Serendipity 23: Family Ties

I returned to the kitchen, and when the kid's came out later (fully clothed, thankfully!), they just matter-of-factly said "Hi, Mom -- didn't know you were home," and proceeded with their usual after-school routines.

Needless to say, that night, as soon as everyone was in bed, I closed our bedroom door and related to Ted, as simply as I could, what I had witnessed. Ted took it all calmly, waiting until I had a chance to finish everything. He didn't fly off the handle, didn't threaten to "murder those kids," didn't go off on a rant on how sick or perverted or "wrong" this was. Instead, he asked, as I knew he would, "So, it didn't look like anyone was being forced? Or coerced, or tricked?" (Notice, he didn't immediately assume that it was Eddie forcing Shana to do something -- he knew how strong-willed his younger daughter was.) And we talked. And the more we talked, the more we decided that we wouldn't do anything right now. That no one had been hurt -- yet -- and that it might be just some sort of short-lived experimentation.

Ted also brought up something I hadn't thought of -- that kids do this, and if they're going to do it, maybe it's better that Shana and Eddie do it with each other rather than with other families' children, at our home instead of someplace else.

But one thing Ted wasn't sure of was what to make of Eddie's gestures of tenderness toward Shana.

* * * * *

The next time something happened, it was a few weeks later -- in fact, school was out for the summer, so the kids had a lot of time around this house. This time, I had finished my errands early and came home to discover them in Eddie's room. His bedroom door had never quite shut properly (I had been reminding -- okay, nagging -- Ted about this for months), and the way they were standing, I could see Shana, completely naked, standing, while a fully-clothed Eddie knelt in front of her, trying to do for her what she had done for him. Because of the difference in boy-girl anatomy, plus the fact Shana is about six inches shorter than Eddie, things were not working too well. Shana was trying to give Eddie guidance, but they just couldn't overcome the anatomical limitations.

Strangely, I found myself a little pleased -- that this time, it was the girl who was being served.

Well, our hope that it had been a one-time experiment didn't work out, so I felt it was time for some parental intervention.

I gave a soft, perfunctory knock, then gently pushed the door open and took a step into the room. "Whatcha two kids doin'?"

Eddie, startled, began to be embarrassed and to panic, but Shana replied, simply, "Eddie's trying to make me feel good, the way I do for him."

["Do?" As in, "more than one time" do??]

"Oh, and how's it working?"

The answer: "Not so good," but it was still something they enjoyed. I started talking with them about where they got the idea (it was just something that seemed like it would be nice), and if any of their friends did it (probably), or talked about it (yes, Eddie's friends did snicker and joke about "blow jobs," and one of the "more advanced" girls in Shana's class knew about girls putting their mouths on boys' weenies and "kissing" them there).

And I talked to them about not doing it "too much" or "too often" -- although I had a hard time answering Shana's questions of "Why?" -- and that it would be best if they didn't tell any of their friends or classmates about it, and that they should only do it in their own home. They seemed to get the idea that, maybe, this wasn't a widely-shared practice.

And then, for some reason I still don't understand to this day, I confided to them, "You know, it works better if Shana sits or lies down on the bed and spreads her legs a bit."

"Cool!" Shana exclaimed.

"But in the meantime, why don't you two get dressed and see what your friends are doing today?"

"Okay," Eddie said, "but Shane, we gotta try that laying-down thing the next time."

Oh, lordy!

* * * * *

Before I could relate my latest discovery to Ted, Caleen came home from her summertime softball practice. For some reason, I wondered if she might know more about her brother and sister's lives than Ted or I did. We sat down at the kitchen table for glasses of after-practice lemonade, and I carefully asked her, "Did you know that Shana and Eddie were fooling around with each other -- sexually?"

Caleen smiled. "Sure -- I knew."

"How long have you known?"

"Can't remember, exactly. Several months, I guess."

"How did you find out?"

"I can't really remember what I was doing, but I saw them standing there in Shana's room with their pants off, playing with each other."

"Did you say anything to them?"

"Yeah, I knocked on the door and then went in. I asked what they were doing, and I told them that it might be best if they do it in private, with the door closed."

"Did it look to you like anyone was being forced, or tricked into doing anything?"

"Nah -- in fact, it looked like both of 'em were pretty much into it."

I don't think that's precisely the kind of reassurance I was looking for. Then I asked Caleen,

"So,...how do you feel about that ...?"

Caleen gave me a big smile and said, "I think in the Army they say, 'That's above my pay grade.'"

Then another thought struck me, and before I could stop myself, I blurted, "Did you and Paul ever ...?"

She smiled again and impishly replied, "Don't ask, don't tell!"

And with that, she popped up, kissed me on the cheek, and bounced off to take her shower.

God, I love my kids -- all of them. I'm so lucky.

* * * * *

The months passed, and there were no more incidents where I discovered Eddie and Shana in flagrante, so to speak. In fact, I didn't even know if they were still playing their games, or if it had just been a 'phase,' and that the phase had passed.

It was about a year after the last time I 'caught' them, I guess you'd say, when I arrived home one day to hear some "strange noises" coming from Shana's room. Like the first time, her door was mostly open, and in the reflection in the mirror on her open closet door, this is what I saw: Shana, narrow, boyish hips, tight round butt, nipples hard on her puffy little breasts, riding up and down on Eddie, and it was obvious that his once-little cock -- which appeared to have grown noticeably in the past year -- was inside Shana. Shana was bracing her hands on Eddie's shoulders, a look of concentration on her face as she bounced up and down on him.

Eddie was lying there, on his back, of course. He didn't move much, mainly because Shana's hands were pinning his shoulders to the bed. He seemed to be instinctively arching his hips upward to meet Shana's movements. His expression -- what's the best way to describe it -- was "calm," with his eyes either closed or half-closed.

Shana also seemed to know -- instinctively, or perhaps through experimentation -- that tilting her hips forward a certain way increased the contact between her clitoris and Eddie's cock, and that that "felt better," for some reason.

As I was watching, Shana stopped suddenly, and then her pelvis jerked -- once, then a second time, then a third. After what was obviously her orgasm was done, she fell forward to lay on Eddie. Then, she did something I was totally unprepared for. She lifted her head and gently kissed Eddie's bony chest. Then she placed her hand on the spot she had just kissed and lay back down on him.

And that was when Eddie put one arm around her shoulders, the other gently around her head -- and tenderly kissed the top of her head.

It was beautiful, actually. But it also frightened me, because I realized that we weren't just dealing with a couple of horny adolescents test-driving their new hormones. There was a lot more going on here.

Of course, I told Ted that night, along with my own interpretation of what was going on.

"Ted, I think they're in love with each other."

Ted didn't have a reply for me.

* * * * *

I cornered Caleen the next chance I had and came straight to the point. "Did you know that Shana and Eddie were ...." Despite the fact that I had this all planned out, I found myself fumbling for words, " ... having intercourse?"

Caleen sighed, like she knew this conversation was going to happen but really didn't want it to.

"Yeah, a week ago I heard some noises -- grunts, I guess -- inside Eddie's room. I knocked but I didn't get any answer, so I opened the door slowly and peeked in, and Shane was on top of Eddie, and they were -- doing it."

At that moment, I felt sorry for Caleen, having to have this conversation, and having to rat on her brother and sister. But I felt I really didn't have any option.

"Did you say anything?"

"Well -- I wasn't sure exactly how to react, so I just backed out of the room quietly and let them finish ... what they were doing. Then I waited a few minutes and knocked on the door, and one of them said come in, and I went in and I talked with them and asked if they understood what they were doing, and that it's something that's usually reserved -- I don't think I said 'reserved,' but something like that -- for when they're older, and stuff like that."

"And ...," I hesitated here, because my heart was in my throat at the thought of what I had to say next, "... did you bring up the matter of pregnancy ...?"

Here, Caleen was more comfortable than I think I ever would have been. "Yeah, I talked with them about condoms, and they already knew about those, and I told them that they really ought to talk with you and Dad about it, but if they couldn't, they should talk to me and I'd -- I'd see what I could do."

Then she added, uncertainly, "Did I do all right, Mom?"

At that moment, I wanted to take my eldest daughter in my arms and hug her to me and never let go. But what I did was say, "You did perfectly, Darling. If it were me, I don't think I could have handled it any better, or maybe even as well. You did perfectly."

Caleen's relief was obvious, but then she asked, "So, ...what're you and Dad gonna do?"

"I wish I knew, Sweetheart, I wish I knew. But your Dad and I will talk, and we'll figure it out, somehow. And thank you for being such a good big sister."

* * * * *

About a month after Caleen and I talked, Lauren stopped over for a cup of coffee. All right -- for a gin-and-tonic. Anyhow, after a few minutes of the usual idle chatter, she mentioned that Shana and Eddie had stopped over at their place (not unusual) and wanted to talk with her about something (not so usual).

"Eddie and Shana stopped by a couple of days ago. Said they wanted to talk with me about something. Or maybe it was about 'some things.' Mainly, they had a lot of questions about how Matthew and I ... 'discovered' each other, and how we knew ... how we knew."

"Can you tell me any more ...?"

"When they were just about finished, I asked them if I could tell you they came over to talk with me. They said I could, but I kind of got the feeling that I should respect their confidence, their privacy. Maybe, if you want to, you might ask them yourself about what we talked about."

As always, Lauren knew exactly the right thing to do and say -- and not say.

I thanked her for letting me know, we chatted some more (over a second G&T -- we shouldn't have, but ya' gotta indulge yourself sometimes, right?), and then she went home to try to convince someone else -- Matthew, Paul, Jane -- anyone! -- to cook dinner.

It was the next day that Shana and Eddie and I found ourselves alone in the house. I put out some juice and trail mix for us, and then, sort of casually, I hoped, said,

"Aunt Lauren mentioned that you and she talked about a bunch of stuff Thursday." And left it there.

Eddie looked at Shana, and there seemed to be some understanding that passed between them. Eddie answered. "Yeah, Shane and me -- Shane and I -- wanted to know how she and Uncle Matt got together."

"And did she tell you?"

"Kinda."

"What made you think of asking her that -- now?"

"I dunno. It's just that she and Uncle Matt just seem to be real happy together -- kinda like you and Dad -- and we were curious, that's all."

"So, Aunt Lauren and Uncle Matt seem happy together?"

Shana added, "Yeah. Like, you know, it's not like they're always laughing and making jokes and stuff. But they always seem to be calm and kind of contented, and they have this thing, like they know they're supposed to be together, y'know? And we just wanted to know how they knew."

"And was Aunt Lauren able to tell you?"

Eddie replied, "Kinda. But kinda not. She just said that she saw how he was kind and honest, and how good he was to Aunt Jane, and that ... somehow, she knew."

Then Shana completely blindsided me with her next comment. "And they're obviously very sexually compatible."

After I recovered from the surprise of that unexpected observation, I asked her, "And how would you know about sexual compatibility?" (I almost added, "young lady," but that would have sounded way too, well, parental.)

"From you and Dad."

"What? How ...?"

They looked at each other, and I'd swear, the two little shits actually smirked!

Shana answered, "Because it's so obvious -- you two are crazy about each other, that's how."

I was flabbergasted. They were right, of course, but I just had no idea that they'd managed to put those particular pieces together.

Eddie went on, "That's the best sex education in the world. We can find out about anatomy and physiology and techniques ..."

[Techniques??]

"...lotsa places, but seeing two people who are really into each other -- that's awesome!"

Shana added, "Look, we think it's neat that you and Dad are that way -- we're really lucky."

And before I could recover from this totally unexpected turn, Eddie announced, "Shane and me gotta get to band practice. Shane and I. Love you, Mom."

And off they went, leaving me sitting there, well, stupefied. I had no idea they'd even been thinking about these kinds of things, let alone the fact that they had apparently thought about them in such depth. But as I sat there, still pondering the conversation, I was struck by one, very clear realization: That if this was the example that that Ted and I were setting for our children, then we were doing a very fine job indeed.