The early morning shower was just what I needed. The steam cleared my head while I methodically washed my hair and scrubbed my body. I was surprised that I never ran out of hot water. The aroma of the soap and shampoo my mom had selected reminded me of a spa treatment.
The hallway bathroom, which I used for a few years during my first eighteen years of existence, had been given an upgrade, recently, and it looked much better than what I remembered.
My mom had good taste in remodeling finishes... almost as good as her taste in men. I was still trying to place her fairy tale code-names from our earlier conversation with the faces - and dicks - from a few hours ago. Based on what she said about a few of them taking their secrets to the grave, I guessed that a few of the participants in the previous night's activities must have had a different set of fairy tale code-names that she hadn't told me, yet. A few of the men were still remarkably handsome, even if they were twenty-some-odd years older than me, and maybe thirty-some-odd years older, in some cases. Back in their prime, though, several of them certainly could have been Prince Charming.
When my mom had said there were plenty of towels in the house, she wasn't kidding. Each shelf of the hallway linen closet was stacked with more towels than a couple in their fifties could go through in several weeks. It was already after seven o'clock in the morning, but I was mentally and physically exhausted. I needed a few hours of sleep before doing anything else. Even eating.
Having sobered up thanks to the shower, I started having second thoughts about participating in any more of my parent's debauchery. Yes, my mom managed to get her thirty-four year old daughter drunk on fine wine. And, yes, my mom and dad seemed to have coincidentally invited my once-regular "fuck buddies" from the bar to their home, as well as a few of my mom's former lovers she had while she was pregnant with me. And, yes, men from both groups indulged in me as I had indulged in them. But how much longer could they keep the mood going?
I stepped out of the bathroom, expecting to hear the now-familiar sounds of my mom being pleasured a few rooms down the hall. Instead, the house was quiet. When I walked into my old bedroom, the bed had been made with a fresh set of sheets and a different comforter. My shower must have lasted longer than I thought.
The curtains were positioned to block out most of the sunlight, as if someone knew I'd be interested in getting some rest.
They were right.
Without even bothering to look for panties or pajamas, I let the towels drop to the floor, and I slid between the clean, soft sheets. I was asleep within seconds.
I woke up around noon, fully rested, somewhat disoriented, naked, and a little hungry. I brushed, then braided my hair, tying off the end with a little hair band. I then wrapped myself in a new set of fluffy towels and walked barefoot downstairs to find my mother tastefully dressed, sitting at the kitchen island, drinking coffee and scrolling through her cellphone.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," my mother said. "Want some coffee?"
I ignored the offer, looking around the kitchen as if searching for clues.
"Looking for something?" my mom asked.
"Where did everyone go?" I asked.
"Who, dear?" my mom asked, before taking another sip of coffee.
"You know who," I answered. "Grumpy, Dopey, Happy, Doc, and the rest. Seriously?"
I knew I hadn't dreamed the events of the previous twenty-four hours.
I went over to my parent's house, halfway across town, the day before. For some reason, my mom wanted "to talk." And talk, she did. Over the course of a few hours, she divulged her secret affairs she had while in the early stages of pregnancy with me, and all the pet names she gave to her suitors which happened to be very similar to names used for dwarfs in an old Germanic fairy tale. We drank. We got drunk. And then, I'm pretty sure we were both getting fucked a few hours later.
Now, I just wanted to know by whom.
I could always tell when my mom was trying to hold back a smile, and this was definitely one of those times.
"Are you going to tell me the names of those men from last night?" I asked.
"And this morning?" my mom added.
"Yes, and this morning?" I said.
She looked at me for a moment, grinning, then stepped off the breakfast bar stool and removed a yogurt parfait topped with fresh kiwi, blueberries, and strawberries from the refrigerator. She slid the tall cup in front of me, pulled a spoon from a drawer, and reached into a cabinet for a glass.
"Grapefruit juice okay?" my mom asked. "It's the sweet kind. Not too sour."
I just looked at her as she filled the glass and placed it in front of me.
"Where's dad?" I asked, taking a sip of the juice.
"Picking up a few of our friends," my mom answered. "What? You didn't think we'd have them sleep on the floor or tripled-up in the few beds we have in this house, did you? They're staying at a few different hotels in town."
"What are you all dressed up for?" I asked.
"I have a few errands to run," my mom said with a grin. "I wanted to make sure you were okay and had something to eat before I left."
"I'm okay, but I'd still like to know who everyone was last night," I said.
"And this morning?" my mom added.
"Yes, and this morning," I said. "I think Mort is the one you referred to as Doc, am I right?"
"Yes, Abby," my mom admitted. "Mort is Doc. He's a doctor, as if you didn't know."
I didn't.
"The really handsome guy had to be Happy, but he didn't tell me his real name," I said.
"Why didn't you ask him?" my mom asked.
"And the really big guy must have been Grumpy," I said.
"That he was, Abby," my mom said.
"What's his real name?" I asked.
"Well, if you didn't ask, and he didn't tell, I'm not going to be the one to break that level of secrecy," my mom said, smiling. "Not that it matters; he could only be here for one night. Maybe you can ask him next time."
"Next time? You mean this is a thing?" I asked, not realizing I had been stuffing my face with yogurt and berries.
"Why yes, dear," my mom smiled even brighter. "We've been doing this almost every year for the past several years. Before that, I think we had a get-together in one form or another about every two or three years... after you moved out. Things picked up after you were married and less likely to move back home with us."
"Is Happy local?" I asked.
"I knew you'd like him," my mom said, as if proud of herself. "His real name is Henry, and yes, he lives just outside of town. And, he'll be back this afternoon, lucky you."
"What about Dopey?" I asked.
"Dopey's real name is Dennis, and no, he's not local. He's one of the friends your father went to pick up," my mom said. A clothes dryer buzzed from somewhere between the garage and the kitchen. "That would be the sheets. I've already washed and dried your clothes, and they're folded on the rack in the laundry room, just in case you changed your mind about sticking around a little longer. Would you return the favor and put the clean sheets on my bed while I'm out?"
"What about everyone else? What are their real names?" I asked.
"Ask them, yourself, silly," my mom said. "Maybe that's something you should get in the habit of doing BEFORE you let a man put himself inside you." She didn't seem angry. But she did speak to me like a parent scolding her child.
"Yeah... good idea, mom," I said. "Mind if I borrow some of your clothes for this afternoon? I don't think what I wore yesterday really fits the vibe."
"If you can find something that fits you, have at it. I doubt either of us will be dressed for long. The pool water may still be too cold for a swim, but feel free to work on your all-over tan for as long as the sun is shining. As for anything else, you know where everything is, mostly," my mom said. "We've done a few more upgrades in the house, recently. You know about the hall bathroom and laundry room next to the garage. But, we just finished with the basement a few weeks ago. I think you'll like it. Oh... and there are more enema boxes in my linen closet. Lubricant, and flavor gel, too. We should be back in a few hours."
She didn't wait for me to respond. She grabbed her car keys and headed for the garage door.
"A few hours?" I thought to myself.
"Everything okay?" Ron asked after the second ring.
"Yeah, everything's fine," I said.
"Your mom said the two of you had a lot to drink and she didn't think you were in any shape to drive home," my husband added.
"Yeah, we drank a lot," I said, pondering telling him more. "And then, my mom had a bit of a reunion with some old friends."
"Just out of the blue?" Ron asked.
"I don't think so," I said. "The reunion seemed to be more of an annual event, and... by reunion... I mean..." I really wasn't sure how he was going to react. "More of a gangbang with a bunch of old guys."
There was a long pause, and then Ron finally said, "Are you coming home, now?"
"Do you need me to?" I asked. He normally handled this sort of thing better when he knew about it ahead of time. "Really, this was a surprise to me, too. I had no idea my mom and dad were into this kind of thing," I said.
"Is the reunion... still going on?" Ron asked.
"I think they're on pause for the moment," I said. "The house is empty, but I can lock up if you need me to come home right now."
"Did you... you know?" Ron asked. "Participate in the reunion?"
"Yeah," I answered softly.
