'What?' his mother answered in confusion.
'Neal and I thought it would be nice if you and Mitch got together,' Kari explained. 'I'm afraid our curiosity got the best of us. We watched from Mitch's bedroom window.'
'You saw?' Marta's eyes widened.
'Everything,' Neal added.
'She knows about Mitch and us,' Kari looked to Neal. 'She saw Janice and Mitch in the other room.'
'I don't know what to say,' Marta muttered as she shook her head. 'Too much has happened tonight.'
'Don't say anything,' Mitch Mason's voice came from the doorway to the bedroom. All three of their heads turned to the man. Janice was at his side, smiling.
'Just accept it, Marta,' he added.
'You too?' she said. 'You knew all about this? I mean about Kari and Neal?'
'Not until right now,' he answered. 'If things hadn't worked out so damn nicely, I think I'd show the both of them that their not too big to have their bottoms tanned. But things have worked out nicely.'
'I need time to think about this,' Marta shook her head.
'You didn't need time to think about it a few minutes ago,' Kari said. 'You did act with love. That's not it bad beginning.'
Marta shrugged her shoulders and looked up at them with a grin, 'Okay, where to now?'
'How about the kitchen,' Mitch laughed 'I feel like I could use some breakfast.'
'It's two in the morning,' Janice replied.
'Bacon and eggs go good anytime, day, night or morning,' he answered. 'Besides, I need a rest.'
Janice chuckled, as did Marta, Kari and Neal.
Following Mitch, all of them moved to the kitchen. However, when the two adults offered to help prepare the meal, they were waved into the living room. Not wishing to press the point, Mitch and Marta did as they were told.
'How did all this get started?' Marta asked as they took a seat on the sofa.
Mitch opened his arms and she snuggled into his shoulder, 'I'm not sure. I know Janice and Kari were lovers before they brought me into the group.'
He paused, as if gathering his thoughts, 'It was two years ago, after my wife died, the girl's mother. Janice was home from school during spring break, if memory serves me correctly. I'm not sure how long she had been considering it, but one night she slipped into bed with me while I was asleep.'
'When I woke up during the night, there she was. I was angry as hell. I said a lot of mean, nasty things. Called her a whore, a bitch, etc., etc., etc. She cried. It wasn't an act. That tore me up. The next thing I knew I was holding her, trying to comfort her. I kissed her, then she kissed me. Things just took their natural course from there. I don't think there's a man in this country that could've refused her. She was young, beautiful, legal and damn willing.' He hugged Marta close.
'And Kari?' the woman pressed.
'On her birthday this year Janice told her everything that had been happening between her and me. I didn't know a thing about It until Kari came into my bedroom that night and demanded that if I didn't make love to her, she'd run away from home because I didn't love her,' he answered. 'I'd been through this once. I didn't fight it. Again Kari is very beautiful, sexy and eighteen.'
Then he added as an afterthought, 'For what it's worth, neither of them were virgins. They both had had boys before me.'
'Did you know about Kari and Neal… that they were lovers?' Marta continued her questions.
'No not for sure. Though I think Janice did,' Mitch replied. 'If I had had to place money on it, I would have won. After all Neal's a handsome boy and Kari is quite attractive. They're both healthy and if something didn't click, I'd have been surprised.'
'Weren't you worried about pregnancy?' she suddenly turned to him as if the thought had just struck her.
He laughed, 'Hey, this is the age of the pill. The minute I found out Janice and Kari were women, I trotted them down to the doctor and saw they got the protection they needed. Neither of these girls is stupid. They keep a regular schedule with the doctor every six months, just to be on the safe side.'
Marta smiled, 'I don't know if I would have been as liberal if I had a daughter instead of a son.'
'A double standard? My god, woman, that's the remark of a male chauvinist if I ever heard one,' he grinned. 'Best be careful. Janice and Kari are both libbers.'
'Come on. I'm serious,' she chided.
'So am I. Janice and Kari have got good, solid heads on their shoulders and I seriously doubt that either one of them will spend their lives as housewives,' he answered.'
'I mean about being so sexually free,' she explained.
'Why not? The average female is capable of bearing children at thirteen. And the average male is capable of being a poppa at the same age,' he continued. 'Look at past societies. Even in this country people got married early, very early. However today we force our children to be adults when they're children. As soon as they become physically adults, we tell them they are still children and have to wait ten years until they are allowed to find out what their bodies are all about.'
'Of course, there are a hell of a large number who don't wait,' he added. 'And a hell of a lot of young girls ending up with children they didn't want to begin with. All of this, could have been avoided if the parents had been willing to look at life realistically, rather than letting some moralist or some preacher tell them how to live. But I guess that's too much to expect. Too many people want to be told how to live and what to do with their lives.'
He stopped and grinned, 'All of which has absolutely nothing to do with you and your reaction to what has happened tonight.'
'I think Kari summed it up,' Marta answered. 'Love. Not the romantic bullshit, but the real thing. Do you understand?'
'Mmmm hmmm,' he smiled, his head leaning toward hers.
Their mouths met and lingered together. Their arms entwined around each other. Their tongues taunted and flicked back and forth, taunting one another.
'Cool it!' Kari called from the kitchen. 'If I remember correctly one of you two lovebirds ordered bacon and eggs. And this diner has got one hell of a mean short-order cook. I suggest you save that for later and come in here and make her happy!'
'Right!' Mitch called back as he eased from Marta's arms. 'Time for breakfast at Mason's Nudist Camp!'
The meal was light, as was the conversation. Marta now realized that an underlying tension had been with the group all day. And now, now that she had discovered all the secrets tucked away within this small group of five, it was as if a tremendous load had been lifted from everyone's shoulders.
'That was good,' Mitch patted his bare stomach and smiled as he pushed away from the table. 'I even volunteer to clean up the mess.'
'Will wonders never cease!' Janice laughed. 'I bet you think one of us is going to feel sorry for dear old dad and offer to do it for him, don't you?'
'Well,' he smiled, 'the thought did pass through my mind.'
'Shall we say, you made your bed, now lay in it,' Janice grinned.
'Out!' Mitch took a mock swing at his red-haired daughter. 'I don't have to put up with bad puns!'
'I offer my assistance,' Marta spoke up.
'Not a bad bed to lay in,' Kari whispered to Neal.
'Speaking of laying,' he whispered back. 'I was on my way to… '
The perky little blonde never gave him a chance to finish his statement. Grabbing his hand she practically dragged him from his chair into the living room.
Janice politely waited a moment or two then quietly slipped from the room after her sister and her boyfriend.
'What was that all about?' Marta glanced at Mitch.
'My guess is that your son is about to find his hands filled with two very sexy and very active girls,' Mitch smiled.
'Both of them?' Marta's eyes widened.
