Short Story -- I I: We Explore and Discover
~~~ Gina realizes her sexuality, and I rediscover mine ~~~
A note to the reader:
If you're expecting one of those stories where the "wise, worldly" older man teaches the young woman-child all about sex and it's possibilities -- well, this ain't that story.
Instead, this young woman has very definite ideas of her own regarding what she would like to explore and what she wants to experience.
Also, and, as in most relationships, it's oftentimes difficult to achieve that delicate balance between romance and sexual excitement. But Gina and I are going to try.
- cv andrews
TUESDAY
... Until I heard the sound of my daughter throwing back the curtains and the harsh light of morning assaulted my half-open eyes, and Gina's complaint, "Girl! What are you doing -- it's too early!"
And Terri's response, "Time for you two lovebirds to get up. Lots to do today."
Terri went around the bed to where Gina was waking up and kissed her. They hugged each other and they laughed, then they hugged again.
Then she came around to my side of the bed -- although Gina and I were lying so close that the idea of "someone's side of the bed" didn't really mean a whole lot -- and kissed me, and with her head next to mine so Gina couldn't hear, said, "i'm so proud of you, Dad -- I'm so happy for you... two."
I returned my daughter's kiss, and I hoped she could see that I was happy that she was happy about... about whatever has just happened.
I looked at the clock on the bedside table.
"You're certainly home early."
"Of course! I wanted to see if I could catch you two together. Looks like I did."
Her answer made me wonder -- if Terri hadn't come home so early and caught us, would Gina have moved -- would I have asked her to move -- back to her room. We'll, too late for that now.
And besides, now that Terri knew beyond any doubt, the whole issue of "Do we tell her -- don't we tell her?" is pretty much irrelevant, isn't it?
Despite Terri's eagerness for us to get started on our "lots to do today," Gina and I stayed in bed another ten minutes, just cuddling. I guess I wasn't quite ready to be fucking my daughter's roommate while my daughter was bouncing around the house.
On the other hand, I'm not sure Gina would have minded at all...
I got up and went into the bathroom, and I realized that I was reluctant to wash the smells of last night, and of Gina, off me. I finally gave in to practical necessity and cleaned up, and by the time I went out to the kitchen Terri had coffee going and Gina was already putting things together for French toast...
Gina and I acted like two people who've just discovered each other -- smiling, touching, the occasional kiss in passing -- you know what I'm talking about..
And, mercifully, and to her credit, my daughter didn't give us any grief about it. No smart-ass remarks, no sarcastic smirks. Only the occasional smile, showing that she was happy -- for us, and for our new-found... whatever it was that we'd just found.
And, of course, Terri and Gina spent a
lot
of time in conversation.
But as the day progressed, it started to feel like some of that closeness was fading. There were fewer touches from Gina, and she kind of brushed off my efforts to give her even the most fleeting kiss.
I was totally puzzled, and a sick feeling started to develop in my stomach. What's going on?
As it came time to think about dinner, the atmosphere seemed to get even more, I don't know, subdued.
Nobody was enthusiastic about making dinner so we ended up ordering an extra-large veggie pizza from Geppetto's, opened a bottle of an OK Chianti, and we managed to have an enjoyable dinner. But as the time approached for us to call it an evening, the subdued air returned.
My genius daughter seemed to sense that Gina and I might need some time for ourselves. She kissed each of us goodnight and headed off to her room.
Leaving Gina and me.
"Gina -- I think..."
"El, maybe we should..."
We both smiled, and then, thinking that it would be best if Gina could hear what I had to say and then react to it, leaving her with the last word, I spoke first.
"Gina," I took a sip of my tea, "I don't have words to describe how wonderful it was with you last night, but I'm also thinking that maybe we should take a step back and consider... consider the implications of how we feel... of how we felt last night." I watched for any reaction. "What do you think...?"
She thoughtfully took a sip of her tea. She gazed into her cup for a few seconds, then looked up at me.
"El, I can't really find the words for what happened last night. The closest I can come is 'magical.' And I guess that's the problem -- magic. Since last night I've been like walking on air, and it's a wonderful feeling. But it's also not good, because when you're feeling like this it's not the best situation for making good decisions." She took another sip, then looked over the rim of her cup toward me, like "What do you think?"
I set my tea cup down on the end table and reached over to take her free hand -- the one that wasn't holding the tea cup.
"Gina, I think we're both thinking -- feeling -- the same thing -- that maybe we should take a step back from our... euphoria... and think a bit about... I don't know... think about it."
She squeezed my hand, and she smiled, a beautiful, almost beatific smile. "I think that's a good idea, El -- let's do that, OK?"
Then she looked at me again. "It was magic, though, wasn't it?"
And with that last thought in our minds, Gina went off to her room and I went to my bedroom...
... and spent the loneliest night of my last four years.
WEDNESDAY MORNING
As usual, Terri was the first one up. I wondered when she'd become such an early bird. That certainly wasn't the way it was all through high school, when I practically had to lay a trail of Pop-Tart crumbs out to the kitchen to get her out of bed.
Then I had a happy thought: maybe now she has something more to get up for. At least, I hope that's the reason.
Anyhow, I was sitting at the kitchen table enjoying my second mug of Terri's now-pretty-good coffee when I heard Gina's footsteps coming down the hall toward the kitchen.
My heart lurched. I literally felt a lump in my throat. Had she made a decision? What had she decided? Do I still...? Are we still...?
She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. Then she went over to Terri and gave her a kiss, got herself a mug of coffee, and went back to her room.
So,... she doesn't regret doing what we did? Things are at least still OK with us? That I'm still
persona grata
as far as Gina is concerned?
Terri looked over her coffee mug at me. And she smiled. From where my daughter stood, things looked just fine.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
It turned out to be a fairly busy day for all of us. Two difficult client calls kept me busy for most of the day, while Terri and Gina decided that they both had research they needed to do at the main library. And of course, they just
had
to shop for some things on the way home.
They got back about 5:00. As usual, they were bubbling and excited, and again I marveled at how happy these sounds make me. I told you how I lost my wife, Katie, four years ago. But a 14 year old girl lost her mother, too. Now I find that my heart skips a beat every time I hear my daughter laugh.
In addition to some unspecified purchases, the girls had stopped at the gourmet speciality food shop in the mall and picked up a beautiful herb-roasted chicken, along with a tray of potatoes
dauphinoise
(okay, your mom would have called them scalloped potatoes, except these were oh-so-much better!). When they told me what they got, I grabbed a bottle of white wine -- a
chablis
-- and tossed it into the ice tray
Unlike last night's dinner, tonight's was bright and happy and animated. But early in the evening, my daughter surprised me by saying that she had lots to do tomorrow and she was going to bed. She gave Gina a kiss, then walked over to where I was sitting and kissed my cheek -- and whispered, "Don't worry -- it's good." A second kiss, and she was off to her bedroom...
... leaving Gina and me sitting in the living room. I put on
The Spinners' Greatest Hits
, Gina refilled our glasses, and we sat, quietly listening to the quirky rhythms and the soft soul harmonies, occasionally taking sips of our wine.
The first side of the record ended, but neither of us moved to turn it over. Gina put down her wine and walked over and stood in front of me. She looked, and she held out her hand to me, and said, "El, if you still feel that way...?"
I took her outstretched hand, and Gina led me to my -- to our, I guess -- bedroom.
And this time, after the excitement of finding each other, and of coming together for the first time, the connection, and the passion, and -- let's call it what it is -- the sex, of two nights ago. And then the dramatic retreat the next day. And now the shock, of relief, that Gina and I were -- are...
After all that, I had just one overwhelming desire -- I wanted to throw Gina down and fuck that tight little body of hers for all I was worth.