Soccer Moms Ch. 13

Coach Quincannon was in her office. She had heard the news and it was she who had sent the office secretary out to find Katie. So when Katie and Melanie appeared at her door she had them come in and offered her condolences.

"Thanks Coach." Katie said almost as a reflex. "Coach, is it okay if I go home for a week or so?"

"Oh, Katie. Look, go home and don't worry about any of the rest of the camps. I hope that you can come back when team practices start but if you still need time by then, call and let me know."

"Thank you, Coach." was her reply.

Katie turned and looked at Melanie and Melanie turned to Coach Quincannon and said "Coach..."

"Yes, Smith, you can go too."

When Carol got home she found Abigail already running a tight ship. A few of the other mothers from the Blue Lightning team were there and Abi was assigning tasks. A number of people had cooked meals and brought them over and they were in the refrigerator or freezer. Someone was even doing laundry. All so that Carol would not have to do anything to be ready for all the people that would be coming to the home. Abi had already made an appointment at the Funeral Home for the day after next so that Katie could be there. She had even put a message on her Mother's Facebook page alerting the world to Paul's tragic death.

The next day someone from Paul's company had stopped by to offer official condolences. As they were preparing to leave, they also asked Carol if she would give them Paul's work computer and any files he had at home. Carol understood the request but wondered now if they would have sent anyone if there had not been something to retrieve.

As she handed everything over she said "It's good to know that the Company is over Paul's death and ready to carry on with his work without him. It's going to take me a bit longer." Once she had ushered the person out the door, she leaned against it and began crying again.

Carol was very thankful to have Abi there with her that first day but she really needed her that second day. Calls from the media wanting to do a story about Paul. Friends and family calling to get information about what had happened. Carol had no wish to relive this by having to tell every cousin and aunt all about the plane crash and so Abi fielded all the calls.

Abi also used the Blue Lightning Brigade (as the team mothers were calling themselves) to pick up Brianna from the bus station. Katie and Melanie arrived later in the day with Carol's car from the airport. The next day the four Rogers women went to the Funeral Home to make all the arrangements. Due to the crash investigation, Paul's remains would not be able to arrive back in town until the following week. He would be formally identified by dental records so at least Carol would not have to go through the horror of trying to identify his body.

It would be a closed casket. There would be an evening at the Funeral Home and then a Church service the following day. Since the grandchildren were too young for any of this, the Blue Lightning Brigade set up a babysitting schedule as well.

The evening at the funeral home was very crowded. There were a number of Paul's old colleagues from work. The Company did not send anyone officially and Carol was glad for that.

There were quite a few Blue Lightning Soccer families that Carol and Paul had known. Some of them came with their daughters and so Abigail, Katie and Melanie all saw some familiar faces as well.

Brianna was a little surprised when a couple came up to her. The husband was tall while the wife was short but not petite. They seemed to know Brianna but she did not recognize them. They introduced themselves as the Henderson's and apparently, they had a daughter who had played lacrosse for one of her high school's rivals. They were somewhat vague on how they knew her parents except for the lacrosse connection. Still, they had kind words for her parents and Brianna was gracious to them as she was to all the people who came to the funeral home.

All three girls got a much bigger surprise when a young woman, with long dark hair came in, looked around, and made a beeline for their mother. When she got to Carol, their mother gave her a huge hug. "Was this some long-lost sister we didn't know about?" wondered Brianna.

Abigail went over to check out who this newcomer was. When she arrived at her mother's side, Carol said "Jessica, this is my oldest daughter, Abigail."

"Nice to meet you Abigail and to be able to put a face to the name. I am so very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you Jessica...?"

Carol realized the faux pas and said "Oh, yes, sorry Jessica Williams. She is friend of your Father's and mine."

Saying that made Carol start to cry again and Jessica immediately hugged her again. Abigail was a bit put out by this stranger (or at least stranger to her) comforting her mother with her mother's daughter right there. Abigail also wrapped an arm around her mother's shoulder as well and Jessica backed off a little.

When Carol recovered, she asked Jessica if she knew about the services tomorrow and was she planning on attending. When Jessica said she was, Carol let her know that there was going to be something at the house afterwards and she hoped that Jessica would come to that so they could talk some more.

Jessica sat down in a seat by herself and Brianna came over to her and introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Brianna Cafferty. I am one of Paul's daughters."

"Oh, hi. My name is Jessica Williams. I am a friend of your Father's. I'm sorry for your loss."

Brianna continued "You were a friend of my Father's?"

"I am a friend of both your parents...was....am. I'm sorry. I am usually better with my words."

"So how do you know my folks?"

"I know this is going to sound weird, but I really don't think I can explain that. If it matters to you at some point you will have to ask your mom."

Jessica's tone was pleasant enough but it was clear that she had told Brianna all she was going to say and so Brianna stood and said "Well, thank you for coming."

When the sisters and Melanie huddled together that night, the prevailing sentiment was that their Father must have had an affair and for some reason their Mother had forgiven him and even become friendly with the other woman. It seemed so unlikely but no other explanation came to mind.

Brianna had her own strange news. The Parents of some girl she used to play against in lacrosse in high school came. She didn't remember the girl and could not remember and particular incidents as to why they would have become friends with their parents. The two situations though seemed unrelated and it was more the presence of the young woman that troubled Abigail's mind that evening.

The next day there was a big service at the local church for Paul. It was very well attended. One of his oldest friends gave the eulogy and it was beautifully said. By the end there was not a dry eye in the church, but not all tears are bad. Paul's life, his love for his family and especially his love for Carol was encapsulated in that speech.

There was no internment as Paul's remains were creamated. Family and close friends came back to the house. The Blue Lightning Brigade was there to get things prepared and served. The grandkids and some other children who had come were out in the backyard playing and making a bit of noise.

When Abigail asked Carol if they should go out and quiet them down she said "No. They are too young to understand the sadness of today. And while there is some sadness, the joy that Paul brought to our lives needs to be celebrated as well. And some of that joy is out there now. So let them play and let them be a reminder of how happy Paul made us all these years. It is so sad he is not here, but he would not want us to be overwhelmed by sadness." These words would stick in Abigail's mind.

Soon after this, Jessica Williams arrived. She had been at the church. When she came in Abigail looked at her Mother and for the first time something like a smile came to her Mother's face. Carol had Jessica sit next to her and again Jessica gave Carol a huge hug. They talked for a good ten minutes and for the first time since she had arrived back home, Abigail saw her Mother relax.

Abigail was unsure who this woman was, but she was going to have to find out. At some point, Carol got up and went into the kitchen. She found Megan Sims and asked her for a favor "I need to have someone driven to the airport. I know this is a big ask, but can I ask that you do it?"

"Sure Carol. That's fine. The girls can keep helping here and I am sure Abi can answer any questions they have."

"Great. I'll go get her and meet you out front." Carol went back into the living room and spoke to Jessica. They walked out toward the car. Abigail made sure that she could see them without being seen from inside the house. After their final pleasantries, Jessica said "Carol, can I give you a kiss? Nothing disrespectful, just a peck on the lips."

"Oh of course sweetheart." The two women embraced and Jessica leaned in and pressed her lips to Carol's. Inside the house, Abigail almost fell over.

Megan came out and fortunately her car was not parked in and she ushered Jessica over to the car. When Jessica was in the car Megan came around and also gave Carol a hug (though no kiss).

She did ask Carol "Not that I mind, but why did you want me to be the one to drive her?"

"Well, I knew you two had something in common that might make the conversation and the drive more interesting. And I also really wanted to thank you for all that you did for me these last two weeks."

"Oh, it was nothing dear. And I'll be back later after I drop her off."

"Just so you know, if you don't make it back, I will understand."

And with that Carol turned and walked back into the house. Megan stood for a second and was confused by Carol's behavior and the cryptic words she had used. Megan chalked it up to the stress she was under. Megan got into the car and started to drive Jessica to the airport. She did not make it home until the next day.

Meanwhile Abigail went to the door and met her Mother. With no one else around she looked at her and asked "Mom. There's something about that girl. She was very closed-mouthed with everyone and she wouldn't talk to Bri about how she knew you and Dad. She even told Bri that she should ask you about it. And I just saw your goodbye."

Carol realized she was going to have to explain some things to her daughters. "Look I'll need to talk to you girls, but not until everyone is gone, okay."

"Okay." was Abigail's reply. Carol knew that while she had one difficult conversation ahead of her later, she had another difficult one now. She went toward the kitchen looking for Jen Smith.

Jen and her live-in girlfriend Susan McPherson had been at the church service and had come to the house. They had holed up in the kitchen with the Blue Lightning Brigade. Jen had been catching up with all the mothers whom she had not seen in a year and a half. This left Susan sitting in a chair listening to stories she knew nothing about and seemed to find a way to care about even less.

Carol had always been a sore sport for Susan. Jen had not told her everything about her relationship with Carol, but she could not hide that there had been some intimacy. And Susan surmised that it went much deeper than that. So when Carol entered the kitchen and Jen went and wrapped Carol in her arms, Susan's expression was even more sour than it had been over the last hour.

Carol thanked everyone for coming and all the help they had been giving while they had been there. Everyone said they were happy to do it and let her know that she had about two weeks' worth of precooked meals in the fridge and freezer so she wouldn't have to cook for a while.

Carol then turned back to Jen and said "Thank you so much for coming too." Jen immediately took Carol's hand and said "Of course I was going to come for you." Susan had come over and sidled up to Jen, making sure everyone knew her and Jen were together. Finally feeling like she had something to contribute Susan said "Carol, we know people in the legal community and we can make sure that you have the best people if you have any questions about the estate or for dealing with the airline."

The gesture, while maybe well intentioned, was poorly timed. Carol managed to get out "Thank you Susan, that is a kind offer..." At that moment Carol started to cry and immediately left the kitchen.

Carol came out the door and the first person she saw was her daughter Katie. She was standing with Melanie in a corner and Carol went over to her. Katie saw that her Mother was crying and held her in her arms. Melanie was bracingly rubbing Carol's back when Jen came out. Melanie looked at her mother with confusion and maybe a touch of anger. Jen just decided to retreat to the kitchen. Within five minutes, her and Susan left the Rogers home out the back.

With everyone gone, with the spouses and the grandchildren at the hotel and with Melanie up in Katie's room going to sleep (although everyone knew that Melanie was just pretending, waiting for Katie) Carol sat down with her daughters to discuss an important family matter.

The girls were all there on the couch and Carol brought a kitchen chair over and set it facing them. First she needed to preface the discussion by saying "Okay, so you want to know about Jessica. I will tell you, but in order to tell you I am going to have to be talking about very personal matters involving your Father and myself. Very personal. So if you decide it is too much information, you can step away. I just wanted to warn you in advance."

Abigail asked "And by personal Mom you mean..."

"Sexual, yes Abi." All three girls were stunned but remained rooted on the couch.

"Your Father and I spent the better part of a day with Jessica and for a good portion of that day we all had sex together." Carol was initially met with stunned silence. Carol continued "Since that time her and I have kept in contact and we have developed a friendship and that is why she came."

Abigail asked "How did you meet her?"

"We first met her online. Then we set up a meeting for lunch where she was going to school. There were no promises or commitments to anything but that lunch. But the idea was that if things went well, we would go back to our hotel room. In fact, it went so well and she is such an amazing young woman that we ended up staying together for the full day."

"So you had a threesome?!?" exclaimed Abigail.

"Yes, we did."

"With a college girl?"

"Well she was a grad student in fact she still is."

"So she came in to the funeral from school?" asked Brianna.

"Yes." replied Carol.

"That was actually sweet of her." said Brianna deciding that this was a big effort and must mean Jessica cared about her parents.

Carol continued "She really made an impression on both your Father and I. We've kept in touch over Facebook but I had not seen her since that day until yesterday at the funeral home."

Abigail asked "So she flew in here from where?"

"Taos, New Mexico. That's where her school is." At this Katie looked up and stared at her Mother but did not say anything.

Brianna added "Well, if it was the one day, you guys must have made an impression on her as well." It was not really a question, so Carol said nothing.

Abigail then asked the question that Carol had known must be coming. "When did this all start."

Recognizing that the girls knew some of the other people who had been involved she had to tread carefully here. She decided she would explain everything. While she wouldn't give them every detail, she needed them to understand why this had happened and make sure they had no bad feelings about their Father or her.

"You have to understand, you two (she said looking at Abigail and Brianna) were gone and when Katie hit Junior year, I really started to feel the impending empty nest. Your Father and I loved each other very much. But the day-to-day demands of work and kids takes its toll. And don't think for a second we didn't love it or didn't love you. You three are our greatest joys.

But we lost a bit of "us" when we became parents and had work responsibilities and family responsibilities. And I began to really look forward to it just being "us" again.

That led to an increase in our sex lives. We were more intimate and more expressive and even somewhat experimental with what we would do with each other." At this point Carol stopped to look at her daughters. That was a lot of sex talk about their parents and she wanted to judge how they were handling it. Because she knew the next part was going to be even more unexpected for the three of them.

"Well, as we were experimenting with each other, I found that I wanted to also experiment with another woman. And a chance did present itself, but I had to think about your Father. So I explained to him what I was feeling and what I wanted to do, but that I also wanted to experience this with him, not around him or behind him. And so we did end up bringing another woman into our bed. This was before Jessica. And while I never stopped loving your Father, I did enjoy spending the time with the woman as well."

Abigail interrupted "So are you telling us your bi-sexual?"

"Actually honey, yes. That is exactly what I am telling you." Carol looked at her daughters to see if she could read their reactions. They were all stunned. Abigail seemed a bit displeased as well, but Brianna and Katie only showed the surprise.

Finally Katie said "That's cool Mom. You do you. I have to admit though, I would never have imagined it from my Mom." Brianna looked over at her sister but said nothing. Carol smiled at Katie, but knew she had to continue. She looked now mostly at Abigail as she realized of her children, she was the one she still needed to convince that this was all okay. And she could tell it was going to be a tough sell.

"After a couple of occasions with the three of us, and with your Father's knowledge and blessing, I had a few other occasions where it was just me and the other woman and then another woman as well. Again these were times that sort of presented themselves to us. And your father and I continued to have amazing relations ourselves as we never lost our love for each other during these times."

"In fact, when Katie would leave to go to Melanie's for the weekend, or when she went to those soccer camps, your Dad and I spend the whole time in the house naked. And we took advantage to be intimate anytime and anywhere we felt like it."

This was the first time that the girls reacted, most probably all three were imagining their naked parents sitting on the very couch they were sitting on and having sex on it.

Carol continued "So after a while and a lot of discussion and after Katie went away to school, we decided that we wanted to become swingers. We started going on websites and looking for people we could get together with, both couples and individual women. We weren't going to just wait for chance, but actively seek people out. The first one we found that we liked and who we could find a way to meet ended up being Jessica."

"We had some back and forth over e-mail and we met at first in a very public place and we talked for quite a while before she came back to our hotel room. She made sure the first meet was very public and spent time getting to know us on a personal level. And as I mentioned, it was clearly understood that at the end of lunch anyone one of us could have said thanks but no thanks. But none of us wanted to by that point.

We spent the afternoon in the hotel room, went out to dinner and even went back to the hotel room before taking her home that night. It was an amazing time but it was also more than just sex. Her and I have kept in touch since then and I guess we did make some kind of impression on her (at this point Carol looked at Brianna who had made that comment earlier) and so she came here to see me and to express her condolences in person. And I think that says something about the kind of person she is and if you are having any negative thoughts about her, put that into your equations." Carol wanted to make it clear that if any of the girls were going to be judgmental about this, Carol was not planning to make any apologies for any of it.