WARNING: Our leading lady blots her character, becoming involved in adultery and sister-sister sex. But the clean-cut man becoming increasingly influential in her life will almost certainly improve her morality through example. Er hopefully.
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CHAPTER 1
After the funeral and the last visitors had left, Helen Nelson sat with her three daughters while Harry fetched drinks. Helen held the hand of her youngest Carrie Lamb, red-eyed and newly widowed, while across from them sat Beth Nichols happily married to a surgeon and Debbie Muir who'd become wealthy after being divorced by an elderly attorney. It was rumored Debbie was bedding a new man every week but when asked about that by Beth had laughed and said, "I wish."
Debbie, taking a white wine from her father said, "Carrie will you keep the name Lamb or revert to Nelson?"
Carrie's answer was to burst into tears. She took the wine from Harry and swallowed it in two gulps.
Harry looked disapprovingly because it was a top wine from his cellar but his wife told him to shut up although he hadn't said anything. Harry retaliated by serving Beth her wine and taking Carrie's empty glass before serving his wife and earning a glare.
Harry of course was impervious to that evil look as all guys are who've lived in a house of females and survive by becoming... well impervious. Carrie had left home four months ago after her wedding.
Debs had been gone four years but usually visited two or three times a week.
Beth had frequently spent nights away from her new choice of man Bruce, who was waiting for his wife to vacate the house and their marriage to be dissolved. The house had been surrendered eighteen months ago and that allowed Beth to shift in permanently with Bruce and they married seven months ago.
"Carrie will plan her life without Alan with our help when she feels ready for that," Helen said, dabbing Carrie's eyes with a handkerchief.
"Yes and I'll assist because coming out of the other side of a divorce is somewhat similar," Debs said. "I have that experience to call on."
Her mother snorted, "I fail to see how seeking comfort in the arms of multiple men is a likely avenue for Carrie."
"Mother, never have I confessed to being involved in groupies."
"You know what I mean Debbie. People are saying you are having four new male callers a week."
"Dad are you going to stand by and allow your wife to besmirch the name of your favorite daughter?"
"I have no favorites with my daughter and I'm sitting here to enjoy my wine, hopefully in peace. All I can say is show me one rumor that has proved to be true."
"Yeah, try showing me a rumor," Debs snapped. "All I can tell you Carrie is show a bit of leg and you'll have guys coming out of the woodwork at you and not all will be married."
"Debbie!"
"Well mom obviously you feel I don't fit in here so I'm going."
"Debbie sit down instantly. Carrie needs our support."
"Okay mom. Dad get me another wine."
"Get it yourself."
Each Sunday for the next four weeks Beth and Debs called on Sunday morning at 11:00 for a couple of wines and then stayed for lunch with their parents and grieving 29-year-old sister who appeared to be losing weight as well as her bloom. She seemed to cry at every opportunity, especially at Debs' unsympathetic comments.
At that fourth lunch Helen whispered to Beth and Debbie (Helen rarely called her Debs like the others did) to meet her at the garden center for coffee at 3:00 and said, "It is not right a widow should weep for so long. I've consulted Dr Rice and she said it should stop eventually."
Over the coffee cups Debs said, "She needs a good poke by a man. That will fix her."
"Leave her mom," Beth hastened to intervene. "You know she's just winding you up."
"Please behave yourself Debbie or leave."
Debbie rose to leave but her stressed mom roared at her to sit down, startling other coffee drinkers.
Mother and daughters agreed this was out of character for Carrie, the really attractive one of the family with more ability and more personality than almost all of them put together.
"There was a time we called her our high-flier but now she's crashed," Beth sniffed, dabbing at her eyes.
"Oh god don't start me off," Helen said, sniffing while Debs said, "God, what's wrong with you women? You have to learn to toughen up."
"Thanks for your sympathy Debbie," her mom wept and Debbie displaying guilt, went around the table and hugged her.
"Weren't we here to discuss our weeping widow rather than to stew in our own despair?" Beth asked and sighed "Oh God" and joined in the hugging of their mother now heaving with sobs.
Debs went into the café and returned to their outside table with a bottle of wine and three glasses. In time the wine settled everyone.
"Perhaps you and dad should take Carrie for a week at a resort."
"Bad idea Beth; she'll spend her time weeping at the honeymooners," Debs said. "Remember she and Alan went to a resort for their honeymoon."
Their mother snapped, "Instead of being negative about everything we suggest Debbie, you come up with a worthwhile suggestion."
"Well first let's try to analyze why our bright-as-a-button sister, your daughter, is a weeping widow. She didn't really like Alan."
Helen and Beth looked horrified and Helen said grimly, "You better justify that comment young lady or risk really being offside with me."
"Oh ho whoa mother; you and whose army? I've knocked more than a couple guys down in my time. If you must know Carrie told me when they returned from their honeymoon. She said she'd rushed into marriage only to find Alan was a bit of a bore and rather unspectacular in bed."
Looking bewildered Helen asked how could a young man be unspectacular in bed. They became that way when they grew older.
The sisters exchanged glances with raised eyebrows, wondering if they were learning something about their father.
Beth said, "Mom it could mean he lacks endurances or variety or the ability to excite his partner."
"Or is prone to premature ejaculation," Debs said and the three of them smothered their smutty laughter. "I pushed to find out what really was wrong with Alan but Carrie buttoned up as if thinking she'd said more than enough."
"Or was talking to the wrong sister," Beth said smugly.
"Bitch."
"Please behave yourselves girls. So does that end your contribution Debbie?"
"No it doesn't and be prepared to be shocked about this."
Helen looked uneasy while Beth learned forward eagerly.
"We know Alan was electrocuted when he was raising the metal extension of a window cleaning brush and touched overhead power lines. We know Carrie was away from home at the time but why, and what was she doing? She told the investigators she was out window-shopping and that was accepted. But I wonder about that. Carrie out window-shopping is something I'm not aware she's ever done. She is too positive for that. Carrie decides what she wants to buy and goes out and buys it. With this on-going grief of hers I now suspect guilt and I wonder was she out seeing an old boyfriend to reconnect with sexual excitement."
"Mom?" said Beth.
"My mind won't accept that theory."
Beth said well she thought Debbie could have stumbled on to something. "It's worth checking out."
"But how?"
