Chapter 2
Friday morning dawned clear and warm. My newspaper had landed further down the street and closer to the school than usual and a couple of kids trotted it back to me before running off to get to class before the bell rang. I greeted Tiff and Renee as they herded their charges down the road, and I was inside making the coffee when I heard Tiff come in, calling out a hello.
"I'm in the kitchen, coffee is about ready, sweetpea."
"Hey grampa," a different voice said, and I whirled around to see a smiling Renee standing beside Tiff, who looked a little ashamed.
"Renee, this is a pleasant surprise. Hey Tiff girl."
"Hi Alfie. I hope you don't mind Renee being here too."
"Not at all," I said as the erection I'd sported since seeing Tiff earlier, wilted. I leaned back against the sink bench. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Renee looked at Tiff and gave her a nudge with her elbow. "Aren't you going to give him a hug or a kiss or anything? I will if you're not gonna."
"I wasn't sure how welcome I would be today."
"Come here, baby-girl," I said holding my arms out to her. "Why wouldn't you be welcome?"
Tiff walked over and leaned against me, and I wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Tiff? What's wrong? Why do you think you wouldn't be welcome?"
"We were going to go to bed today, but I... I can't, Granddaddy. Not today. I'm so sorry, I really am. Please don't hate me," she whispered. "Do you want me to go?"
"Why on earth would I want you to go? Tiff, talk to me. What makes you think I wouldn't want you here?"
"We're not going to have sex today and I said we would."
"Is that why Renee is here," I asked her quietly. "Moral support or protection or something?"
She nodded.
I looked over at Renee. "Would you mind making the drinks while I put this dear girl's mind at ease? I have mine the same as Tiff." I stood and led the way into the sitting room, pulling her onto my knee as I sat in my recliner.
"Do you hate me?" she asked.
"How long have we known each other, Tiff, over two years? Yes? And how do I feel about you?"
She shrugged.
"I told you yesterday how important you are to me. You're the granddaughter I never expected but am overjoyed to have." I kissed her hair, "The granddaughter with benefits, true, but do you really think I would make sex a deal breaker? You are who is important to me. Sex with you is... breathtaking... but it is only a part of our relationship. So what if we don't have sex today. Or ever again. It won't diminish my feelings for you, dear Tiff."
She sniffed, arms around me and holding me tight, and my arms were around her, stroking her back, her hair, while I made shushing noises.
"Oh granddaddy, I have strong feelings for you too," she said between sobs. "I think I love you, Alf."
I somehow managed to pull her even tighter against me and buried my face in her hair. "I know I love you, my dear sweet girl. You are probably the best thing that has ever happened to me."
Hearing a sniff from the doorway we both looked up at Renee standing there, eyes red and weepy. "You two are so beautiful together. I'm totally envious!"
Tiff reached out to her and next thing I knew I had two girls in my lap, hugging each other right in front of me.
"Alf!," Tiff said, sitting up. "Really?"
I went pink. "I'm sorry, I can't help it."
"What's happened?" Renee asked with confusion.
Tiff grabbed her hand and pushed it against the growing bulge in my pants.
"Oh, I see," she said, giving it a squeeze. "Feels very nice, too."
Renee then leaned forward and pressed her lips against Tiff's, opening her mouth and using her tongue to caress Tiffs lower lip. Tiff glanced at me with a lascivious smirk, then closed her eyes and pressed her mouth firmly against Renee's, lots of tongue upping the passion of the kiss until Renee pulled back panting, eyes hooded with lust.
"Oh fuck," she gasped." If I'd known earlier how much you fancied me I wouldn't have had to buy so many batteries."
"I really only did it to tease Granddaddy here. I never really thought about you that way. I'm going to have to rethink things, Nays."
"I bet the coffee's cold now," I grumbled, causing the two girls to laugh.
Tiff looked at the mantel clock. "I still have time for a coffee, but I really do have to get going afterwards."
"I can't hang around for long either today, which really sucks," Renee complained.
"If you let me up I'll go make a fresh pot."
"No way, Alf," Renee said as she stood and walked to the kitchen. "You stay there with Tiff and I'll make the drink. If I don't move away from you I might do something which would upset her."
Hearing Renee filling the kettle, I asked, "What's really going on. You've been very distant this week."
"It's embarrassing, and Cody hated me even mentioning it."
"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not Cody. Talk to me, help me understand."
She squirmed on my lap, obviously uncomfortable with the subject, then whispered, "I have my period."
I wasn't sure I'd heard her correctly. "Your period?"
She nodded, head down, avoiding looking at me.
"But,... um... I don't get it. Why would that be a problem?"
"No guy wants to be around a girl when she's unclean."
"Unclean? What the hell? That's like an ancient biblical expression for it."
"That's what Cody used to call it. He made me sleep in the spare room for the week; said I couldn't be in his bed in case I leaked or something."
I shook my head in disbelief.
"You are so much better off with that misogynistic asinine arsehole out of your life. It's a natural cycle and no bloke should tell you what you can or can't do. Ever."
"You tell her, Gramps. I never liked Cody from the first day I met him when I caught him scoping me out. And his twisted ideas on relationship roles made me sick."
"Cody wouldn't let me sit on his knee during this time."
"Tiff, my dear, you can sit on my knee any time you want, no matter what."
"Really? Do you mean it?"
"Of course." I reassured her. "Well, that is to say, I wouldn't be keen if you had some horrible infectious disease or projectile vomiting and diarrhea; then you are on your own. So nearly any time you want."
"Coffees getting cold." Renee called through from the kitchen. "Again."
Tiff kissed me tenderly before getting off my knee and dragging me to the kitchen.
The three of us chatted and it was interesting getting to know Renee. She has one child, the daughter I had seen her taking to school, who was in the same class as Tiffs boys.
The father wasn't on the scene. When she told me he was a drunken one-night stand at her eighteenth birthday party she looked for a reaction of some kind.
I smiled, and said, "Well, from what I've seen she seems to be a charming, sweet girl and very well behaved. She's a credit to you."
Renee blushed. "Thanks. I've tried to be a good mum."
"Are your parents close by? They must love having a granddaughter."
"No. I guess I'm following in mum's footsteps, though. She had me when she was nineteen and isn't sure who my father is. Mum's parents distanced themselves from her, condemning her for shaming their name and family reputation. Once I found out I was up the duff I decided to move somewhere else so there was no chance of meeting mums' family. I have met them, but I can't really remember them. Anyway, that's my story."
"Well, I think the shame is on them. I know I'm being judgmental here but bugger it, I don't care. Family is family and you just don't turn your back on them, especially not a child. That pisses me off."
Renee and Tiff both looked surprised, and Renee said, "Hell, don't hold back, Alf."
"What brought that on, Granddad?"
"I'm sorry, I guess I did react a bit." I looked at the two of them watching me. "When my wife and I first got married we lived across town, and one of our neighbours had three kids, two sons and a daughter. The daughter had been going out with a guy for a few months and ended up pregnant. We heard the shouting when she told her parents, and she left with a couple of carry-bags, and we didn't see her again for ages. Months later we heard knocking on her parents' door and being concerned neighbours we looked out the window and saw she was there with a baby. Her parents were home but didn't answer the door. Her dad opened the window and told her to go and take her bastard with her."
"What a prick," Tiff exploded.
"I wanted to talk to the girl, you know, make sure she was OK to drive, but my wife said we shouldn't get involved in their business, and to my shame I listened to her."
"Just what happened to my mum, but we aren't from here." Renee checked the time on her phone. "Hey, I have to go. This has been good, thanks for the drink, Alf," and looking at Tiff, said, "You coming with me?"
They left together, two good friends each with their own back story and experiences both good and bad, yet doing a damn good job of raising their children while looking out for each other. I envied their friendship; I had few friends and none from my school days. No one I was especially close to. I'd believed I was happy, but now I actually thought about it, well, shit! Introspection sucks arse!
That evening my phone went, which is unusual in itself.
"Tiff, this is a nice surprise."
"Hi Granddaddy, free to talk?"
"For you, always."
"I've put the boys down and they are snoring like old men in armchairs, and I thought I'd give you a call. You know, see how you are, what you're doing."