Spirits in the Material World

Author's comments: This is my first story for Literotica. I tend to be more focused on the LIT more than the EROTICA here. My sincere thanks to m_storyman_x and DawnJ for their editing, guidance, and encouragement. Special thanks to tea_girl for pre-reading and providing feedback.

All persons are over the age of 18, and all characters and locations are totally fictional.

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Alan Harrison had interrupted his son's stay-in date and was nearing the end of their call when the information of a guest for the holiday week was provided. Alan thought that Tom had mentioned seeing someone at school but could not recall many specifics.

"Dad, she's perfect! You are gonna fall in love with her like I have!" Tom declared. "So, is it OK for me to bring Julie home with me for the Thanksgiving break?"

Alan smiled as he concluded his weekly telephone conversation with his eldest child. "Very well, son, I will look forward to meeting 'Miss Perfect' when you get here next weekend. Study hard; you're almost at your goal. And be safe on the road coming home," he gently admonished

"Will do, Dad. I love you. Bye."

"I love you too." Then silence as the call was ended by both.

Still smiling, Alan mused about Tom's enthusiasm. That level of excitement had been missing from his son, actually from both of his sons, since their mother, Laura, had passed away 16 months earlier from pancreatic cancer. God, how he missed her! Alan had tried to keep his bedside promise not to dwell in a funk, but the boys had made no such promises. "Maybe there's light at the end of Tommy's tunnel," thought Alan.

= = =

Thomas Richard Harrison was a senior and the lead T.A. for the Accounting courses in the Business department. He was on track to graduate in May. He had met Julie Lawson back in September, shortly after the fall semester had begun when she showed up for the T.A. hours for the Accounting 100 course she was taking. Tom was 6'2" tall and weighed in at 175 lbs. He kept his sandy blonde hair cut short and his pale blue eyes and square jaw made him appealing to many girls.

The pretty girl in his bed was Julie Lawson. She was a junior studying Education with a focus on Early Childhood Education. She was 5'4" tall weighing 118 lbs. She kept her raven black hair at shoulder-length, and her jade green eyes were entrancing.

"OK, that's done," Tom stated, "Now where were we when my father called?"

"Mmmm, right about here?" Julie resumed her adoration of his male member.

"God, Jules, you are absolutely perfect for me. Oh, oh, keep doing that! Please don't stop!"

This continued for another four or five minutes, then Julie decided she wanted his cum in her mouth tonight, so she continued the cock bobbing and the ball massage and resumed the tongue-lashing and was quickly rewarded with the desired mouthful of creamy, salty goodness she sought.

"Well, lover, now that we have satisfied each other's needs, I have to get back to my dorm room for some shut-eye," Julie declared. "Given how good you were to me tonight, that should not be difficult. We have our classes this week, and we take off for Middleburg on Friday at 4:00. I will be sure the gas tank is full; you are responsible for the playlist," she reminded. "Oh, and no Jethro Tull!"

Smoothing her rumpled skirt, Julie headed for the door. "Do well on your tests this week, lover boy, and don't be late on Friday!"

"Yes, Mistress Lawson, I will do my best and I will not be tardy on Friday. I would really hate to be left here over Thanksgiving break without a ride home."

Tom and Julie parted with a brief but heartfelt kiss, and Tom closed his door and removed the sock from the doorknob.

= = =

Julia Anne Lawson was the eldest child of Ron and Rosalie Lawson. Her sister, Maggie, was born when Julie was 3 years old, and a couple of years later Ron decided that being a father was simply too much burden for his life, so he moved many states away. It was only after having been abandoned for a year that Rose was able to get a divorce from Ron. This left a huge, whistling vacuum in Julie's life. Being the eldest, she had to shoulder an ever-increasing load of being the caregiver to Maggie, especially when Rose had to return to the workforce.

Julie was a good but not great student, B's mostly with A's scattered in, and very dutiful as many firstborn children are. She showed none of her weaknesses to anyone, not even her mother, but many nights she would cry herself to sleep not knowing what it was that she lacked. But she refused to demonstrate her need, and it never occurred to anyone else that she might need help of any kind.

Julie progressed through the public school system, usually in the top 20% but never number one. She was a member of the cheerleading squad for football and basketball teams, but that was pretty much the extent of her extracurricular activities. She did not have time for clubs or music or drama presentations. She did her best, by herself.

When she admitted she needed help with her Introduction to Accounting course and appeared for the T.A. lab, she was not prepared for what she received. Tom was helpful, courteous, and kind, he listened to her try to explain her comprehension issues, and he gave her goosebumps simply by sitting next to her. He smelled clean, like the Ivory soap he used, and it all went clear to her psyche. He was what she had never known she had always wanted. And he seemed a bit awed by her, for some reason. He asked her out for a date after their second T.A. session.

= = =

Alan and Laura Harrison had been married for 22 years and had raised two boys, Tom and David, when suddenly she became very ill. Pancreatic cancer was diagnosed, and all too soon, the 'silent killer' had claimed another life.

Alan was a software development project manager, meaning he did a lot of work herding cats and very little of his efforts ever showed in the end product. Still, he was good at his job, and he was satisfied. He did not want the headaches of a department manager or anywhere higher in the corporate food chain. He found his happiness in successful projects and keeping his team pulling in the same direction. It required a lot of planning, "what if" scenarios, and it kept him from dwelling on Laura having been taken from his life. He was only 47, and a number of the divorcees in his company seemed to be subtly and not-so-subtly trying to gain his attention, specifically for the last four months.

But the weekends were the worst because he did not have these external distractions, and he was not looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. But maybe having the boys home for the week of Thanksgiving would make it bearable.

= = =

Monday saw Tom and Julie committed to their coursework, but by Tuesday they just could not stand to be apart any longer. This time, Tom was in Julie's dorm room and her roommate had found another room to stay the night in, giving Julie and Tom the room. Like almost every other couple who were a few months into their relationship, they could not keep their hands off each other. It was a very pleasurable evening for both of them.

With their physical and emotional needs met, Julie took the lead. "Ok, lover," she started, "As much as I'd love to have you hold me in your arms overnight, my bed simply is not wide enough to accommodate that. Up! You need to get dressed and return to your abode. And, knowing that you have tests on Thursday and Friday, and I have a paper due on Friday, we won't be able to indulge ourselves again until we get to your dad's place on Friday."

Ruefully nodding his head, Tom agreed. They kissed and hugged for about five minutes before Julie had to be the responsible one and get Tom moving out the door and towards his own room.

"Friday by 4:00 pm, sharp!" she reminded him. "And no Jethro Tull!"

= = =

Friday before Thanksgiving:

The week seemed to pass quickly for Alan, and soon it was quitting time on Friday. He had tidied up the little bit of clutter which had accumulated in his house and had changed the linens on all the beds in anticipation of Tom and David coming home for the week-long Thanksgiving break. "She's perfect" kept resonating in his head. As Robin Williams' character in "Good Will Hunting" noted, 'there are no perfect people; just people who are perfect for each other.'

Tom had texted when they were departing at 3:59 (a whole minute early) to expect them around 8:00; they would stop for supper while on the road, so that was one less thing for Alan to have to deal with. David, Alan's youngest son, was only an hour and a half away, at another state-managed school, and was driving in his hand-me-down car. He should be home by 6:30 and would not eat on his own dime but would eat after he had arrived home. So, Alan had stopped at Sam's Club and purchased a rotisserie chicken for David and himself.

At 6:15, David texted that his "beater was beaten to death" about 30 minutes away, and could Alan please come to retrieve him from the side of the road? With a sigh, Alan put the chicken in the refrigerator, donned his coat and gloves, and headed to fetch David. At the last second, he thought to text Tom what he was doing, just in case.

"Just in case" was necessary, as Alan and David decided to call AAA and have the non-functioning car towed to their preferred mechanic's shop. While waiting for the tow truck, David had shifted a couple of full garbage bags and a slender, wrapped rectangular package to Alan's car, noting that the contents of the garbage bags were his dirty laundry. "After all, Dad, why pay to do laundry on campus when I can do it for free at home?"

"Smartass," was Alan's retort. "What's in the package?"

"Just a completed project I wanted to share with you and Tom. Better to show it to you both at the same time."

"Okay, enjoy your little game while it lasts. You're doing your laundry, bucko, not me."

The tow truck showed soon thereafter and loaded David's beaten beater for its trip to the garage, and Alan and David followed behind. After leaving the keys in the night drop, they thanked the tow truck driver and headed for home.

= = =

Pulling into the driveway, Tom thought, "Home, Sweet Home", then sighed a little sadly because his mother would not be there. Tom and Julie arrived just before 8 pm, having stopped for some drive-thru supper en route. The porch light was on, but the rest of the house was dark, and Alan's car was not in the driveway.

"I guess they're not back yet," Tom mused aloud. "Well, that can make things a little easier getting started. Let's get our stuff inside and I can give you the grand tour."

"Yeah," Julie replied, "I could make use of some plumbing facilities after the trip. You can keep the left door closed only so long."

"This way, then, milady. Welcome to Casa Harrison." Tom opened the front door with his key and turned on the entry hall light. "There's the public half bath just ahead on the left. Light switch is on the right just inside the door. I'll start getting our bags in from the car."

Julie rapidly made her way to the facilities, and Tom made multiple trips to bring in their bags, which did not include his dirty laundry. He set the bags inside the front door at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the bedrooms, and sat at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Julie to complete her ablutions.

Headlights flashed across the front windows and Tom heard the garage door opening as Alan and David arrived.

Like a youthful, slim, unbearded Santa Claus, David came in the door from the garage with one garbage bag slung over his left shoulder and another clutched in his right hand. Alan followed closely carrying the slim, rectangular package.

"Go ahead and take your stuff down to the laundry area, David," Alan directed. "Then come back up to the kitchen; I'll re-warm the rotisserie chicken and heat some vegetables. Tom, there should be enough for all of us to have some chicken if you like."

"Thanks, Dad, but we grabbed some drive-thru on our way here. Julie's in the bathroom, and I still need to show her the rest of the house."

"Very well, son. See to our guest properly and then join your brother and me in the kitchen, please."

Alan set down the package resting against the door to the garage, then headed to the kitchen to see about supper for himself and David.

= = =

Tom rapped on the bathroom door.

"Jules, is everything all right?" he inquired.

The toilet flushed, and a couple of moments later the door opened and Tom was grabbed by his shirt collar and dragged into the small room. The door closed, and he felt like he was under attack.

"Mmmmm," hummed Julie as she fastened a Grade-A lip lock on her boyfriend. "I've got great news, Tom. I'm not pregnant."

"Wow, I was unaware that was a primary concern at this time."

"Well, it's not a concern now. Kinda limits our rumpus time for the next few days, but it's good not to have to worry."

They resumed their tonsil-hockey bout for a couple of minutes, then Tom leaned back.

"How about I show you our sleeping chambers?" he inquired.

"Lead on, MacDuff"

Tom opened the bathroom door and peered left and right, checking to see that the coast was clear. With nobody in sight, still holding onto Julie's hand, he led her back to the front door and started up the stairs. He dropped her hand so he could gather his and her baggage, then marched upwards, checking to be sure she was following. At the top of the stairs, he flipped the light switch and the upstairs became illuminated.

"My parents' bedroom is here on the right, and there on the left is Davey's room. Our room is this way, back to the front. Oh, and this is the bathroom we need to share with Davey," as they passed another door.

Finally, he shouldered open the last door and turned on the overhead light.

Tom stopped dead in his tracks and dropped the bags in surprise. Something was different in his room.

"Dad! What happened?" Tom yelled.

= = =

After making sure that David had taken his soiled laundry to the basement to the laundry area, Alan set about re-warming supper for himself and his son. He had gotten out a can of vegetables to nuke when he heard, "Dad! What happened?" from upstairs.

Smiling, he emptied the can's contents into a glass bowl and placed it in the microwave to reheat, then stepped to the foot of the stairway.

"What do you mean, 'what happened?'" he inquired

Tom's voice returned, "where's my bed?"

"Oh, that. Well, knowing you were bringing a guest home, I figured you could use the extra space, and the kingsize bed was simply too much for me, so I swapped them. I hope that is acceptable."

"But, but, but that's your and Mom's bed," Tom stammered out.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one, son. I don't need all that mattress anymore, and you probably do."

Alan then headed back to the kitchen to retrieve the vegetables and to place the rotisserie chicken in the microwave to warm up.

With a sigh, Tom picked up the dropped baggage and placed them at the foot of the large bed. He led Julie into the room and muttered under his breath.

"What's that, Tommy?" she asked.

"I was saying 'it wasn't raining when Noah started building the Ark.' It's one of Dad's favorite catch-phrases, which advocates the benefits of thinking ahead."

Julie flopped on the bed, bouncing a little and softly squealing, "Oooh, we get the BIG bed!"

Tom smiled, tolerantly. He hadn't seen this side of her personality. He was amused.

"Ok, Jules, I guess we should go down and introduce you to Dad and Davey." He held out his hand, and Julie rose and took it in hers, and they descended to the kitchen.

= = =

As things would have it, Tom and Julie entered the kitchen at the same time as David emerged into the kitchen from the laundry area in the basement. Alan's back was to the three, so the surprise was purely David's.

"Wha-? Who? How?" emerged from David's mouth.

Tom cleared his throat and laced his fingers with Julie's. Alan rose, turning to face the three. And froze.

"Dad, Davey, this is my girlfriend, Julie Lawson. Jules, this is my brother, David, and my dad."

Feeling as though he had caught a six-foot wave squarely in his face, Alan swallowed and extended his hands to greet Julie.

Taking her hands in his, he managed to say, "Julie, please forgive me. It is truly my pleasure to meet you. Welcome to our home. But if you would please excuse me..." And Alan left the kitchen, supper uneaten, and walked upstairs to his room where he closed the door.

"Dad?" both Tom and David called, but there was no reply.

Alan turned on the bedside lamp, dropped to the bed, and for the first time in nearly a year, cried. He bawled like a tiny baby, sobs wracking his body. He now knew why Tom had said that Julie was 'perfect'. For the first time in more than a year, Alan cried himself to sleep.

The three younger people were totally stunned by Alan's reaction. Julie, because this all seemed to come out of left field and she had no context to place it in. David, because he was still stunned by Julie's sudden appearance. He was unaware that Tom was bringing someone home for the holiday week. Tom, because never in a million years did he expect that response from his father.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Julie asked.

Tom and David led Julie into the dining room adjacent to the kitchen and directed her attention to a photograph still on the wall. The photograph of Alan and Laura, taken at their wedding. And Julie's mouth dropped, nearly to her knees, because in that picture, Laura looked exactly like Julie.

"Oh, sweet Lord!" came out of her mouth. "She could be my twin!"

= = =

The three returned to the kitchen and proceeded to eat the chicken and vegetables prepared by Alan.

"Well, THAT was an unexpected reaction from Dad," Tom mused. "I know he misses Mom, but he must hide it very well."

"With both of us now gone, he's truly become an 'empty-nester'," David observed.

"Tom has not told me much about your mother. I know she passed a bit over a year ago, but that's about all. What can you share with me now?" Julie inquired. Tom picked up the story.

"Have you ever heard the phrase 'meet-cute'? Well, that was a textbook description of how Mom and Dad met. They were in line at the bookstore at State. He was a Junior, she was a Sophomore. Some jerk bumped her elbow, and all her books went flying. And of course, Dad, being the man he is, immediately stepped out of line, set his books on the floor, and helped her to regather hers. Both have said in my hearing that it was truly 'love at first sight.'"

David continued the narrative.

"He asked her to talk over a burger and shake, and they practically never left each other's side ever since. I never heard them disagree, about anything of consequence that is, and when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, it was far too late to do anything about it. She was gone within two months."

"Yeah, I know she made him promise not to become a hermit or a monk, but we're not here to help him keep that promise," Tom added. "I don't know if he has gone out or had much of a social life."

With the food eaten, Tom rose from his chair and checked the dishwasher, which was empty. He gathered up the plates, silverware, and glasses, rinsed them off, and place them in the dishwasher. David, after being prompted, gathered up the trash and the two had the kitchen tidied up quickly.

"Julie, it's getting on and who knows what tomorrow will bring. It will be your turn to share with us tomorrow morning. Shall we call it a day?" Tom inquired.

"You two head on up," David said. "I need to sort my laundry and get a load washing before I turn in. Try to keep the wild rumpus to a dull roar, please," he said with a wide grin.