The Finer Points of Sheila Ch. 05

I could feel my own orgasm rapidly approaching as the heat of her interior and the tight pull of her muscles electrified my cock. My balls were slapping and dripping a mix of rainwater and body fluids as we worked for a mutual climax to our lovemaking. I began grunting and groaning as I struggled to keep the dizzying pressure of my orgasm back. Sheila was screaming now as I relentlessly fucked her, my mind lost in a haze of pure sexual instinct.

"OHHHHHH!" She heaved, her eyes wide open as her orgasm seared through her body. Her pussy spasmed around my cock and that was it for me. I squeezed her tit as my cock swelled suddenly, went as rigid as a piece of steel and ejaculated my load of semen into her. I felt myself shaking as my orgasm ripped over my body, tingling everything from head to my toes.

"Sheila," I whispered and withdrew from her.

"Yeah?" she managed.

"You're really good."

I pulled her to me as my cum began leaking out of her ass.

"It's raining really hard now," Sheila noted. I looked up and saw that most of the blue sky was gone now.

"Yes it is," I agreed.

Sheila looked over her shoulder at me, a mischievous grin on her face, "Wanna go again?"

I smiled, "Hell yes."

***

Sheila and I waited at the Starlight Café. I thought it was ironic that she chose the same restaurant we had almost broken up in to tell my father about the baby. Sheila told me that the restaurant just felt right to her, and that if she were going to be yelled at by an irate parent, that she should at least be able to have her favorite dish in the process. I couldn't argue with her logic.

"He's late," Sheila said and squeezed my hand.

"Well, I'm sure he and mom had an intense conversation before he left the house," I replied and took a drink of my ice water. Mom had utterly refused to come here and meet. She had been appalled at the very notion of Sheila and I as a couple and it was her subsequent anger with me that had forced me out of my house. Sheila had allowed me to move in with her, but the fact remained that our secret was out now. The whole town knew who we were and everywhere we went I could feel eyes on me. It's funny how people will ignore someone they don't know until there's some juicy gossip or a moral question of ethics that's just too hot to pass up.

Sheila and I had become the hot item of discussion for people who didn't even know us. At first it bothered me. The way some people would glance over their shoulders while walking by or the odd little comments said under secretive breath in the grocery store checkout line. I wondered just how many of them were actually judging us based on our age difference and how many of them were just playing along with the popular moral code that says an older woman can't be with a younger man?

As Sheila had grown more and more pregnant, she had opted to stay home and out of sight. Her fear of what my parents would do had been ruling her. I figured some people had probably figured it out by now. I knew her friend Ellen Gordian from the realty office knew about it. It was Ellen who had taken over for Sheila while she went on an extended maternity leave. Sheila had also cashed in all her vacation time, which allowed for her to take almost a full year off from work. And, the fact that the boss was her cousin helped things too.

But when we walked in here and the people saw her belly, all of our careful secrecy and measures to insure privacy went out the window. It was inevitable, but I wish everyone didn't feel the need to stare so much. The waiters and waitresses were smiling a little too politely as they handed out menus and poured water. I think the constant scrutiny of the world around us wasn't bothering Sheila so much as her fears that it was going to bother me. She worried their opinions and heckling would change my opinion of her. So I just decided to stop letting it get under my skin. I loved her and that was that. If she had been eighteen like I was people might have found some other reason to complain and judge. In the end it didn't matter. People were going to think what they would.

"Doug," my father said and scooted into the seat across from us. He purposefully ignored Sheila, who simply reserved her offense at his rudeness and smiled politely.

"Hey dad," I smiled warmly, "Mom wouldn't come?"

Dad looked at me and said, "You know she wouldn't come."

I nodded uncomfortably as Sheila said, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Well Sheila," my father picked up his menu and opened it up, "Sometimes its hard to adjust to change."

"I want this to be civil Dad," I said as he radiated his discomfort and irritation with me, "We need to learn how get along here."

"Doug, you're eighteen years old," Dad said flatly, "Until last April you were still reading comic books and building model starships."

"I still read comic books," I said.

"He's got me turned on to 'Spawn'," Sheila offered.

Dad put the menu down and sighed, his eyes pained and discouraged, "You think this is funny?"

"Not at all," Sheila said politely and met his stare, "It's unconventional, Roger. It may even be unorthodox but it's not funny."

"You are a grown woman with a daughter his age," Dad said pointed at me, "You've just been recently divorced from a difficult marriage and now you're honestly going to tell me that this 'relationship' is anything more than a spring-winter fling?"

"Dad please," I shook my head. This was already going bad and we hadn't even ordered.

"Listen to me," he said and looked at us both, "Doug, you are too young to even know what love is, let alone claim you feel it for someone."

"You know your confidence in me is under-whelming, Dad," I said. I had hoped he would at least listen to us and try to be fair about things.

"How much further must this go on?" he asked and leaned back against the dark fabric of the booth, "Will you two actually try to make a family and a home? What happens when Sheila here is able to get the senior discount at McDonalds when you are still in your thirties?"

"Nice," Sheila looked out the window and frowned.

"Dad come on," I whispered, "That was rude."

"It is the unpainted truth, son," he shot back, "Forgiving the fact that you committed adultery with a married woman, and forgiving the fact that you've been lying to us and everyone else can you really expect me to take this seriously? You have a future ahead of you as an illustrator Doug. You have college coming up and if you continue with this charade you'll be throwing it all away."

"I'm not asking for your blessing," I said, "And I'm not asking for Mom's either. All I'm asking for here is understanding."

"This is insane," Dad hissed.

"This is what I've chosen for myself," I felt my cheeks beginning to burn with embarrassment, fear and anger. People were starting to watch us as our conversation slowly became an argument. Dad's attitude had grown about as black as his charcoal suit and I swear I could have fried an egg on his forehead. I lowered my voice and said, "I know the score here, okay? I know the age difference and I know what it means to be in love. I know this is going to be hard, but Dad I swear to God she is worth it."

"Even at the expense of your future?"

"She is my future Dad!" I said a little too loudly.

He looked at me with furious, smoldering eyes as his mouth dropped open a little. The man who at one time in my life had spanked me with a belt for the smallest of insurrections was focusing his anger on me. His fear was just as potent in my opinion. He was afraid of how he was going to look because of this. It wasn't really about Sheila or me or even the age difference. He was worried about the local PR and how he and mom were going to look. I felt my hands beginning to shake a little as I summoned my courage and spoke against my father, "You have no right to tell me what I need for my future."

"I have every right," he fired back, "As your father I have every goddam right!"

"Dad you're not even trying to understand this," I said as the entire restaurant casually listened in. Even the guys in the kitchen were peeking out through the swinging doors, their eyes wide with curiosity. I was struck with a sudden calm as I sat there. I realized I had reached a turning point in my life. I was aware of the decision I had to make now as I looked out across the sea of faces in the moody atmosphere of the Starlight Café.

My eyes found Sheila and saw her looking as sad and despaired as the night she almost left me. She was being consumed by guilt and my father's penetrating stare. Sheila had come here hoping to mend the wounds inflicted on those around us because of this. She had hoped as I had hoped that maybe some common ground could be reached with my family before the news of the baby was announced.

Sheila began to cry as everyone watched.

As my father ranted on and on about how irresponsible she was being and about how selfish she was to claim an eighteen-year-old boy for her own I felt my childhood fall away from me like a dead husk. I think back now and see that the moment of metamorphosis had happened in Sheila's kitchen that night an eternity ago. The process had been long and painful and wonderful. But the moment of my emergence from the chrysalis of childhood to the burden and joy of adulthood happened as I listened to the man I respected most berate the woman I loved more than anything else.

"Enough," I said quietly. Dad was yelling at Sheila now. She simply sat there, either unwilling to fight back or unable to. She looked overwhelmed and helpless. Her beautiful dark eyes were glassy and fixed on my father in a simple receptive stare, her bottom lips slightly pinched against her upper.

"... and if you think for one minute we're going to let you ruin his life then you're sorely mistaken," my father jutted his finger at her as though he were lecturing a child.

"She's going to have my baby," I said loudly.

My Dad looked at me, his jaw unhinged and opened wide. "What?" he breathed.

"Sheila and I are going to have a baby," I repeated. It was so strange feeling this calm and collected despite my anger.

"Oh Doug," he shook his head.

I looked around the dining room and then stood up. I don't why I did what I did next, and even now I wonder at my sanity. I suppose my youth and anger had fueled me to a point where I no longer cared about the previous ties of parents and friends and community. In retrospect, I can see that I wanted to both defend Sheila and somehow justify once and for all the validity of our relationship.

I looked out at all the people in the restaurant saw that I recognized everyone there. Seated in the dim lights was the grocer, one of my old teachers, a couple of underclassmen and random faces that I had seen almost every day of my life growing up here. They were the backdrops to my life, and I addressed them all. They would carry my message as they had carried the rumors and hurtful gossip.

"You all think this is just a big game, right?" I asked as loudly as I could without yelling, "I see you all looking at us and acting like we're below you or something. What kind of town is this?"

"Sit down," Dad warned, his eyes blazing.

"I asked what kind of town is this?" I ignored him as the restaurant fell dead silent. I looked at all of them, my heart thundering in my chest as I spoke, "In the grocery store, in the library and in the streets all of you gawk and stare and laugh like we're freaks. Don't any of you have lives of your own? Aren't any of you happy?"

My father grabbed my arm and tried to sit me down. I jerked back and shoved him into his seat, knowing that I had made my point and ruined my relationship with him at the same time. He was shocked and disbelieving as muted gasps from the people around us hit my ears. Sheila was wide-eyed and unable to say anything as I fumed. I had had enough of the secrets and sneaking around. I believed with all my heart that Sheila and I were right for each other, and fuck the world if it didn't agree.

I turned back to them, "My father here is so worried about what you people think that he and my mother have not only thrown me out of my home, but have also come within a second of disowning me. He is ashamed of me! Maybe all of you are too. Or maybe it's just that all of you have nothing better to do than make fun of what don't understand. Maybe all of you just can't resist that good old fucking mob mentality. I know all of you... I grew up with all of you. I'm a good man, goddamit, yes I am. And Sheila is a good woman. Anyone who says otherwise needs to speak up now!"

Everyone was silent.

"Come on!" I shouted and glared at them, "You all don't mind whispering and talking behind our backs... so come on, step up."

Harold Weingardener, the local grocer and one of the biggest loudmouths on the subject of our situation was sitting at to the table next to me, looking down at his plate of spaghetti. I said to him, "Come on, Mr. Weingardener."

He looked up, his round face blushing.

"You always have an opinion, sir," I said, "Say it to my face."

His blue eyes met mine, both ashamed and apologetic and yet unwilling to allow an admission. Everyone in the establishment shared his expression of confliction, and I knew I was walking a fine addressing all the adults in here like this. I was only a kid, about that Dad had been right. But the fact that none of these so-called adults stood up or put their foot down about my outrage said a lot to me. It said they were all guilty of this and all of them knew it.

"Anyone?" I shouted again and looked around, "Either you say it now or shut the fuck up."

Silence.

"I've had it with the staring, with the gawking and with the gossip," I told them as my face burned and my hands trembled with pure rage, "It's giving me the shits! You all want some juicy gossip? You all want something to talk about to take your minds off your own lives for a while? How about this shit? I am in love with this woman-" I turned and motioned to Sheila, who smiled the most beautiful smile I had ever seen at me, "-and not only are we going to be together but we are also going to have a baby together too. And you can all be a part of that, or you can go fuck yourselves."

I looked at my father, my heart breaking into two pieces as my throat tightened, "You and Mom can be a part of this or not, Dad."

I offered my hand to Sheila.

She slipped her fingers into mine and I helped her up. My father looked at her pregnant belly, his eyes tired and tinged with a hint of sadness. I saw guilt there as well among all the questions and feelings rocketing back and forth in his mind. He said nothing and didn't even look up as Sheila and I walked away.

We left with our heads held high in the air. I was proud of the gorgeous woman beside me, and I was even more proud of the baby she was carrying. I loved them both so much. If I were going to hold to the speech I had given to the restaurant, it was time to start showing it. There would be no more secrecy or rumors. I had given them the hard truth and probably burnt a few bridges in the process.

But I didn't care. I had Sheila.

I opened the door for her and we stepped out into the humid August air as the people inside watched. I let the door close easily and we walked to her car. Her dress billowed a little in the evening breeze as I opened the door for her. She went to step inside and then paused and looked up at me. She had tears in her eyes and a smile on her trembling lips. She touched my face and said, "That was the bravest thing I've ever seen."

I thought for a moment, "It came from the heart."

"I love you," Sheila kissed me.

"I love you," I kissed her back.

***

FIVE MONTHS LATER

The doctor had finished giving Sheila her epidural shot when Elle arrived.

I was holding Sheila's hand as the drugs kicked in and she relaxed in the large bed of our delivery room. Her insurance had been able to cover us using one of the hospitals large private birthing suites. The room was lit in mellow yellows and painted in earthy pastels promoting a relaxed and calm environment. I was nervous despite the soothing décor, and I found myself even a little giddy as the moment we had been waiting for over nine months was finally at hand.

Elle smiled and quietly walked over to the opposite side of the bed and kissed her mother on the forehead. She said, "Hi, Mom."

"Hey, baby," Sheila smiled. The drugs were already beginning to keep her on an even, low-key medium. Sheila took Elle's hand and kissed it, "I'm so glad you made it here."

"Me too," Elle said and then looked at me, "How are you, Father-to-be?"

"Nervous," I said, "But happy."

Fifteen minutes later, one of the nurses came over and said, "Would you mind giving me a moment with your wife?"

"We're not married," Sheila said dreamily.

"Oh," the nurse smiled, slightly embarrassed, "We just need to check and see if the baby is still turned and get our stuff ready for the birth."

"Of course," I smiled and kissed Sheila on the forehead, "We'll be right outside."

"Only a minute," the nurse assured me as Elle and I stepped outside the delivery room.

The door closed and we were alone in the light blue hallway. I leaned against the opposite wall and took a deep breath as Elle stood in front of me. She looked beautiful as always, her hair hanging down loose around her shoulders in a thick, rich display of the bronzed red her mother had given her. She was dressed in simple khakis and a white t-shirt that framed and promoted her large breasts. I looked away from them, already knowing my genetic predisposition to gawking at huge tits. Elle sighed and then said, "So really, how are you?"

"Mom and Dad decided not to come," I shrugged.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Me too," I agreed and then added, "It's their loss."

"Doug," she began and then hesitated for a moment, "Doug I'm going away for awhile."

"Why?" I asked, suddenly feeling upset. "Where?"

"I need to get out of this town for awhile," she said and leaned against the door to the delivery room, "I have to find myself, you know?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess so... when?"

"Today, actually," she said and pulled a bus ticket out her back pocket, "I'm off to Sacramento and then from there, I'm not sure."

"Elle," I said, "What will you do for money?"

"I have five thousand in my college fund," she replied and tucked the ticket back into her pocket, "Let's face it, I'm not Harvard material. I think I'm going to see what's out there and then decide."

She looked at me, her eyes filled with a thousand things she wanted to say. Things that we both knew she couldn't say to me. Things that I had wanted hear desperately not more than a year ago. We both knew how we felt about each other, but the simple fact was that I loved Sheila. Elle knew it and I knew it. And we weren't the kind of people who could just ignore something as real as love just to satisfy a physical attraction.

Elle smiled a little and walked over to me. She hugged me tight and I hugged her back, knowing full well that it would be awhile before we got to talk again. She still was embarrassed over the night she had come on to me and I had refused. Hell, I was still embarrassed over it. I had hurt her feeling unintentionally and caused a rift between us that even now wasn't really healed. I hugged my friend and wished it could have been different.

If Sheila and I hadn't got together, then maybe it would have been.

"I love you," she whispered in my ear, and I knew she meant that as more than just a friend. Her voice was trembling.

"I love you too," I said. There might have been time I would have implied more than just a friend, but it was not now. In that moment, I allowed total honesty with myself and acknowledged that I was not only attracted to Elle, but also very fond of her. More than I should have been if I was going to commit to Sheila. I wasn't going to lie to myself about that. But she was my friend. It could never be more than that.