It Ain't Necessarily So Ch. 02

I admit it. We got carried away. A minute or so of manipulation of her ring and she was stroking me with her hand. I tossed the covers back and crawled between her legs. A little lube applied to her opening and we were sliding together. I used my thumb to continue stimulating her clit. Sue held her legs up and wide.

We were both showing a sheen of sweat when we heard Donna's muffled scream from down the hall. Sue was already close and she let go and screamed as her orgasm arrived. She screamed, "Yes! Nick, Yes!"

Two seconds later we realized the scream we'd heard was Donna, not Marcie. Our intention to be discreet had just been blown apart. It was quiet the rest of the night.

In the morning I got up, showered, dressed and went to the kitchen to start coffee. Sue got up and went to the shower. Donna wanted to talk to her Mom and had walked in on her in the shower all the time she was growing up, so she walked into our bathroom just as Sue stepped out of the shower. The first things she noticed were the gold ring and that Sue was bald "down there."

"I'm sorry!" She said and started to back out.

Sue said, "Sorry for what? You haven't done anything wrong."

"I saw you!" Donna said, with her eyes closed.

"You've seen me naked all your life."

"Not like that!"

"Is there something wrong? Donna, talk to me." Sue got her towel and started drying off.

"Mom... how long have you had that?" She pointed at the ring.

"A few weeks. It makes sex more fun."

"Yeah, we heard you last night!"

"We heard you too. Those are wonderful noises."

"Did Dad ask you to get pierced?"

"Nope. I did it as a gift to both of us. It's wonderful."

Sue got dressed while they talked. Donna noticed she didn't put on panties. She asked, "No panties?"

"Nope. In order to keep the piercing healthy it needs fresh air. I don't leak like when I was younger, so I seldom wear panties any more."

"Wow! Things have changed around here."

Sue put an arm around her daughter and said, "Let's go have breakfast."

At eleven both families were back together. Matt passed out the outline of our new law proposal and the sample agreement we'd come up with. While the kids read, Sue took Marcie out the back door. They told me later that both had been caught being different. Marcie's daughter had come into their bedroom looking for fingernail clippers, which she remembered were kept in the drawer of the bedside table. Matt's harness and dildo were in that drawer. It took a while to calm things down in their family.

By three the kids had discussed the law and implications enough that they wanted permission to take over the project. It was what I wanted so I agreed easily. Matt, Marcie and Sue went along too. We were all still in the living room and Donna asked, "Can I ask questions?"

I knew her questions were not about the law. We all nodded. She said, "This morning I learned more than I wanted to know about my Mom and Dad. I found out that Kathy learned things about her Dad and Mom too. I'm confused. You aren't the people who raised us!"

I asked, "Is there a question in there?"

"Yes! What did you do with our parents?"

Matt said, "We learned something recently. We'll tell you about it in hopes that you are better prepared for it than we were. I think of adulthood as being in three phases. Phase one is education, college, starting a career and getting married. Phase two is parenthood. Life is focused on being parents and teaching kids everything we know. Then you guys pushed us into phase three; life without kids. We're back in it's just us, only the rules have changed. Our bodies changed. Sex is different. Menopause came along and messed with our hormones. So, we adapt. I use a dildo sometimes to please my wife, because I can't last as long as I used to. We use lube because women of a certain age don't naturally lube as easily as they used to. Some nerve endings have either gone on vacation or have retired, so we do what we can to enhance our pleasure."

I added, "No, we aren't the people who raised you, but we remember them. We're proud to have been them. We do still love you. And, by the way, you've changed too. The first seventeen years you lived in this house you didn't scream in orgasm once, Donna."

"Oh. Right." Donna said. She blushed too.

The atmosphere was more like a house full of adult friends after that. At a private moment my son punched my shoulder gently and smiled as he said, "Way to go, Dad." We said our good-byes later that night and knew the kids would be headed to their homes early Sunday morning.

I noticed that we shared with Matt and Marcie often. Sometimes with simple being together, sometimes with me in Marcie's bed and sometime all of us in the same house or other combinations. Our preparations for the cruise progressed and we crossed days off the calendar in both kitchens.

The night before we drove to San Diego to get aboard the ship we slept at Matt and Marcie's. Their house was nearer to the freeway to San Diego. Our bags were packed and stowed in our mini-van before we went to bed. Clothes were set out for the trip. An ice chest was loaded with everything but ice. A bag of snacks for the three-hour drive was in the back seat.

Matt and I flipped a coin at eight in the morning and he drove. As we got in the van I wondered if he won or I did. Our wives sat on the bench seat behind the driver and shotgun seats. We talked and laughed as we drove south. Some of the comments were sexual in nature.

Marcie asked, "Do they have metal detectors before you get on a ship?"

Sue said, "Will our rings set off the alarms?"

I turned and said, "Excuse me lady, it seems your pussy is setting off our alarms. I'll need to inspect your orifices."

Marcie said, "Only with your mouth, kind Sir. Only with your mouth."

Matt was in the car pool lane going seventy when I unfastened my seatbelt and dropped to my knees facing Marcie and Sue. I lifted Marcie's skirt and dove face first into her lap. I licked and tugged on her ring until she rewarded me with her first cum of our vacation.

As she calmed Sue said, "Please Mr. Inspector, I set off the metal detector too." Her legs were spread and I dove in. When I looked up a minute later Marcie was kissing Sue as a lover not a sister. Sue was noisy, screaming her way through an orgasm. I resumed my seat and attached my seat belt.

Matt asked, "Well, did they pass your personal inspection?"

"For the moment, Yes. I suspect that repeated inspections will be necessary."

"Good idea." Both women said.

As we went through the pre-boarding process we moved from one table to the next and at the forth table I noticed the woman at the table looked at me funny. The only other people around us were Matt and our wives. I asked the woman at the desk, "As I came up to the desk you made a face for a few seconds. Was it something I said?"

She was about our age and blushed as she said, "I'll be blunt. You all smell like sex!"

We laughed and Matt said, "That's because on the way here he was eating pussy!" He pointed at me. I said, "Guilty, and proud."

She said, "As nice as that is, I think you should use the restroom and wash the smell off." She signed our documents and then said, "You're making us old folks jealous."

We did find restrooms and I washed my face. The bathroom soap had a fragrance so I was pretty sure I no longer smelled like sex.

Our vacation was incredible! The time at sea was romantic, breathtaking and exciting. As we stood on our balcony on day two we saw a pod of six gray whales headed north. They were naked and so were we. At each stop we did adventures. Snorkeling near Cabo, a zip line in Mazatlan and a ride through the jungle. On the days at sea Marcie introduced Sue to the top free deck and they both tanned their wonderful tits for everyone to see. Our last stop was Puerto Vallarta. Marcie read all the possible shore excursions and decided she wanted to go on the tour of a national park like the Everglades where she could see crocodiles. Matt, Sue and I didn't want to go. We were worried about mosquitoes and the heat. She dressed in shorts and a bikini top with a light over blouse, kissed us good-bye and went with a dozen other people to the bus. The shore excursion guide said they would be gone two and a half to three hours.

Matt and I went to one of the lounges and watched a college football game. Sue watched for the first quarter and then left us, saying she would be back in the second half.

One minute into halftime the PA system came on and an announcement was made, "Would passengers Matthew Peterson, Nick Peterson and Susan Peterson please come to the boarding ramp on deck five." The voice repeated the message while Matt and I were already in motion. We were on deck eleven. When we got in the elevator Matt asked, "What could it be?" We looked at each other without a clue what IT could be... and we were scared.

When the elevator doors opened I heard Sue scream and begin crying. We ran and suddenly stopped. Coming aboard was a gurney covered with a bloody sheet. Crewmembers were holding Sue back while other crew moved the gurney through the entry. Matt was quick! He got past everyone and uncovered the body, confirming our worst nightmare. The mangled body was indeed Marcie!

Her legs were gone! Her hips were bitten and ripped. Her hands and arms were damaged. The bikini top was all she had on. Blood was everywhere.

Matt collapsed and so did Sue. Something in me clicked and I knew I had to hold it together for Matt and Sue. A crewman covered her again and we all moved to the medical cabin. The on-board doctor explained to me what happened. I listened, knowing neither Matt nor Sue would remember what was said.

"A few minutes into the tour a large croc attacked the boat, suddenly. Mrs. Peterson was moving between seats when it attacked and was tossed overboard. Another bigger croc was near the boat on the side where she fell and instantly attacked. In the fight the crew of the boat were able to retrieve part of Mrs. Peterson. The two crocs fought over her remains while the boat pilot got the boat and everyone else to safety."

He gave Matt and Sue something and helped me get them back to our cabins. He gave me two pills and said they were for me, later when I felt I needed them. He gave me a small bottle of other pills and said they were for Matt and Sue; if I felt they needed them.

When he left I helped Sue move from our bed into bed with Matt. Whatever he gave them had both of them sleep. It wasn't good sleep. It was fitful and punctuated with cries and Matt exclaiming, "No!" without waking up. I left the sliding door to the balcony open and stood at the railing, crying.

My heart was broken, shocked and devastated. I had a million thoughts about our lives, about the last few months where we discovered the freedom to love each other. Where we explored aspects of loving we hadn't ever considered. I even had a stay thought about her gold ring ending up inside a crocodile.

Marcie was brought aboard at three in the afternoon, or about three. When Sue woke up it was after eleven. I was still on the balcony. She softly asked, "Nick?"

I was beside her, on my knees, in a second. Her eyes asked the questions and mine answered. We held each other and cried, quietly. We held on and I let go enough to sob in my own grief for the first time.

Sue kissed me and whispered, "We need to take care of Matt now."

"Now and forever." I said. We kissed again. We were quiet for a time and Matt reached over us both and put his hand on my shoulder. He whispered, "I feel like I should die. I should have been there to save her. It was my job!"

Sue turned and faced my brother. She held his face in her hands and said, "Please don't die. I love you. I need you. Nick needs you." She kissed him and seeing the tenderness, the love and caring, I cried too. A minute later they were back asleep.

After midnight I called and got sandwiches, sodas and chips sent to our room. None of us had eaten since lunch. The steward came in and set the tray on the desk. As he left I saw a sign on the door. It said, "Please be quiet. The family inside is in mourning. Please do not disturb." The Captain signed it.

I closed the door and said, softly, "That's what this feeling is."

At the desk I ate half a sandwich and half a chocolate chip cookie. I thought about opening a soda, but I didn't. I thought about getting blind drunk, but I didn't. Getting drunk would not help any of us.

At dawn Sue woke me. My neck hurt from sleeping in the chair and when I looked at Sue's face I burst into tears again. She helped me onto the bed and I went back to sleep.

For the rest of the cruise Sue and Matt never left the cabin. The stewards cleaned our cabin and we moved into it while they cleaned the other one. I made all the arrangements for Marcie's body, the funeral and interment. I made twelve ship-to-shore calls to friends and family and asked them to make whatever other calls needed to be made. When I spoke to all our kids they agreed to meet us at home, not in San Diego.

Matt stayed out of it until we were back in San Diego. He helped with luggage from the dock to the van and handed me the keys to the van. He said, "You better drive. I might be tempted to drive us into a ditch." I took the keys. He sat on the bench and Sue held him all the way home. We went to our house. Every time I noticed the empty shotgun seat I lost a few tears.

We made sure he ate, showered and got him into bed. He slept alone that night, until about three when we heard him crying. We joined him and stayed with him the rest of the night.

The second day back was the funeral. Friends put things together and all we needed to do was get dressed. At the end of the funeral Matt stood up, looked at the fifty or so people gathered and said, "I have loved Marcie well over half my life. My heart has a hole in it that cannot be filled. If it had not been for the love of my brother and his wife Sue I would have fed myself to the crocs. I grieved all the way home and will hold grief in my heart for the rest of my life. It's time to live again. It's what Marcie would want." He paused and said, "I want to thank each of you for being here, honoring Marcie and me with your love."

He stepped to his next-door neighbors and hugged them. He hugged every person at the funeral and whispered something to each one. Many of them came and hugged us as well. Matt was back. Our kids, all of them, acted like one family. I realized they had always been one family.

He stayed with us a few more days and we found him with tear tracks often. One day I found a note on the kitchen table. "Went for a walk. Need to talk to both of you when I get back. Matt."

He sat us down and started the speech he'd been thinking for days. "I need to go home. There are a thousand details I need to take care of. I can't cry my life away."

Sue held up her hand. Matt stopped. Sue said, "I waited for you to come back before I spoke. You're back. Nick's back, too. I know what happened almost killed all three of us. Every moment I could think, I've thought about the answer to life's persistent question: what's next? I have some thoughts."

I said, "We're listening." Matt nodded.

"For months we've lived like four people married and living in two houses. Before we went on vacation Marcie and I talked about selling one house and living together for the rest of our lives."

I said, "We should do it! It hurts to think of Matt not being with us." Matt cried and nodded.

Sue said, "I don't want you to decide now. I want you to sit with this, and then decide. If it had been the four of us neither of you would ever have slept alone. The noises of loving would have been shared. That's not true any more. What we did was share. What happens when it's taking turns with me instead of sharing?" She took a breath and looked at each of us before she spoke again.

"I love you both. I love being loved by each of you and love being ganged up on once in a while too. I don't know that I'm woman enough to take care of both of you. Matt, do what you need to do at your house, with Nick with you. Tomorrow night I'll make dinner and we'll talk again. Ok?"

We nodded. I didn't trust my voice so I didn't speak. Sue stood up and said, "I'm going for a walk. I don't want company. I will cry as I walk. I need to talk to Marcie, my best friend to process life and she's not here. I'll talk to her as I walk." She walked out the front door.

Matt said, "What are you thinking?"

"You're my brother. What I have is yours. I've learned since the day I fixed your plumbing is that this is how it should have been forever. Imagine raising our kids in a home with two Dads, two Mom's. Our kids are grown and know the four of us have been lovers. If it had been me that died I would expect you to have offered your heart and home to Sue."

"I've heard of a man with two wives, but a woman with two husbands?"

"Do you love her?" I asked.

"You know I do."

"I watched how, in her grief and yours, you sheltered each other. I didn't feel left out. I felt just how I've felt many times. I'm the older brother. I handled what needed handling and loved both of you. I'm the husband and as natural as breathing you're the husband, too. When you came back, I was included. I've always been included and so are you."

Matt said, "Then tomorrow we start getting my house ready to sell. We conference about what comes here from my house and what needs to happen here to make the transition as easy as possible. Marcie's car needs to be sold, unless Sue wants it. I need to change paperwork all over town and I'm sure we'll think of things I'm not thinking of."

Less than an hour later Sue came in. True to her word her face showed tear tracks and she came into my arms straight from the door. From my arms she went to Matt. Her first words were, "Forget dinner tomorrow night. I need to talk now." She sat facing us after she put us on the couch. "I talked it through with Marcie. She says we should sell her car and her house. We should give all her clothes away and keep her toy box. Matt should move in here as soon as possible. She also said we should avoid anywhere that has crocodiles!"

We all smiled. The pain was receding, a little. We knew it would never be gone, but receding was good. We also knew it was something that Marcie would have said. Matt and I also knew it was exactly what we had concluded while Sue was out communicating with a ghost.

That night the three of us slept, again, in the same bed. For half the night Sue spooned with her butt against my front. She crawled over Matt in the middle of the night, used the bathroom and spooned him when she came back. In the morning she said she was buying a bigger bed. I smiled and both Matt and I offered her our credit cards.

Within a week his house was on the market. Sue found a shelter for women and gave them all Marcie's wonderful clothes and shoes. She knew she could wear a lot of what she gave, but she also figured Matt would be reminded unnecessarily whenever she wore anything of Marcie's. She gave it all away.

Matt took Marcie's car to CarMax and sold it. I went with him and drove us home after the sale. When we got home he said, "We haven't talked about money." He was right. Responsible adults talk about money.

That night Matt made dinner and as we ate we talked money. We talked about household responsibilities and the answer to life's persistent question: what's next?

Matt said, "If Marcie were here she'd probably say we should do something fun, something we've never done before. We nodded and Sue asked, "Like what?"

Matt stood up and said, "You remember when Sue went for a walk and talked with Marcie's ghost? I drive. I'll be gone a while; we have a lot to talk about. In fact, plan on me being here after breakfast. I love you both." He kissed Sue and went out the back door quickly.