gave Alice a warm hug and a
welcoming embrace, trying to convey that she’d take care of things for her.
Even though Ellen wasn’t any more sure of this scheme of hers than Alice was at
the moment.
“Would you like some tea?” Ellen asked the still little girl
who was suddenly overwhelmed with the complications of life. Alice nodded her
head, hiccupping from her tears as she tried to regain control over her
overwrought emotions. Ellen stood up to fix the tea, hoping to give Alice some
time to figure out where she stood and to gather herself together. She’s just
put the pot on to boil when she heard someone clearing her throat. Turning she
saw Linda waving to her, trying to get her attention. Ellen waved back, letting
her know she understood, even though Ellen didn’t know if Linda had observed
any of what had just occurred between her and her daughter. Instead she turned
and walked up to Alice.
“The water’s on to boil. I’m up to bat. I’ll make sure
everything is OK, and if it’s not, I’ll try to make it right. Trust me. I’m not
promising anything here, but I’m telling you that no one is trying to hurt
anyone else, and this is just an unfortunate hiccup in our lives. I’m pretty
sure everything will be OK in the morning, but you’ll have to give us some
time. We’ll need to talk privately together tomorrow after everyone has had
time to think about what’s happened tonight. Chances are we’ll do that when we
head out tomorrow. Just let us make sure we know where we stand before you
start demanding answers, OK?”
Alice slowly nodded that she understood, still conflicted by
alternating feelings of having been comforted and absolute panic over her
father’s well being. But she bit her lip and wished Ellen good luck. She knew
she’d need it, whatever they were involved in.
Ellen knocked softly on the closed door after taking a
moment to compose herself. She didn’t want her expression to express any doubts
or nervousness. There was a lot depending on her ability to respond precisely,
otherwise she might accidentally trigger a very negative reaction.
David opened the door quickly, and he opened his arms and
gave her a big hug.
“I didn’t screw up did I?” he asked, still not sure this
wasn’t some weird kind of emotional test to see just how stupid he could be.
“This was really what you wanted?”
“Yeah, as strange as it sounds, Linda and I talked about it
and we agreed it was worth trying. At least on a one time basis.”
David wasn’t quite sure what that last comment meant, but he
was smart enough to not touch it. He managed to fail one test and still survive;
he wasn’t going to try for a second one.
Ellen pulled back and looked at David. “So are you going to
ask me in, or are we going to talk out here in the hallway?” David quickly
backed up, pulling Ellen into the room behind him. He made sure he securely
closed the door. He didn’t know if they were going to say anything worth
overhearing, but he didn’t want to chance it. He figured this was still a volatile
situation, and whatever happened, he didn’t need a roomful of young girls
overhearing any of it.
“So are we still OK?” David asked, taking Ellen back into
his arms.
“Yes, or at least I hope so, but maybe I should be asking
you the same thing?”
“Don’t worry, I’m still … Oh hell, I know you’re not
supposed to say the dreaded ‘L’ word too soon in a relationship, but I think
it’s appropriate in this case. I love you. I may not understand what you were
trying to achieve, but I love that you trusted me enough to risk losing me for…”
here he paused because he still wasn’t sure what she’d been hoping to achieve.
“Well, that you trusted me to still love you, no matter what happened.”
She leaned in and gave him a gentle but sincere kiss. “And I
wanted to make sure we were still OK as well. Well, that’s not really true, I
wanted to demonstrate to you that I’m OK with whatever happened between you and
Linda,” she said with another kiss. “I want to show you that I still love you,
and I’m going to continue to love you, and I’m also not going to give you up
easily if it ever comes down to a fight over you.”
David smiled and gave her his own kiss, a bit more involved
this time. She seemed to honestly hold no grudges about what he’d done, and she
clearly seemed to still be attracted to him. He walked them both backwards
until they reached the bed, where he pulled them both down onto it.
“So should we talk about what happened?” he asked nervously,
anticipating discussing each and every detail and examining how he felt about
everything that happened.
“No, I figure we’ll all have a long discussion about where
we stand tomorrow. But as I said, right now I simply want to demonstrate that I
still love you, and that I don’t feel any differently about you, no matter what
may or may not have happened tonight.”
With that statement she rolled over, kissing him once again,
and reached down and grasped his cock. As she’d expected it was still flaccid,
but she started caressing it.
“Did she break it?” she asked teasingly.
“No, she didn’t break it, but….” he answered, leaving the
rest unstated.
“You didn’t? You did it in the shower too?” she asked,
noticing his still damp hair.
“Uh, no. Actually we did it again on the bed, although we
also played a bit in the shower as well.”
“Hmm, sounds like the two of you had some fun. Looks like we
may have to talk a while, because I intend to get some personal attention
myself, and I’m willing to wait until you’re able to supply it.”
David laughed, comforted by the fact she seemed so relaxed
with the whole situation. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere, and if I was
the type to fall asleep right after sex, I wouldn’t be here to welcome you back
into my bed.”
“That’s good to know, now let’s see how you feel about
sleeping in the wet spot?” she teased.
“Hey, look, no wet spot,” he replied, gesturing to indicate
the new sheets on the freshly made bed.
“I noticed. I’m impressed, though I doubt you had much to do
with that. That was Linda’s doing, wasn’t it?”
David blushed and didn’t respond. He’d actually been as
concerned with erasing any evidence of what he and Linda had done as his
ex-wife had, but he wasn’t about to volunteer that information. He was also the
one who did the sheets every day in his own house, and also did them for Alice
when she visited, so he wasn’t so sure why she’d assume he couldn’t make the
bed himself, but he knew when to pick his battles, and this wasn’t worth
getting into if he wanted to downplay what had happened here only a short time
before.
“That’s what I thought,” Ellen laughed easily, shaking her
head over the helplessness of men when it came to housekeeping.
They both stopped talking for a bit as they continued to
kiss and make out. That lasted until Ellen reached down and checked out David’s
erection once again.
“So I take it it’s going to take a while before you’re ready
to go again?” she asked, breaking their kiss.
David blushed again. “Yeah. Sorry, but I’m not a young kid anymore.”
Ellen propped herself up against the headrest and looked
David in the eyes and sighed heavily. “Damn, I was hoping to avoid this, but it
looks like we’ve got time to kill and the ideas won’t leave my mind alone. So
exactly what happened between you and Linda?”
“Are you sure you really want to know?” David asked, looking
for any visible clues for his answer instead of just waiting for an answer.
“Not really, but I’m having trouble thinking of anything
else at the moment, so I figured I’d ask before it drives me to get nasty about
it,” she replied.
He nodded. That made sense, and she honestly seemed more
curious than she was anxious, but this was still like walking delicately
through a minefield. If he made one wrong step….
“Well, it was very nice,” he said, started out noncommittally.
“Oh please,” Ellen said, rolling her eyes at his tepid
response.
“OK, let’s just say it was very intense. We managed
to reconnect in a way that shows we still retain a lot of feelings for one
another. Not only that, but there’s just something about knowing someone so
intimately for a long time that just doesn’t go away.”
“Like….”
“Like I know just what to do to provoke a particular
response in her, and she with me. That doesn’t go away with the mere passage of
time. Plus we’re fairly well conditioned to respond to certain stimuli, so it
may not even indicate much, but….” he added, once again not wanting to finish
the thought.
“But you definitely felt a connection between you?” Ellen
asked, clearly intrigued by the answer.
“Well … yeah. It was strange, but it was like we haven’t
been separated for all these years. For a while there it was like we were
together just yesterday. In fact, I think we both did it again because we
wanted to return to that sense of familiarity. Like the post-coital letdown
reminded us of what we’d lost, so we simply felt more comfortable losing
ourselves in our past.”
“But the central question is whether it’s really your past,”
Ellen pointed out. “What do you see of her being in your life after this?”
“Ah, but that’s not just my decision,” he responded,
expressing some of his uncertainly. “I really think this was just an escape for
her. She was scared by what happened, so she was seeking a comfortable refuge.
So I have no clue how she’ll respond to me now that she’s had that fear
addressed, that particular itch scratched. Will she continue to behave as she
has the last couple of years tomorrow, or will change her spots. I’ve no clue,
and I don’t want to overstate her position because I feel like I’m setting
myself up for disappointment.”
“You know, I hate to say it, but I like seeing this side of
you. Here you’ve just gotten back at your ex, she’s come crawling back to you,
figuratively on her knees, saying she wants you again, and instead of eating it
up or getting cocky, you question what it means and how it will affect her.”
“Well, it makes a big difference in how we get along,” he
explained. “Things were difficult enough before. All I need is for her to be
unable to talk to me because she feels ashamed for how she responded tonight.
After all, we’ve got Alice to consider. If it was just us, I’d say, ‘screw it,’
she can either deal with me or not, but it’s not that simple.”
“No, it’s not. But you don’t really mean that either. I
think you’ve shown that you still care for her, which is part of the reason why
I allowed this to occur tonight. I figured you should see where it led and what
it revealed. You’re not quite that cavalier; you really care about how she
thinks. You don’t want to see her hurt. You’re more afraid of having upset her
than you are in whether she ultimately rejects you or not.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” he responded, idly tracing an
invisible design on her breast.
“But how did she respond? Did she seem like she was trying
to escape something, or did she seem to honestly feel something for you?” Ellen
asked, turning into him to likewise trace a finger over his chest and play with
his stray chest hairs.
“Like I said, I’m not comfortable guessing what she’s
feeling because, if I’m wrong I’ll feel like an idiot. But it really felt
genuine. She seemed relieved to recapture what we had, but she also seemed to
relish spending time with me. We didn’t really talk that much, but her attitude
the entire evening has been that she recognizes what we’ve lost, and she’s at
least somewhat upset to see it disappear.”
“Well let’s get to specifics then,” Ellen suggested. “Did
she go down on you first? After all, that could either show she felt she owed
you something, or sometimes women do that as a way of distancing themselves and
taking a man’s mind off of what’s actually going on.”
David sat and thought about that a minute as they continued
to play with each other. “No, she didn’t. We kind of just fell into things with
each other. Actually, I went down on her, but only for a little while. She was
pretty primed, so I didn’t really need to stroke the fires much, if you get my
drift.
“Yeah, it’s pretty clear what your ‘hidden’ message is,”
Ellen responded with a smile. “Hmm, that’s interesting. Of course I have no
idea what that might mean, but I’m sure it reflects something
interesting. So what specifically did you do?”
“Well,” David said, not sure where this was going or why
Ellen was asking for specific information, “at one point she asked me to punish
her for how she’d treated me in the past.”
“Really? Like ‘spank me baby since I’ve been such a bad
little girl’?” Ellen asked, playing up the ‘bad little girl’ image herself.
“No, more like, ‘stop making love to me and fuck me like
you’ve been wanting to’. Like ‘you know I deserve it, so just let it out, fuck
me like I deserve’.”
“Hmm, I’ve got to remember that,” Ellen responded, noticing
that David’s cock twitched a little with his recollection. “So did you like
punishing her?”
“Actually, I think I preferred my pervious gentler approach.
We never got into a fucking marathon very often, but occasionally we would, and
I’ve got to admit it would usually be pretty fuckin’ hot. But at the time, I
wasn’t about to deny her.”
Ellen wasn’t sure how to interpret that statement. Did that
mean that David didn’t like aggressive sex, or that it should simply be saved
for the occasional odd change-up to rekindle the spark? She planned to milk
this new insight for as much as she could, but she wasn’t sure just how to
apply it.
“Was there anything she specifically did that you liked that
I don’t do?” she asked.
“Well, the biggest thing was that it was nice to watch her
response to me. So far we’ve only done it in the dark where I couldn’t watch
your expressions. It was especially nice with Linda, since I could see that she
wasn’t just playacting. That she really felt what she was claiming to.”
With that David leaned in and kissed Ellen again, this time
a bit more passionately. Ellen also noticed that his erection had returned, at
least partially. Thinking to play to his interests she whispered in his ear,
“All right, big boy, how about you put that resurrected love muscle of yours to
some use and screw me?”
He hesitated, and then gently kissed her. “That’s OK. I’ve
had enough energetic fucking. You can only do that so much. Right now I want to
enjoy you slowly and gently, and watch you responding to me. Since I’ve already
come twice this is likely to take a while, you should prepare yourself. We’re
likely to be here for some time.”
And they make love. They made long, slow, passionate love
and they both felt completely loved and accepted, despite whatever their many
faults may be.
To Be Continued
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