Weekend Getaway

"How do you divvy up your finances?" Geoff asked me. "You don't work, so if the girls really wanted to, they could screw you out of their retirement funds and stuff."

"You want the long answer or the short answer?" I replied.

"Uh, the short answer."

"We set up several accounts, one for each of us personally and a couple in all our names," I said. "Once we figured out an arrangement that was equitable for everyone, the details worked themselves out pretty nicely. Each of the girls has a 401(k) through their work and I have an existing account from where I worked at the bank for so long. We pay into all of them at the same rate and each of us manages our own accounts. Plus we have a group account that we all contribute to."

"It was important to us that everyone have an equal stake in our finances," Melinda chimed in. "It helps that we have three full-time incomes when we could survive on just two of them. Plus, since we made so much money flipping houses a few years ago, we don't have a mortgage, so that makes things a whole lot easier."

"No house payment at all?" Mimi asked incredulously. It's not everyday that you run into people who are under 35, live in a five thousand square foot home and basically have zero debt.

"Not right now," Leah said with a glowing smile. "Although we've been thinking about adding on to the house."

"We have?" It took a second for the light to come on for Katie. Then her smile got real big. "Oh, yeah . . ."

I could tell both Mimi and Geoff wanted to ask something else, but they didn't.

"We make enough to be comfortable," Melinda said. She handles all of our group finances because she's the most even-keeled. "Each of us has a generous allowance and we can easily make our bills. We don't have any real vices—"

"Except for someone's doll collection," Leah interrupted.

"They're not dolls!" I exclaimed, reaching over to tickle her. "They're action figures, dammit!"

"Still into Star Wars, huh?" Geoff asked with a grin.

"They're going to put our kids through college one day," I said, feigning defensiveness.

Melinda snorted before continuing. "And none of us are out-of-control big spenders. We sat down several years ago and once we got our finances straightened out, it's made our lives a whole lot easier."

"Are you still in the real estate business?" Mimi asked.

"Not really," I said. "We did really well when the market was booming, but now with all of the sub-prime mess that's gone on for the last couple of years, prices have dropped a bunch so the days of making eighty or a hundred thousand dollars on a house are gone."

"It also takes a lot of time," Leah added. "Even if we do all the work ourselves, it almost becomes a second full time job."

We then got talking about our kids. We showed off a couple of pictures and they did the same. And then the conversation turned to old times. We swapped a couple of high school stories, and Mimi shared a couple that Leah and I had avoided telling (or forgotten) over the years.

"Why was it that you and Geoff went to jail?" Mimi asked, trying to needle us.

"You got arrested?" Melinda looked a little startled. Leah still teases me because I'm the only person we know who got through middle school and high school without once ever being written up or given detention, so the idea of me getting picked up by the cops was a little shocking.

"We didn't actually get arrested," Geoff said. "It was more like detained."

"For a hate crime," Leah snickered.

"It was not a hate crime," I laughed. The wine had loosened me up a little. "We were just out having some fun."

"So what happened?" Katie wanted in on the joke.

"Each year at homecoming, everyone plays practical jokes on everyone else," Geoff smiled at the memories. "So we were out having some fun at Jeremy . . . what was his last name?"

"Frumpkin," I said, filling in the blank.

"Oh, that's right. We were having some fun at Jeremy Frumpkin's expense. Usually, people would TP someone's house, steal a lawn gnome, cut distributor wires or something like that," Geoff paused to take a sip of his wine. "It was the two of us and Chuck Campbell driving the getaway car. We were over at Jeremy's and their grumpy old neighbours called the cops on us."

"What makes TPing someone's house a hate crime?" Melinda asked. Leah and Mimi were trying not to burst out laughing.

"We didn't actually TP Jeremy's house," I grinned. "We were putting out a nativity set and hanging Christmas lights on their front porch."

"In October," Geoff chuckled.

"So what makes that a hate crime?" Melinda repeated.

"The Frumpkins are Jewish," Leah beat us to the punch line.

We all laughed.

"So they didn't press charges?" Katie asked with a smirk.

"No," Geoff replied. "His folks could take a joke, and if they had been home at the time, they would have let us go. Besides, Jeremy got his revenge the next year when he put a menorah on my porch and painted your husband's door with lamb's blood."

I started to say something, but stopped. That was the first time anyone had called me "Katie's husband" and the occasion made me smile. Katie and the other girls, too.

"So tell me all about your rings," Mimi picked up on the cue and took Katie's hand to admire the jewelry.

"They're brand new," Katie blushed. "We just got them the other night. . . . When we all got married."

"So this a new arrangement?" Mimi look a little shocked.

"Yeah . . . I guess so," Katie replied. It seems the reality of our promises had just caught up the girls as well. "We've been living as a foursome for the last ten years, but last night was our first one together."

"Well congratulations," Mimi said with a warm smile. She still had not let go of Katie's hand. "Now tell me about your rings. They're fabulous."

"Leah and I got them a few months ago when we were in Las Vegas," Katie said, pulling her ring off and handing it to Mimi. "After graduation, we went on a cruise to the Virgin Islands and stopped at a place on . . ."

"St. Thomas," Leah interjected as Katie looked over for some help.

"Yes, on St. Thomas called the Passman Gallery," Katie picked up. "They specialise in black coral jewelry. We couldn't afford anything at the time, but now they have a store at the Venetian in Las Vegas, and when Leah and I went out there for a conference, we had them custom-make some rings for us."

"How long have you been sitting on these?" Melinda asked. I could see her counting back to figure out when the other two had slipped away together to pull this off.

"Since October," Katie admitted sheepishly.

"I didn't think she'd be able to make it," Leah snickered.

"Why not?" Geoff asked.

"Because if you want to keep a secret, don't tell Katie," Leah said, reaching over to stroke the redhead's hand. "She usually slips up at some point and lets it out."

"They're beautiful," Mimi slid the ring back on Katie's hand.

"Thank you," Katie replied.

It may have been a trick of the lighting, but I thought I saw Mimi and Katie's eyes meet for just a second. It seemed to me that something passed between them, but that could have just been the wine in me.

We stayed up late, talking and reminiscing with Mimi and Geoff. Katie and Melinda, who were initially cautious around our friends, soon opened up. I think they were also a little intimidated by Mimi's looks. I know that sounds catty, but sometimes the girls are still a little insecure about their appearance.

For the record, I believe that Melinda, Leah and Katie are the most beautiful women in the world. But none of them are going to win any pageants. They're too short to be models, too curvy to be on TV and too grounded to be celebrities. But I wouldn't trade any of them for anyone. Nor would I change anything about any of them, even if each has a list of things they would have done if given the opportunity.

Mimi and Geoff's natural charm, combined with Leah and my friendship, got through to the other two girls and soon we were all laughing and talking as if we had all known each other for years.

All too soon, our night together came to an end.

As one last favour, we had Geoff take a picture of the four of us. Although none of us were dressed up, each of the girls looked radiant. I had a goofy smile. We had our arms around each other and were holding hands. When we got home, we had some more pictures—more formal pictures—taken, but for us, that was always our wedding photo.

We swapped phone numbers and email addresses, and promised to visit one another. As they were leaving, I overheard Mimi saying something to Leah. Her voice was low, as if she didn't want anyone to hear. "Think about it, okay?"

Leah nodded non-committally, then we walked our friends out. Mimi and Geoff gave us each a hug, then drove back to their rental house

Melinda and Katie cleaned up the kitchen. I built a fire in the living room while Leah sat on the couch and stared off. I waved my hand in front of her face; it took her a second to come back from La-La Land.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"No, thanks," she shook her head.

"It was good to see them again," I said.

"Yes, it was," Leah replied absently.

Katie came over and sat down next to our wife.

"So what happened between you two?" There was a little bit of jealousy in her voice.

"Nothing, baby," Leah blushed.

"I don't believe you," Katie said sternly. Neither of us had seen Mimi or Geoff in over a decade, and certainly not since our trip to Disney World. Still, Katie never liked it when we talked about our old relationships.

I think part of that came from the fact that she really didn't have a whole lot of experience outside of our foursome. Her ex-boyfriend Carl was her first and the three of us were her only other lovers. By comparison, Melinda, Leah and I all did our fair share of "playing the field" and though none of us were exactly loose or promiscuous, Katie always felt like she had lived a more sheltered life.

Leah hemmed and hawed for a few moments. Melinda joined us on the couch.

"We made out once or twice," Leah confessed. "It never went further than that. It was during the summer after our sophomore year."

"Ah, that explains much," I said softly.

"Why's that?" Katie asked.

"Mimi had a rough year. From what I heard, her folks got divorced and it was messy," Leah explained. "I think her parents both used her to get back at the other. She doesn't talk much about it, but she and Geoff broke up for a little bit."

"And you were there to catch her?" Katie's eyes narrowed.

"No . . . no, nothing like that," Leah put her arm around the redhead. "We went out to a couple of clubs cruising for guys and couldn't find anyone worth our time."

"So you made out with her?"

"We were a little drunk." Leah certainly didn't have anything to apologise for. It wasn't like she was cheating on us. To be fair to Katie, though, I think it's human nature to be jealous of anyone else who has made out with the person(s) that you love.

Katie took a deep breath and let it out, as if willing her jealousy away. Then she switched topics. "So what else did she want?"

Leah blushed. "Mimi asked me about our arrangements . . . sexually. She said there was something she wanted us to see . . . and she wanted to know if we'd come visit them this summer."

Melinda and Katie both looked over at me.

"She didn't say anything of the sort to me," I shrugged.

Reaching into her pocket, Leah brought out a business card. It read "Meadows Enterprises, Inc." and listed some contact information, including a website, a login and a password. "Honey, did you bring your laptop?"

"I'll go get it," Melinda said, curiosity in her voice.

I love mobile broadband. You should, too.

After a few minutes, the four of us were staring intently at the images on the screen. None of us said a word for a long time.

"Wow," Melinda breathed once the first video had played all the way through.

I looked at each of the girls. They were all short of breath. Their nipples were all crinkled up. All three had the same wild look in their eyes.

"We're going to see them this summer," Katie said, and there seemed to be no room for discussion in her voice.

Actually, we didn't go visit them in Atlanta; they came to see us, but that's another story for another time.

I led the girls back to the bedroom and we made love well into the night. Despite all the surprises and the twists of the last 48 hours, I was more in love with Melinda, Leah and Katie than ever before. It seemed that the previous eleven years culminated in this weekend, when the four of us proclaimed our love for one another and made our unspoken arrangements as official as they could be.

We held each other, reveling in our bare intimacy. There was loving laughter and tender promises. We talked about the next fifty years of our lives. Together.

I fell asleep amidst a sea of bodies, wanting nothing more than to be close to the three people I loved more than anyone else in the world.

************************

Nine months later . . .

Kaylee and I sat at the computer in the pool house. Her hand expertly moved the presentation mouse that was just the right size for a five year-old. As she clicked on each of the eggs, she counted along with Elmo until all the eggs showed a number and then we got out of our chair and did the chicken dance. Then we did it all over again.

"When's Momma gonna have her baby?" she asked me.

"I don't know, sweetie, any day now," I replied, then kissed her cheek. "I wanted to tell you that you've been a great big sister to Bryan, Gwen and Gabi and I know you'll be good to your new sisters, too."

"What about Momma's baby?" Kaylee said. "Is she having a boy or a girl?"

"We don't know," I told her. "We wanted that to be a surprise. What do you want her baby to be?"

Kaylee thought for a minute. "I'd like another sister."

"Are you sure? That would make six little sisters."

"Yes, I'm sure," she replied in her grown-up voice. "Girls are more fun than boys."

I laughed. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too."

"You know what else?"

"What?"

"You did something your brother or your sisters will never do," I gave her a big hug.

"What's that?"

"You made me a daddy," I said. "With everyone else, I was already a daddy, but you made me a daddy for the first time."

Everyone else was in the big house. All of our parents had come in—except Katie's mother, of course—and it was a zoo. A part of it was that it was Christmas time. Another part was that we were expecting four babies.

Yes, you heard that right. Four kids.

All of the girls got pregnant that weekend we were away, and as a bonus, Leah had twins, which we later found out were fraternal. One of the nice things about being wealthy is that we could afford the best medical treatment available. After repeated visits to the doctor, all three girls were declared to be in good health, so instead of going to the hospital to have our babies, we opted for home delivery.

Leah was first, on December 19, giving birth to healthy little girls. Melinda was next on December 21, also with a girl. Now it was Christmas Eve day. Besides our seven parents, both of Katie's sisters, Melinda's brothers and my brother and sisters showed up (Leah is an only child). Of course, they all brought their spouses and children. Our house was bursting at the seams; I think we had thirty guests.

Plus there were the eight of us and our three—soon to be four—newborns. Thank God the addition was finished.

After getting back from our weekend getaway, the girls started nesting. The first thing we did was to move into one bedroom. What used to be Melinda and my room had the better morning view, so we had a custom-made Tempur-pedic® mattress and frame delivered that was big enough to fit all four of us (plus the kids if we didn't mind being close).

Then we started planning an addition of four more bedrooms and a living room intending to use the other master suite as a temporary nursery and later for guests. At first we wanted to save some money by doing a lot of the work ourselves, but after a couple of weeks we decided to let the contractor do everything because, quite frankly, with three pregnant women and four kids in the house, none of us had the inclination to lift a hammer, hang drywall or paint. Even though it wasn't cheap, that was the best money we ever spent on the house.

When the four new bedrooms and a new playroom were completed, we started moving people around. Kaylee wanted one of the new rooms (she thought they were bigger; they're not), so we moved all four of the older kids downstairs. For right now, all twelve of us will be on a single floor and when the babies get old enough, we'll move them upstairs, which are already wired for baby monitors, both video and audio.

Let met say right now that if you ever get a say in the matter, don't do anything that puts three pregnant women in the same house together. I'll be polite and call it a "million dollar experience". That is, I wouldn't trade my three wives and four new children for a million dollars, but nor could you pay me a million bucks to do it all over again.

If you're a guy who has ever endured and survived your wife or girlfriend's pregnancy, you know a little bit of what I'm talking about. Remember the cravings? Hormones? Mood swings? General craziness?

Take all that and then multiply by three. No, make that thirty. Most of the time we had good days. But some days were downright awful. Sometimes the girls were there to support each other and help one another through the rough spots, but other times, they fed off each other. It's a good thing our memories tend to erase the bad times because there are about eight days of the last nine months that I'd like to forget.

Even though she had her moments, Melinda was the rock for us all. Part of it was her even, unflappable nature. Part of it was that she had done it before (twice, in fact). And part of it was that she is simply the strongest willed of all of us, and she tried her damnedest not to have too many bad days or let us have bad days ourselves.

Somehow we survived the whole pregnancy thing and Melinda and Leah had healthy little girls. Our folks have also been invaluable to us, not only as resources, but as babysitters for the other four kids. One thing that we wanted to make sure of was that Kaylee, Bryan, Gwen and Gabi didn't feel like we were pushing them aside.

Having their grandparents around to spoil them with attention made the older four kids a lot more accepting of the new situation. We also tried to tell them that even though there were going to be more children in the house, and we might not pay as much attention to them as we'd like, we still loved them all. Hence me and Kaylee sneaking off to pay a visit to SesameStreet.com.

"Kaylee, are you and Daddy out here?" Katie called.

"We're upstairs, Momma!" our daughter yelled.

"Why don't we go meet her?" I said. Katie was ready to go literally at any minute and I didn't want her walking up steps unnecessarily. Just as Kaylee was hopping off my lap, I threw my arms around her in one of my patented "octopus" hugs. "I love you, sweetheart."

She gave me the look that always melts my heart. Kaylee has already learned that if she's judicious in its use that she can get pretty much anything she wants. I don't know what I'm going to do when the girls become teenagers. "I love you, too, Daddy."

Hand in hand, we went downstairs into my garage/woodshop. Katie was wrapped in a long coat for the short walk from the big house to the pool house; it was Christmas time in the North Carolina mountains, after all.