Relativity Part C

Sam went on to explain that he and his wife had tried for years to have children and suffered through disappointments and two miscarriages before finally having Denae. She was born nine weeks early and had spent several weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, hooked to wires and IVs and PIC lines. She was on a respirator for a several days and had to be fed by a tube for three weeks.

When he finished explaining about how hard Denae's first few weeks of life were, Bill sat silently for a few minutes before he finally uttered, "I can't believe what Denae and you and Mrs. Rapallino all had to go through."

Denae's father shook his head, but then cheered up. "But you wouldn't know any of that to look at her today, would you?"

Cheering up himself, Bill added, "No, you sure wouldn't."

"You see, Bill I would do anything to protect Denae. Anything."

"Absolutely, sir."

"She tells me you are protective of her. Is that right?"

Bill cleared his throat. "Are you talking about that thing with Derek?"

Sam raised his eyebrows. "The thing with Derek."

Bill sat up and looked the man straight in the eyes. "Sir. I felt I was forced into that. I hated that Denae had to see it. But sir, I could not stand to see him upset her after what he had already done."

The man tilted his head and stared at him as if waiting for Bill to continue.

"And I know it might have been better to try to just defuse the situation, but my blood was boiling at the thought he had hit Denae."

Sam's demeanor changed at that instant. Instead of sitting and passively listening to Bill he stood up, threw his beer bottle against the side of the boat, clenched his fists and clenched his teeth. "Someone hit my Denae? Who did this?"

Bill suddenly realized he had two enormous problems; he was faced with an irate Sicilian father and he had violated Denae's confidence. He reasoned that his defense to Denae would be that her father seemed to already know about the incident. But Denae was not his immediate problem. The angry father in front of him was.

Bill asked Sam to calm down and let him explain everything fully. Sam huffed and puffed and paced back and forth while Bill related almost everything he knew about what Derek had done to Denae. Bill mentioned the break-up, Derek bursting into the apartment, hitting Denae and Bill subduing Derek in the library. He left out the part about the attempted rape at the fraternity house.

As he listened, Sam was on the verge of angry tears. When Bill reached the conclusion of the story, he sat silently for what seemed an eternity. He finally looked over at Bill.

"So you pummeled this boy?"

"I suppose you could call it that, sir. Again, I'm not proud of that. And I hated doing it in front of Denae."

"You made it clear to this boy that he must leave Denae alone?"

"There was no misunderstanding me."

"And he was in pain when he left?"

"I'm pretty sure his head and shoulder hurt him for a couple of days."

Sam sat back down and looked down at the floor. He took a few breaths and then looked up at Bill. "Bill, I must thank you. I am grateful for what you did for my Denae. I could not be there. But you were. I'll never forget that."

Bill was relieved. His immediate problem seemed to be solved. "Sir, you don't need to thank me. I can't abide anyone hurting Denae in any way."

Sam nodded. "I believe you, Bill. I believe you would never let anyone hurt my sweet girl."

Sensing an opening to be bold, Bill asked Sam if he would promise not to mention to Denae that he slipped up and told him about the Derek incident. He explained that he thought that Denae had already shared it with him. But since she had not, he felt bad breaking his promise to her to keep the episode secret. Sam appreciated the position Bill was in and said that since he felt confident that Bill would protect Denae from Derek, he did not feel the need to ask Denae about any of it. But he did want Bill to promise him he would look out for his little girl for the remainder of college.

Sam then asked Bill to get them two more of what would wind up being many beers. Neither man wound up putting a hook in the water; rather they talked and drank, and drank and talked. At one point Sam asked Bill about his father, admitting he imagined it must have been hard growing up without a father. Bill told him a little of what he could remember about his dad.

At one point, Bill reached into the cooler again for two more beers but found there were no more. Secretly, he was glad, realizing he was on the verge of full-fledged intoxication. At hearing the beer was gone, Sam announced he had a solution and got up and made his way down into the cabin. He was slightly unsteady as he walked. He returned with a bottle of bourbon and two glasses. Once reseated, he poured a drink for each of them; the first of several.

By now the sun was high in the sky and Bill guessed it was about mid-day. He was a little hungry. He and Sam had talked about a wide range of things and, somewhere along the way, had begun trading dirty jokes. Their laughter was caused in equal parts by the jokes and the alcohol. Sam suggested that they head back in and get some lunch at the marina. Bill was glad to get something to eat and thought there would be a break from the drinking, but that was not the case. Sam ordered beers for each of them and the jokes and laughter continued through lunch.

Around two o'clock, Denae, Serena and Cheryl were sitting by the pool at the Rapallinos. They had spent the morning getting massages and facials and enjoyed a light lunch at the Rapallinos' country club. They all agreed it was fitting to continue their relaxation at home, sitting in the sun and having margaritas.

It was another warm Fall day and the ladies were soaking up the sun in their swimsuits. Serena and Cheryl wore one-piece swimsuits while Denae had on a bikini. Her bikini was very conservative by her standards, but racy by most standards. Denae made sure to mention that Cheryl and Serena looked very sexy in their swimsuits.

The three were chatting away when they heard some loud talking from inside the house. Serena recognized Sam's voice booming away. She looked at Denae and Cheryl and said, "It sounds like the men are home."

All three ladies turned their attention to the back door of the house. As it opened, Sam was talking to Bill and said, "That's fine. We will just play though," at which they both laughed loudly.

The pair stepped through the door and were unsteady as they walked out onto the concrete pool deck, obviously drunk. Denae shook her head and laughed. Cheryl just looked at the two of them. Serena jumped up off her lounge chair and began speaking to Sam in Italian, raising her voice and waiving her hands about. Sam argued back, also in Italian. As this was going on, Bill eased over and sat at the end of the lounge chair Denae was on. She pulled her legs up, bending at the knees to make room for him. He continued to pay attention to the Rapallinos, but he also noticed how attractive Denae looked in her bikini.

Cheryl looked over at Denae, who whispered a translation to her through closed lips as if she were a ventriloquist. "Mama is upset Papa got drunk. She's saying it was irresponsible of him to drive Bill in his condition. She says he is embarrassing her in front of us. He is saying that he is not drunk and that everything is fine and she is overreacting."

"Am I in trouble too?" Bill whispered to Denae.

She smiled and whispered back, "Not with Mama. But I'm not so sure where you stand your mom and me right now."

Cheryl stifled a laugh and took a sip of her drink. The Rapallinos continued their argument with Serena doing most of the talking. As it went on, Sam grew quieter and said less.

"So, my father was telling you dirty jokes, huh?" Denae quietly asked Bill.

"He knows quite a few," he replied as he rested an arm on her bent knees.

The argument mercifully died down and Serena sat back down while Sam went into the house. Turning to the others, Serena said, "I apologize for that. I don't know what gets into that man sometimes."

Cheryl got up and said she needed to use the little girls' room. Serena also got up and said she should figure out what she could make for dinner since Sam and Bill had come home without any fish. This left Denae and Bill alone on the lounge chair. He moved over to the lounge next to his girlfriend.

"Well, if Papa is telling you dirty jokes, I guess you managed to get in good with him. I told you you had nothing to worry about," Denae remarked.

Looking at her, Bill replied, "I like your dad. He's a nice man. And he cares for you and your mother very much." After a pause he added, "You look really good in a bikini. This is the first time I've seen you in one."

"Yeah, I guess it is, huh? There's not much cause to wear them up at school, but around here they're kinda a uniform." Holding her harms out to afford him an unobstructed view, she asked, "What do you think?"

"I like it. A lot." He continued looking her over. "Ya know, at first it freaked me out so I haven't said anything for a while, but you are very beautiful."

She smiled. "Thank you. It's nice to hear once in a while."

Denae asked for more detail on Bill's outing with her dad. He told her they talked the whole time but did not do any fishing.

"And I didn't know you were a preemie baby. That shocked me."

"Huh. I never think about it. Of course, I don't remember that."

"While we're alone, I need to tell you something."

"Sure."

"I may have accidentally told your dad about Derek."

Her eyes grew big and she got very serious and sat up. "You did what? I can't believe you'd do that. What's wrong with you?"

"I know. I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. He used some sorta Svengali thing. It was like a Jedi mind trick. Before I knew it, I let it slip."

Shaking her head, she deflated and calmly said, "Oh shit. He'll probably want to pull me out of school now."

Bill explained to Denae that after he had relayed the story to her dad, he calmed him down and assured him that there was no need to worry for Denae's safety. Bill also told Denae that her dad agreed not to let on that he was aware the events had ever transpired.

"So, you're both supposed to pretend the other doesn't know."

After digesting all this information for a few seconds, Denae turned to Bill. "So, you got my Papa to let me believe he doesn't know? And he's trusting you to take care of me so I can stay at school?"

"Yeah. I guess that's the way it turned out."

She took a sip of her drink. "Wow. You must have really won his trust. Nicely done. He doesn't usually take to people."

Bill was pleased to hear he was likely making a good impression on Mr. Rapallino. He thought back on the time on the boat, replaying conversations in his head to make sure he had not said anything that would give the man cause to dislike or distrust him. As he was reviewing that in his mind, he recalled Denae's visit the previous night.

"Hey, since I confessed to slipping up to your dad, is there anything you want to tell me?"

She cocked her head. "What are you talking about?"

"I know I was half asleep last night, but did you say something about my mom?"

Denae realized Bill had caught her own slip up about Cheryl's knowledge of their sexual interlude at the pond. "Oh that. Well, your mom knows you're fucking me."

"What?" he asked in a pained voice. "Did you tell her that?"

"No. She figured it out. Back at your farm, she could tell when we got back from the pond."

He hung his head low. "Couldn't you have just denied it?"

"I did. But she had us dead to rights -- she pulled leaves and sticks off me. I put my sweater on inside out too. I didn't even notice."

"Crap."

"Well, she knows. And the cool thing is she doesn't care. So, don't worry about it. She's pretending not to know for your sake. But she knows. And she knows I know she knows. But she doesn't know you know she knows. So, you should just leave it alone," she scolded him.

He tried making sense of that but could not. "Knock it off. You're giving me a headache."

####

Dinner that evening was pasta with sauce Serena made from cheese she had in the refrigerator and spices she kept on hand. There was also salad. Despite not having any fish to prepare she still turned out a meal that everyone enjoyed. The ladies had wine while Bill and Sam stuck with water.

After dinner, while they were all visiting the in the family room, Denae asked Bill if he would like to walk up the beach in the hopes of seeing Sea Turtles hatch. He was intrigued by this and eagerly agreed. She suggested he grab a light jacket. While he was out at the cabana doing that, she changed into some short running shorts and a Mount William College zip up hoodie that left some of her midriff uncovered. She did not bother with shoes since they would be walking in the sand. Bill had already gotten back by the time she came back downstairs. She had a blanket over her shoulder.

Bill liked how she looked wearing only the short hoodie and tight shorts. While he liked how she looked in a bikini, he realized she looked sexy in anything she wore. "Will we need a blanket?" he asked in front of everyone.

"Yeah. We don't want crabs popping up from the sand underneath us while we wait. The blanket would provide some padding if one was to come up where we are sitting," she answered as she retrieved the flashlight from the kitchen.

They headed out the back door and out to the beach through the gate on the far side of the pool. Denae led them to the right or north. He offered to relieve her of the blanket, and she gladly unloaded it on him. With each of them carrying one item, they were able to hands as they walked. Bill mentioned again that Denae lived in paradise.

They walked quite a way up the beach to an area with no houses. She led them away from the surf up where the sand had piled up and grass grew in spots. "Here we are. This is the spot," Denae announced.

Bill looked around and noticed there was light from the crescent moon and some light coming from distant houses. He started to spread the blanket out at the base of a small sand hill. "This would really be cool to see turtles hatch."

He heard Denae drop the flashlight in the sand and just as he had gotten the last corner laid down, he saw Denae's hoodie land in the middle of the blanket in a heap. He sat down on the blanket and turned around to see her sliding her shorts down her legs. She removed them and tossed them on the blanket with her hoodie. She was completely naked. Bill stared at her, pleased, but puzzled.

Standing in front of him with her hands on her hips, in a matter-of-fact tone, she commented, "Since you're not from around here, you wouldn't know. Turtle season ended already."

She sat down beside him. "No turtles, huh? That's a shame," he replied.

"Nope. So, why don't you get your clothes off and kiss me. In no particular order."

He opted to kiss her first. It was a long kiss, during which they laid down beside each other on the blanket. She gently held his face with her hands, and he let his hands roam around her back and butt. After the kiss, they worked together to get his jacket, t-shirt and shorts off. Then they made love on the beach, switching positions a few times before they both reached orgasm.

Bill was on top of Denae when they climaxed. He relaxed and let himself rest on her and she held him close. After a few seconds, he started to raise himself up, but she stopped him.

"Oh. Don't pull out yet."

"Huh?"

"Careful. I don't want anything leaking out on the blanket. I'd have a hard time explaining a stain."

Denae reached a hand underneath and suggested they both scoot toward the edge of the blanket. With not small amount of effort, they managed to reach the edge and she gave him the 'go ahead' to withdraw. He rolled off her and onto the blanket on his back with a groan. She rolled the rest of the way off the blanket onto the sand, keeping her hand in place. Once on the sand, she got up on her knees and removed her hand, letting is load trickle out of her.

"I gotta clean up a bit. Want to join me?" she asked him.

"What?"

She nodded toward the water. "Wanna get in the water with me?"

He indicated that it would be risky in terms of being seen and being potential shark bait.

She looked up and down the beach. "There's no one around. And there aren't any sharks."

He was still reluctant.

"Suit yourself, wuss," she teased as she headed for the water.

He watched her walk across the sand and into the surf, going until she was about knee-deep. She then started using her hands to splash the sea water between her legs. After rinsing herself a couple of times, she stepped out further until the water was deep enough for her to drop down up to her chest. She hovered there for a few seconds before standing back up. She waved him out, but he waved back indicating he would be a minute.

He pulled on his shorts and headed toward Denae and the water. He stopped, however at the water's edge.

"You coming in? The water's warmer than the air." She had to raise her voice as she was several yards out into the water and there was the noise of the wind and the water.

"Nah. I just came down in case you ran into trouble. I'm staying right here unless help is needed."

She continued dropping down into the water, holding her hair up to avoid getting it wet. After a couple more minutes, she began walking back out of the water toward where Bill was standing. Neither Denae or Bill had noticed two people walking up the beach from the north along the edge of the surf. Denae emerged from the water just as the couple was only a few feet away. When they saw her, they stopped. Her surprise at seeing them caused her to stop involuntarily. When she realized there was no way out of her predicament, she merely waved and said hello. They returned her greeting and resumed walking, which brought them even closer to her and Bill. They stopped again and now Denae, Bill and the couple were all staring, mostly at Denae. The couple were clearly older, likely retirees. They did not look shocked or annoyed by Denae's nudity. Instead, they seemed amused.

"Nice night, isn't it?" the woman asked, looking at Denae.

Denae made no attempt to cover herself, since the two people had already gotten a good look at her. "Yes. I wanted to go for a swim, but my boyfriend here is scared of sharks," Denae quipped, motioning to Bill.

The man looked confused. "If there are any sharks, they'd be small and not interested in either of you."

"He's from the hills of North Carolina, so he's got crazy ideas about sharks," Denae explained.

"Sorry we interrupted you two. We'll just be back on our way," the woman stated. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

She tugged on her companions arm and they resumed their trek along the beach, passing between Bill and Denae.

"Take care," Denae called after them.

Denae and Bill calmly walked back to the blanket back by the small sand hill. Once back at the blanket, they both laughed. He sat down on the blanket again and she remained standing.

"Do you want to dry off with the blanket?" he offered.

"No. I'll air dry. Mama might ask questions if we brought the blanket back with anything but sand on it."

She started shivering in the cool breeze. Bill got up and held her to try to warm her. A few minutes was all she need before she was dry enough to get back on the blanket with Bill and they rested in each other's arms. Bill was looking at the stars and listening to the water lapping up on the beach. Denae had her head resting on his chest.

"Despite not seeing any turtles, this was nice," he finally said.

She playfully slapped his chest and raised up to look him in the face. "Even though I'm not a blonde with big tits?" she asked with a laugh.