The normal disclaimers apply, all those who participate in sexual activities are 18 or older.
*****
Ethel and Maggie were doing well, out on the town doing widowed lady stuff, stopping in to have supper with us almost weekly. It seemed to both of us that they were awfully close, always showing simple affection when with us. Nothing untoward, a secret smile or nod of the head, touching a hand or an arm, Ethel had her hand on Maggie's knee one night for about fifteen seconds and suddenly pulled it away, as if she'd forgotten they were in mixed company. Lying in bed that night I could think of nothing but what we'd witnessed.
"Stan, are you awake babe?" He grunted his yes grunt. "Have you noticed the way our mothers are behaving? I know you said to leave it alone, but it's so obvious, I think they're lovers."
"Geez Karen, where the hell did that come from? Would it matter if they were, it's not like they're confused teenage kids experimenting with their sexuality. They've both been without affection a long time, maybe a few stolen kisses and lying in bed with each other is just what the doctor ordered."
"STAN, those are our mothers you're speaking so nonchalantly about. Doesn't it bother you?"
"Not in the least cupcake, and I'm encouraging you to not let it bother you either. Like I said before, let it be, you'll drive yourself nuts. Now go to sleep."
Two nights later Stan walked through the doors in a state I'd not witnessed since the night he protected me form Carlos in the hospital parking lot. He was pissed, I mean steaming pissed. I said nothing when he kissed me, patted my butt and headed for the shower. My mother would have said to leave him alone, which I did, he'd talk about it when he was ready. He wasn't hostile to me at supper, but he wasn't his usual talkative self either. Doing dishes, he began to open up.
"Carlos and two of his buddies showed up at the jobsite today. I was two sections up on scaffolding when Mike nudged my arm and pointed down, as I looked toward the street Carlos put his hand in the shape of a gun and lowered his thumb as though he'd shot me. I was so pissed I wanted to do the real thing to him."
Stan continued, "Mike told me to stay put as he and a half dozen guys began to descend the scaffolding, by the time they'd gotten down the cowards were gone. At lunch I told Mike I was going to find and fuck them up, they were going to leave me and mine alone."
Now he had me frightened, "Am I in danger Stan? Should I alert security, they'll watch for him and not allow any of them inside the premises. Stan I'm scared."
"Yes, I think you should alert security, let me tell you what Mike said after I'd fumed and sputtered a few minutes. He told me there was no way I would be involved in taking those assholes down a peg or two. You see, all of us guys that started in the different trades about the same time have sort of a bond, if one of us is in trouble everybody else comes to their aid. Two years ago, four of us tuned up a guy who wouldn't leave Vinnie's wife alone, followed her every day and had her frightened enough she was going to quit her job. After we intervened, he was nowhere to be seen again, I heard that after he got out of the hospital he moved."
"Stan please no baby, I don't want you in jail, I couldn't stand that."
"Oh, I won't be any part of it Karen. Nope, I'll be at Kelleys Pool Hall where there are lots of security cameras while the others dole out punishment. We've all helped out with other guys situations, this time it's me who needs the help. I'm gonna send our mothers on a ten day cruise, if those sleeze balls found me, they'll find them, by the time they return it'll be over with."
"Stan I'm afraid, for you, for us."
"No need to be punkin, be expecting a few gang bangers in the ER over the next ten days, I think a lot of them are going to fall down and bruise themselves. You'll be safe at work and when you aren't at work, you'll be with me. It'll be okay."
True to his statement the first arrived the following evening, it was the guy who'd hit Stan from behind with the baseball bat. Every broken bone, laceration and deep bruise appeared as though it had been done with a round blunt object, something like, I don't know, maybe a baseball bat. Several teeth were missing and his eyes were not even slits, they were swollen shut. Six broken ribs, a broken femur, broken wrist on the left and broken Radial on the right along with a collapsed lung. The head nurse looked at us and said, "Yeah, he'll be in the ICU for a while." As they wheeled him out to surgery.
The next night was quiet, the following night another of the goons arrived in almost as bad shape as the other but not beaten quite so severely, the next night was thug number two and a repeat. Thug number three had succumbed to a bullet from a rival gang three weeks prior which left only Carlos, the one who'd stomped Stan's balls in an effort to make him sterile. I was working the last of an overnight shift when they brought him in, beaten badly, barely alive and he'd been castrated. Whoever had done it knew to put clotting powder on the wound so he didn't bleed extensively, I knew that Tim, Stan's tender, had been a farm boy, I'm sure he'd castrated more than one steer.
Carlos had so many broken bones along with the rest he was in the hospital over six weeks, in that time no one but law enforcement came to see him. He had no idea who had beat him, he accused Stan except Stan had been playing pool every night those incidents occurred. Holding me tight in bed the night Carlos had been brought in he told me no one would bother me anymore.
That following Sunday we picked up the moms at the airport, talk about acting like giddy schoolgirls. They were dressed differently as well, flashy sun dresses with one-inch strapped sandals and make up, neither had left wearing makeup. As we walked to the parking structure, they were arm in arm talking, laughing, giggling as they leaned into each other over some secret. They insisted on sitting together in the back seats and held each other's hand or touched the others arm the entire way to my mom's house. After helping get their bags in we were jettisoned on our way home, them saying they wanted to hit the hay early because of jet lag. I wanted to counter there was no real jet lag after a three hour flight, they feigned being exhausted so we left. In the car the subject came up again.
"They're sleeping together Stan I can feel it in my bones. What have we done to our mothers?"
"We, my dear, haven't done anything to our mothers. I believe every move they've made or initiated was done by them and them alone. What exactly is the problem Karen?"
