Family Tradition Ch. 01

Meeting Mary, Romance, and then Henry meets her Family.

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This story is my version of the story "Family Tradition" by BigGuy33. It's good to see you back posting again. https://www.literotica.com/s/family-tradition-4 is the link. Thanks for giving your permission to take a shot at an alternate tale. I am starting my story when Mary and Henry meet for the first time, two years before the start of BigGuy33's story. I tried to show some of the strange things that went on while dating and how these events could accumulate in Henry's mind. I also wanted to tie it into BigGuy33's story. After that, I wrote my version of events after Mary told Henry we need to talk. Thanks to sbrooks103X for editing and a nudge to go out of my comfort zone. There are two chapters I will submit a day apart. Chapter 1 will be in Romance, and Chapter 2 will be in Loving Wives. Thank you Randi for taking a peek.

*****

I remember the weekend I met and fell in love with Mary like I know my favorite song, word for word. Every expression she had, every word we said to each other, is imprinted on my mind. We met because my best friend took me to a frat party at nearby Williamson College.

"Henry, ask your dad for next Saturday off and come down to Williamson with me. The ATO Fraternity is throwing a party that's supposed to be the event of the decade. You pay the fee, get carded and stamped on the hand, and they have enough alcohol to put you in a coma. You are over the age of twenty-one, right?"

"Ted, you know I am."

"Just kidding. Anyway, last year the fraternity had six different beers on tap, four different wines, twelve different spirits, and a special punch called 'Knockout,' which I have on good authority, will live up to its name. But it rained, and that party was a bust. This year the forecast is for clear skies. All you need is a picture ID, $5.00 a car for parking, and a $40.00 admission fee. All drinks are one dollar."

"Oh, and here's why I asked you to go with me. Williamson used to be an all-girl school, but it changed to Co-ed two years ago, and the ratio is four girls for every boy enrolled in school. Even you should be able to score." Ted ran out the front door before I could leap the counter and smack him. He's lucky my Mom thinks he's my twin brother. I turned around, and dad was standing behind me.

"Dad, did you hear all of that?"

"Knew it before I heard it again."

"Again?"

"Ted came to see me before he told you. I told him the answer was yes."

"Why was I even involved then, Dad? I could have worked, and he could take you." My dad's eyes narrowed even though he was aware of my brand of sarcasm.

"Get back to work, or I'll make you stock the shelves."

Ugh. Stocking shelves was my first job at Tri-State Automotive and Big Truck Parts, a business founded by my Grandfather and passed down to his three sons, Jacob, Elias, and my dad Walter.

*****

Saturday came, and Ted came over at 7:45 and sat down at the table just as Mom came out with a plate of pancakes and set it down in front of Ted.

"Mom! Who's your son, and who's the pretend son?"

"My son is whoever gives me a grandchild first."

She was messing with me because she brought me a plate as soon as she returned to the kitchen. Ted and I ate our pancakes and went downstairs to play pool in the basement. After I beat him three games in a row, I asked, "What time does the party start?"

"Five o'clock. The frat boys fenced off a section of the field behind the frat house, and the maximum occupancy is 3000, so we need to be there at 5:00. They have three local cover bands set up outside the fence who alternate sets and a huge part of the field will have a plywood floor for dancing. They even have a bunch of porta potty's set up inside the fence."

I had second thoughts about going. "What time do we have to leave?"

"Three-thirty should be good. Oh, and we'll also be searched before we go in."

"For what?"

"Drugs and weapons. They want you to come in with an ID, car key, and cash, nothing else."

"Can we skip this and watch a movie instead?"

"No way, Jose."

So we played some more 9-ball, ate lunch, watched a movie, dressed, and left. Ted wore a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and sneakers. I wore an Iron Maiden t-shirt, shorts, and sandals. The drive was boring, and I dozed off, but when traffic backed up, I woke up.

After we parked in a field, we locked our wallets in the glove box and followed the crowd to four lines. When we stopped walking, he gave me a spare key to his car. Before I could ask why, he said, "In case you get lucky and she has a car, you can get your wallet and credit card."

"Hold up. Let's just say for shits and grins, what if I do hook up? How do I get home?"

"Easy, call Mom at 7 AM and give her a callback number. I'll call her about 10:00 and then call you."

"Which, Mom?"

"The one who feeds me the best, dumb ass." His Mom didn't cook much anymore.

At 4:55, we were about fifty yards from the entry gates, and I looked at Ted, "Are you sure about this?"

"Patience, I know it looks hopeless; just wait."

Ted was chatting with a tall blonde standing behind us, who was standing next to a short girl with nice tits. She smiled at Ted and then sneered at me and looked away. Oh well, one a bridesmaid, always a bridesmaid.

At 5:00, an air horn went off, and a sign was uncovered stating what type of IDs was acceptable. A large chunk of people in line were leaving and heading back to the parking lot, and the lines in front of us surged forward. I also noticed there were a lot of girls waiting in line and leaving for the parking lot.

We paid, got searched, went in, and headed to the Alcohol tent. It was about 100 ft long with serving stations to the left, the first one labeled 'Beer on Tap Only,' then Wine, and finally the most extended counter, 'Alcohol.'

I went to get some white wine, something I could sip on. As I waited in line, I was bumped from behind. I turned around, and I was staring at an angel. We stared at each other until someone yelled, "Hurry Up."

I asked for two cups of white wine, paid for them, and handed one to the angel. I started to turn right, toward the way I came into the tent, when she took my hand and spoke the first words between us. I will remember them forever, "The exit is this way." She held my hand, and I followed her out of the tent. She walked to the chain-link fence and turned around but didn't let go of my hand.

"Hi." I stammered as I stared at her.

"Hello, I'm Mary, and I attend Williamson College; I will graduate in May of next year."

I stood silently, trying to decipher the problematic statement she just made.

"Hi."

"She giggled, "You already said that, silly."

I am so blowing this. Just talking and looking like a dumbass, I've managed to speak without stuttering, "I'm Henry, and I live in Martinsburg, work for my father, and I'm twenty-two. I like to swim, read, and I need to take a refresher course on 'A Conversation in English.'" I sounded like a contestant on a game show.

"English is not your first language?"

"Not when I'm talking to a gorgeous woman after cupid has shot his arrow into my heart. Then I speak 'Hi' over and over until that woman bails out."

"Has this happened often?"

"Just once."

"How did that turn out?"

"I'll let you know."

We made small talk for half an hour when Mary shocked me, "Did you drive here?"

"No, my friend Ted drove. He gave me a key so I can get my wallet out of his car. Do you have a car?"

"Uh-huh. Do you want to leave? There's a Denny's we can hit for late-night food, and we can talk?"

"I've got my VISA card. Let's go."

As we were leaving, they warned us there was no re-entry. The stamp ensured we didn't climb the fence, but I knew if we go, they can let two new people in. Then they wiped the symbol off our hands. I found Ted's car and retrieved my wallet. Then she led me on a search of her vehicle, a brown Toyota Camry. After seeing five that weren't her car, the sixth time was a charm. We pulled out and headed into the town of Williamson.

She parked in front of Denny's, and I thought it was closed because the parking lot was almost empty. As I held the door open, she kissed me and surprised me so much that I almost ran into the door. We went in and took a booth at the end of the main dining room, gazed at a menu, and ordered.

"Why did you kiss me?"

She giggled, "It seemed like I was supposed to, and I wanted to see if my kiss could distract you, and it did; you almost walked into the door."

We ate, and talked, ate some more, and talked for hours about growing up, family, school, friends, and things we love to do, until Mary jerked suddenly, cursed under her breath, and jumped up out of our booth.

"I was supposed to call my mother to let her know I got home safely."

"But you're not home yet."

"I have a 2 AM curfew."

"You're twenty and in college, and it's 1:55 AM. Surely your Mom will cut you some slack?"

"You don't know my mother. We need to go now. You can sleep at my house on the couch."

I was tired, so I paid the bill and followed her out to the car. Mary quickly backed up and burned out of the parking lot. Ten minutes later, she pulled into a driveway, jumped out of the car, opened the unlocked front door to her house, and disappeared inside. One problem, Mary didn't get the auto-trans shifter locked into park, so when she popped out of her seat, the trans shifted into reverse. She also forgot to turn off the engine and take the keys. So the Toyota started backing up and was across the street before I could react. As the car hopped the curve, I grabbed the parking brake handle in the center console and yanked it up with all my strength.

I was still alive, and I think the car was not moving, so I took a deep breath and started shaking. I reached over and shut the engine off and crawled out of the passenger door. I guess the car made a lot of noise jumping the curb because porch lights were popping on everywhere, including the house that went with the yard where the rear wheels were resting.

People came out of the houses on both sides of Mary's house and the three homes facing them. I crossed my arms and leaned against her trunk. I knew where this was going, so I wasn't making any sudden moves.

One guy held a pistol at his side, and we had an uneasy standoff for about a minute before a Sheriff's car with its lights on turned onto the street. At least I got a kiss, so the night wasn't a total bust if I get thrown in jail.

"All right, settle down. Would somebody like to tell me what is going on?" The Deputy Sheriff was festively plump and tugged his pistol belt up so that it wouldn't slide off.

Three of Mary's male neighbor's started talking at once, and I heard, "Mary Taylor, Toyota, steal her car, never seen him before," over and over.

The deputy kept answering them with uh-huh, uh-huh. Finally, he walked over and held out a pair of handcuffs, "Turn around, kid, you're not under arrest. I'm handcuffing you for the safety of everyone here. After all, I know them, but I don't know you."

That made sense, so I complied.

He turned me around and asked me, "What in Sam Hill is going on here?"

I looked at all her neighbors inching closer, and I felt happy to be standing in front of the house, owned by the woman I was going to marry, so I got creative, "Come closer, children, and I'll tell you a fairy tale." And I proceed to tell the tall tale of the frat party, bumping into Mary, Denny's, phone call to Mom, and the shifter slipping.

Then the questions came, "Mary has been on two dates in the two years she's lived here. What makes you special?" That came from a bald guy in a blue bathrobe.

"We met in the drink tent, in the wine line. No date."

"Mary doesn't drink except a small glass of white wine now and then." This was from another man, younger, wearing shorts, no shirt. Had this guy tried to date Mary?

"I don't drink either. We both had a cup of white wine to nurse so we wouldn't get drunk. Why is Mary taking so long to come back? She was only calling her mother."

The man whose yard Mary's car's rear wheels were resting on spoke, "She told me the shortest phone call she had with her mother was forty-five minutes."

His wife threw in her ten cents, "Mary and I talk, and her mother is very controlling."

The deputy stopped the talk between the crowd and me and asked for an ID, so I let him take my wallet out of my pocket. He went back to his car to call me in, and the crowd got closer, as friends, not as a hanging party.

"The car was still moving when she jumped out?"

"You spent three hours talking in Denny's?"

The only question I heard, "What happened after she bumped into you and you saw her for the first time?"

The person asking this question was a gray-haired little old lady.

"Time stopped, I froze, and she froze, and she had a halo around her whole body, and I stared until someone yelled. She took my hand, and her touch shocked me. It felt like the shock I got when I replaced a 20amp plug and didn't shut off the breaker. It was love at first sight. I said 'Hi' twice, and Mary dragged me out of the tent."

"Well, Mr. Henry Winston of Martinsburg, no wants or warrants, so I guess you are clear, so turn...." The deputy got interrupted by a Tasmanian Devil.

"What's going on here? Why is the deputy here? Why is Henry handcuffed? Why is my car in your yard, Carl? Why is everybody up and outside at 2:30 AM?" Mary was back, dear sweet Mary.

By 3:00, Mary's car was in her driveway, all the neighbors had gone back to bed, the deputy had gone back to his office, and Mary and I were sitting on her couch.

I looked at Mary and smiled, "Well, that was fun. What are we doing today?" And she started crying, so I hugged her and whispered, "Mary, please don't cry; you're going to make me cry."

I pulled her into my lap and picked her up, "Where's your bedroom? You need rest; you're overtired."

She pointed and said, "Down the hall to the right."

I carried her into her room and set her on the end of the bed. "Can you undress and get in bed by yourself?"

"Yes, thank you. You can sleep on the couch or the next room down."

*****

I slept for a few hours on the couch and got up at 8:15 to call home. As I reached for the phone, a car pulled behind Mary's car in the driveway. I ran into Mary's room and shook her, "Mary, a woman just parked behind your car; is that your Mom?"

"Yes, why...Oh my God, she's here. Get in the next room and hide behind the bed. Hurry!"

I just closed the other bedroom door as the front door opened.

"Mary, why is your front door unlocked? You have a boy in here, don't you? Come out here."

After some yelling and many "I'm sorry's," I heard Mary get dressed, and then the front door opened and closed. I waited five minutes next to the bed, and it was a good thing I did. Her Mom hadn't gone out the front door; instead, she looked in the bedroom I was hiding in before leaving the house.

I went out the front door, locking the front door, and realized I forget to call home. I started walking down the street, heading toward town, when I heard a voice calling my name. I turned around, and it was the little gray-haired lady.

"You have me at a disadvantage, young lady; you know my name but am ignorant of yours." When I wanted to, I could charm birds out of their nests.

"Margaret Pearson. Mary went with her parents, probably to church."

"May I use your phone to call my friend, Ted?"

"Of course, always happy to help true love. Follow me," and she led me through her front doorway. I called Mom and left Margaret's phone number so Ted could call me here. Mom started asking questions, and I just said, "Gotta go, Mom."

Margaret brought me some cinnamon raisin buns and some milk.

"Are you looking for a roommate, Mrs. Pearson?"

"It's Miss now, and you can call me Margie. Mr. Pearson died from a shotgun blast to the chest by the husband of the woman he was in bed with. I believe the coroner said he was 'Shot through the Heart' on the death certificate. So tell me about you and Mary."

"Not much to tell; I haven't known her for a whole day yet."

"True, so I'll tell you about the Taylor clan. Mary, of course, goes to school here and is a junior and has two older brothers, Tom and John. Tom graduated from State University last year. John, also at State, graduates this spring."

She stopped talking and refilled my glass.

"Joe and Millie, her parents, live in Hill Valley, forty-five minutes south of here. Mary lived in the dorms her freshman year, then her father rented the house next door and paid the utilities. So until now, Mary has had no roommates, no parties in her house, no boys overnight, and in general, no fun. That's because of Millie, not Joe. Millie wears the pants in that family."

"Mrs. Pe..., um, Margie, before I forget, let me give you my business card with my home number on the back. I don't have an answering machine, just a Mom."

A few minutes before 10:00, Ted called, and I gave him directions to pick me up.

"Margie, may I use this to leave a note for Mary?" I was holding a post-it pad from the end table.

She nodded, so I wrote Mary a note and added my address and number to the message. Margie wrote something on another post-it note and handed it to me, "Mary's number."

Ted pulled up about ten minutes later, and we had a lot to talk about on the way back home. He kept asking questions, and I answered, "I don't know!" Ted parked in my driveway and, as usual, followed me inside. I waved at Mom; he greeted her and hugged her.

"Hey, Mom. My brother met a girl and spent the night with her. I told you he wasn't gay."

Mom rolled her eyes, so I knew she wasn't upset.

"Henry. Is everything your brother, Ted said true?"

"He's not my brother, Mom. He's a tapeworm, and yes, I met her, the girl who I'm going to marry."

Ted began snorting, and Mom punched him on the arm. "Time to go visit your other mother, Theodore."

Ted looked at Mom and moved faster than I ever saw him move.

Mom and I talked, she tried to temper my feeling that this was love, and I kept pushing back that Mary's the one I've been looking for, and it was love at first sight.

I didn't want to argue anymore, so I went for a walk, a long walk. As I walked back into the house, my Mom came flying out of the kitchen.

"Do you have Mary's number? She just called and asked if you can call her in the next thirty minutes to do so; otherwise, she will call tonight."

I rushed to the phone and dialed. "Hello," Mary shouted. "Henry, is this really you?"

"Hi Mary, it's me, Henry. I went for a walk. What happened?"

"We went to church; Momma searched the house, and then she wanted to fix lunch. I don't have much food in the house, so she went to get groceries while I cleaned the kitchen. Dad went with her. Can I call you after they leave?"

"I'll be waiting."

*****

She called at 6:30 after her parents left, and we talked. I asked her what she was going to do this summer after school let out in May? She said she was taking a summer class, and she had a job as a cashier at a grocery store. The last two summers, she stocked shelves in the same store. So she was staying there all summer and not going home except for holiday weekends.

We made puppy love talk for hours until she yawned, and I asked her if I could see her this weekend.

It was a date.

*****

I talked to my dad and asked to go back to the parts stock clerk position. Dad agreed and modified my schedule by putting me back working Sunday-Wednesday from 10 PM to 8:30 AM in the warehouse.

After two weekends driving to Williamson and back, I knew this wasn't going to work. Not with Mary and I being apart Monday through Thursday and then the drive down and back. I started reading the help wanted ads in the Williamson paper, and I found a listing for a Junior Insurance Agent. I set up an appointment for next Friday at 11:00.