Valley of Sinners Ch. 05

SO FAR: A jobless and sensitive young man becomes innocently associated with a bubbling woman in her late forties who lives alone on a vineyard out of Auckland, New Zealand. Nash is attracted because she drives a beautifully re-built and upgraded 1939 Chevy pick-up and draws him from his 'shell' with ease. Hope Honeybun's interest in young Mr Carson is that he writes a little and seems to have a worldly sense so installs him downstairs as resident author and commissions him to write a novel based on her colorful and turbulent life, much of which spans the time she has lived in the valley. Nash hears with interest about the development of the valley and about her lusty father and his women and reasons he must probe to find out about Hope's sex life. It appears this is a Valley of Sinners. He has indulged with one sinner and Hope's daughter Lisa arrives home and her interest in Nash appears heading for a lusty coupling but she returns to Sydney without that happening. Author Nash learns there are three sins, not one, involving illegitimate children and Hope has made provision to compensate for the sins of her late father.

*

After beef sandwiches and salad for dinner, Nash Carson took the lively terrier Monty for a walk up the hill behind the house and at the top looked across the bull paddock to the distance home of the Taits. He called Maggie on his mobile phone and asked if he could get personal.

"Of course, I've been waiting to become intimate with you from the first time I saw you," she said calmly.

"No Maggie, not quite that personal. For goodness sake, Basil may be listening.

"He's gone to bed, over-indulging in alcohol – again."

"Er, so have you been drinking?"

"Up to my tits in booze."

"Great, then you'll be partly insulated against feeling insulted since you've consumed that amount. May I ask, with the noblest of intentions, do you own a sports bra?"

"Who do you think I am – a patsy?"

"Oh, that's a pity."

She snorted and said they don't make those fluffy things for real women with real boobs.

"Of course they do Maggie; I've seen them large enough to almost stand in for an emergency sail for a yacht."

"You're kidding – that big?"

"Yes, really big.

"Okay but why are we having this conversation; are you intending to drop over and play around with them?"

"Well it occurred to me that a lady of your size would really benefit being trussed up a little firmer to play golf. I'm convinced that it would improve your balance, leading to you lowering your handicap."

"How many stokes would I drop."

"Hmmm. At a guess, four strokes lower by the end of summer."

Maggie said that changed her thinking; it could really be worth trussing herself up."

"You bet; it certainly would be worth it."

"I'll probably buy one then."

"Yes, buy one tomorrow and play in it on Tuesday and Thursday club days to get used to it so we can be winners on Sunday."

"It I endure doing this for you, what present would I give you?

"Oh, a bottle of wine."

"I'd rather you thought about giving me something long, thick and warm."

"Maggie, keep your voice down. I'll have to think about that."

"I really like you, um, Nash."

"I know you like me."

"I like the look of your smooth, taunt young body."

"Yes, I can imagine you like nice young bodies. I'll think carefully about you idea of a present. Will talk again soon; goodnight Maggie."

A little earlier Hope had given Nash the background on Maggie. Named Margaret Elaine Lewis at birth but quickly called Mel by her doting father, a name based on her initials that survived until Margaret became a stroppy teenager, Maggie had been born in the valley. So had her two closest friends, Sue Smith (now Wicker) and Hope Honeybun.

The physically larger and boisterous Maggie became the ground commander of the trio. Sue's penchant was entertainment officer as she liked coming up with ideas and organization. Hope gravitated into the role of homework tutor and financier because she was the 'brains' and was so good with money, being able to think of ways of injecting new cash flow when the trio were under-funded for their next joint venture. Hope also became fashion consultant as the girls progressed through high school because she had an eye for color and could discriminate between fad and fashion.

The three remained close as adults, with Maggie now Maggie Tait, After Albert Wilson divorced Hope she reverted to her maiden name Honeybun and two years later her illegitimate daughter Lisa also changed to Honeybun. Sue Smith, now Sue Withers, lives near the regional centre where she manages the retail division of her husband's travel agency. The three former school mates get together at least monthly and each year Sue and Hope set off as a twosome to one of the fashion capitals of the world for a week's extravagance.

Two years after her marriage, Maggie became bored – living on the farm, in a sub-standard farmhouse because her husband's retired parents lived in the new house with its lovely swimming pool where one could walk out straight from the kitchen to the pool-side barbecue; it was a magnificent home environment. Maggie was years away from gaining possession of that house, bored and listless in the summer heat. Basil was up north at a bull sale so when the cheeky farm supplies salesman called and asked if he could have strong tea and two of the scones he'd spotted cooling, she served them, then said she now wanted payment and took him to the lounge sofa where she had her way with him. It was her first extra-marital affair, but she was neither remorseful nor worried – she was on the pill and indulging in sex was second nature to Maggie.

At the next stock sale Basil was told of the rumor that a farm supplies salesman called Robert had get lucky at the Tait farmhouse, and Basil was sure the rumor was not referring to his mother. So within the week the livestock agency had a salesman named Robert on sick leave with a broken jaw and Maggie was asked to stop taking the pill and had what she confessed to Hope and Susan was 'the best two months of sex that I've had in my entire life'.

Three years later Maggie was the mother of three infants, very busy and wishing she could move with her brood into the new house. She now wanted less sex from Basil but the thought of infidelity was never far from her mind. Even Basil was caught in the back-lash, being confined to masturbation except if he'd sold the latest draft of in-calf heifers or bulls for prices well in excess of the sale average or arranged a baby sitter and took his wife into the city for dinner and an overnight stay at a posh hotel; he'd then get that after-the-event smile back on his face.

Exactly eleven years after delivering her first born, Maggie was back in the maternity wing grunting and wailing all over again. Exhausted she watched her proud husband holding the sleeping daughter they named Alayna, Basil being slightly confused because he'd though he and Maggie hadn't been having sex since goodness knows when.

"Don't you think she has your eyes, darling, and just look at the Tait family nose – cloned to perfection," Maggie had said weakly, eyes fluttering as she fought against sleep; her first priority was to ensure Basil's acceptance of the baby in his arms.

"Yes, I do see the likeness," he enthused. "You know, she's a Tait through and through."

Basil, alas, had not within a bull's roar of his wife's vagina on that night of conception. It was a comedy of errors, in fact. Augustus Smith, manager of the local farm supplies centre was on a hot promise – Maggie had indicated to him during a heavy bout of petting in his office with the blinds down that yes, she would allow him to go further, but not in his office during working hours when any one of his numerous pimply-faced cadets was likely to come knocking at the door.

"Partner me in the combined stableford on Sunday and then after dinner drive me to McEwan's old quarry behind our farm. Then we can rumble!"

Augustus began panting and had to loosen his collar.

"We'll hit golf balls all afternoon then we'll ball the night away," he wheezed, eyes bulging.

"Steady on, Augustus. Haven't you had it for a while?"

"Not for four months and twenty-two days," he said, adjusting his underpants.

"Oh my lucky stars!" exclaimed Maggie. "Roll on Sunday night."

Augustus played golf like a man possessed, on Sunday, finishing seven under his handicap. Maggie struggled, and came in five over hers. They still took the runner-up prize, a voucher for a leg of lamb each.

Maggie found it difficult eating her meal because Augustus sitting beside her on a crowded table was relentless, stroking her inner thigh.

"Get me a nice dessert," Maggie said, using the opportunity to get some relief from Augustus' wandering fingers that had changed from stroking to probing.

At the desert trolley Amy Heinz said loudly to Augustus, "Ladies' first" and he told her to wait for her turn. Amy decided that her live-in partner had not been called to defend her honor for some weeks so yelled, "Lilly, this creep has pushed in ahead of me."

That call sounded ominous and any man with an ounce of gallantry or fear would had smilled and stepped aside, but on this occasion not Augustus, whose hormones were rattling around inside his body as if it were a pinball machine. Lilly bounced up, turned Augustus by the shoulder and head-butted him, sending a tooth flying and a burst of claret from his nose.

"Bitch!" screamed Augustus, dropping to the floor to pick up his dislodged tooth.

Lilly pulled up her dress and kneed him above the heart. Augustus dropped like a stone. The Ladies' Committee arrived en bloc and carried him to the ladies' lounge. In a few minutes he'd recovered and his neighbor Sheryl Tuckwell volunteered to drive him home in his car. Augustus remained lucky because Sheryl had not had sex for almost a year as her husband's hernia had worsened but the fool refused to have the relief operation.

The debonair Charlton Lusk offered to take the stranded Maggie home but Linda Mercer intervened, saying he'd promised to take her home and it was only a small sports car, too tight a fit for three persons.

All this left Maggie unperturbed, as these things sometimes happen. She was just about to go over to the bar to find some drinking companions when she saw Cedric was about to leave.

"Oh Cedric, could you please give me a lift home?"

"Of course, lovely Maggie – I'm leaving right now," he said, holding out his arm for her. "My, what a beautiful frock."

Maggie had just turned twenty-eight and felt horny. She'd always felt attracted to Cedric but usually other people were about. This time she had him to herself. Aware that he was sixty-four, that didn't bother her. He had a reputation of being very kind, good with his hands and was said to be a good stayer.

They passed his home, a light was on in Hope's bedroom.

"That girl is always reading," he chuckled.

Two hundred yards farther on they turned into the side road that circled the hill and continued on past the Tait farm.

With the quarry entrance looming up, Maggie said casually, "Like to park in the quarry for a while?"

Calm as you like, she remembered later, Cedric said to her: "You know what you're suggesting, I presume?"

"Yes, I'd like a a piece of this," Maggie said, reaching for him, having absolutely no idea that this indiscretion would lead to a pregnancy.

Ninety minutes later Maggie arrived home, went inside and found Basil asleep in front of the turned-off TV, an empty wine bottle on the small table beside him as well as half a glass of whisky and water. Maggie finished off the drink and went to bed. Cedric Honeybun had really impressed her, giving her more than she'd expected in fact.

Maggie's children coped with the sight of her advancing pregnancy; the two boys were somewhat embarrassed in the company of friends, or walking through the mall, where they tended to trail her by several yards. But they all shared to some degree their mother's zest for life and the imminent arrival of the baby gradually took on the expectation of a Big Event. Even Basil responded, allowing Maggie to convert his office into a nursery in return for being given the store room in the garage for his new office. The bonus was being allowed to replace his ageing and clunky desktop computer with a much better equipped laptop with DVD allowed Basil to watch rented movies with the office door locked.

Really, the only blip was Maggie's second child, Belinda. As the Big Day neared her misbehavior become increasingly apparent. Maggie was called to the school principal's office to discuss the inexplicable deterioration in Belinda's conduct with the latest misdeed – calling her teacher a bitch in front of the entire class. That was a major punishable offence: a week's suspension from school was being considered.

Sarah Weeks took one look at Maggie as the worried mother entered the principal's office and laughed, saying "My God, that's it!"

"What's that's it?" enquired Maggie bristling, ready to thump the cackling bitch.

"You're pregnant, very pregnant," continued the giggling educator.

"Don't you think I'm aware of that?" Maggie asked, her slapping hand flexing.

"Belinda...heh, heh, heh, Belinda is becoming insanely jealous. Off you go, I'll get one of our counselors to stark working with your daughter immediately."

Perhaps as to be expected, Maggie being Maggie did not begin her Big Day by calmly saying to Basil mid-afternoon, 'Darling, would you mind turning off the cricket test and taking me to hospital'. Even Maggie had visualized a perfect prelude to birth occurring something like that.

But no; during the night she had been very restless, with Basil leaving her side to sleep in the guest room. Near dawn his side of the bed was taken by Maggie's fourteen-year-old rehabilitated Belinda, who had arrived with a cup of tea for her perspiring mother. Belinda applied a cold compress to her mother's forehead and began massaging the very extended belly, cooing, "My darling little baby, my darling little baby." Maggie gradually relaxed and managed to get an hour's sleep.

Breakfast at the Tait's that morning was a little more robust than usual. Any visitor would have described it as bedlam.

Stephen and Ian were fighting over some grotesque All Black Rugby piece of plastic from the new packet of cereal, Belinda was yawning and complaining about being too tired to go to school while Basil was flicking through the pile of newspapers and old magazines asking had anyone seen his bull fair catalogue.

Maggie simply stood with a cup of weak tea and lemon, leaning against the sink bench to ease her back pain. She smiled at the scene, thinking what a lovely family she had, a rather caring and euphoric comment for her although she would never conceded that.

"Hurry, you kids will miss the school bus," Basil said and then snarled, "Where's my catalogue?"

No-one listened to Maggie when she groaned and said something, her face screwed up until she repeated herself: "I said I think my water is about to break!"

"Jesus!" shouted Basil, looking about wildly as if expecting expert helpers to charged into the room.

Without a sound Stephen and Ian grabbed their school lunches and ran for the safety of the school bus shelter.

"Bring the car to the front door, daddy. Fast. Stay where you are, mum."

Belinda ran to the nursery and fetched her mother's bag, which had been packed for a fortnight. She steered waddling Maggie to the front door, telling her to keep calm and not to take any notice of panicking Basil.

"You're not coming with us!" shouted Basil as soon as they had Maggie strapped in to the front seat.

Ignoring him, Belinda got into the backseat, opened her mother's suitcase and took out her mother's spare cell phone and began ringing a short list of numbers.

"Daddy, the maternity wing please – and fast!"

Basil drove off smoothly as he could over the bumpy farm track. Turning on to the sealed road, his panic returned and his foot rammed on to the accelerator.

"That's better daddy, we don't have all day."

Less than an hour later Belinda phoned the first of two sets of grandparents. Basil had just left for the bull fair.

"Grandma Jean, we've just delivered the baby, a girl. We're calling it Alayna."

"That's a foreign name."

"It doesn't matter if it sounds foreign, grandma. You'll get used to it. She's fine, actually – smiles.:

"How is your father?"

"Rather a mess actually. I've packed him off to the bull sale as I don't want him around spoiling mum's finest hour."

"What does the baby look like Belinda?"

"It's a beautiful, beautiful baby Grandma. Already I love her. I'm having my own baby as soon as I can."

"But you are only fourteen – you can't have a baby now."

"No, of course not, grandma. I will be married first. Goodbye, and don't forget to bring a very nice present for Alayna, and a really huge bunch of flowers for mum. She's been through Hell."

"What word did I just hear Belinda?"

"I said she's been through Hell."

"I heard that the first time. This is dreadful."

"Oh, you heard me the first time. Then why ask what did I say?"

"I'm disgusted to hear you swearing; what will God say?"

"Oh, we didn't think that was swearing, all of use that word all the time. Why is Hell considered to be swearing by you old people yet you refer to Heaven all the time?

"You are being silly and ridiculous."

"I'm not been ridiculous. I just require an intelligent reply. Grandma! Are you there, grandma?"

In coming weeks Maggie was miffed at first, with people seeing her with a pram and clucking over the baby they assumed was her grand-daughter. But she soon learned not to enlighten these strangers because once told it was her own baby most of them would look at her as if she'd never heard of contraception. Well she had and used to be on the pill but had changed to insisting that her husband and the occasional lover use condoms She hadn't bothered to request Cedric to do that as she simply assumed his age of sixty-four was a natural contraception.

Maggie already employed a cleaning lady and she had tentatively arranged to employ Mrs Morrow, a former nurse, to help with the baby but really there was no need for that. Belinda acted as if the baby was hers, even getting up in the night to fetch baby Alayna to their mother at feeding time. If Belinda was not at school she was in the house or out poolside, keeping within earshot of the infant. Finally Belinda took pressure off herself by teaching the boys to change wet diapers (neither they nor Basil would touch a messy one) and to play with their baby sister.

Four years later Belinda had married an electrician and was ecstatically pregnant two months later, making Maggie a grandmother on her 33rd birthday and that made Alayna an auntie just as she commenced primary school. There would be no more children for Maggie as she made sure of that, surgically.

Later Stephen went to university and in his second year went flatting, joined in that year by Ian who began training as a computer technician. With Alayna off during the day at school, the boys gone and Basil working on the farm all morning and then slumping asleep after lunch with a catalogue over his face, tired from watching his DVD movies, Maggie became mildly depressed.

The her good friend and neighor came to the rescue. "Good gracious girl, what's wrong with you? You look worn out and you've lost a lot of weight," Hope said with concern when Maggie collected her at the airport on Hope's return from being on safari with a tour party in South Africa. Hope herself was looking radiant, thanks to special attention received from the rugged but gentle – at least in bed – South African tour leader.