In the previous chapter: Louis arrives home from college to find out his sickly, old father, who was away for a couple of days, plans to marry his young, sexy girlfriend, Kathy. Louis asks her why she would do it, and she responds that he proposed to her on several occasions, telling her she was still allowed to have intimate relations with others discretely. Kathy convinces Louis he's her choice. He reluctantly gives in.
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In the following 2 days, we couldn't get enough of each other. We were in bed most of the time. In fact, except whenever we were eating or in the bathroom, the only times we weren't in bed was when we were doing it elsewhere - On the carpet, the kitchen table, or the laundry machine.
Kathy's appetite was amazing. I recall asking her after one of our prolonged sessions how she controlled her need for sex when living with Dad. She started crying and said that in the first year together, she and Dad were having sex like rabbits. After the first year together, he began having heart issues. She vowed to stand by his side and managed her appetite by fantasizing and masturbating. She never cheated on him. I hugged her and promised to love her.
The day before Dad was supposed to return, Kathy got a phone call from her sister in Boston. Their mother had shingles and needed help for several days. The sister was stuck with her 2 little children and was not able to fly to Boston herself.
We separated with kisses and one last sexual bliss, as Kathy promised me that she would be back as soon as possible to renew our fun times and prepare for her wedding.
...
I picked Dad up from the airport. He looked older than a few months ago, when I last saw him. On the way, I told him Kathy had to attend to her sick mother. He said he was so busy the last several days, that he didn't have time to call her during normal hours. He'd phone her from home.
When we arrived, he called her, apologized for not phoning earlier, and wanted to know if her mother was OK. I didn't hear her, but from his facial expression, I understood she was in no immediate danger. He ended the call, saying, "Love you, Kathy, and I hope to see you soon. By the way, I'll talk to Louis about our plans."
Later, we went to eat at a steak restaurant. Dad and I never spoke much with each other, and this time wasn't different. We savored our delicious fillets and talked a little about school. On our way back home, my father mentioned he needed to have a serious talk with me. I told him to call me whenever it was convenient for him. He said he was too tired, and we'd do it the following day.
...
The next afternoon, he summoned me, and we sat in the living room.
He started, "Louis, I think it's time to talk about the future. You know quite well I am not a healthy man. I am not sure what tomorrow will bring and we need to prepare for every eventuality. Soon, you'll be starting your junior year in college, and I noticed you are doing well. It makes me happy. However, I do not know what direction you plan to take once you are finished. You can continue and acquire a second degree or follow my footsteps and take over my factory. God bless, we are doing very well financially, and I secured enough money and stocks to last you a lifetime irrespective of my firm's future fate. So when the time comes, you can continue running the business or sell your shares and do whatever you wish. If you have other questions about my job, you can talk to me later. There is another subject I'd like to discuss with you and hear your opinion. You know Kathy, and I've noticed you two get along well. I proposed to her. I want her by my side, officially. If she agrees, I'll secure her financial future handsomely. I think she considers it seriously. What do you think?"
"Dad, I love you. I am very fond of Kathy too. She is smart, funny, a wonderful cook and a good friend. The question is obvious: You are 24 years her senior and have a severe heart condition. How fair is it to Kathy?"
"Son, you are right and I struggled with the same issue for a long time before offering to marry her. I remember after my heart attack I begged her to leave me and start living with somebody her own age. She refused. She claimed we were destined to stay together until the end. So if this was her choice, why not make it official?"
"Can't you give her a monthly or yearly allowance without forcing her to be tied to you?"
"Of course I can. I even suggested it, but she said adamantly NO! She wishes to be with me for as long as possible and take advantage of our wealth while I am alive. She does not want to take one penny from your inheritance. So if we become husband and wife, she'd be entitled to some of my money."
"Dad, I get what you say about her future financial security, but what about her life in the present? You work too much, many days away from home, and are likely to suffer another heart attack due to overworking. Why don't you cut down on your hours, or at least the exhausting business travels?"
"Well, I always hoped one day you'd agree to take over and waited for you to grow up. Nowadays, since you do not seem interested in my job, the only reason I still do it is because once you become complacent, your rivals take over piece by piece."
"Perhaps it's time to nominate somebody from the inside to continue, while you may do part-time or stay as a consultant. Anyway, you'll decide it. One more question about Kathy. She is still young, 38 if I am not wrong. What do you expect her to do in her free time? She is a homemaker without a real job. She may go to a health club every now and then, but it does not fill her time. What about social life and... physical needs?"
"This is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. We never had a heart-to-heart talk before, and I feel a little uncomfortable discussing it with you, but I think this is the best time to do it - I can feel my physical decline, and Kathy is not here to say otherwise. As I said, I want to marry her in a month or so. If my plan works, I'll talk to her about health club and other alternatives like yoga or Zumba classes. I'll find out if she's interested in learning social games like Bridge. All my life, I avoided like the plague social gatherings, but I might start doing it now, for her sake."
