Summer Surprise

Two weeks later, on movie night, Matt gave Dianne the full body massage Chloe had raved about and it was everything she’d expected and more. The feel of his hands sensually massaging her entire body left her limp as a wet noodle. He completed the experience by manually stimulating her to multiple orgasms. Afterward, Matt insisted that she spend half an hour basking in the aftermath. Once she was completely relaxed, Dianne knelt between his legs and used both hands to give him a twenty-minute hand job. She made sure to stop anytime he got close, leaning over him and kissing him, then commencing with stroking him when he’d lose some of his hardness. When Matt finally climaxed, they had to clean his cum off her headboard he’d cum so hard.

Chloe and Monica began developing the same degree of closeness that Dianne and Matt had, and both women frequently joined them for some of their non-sexual activities. One evening, Monica remained in her bra and panties while Matt gave her a massage. As he went along, Matt explained what he was doing and why, so that Chloe and Dianne, who were watching, could learn to give similar massages.

One weekend, Georgina, Elaine, and Beth managed to return for a quick visit. They were only able to stay over Friday night, instead of the two nights Dianne had suggested because Elaine and Georgina both had to work on Saturday night. Elaine had gotten a part-time job at the same restaurant where Georgina worked.

It was decided that an at-home picnic and movie night at Matt’s place would be perfect, so that they could all eat and chat companionably on the floor, while enjoying the scenery, after the movie. They watched ‘Casablanca’ that night and a good time was had by all.

That night, Beth shared Dianne’s bed. She asked a lot of questions about Dianne’s marriage, regarding what it was like being married to a soldier and what she missed most about being married.

“You aren’t thinking of getting married yet, are you?”

“No. I want to go to school. To tell you the truth, I don’t think most of the boys my age are very mature. I doubt one in twenty is ready to settle down in any meaningful way. Not that I am either, but I’d be closer than most guys.”

“That’s one of the things I admired about Robert, his maturity. Even though we got married at nineteen and he went directly into the Army, he was very devoted to my well-being and making sure I’d be okay if he didn’t make it. He knew his job with the Army was dangerous and life-threatening, so he took his responsibility to me very seriously and made sure there was life insurance money I could use to take care of myself if something happened to him. That insurance money is the reason I can pay for my education now. I am grateful that he was mature enough to know that he wasn’t invincible, unlike most young people.”

“What do you like about my brother?”

“Lots of things. I appreciate his dedication to getting good grades and finishing school so he has a means of supporting himself when he graduates, instead of wasting his time going to stupid parties and getting drunk. I respect the fact that he works part-time, has football, which helps foot the bill for his education. I adore his honorable and honest nature. Last but certainly not least, I’m grateful that he is a kind and affectionate man who is concerned for my welfare. I honestly believe that he truly loves and cares for me.”

“Have you screwed him yet?”

“Not yet. We aren’t even having oral sex yet, though we have played around. Let’s call it heavy petting. It’s another one of the things I admire about him. He could have had sex with me. I was willing, even willing to risk not having any birth control, but he wanted to wait until I was sure I was ready to have sex again after Robert. Not many men would do that if sex were offered. It’s one of the things which makes Matt special to me.”

“Do you think you’ll marry him?”

“He hasn’t asked me yet. I love him enough to marry him, I suppose, but there are some obstacles we would need to overcome. Even though we’re the same age, I’m a freshman and he’ll be a senior because I got married and waited to start college. When he graduates he’ll need to get a job somewhere, and we don’t know where that will be. We may have to carry on a long-distance relationship, and if we do, that could be quite difficult. Chloe will also be graduating, so I might have to move or get a new roommate. I fully expect her to go to California or New York to pursue her dreams.”

“You could drop out of school to marry him.”

“That wouldn’t be very smart. I’m already an old student. What if something happened to him or the marriage didn’t last? I’ve been there and done that, and it’s no picnic. The next time, I’d be even older and still have no job skills. No way that’s going to fly, I need to get my degree so I have a way to support myself.”

“I could be your roommate. When Chloe graduates from college, I’ll be graduating from high school.”

“As much as I would enjoy that Beth, I’m not sure you would because I’m older and I’m not a partier. I want a quiet roommate who’s serious about school and her life after school. Are you ready to be serious, or would you like a bit of fun first?”

“I hadn’t thought about it.”

“It’s never too soon to think about it. You’re a young woman now and the world is opening up for you. You have a plethora of options, you can get married, go to school, pursue a career, travel, or any combination of those things.

“I like to think that everything you do, opens or closes doors to you. Going to college opens a lot of doors. Many interesting careers are not an option if you lack an education, for instance being a teacher, doctor, lawyer, accountant, or any number of other business careers.

“Besides, attending college offers you the opportunity to develop special talents or skills, like learning how to speak new languages, exposes you to different cultures and nationalities, or new talents like playing an instrument.

“Other things you do, close doors for you. Failing to graduate from high school, criminal records, drug or alcohol use or abuse. Doing some of those things will get doors slammed in your face.

Imagine your father, twenty years from now, trying to get a job as a sex offender. Who would hire him? Working for places where young people congregate are out forever, for instance teaching jobs or working at McDonald’s if they have a playground. Jobs that entail entering other people’s homes are also out, so no jobs as an electrician, plumber, or A/C repairman. He’s lucky he’s older because he may be able to live off social security, but that will probably suck in twenty years, especially with no earnings from the time he was in prison. I’m sure he wasn’t thinking of the consequences of his actions but he’ll have a ton of them: no savings, no family, no job, no nothing.”

“I see what you mean.”

“Even things you think are relatively innocent now can have big consequences later.

“Many people have had their lives ruined by doing things like sexting or posting naughty images somewhere. Too many people have filmed themselves having sex with boyfriends or even husbands, and later had that stuff released when they broke up. Naked photos of yourself posted online will follow you everywhere. Elaine knows. She has images floating around online from photoshoots she’s done in the past and extra work she did in porno movies. She’s worried her prospective employers might come across that stuff since they often comb through your social media accounts to try and investigate your past.

“She also believes she might be better off remaining single rather than dating or getting married because she fears the risk of having her significant other see that stuff is too high. If they do see it, she fears she won’t be able to tell if they are truly interested in her as a person or if their interest stems from something they saw her do in a porno movie.

“Everything has unknown and foreseen consequences, and if you don’t think about these things the unknown ones can bite you in the ass. They didn’t have camera phones when your mom dated Laverne but consider what could have happened if Laverne had taken a few provocative shots of your mother before they broke up. Would you have been born? Maybe not. Christopher might never have married her. No wonder parents worry about their children so much.”

“You’re right. I haven’t thought about a lot of this. There may be a couple photos floating around out there that I’m not proud of. Nothing naked, I don’t think, but in my bra and panties.”

“You’re probably lucky it’s only that. Everything is riskier now that everyone has a phone with email or text accounts. You do anything and it can show up anywhere, whether you intend it to or not. As much as I care for Matt and don’t believe he’d ever do anything to hurt me, I’ll never let him take pictures of me in a compromising position. The chance that someone else could accidentally get ahold of them is far too great. Consequences. They suck.”

Beth was silent for a long time, then said, “Thanks for talking to me like I’m a grown up.”

“I’ve only ever known you as an almost grown up, so it’s hard for me to think of you as anything else. People who knew you when you were younger, still remember the younger you and may have a harder time realizing you are grown up now. They don’t mean anything by it. The same thing will happen to you when you have kids. Your kids will think you’re an old fossil who is out of touch with reality, like you do your mom. It’s the way of the world.”

“Can I get a hug?”

“Of course. My hugs are free.”

Dianne gave Beth a big hug, then held her hand as she’d done for Elaine. They went to sleep that way.

******

The following day, before they left, Beth said to Matt, “If you don’t marry Dianne, I’m going to hate you for the rest of my life.”

“Why’s that?”

“She talks to me like an adult, which no one else is doing yet, even Chloe, bless her heart, though she’s come the closest.”

“I guess I’ll have to marry you now, Dianne,” Matt said. “Beth has spoken.”

“That’s exactly what I mean. Exactly the way you’d talk to a kid.”

“What the heck did you talk about?” Matt said after they left.

“This and that. A lot of things. Probably the same things her mom has talked about, but in a different way. You and I didn’t get to have one of our racy dates last night. I’m thinking we have to make up for lost time.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Naked, my room, now. See you later Chloe, Monica. It’s time for us to disappear. The living room is yours.”

“Woohoo! Is this the big night then, where Matt has his way with you?” Chloe asked. “Should I find some fireworks to celebrate after?”

“I can’t say for certain, but fireworks might be appropriate.”

“Way to go, Matt. Give her a couple good thrusts for me.” Chloe pumped her arm a couple times.

Both Chloe and Monica razzed them as they went through the bedroom door, closing it behind them.

Dianne had her clothes off almost instantly and got in the bed. Matt stood at the foot of the bed, looking at her, taking her in, every inch of bared skin. He still wasn’t undressing.

“Are you sure, Dianne?”

“Do you remember what one of the first questions you asked me was?”

“I asked a lot of questions. Which one in particular are you referring to?”

“You asked if it was possible for me to love another man as much as I loved Robert. I can safely say the answer is yes. Yes, I can, and yes, I do. On top of which, it’s actually been five weeks since you said I should have another month to be sure if I was doing the right thing. I’m doing the right thing for me at this time. I’m going to make love to you for the rest of the day and half the night. I’m not going to stop until your dick is ready to fall off and I’ve drained you so dry it will take a week to recover.”

“Do you have birth control now?” Matt was taking off his shirt, fumbling with the buttons.

“I had an IUD placed in me the Monday after I came to your bedroom. I knew it was only a matter of time, and time’s up.”

Matt wore a ridiculous grin as he hastily shed the rest of his clothes and joined Dianne on the bed. His hands roamed lazily along her curves as he began to stroke her with his hands, his lips, and his tongue. The first orgasm he gave her was with his fingers. The second was with his mouth. The third and fourth followed shortly thereafter as Matt mounted her in the Missionary position and finally slid his hard cock into her. After waiting over a month to feel her warm, wet, sheath envelop him, he found himself unable to hold out for very long and climaxed inside her while the aftershocks of her fourth orgasm pumped every drop from him.

Groaning in pleasure Matt flopped onto his back. Dianne immediately slid her mouth down his shaft with ease. She felt his cock surge in her mouth as she began sucking him hard again, employing every skill she’d acquired from those practice sessions with her dildo. Once he was sufficiently hard to fuck again, she mounted him and rode him slowly and sensually in the cowgirl position until her fifth, sixth, and seventh orgasms rolled over her, and his second one flooded into her.

Nearly insatiable with lust Dianne dismounted and sucked him hard yet again. This time she got on her hands and knees, doggy style, wanting to feel every inch of him thrusting fiercely and deeply inside her. As he pounded her from behind she felt her eighth, ninth and tenth orgasms hit her almost simultaneously, like an explosion they rocked through her body, causing her to clench his cock in a velvet glove until he came for the third time.

Covered in sweat and breathing hard, they both collapsed. As he recovered, Matt took his time exploring Dianne’s liquid folds with his tongue. Her eleventh and twelfth orgasms came on his tongue as he showed her what an accomplished cunt licker he was. Dianne returned the favor and sucked him until he came for the fourth time. After swallowing every drop, she rested her head on Matt’s abs and stared at his limp dick which had given her so much pleasure, idly touching it once in a while to see if it would respond anymore.

“Do you think it will get hard again or are you done for the night?”

“I can’t be certain. Maybe we could take a brief break and hydrate.”

“Do you think they’d care if I went out to the kitchen naked?”

“I doubt it. You have a body a lesbian would love.”

“You say the sweetest things to me. Before today, do you know how long it’s been since I had a cock inside me?”

“Well, Robert died like eighteen months ago, right.”

“You remembered. That’s good. You get points for that. It’s actually been over two years. Robert was deployed for about seven months, and was due back a couple weeks before he died.”

“Trying to make up for lost time?”

“Kind of. You don’t really make up for lost dick, but it’s been awfully nice having yours inside me. It has been a really long time. Dildos and vibrators only do so much. Sometimes, you just need the real thing, and boy do you have the real thing. Stay there and recuperate. I’ll get the water. Thanks, by the way, for making a gal feel good.”

“You’re welcome.”

Dianne padded out to the kitchen naked. Chloe stuck her head out of her bedroom door. “Well, the noise has died down. Do we need fireworks?”

“I’ve already had the fireworks, a dirty dozen so far, and he might have a few more sparks left if we hydrate.”

“Wow, color me impressed. I knew he was a stud, but that’s incredible.”

Dianne laughed. “Yes, well I really love cock, so it was probably easier for me, plus he wasn’t averse to using his tongue.”

“Matt’s always known his way around a cunt, so I’m not surprised. You’re looking good, by the way.”

“Thanks, you too. You have a well fucked glow.”

“She should,” Monica called out, “I’ve been licking her for hours.”

“One hour tops, babe. Don’t exaggerate. It’s your turn next.”

“No sixty-nine?”

“Not this time. It’s really hard to do a super job of pussy pleasing if you’re getting your jollies off at the same time. You tend to lose focus when you cum. We’re going for quality of experience this time.”

“Thank God it’s my turn. My tongue is numb,” Monica called out.

“That’s probably true,” Chloe said, smiling, “and not an exaggeration.”

Dianne laughed. “You might want to grease the wheels yourself, drink some fluids.”

“Don’t mind if I do. Honey, you want some water?”

“Please,” Monica said, “Despite your tasty cum, I’m thirsty.”

Chloe strode into the room and got two glasses of water on ice.

“I love being in an actual relationship,” Chloe said.

“Me, too,” Dianne agreed, adding some lemon juice to Matt’s and her ice water. “Especially now, when I’m in a full relationship, one that includes sex.”

“To sex,” Chloe said, raising her glass, “the best thing to ever happen to the human race beyond simple survival.”

They clinked glasses and took a drink. Dianne added more water to her glass.

“See you in the morning if I haven’t fucked myself to death,” Dianne said.

“What a way to die.”

Dianne rejoined her boyfriend, handing him his water and downing half her glass. “Now, where were we? We haven’t tried to sixty-nine yet. Should we give it the old college try?”

“Why not.”

Dianne lowered her pussy over Matt’s face and started sucking on his limp cock. Taking her time she slowly let his cock glide in and out of her mouth. She tried to concentrate on what she was doing but was suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling of effervescent bubbles gliding across her skin as her fingers and toes began to vibrate and hum with electricity. When he suddenly switched from licking her pussy to sucking on her clit the sensation washed over her core, pulsing through her stomach, chest, and thighs as orgasms thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen crescendoed nearly simultaneously.

Riding the waves of pleasure, she sat up and mounted him again, reverse cowgirl style, and rode him hard and fast as the intense pressure built inside her. Orgasms sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen hit her with the velocity of a freight train as the pressure released, moving through her body like a waterfall cascading over the edge of a cliff. Matt had lasted a long time, having been well-drained already, but seeing her in throes of such ecstasy and feeling her milk his cock with such intensity finally brought on his own orgasm. He shrank rapidly thereafter, totally exhausted and somewhat sore.

“That’s it for me,” Matt gasped. “I’m totally whipped.”

“I don’t think I can stop at nineteen. It sounds like an unlucky number. Can you lick me to twenty? Does your tongue still work?”

“Only if I don’t otherwise have to move?”

“Deal.”

Dianne moved up Matt’s body and he licked his way to her twentieth, cleaning her at the same time. After shuddering through another exquisite orgasm, Dianne snuggled into Matt’s arms.

“Can I ask you a personal question?” Matt asked.

“You can always ask. I might not always answer.”

“You’re only the second person who’s ever been able to swallow all of my cock. How did you get so good?”

Dianne was silent for awhile. Matt was beginning to think she wouldn’t answer.

“I could tell you I watched a YouTube video and then started practicing, but the real reason is the other person who could, taught me.”

“Elaine?”

“The one and only.” Dianne took the dildo out of her drawer. “She showed me how on this.” Dianne quickly swallowed the whole thing, then pulled it out. “I practiced on it every time I had to masturbate. So almost every time I’ve seen you.”

“How did that ever come up as a topic of conversation?”

“The night she spent with me, she asked if we’d had sex and I said we hadn’t, but I’d seen your cock and touched it. I confessed that I didn’t know how I was going to get it all in my mouth. Having a lot of expertise on the subject, she offered to show me and I took her up on it. If I’m completely honest with myself, I think she wanted to teach me a talent that you would recognize as hers to help you remember her by. I don’t blame either of you for what happened, and if she wants you to have a parting gift, it’s okay with me. I don’t mind if you remember her as I remember Robert. Besides, it definitely helped me get as much of you as I could today, so it works out for me as well.”

Matt squeezed her a little tighter. “I love you, Dianne.”

“I love you too, Matt. I wasn’t lying last night because I wanted to have sex. Robert will always have a tiny piece of my heart, but you have all the rest. I love everything about you. I love your family. I love your friends. Beth said she’d be willing to be my roommate when she graduates next year and Chloe goes off to pursue her dreams. She’ll probably change her mind a half dozen times before then, but I’d be pleased to have her.”

“Won’t you be my roommate by then? We’re practically living together now?”

“You’ll be graduating too, and have to find a job. I still need to finish school. Unless you get a job in La Crosse, we may not be able to be roommates. I’m still a freshman. Even taking a heavier load of classes and going to summer school, it’s probably two years before I finish.”

“I just thought we’d be married when I graduated.”

“I like the way you’re thinking, but think again. I don’t want to lose you, but I don’t want to lose myself in you either. I need to focus on gaining real job skills to support myself, because I don’t want to be without them in case something happens to you.

“I suppose you’re right.”

******

As the months went by, the love and affection Matt and Dianne shared deepened and grew. They spent almost every evening together, and would even use Dianne’s car to go on day trips and an occasional weekend jaunt. Sometimes Chloe and Monica went with them, more often they were alone together. About once a month, either they would go down to Madison or Matt’s family would come up to visit. It was about the only time they didn’t sleep together. On one of those trips Georgina cornered Dianne to thank her.

“I don’t know what you said to Beth, but she’s really buckled down at school and is a lot more serious about things,” Georgina said. “I used to worry about her more than a little, but I don’t anymore. She’s pulled up her grades this year to straight A’s. She’s home most nights and lets me know where she’s going when she’s out.”

Dianne told Elaine that Matt knew the real reason why Dianne was so good at fellating him. “I said it was a parting gift from you so he wouldn’t have to suffer through second rate cock sucking.”

“You didn’t!”

“I certainly did. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”

Elaine burst out laughing, then hugged Dianne and cried.

******

Monica and Chloe also grew close. Monica gave up her apartment and moved in with Chloe and Dianne. Chloe even brought Monica home to meet her parents, the first time she’d ever brought a girlfriend home.

“I’m going to marry her,” Chloe said, her arm around Monica. “I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love Monica. She makes my life complete.”

They welcomed Monica into their home, finally accepting the reality of Chloe’s sexual orientation.

“I was always sorry I couldn’t have more children. She’s our only child. We wished for our genes to get passed along. Chloe is such an exceptional person, we always hoped we’d have a grandchild,” Chloe’s mother said. “A grandchild with her genetic material, even if our name ends with her.”

“We understand that wish and have actually talked a lot about having children.” Monica said. “The good news is Chloe will probably keep her name. Most actresses do. However, the career Chloe wants to have might make it kind of hard for her to have children. So we were thinking of implanting one of her eggs in my uterus and having my brother provide the sperm. That way we’d get a little bit of both our families genetic material. Besides, I would be honored to carry Chloe’s baby.”

“You would do that for us?”

“Of course. My parents have the same issues. We’d like to make both of you happy because we know parents have expectations for their children. We believe this is completely doable.”

“Now that gay marriage is legalized,” Chloe said, “we can tie the knot the same as anyone else in the country. This is the first time I’ve felt totally in love. The only thing we’re waiting for is for me to graduate.”

Just before fall classes started, Chloe performed another two-week solo play. It was a series of vignettes depicting a waitress at a diner. As expected, the play included a scene depicting Georgina with Laverne, with the names changed as promised. To prepare for her role, Chloe took copious notes while researching a lot of diners and spent a lot of time interviewing Georgina about being a ‘hash slinger’. Georgina shared all her diner lingo with her and helped her master the mannerisms of a harried waitress. All of her hard work paid off because the play was a smash hit, and ended up doing as well as the first one.

Georgina loved the show.

“It was so funny I teared up from laughing so hard. I wanted to tell you I’ve taken it upon myself to go on a couple of dates with this woman, Ethel. Consider it your influence on me, accepting I can be whoever I want to be. I even took her with me when I went to get my divorce papers signed. It was an absolute hoot. We smooched on each other quite a bit while we were there and it drove Christopher nuts.”

“Does this mean you’re going to go all out lesbo?” Chloe asked.

“I don’t know for sure. I’m beginning to think I’m bi. I mean I like men, but I’m enjoying this thing with Ethel very much. Maybe I’ll date some men too. I suppose there’s no point in deciding what I want before I explore my options. I feel a certain freedom to know that things have improved for gays in this country and lesbians don’t get treated as badly as they used to.”

“Things may be better,” Monica said, “but they’re not ideal. There have been over 600 deaths of LGBTQ people in the last 20 years for no other reason than their sexual orientation. A 2014 FBI study, found that 21% of hate crimes committed in 2013 were based on perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, the largest grouping after race/ethnicity and religion. Remember the Pulse nightclub shooting a couple of years ago in Orlando? It was a gay club. Forty-nine people were killed. The shooter claimed to be doing it for ISIS, in retaliation for a bombing in Syria, but that doesn’t explain why he decided to attack a gay club and not some honky-tonk western bar or Disney World.”

“How do you know so much about this?” Elaine asked.

“Monica can give you statistics until your ears bleed. I keep telling her statistics are dull and don’t really mean much to most people, unless you make them personal, but she loves reciting them because they help her do her job promoting LGBTQ rights at La Crosse and other colleges in Wisconsin.

“Her personal cause is the reason she wanted to come to my show. The title wasn’t clear enough. ‘My Gay Bashing Experiences in College’ didn’t tell her if I was being bashed or bashing others. Concerned I might be a gay basher, she approached me after my Friday show and asked if she could attend the Saturday show to make sure I wasn’t bashing anyone for their sexual orientation.

“Hey don’t knock my statistics, they facilitated me meeting you, so they’re not a complete waste.”

Chloe said, “You got that right, toots,” and planted a nice, long, tongue twisting kiss on Monica.

******

In the beginning of the new school year, Dianne increased her course load to try and graduate faster and Matt started his final year of football for the Eagles. Both of them were very busy, but they still spent as much time together as they could and enjoyed curling up together naked at night. Dianne attended all the home games and even one away game that wasn’t too far to drive. After the games, she would lavish him with attention, providing him with a hot bubble bath followed my a full body massage which usually concluded with passionate sex.

Matt and Dianne both attended his families Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. Thanksgiving was a one day affair but they spent the night on Christmas Eve, which is when they met Ethel for the first time.

“Mrs. Sanders,” Dianne said, “I don’t know how you feel about unmarried folks sleeping together under your roof. We’ll be happy to go by any rules of the house, but Matt and I are together almost every night.”

“I assumed so. You can sleep together if you want. I’m not going to impose any rules on you here that contradict what you usually do. Besides, Ethel is spending the night tonight for the first time. I guess if I can have unmarried sex under my roof, you can too. Until recently, I wasn’t sure how Beth would respond to me having sex with another woman, so I limited my contact with her to her house. Beth finally set me straight when she told me her older sister had been a prostitute, her brother had dated a gay woman, and her father was a child molester, so if I thought she would be bothered by my girlfriend spending the night I was barking up the wrong tree.”

“How is sex with Ethel?” Matt asked.

“I can’t believe my son is asking me that question.”

“It’s not as if I don’t see two lesbians making out all the time at Dianne’s,” Matt said. “So how does it compare to your first experience?”

“Well, Laverne was a slut who fucked everyone without prejudice. Ethel is a specialist. She doesn’t do men, so she knows things about a woman’s body I didn’t even know. Honestly, it’s some of the best sex of my life. If you hear me scream tonight, don’t be overly surprised.”

“Way to go, Mom!” Beth said, hearing the last part of that statement when she walked into the room with Ethel. “Ethel, if I don’t hear her scream tonight, I’ll be disappointed.”

Georgina blushed. Ethel made it worse.

“I’ll try not to disappoint you, Beth, because I think your mother is pretty special and it’s important you try to remain on good terms with your partner’s children.”

Ethel pulled Georgina under the mistletoe and gave her a sizzling kiss. Georgina resisted momentarily, then melted into it.

Her children started clapping.

“You’re lucky, Georgina. A lot of families don’t take a relationship such as ours as well as yours does.”

“Unlucky in love, lucky in children,” Georgina said breathlessly.

“Let’s see if we can reverse your fortunes where love is concerned,” Ethel said.

Her children were all gratified to hear Georgina scream twice that night. Once shortly after she went to bed and again the next morning before they opened presents. Everyone relentlessly teased Georgina, causing her to blush for much of the morning, but the smile on her face couldn’t be wiped off.

“Ethel, I’m sorry we didn’t get you a present, but we weren’t aware of how close you and Mom had become,” Matt said, as they passed out presents. “Back in August, Mom mentioned that you’d gone on a couple of dates but she was also talking about possibly dating men again. Then she didn’t mention dating anyone special at Thanksgiving so we figured she was still playing the field.”

“The greatest gift I can receive is your acceptance. Georgina was still a little nervous about me being in her life. We’re smoothing out the rough spots.”

Matt and Dianne each gave her a big hug as a gift.

“It helps we have a very good friend who’s gay,” Matt said. “It’s not totally foreign to us.”

“Yes, Georgina and Elaine have told me all about Chloe. She sounds like a very interesting person.”

Her next show starts right after New Year’s. You should join the family when they come to see it. It will be a long evening, so plan on spending the night. She’s doing a spin on some famous soliloquies from Shakespeare. Essentially it’s Shakespeare for gays, where Romeo and Juliet become Rhonda and Juliet, with the added bonus of updated modern-day English.”

“That sounds delightful,” Ethel said. “Would you have an objection to my coming with you, Georgina?”

“You have to promise not to make me scream again if we sleep over.”

“Don’t say that. It was so much fun,” Ethel teased. “Would we need to get a motel?”

“You two could stay in Dianne’s room,” Matt said. “Then Dianne and I could stay in my room, and we could put Elaine and Beth on air mattresses in my living room.”

“Nonsense. No one has to sleep on air mattresses,” Ethel said. “We’ll get a motel.”

“It’s kind of pricey,” Dianne said.

“Hasn’t your mother told you? I’m wealthy.”

“How wealthy?” Matt asked.

“Wealthy enough I need never worry about working a day in my life. Have you heard of William Thornhill?”

“Everyone’s heard of William Thornhill,” Dianne said.

“He’s my younger brother. I don’t have as much money as he does, but I do okay. He vastly increased his holdings after he received his inheritance and he graciously allows me to invest in his companies so that my own funds continue to grow.”

“I’ve never known anyone rich and famous before,” Dianne said.

“I may be rich, but I’m not famous,” Ethel said. “I’m related to someone famous. It’s not the same.”

“Doesn’t he live in New York?”

“Yes. We both grew up in Wisconsin but our family relocated to New York when we were teenagers. He stayed but I moved back after graduating from college. I found New York to be way too edgy for me. I decided that I much prefer surrounding myself with Midwestern friendliness, even if remaining a New Yorker might have made it easier to come out. However, dating Georgina has given me the backbone to finally admit my sexuality to everyone.”

******

Before Dianne and Matt left, Dianne told Matt to give Elaine a massage.

“What kind of massage?” Matt asked.

“A good one.”

“You really don’t care we used to love each other, do you?”

“Not in the slightest. Besides, I trust you.”

Matt and Elaine went upstairs so they could have a little privacy. Dianne stayed downstairs and helped clean up after dinner.

“Where’s Matt and Elaine?” Georgina asked.

“Elaine is getting a massage as an added Christmas gift,” Dianne said, “before Matt packs our stuff and we have to leave. You should try one sometime, Ethel. Matt gives the best massages.”

“Perhaps I shall sometime. Thank you.”

Matt came down a short time later and kissed Dianne. “Are you ready to go?”

“Just a couple more dishes left to put away. You can help,” handing him a dish towel. “You can dry.”

Matt dried while Dianne put everything away with Beth’s help. Fifteen minutes later, Elaine stumbled downstairs still rubbery from her massage. She went up to Dianne and hugged her.

“Matt’s got the best girlfriend in the world,” she said. “Thank you for letting him do that.”

“Hey,” Ethel said. “I made Georgina scream twice last night,” making Georgina blush again.

“Okay, second best. Although it’s hard to draw enough breath to scream during Matt’s massages. You just want to melt and go to sleep.”

“Sounds like my first and last boyfriend,” Ethel said. “After sex, all he wanted to do is go to sleep.”

“That’s not Matt’s problem,” Dianne said. “He usually wants to go again. We have a lot of sex. The first time we had sex together, after the Casablanca movie night, Matt made me orgasm twenty times. Granted it was the first time I’d had sex in over two years, so it’s probably not totally due to his love making skills, but it was great.”

“As Beth would say, TMI,” Georgina said. “I don’t want to know about the sex lives of my kids.”

“We got to know about yours, Mom,” Elaine said. “Turnabout is fair play.”

“No more screaming, Ethel. I’ll never live this down,” Georgina said.

“But you can live it up,” Matt said. “It’s nice to know you can still have a great sex life in your fifties.”

Georgina blushed again.

******

Ethel did come to the play with Matt’s family and relished every moment of it. Afterwards, they went out for dinner and Ethel paid for everyone. During dinner, she got into some serious discussions with Chloe and Monica about coming out.

“Let’s face it, you’ve gone this long without getting married so it’s likely that your friends have either guessed your sexual orientation or dismissed you as asexual,” Chloe said. “My guess is that your closest friends probably already suspect you’re a lesbian and those who don’t will probably be shocked as hell. Expect about half of your friends to dump you once they know. Good riddance, I say.

“A quarter of them won’t out and out dump you, despite feeling uncomfortable being around someone different, they’ll remain pleasant and nice when you see them but you’ll see them less often and you’ll find yourself doing less with them. The men will realize why their flirting never went anywhere with you and the women will wonder if you’re going to make passes at them now you’re out. It will stay like that with some of them, but others will get closer again once they realize that you’re no different than you used to be, they just know more about you.

“The final bunch, will be comprised of those who simply don’t care and will continue to treat you as they always have; though, some of them may wonder why you never tried to have sex with them.”

“The ones who don’t give a shit are your truest friends. The ones who come back are the second best and are worth making an effort to keep around. The rest can fuck themselves. Sorry, Georgina,” Monica said.

“Yeah. I’ve given up trying to civilize you barbarians,” Georgina said. “If I were smart, I’d make a swear jar and not protest when you swear, just make money off it.”

“Here’s ten,” Chloe said. “Let me know when I’ve used that up.”

“Don’t you need that for school or whatever?”

“My little plays are doing quite well, so I’m building up a little nest egg for when I have to fly the coop. My folks really came around and are helping me out by paying for my wedding, just as if I were marrying a guy.”

“That’s wonderful, Chloe.”

“It really is,” Monica said. “I feel like a member of the family already.”

When they said goodbye, Chloe said to Ethel. “Don’t make Georgina scream tonight at the motel, she would die of embarrassment.”

“You heard about that, did you?” Ethel asked.

“Oh, yes,” Chloe said. “Matt told us all about it. Dianne even screamed so we could see what it was like. I’ve never made Monica scream like that. What’s your secret?”

“I tie her down, blindfold her, and tease her unmercifully.”

“Mother!” Beth said. “Now I have to decide which of those two revelations are most shocking: that you’re bisexual or you’re into bondage. It’s too much, my head is going to explode.”

Georgina blushed so red she could have passed for a tomato.

“Well, I know what we’re doing tonight,” Chloe said. “Who gets tied down first?”

“Both have their advantages,” Georgina said, still red, but laughing. “Making someone scream is as much fun as screaming yourself.”

“Flip a coin then,” Monica said. “Forty-five minutes of whatever the one tying wants, then switch.”

“Done,” Chloe said. “Looks like an old dog can teach a young pup tricks.”

Georgina blushed again.

******