DEE - MY BROTHER'S WIFE
CHAPTER 1
I was sitting in my living room looking at some pictures of my deceased wife, Connie, one Saturday afternoon. And watching a few videos of places we had visited and good times we had together. Connie and I got married right after college. We were both 22 at the time. We had 10 good years together before she got sick. I won't go into details about her illness, but it took her away from me at the age of 32. I am grateful that it was fairly quick and she didn't have to suffer for years. Now I am the one suffering. It's been 3 years since she passed and I still miss her every minute of every day. I suppose it is both a blessing and a curse that we didn't have children. She left no children to suffer her loss, but I think it would be nice to have a piece of her still with me in a child. But it wasn't meant to be.
My name is Conrad. I am now 35 and still single. I still live in the house she and I shared. Which is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home. We both made good money and bought a big house in hopes of having children. But we kept putting it off and it never happened.
Anyway, I suppose I am slowly getting better. I'm not depressed all the time like I was for a while. I finally started going out with friends again. And got back into motorcycle riding, and hiking. Trying to get back to living. And I'm finally making progress. So I was looking at these pictures and videos with a sense of happy memories rather than melancholy. Sure, it made me sad, but I stayed focused on the good times we had.
My phone rang, bringing me out of my thoughts and memories. It was my brother's wife, Dee Dee. Her name is Donetta Diane, and a lot of people call her Dee Dee. Randy just calls her Dee, and that's what I started calling her. She said she was at the hospital. There had been a fire at their house and Randy, my brother, had gotten some burns. He was okay, but needed some treatment. I said I would be right there.
I drove to the hospital. Mom and Dad were already there. Dee filled us in on what had happened. Randy had been out on the patio grilling some steaks. She was in the kitchen making salads. He went in to start getting stuff together for their meal on the patio. They heard Bernard, their dog, barking up a storm. Randy went to see what he was barking at. When he got outside the grill was turned over and the patio was on fire. He had left a can of charcoal lighter fluid sitting there and apparently when the grill turned over it hit the can of lighter fluid and it ignited and the fire spread rapidly. It looked as if Bernard had pulled his tether loose to chase a cat, or a squirrel, or something, and had knocked the grill over. Bernard's tether was hung up in the grill and he couldn't get loose. Randy got him loose but got some burns on his arms and legs in the process. The fire dept. got there quickly and put the fire out, but not before it burned part of the den and a bedroom. Randy wouldn't need to be admitted but they were treating his burns and he would be off from work for a while. Bernard wasn't burnt. His tether was long enough that he was far enough away to be okay.
We all hugged and said we were glad it wasn't worse and so happy that no one was seriously injured. Then we sat and waited for Randy to come out. When he did we saw the burns on his arms and legs. They left them uncovered saying they would heal faster that way. He just had to keep a special cream they gave him on them. They were not too serious, thank God. I told them they could come stay at my house while theirs was being repaired. Randy said the insurance company would put them up in a hotel for a while. But I argued that they would be much more comfortable at my place. I had 2 extra bedrooms and an extra bathroom. Besides, "What about Bernard? He can't stay in a hotel."
"Oh yeah. I hadn't thought about that," said Randy. "If you're sure you don't mind, we just might take you up on that offer. But keep in mind it may be a while."
"You are welcome for as long as it takes. Heck, I welcome the company. That big ole house gets lonely."
CHAPTER 2
We went to their house and got a few things they would need that night. Mom, Dad, Dee, and I went back the next day to get more for their extended stay. And brought what food from their place that we could. We made 3 trips. We told Randy to stay and recuperate. We got them all settled in one of the bedrooms and I told them to make themselves at home.
Monday I had to go back to work. I am an electrical engineer at a local plant that makes medical equipment. Randy took the week off. He works at a distillery that makes several brands of bourbon. Dee also took the week off. She is a phlebotomist at a doctors office. They had a busy week ahead dealing with the insurance company. Filling out reports, touring the house to assess damage, making sure the house is secure from looters, talking with the fire dept. and the police dept.
I guess all in all the week went as smoothly as possible. Seemed like it anyway. Randy was healing a little more each day. We talked a lot that week and I again told them to not worry. They could stay here as long as was necessary. We got along well together. Always had. We were a close family and Dee and I got along great from the moment she and Randy started dating. She and Randy, and Connie and I hung out a lot together before she passed. Randy was younger than me by 6 years. He is 29. Dee is 27. We have a sister, Ruth. She is 32 and lives in Arizona with her husband, Rick, and their daughter, Katie.
After that first week things started getting back to normal somewhat. Randy and Dee both went back to work. We were starting to get into a routine at home. Who was going to do what. Who was going to cook on what nights. You know, all the regular life stuff. Randy and Dee Dee spent a lot of time in their bedroom. They said they didn't want to disrupt my life. They had a TV, a little fridge, their laptops, and other things to occupy their time. I told them they were not disrupting my life but I know they want their privacy, too.
CHAPTER 3
A few weeks went by and everything was going along fine. The insurance company and Randy and Dee came to a settlement. The contractors said that they were very busy and wouldn't be able to start right away. That it would probably be 4 to 6 months before the house would be ready to move back into.
I was off for a few days burning up some vacation time. I didn't go anywhere, just messed around the house doing a few things I had been putting off. And just enjoying the down time. One rainy afternoon I was stuck in the house and got bored. I was online paying some bills, checking emails, and such. I started looking at pictures of classic cars, muscle cars, and hot rods. A lot of the pictures included good looking girls, many scantily clad, along with the car. Seems cars and women just go together. One thing led to another and soon I was looking up porn videos. I did this occasionally and masturbated to get some relief. I had been out with a couple different women since Connie's passing but it never led to anything. My heart just wasn't in it, I guess. So I had not had sex for 3 years.
So here I was on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. Sitting in my living room in just my boxers, watching porn, stroking my cock. All of a sudden I hear "Oh shit! I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Startled, I looked up and saw Dee heading for the backdoor. I had not heard her come in. I had assumed she and Randy would both be at work all day. I was embarrassed as hell. I shut down the computer, got dressed, and sat in the living room contemplating how I was going to be able to face her.
In about a half an hour the doorbell rang. I opened the door and there stood Dee. Red faced. And I felt my face turn red, also. I didn't know what to say or how to act. At the same time we both said, "I'm sorry." We both started to talk at the same time. She said, "Wait. Let me go first. Don't be embarrassed. I mean, I know you are. But there's no reason to be. We all do it. And it IS your house. You can do whatever you please. I'm sorry I walked in on you unexpectedly. I should have let you know I was there. From now on I'll knock, or holler, or something when I come in. I'm sorry."
"No. You have no reason to apologize. I shouldn't have been doing that in the living room. I should have been in my bedroom. I guess I didn't even think about it. I didn't expect anybody to be here. You live here, too. And you shouldn't have to knock or anything when you come home. So, I'm the one that should be sorry. And I am. I'm sorry I put you in that position. I'm so embarrassed. I don't know how I'm going to be able to face you now."
"I told you. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Sure, it's embarrassing being caught. But, like I said, we all do it. So please don't feel or act any different around me."
"Okay. I'll try. Thanks. And I promise if I ever do it again I'll go to my bedroom. But I may never do it again after that."
"Oh. I expect you will eventually. I know I will. Can we just forget it ever happened and get back to normal?"
