Shame the Summer Skies

"Marnie," I said, just before I bent over to take one of those wonderful breasts in my mouth, "you are a beautiful woman. I'm so lucky you want to be with me."

"Paul, I'm not beautiful. Mom's beautiful. I'm okay, I guess, and maybe better looking than I thought if you still want me after all this time."

"Sweetheart, in my eyes you are the best looking woman around. You glow. Something about you makes me want to keep you forever. I always want to be with you, dear."

Marnie pulled me down and kissed me, fiercely, now, her tongue thrusting past my teeth as once more she explored my mouth. I returned her attentions. My hands wandered over her breasts, teasing her nipples into their rubbery hardness. I slid my hands down to unfasten her shorts.

Marnie broke the kiss to shower my neck and shoulders with little fast kisses, licks and nips as my head dove for her breasts, suckling on one, then the other, as I drew the whole of the sweetness into my mouth. I slid my hands into her shorts, over the precious roundness of her buttocks. Marnie's eyes widened as I let go of her breasts to focus on getting her fully naked with me once more.

A heavy hand dropped on my shoulder and threw me onto the floor.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Dad's voice roared. "Are you trying to rape your sister, you fucking pervert?"

Marnie scrambled back on the bed, her hand seeking the shirt Dad held in his hand.

"You perverted incestual slug. Get your ass the fuck out of my house. You've got five minutes and then I'm going to kick your ass up between your ears. Assaulting my poor little darling like that!"

I figured it was the wrong time to tell him his "poor little darling" had been an eager participant. Who knew what he'd try to do to Marnie if I challenged him in any way? He was way too big for me to fight, and I just sped off to my room to pack. I knew Dad would never back down on the expulsion order. I was just glad he'd already paid for college. It seemed pretty clear the monthly cheques were going to go missing.

Dad cuddled up to Marnie, ignoring for the moment her half naked state, or so I thought.

"I'll make sure Paul isn't around to force you to do nasty things," he murmured. Marnie's eyes told me to get moving.

"Let me have my shirt, Dad."

***

That was the last I saw of Marnie for nearly two years. She e-mailed regularly, as we had in the past, mostly banalities, but always ending "Love". I made it through my master's, doing well despite the need for a part-time job, work marking first year papers to keep a roof over my head and, sometimes, food in my belly. Marnie sent me what she could afford from Dad's allowance, though he'd cut it back, probably anticipating she might send me something. Sophie, bless her, also kept in touch and occasionally managed to scrape a bit together for me.

When I came back, Sophie told me exactly what had happened just before everything blew up. She had suspected that our relationship, Marnie's and mine, was closer than a brother and sister relationship should be. We were just too good to each other. We didn't fight, even a little. We were a touch too close and loving. I was no longer jealous of Marnie, even when Dad gave her the car our first Christmas. I was just happy for her. It wasn't natural.

Early in that last summer, Sophie was home when we were sure she was out, and heard us making love. It didn't surprise her, at that point. She was suspicious by then of Dad's attentions to Marnie, and she could see herself being abandoned for her daughter. Rather than turn against Marnie, and perhaps drive her into Dad's arms - I always thought Sophie was a smart woman - she did what she could to cover for us. So far as she could tell, Marnie had no idea of Dad's eventual intentions. If Marnie stayed focussed on me, at worst the business with Dad would be a passing infatuation.

Then, near the end of that last summer together, Dad and Sophie had one of their mad screaming fights, the ones that lasted half a day. There were only about three or four a year. I guess this one was over his infidelities. They usually were.

"I don't care if you're screwing the ass off Clarissa Anderson, but I'm not having her in the house."

"I'm not. If I were, it's because you're getting fat and ugly." That wasn't true. Sophie was still damned good looking. "You should take some lessons from your daughter."

"You keep your hands and your eyes off Marnie, you perverted bastard."

"She loves me, unlike you. Was the tennis instructor last summer a good lay?"

"Better than Susan Fleer, I'll bet. She looks like she's got a broomstick stuck up her ass. Did you get splinters when you fucked her?"

"I'll bet Marnie moans like you used to do."

"You stay away from Marnie. She belongs to Paul, and she loves him." Oh shit, that just slipped out.

"You're lying to me."

"Of course I am, just like you lied about that bitch Clarissa."

Things got worse, but at least nothing more was said about us.

Sophie had done as good a job at covering up as she could, but the suspicion had been planted, and soon enough Dad detected the same kind of signs as Sophie had. That was what prompted him to lie in wait for us that day.

When I graduated from the master's, no one there again, I got an entry-level job with the firm I'd connected with doing my thesis work. With a master's I should have been higher, and the firm's partners told me as much, but there wasn't anything else available at the time. Perhaps later, when things got better.

According to what I was told later, once I was gone Dad started to make it really obvious that he wanted Marnie. He petted her, he spoiled her, he made suggestive comments. Most of the time, Marnie neither recoiled nor did she encourage him. As far as she could, she tried to be oblivious to his attentions. Sophie kept as close a watch as she could, and their fights got pretty bad when Marnie was home.

Much of the time, fortunately, Marnie was away at college. The first Christmas without me she managed to avoid Dad most of the time, and then she stayed at college for the study break. That summer she found a job in her field, a necessary part of obtaining her eventual certification, a couple of hundred miles from the university, but about twelve hundred miles from home. She was home for a few days before heading back for her final year, but Sophie kept a close eye on her and Dad had no chance to do more than kiss her inappropriately once or twice.

Her second Christmas without me was a lot more wearing on her nerves, I gather. Dad would rub her ass whenever he went by. He gave her sexy lingerie for Christmas and invited her to show him whether it fit and how it looked. I never saw it, so I can't say just how bad it really was. Sophie almost blew a gasket, though, so I think it was pretty bad. Marnie stayed at university for study break, and then came graduation. Dad and Sophie went the thousand miles to see her cross the stage, which was pretty good. I was there, too, but I couldn't let Marnie know until later. I was immensely proud of my little sister, the light of my life.

Dad pulled a string or two to make sure Marnie got a job locally so she could live at home. Jobs for everybody were scarce that year, and the one Dad arranged was Marnie's only offer.

Marnie had been home maybe two weeks when Sophie called me.

"Paul, Marnie needs you. Now. Get your ass back here, pronto." She didn't explain. I had some vacation coming so I called my boss and I was on the road half an hour after Sophie hung up. It would probably take me ten hours. Given airline schedules, it was almost as fast as flying, and I'd have the car. My car wasn't a beater any more. It wasn't a lot, but it was reliable.

I had no idea what I was needed for, but I trusted Sophie, and I'd do anything for Marnie, anything at all.

You know, now that I'm back home, I'm not too sure what's likely to happen.

I pulled up behind Marnie's car. Marnie came hurtling out of the house.

"Paul, Paul, thank God, Paul," she yelled at me. Nice to be wanted, especially by the love of your life, but this looked bad. This wasn't "I want your dick." This was "Save me from the grizzly." Maybe I haven't told you yet that I'm not all that big. Or strong. I was about three inches taller than Marnie and not much more than ten pounds heavier. She was kind of skinny. So was I. My varsity sport was frisbee.

Sophie came to the door, followed by Dad. He looked wild. Sophie had that contented smile she got when she knew she had someone by the short hairs.

"Paul, you and Marnie come sit with us on the patio. I don't think Marnie wants to be under the same roof with your father just now. We have some talking to do, and some planning to do. Your father has to find someplace to live, but he doesn't know it yet.

"Marnie, do you want to tell Paul what happened? No? Then I'd better. He has to know, dear, you can't hide it from him."

"All right, Mom, you're right, but you'll have to tell him. I can't face that just now." Marnie cuddled into my side. It was the most delicious feeling in the world.

"Paul," Sophie started, "thanks for getting here so fast. I knew it was getting bad, but I thought we had another week or ten days. I was going to give you the choice. Either you punch out your father's lights" - he'd have made two of me - "or you get Marnie the hell out of here. Your father - Stan - I won't insult either of you any more by referring to shithead there as your father - took us out of that part of the equation this morning. He attempted to rape your sister. Between us we fought him off. This cell phone has a text message to the police ready to go if for any reason whatever I feel threatened. That's why the old bastard is so quiet.

"The place isn't crawling with cops just now because I think we're all going to be able to negotiate a better deal if that threat is hanging over him, but I'm going to do all right even if they throw him in the can. Not quite as well, perhaps, but well enough. So I'm ready to press the button if things don't go pretty much my way. Stan says it's blackmail, and it is, pretty damn good blackmail, too. Trying to rape your daughter ought to get you ten years anyway. After they get a look at Marnie, I'd put money on fifteen, myself." I could see Dad flinching at each word. He thought Sophie was right.

"I'm going to keep the house. That's why your - Stan - has to find somewhere else to live, right now. I wonder if the secretary you're fucking these days will take you in, Stan?"

Dad - Stan - said nothing.

"We're getting divorced, no surprise. I'm going to get at least half of everything I can find. Since I'm sure there's a pile I'll never find, I think I'll hold out for two-thirds. I also want enough for each of you to get you started. Then I want ten thousand a month for life. What do you say to that, Stan?"

"You'll never get that much, you bitch."

"I'll get that much or I'll get half your assets and you won't have an income. Instead you'll get ten to life."

Stan - I was surprised how quickly I was able to de-familize my ex-father - choked, tried to talk, grimaced, and nodded abruptly.

"Done," he managed to squeeze out.

"I want the money for the kids now, this minute, before you leave."

"Where do you expect . . ."

"In the safe in the study," she cut him off.

Dad very reluctantly got to his feet to go into the study. Sophie followed close on his heels, thumb hovering over the send button on her phone.

"If you split everything in there between them, I won't count it as a divisible asset. Play any games and you're in jail."

They were only gone a few minutes. While they were gone, I asked Marnie:

"Are you all right, sweetheart?"

"Yes, I'll be all right now. It was just so wonderful to see you getting out of the car, like a knight come for his damsel in distress. God, Paul, it was so good to see you. It's just bloody wonderful to have you here. I'll be all right now.

"It was pretty much the way Sophie described it. I was still in bed when Dad came in and told me it was time to take care of him, to pay for all the things he'd given me over the years. I wasn't fully awake, I guess, or I wouldn't have snapped back at him. Maybe it wouldn't have made any difference. I just told him that he'd given me all that stuff to salve his conscience for not giving me any love and affection while I was growing up. Until I said that, I didn't know how true it was.

"Anyway, he just said he'd take what he was owed, even if his stupid prick of a son had been there before him, and he threw the covers on the floor and started to unfasten his trousers, and I screamed.

"Mom came running, thank heaven, and between us we held him off until she got her phone armed with that message. She told me you were on the way, and we were going to hurt him more than any jail time could. She was steaming, not for the infidelity to her, but for what he had contemplated doing to his child, her child, too. I know she screws around, Paul, but Mom's good people."

"Yes, she is, sweetheart. Mom's good people, and Stan is trash."

"Got that right, Paul." Mom had come back with Stan in tow.

"Cough up," she directed Stan, "every last cent. I don't care if you can't afford a hotel. You've got your credit cards, anyway, except for the ones I signed for, too. You saw me destroy those. I won't run any debt up on you, but you're stuck with whatever's owing as of now."

Dad - Stan - had a pile of cash. I guess it had been in the safe. He thrust it all at Mom. A ten, or something, fell out of the heap as he passed it over.

"All of it, Stan, every last bit."

Stan bent over, cursed Sophie for a greedy bitch, and handed her the note.

Sophie counted it out into two equal piles.

"There's ten left over."

Marnie was faster than I was.

"That's yours, Mom. It's a poor excuse for a commission, but you'll make out."

"Fair enough." Mom made a real production out of tucking it into her bra. Marnie and I both laughed at her, which I guess was the point.

She handed the keys to the Caddie over to Stan.

"That's my set. You get the Caddie. Give me your set of the keys to my car."

Stan fiddled in his pocket for a minute, then handed the keys over.

"Now your spare set for Marnie's car."

Stan found those faster.

"Go. If you set foot on this property again, I'll see you in jail if it's the last thing I do in this life. We'll pile your stuff at the edge of the street."

Dad had a small case which I guess held necessaries. I hadn't seen him pack it. Maybe Sophie had. If so, I hoped it held the pink pyjamas I knew he hated.

"Okay, you two. There's a fair pile here for each of you. I don't really know how much. Give me a couple of hours of your time to help move Stan's stuff, then I'll give you an hour to pack for yourselves, we'll grab something to eat, then I want you gone for at least a month. We're safe enough if the witnesses are spread out, but I don't trust your father if the only people who could send him to prison are all in one place. After that, you're welcome here anytime. You're my kids. This is your home. I'm your Mom. That goes for you, Paul, too. Marnie's not my only child. You know I know what's going on. I want you to know that you are welcome here singly or together.

"I won't pretend and say I'm fine with it. I'm not. But that doesn't change the fact that you're my kids, and I want to see you, and I really don't give a good goddamn what you do with each other as long as I can see my kids. Maybe it's the only way the two of you can be happy, and if that's what it takes, it's up to you. I can't wave a magic wand and make you happy. You have to do it for yourselves, and if this is what works for you, it's not for me to deny you that happiness.

"Come on, smile, let's go pack that bastard's stuff. I'm not going to mention what's going on between you again. All you need to do is to remember I'm your Mom, and you're always, always welcome in your home."

Marnie was a little taken aback, but it was no surprise to me. Sophie - Mom - was good people.

***

Well, what were we going to do now?

Marnie's certification was portable, thank heaven. Mine was recognized in a couple of other jurisdictions thanks to reciprocal agreements. Dad wasn't going to lay charges against us. Even if he did, any judge would just rap our knuckles and tell us to stop. Yeah, it was illegal, but with a huge "Who Cares?" button on it since we were well over the age of consent. We had Stan on attempted rape and incest, and Sophie would testify. So far it had been agreed that Sophie would get the house. Sophie told us she planned to get a lot more. Stan's bargaining position was down the tubes, but I would put a lot of money on him having secret off-shore accounts. Mom would probably do pretty well out of just what she could find around home, though. We both promised to testify if she needed us.

Everything had blown up on us. When we slept, we just cuddled, even after nearly two years apart. Our minds were too unsettled to think of sex. Being able to sleep, even just to sleep, with each other was wonderful. We'd never had a chance to do that before. We hadn't yet absorbed that forever had started, now.

I had my job that I got through a couple of contacts from my thesis work. We each had the pile of cash we'd got from Stan, but Marnie was reluctant to touch hers. We still hadn't counted it. Marnie put the word out that she was available for hire. She'd done well, and more important had made a lot of friends who thought highly of her. Through a friend of a friend she managed to get some part-time work. Assuming we could survive until our paycheques started coming in, we would be all right.

The room I'd been living in wasn't anything like big enough for the two of us, but we had to squeeze in, because there weren't any available apartments until the next month. Being squeezed in with Marnie wasn't much of a hardship for me, though. Stan's money could cover first month's rent, last month's rent and a damage deposit for any of the half decent apartments we looked at. Actually there was probably a lot more money than that. I peeled the money off and it didn't make a dent. We'd have to have some money for furnishings, too. There was enough. Neither of us had a credit card. Marnie had had one, but since Dad was a co-signer she'd cut it up. No one was going to lend to someone with no income and no employment record, even though I'd had a job for a year, and by the time we could show that level of solvency we hoped we wouldn't need to borrow. We made it through, fortunately, but we didn't eat much the last couple of days.

It would have been a little easier if Marnie had had Mom's attitude. That bastard had tried to rape her, and the point was to make him pay, and pay, and to enjoy spending the money he hated to give you. I appreciated Mom's point of view enough to have no regrets about digging into Stan's reluctant gift for anything we really had to have. It never occurred to me that Marnie was just sitting on her share, letting me pay for everything. I had access to money we needed, and Marnie actually didn't.

***

I'd been in touch with my birth mother from time to time. She lived a couple of hours away from where we were now. I'd gotten used to just dropping in on her once a month or so. About five weeks after I'd taken Marnie away, when we were pretty well settled in our apartment, with reasonable furnishings and some money of our own in the bank, Marnie and I drove off to see her. I figured it was time to let her know what had happened, and what was happening. I'd grown up with Marnie. It hadn't occurred to me that my mother had never met her.

She and Stan had split when I was a baby. She moved away when he refused to allow her visitation rights. I hadn't seen her again myself until first year college. I guess she must have had a way to keep an eye on me. Probably one of her old friends kept her informed.