Chapter 5: Meeting Henrietta and the trip home
The next day was Thursday. Brian took us for a tour of the property next door. He first took us to the antique shop that also served as the office. "This room and the smaller bedroom were once filled with teddy bears," he said, as we stood in what had been the living room of the small house.
"We lived here when I was three years old," Amanda said.
"Did I live here?" Phillip asked.
"We brought you home to this house when you were born, but it wasn't long before we moved next door."
Brian quoted the dates when the barn was replaced; the buildings that housed the business were built, and when he and Peggy took over Mr. Bennett's business interests.
"I'm going to take Randy for a ride around the town," he said, locking the door to the small house. The kids wanted to go along, but Brian reminded them that he had taken them to the café the day before.
He drove by the apartment building first, saying that the structure needed constant attention, inside and out. "I've been trying to get Lois to find older tenants who are widowed. They tend to stay longer than young married couples," Brian said. I remembered Lois Banks and her husband stopping by the house on Christmas day.
People on the street waved to Brian, and he waved back. He rolled down the window to hear one of them asked if he was back for good. He answered that he would be back soon.
Next, we drove by the two older homes that were part of the Bennett deal. "The librarian and her mate live in that one," he said, pointing to one of the small houses. "Max Leach and his wife live in the other one. I understand you know him."
I realized that Ginny must have told him about my relationship to the Leach brothers. "He's my step-brother," I admitted, and the subject was dropped until he was introducing me to Henrietta.
There were very few people in the café. Brian directed me to a booth in the back. He sat on one side and I sat on the other. We ordered coffee. Brian asked the waitress if Henry was there, and it was only seconds later when a tall, black woman took a seat next to Brian. She kissed him on the cheek, laid her head on his shoulder, and asked, "When are you coming back to me, Lover?"
Brian didn't bat an eye. "This is Randy. He's my sister's boyfriend. Randy, this lady is the love of my life."
Henrietta actually blushed as she extended her hand. Like the rest of her body, the hand was long, and you could see the bones protruding below the skin.
"Randy is a used car salesman. He's also acquainted with the Leach brothers," Brian said as our coffee arrived. The waitress caught Henrietta off guard by asking if she wanted coffee.
"Ah, no," Henrietta said, staring bug-eyed at me. She closed her mouth, and said, "That's a double whammy."
I laughed. "My mom married their father. That was long before I became a used car salesman."
Brian got right to the point. "Henry thinks Mark is screwing my former girlfriend."
This was not news to me. I couldn't act surprised. "Are you sure it's just Mark?"
Brian and Henrietta looked at each other. "Wouldn't that be a kick in the ass?" Henrietta exclaimed. What makes you say that, Randy?"
"I often heard them scheming when I was ten."
"You were only ten? Boys that age don't know about such things as screwing your brother's girlfriend," Henrietta said, with skepticism.
"They made sure I understood what they were talking about. They even dared me to tell my mother what they were doing. I know I was only ten because that was the year Max graduated from college. He moved out, but that didn't stop them, though. They bragged about screwing each other's girl fiends until I left when I was twelve."
"That's sick," Henrietta said, feigning shock.
This was my chance to get even with the Leach brothers. They'd made my life miserable when we were living under the same roof.
"I've heard that Max's wife is a knock-out. I wonder if she knows about Max's and Mark's games."
"I wonder if she's an unsuspecting victim of the ruse." Henrietta mused.
Brian looked at her. She smiled, almost knowing what he was planning to say. "You wouldn't tell her that she may be taken advantage of, would you?"
Henrietta became indignant. "Not me, she may like the variety."
Brian frowned. "We have no proof that they're still actively involved in their immature game. I can't imagine Max letting his brother fuck his wife."
"You don't know the Leach brothers very well. I've heard them talk about being involved in some lewd shit," I said, not wanting to close the discussion of what my step-brothers were capable of doing.
Henrietta was quick to jump in. "I might warn Marian. I'd like to see her catch them in the act, but I doubt if that's possible. I think they make a game of passing for one another. Do you know of any difference between them that Marian could look for, Randy?"
"There's one," I said, watching Henrietta to make sure I had her attention. "Mark was always bragging about having a bigger cock than Max. That seemed to concern them when they were making plans to try to deceive their prey."
"That's it, I remember Mark saying he has a bigger cock," Henrietta said. "How much bigger is it?"
"Don't ask me. I was only ten at the time."
Brian and Henrietta laughed, and that ended the discussion of my step-brothers taking advantage of unsuspecting females. Brian said he wanted to go home and spend the rest of the day with his children.
We got up early to see him off. I would have liked to leave that day, too, but Ginny said she needed to make sure that Amanda and Phillip were going to be okay.
Mary sent us off the next morning with a full thermos, sandwiches and fruit. It was with heavy hearts that we set out, vowing to return often.
We didn't talk for the first fifty miles, reliving our memories of the last few days. Ginny was wearing a heavy coat, open in front to show the sweater I'd given her. She turned to face me.
"Thank you taking me to spend the holiday with my brother's family."
"I had a good time," I said.
"The sex was good, wasn't it?" she asked, blushing.
"I said I had a good time, didn't I?" I asked, and watched the shade of her blush become deeper.
"About that..."
"The sex?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, Randy. I enjoyed it, really I did."
"Do I smell a 'but' coming?"
"I'd like for you to give Millie's book back, and that we forget about most of those positions."
Ginny had a 'there, I said it,' expression on her face.
"You want us to forget about most of the positions. Does that mean there were some that you liked?"
