To my loyal followers and new readers:
Welcome back. In Chapter 6 we learned that:
The mysterious Doctor May, Robert's mistress in Oklas, is actually Doctor Gloria May Carter, Mary's lesbian lover in Gainesville.
All three women - Mary, Martha, and Gloria May - are pregnant with Robert's children.
And, despite having identical tastes in both men and women (Robert and Mary to be specific), the two doctors (Gloria May Carter and Martha Spencer) can't stand each other.
If you think that's stranger than a two headed juggling squirrel, wait until you read Chapter 7.
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Facets of Love
Chapter 7
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Robert Ryan Jones
January 2020
When I got to work Monday morning, James was already in my office, waiting for me.
"You want to tell me your side of the story?" he asked.
I did. I confessed to everything. My dalliance with May. My affair with Martha. And, in greater detail, what I'd done to both May and his sister-in-law the previous day.
As was his custom, James listened quietly as I spoke, only interrupting to confirm he understood what I said.
"You can make her come just by touching her nipples?" he asked at one point, referring to May's unusually sensitive breasts.
"How many times did she come?" he asked later, when I described my previous afternoon's activities with Martha.
When I was done, we sat quietly for several minutes as he digested what I'd told him.
"Do you love them?" he finally asked.
"Yeah. All of them. Not to the same degree and not in the same way. But yes, I love them all."
"Are you absolutely sure that all three of the kids are yours?"
"As sure as one can be without a blood test."
"One last question. The woman you call May, your wife calls Gloria, and Martha can't stand. What happens if she doesn't move in with you? If she doesn't want you to be part of her life."
"It would be soul crushing, for Mary and me. I'm sure we'd eventually get over it but, at least for me, I'd spend the rest of my life knowing I was missing out on something important."
"Suppose she moved down here but didn't live with you."
"I guess that would be better than not knowing where she and my kid were, what they were doing, if they were alright. But I can't imagine how painful it would be to have them close but not have them."
"Strange," he said. "Martha told me the same thing when I brought up the possibility of you, Mary and Robbie moving to another house."
"Is that what the two of you were talking about last night?"
"Yeah. That, and some other stuff."
"So, what's your recommendation? How do I fix this?"
"You don't. The damage is already done. You impregnated two women who aren't your wife. I don't mean to make light of the matter, but you couldn't have fucked things up any worse if you tried. Not that you didn't have any help. Both Martha and Mary had a hand in it and Gloria May, or whatever her name is, is equally at fault."
"That's your astute advice? We all fucked up and now we have to live with it?"
"Sort of, but I want you to look at your situation from a slightly different point of view. You asked me how the 'fix it'. Suppose you take the position that it isn't broken. Don't look at it as a problem, consider it an opportunity.
"You're in love with three different women, all of whom are not only in love with you but are also carrying your offspring. You've already got Mary and Martha living under one roof. The only obstacle to overcome is Gloria May."
"Sorry," I said. "Maybe you weren't paying attention. May doesn't want to live with me. If it wasn't for a fluke of fate, I wouldn't know where she lives or that she is pregnant. And even if I could convince her to move to Tampa, putting May and Martha in the same house would be like locking the Hatfields and McCoys in a room full of knives and saying 'have at it boys'. It would be a bloodbath."
James laughed. Something he did when a negotiation got confrontational. And it worked. I got off my high horse and listened to his calmer counsel.
"You're absolutely right. I haven't met Gloria May, but if she's anything like Martha, changing her mind will be like herding elephants into an outhouse. But, fortunately, that's my specialty. Elephants and donkeys. I get politicians, bureaucrats, and CEOs to do things they don't want to and make them think it's their idea."
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
"That's why you run the factory while I drum up business. Here's what's going to happen. You're going to tell me everything you know about Gloria May and, maybe, we can give her an offer that makes Martha and Tampa sound like Moses and the promised land."
"Not to question your bible knowledge, but didn't the Jews who followed Moses out of Egypt wander in the wilderness for forty years before getting to Israel?"
"True, but once they crossed the Red Sea, there was no turning back. They were committed to their decision. Kind of like getting a girl a little bit pregnant."