Christian Loving Ch. 07

Epilogue

Reuben rolled out of bed as the rest of the family woke up. It looked to be an unassuming day. Three weeks had passed since the episode he shared with his stepmother. Given the whole experience between the two, Rachel carried herself remarkably well. No unusual stares or glances at Reuben. None of the unusual touchy-feely situations Reuben feared had occurred. She seemed to carry herself better than Reuben did after their week of sinful lust and passion.

Despite feeling better upon his father’s return, Reuben did not fare as well following the incidents. With the early return of his father he was able to break off his engagement with his stepmother, an action he previously contemplated. However, there remained an unspoken truce between him and Rachel. After all, they fornicated for week when everyone was out of the house. When Jacob returned to his regular work hours, Reuben feared she might continue to pursue their affair. Instead he got no reads from his stepmother. Whatever power he held over her earlier quickly left him, leaving him with no idea where she would turn next.

Reuben set about to remove the incidents from his mind. A steady diet of work and activities out of the house with peers, coupled with the occasional brother/sister talks with Dinah slowly eroded the fresh memories of banging his stepmom. He swore his parents were going at it more often now. He tried to brush it off as him simply being more aware of his parent’s sexual lives. A part of him felt jealous of his father reaping the rewards of Rachel's sexual awakening; regardless, Reuben knew that it was better off behind him.

Around the table, Rachel served up the usual array of pancakes, bacon and other wholesome breakfast elements. Jacob brought up typical remarks gleaned from the daily news, sprinkled with commentary from his wife. More political bonehead moves in Washington. The city was gearing up for its usual festive summer activities. And those damn Yankees.

The usual conversational elements ensued. Reuben talked about what he and his friends planned for the week. With any luck they’d be able to assemble some camping gear and head to the parks for the weekend.

Jacob asked his daughter is she thought of where she would attend college after her senior year of high school. Her SAT scores returned in the mail with favorable results. She could easily make it into the local colleges, and had a shot of being accepted at some she fancied of attending abroad.

“Do you think she could come down for a visit with you next year Reuben?” their father asked. “Maybe you could give her a tour of the campus, show her the college life. Libraries, the union, the local scene. Stuff like that.”

Rachel spoke up as she put away the pots and pans from cooking that morning. “You should also show her some of those displays they have for the public. Like the museum or arboretum.”

“I could,” he replied. “You’d probably like the greenhouse there - they have all sorts of weird plant there. You’d have to sleep in a house with four other guys though. I dunno if you’d want to put up with that.”

Dinah shot her brother a look. “So long as I don’t find them jacking off when I walk through the door, I don’t think it will be a problem.”

“Well, I won’t guarantee anything,” he sardonically retorted. “I think if you knock first though, things should be okay.”

Jacob stared at Dinah with a discerning glance over his newspaper when she heard his daughter’s remarks, wondering where she picked up such a filthy image. His glare turned to his son’s when he heard his retort. He was quick to excuse it. It wasn’t the first time either talked trash to each other, and he secretly hoped they wouldn’t stop any time soon.

Other topics arose. Dinah was excited for her softball team - they were second in their division. With any luck her squad would make the playoffs.

“Well darling,” Jacob said, pulling away from his paper. “That’s fantastic to hear! Isn’t that something Reuben?”

Jacob’s head turned to see his son’s face stuffed with food. Reuben still managed to nod his head a few times before gulping his breakfast down. “Yeah, that’s pretty cool. We never made it to the playoffs before.”

“I know!” Dinah squealed. “Isn’t that amazing news?!”

“That’s great news dear!” Rachel added. “I think I have some good news too!” She walked over from the kitchen to the table beside Jacob. Looking down into his eyes, she laid a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m pregnant!”

Reuben paused in mid-chew, his vision frozen somewhere on his plate. He heard the undulating praises between his father and sister as his mind raced with thoughts of what was just announced. He could only sit there as both father and sister got up to congratulate Rachel.

After an eternity, Reuben rose from his seat to join the happy family. He embraced his stepmother strongly, tears flowing from her eyes.

“Wow. Congratulations!”