THE MEASURE OF MAN

An Epic by Gil Gamesh

Chapter Twenty-Nine

As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the measure of man.

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CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Kieran Stuart, 43; Siobhan Stuart, 42; Kavan Stuart, 16; Arial Stuart, 14 (and ½); Kerry Stuart, 11 (almost 12)

Kathryn Jenssen, 17

Lauren Andersen, 51; Stuart Andersen, 28; Joanne Andersen,25; Paul Andersen, 3

Luke Bridges, 25, Rachael Bridges, 26, Adrianna Bridges, 3

TELLING THE STORY:
Kieran Stuart, Siobhan Stuart, Arial Stuart

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(ARIAL)

Kerry wanted to go to the airport with Lauren and Dad to pick up Stuart, Joanne, and little Paul. Dad had to tell him he couldn’t go. Dad’s Mercedes was our biggest and nicest car, especially compared to the two old ones he’d fixed up, but it didn’t really carry more than five people. With four grown-ups, Paul in a child’s seat, and lots of luggage, there wouldn’t be room. They’d finally finished renovating Kavan’s old pick-up and he and Kathryn loved to go everywhere in it. Dad had taken the little red Beamer out of storage for me and he and Kavan and Kerry were working on it. It was older than me and had over two hundred thousand miles on it but it was still beautiful. Dad said I could have it when I got my license. It wasn’t drivable right now anyway.

Miss Lauren got dressed in the same blue pantsuit she’d worn when she first came in our house. I told her how nice it was and she just said it was her favorite travel suit because it was almost wrinkle proof. I got a chance to look at it and I’ll bet it cost a mint. Dad was in a hurry to get dressed to go and he asked me to lay out some clothes for him. I put some light-gray worsted-wool slacks and a burgundy knit shirt with his burgundy loafers. I put him out some jockey shorts first but then I went back and changed them to the silk boxers I’d given him for Christmas. I liked the way he looked in them. I got a glimpse when he was going out the door and I could tell he was hanging loose.

Mom told us she needed our help to get ready for our company. She’d already made up a long list of stuff to get at the Warehouse Store on Friday before we went to the cabin. She needed to get just enough groceries to feed us for the next couple of days until we left. Kerry asked if she would go by Ippolito’s Deli and bring home some stuff for dinner. They had every kind of home-style Italian stuff you could think of and Kerry loved anything with red sauce and lots of garlic.

Mom gave us instructions on how we were going to rearrange for sleeping so us four kids started cleaning up and changing the beds. Kavan and Kathryn were going to stay in their basement bedroom since they were used to coming upstairs to use the bathroom. Stuart and Joanne would be sleeping in my queen-size bed and Lauren would be sleeping in Kerry’s bed. She wanted me and Kerry to sleep on foam mats with little Paul in the living room. I didn’t mind and Kerry said it was OK with him.

She said we had to have clothes on when she got back so the four of us kids took a quick bath in the basement shower. Kavan and Kerry tried to get me and Kathryn to give them blowjobs. Kathryn said no and I said no too. They said they’d jack off if we didn’t and we dared them. They both did. Kavan squirted out a lot; I think Kerry did a little. When we dried off, we went to our rooms to get dressed. Kerry grumbled something about hoping we didn’t have to wear clothes all the time they were here. 

Mom came back with a carload of groceries so we all helped carry them in. I knew she’d bring back some extra loves of Italian bread so I’d made some olive oil with garlic and herbs to dip it in. She had to fuss at Kavan and Kerry to make them stop eating and wait for dinner with the family.

Mom called us all in the kitchen like she wanted to do an inspection. She’d put on the new shorts and sandals Lauren and Kathryn had picked out for her. She had her toenails and fingernails painted red and they matched the red silk blouse she had on. She was a knockout. 

Kavan and Kathryn looked good too. They’d put on matching khaki shorts and blue knit shirts and sandals. I could tell Kathryn had fixed Kavan’s hair because it was neat all over.

Kerry was really cool. He’d put on his good sandals with khaki shorts and a shirt that was unbuttoned down the front. His shorts were hanging low so everybody could see the label on his underwear. He had too much stuff on his hair but I could tell he’d tried. I knew I could fix it for him.

I had on khaki shorts too with one of Kerry’s dress shirts instead of a knit one. I rolled up the sleeves a little and then rolled up the bottom of the shirt and tied the ends together just under my breasts. I didn’t need to wear a brassiere and I left the shirt unbuttoned down to where it was tied. It looked nice and still let my naval show. Dad has told me more than once I have a jewel of a naval and I guess I wanted Stuart to see it. I put on my good sandals too.

It seemed like we all ran down at once. We couldn’t think of anything else that needed doing and Dad and Lauren weren’t back yet. Mom got tired of us cutting up and laughing and stuff so she made us go to our rooms and start packing to go the cabin. I couldn’t understand why she wanted us to take more than one set of clothes since we usually didn’t wear any. I went looking for Mom; she was in her bedroom packing.

I didn’t know what to say and I was too mixed up to know what to ask.

“Mom, I’m scared.”

She looked at me real hard. I guess she could see I wanted to talk to her about sex and Luke and what might happen at the cabin.

“Honey, you don’t need to be scared. Let me help you think about what you want to do. You don’t need to push yourself into something just because Luke’s going to be with us at the cabin for a week. I know you love Luke but that doesn’t mean you’ve got to have sex with him. It won’t hurt you to wait a few more years. Even if Luke has sex with you, I don’t believe he’d hurt you.”

“Mom, I’m not scared of being hurt that way. I remember seeing Luke and Rachael do it when I was little. I’ve seen you and Dad do it. I’ve seen Kavan and Kathryn more than once. They showed me and Kerry how to do it with a rubber this afternoon. Dad and Luke and Kavan’ve all got big dicks, I guess. But you and Rachael and Kathryn all looked like you loved what they were doing. It didn’t look like you were being hurt.” 

“Then why are you scared?”

“I’m scared of growing up, I guess. I’ve been having periods for a couple of years so I know my body’s already grown up. I just don’t know if I can do what you do to keep Dad happy, how it’d be to have a man who wants to fuck me all the time. That’s a lot of responsibility and I don’t see how I could handle that. And then when I think about having a man’s baby, that scares me even more.”

“Arial, it isn’t just a man who wants to have sex. A woman wants it the same way a man does. She wants to feel him inside her. If that’s what you’re feeling, you’re just normal, that’s all.”

“I don’t really know what I want, Mom. When Luke and Rachael were here a few months ago, I’d look at him and think about what it’d be like. I was looking his dick once and it started getting hard. I looked up at his face and he was looking at me watching him. I wanted him so bad I felt like I was sick. I dreamed about him that night and used my fingers to get back to sleep.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with that, honey. I’ve done the same thing. You know I was the first woman Luke ever made love with. Maybe he and Rachael will think it’s OK for him to be your first. I don’t see why not.”

“You wouldn’t be ashamed of me, Mom?”

“No Arial. I’ll never be ashamed of you for being a woman. If you’re sure that it’s what you want, I’ll help you any way I can.”

“You’ll help me talk with Rachael?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll help me with contraception? I practiced putting condoms on Kavan and Kerry yesterday. Those spermicidal sponges you got for me – I put one in like you told me last night. I messed up the first one but I got the second one in OK. It’s still in me and it doesn’t bother me except I feel funny knowing it’s in me.” 

“They’re messy, Arial, but they work. I used them when I was nursing you or else your Dad used a condom. We did that for over a year after you were born. Then I went back on the pill and I thought our family was complete. Turned out an antibiotic kept the pill from working and I got pregnant with Kerry. You need to remember there’s no such thing as fool-proof contraception.”

“I will, Mom. But I want you to tell me about something else. Kathryn tells me stuff when I ask her about her and Kavan.

“What’s that?”

“I want to know how to give a man a good blow-job, how to do it right. And why guys like it if you swallow their stuff. I want to know what it’s really like when Dad has his dick in you. What does it feel like to you? And what is it you do to make sure you come if you want to? Kathryn doesn’t like it when Kavan comes in her and then wants to go to sleep.”

She told me. Stuff I’d never read in books. Stuff Kathryn didn’t know. She saw me smiling more and more as she told me. I wasn’t scared anymore. She kept telling me more good stuff as we fixed dinner. She told me how to give a man a good blowjob and how to tell when he was about to come. She told me how she liked to sit on top of Dad, with his cock in her cunt, so she could press her clitoris against his pubic bone. Or he could rub it with his thumb or she could do it with her fingers. I was teasing her about how she could get Dad’s big cock that deep inside here when I realized that I was just teasing her about what I wanted from Luke. I went looking for Kerry.

I found him in the family room stretched out on the couch watching old cartoons. It was an old one about Elmer and Buggs with music from Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Dad loved that one too.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall to the bathroom. I made him sit on the pot while I fixed his hair. When he stood up, he grabbed me by the shoulders and gave me a little smack on the lips. He was already taller than I was. I wanted to do something else for him.

I got a fluffy towel and folded it over to four thicknesses. I put it on the floor in front of him and got down on my knees. He looked down at me with the biggest grin and I knew he knew what I wanted to do. I took my time undoing his belt and then unbuttoning his shorts. I slid them down on his thighs real slow. He had on white designer briefs underneath with a big label in the front and he really looked sexy. His dick was pretty big now and I guessed it was already half hard. It stayed that way most of the time lately.

I put my hands on his bulge and I wanted to put my mouth there too but I didn’t want to get lipstick on his shorts. I didn’t think it would matter if I got it on his dick because he could wipe it off. He might not have time to change before Dad got back though.

When I pulled his briefs down his dick got stiff so quick I knew he was good for another one. I’d felt bad for him when I gave him the first one earlier today. It wasn’t really a good blowjob. It was more like he was really jacking off while I had my mouth over the head of his dick. He was the one who’d made himself come. I hadn’t. And when he shot that sticky stuff up on the roof of my mouth, I’d rounded it up with my tongue and spit it out on his stomach. He didn’t complain though. When he jacked off with Kavan in the shower, I couldn’t tell how much he came then but it looked like some more came out. 

This time, I made him put his hands behind his back and then held his dick down so I could reach it. I tried to do what Mom had told me. It seemed like I ought to do it down with my hand and down with my lips. Then up with both. But Mom said do it down with my hand and then up with my lips. So I was sucking up on the head while his skin was stretched down real tight. I could tell Kerry felt the difference right away. He took a deep breath and sort of held it and I couldn’t tell if he ever let it out. Mom was right. It didn’t take that long. When I’d started, Kerry’s balls were hanging down real loose. A couple of minutes later, I had them so tight at the base of his cock they weren’t even swinging anymore. It made me feel good that I could do that to him.

He started rocking his hips back and forth a little so I decided to try what Mom had said. I took a deep breath and squeezed it down and then let his dick slide in until the head hit the back of my throat. She was right; it didn’t gag me. The second time, it made me almost puke but I stopped and started deep breathing again. It worked. If I timed it just right, I could sort of take deep breaths and let his dick slide in until I could feel his pubic hair on my nose. It wasn’t that bad. I curved one hand up under his balls and pressed my fingers back where Mom said his prostate was. That worked too.

“Arial, I’m gonna come.”

I didn’t say anything and I guess he was satisfied he’d warned me once. He put his hands on the side of my face and I just held still but kept sucking like I was trying to pull it out of him. He could come again after all and something definitely came out. I felt it like a warm puddle on the back of my tongue. I eased off a little and swallowed. With my head tilted up a little, it went right down. It didn’t stick and gag me after all. I waited like Mom told me and then milked him down a couple of times to get the rest. I took my mouth off and milked him down again and one more little white glob oozed out. It was like Mom said. The last little bit stayed in the pipes and would ooze out and get all over the bed unless it was cleaned up right away. I licked it off the end of his dick and then sort of swirled in around in my mouth to see how it really tasted. It wouldn’t win any prizes at Betty Crocker but it wasn’t that bad. Not too nasty. But I sort of liked it. This time, I didn’t even try to imagine it was Luke’s.

I heard tires scrunch on the driveway and knew Dad was back. I looked down at Kerry’s dick and it did have lipstick all around it. He just stood there grinning like I was supposed to do something. I grabbed a cloth and wet it and put some liquid soap on it. I tried to be careful but I think I got his briefs a little wet. I got the lipstick off though. He pulled his briefs back up and rearranged everything inside and then pulled his shorts back up and fixed his belt. He looked down and then up at me.

“S’OK?”

“Yeah! Me?”

He took the wet cloth and wiped my mouth off. I knew all my lipstick was gone but I didn’t think it’d matter if I didn’t have any on. Unless Mom saw. But I didn’t think she’d fuss at me. She’d told me I just needed to practice.


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(KIERAN)

Almost as soon as we left the house to drive to the airport, Lauren had her laptop computer up and running and started reading something on it. She’d look up every once in a while and I’d ask her a question.

“Do you really think Stuart and Joanne are going to be OK with us? It may sound strange to you but I want him to think of me as his father too. I don’t want to take Paul’s place. But you know how I am about family. I want Stuart to be part of my family and my life from now on.”

“Kieran, relax and watch your driving. Don’t worry so. I told you everything’s going to be just fine.”

“Well, I don’t know what he’s going to think about our nudity. You seem to have accepted it OK. Did you and Paul raise Stuart and his sister anything like we’re raising our kids?”

“We didn’t have a pool and we didn’t have the warm weather you have here. We did have a sauna. We moved into the house I’m selling when Stuart was seven or eight and we had the sauna installed. We started off using it in towels. Paul got tired of trying to keep one in place and just quit. I did too and the kids were tickled pink. They thought it was the greatest thing to sit in the sauna with us with nothing on. We still use it together. I was in there naked with Stuart and Joanne and little Paul the week before I left.”

“Yeah, but how about the sex part? How open were you and Paul with your kids about sex?”

“Maybe not as open as you and Siobhan but we did talk about everything. I still remember how embarrassed Stuart was when we talked to him about oral sex. I think he was about twelve then and just starting into puberty. He couldn’t believe we did it. That big truck wants to change lanes.”

“Yeah, but our kids have actually seen us having sex. They’ve seen us having oral sex. Damn, that was a good way of teaching them something. They still talk about it. Did you see that little shit in that Corvette? He’s gonna kill himself.”

“Just hope he’s the only one. Did you ever go backpack camping with your kids?”

“No, we’ve never got into camping since we’ve got the cabin.”

“That was our favorite family thing. We did it about eight months out of the year. The warmer the weather the higher up in the mountains we’d hike. There are trails there that are mapped for the number of days it usually takes to cover them. We’d do three-day, two-night hikes most of the time.”

“You and Paul and the kids?”

“Yes, we’d carry one tent, four sleeping bags, all our food and gear. We had no trouble finding water we could purify and drink.”

“You all slept in one tent, huh?”

“About eight square feet of hard ground. When you’ve been walking all day, you don’t have much trouble sleeping.”

“Didn’t have much privacy, did you?”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. If it was warm enough we’d bath naked in little streams or lakes. The water was usually so cold Paul said he wanted to tie a string to his dick so he could find if when he got out. Marie and Stuart thought that was funny and kept joking about it. The next time we went camping, we found a snow lake – snow melt – with huge flat boulders all along the shore. The rocks were warm from the sun so we decided to sleep on one in our sleeping bags – big mistake – too hard. Stuart and Paul decided to try to swim. When Stuart took his clothes off, he turned his back, something he didn’t usually do. When he turned around, he had a big red piece of string tied around his dick. I hope I never forget stuff like that.”

“Did you and Paul ever make love while you were camping? When the kids were around?”

“In the same tent. Sometimes we’d sleep on top of our sleeping bags. Sometimes in them. Sometimes we’d zip them together. I think at first we’d try to wait for the kids to go to sleep but it didn’t work. Almost every time, they’d let us know later that they were awake and knew what we were doing. How much farther to the airport?”

 “About ten minutes. So they got used to you and Paul doing it in the tent with them, huh?”

“Yes. If the weather was cold – and we camped lots of time in near freezing weather - we’d take just two larger insulated sleeping bags. Paul and I’d be in one snuggling up in our thermal underwear and the kids’d be in the other the same way. I don’t know what they did but Paul was always good at finding a nice warm space to put his dick.”

“With no help from you, I’m sure.”

“A little, just a little nudge once or twice to get it started right. Marie and Stuart would start giggling and whispering and I’d wonder what they were up to. Before she moved to Alaska with her husband, she and I had a long talk about things we’d done as a family. She told me she and Stuart used to give each other some good orgasms but she’d never let him get his in a warm spot. The sign says your turn’s three miles.”

“This guy, Jack, what’s his name, the one you told me about, the one whose wife died from cancer. Are you still thinking of inviting him to come for a visit?”

“Jack Coleman. He’s already invited. The architectural firm that’s building my house is going to fly my architect here on their jet. Jack’s coming with him. They’ll be here two weeks from today and they’ll stay a week. I’ve made reservations for them to stay at the same hotel.”

“What’s he like?”

“He’s taller that you. He looks a little like Howard Keel, the movie star. He’s got long dark hair and a beard. It’s all starting to get lots of gray in it. He’s still slim and sexy though. You’ll have something in common with him. He likes opera too. He’s got a deep baritone voice. He’d look great playing Mephistopheles in Faust but his voice isn’t quite opera quality. He’s a great guy to be around, always full of life and fun. I hope Siobhan likes him.”

“Siobhan? Don’t you want me to like him too?”

“I know you’ll like him. Your personalities are so much alike. But if he and I hit it off, he’ll be a permanent part of my life. I was sort of thinking you and Siobhan and Jack and I might have a lot in common.”

“Oh, does that mean what I think it does.”

“For god’s sake, Kieran. It doesn’t mean anything in particular. Get your mind out of the gutter. I want to try him out in bed before I let anybody else get hold of him. I’d just like us to be close friends.”

“Well, ‘scuze me, Ma’am. I’m gonna change the subject. Is Marie happy in Alaska? What’s her husband do?”

“Loves it. He’s a ship pilot. Guides the big ships in and out of the harbor. He owns a couple of fishing boats too and complains because he has to send them out too often without him. He loves fishing. He sends us an air-express cooler of something the first of every month. I never know what it’ll be until I get it. He thinks we can’t get good seafood because we live a few hundred miles inland. There’s the sign for short-term parking.”

 “I see it. You’re almost as good a co-pilot as Siobhan. Can you call Marie and get him to ship the next load down to us?”

“I don’t know what they’re catching this season. Will you all eat whatever it is?”

“If it doesn’t eat us first. I love grouper or snapper fixed Greek style. Luke and Rachael are over on the coast. They’re bringing shrimp to the cabin. They’re about the same age as Stuart and Joanne. Did Siobhan tell you what we did with Luke and then with Rachael when he first came to live with us?”

“Yes, she told me. I guess Siobhan and I are both alike. We both like teen-age boys.”

“They come see us about every few months. We’ve slept four in a bed with them more than once, even since they married. That’s the sort of thing I worry about Stuart and Joanne knowing.”

“I don’t see why. I’m sure you were doing whatever with Siobhan and Luke was doing the same with Rachael. You were, weren’t you?”

“Well sure, but sometimes we got mixed up with who we were doing it with. Just by accident.”

“You said there was a king-size bed in the upstairs bedroom at the cabin, didn’t you?”

“Yes. What’d you have in mind? Who’re you going to invite? Kerry?”

“No, Kieran. I’m not going to invite anybody. You and I are going to arrange for two couples to sleep up there. We’ll take care of their little kids while they do.”

“You mean Stuart and Joanne with Luke and Rachael?”

“Yes, I think that’d be a great way for them to get to know each other, don’t you?”

“Lauren, you’re just as conniving now as you were twenty-something years ago.”

“I know, but I do think they’d make a great foursome. Don’t you?”

“Yeah, I think they would. We’re early. Let’s get some coffee and then go wait for them.”

I turned into the multi-level parking garage and started looking for a parking space. When I went around the first curve, Lauren put one hand on my leg. When I went around the next, she moved her hand up a little higher. By the time I finally found a space on the third level, she had her hand on my crotch. I was glad I’d worn those sexy boxer shorts Arial had given me for Christmas. I needed the room. Every time she squeezed it was like she was pumping me up. I parked and got out of the car.

“Come around to my side.”

“Huh?”

“You heard me. I said come around to my side.”

When I opened the door, she handed me her laptop computer.

“Put it on the roof of the car and open it up.”

I did what she told me.

“Now pretend you’re reading something on it.”

She turned halfway out of the car. I looked down and saw one long leg, covered in that beautiful blue pantsuit. She stuck her knee between mine and sort of pushed my legs apart. I wondered what the hell she was up to.

I found out soon enough. She slid my zipper down as neatly as it’s ever been done and pulled my dick out before I could say anything. I finally said something.

“What’re you doing?  We can’t do anything here. Cars’ll be going past every few minutes.”

“With your tinted windows, they can’t see me. All they’ll see is a man looking at something on a computer. That’s all they’ll notice.”

She grabbed my belt with one hand and pulled my pants lower and at the same time fished around in my crotch with the other. She pulled my balls out too.

“There. That looks nice.”

“For god’s sake, Lauren. We can’t do anything here.”

“You’ve said that, Kieran, and you’re wrong. I can do what I want to. Now shut up and enjoy.”

I glanced down and watched her as she leaned forward and took the head of my dick in her mouth. She’d worn lipstick and the first time she slid her lips back off the shaft, she left red smears. I almost panicked. What if Siobhan saw that? Or the kids?  Oh, shit. I’d better remember to clean it off before anybody sees it. Damn, I wanted it but at the same time I didn’t.

“Lauren,” I said, and that’s as far as I got. Her mouth clamped down on me again and I knew I’d lost this battle. My mind flashed back to the first time, over a quarter century ago to the first time she’d done this and the sense of wonder I’d felt. Maybe it was the open location we were in or maybe it was just Lauren but I did feel almost like I was a kid again. I let my eyes close and I surrendered to what she was doing with her mouth on my dick. Every time a car went up the ramp, I’d open them and try not to look like a damn fool. She was probably at me no more than three or four minutes – five cars passed – before I felt something boiling up down at the base of my cock.

“Lauren, I’m gonna come.”

She didn’t say anything and I knew I’d warned her once. I put both hands on the top of the car door opening and held still while she kept sucking like she was trying to pull it out of me. I guess she got what she wanted. I hope nobody passed and saw my face when I came. It felt like it was coming out the bottom of my spine, through my balls, and out my dick. Lauren kept sucking and swallowing, sucking and swallowing. I could feel her tongue working sort of around and under the head of my cock.

When I finally started breathing again, I looked down. She still had my cock in her mouth and was just gently sucking on it. I couldn’t stand any more and I couldn’t stand to tell her to stop. She finally did. She looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back. She looked down again and started milking my dick. It started softening and she milked it a couple of times until she saw one more white glob ooze out. She licked it off the end and sort of worked her mouth like she was savoring it. Damn, it was too much.

When she was finished, she gently tucked my balls back in my shorts, slid my foreskin back down, and then put my dick away. She zipped up my fly and then patted me right on the crotch.

“Ok, you can close my computer now. And don’t forget to wash your dick before you go swimming tonight. You’ve got lipstick on it.”

She turned back in the car and I stooped down and watched as she lowered the sun visor, turned on the light, and checked her makeup in the mirror. She flashed those eyes at me and smiled and reapplied her lipstick.

We were walking into the terminal when Lauren said, “Thank you.”

I didn’t know what I was being thanked for. “Huh? For what?”

“For you and Kavan and Kerry. I’ve had three teen-age boys for lovers and they’re father and sons. Not many women are that lucky. I wish you could know what it’s like to see the expression on a boy’s face, the wonder in his eyes, when he comes in a woman for the first time.”

“You’re a damn good teacher, Lauren. You probably changed my life. I know you did. And all for the better.”

“Is it OK if I sneak Kerry off one afternoon while we’re at the cabin? I’ve got to tell him that he’s on his own now. Him and Kavan and maybe you. I’d like to give him a little present to remember me by.”

“Are you going to give Kavan one too?”

“I don’t know. Seems like he’s getting plenty from Kathryn.”

“Yeah, they are a couple of horny kids. I guess you’re right. We’d better knock it off with each other so you can have a better chance at Jack.”

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(SIOBHAN)

I was surprised when Kieran and Lauren came in with Stuart, Joanne, and Paul. They had on jeans and sweatshirts, even little Paul. I don’t know what I’d expected but, after learning how well off Lauren was, I guess I’d expected them to be dressed as expensively as she was when she arrived. She’d worn her blue pantsuit to go pick up Stuart and Joanne and it still looked fresh and beautiful on her. I expected Stuart to look like Kieran; Lauren had told me he was tall and lean and blond like Kieran – and like Paul too. Even so, the resemblance was startling.

In height and build, Stuart was exactly like Kieran at the same age. His hair was the same blond to light brown as Kieran’s, Arial’s and Kerry’s. Kieran had worn his fairly short for as long as I’d known him. Stuart’s was longer. He parted it in the center and it draped down over each ear and, when he bent over to put Paul down, it fell over his eyes. His eyes were a little different from Kieran’s but, at first glance, exactly the same as Kerry’s. Around his mouth and on his chin, his whiskers were barely visible. He was a handsome young man with a serious look on his face until he smiled and then his face came alive in warmth. Kieran could never deny him as his son even if he had wanted to.

Joanne was a slim young woman. Her hair was so dark it was almost black and long, down onto her shoulders. Her eyes were blue, fading to gray in the center. Her face was beautiful by anyone’s standards. She was almost as tall as Stuart, even taller than me. She gave us the same sort of smile and her face lit up.

Little Paul had evidently been sleeping. He clung to his father’s legs and seemed reluctant to let go until Arial got down on her knees and held out her hand to him. He looked up at his mother, she nodded, and he walked over to Arial. He looked like a perfect little three-year old boy.

I don’t think introductions were needed since we’d already talked on the phone but I went through the ritual anyway.

Stuart asked, “Paul, do you need to use the bathroom?”

Paul didn’t answer.

“Will he let me take him?” Arial asked.

“Paul, if Arial shows you where the bathroom is, do you need to pee?”

He nodded.

Arial held out her hand and Paul took it. She led him down the hall to the small half-bath. She was back with him in a couple of minutes and they were both smiling at each other.

I explained about the sleeping arrangements, that we wanted them to sleep in Arial’s room with a queen-size bed, Lauren would be in Kerry’s room, and there was a bathroom between them. I told them Arial and Kerry had volunteered to sleep with little Paul on foam mats in the living room. I asked if they needed to use the bathroom before we showed them the house.

“I’m fine,” Joanne said. “I went during our layover in Atlanta. I would like to get out of these jeans and sweatshirt. It’s warmer here and the humidity is higher. I can see why you’re wearing shorts and a light shirt.”

I asked Kavan and Kerry to help them take their luggage down to their room. I asked Kathryn and Arial to finish getting dinner ready. I took Kieran’s hand and led him down the hall to our bedroom. I knew he was wondering what I was up to. When I led him into the bathroom, I think he was beginning to be worried a little.

“Take your pants down,” I said.

“Huh? What for? We don’t have time to fool around now.”

“I know, Kieran. Just take your pants down.”

He looked me in the eye and I think he knew I knew. He unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants and let them fall as far as they’d go. He was standing there in his burgundy silk boxers and I could see the rim around the head of his cock as clearly as if he’d been naked.

“Now your boxers.”

He looked at me again and I suppose he figured he’d been set up. He slid his boxers down and I looked at his cock. Lipstick. All over the skin on the shaft. I lost.

“Arial talked to me and Lauren about what to get for you to wear to the airport. She said she wanted you to wear the silk boxers she gave you for Christmas. She said you looked good enough to eat in them.  She dared Lauren to give you a blowjob before you two got back. I bet Lauren she wouldn’t. Looks like I lost.”

I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then got a cloth, waited for the water to run warm and wet it, put liquid soap on it, and then gently washed his dick clean. He was still standing there looking like he couldn’t figure it all out when I left to make sure dinner was ready. Poor Kieran. I dearly loved him even if he didn’t have a clue sometimes.

Kathryn and Arial had finished preparing our Italian buffet. They’d put the food on the kitchen bar and set up a large folding table on the deck. Stuart and Joanne and Paul came in the kitchen wearing the same thing the rest of us were, bare-footed and just shorts and a shirt. Little Paul had on a one-piece boy’s jumper. 

We set the hot dishes out of the warming oven and everything was ready. Ippolito’s special of the day was brachiole, stuffed steak roll in red sauce. I tasted it at the deli and got it for our dinner entrée because I knew Kerry would love it. I asked him to slice it and arrange it on a platter. He did it like a professional chef, except that he ate all the little pieces. I made sweetened and unsweetened tea and Kieran opened a bottle of wine.

The Italian dinner was a hit with everyone, even little Paul. Arial got him to try the steak roll and then he wanted to taste everything else. Stuart ate like one of my sons or maybe both of them. Dinner was non-stop talking. I thought about asking the kids to slow down with their questions so Stuart and Joanne could eat. Kerry never seemed to run out of things to ask as usual. He asked Stuart if he’d already graduated from college.

“Yes, Kerry. Three times.”

“Three times?”

“Yeah, I have a BS, an MS, and a Ph.D. Do you know what those college degrees stand for?”

Kerry shook his head no.

“Well, BS stands for bull stuff, MS stands for more stuff, and Ph.D. stands for piled higher and deeper.”

It took Kerry about one second to substitute the four-letter word for the five letter one. He started laughing and infected the rest of us.

When the questions finally slowed down, Stuart held up his hand and looked at Lauren.

She looked at him, clearly puzzled. “What is it?”

“Joanne has something to say.”

All eyes shifted to Joanne. She was looking at Lauren.

“You’re going to be a grandmother again in about seven months.”

For the next few minutes, Joanne was busy answering Lauren’s questions. I watched Kieran while they were talking. I was glad that nothing was said about him being a grandfather again. I wondered how he felt and if he was wondering how I felt about the news. I really didn’t mind; I was happy for him. I knew my own three kids would make us grandparents often enough someday, just not yet.

The kids and I cleared the table and put the food away. I was about to invite everybody to go for a swim but Stuart beat me to it. He was standing on the edge of the deck looking down the hill at the pool.

“Mom told me she went for a swim the first day she was here. Little Paul’s never been in an outdoor pool. Do you think we could go for a swim and let him play?” 

I thought I’d better warn him about how wild the kids got sometimes. “If you and Joanne are ready, we are. We usually just undress here on the deck or in the family room and then go down the deck stairs. I’ll warn you, these four kids get a little rough in playing sometimes. If they’ll promise to hold it down a little and be easy with Paul, we’ll let them go with us.”

We all stripped off on the deck. Lauren’s assurance that Stuart and Joanne would be OK with nudity was right. They didn’t hesitate to take off everything along with the rest of us. Kathryn and Arial watched Stuart and, I’ll admit, so did I. If he saw he was being watched, he paid it no attention.

Stuart was slim and hard-muscled, very much like Kieran at that age. Kieran was finally beginning to get love handles on his waist. Stuart’s waist was just two smooth curves. He looked like he had almost no body fat. He was tanned except for the white outline of briefs around his middle. Above the waist he had little body hair except for a smear of blond hair in the middle of his chest. Below the waist, he was just like his father. He had a blond thatch of pubic hair and his thighs and calves were lightly covered with the same light hair. He wasn’t circumcised and I wondered why. I thought I remembered that Kieran had said Lauren’s husband was circumcised.

Stuart got his eyes full while we were undressing. Three strange women. One redhead, one blonde, one brunette. He was almost drooling.

Paul was a beautiful little cherub. He wasn’t circumcised either.

Joanne was tanned like Stuart. She had small beautiful breasts that showed no signs of wear from raising a child. She’d shaved her pubic hair so that only a small patch was left.

When Kieran stripped, I saw Lauren and Arial checking him out. The skin on the shaft of his dick was the same color as always. No lipstick. I wondered if Arial knew whether I’d won or lost the bet. She looked at Lauren and they both smiled. She knew.

When I looked around at my kids, I saw that someone else had been doing a little shaving too. Kavan’s red bush was trimmed short and neat. Kathryn’s dark pubic hair was so short that nothing was hidden anymore. I couldn’t tell if Arial’s little silken blond patch was shorter or not. Kerry saw me looking at them and gave me a big grin. He came over and whispered in my ear, “I shaved Kathryn.”

Lauren and I took little Paul to the shallow end of the pool and slowly coaxed him into the water. Kieran sat on the steps going down into the pool and watched. The four kids started their usual wild play in the deep end of the pool and soon drew Stuart and Joanne into the melee. I kept half an eye on them, ready to call them off if they got too wild with Joanne. Just as I thought, Kerry tried to use her to escape from his brother. She was standing just on the edge of the deep part, in water up to her breasts, when he swam over to her and wrapped his long arms and legs around her. I expected her to be surprised but it was Kerry who got the surprise. She wrapped her arms around him, pulled him up close and kissed him on the lips. He pulled back for just a second and then returned the kiss.

Just beyond them I saw Stuart disappear under the water. A couple of seconds later, Kerry was dragged under like the shark attack victim in Jaws. He came up yelling and splashing. Stuart came up next to him with a big smile on his face. I guessed that Lauren had warned them of Kerry’s tactics. Kerry was yelling something about no fair and being grabbed there but I saw he was laughing. Stuart attacked again I suppose. I couldn’t see his hands under the water but evidently Kerry could feel them. He tried to fight Stuart off by splashing water in his face. When Stuart pressed the attack, Kerry swam to the shallow end of the pool.

“Dad, Stuart tried to pull my dick off!”

“Didn’t either,” Stuart yelled. “He’s making it up, Grandpa.”

Lauren and Kieran and I refused to get involved. Lauren held little Paul and we sat and watched as the six of them played and laughed to exhaustion. Paul was snuggled up to his grandmother’s breasts and his eyes were half-closed. Lauren saw me looking at him.

“I think he’s ready for bed,” she said. “Do you think we could give him a quick shower? I usually help him brush his teeth and then I read to him before he goes to sleep.”

Neither of us had got our hair wet so we showered quickly with little Paul and took him upstairs. I spread the foam mats on the floor in the living room for Paul and Kerry and Arial and covered them with sheets. I tossed pillows and blankets on the mats.

“Unless it gets really hot, we like to sleep with the air conditioning off and the windows open. Kerry usually sleeps naked. Sometimes if he gets cool, he uses the blanket. Do you think Paul will be OK like that?”

“He’s a heavy sleeper,” Lauren answered. “Just like his father and grandfather.” She realized what she’d said. “I guess I’ll always call Paul his grandfather. I hope it doesn’t hurt Kieran’s feelings if I say it around him.”

“It won’t. Kieran and I’ve talked about it. He wants Stuart to know Paul was his real father. He doesn’t want Paul remembered any other way. He just wants to give his love to Stuart too, now that he has a chance.”

I found some children’s books left over from my own kids, some of the Seuss classics I couldn’t bear to part with, and gave them to Lauren.

“I need to take some extra towels downstairs for them to shower with,” I said. “I’ll probably wait and bring the wet ones back up and run a load of laundry.”

The others were just coming in the basement door when I got downstairs. Kavan and Kerry were still at it with Stuart – horseplay, grab-ass, whatever. I sat on the steps and watched while they all got in the shower together. Kavan went looking for the old bench and found it near his weight-lifting bench. I wondered if someone had been using it to watch him do his exercise routine, maybe with Kathryn on board.

They sat Stuart and Joanne down on the bench side by side and started with a shampoo for both. When they finished, they made the two of them stand and proceeded to scrub them down from head to toes. Lauren came down then with little Paul and sat down with me to watch. Little Paul showed me his clean white teeth and then curled up in Lauren’s lap again.

When Arial started washing Stuart’s dick and balls, he got a hard on and I think he was almost embarrassed. As usual, Kerry had one almost from the moment they got in the shower. I guess Arial and Kathryn didn’t want Kieran and Kavan to feel left out so they gave them a good soapy washing too. Joanne decided to help out too and helped Kieran firm up even more.

When they got through, the four males were standing in a row, all four sporting erections. Kerry decided to show off. He put his hands together behind his butt and flexed his muscles so that his dick started jumping up and down. The others watched and then Kavan joined in. Kerry got in front of Kavan, facing him and they continued with their display. Finally Kerry grabbed Stuart’s hand and pulled him up closer, inviting him without a word to join in. He tried but he seemed to have lost some of his hardness. Arial saw him drooping a little and decided to help out. Her long slim fingers had him pointing upward in only a minute or so. He tried again and found he could flip his dick almost as well as Kerry. I’d seen Kerry demonstrate it too many times so I knew he was the master of the technique.

Kieran was standing to one side watching until Arial decided to give him a little encouragement. She used those little fingers again on his cock and balls and got him into the display. He might have been the biggest but he wasn’t the best. All he could manage was a few weak waggles before he burst out into laughter. Stuart just shook his head like he couldn’t believe what they’d all just done.

Upstairs, Kavan and Kathryn carried some extra chairs out on the deck and then did a pillow run so everybody could be comfortable. Arial wanted to read to little Paul too so she and Kerry took him to the living room where the mats were side by side in one corner. Everybody else started out on the deck and I stopped them and asked them to go through the kitchen and get something to drink.

I pulled out orange juice, cranberry juice, beer, and the rest of a bottle of wine. I knew Kieran and Kavan would pick beer and they did and then Stuart did too. Lauren got two glasses of crushed ice, poured cranberry juice on one, and handed it to Joanne. She reached under the bar and found the vodka, poured herself some over ice, and then topped it off with cranberry juice. She saw me looking at her drink and held it out to me to taste. I tried it, liked it, and fixed myself the same thing. Kerry came in and said little Paul was asleep and Arial wanted to stay with him a few minutes. I saw him get a glass of crushed ice and, when he looked at the vodka, I shook my head no. He settled for orange juice. 

We sat for a couple of hours, getting to know each other. I was afraid the kids would wear Stuart and Joanne out with questions but both were patient in answering. Somewhere about ten, Joanne leaned over and curled up against Stuart. I could see her eyes were almost closed and guessed it was time for all of us to go to bed.

<><><>

We all slept until about eight on Friday morning. I was half awake, trying to decide between peeing and sleeping, when I felt Kieran roll out of bed. When he came out of the bathroom and then left our bedroom, I knew he was going for a run as he usually did when he didn’t have to work.

I rolled out too, peed, and brushed my hair. The house was warm so I decided to do without a robe. When I got in the kitchen, Kieran was about to go back down the hallway to Arial’s room where Stuart and Joanne were sleeping. 

“I told Stuart I run for exercise and usually do it early on days when I don’t work. He wants to go with me and said he’d probably be awake - told me to knock a couple of times. I know he’s going to show me up because he’s a marathon runner. Damn, twenty miles at once. Kavan’s going with us.”

“I got extra orange juice. I wonder if he’d like a big glass like you do when you come back from running. And what does he usually like for breakfast?”

I hadn’t heard Lauren coming in the kitchen. She hadn’t put on a robe either. I wondered if they were thinking the same thing I was: that we might as well be nude as much as possible until Stuart and Joanne got used to it.

“He’ll love the orange juice,” she said. “And he usually eats a good breakfast. We could scramble some eggs to go with the leftover Italian sausage. He loves good bread so we could toast some of the bread we had last night.”

“Does he drink coffee?” I asked.

“Everybody in Washington and Oregon does, the fancier the better. I saw some in your pantry he likes. If you’ve got cinnamon and nutmeg and cream, I’ll make a big pot. It won’t be Starbucks – I won’t pay the extra bucks to get that stuff – but it’ll be just as good.”

Kieran was listening to us, waiting to go get Stuart. He turned back to Lauren and wrapped her in a big hug. He kissed her on the cheek and then pulled back and looked her in the eyes.

“Thank you for bringing Stuart back, for sharing him with us.”

<><><>

Joanne came in the kitchen a few minutes after Kieran left. She had on a light robe. When she saw Lauren and me, still nude, she shrugged off the robe. “Is Paul still sleeping,” she asked.

“Yes,” Lauren answered. “I peeked in at him and Arial and Kerry. They’re all still sound asleep. Kerry’s showing off again. Either he’s about to have a wet dream or he needs to pee real bad.”

“He’s proud of what he’s got now,” I said. “He wants us all to admire it, to know he’s becoming a man.”

“Do you think he and I could have an afternoon together when we go to the cabin? I’ve got to tell him goodbye,” Lauren asked. “I don’t want to hurt him so I’ve got to make him understand.”

“You’re still thinking of making contact with your friend?” I asked. “You still want to see what develops with him and maybe get married again?”

“Yes, if anything develops, we’ll get married. In spite of what I’ve done here, I’m just too old fashioned to do anything else. I’m actually looking forward to having Jack around on cold winter nights.”

We talked while I got out the stuff for breakfast. When Lauren’s coffee finished dripping, she fixed three cups. It was good but too rich and sweet for my tastes. We sat and talked, waiting for the others to wake up.

When Kieran and Kavan and Stuart came back, they came up the basement stairs making enough noise to wake up anyone. They’d all evidently run without shirts and the sweat was pouring off them. Kieran and Kavan led Stuart into the laundry room and they left the door open while they stripped. Kieran and Kavan threw their shorts, running briefs, and socks in a basket and I watched while Stuart threw his in too. I smiled, knowing we were well on our way to being like family when we washed our dirty clothes together. Kieran opened up his running shoes, stuffed them with the desiccant packs he used, and put them on the wire shelf above the dryer. He did the same with Stuart’s shoes. When they came back in the kitchen, Kieran had one arm on Stuart’s shoulders and the other on Kavan’s. I poured three big glasses of orange juice for them.

We were all sitting on stools around the kitchen bar when Kerry came shuffling in. I knew he was up. He hadn’t shut the bathroom door as usual and I’d heard him peeing. He was usually slow to awaken. I knew his routine when his father was home. I wondered if he’d follow it. He did.

He walked up to Kieran, eyes still half closed, the beginning of a smile on his lips. Kieran slid of the stool and opened his arms to him. Kerry closed his eyes and surrendered to his father’s hug. I could see the top of his head over Kieran’s shoulder but I knew what his face would be like - happy tranquility. Kieran brushed his tousled hair back away from his forehead and kissed him there. As usual, Kerry stood still, breathing in the communion between father and son until he was content.

When he pulled up the last stool, I poured him a glass of orange juice. I was about to turn away and start preparing breakfast when I saw Kieran looking at Stuart. I don’t know what message their eyes communicated but Stuart slid off his stool and walked over to Kieran. Kieran wrapped him in the same sort of hug. I could see Stuart’s face since he was just as tall as Kieran. Kieran did the same thing he always did to Kavan and Kerry. He brushed Stuart’s hair back and then kissed him on the cheek.

I saw Stuart’s right arm curl around behind Kieran and his hand drop down to Kieran’s butt. Lauren had told me about Stuart’s playful nature but I was surprised when he pinched Kieran. Kieran was surprised even more. He let out a loud yelp and tried to push Stuart away. Stuart wrapped his arms around Kieran’s chest and pulled him closer in a bear hug, lifting him entirely off the floor. I couldn’t tell from the sounds Stuart was making whether he was laughing or crying. After a moment, he released Kieran.

“Dad used to hug me like that. ‘Cept we had clothes on. He’d pinch me on the butt,” he said. He had a big smile on his face and tears in his eyes. 

I didn’t care if anyone saw my eyes misting with tears. When I looked at Lauren and Joanne, I think they felt the same way I did. 

<><><>

After breakfast, I talked to Lauren about what to have for lunch and dinner. I didn’t know what Stuart and Joanne liked to eat so I asked. We decided sandwiches with fresh fruit would be for lunch. For dinner I was surprised but Lauren insisted she wanted them to learn what good Southern cooking could be like. We talked and I decided on a menu. I asked the kids if they’d go to the farmer’s market immediately to get the fresh stuff and then stop by the supermarket on their way back. They were glad to go and wanted to take little Paul with them. Lauren told Joanne the kids would be careful and he’d be OK. She let him go. I guess she was already realizing that she’d better take advantage of good baby care whenever it was offered.

When they were gone, Lauren pulled out her laptop and connected to the internet. She got her new cell phone and her briefcase and started to work. After a while she called Stuart and Joanne and me and Kieran and we worked together until almost noon. When the kids came back, I asked Kavan if he and the other kids could fix sandwiches for all of us. They could and damned if they didn’t almost over do it. I don’t know sometimes where they get their cuisine creativity but they were proud to use it. My turkey breast club was very good. The guys all had grilled Rueben’s.

After lunch, we took two cars and went to the Freeloft property. Lauren showed Stuart where she was going to build the addition to the old stone house. I even learned that she had already contacted the architect who built her other house and he’d promised to fly from Oregon in a few days and talk charge of getting the house done. When I asked how she was able to get him to do it so quickly, she just smiled and said one work, “Money.” We walked around the top of the hill where Lauren’s house would be. Stuart asked about the small brick house and Lauren told him of the arrangement she’d made with the Freelofts, giving them the right to live there as long as they wished. We drove around the bottomland area where Lauren wanted to put the company buildings. Stuart asked Kavan and Kerry if they’d bring him back later and show him the whole property. They jumped at the chance.

For dinner, I had to look up a recipe for biscuits since I didn’t fix them very often. Kerry took over watching little Paul and Joanne came in the kitchen to help. I got the men to set up the big folding table on the deck again so we could eat outdoors.

We had fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, fried yellow squash, butterbeans, and vine-ripe tomatoes, iced tea and, the hit of the dinner, biscuits. They turned out so well Kieran insisted on having a second one, with butter and jelly, for dessert. I was glad the others followed his example since I’d completely overlooked that part of the meal. We all sat around afterwards, too stuffed to move or reluctant to have the dinner over.

“Are we going to play games tonight?” Stuart asked.

I looked at Lauren. How much had she told him about what happened last Friday night? It seemed like months ago since so much had happened in just one week. She had a big smile on her face.

“I told them all about last Saturday night’s fun and games,” she said. “After he and Joanne got over the initial shock, all they asked was whether I’d let them play too. And they made me tell them about the games we played.”

I looked at Stuart and Joanne and got two more big smiles. The four kids were all trying to talk at once, pleading for another night of fun and games. I was glad when Kieran took over and helped us decide on the limits for our fun. If we decided to play slip the salami to Susie, I was off limits to Stuart and Kavan and Kerry, Lauren was off limits to Stuart, and Arial was off limits to all the guys.

Nobody questioned Arial but she volunteered the information. “I’m hoping Rachael will let Luke be my first next week.”


TO BE CONTINUED:
