Chapter 46

August 15, 2017

Dear Ms. Diary,

I woke in the middle of the night when he moved. I asked very quietly if he were awake; he did not answer. He was on his side facing me, his right arm on my chest, the hand covering my left breast. I rubbed that hand and slightly lifted my left side to press my breast more fully into his hand. I moved my hand up his arm to his shoulder.

His eyes were open when I chanced to glance up. I leaned in. We kissed. That kiss became heated. I rolled him over onto his back and got to my knees. I straddled his pelvis, reached back with my right hand, and lowered my pussy onto his hard cock. I was a little sore, but I did not care. I lay out on him, my pelvis learning how to move to maintain him inside me while lying on him, kissing his mouth, his face.

“Oh, Beth, you feel so good.”

Those were the only words spoken as we slowly built toward peaks for both of us. Not mind-blowing peaks. Certainly not loud peaks. Just wonderful, loving, slow peaks, nearly in synch.

Sleep claimed me again. I woke only when the room was light. I was on my back under the single sheet; I could feel the slight electricity of his arms, his skin so close, but not touching. I opened my eyes to find his blue eyes looking into mine.

“I love you, Beth.”

“Oh, Dad. That was everything I’d hoped and so much more. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Beth. With apologies to my wives, that was one of the best nights of my life. It was...”

“Magical.”

“Precisely.”

“I’ve got to...”

“Pee?”

“Umm ... yeah.”

“You first. I’ll follow.”

I moved the sheet off us, then climbed onto him and stretched out.

“Mmm-mmmmm.”

“You’re pressing on my bladder, which is something that I don’t need.”

I grinned at him, then made my way to the bathroom.

We showered together until the water began turning cool. I dried him; he returned the favor. He helped me change the sheets.

Dad was brushing my hair out in the kitchen when the “women” returned a bit before 10. As we had all agreed, they didn’t ask about the night, but bustled around in a manner that suggested that they were sorely tempted to ask. When Dad finished with my hair, I stood, turned, and leaned into him, his arms going around me.

“Thanks, Dad, for that and ... and everything. Rhee and I are going up to our room. We need to figure out what we’re doing this week. Since soccer practice starts next week, this will be our only week to do some of the things we wanted to do this summer. Can we borrow the car?”

Rhee was drinking water at the time. She snorted and water came out her nose.

When she got herself back under control, she said, “You did that on purpose!”

“Me? How was I to know you would think it funny?”

“Maybe by remembering that you did the same thing to me last fall? With the same line? Naah. My best friend wouldn’t do something like that to me.”

I grinned at her, then said, “I’m sorry, Rhee. I just couldn’t resist.”

“I am so going to get you back.”

“I have no doubt. I’ll clean up the floor.”

She grinned at me and said, “I’ll let you.”

Upstairs, I said, “I’d like to get yesterday evening and this morning written. I plan to include few details, because I will not be asking the rest of the Go5 for details, or even a summary. I’ll have you read it when I’m done. Is that okay?”

“Of course. I’ll ponder our week, perhaps read more of the diary.”

Rhee settled onto the bed, tablet in hand, while I parked myself in my chair and woke up my laptop.

[Added August 16]

The rest of the day was uneventful ... at least, relatively so ... until it became highly eventful.

The five of us had just finished dinner around 6:30 when my phone rang; it was Heather.

“Beth, my mother and I will be there in five minutes. I’ve gotta go.”

I repeated Heather’s words and we all scrambled to our bedrooms to get dressed. Everyone was back to doing kitchen tasks when the doorbell rang. As agreed, my parents went to answer the door. The rest of us stayed in the kitchen, ostensibly to finish cleaning up the kitchen, but, except for vision, all of our senses were focused on the foyer. We did not know why they were coming, but it was bound to be dramatic.

With the relatively open plan to the first floor, we could not stay out of sight, but we tried to act nonchalant when Dad and Mom escorted Heather and her mother to the living room seating. I caught a quick glimpse of Heather’s face as they passed; it wore an odd expression that I could not interpret. We could hear some quiet, but insistent, talking, but could not parse most of the words.

When the discussion continued for more than ten minutes, Rhee and I were at a loss as to what to do. The kitchen was clean and ordered, so hanging around there seemed odd. When Carol went to their bedroom, Rhee and I whispered back and forth about what to do. We considered heading upstairs but were hesitant to be seen crossing the living room.

“Hey,” Rhee said, “how ‘bout if we offer dessert to everyone? We’ve got enough ice cream for all.”

I pondered while looking at her.

“That might work if it were anyone but Heather’s mother. Somehow, I don’t get a ‘dessert’ vibe from her.”

“Yeah, I wondered about that, too.”

“But,” I continued, “perhaps we should offer, anyway. At least, we’ll have made an appearance that will then give us an excuse for going upstairs if everyone refuses.”

“Okay. I’ll be the socially null girl that makes the offer.” When I began to object, she said, “No! It was my idea and I’m going to do it. Besides, you’ll turn red if it turns out to be a bad idea.”

I ducked my head a bit in slight embarrassment, but that made me think of Liya and her likely reaction. I grinned, picked my head up, looked at Rhee, and nodded. Rhee walked past me and into the living room. About the time that I expected Rhee to return with whatever answer she got, there was enough commotion in there to give me reasonable excuse to step into the entryway.

“Thank you, mother. I think that we’ll both be happier this way,” Heather said.

That perked my ears! Since everyone was standing, perhaps in preparation for some departure, I fully entered the living room and approached the others.

“We’ll do our very best by Heather, Constance. I expect that she’ll make something special of herself, someone of whom we can all be proud,” Mom said.

My heart began pounding and it was all I could do to keep a huge grin off my face; it so wanted to make an appearance. I glanced at Rhee who also seemed to be trying to keep a straight face. Heather’s mien was the one we always saw in the presence of her mother: as unemotional as possible, which, for her, was very unemotional. Her face was blank. It was a bit scary, as we now knew Heather as a highly emotional, expressive girl. To be able to bottle that natural personality behind that façade must take an incredible amount of control.

I wrestled my mind back onto the tableau before me.

“ ... don’t cause them problems. Let me know, occasionally, how and what you’re doing.” After a slight pause, Mrs. Wilkerson continued. “I’ve never known what to do with you. You’re just so different from anything I’ve known and have been since you could talk. I hope this works for you.”

Mrs. Wilkerson then surprised all of us, with Heather probably the most surprised, by softly placing her right palm on Heather’s left cheek. Mrs. Wilkerson’s back was to me, so I couldn’t see her expression, but Heather’s presented as dumbfounded.

Mrs. Wilkerson reclaimed her hand, looked at Dad and Mom, saying, “Thank you for helping in this difficult situation. Please let me know if it is not working and ... well, perhaps there’s another solution.”

“I’m sure that it will work, Constance,” Dad said, “and Heather will keep you apprised of her situation.”

“Thank you. I need to get to work. Come get your things, Heather.”

With that, as on the other occasions when she was here, Mrs. Wilkerson simply turned away from everyone and headed toward the front door. I had the presence of mind to beat her to it and open it for her, Heather tagging along. Heather had reclaimed her blank mien and walked past me after her mother. When she got to the car, Heather opened the back door, reached in, and came out with the battered gym bag that I had given her that seeming age ago when she had first entered our family’s lives. That caused me to reflect on the incredible sea changes that had taken place in both Heather and in the family since that seemingly fateful day when I casually gave her that bag.

I watched as Heather turned to her mother and said something at which her mother nodded. Mrs. Wilkerson climbed into the driver’s seat, started the car, and backed into the street. Heather just stood there, her back to me, watching her mother leave. When her shoulders moved and the gym bag hit the pavement, I got a bad feeling about the situation and yelled into the house over my shoulder, “Rhee!” I then ran to Heather and enveloped her in a Rhee-type hug. Rhee, herself, was only ten seconds behind me and she, too, wrapped Heather in her arms. The two of us held a bawling Heather for a few minutes there in the driveway. I could see the questioning faces of Dad and Mom over Heather; I shook my head briefly at them, at which they went inside, leaving the door open a bit.

As Heather began winding down, she began talking amid blubbers and sniffling.

“I’m actually happy, but ... I didn’t expect to also be sad. Why am I sad?”

No matter how many times Rhee says or implies that she’s “socially null,” she is as far from that pejorative as she is from “inconspicuous.”

“You looked surprised when your mother showed that she cared, at least a little. Perhaps you’re sad because she hasn’t demonstrated that care except at your ... separation,” Rhee said.

Heather leaned back from Rhee, thus more into me, and looked at her at length, Rhee meeting her eyes.

As much as a minute later, Heather responded, “That’s probably it.” After another half-minute or so of continuing to look at Rhee, she said, “You’re a big faker! Well, I’m not buying that ... socially-unaware mask you wear, anymore.”

I grinned at Rhee, but Heather’s resumed blubbering wiped it off my face.

“I ... I love you, Rhee. I l-love you, both.”

We held her as she quickly got herself back under control. I knew, as Rhee probably did, that Heather might well be touch-and-go this evening. No problem: we are here for her. As she wound back down, I gently released her, though Rhee kept her in a tight embrace. I picked up Heather’s bag and led them back into the house, closing the door behind them. I was a bit surprised when Heather worked out from under Rhee’s arm around her shoulders and began stripping.

When I looked a question at her, Heather responded, “This is my house, now, as well as my home, and we have clothing rules here.”

“True, that, but you’re forgetting about at least one of those clothing rules. Stop right now! I’ll be right back.”

I returned shortly with Dad in tow.

“I understand that our newest daughter needs some help disrobing.”

Heather began by nodding her head, but her face began crumpling, again.

“Fuck! I’m going to be emotional all night. Aren’t I?”

With that, she began crying, again, to which Dad responded by leaning over, picking her up by her back and the back of her legs, and carrying her to the corner couch. There, he sat, plopping her into his lap where she threw both arms around him and nestled her head between his head and right shoulder.

Mom surprised Rhee and me when her words came quietly from behind us.

“That man is the most wonderful man I’ve ever met. I don’t know what I did to deserve him, but I’m incredibly thankful for whatever it was.”

We both turned to face her as she continued.

“She’ll probably need comforting for some time. Certainly, for tonight, but there may well be random times in the next few days when it will hit her again.”

“Yeah,” Rhee answered, “that’s what we expect, though I didn’t expect it at first. However, both Beth and I understand at least the gist of the cause. Er ... causes.”

“Good. Of course, I didn’t expect anything else from you two. As for your father, I don’t know what I did to deserve such wonderful daughters, but I am ecstatic at the result.” After a slight pause, she said, “I think that she’s not had dinner, so I’ve warmed up some of tonight’s dinner. See if you can get her to eat it. We can have ice cream after that if she’s up to it.”

I nodded, saying, “Thanks, Mom. There’s something else, though.”

Mom and Rhee looked the same question at me.

“Of course, there is, and I’m surprised that you, Mom, haven’t sussed it, yet.”

I waited a few seconds, then lifted the bag off my shoulder and held it in front of them.

They both said, “Oh!”

Mom followed that with a smile and said, “It looks like I get to go shopping with my newest daughter. What fun! I wonder if ... No, she needs to be here, tonight. We can start the process of filling the huge hole in her wardrobe ... That’s another solution to be found. How are we going to manage another wardrobe or armoire in your room?”

“It’s time that I got rid of old clothing from the closet. Some tops will probably fit Heather, and we can go through that process after the soccer meeting tomorrow morning. Then, perhaps, you Moms, Heather, and I could go shopping tomorrow night when Rhee is otherwise occupied.”

I heard a slight inhalation from Rhee, so turned and grinned at her.

“You’d sort of forgotten, hadn’t you?”

“Yeah. As much as I’d like to help in the clothing-Heather process, I think I’d rather stay here tomorrow night.”

“You think so, do you,” asked Mom with a smile on her face.

Rhee grinned at her. Her eyes rolled into the corners of her eyes to glance at me, then told Mom with as straight a face as she could manage, “Yes, I do. I’m going to spend the night making love with the most wonderful man that you ... or any of us have ever met.”

Mom’s eyes closed and she shuddered.

“Ooh, you liked that,” Rhee said. “I’ll remember that.”

It did not take long for Dad to get Heather calmed down. After a dinner that she ate with gusto followed by a heaping helping of chocolate trinity ice cream, she was much more the Heather we knew and loved. Heather got our attention after we had cleared the table and put away what needed putting away.

“Dad, Moms, Beth, Rhee, just this once, might I jump the queue and be the one to undress Dad? Perhaps it’s my turn, though. I’ve totally lost track.”

“I don’t remember, either,” Carol said. “Why don’t we make an executive decision here that it’s Heather’s turn and we’ll continue from that point in the future?”

“I don’t think any of the Go5 will mind,” I replied, “not even Gracey.”

Heather followed with “To change the subject, I need to get some clothes soon, as I didn’t bring much; not that I had much to bring.”

“Heather, we’re not going back to that discussion. We told you that we are now your parents and it’s our duty to clothe you. I know that you’re embarrassed by the need, but we have the money, more than enough, to completely replace the clothing of all five of you without feeling it. Please, let us get you a new wardrobe.”

“Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it, really, but it might be a while before I can think of it as something other than charity, despite my completely understanding the logic. Could we go tomorrow evening ... Oh. I’m sorry Rhee. I’d forgotten.”

“Sandy, Beth, and I have already solved this problem, Heather. You, Beth, and I are going to go through Beth’s stuff tomorrow to see what she can give to you – if you want it, and what to give to charity or, perhaps, to Second Chance Wear. We’re going to free up space in the closet and elsewhere for clothes for you. No! Don’t. Beth has too much stuff and she’ll tell you that, herself. Then, while I’m, as Beth said, otherwise occupied tomorrow evening, the Moms, Beth, and you will go shopping.”