Lydia, Sylvia, and Gert looked at each other, rolled their eyes to the sky, shaking their heads, remaining quiet. At the start of the tour, they'd been paired off, by the end, it was Lucas and Shawn walking and talking together, leaving the women, as Angela and Sasha had taken off the moment it grew boring for them. No time at all, they split off completely, the women going back to the house. Mainly because, true to the way of men, they had to stop and discuss things in detail, giving all the where ofs, why's and how! The women lost interest and soon left them in the woods on Sylvia's property that was directly across from Shanna's home.
Chapter 169
Back in the basement, Lydia met up with Jake. "So, there you are! You know we left your child in Chicago? What's goin' on with him?" Lydia asked.
"What? Who are you talking about?"
"Your son, Benjamin!"
Jake looked surprised, because of course, he hadn't a clue of what was going on, no one had told him anything. He looked at Sylvia. "You know that he was there?" He asked from the table, he'd just finished eating. Vivian was standing at the sink cleaning up, about to eat herself after serving him, indulging him in his need to wallow in his play of being served by his woman. Now, she could see to herself. Sheila was making room on the counter tops, shifting things about so they could get back to cooking, now that they'd eaten. Meribel was wrapping up what was left over, and Derrick was sitting across the table from Dennis, who was finishing up as well, sitting across from Jake.
"Yes, I knew. My mother told me."
"Well, what is he doing there?" He asked her.
Lydia answered for her, "I thought you knew. He said he would let you all know where he was."
"I haven't talked to him in days. How long has he been there?"
"Came the other day, been there 'bout two days now." Lydia answered.
"Did he say why he was there?" Jake asked.
"Not really." Lydia answered. Jake turned back to Sylvia. "What's going on?"
"You know what's going on. You talk to his mother the other day. And she had the nerve to call again, and then, came by here - insisting to see Shawn! Starting some mess!"
"What?" Gert asked, surprised by what she was hearing.
"When?" Jake asked, discarding his mother's comment for the moment.
"Yesterday! Talk to Shawn about it. He's spoken with him, and her - his mama!"
Jake shook his head, and then glanced towards Vivian. It was clear to see she wanted to know what was going on, but for the time being, she was willing to stay quiet, watch, listen and learn. He knew she would be asking him some serious questions the moment they were alone. Dismissing that, he turned back to Lydia. "Did he say how long he planned to be there?"
"I ask him that, did he wanna follow us back. He wasn't too sure what he wanna do. 'Cause I trust you and your brother, I left him the key to my back door. That way, if he need to use the phone, he could."
"He has a mobile on him." Jake informed her.
"Well, still - I left it for him, tol' him make himself at home, if he want something to eat. And I can tell you now, I don't usually do that for nobody."
"I can't believe you did that for him!" Sylvia spoke up, surprised.
Gert was watching and listening all this time, and finally asked, "What is going on with Benjamin, Jake?"
Jake ruffled his hair, scratching his head in a nervous gesture, "I'll tell you about it later, mom."
"Is he coming to the barbecue tomorrow? I would hope so, you know anytime we get together, I make sure my boys are included." Gert started.
"Mom, he knows that! I can't drag him here, he's a grown man!"
"You find out what's going on with him, then, and you get him here! You know how I feel about family getting together! If the whole family can be here, that's what I expect! Now, you tell him what I said! Nothing more important than family! You hear me!?"
"Mom! Let's not get into all of that, okay? I said I'll call him."
"You see that you do! You'll have to excuse me, Lydia, but nothing is more important to me, than family supporting each other and being there when they're needed! I've been there for all of my children, and their children as well, and I expect the same things from them! That's how my father was; what he felt was more important than anything! Didn't matter what was happening in life, when family gets together, all else should be set aside."
Lydia smiled, nodding, she agreed, even though inside, her chest squeezed. She chanced a glance at her daughter, but Sylvia was looking everywhere, but at her.
"I agree with you, mama Gert. That's how it was before my mother died. After that, everything else just kinda fell by the wayside. Following her funeral, we all kind of dispersed." Sheila admitted, leaning against the counter.
"Where's your father now?" Gert asked.
"He went with my older sister to live in Texas." She informed her softly.
"Well, we're all family now, aren't we? So, you're right where you need to be. In fact, from now on, I expect to see you and Dennis at every family get together! You two, just been adopted!" Gert decided, rubbing Dennis' shoulder, giving it a squeeze, "You hear me, Dennis?"
"Yes, ma'am, I do!"
"You stick with us, you'll get to eat like this all time! And wait till you all come up for my maple syrup rush breakfast! Tell'em, Jake!"
"Ohhh, Dennis, you just wait!" Jake grinned.
"Speaking of which, ain't it time for us to put that pig on?"
"Where'd you get a pig from?" Derrick asked, surprised.
"Your father butchered it for the barbecue." Gert informed him.
"Ach! He never butchered one for us!" Meribel griped.
"That's because you're married to Derrick, and not Shawn!" Jake laughed, teasing.
"Don't start, Jake!" Gert warned him, slapping him on the shoulder.
"Everybody knows, Shawn is their favorite! Ain't it, Derrick?!" Jake furthered and then, "OW! That hurt!" He blasted at Sylvia, who pinched him hard on the flesh under and behind his arm that circled his ribs to his back. "Don't start messing with my husband! I don' told you! He deserves to get a pig!" She walked away, giving him the evil-eye as he made a face, rubbing the sore spot. Derrick only laughed, choosing to keep all to himself, and asked instead, "Where is Shawn?"
"He's showing my dad around our property." Sylvia answered, checking the chitterlings.
Derrick nodded. He was hoping for a moment alone with Shawn. He'd given a lot of thought to his predicament with his sex life and the fact that his wife was not satisfied with him, despite what she claimed otherwise. After all, he heard her with his own ears. Although things were well between them; outside of tender caresses, he hadn't tried to make love to her again. Every time he mustered the idea, he backed off, fearing failure to please her. He hadn't made love to her since the night he took her from Fitzgerald's. He sat quietly in the midst of everyone laughing and talking. They were all so happy, so pleased. With covert glances, he observed Sylvia. How could one tell if a woman was well-pleased with her husband's performance just by looking at her? She glowed with happiness. Did that mean, however, that Shawn pleased her in bed? Although he was fully aware that his brother had done porn, did that make him a good lover? He smiled and watched Sheila with Dennis. They had a nice relationship, was she pleased with his performance? There was no need to look at Vivian. He knew about Jake from his reputation. He would love to ask him a few questions, but Jake would laugh at him. Or would he? He was watching him, doing so with hidden glances. With so many in the room, laughing and talking between various ones, he caught Jake giving Vivian certain glances that made her eyes widen. As Derrick could imagine, were she fair of skin, she would no doubt show a deep blush. From the look she sometimes sent him, and the way that Jake chuckled, he knew they'd been intimate in some form or fashion. Was she pleased with him?
Derrick chuckled, nodded, made all the right moves, gave the correct responses to all that was happening around him, being asked, being said, even though he didn't feel in the
same mood as everyone surrounding him. Feeling eyes on him, he turned to see his wife gazing at him. There was a questioning look about her, as if she could read him. Knew of his struggle, his pretense. He smiled and winked at her. The smile in return was sad, knowing - she wasn't fooled. She'd been like that since their talk. Seeking him out. Trying with all her power to please him, make it up to him. They were in love. He knew that. He knew that she loved him. After all, why else would she have stayed with him for so long, when he was such a lousy lover? The kids maybe? That had come back to mind often. Was that the reason she stayed with him, because he'd burdened her with so many of his children? He couldn't be 100% sure of that. Now, she was dieting. Every morning, she made one of the kids go out with her so she could get in a good power walk. It was working. He could already tell the difference. He sat wondering what he would do when she lost all of the weight she was so determined to lose? As she was, she was breathtaking. He had never loved anyone, save her. No woman had ever caught his eye, though many had tried. Teachers, women at the school where he worked as coach, came on to him often. One in particular was especially tenacious. Even to the point, of her going into his office when she knew that he was there at the school late. She had actually stripped down, sitting naked, behind his desk, waiting for him - playing with his balls.
Margaret Wheeler
Sophomore teacher of social studies, world and U.S. history and civics. Brunette, hazel eyes, 5'8 - amazing figure, incredible legs, 32 years old, never been married. She'd been after him for 2 years now. Starting off with an occasional smile. At the time, he saw nothing wrong with that, and would of course reciprocate. Then it went to small talk. Again, nothing wrong with that, when there was time and a topic he might comment upon. Next came the occasional surprise when she ended up in the same room as him for whatever reasons. That started happening too much, to be a coincidence. Not too long from there, the slight brushes against him began. The glazed-over glances into his eyes. The many times he'd caught her staring at his crotch. Until finally, her frustration had mounted to outright confrontation. He'd been cleaning up the gym room, collecting the equipment, when he heard someone enter and looked up to see that it was her. Margaret Wheeler.
====
"Derrick! I was hoping you were still here. Some of us are meeting up at Babe's Sports Bar. Hurry up and get done, so you can join us!"
Derrick stopped what he was doing, staring at her calmly. "I don't drink. You all have a good time," his answer had been.
"Well, hell, it's about time you started! I tell you what, the first drink is on me! What the heck, make it a Virgin Mary, how's that?!"
"I really can't, I have a game to prepare for. Haven't charted out my game plan. I also have an early drill for the team. Thanks for asking."
"Ach!" She gasped dramatically, "Dammit, Derrick McPherson! What is it with you!? Loosen up some! You're too tense!" She inhaled deep, and started walking towards him with purposeful strides, she stopped right before him. Looking up into eyes she'd come to admire, eyes that she desired, to see her, instead of looking through her. She stared at him a moment, "What is it about you? The big ... strong ... silent type? Hmmm, you're making me crazy." She gasped breathlessly.
"I'm married. Happily married. You better go and catch the others. Have a good time." He turned away and finished what he was doing. Exasperated, she turned in disbelief and left in a huff. She avoided him after that for a while, and then one day, he walked into his office, and there she was. Naked as the day she were born, feet in heels, up on his desk, waiting for him. Two tennis balls to each hand, as her long fingers, with limber dexterity, rolled them around each other as she stared at him. She sat and stared, waiting for his reaction. He sighed, gave her a sympathetic smile, slight as it was. Walking over to the coat tree, took his jacket from it and said before he left, "Can you make sure the doors are locked when you leave? See you tomorrow." Just like that, he was gone.
====
"Earth to Derrick, earth to Derrick!" Jake was snapping his fingers in his face. Derrick blinked and turned looking up at his brother, wondering what was going on. He hadn't seen him get up from the chair in front of him, "Holy cow, you were a million miles away! Come on, Kathy Ann is here, we need an extra pair of hands in loading the trailer."
Caught as he was, Derrick growled, "Why didn't you just ask that in the first place, instead of snapping your fingers in my face!"
"What is wrong with you?! I did! You didn't hear me." Jake stared at him, surprised. The reaction was so unlike this brother. Derrick shot to his feet and immediately his eyes connected with his wife's. Feeling a bit awkward, he walked over to her and placed a kiss to her brow, "I'll be outside."
Quiet, Meribel nodded.
All the men were outside, Gert, Lydia, Shanna, and Crystal as well.
Inside, Vivian, Sylvia and Sheila.
Meribel looked at them. They could feel it, see it. Something with them, wasn't right. She was on the verge of trying to play it off; but her guts were too tied up to ignore what she was feeling. Sylvia was staring at her with wide eyes. "You okay?" She asked. They'd all seen her husband vanish before their eyes, even though the physical man was sitting there plain to see. "Yeah-..." She smiled, then contradicted that, "...- no! My - marriage - is falling - apart." Her face crumbled. Stunned, they all started talking to her at once.
"Why do you say that?!" Vivian asked.
"Don't talk crazy, Meribel!" Sylvia objected.
"What happened?!" Sheila asked.
Meribel went to the table and sat down. What could she say? There was no way she could tell them what their problem was. No way, she could divulge her humiliation at breaking her husband's heart. How did you explain that your husband touched you, but never while alone and in bed? She'd destroyed her marriage. That's what she felt. Her words had destroyed something between them that could never again be repaired. No matter what she did, he no longer kissed her in a way that might lead to them making love. Not since that morning that she spoke her mind, thinking herself alone.
All the women were facing each other at the table, waiting for her to say something more. She wanted to tell them, but she couldn't bring herself to shame her husband that way. If he found out that she shared something so personal, so intimate, he may never forgive her. All she could think to say, as her eyelids fluttered to fight off tears, "I don't know what to do! - I don't - know how to fix - it."
"Fix what? I thought everything was going okay?" Sylvia asked.
"It was, until I did something - said something - so totally stupid of me!" Meribel's accent got thick with her stress, as she shot up from the chair, paced in circles and then sat back down among them.
"Girl, how the hell you expect us to help, if you don't tell us what happened!" Sheila went in straight for the kill, "You cuss him out?"
"No!"
"You hit him below the belt?!" Sheila tried next.
Meribel stopped her agitated movements and stared at Sheila, on the verge of tears, she nodded, yes.
"Okay, okay, so this a sex problem?" Sylvia whispered.
Meribel closed her eyes and nodded.
"Oh, shit, I get it now! You hit'em where it hurt! You tol'em he wasn't no goddamngood in bed! That shit wrong! Is that what happened?!" Sheila was all in there.
"SHEILA!!!" Sylvia thundered.
"WHAT?! Hell! We all women, goddammit! This ain't nothin' new! Hell, we done figured it out now, come on, tell us what happened so we can tell you how to fix it!"
"I didn't tell him, that he was no good in bed. He - overheard me - talking to myself, and I, well - kind of said that."
"WHAT?! Ah, shit... can't fix that!"
"SHEILA!!!" This time it came from Vivian.
"What?! I'm just telling the truth! See, if she said it to him, she could just say -"...baby I was lying! I ain't mean it! You know me." But hell, she was talkin' to herself! Everybody knows when you talk to yourself, you tellin' the truth!"
"Ohhh!" Meribel cried, o
n the verge of tears, with her elbow propped up on the table, she dropped her face into her hand. "What am I gonna do? I hurt him so bad! I love my husband! I gotta make this right!"
"Well, first things first, is he lousy in bed or not?!" Sheila asked.
"Sheila! You couldn't use tact if it was wrapped around a million dollars!" Vivian fussed.
"Look, I'm just trying to get to the heart of the matter! For all you know, the fix might be a simple one!" She defended herself.
Vivian shook her head, looking back to Meribel. "You know your husband, what do you think is wrong?" Vivian asked.
"You know what his problem is?" Meribel said, "He's too - too - considerate. Gentle, caring. Careful. He worries about - hurting me - about treating me, in a way that is - disrespectful. I am his wife, and - he believes that - I should be handled - with kid gloves."
"Uh-huh! And you don't wanna be handled all the time with kid gloves?" Sheila asked.
"Exactly!" Meribel answered honestly.
"So - all the equipment is working fine?" Sheila needed to clarify.
"Yes."
"That's good! And there's enough equipment there to work with?" She furthered.
"SHEILA!!!" This time it was Vivian and Sylvia at the same time.
Meribel smiled, not at all offended, "Trust me, chica, there is more than enough equipment to work with."
"See! Ya'll gettin' all worked up! Now we know what we dealing with." Sheila announced, as if because of her, serious headway had been made; she looked from Sylvia to Vivian as if to say, 'I know what I'm doin'!'.
"Have you tried telling him what you want?" Sylvia asked.
"Yes, I have. But - Derrick, he's different. He is so - oh, what's the word... moral. He's got it stuck in his head how things should be, and if I try to steer him away from that, it makes things awkward between us. He gets, quiet - he won't say anything against what I've tried or said, he just - won't go any further, as if - giving me time to see the errors of my sinful thoughts and desires."
BOMAW 7-9 Page 32
