Druids#10 Who's Holding?

It's a rare occasion when Mum and the girls can all get together for lunch; rarer even when they can pull it off at a really nice restaurant. Mum was sat in the middle of a curving booth looking at her three beautiful daughters; Eileen the youngest, Meagan the eldest and Jennifer the middle child. They were all such beautiful and loving girls; Mum could not be happier. Well, yes she could; If Eileen had a man in her life after that louse Robert . . . No, not today. Mum decided to be happy.

It was Wednesday and Eileen had the day off. The doctor's office was closed for the day as usual, but today the entire staff had off because the office was being painted. Ian was at home with his grandfather, Pappy, and they were probably playing in the back yard. Pappy was happy to be with Ian, he usually was anyway since Ian's father 'ran away'. Ian sees his father every other weekend, but until he is old enough to go to school, Ian is with his grandparents during the day while his mother works.

Meagan has a busy but flexible schedule. She is a licensed Real Estate agent working for the 2nd largest agency in town. Her husband, Jim, is currently on an overseas tour with the Army, serving in Turkey. This is a one-year assignment, called an 'unaccompanied tour' or sometimes a 'hardship' tour. It is not a combat tour so Meg is a little less worried, but she misses him and hopes to meet up with him someplace overseas, probably Germany, if he can get leave. Jim joked that he considers the name 'hardship' tour to be most appropriate since every time he thinks of Meg, at home, he gets a little 'hard'. Meagan's sons are in Middle school and will most likely be doing homework up in their room when her mother comes home.

Jennifer is the only 'stay at home' mom of the three sisters. Her husband John has a good job and her two, very active sons keep her busy. The boys are in school and both of them will come home together on the bus. They are good boys and Jenn doesn't worry too much about them. She should be home by the time they get there, anyway. It was Jenn's idea to have this 'girls' lunch today. Meagan and Jenn will split the tab treating Mum and Eileen. Meg will most likely put the 'Tab' on her business credit card and Jenn will give her the cash for her half. Expenses are a little tough for Eileen, at the moment.

Mum: "I'm just so happy that we're here together. It's so nice of you girls to take your old mother out for a nice lunch."

Meg: "Yes, this is great. I've had a few 'business' lunches here and the food is great. They give us a little break when we are entertaining prospective clients, so in return, we include their menu in the 'welcome to your new house' package that we give to the home buyers."

Mum: "That's really smart. All my girls are so smart and I am so proud of you. All of you."

Jenn turns to Meg: "Have you heard from Jim lately, how is he doing?"

Meg: "Yes, we use the computer-video thing once a week, or so. He is working long shifts and has little time off. Besides his usual job, he has to look after about four dozen younger soldiers. They reminded him that his stripes come with a price; so now, he is a 'platoon sergeant'. He would rather just go to work and be on his own, but his most recent promotion put him into this added responsibility."

Mum: "Will he be able to get leave when you had hoped?"

Eileen: "When's that Mum?"

Meg: "She's referring to the next Equinox."

The girls all shared a knowing look with each other; not a word was said.

Mum: "Well, putting that aside for now, will you be able to see him before he comes home?"

Meg: "I sure hope so, I miss him and I would go for the trip even if it wasn't for the ritual."

Mum: "Well, let's put that behind us for now and talk about something else."

Mum sat there for a minute while the girls all burst out laughing, she eventually caught on to the unintended double meaning of what she had just said, and started an embarrassed giggle. It took a couple of moments for the table to calm down, eventually Mum said: "What else can we talk about?"

Eileen: "I'm going to have two weeks off, with pay, next summer. The doctor is going to Europe and he's giving us all paid vacation."

Jenn: "That's a real good deal, but don't you already get vacation?"

Eileen: "Yes, one week paid and five separate 'personal holidays, but the two weeks next summer will be in addition. We're so happy in the office. I can't wait."

Mum: "What will you do? Will you go away?"

Eileen: "I don't know yet, we just found out about this yesterday. So we're still reacting."

Meg: "Well, I think you should go someplace and get yourself laid."

Mum: "Meagan, such talk, at the table!"

Meg: "It's true Mum, she's been a bit edgy ever since Robert left and we all need a good rogering once in a while, am I right, Jenn?"

Jenn: "Oh, cheeeze, don't drag me into this. But I suppose you're right. What do you think Mum?"

Mum: "Well, I'm not about to tell any of my daughters to go 'get yourself laid' as you put it. But I certainly agree that Eileen could use some male company."

Eileen: "Oh come on, none of you would know if I was 'gett'n any' as you Colonials like to put it."

Meg: "Oh yeah, as spoken by the only Illegal Immigrant at the table."

Mum: "Don't start up here, please, it's too nice a day for you girls to be testy with each other. We should all put our differences . . . . I mean, let's not 'go there' as 'we Americans' would say."

Eileen: "Stop with the Immigration jokes. I will likely become 'street legal' with this country someday, but for now, there is no need to go down that road. Who knows, maybe I might wind up back in the UK some day."

Jenn: "You probably can't even remember being in the UK, can you?"

Eileen: "Sure I can, it was really nice and I liked it there."

Mum: "You're being a little silly dear, I lived there a lot longer than you did and I always felt that it was cold, damp and dreary. Just like my aunt Vernest."

This little joke seemed to lighten up the mood and the girls got back to examining the menus and making their selections. After the lunch orders were made, the girls resumed their conversation.

Eileen: "I think that I will go someplace warm and sunny for vacation next summer."

Meg: "It's warm and sunny right here in the summer, want to see one of my Real Estate brochures?"

Eileen: "No, I mean someplace other than right here. You could look after Ian, right Mum?"

Mum: "Of course, we look after him most of the time right now."

Meg: "And then you could go get laid, right?"

Eileen: "Stop with the 'get laid talk, you wouldn't know if I got a little anyway."

Mum: "Oh dear, what have we started?"

Meg: "Well, for one thing, I would expect your general mood to be a little improved."

Jenn: "True, I find myself a little easier to get along with following a good rogering."

Mum: "Bless us and save us, I never thought that this would be the subject of a lunch with my own daughters."

Meg: "Oh Mum, like we haven't seen you smiling a lot and humming a happy tune while you are puttering around the kitchen?"

Mum: "Sometimes, I'm just in a good mood, sometimes an even better mood."

Jenn: "Yeah, and sometimes Pappy is in a really good mood, too."

Meg: "Pappy always seems to be in a really great mood on the day after the Equinox."

Mum: "Now you shush up Meg, that's not something that we talk about in public; certainly not at the table in a nice restaurant!"

Eileen: "Well, not talking about it doesn't make it any less obvious when someone has 'gott'n a little."

Meg: "Like you'd know."

Eileen: "There are signs that give it away."

Jenn: Like what?"

Eileen: "Like the way you always 'sit down easy' on the day after the Equinox."

Jenn: "There's a reason for that, and we all know it. But you can't tell when someone's 'holding' on any other day."

Mum: "What's 'holding mean?"

Meg: "When you are carrying your man around with you."

Mum: "You mean when your father is with me, you can just see him, right?"

Meg: "No Mum, it's like when you are carrying around a 'little sample' of him inside you. If you can get my meaning?"

Mum: "Oh that's disgusting, really girls!"

Jenn, looking directly at Eileen: "OK smarty, can you tell if anyone here at this table is 'holding'?"

Eileen was quiet for a moment. She had a little secret. She had used her 'man substitute' last night again and she was technically holding something inside her at the moment. She hadn't had to release anything yet, today. So, she had the remnants of last nights' self-inflicted rogering still in her rectum.

Eileen: "Well, I can tell that Meg isn't holding anything. She's a little cranky and sitting up very straight showing off her tits to any male who cares to look."

Meg: "What bull-shit! You know that my husband is thousands of miles away and I always sit up straight, just like Mum taught us. You're still jealous because I filled out like a woman and I don't still look like a little boy in a T-Shirt."

Mum: "Girls please?"

Eileen: It's OK mum. I don't need to push them out, or lift them up, or pad them to look like a hooker. What I have was plenty enough to feed Ian and that's all that matters."

Jenn: "Puh-leeze let's not go there! Let's try to keep this nice, for Mums sake."

Meg: "I didn't start it."

Mum: "This is beginning to sound like conversations that I've heard so many times before."

Eileen: "I'm sorry Meg, but you've always been down on me over my boobs."

Meg: "OK, let's drop the boob talk." She then looks down at her chest and smiles a little sneaky smile at her sisters. Meagan obviously has the biggest rack after her mother. Mum's breasts are obviously larger but in proportion to her size and especially her age. Mum likes to think of her figure as 'matronly' and she is very happy that she is not sagging like some of her friends.

Eileen: "Well Meg, do you know that there will be a hole directly between your breasts in a few years?"

Meg: "What are you talking about?"

Eileen: "Yeah, the hole will be your navel."

This gets everyone laughing again and the conversation wanes as the lunches are delivered to the table. The ladies start to enjoy the lunch and the conversation picks up after the dishes are cleared and the tea has been served.

Meg: "So, miss know-it-all, who here is 'holding?"

Eileen: "Here in the restaurant or here at the table?"

Jenn: "I could care less who in the restaurant might have gotten laid last night, and, for that matter, I would rather not think about who at the table did or didn't either."

Eileen: "That's because you didn't get any lately, right?"

Jenn: "It's been a couple of days, but John is very busy at work and keeping up with the boys has tired me out and why am I explaining myself to you?"

Eileen: "See, a little grumpy? Or are you just about to get the curse?"

Jenn: "No, the 'curse' as you call it, is still a week and a half away. And no, John and I have not been 'intimate' in the last couple of days. But, so what? You're just making a guess, anyway. "

Eileen: "Did I call it? Judges?"

Mum: "I'll have to admit, it looks like you got that one right." And Meg, I expect that with Jim overseas you're a 'little dry' so to speak?"

Meg: "Mum! Of course, I'm a 'little dry'. I miss my husband and I am anxious for his return; and that's all there is to say on that subject."

Eileen, a little mockingly: "You mean that you don't have a little electrical friend that helps you through those long lonely nights?"

Meg: "That's none of your business."

Mum: "Girls, you're going there again."

Meg: "Sorry Mum. And, just so that you know that I'm human, yes there is a little plastic friend that I've acquired over the years for just this sort of situation, so there."

Eileen: "So, the aging beauty admits to being human after all. Well this is a day to remember." And with a devilish look, Eileen turns and say: "Well, that only leaves you Mum, how about you?"

Mum: "How about what?"

Jenn: "Eileen, don't be crass. Mum's beyond all that."

Mum: "Mind your own business, Jennifer. I'm not that old. "

Meg: "No fair, Mum has had too much experience hiding it anyway. We would have to look at Pappy's mood to have a real hint, anyway."

Mum: "I will not sit here and have you girls discuss my relations with your father. Now, come on, isn't there anything else that we could talk about?"

Eileen: "Sure there are lots of things to talk about. But, none of them are as interesting or as much fun as this."

The girls again have a good laugh, but somehow Mum thinks that it might be at her expense. The tea is almost gone and the girls start to put heir napkins back onto the table and look expectantly around the restaurant for the waitress.

Eileen: "Well, my guess is that Mum is probably a 'little dry' as she puts it. But not as dry as Meagan, right?"

Mum: "All right, just this once. It's been about a week since your father walked past the foot of the bed, if you know what I mean. "

Eileen: "See, I told you that I could tell."

Jenn, directly to Eileen: "So, what about you?"

Eileen: "Dry as the Sahara, I'm afraid."

Meg: "No fair asking this question on the day after the Equinox, right?"

Jenn: "Well, you could probably ask Eileen and get the same answer."

Mum: "Please girls, Eileen's doing the best that she can. The ritual can be modified for temporary situations. Give your sister a little consideration. "

Meg: "You mean that if I can't get to be with John because he's overseas that I can just skip it?"

Mum: "No, not exactly. You still have your obligations to the Earth Mother but you're only required to do, what you can do, by yourself. And, that's all that I'm going to say about that today."

Meg: "Can we talk again? Jim doesn't sound too confident about getting leave while he is in Turkey and there will be one Equinox while he is gone; maybe two, depending on just when he does get back here."

Eileen: "You did observe the ritual this time, didn't you?"

Meg: "Of course, it was just a few hours early, here. I mean, that it was already night in England and I think that it would probably count. Right, Mum?"

Mum: "Probably, Earth Mother is very understanding. It's the thought that counts."

Meg: "Well I'm glad to hear that. We performed the ritual with a high degree of fidelity, only the timing was a few hours off."

The girls got up, and walked to the front of the restaurant while Meg settled up at the register. When they exited the building, they all exchanged hugs and sisterly kisses. Meagan and Jennifer went to their cars to go home and back to work, respectively. Mum got into Eileen's car for the ride back to Ian and Pappy. Eileen squeezed her butt cheeks while she sat in the car, thinking: "I'm the only bitch that's holding, today!"