Dessert

This is the third chapter of

The Trojan Lasagna

, picking up at the point where

Second Helping

left off. It involves an older woman and a younger man. I suggest you read the first two parts to get a full understanding of the characters and their relationships.

Thanks as always to RiverMaya for being my Muse and the angel on my shoulder. Thanks also to JuanaSalsa for her detailed oversight and input. As I continually revise right up to publication, any errors are mine.

All sex between 18+ people.

++++++++++

Don't know why I let you leave me

Honey I don't know

They say it's hard to see love comin'

But baby, you always see it go.

I musta got lost, I musta got lost, I musta got lost

Somewhere down the line

I musta got lost, I musta got lost

To give away the day you were mine...

- J. Geils Band

++++++++++`

Fairburn, Indiana -- August 1988

A great deal had happened in the last two years or so. Mom's divorce from Dad was finalized soon after Addy was born, and two months later she'd met Joe, an older man who treated her like a damned queen. They surprised everyone by getting married a year later and moving to Miami. By then Donna and Mom had become good friends, so we planned on visiting them for the holidays. Dad, meanwhile, retired from plumbing and stayed in the family house. I would see him around Fairburn sometimes, getting groceries or on some errand, but he ignored me as if I wasn't there. I was as dead to him as he was to me.

I loved college, and pretty much fast-tracked through my courses. I was ending my senior year at Indiana College, and was in the den studying for finals. Donna just finished putting our toddler Addy down for the night when the doorbell rang. Unsure who'd be stopping by, we looked at each other quizzically. "I'll get it, you keep studying, dear," she told me, and went to answer the door.

My wife Donna was my biggest college fan, cheerleader and coach. I'd worked my ass off, and was graduating after three and a half years. This last semester was my final academic push. Upon graduation, I had a job offer as a Quantitative Financial Analyst with Halway Brothers Investment Bank in Indianapolis, a well-paying position with a sweet career track.

I was really focusing my attention on the nuances of discrete series representation when I heard two women's voices: Donna's and another, one that sounded familiar. Since the den was close to the front door, I was able to clandestinely eavesdrop on our unexpected visitor, and that's when I caught what they were saying.

"Rosalie! What happened with Robert? And what are you doing here?"

My wife's daughter (also my ex-temporary girlfriend) had cut contact with my Donna almost 2 years prior, so hearing that, I lost all hope of keeping my focus on studying statistics. I had to focus on this unexpected conversation instead.

"I'm sorry to just drop in on you like this, but I couldn't find a working pay phone on the drive over. I wanted to speak to you alone." Etta and Jayden are at home with Robert. I told him you were sick, and I needed to come over.

Etta and Jayden! The last time I'd seen them, they'd been 5 and 3 respectively. That would make them 7 and 5 now. They didn't know yet that I wasn't their friend Josh anymore, now I was their step-grandpa.

"I'm thinking of leaving Robert, I don't love him anymore. I took him back and stayed with him the last 18 months for the sake of the kids, but I just can't do it anymore."

"I'm so sorry, dear." Donna's tone didn't match her words. No small surprise, since she usually referred to Robert as 'Shithead'.

"Don't say that Mom! You always made it clear you hated Robert. When he said he wanted to reconcile, you even warned me not to and said I shouldn't break up with Josh. I wish I'd listened to you."

I heard them walk into kitchen, and the sounds of chairs scooting as they took a seat at the breakfast nook table. Then Rosalie began to spill her guts.

"It hasn't been easy, living with Robert. Thanks to couple's counseling I was able to forgive him for cheating, but once he moved back in, he acted like everything was great and he didn't have to put in any further effort. We got along without arguing and the sex was OK, but I never felt like I was special to him. It was more like he'd come back for the kids. I started using food as a cushion and stopped caring about my looks, and Robert's interest in me dropped even more. He never specifically told me I'd become unattractive, but the dead bedroom was self-explanatory."

"Where will you go, and what will you do?"

"The place I was renting on the East side back when we were going to divorce is vacant, so I'm going to rent it again."

Rosalie moving in again next door to my parents struck me as ironic, since neither of them were very happy when I began dating her; I was 18, and she was 28 with two children. This disapproval had eventually led to them completely cutting contact with me. I expected their reaction to her moving back would be similar to the Romans in 1085 welcoming the return of the warlord Guiscard after his army had leveled Rome the previous year.

What really blew me away was hearing Rosalie say, "I'm going to go to talk to Josh's parents and see if they know where he's living now. I want to find out if there's any chance we could get back together."

I think Donna was trying to avoid shocking her daughter with my whereabouts when she remarked, "I very much doubt that's going to happen. It's been over two years, Rosalie. Given how you left him emotionally shattered, Josh would hardly be carrying a torch for you."

"How do you know? Did you see him after I got back together with Robert?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. We ran into each other at the Sunoco station. To lift our spirits, we had dinner together and he sort of opened his heart to me."

"Oh, so he told you how crazy he was about me?"

"No, more like how crushed he was. We kept meeting for coffee and the occasional dinner, and found we were good for each other. With him being devastated and me being lonely, we sort of boosted each other up."

Ignoring the fact she damaged me, Rosalie kept up her interrogation "Do you know if he's seeing anyone right now?"

In a very dry tone, Donna stated, "I know for a fact he's married."

Her voice suddenly bitter, Rosalie snapped, "Well, that didn't take long. I guess he wasn't as devoted to me as he claimed."

Donna's voice now took on a scolding tone. "Oh, he most certainly was, but the harsh way you dumped him when Shithead showed back up eradicated all the devotion he had for you."

Rosalie must have noticed Donna's new jewelry because she remarked, "Mother, your wedding rings look different. Did you just have them cleaned or something?"

The warmth in Donna's voice made me happy as she answered. "No, the rings I wore when I was married to your father are in my safety deposit box at the bank. These rings are new. I got remarried about a year ago."

My wife's warmth suddenly turned cold. "If I'd been allowed contact, you and my grandchildren would have been invited to the wedding. But no, you kept me away for over two years. TWO YEARS! What did I do to deserve that?"

Rosalie's voice softened a bit. "Mother, I'm so sorry, I really am. I was just trying to be a good wife to Robert and save my marriage." She must have spotted a couple of Adeline's bottles in the sink, because she quickly asked, "Mother, is there a

baby

here?"

The bitterness Donna was feeling from being shut out for two years was now clearly evident. "Yes, her name is Adeline Nicole, and she's your little sister. She's 18 months old now, born in March of 1987 - something else I couldn't tell you because you'd denied me contact."

Then Rosalie really stepped in it, asking, "How was that even possible? You're..." Uh oh. Envisioning the dark thunderclouds forming behind my wife's eyes, I was glad it wasn't me who screwed up this time.

Then came the lighting. Donna snapped. "I'm what, Rosalie? Old? Dried up? Infertile? Is that what you think? I have news for you, daughter. Your old white-haired mother still had a little hotness in her tank, enough that a hot young stud asked me for a taste, and I gave him one! He, in turn, left me your baby sister as a surprise thank-you for fucking his brains out."

If Donna was trying to shock her daughter, it worked because she shrieked, "MOTHER!"

"Oh, goodness, calm your tits, Rosalie," Donna snapped, "I'm hardly Hester Prynne, going around with a scarlet letter on me. When I told the young buck he'd put a baby in me, he was quite insistent that I marry him. Since I loved him, I did!"

Rosalie was silent for a long moment, then asked, "So, when do I get to meet the asshole who knocked you up?"

Donna's words sounded like smooth, poisoned-filled caramel. "He's in the den supposedly studying, but I'll wager instead he's listening to every word we're saying."

Then she called out, "Sweetheart, can you come in to the kitchen for a moment, please?"

Well, crap, no avoiding it now. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later, since my soul-destroying ex was now my stepdaughter!

Although I'd always dreaded it coming, there was no way I could have prepared myself for it. I wasn't sure what feelings I'd have seeing Rosalie again, but there was only one way to find out. It was showtime.

I walked the short hallway to the kitchen, and stepped inside. "Hello, Rosalie."

That was about all I managed to say before being stunned into silence by my ex-girlfriend's appearance. The first time I'd seen Rosalie, she was wearing a yellow sundress with her hair tied back into a ponytail, the dress providing enticing hints as to the very womanly figure underneath it. Her rosy-cheeked face was round, with a cute freckled turned up nose and I'd instantly been smitten.

The Rosalie sitting across from Donna was a different woman altogether. Dressed in a voluminous house dress that could pass for a mainsail on a clipper ship partially covered by a threadbare cardigan sweater, it was clear she'd let herself go. Her formerly glowing skin was now ashen and drawn, her face creased with worry lines. Her disheveled hair looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks.

With her physical condition and tattered clothes, instead of looking like Donna's daughter, Rosalie could have passed for some elderly aunt. Her time with Shithead had definitely done a number on her. A flash of vindictive pleasure went through me as I imagined how much better she'd look, if only she'd stayed with me.

Seeing me, it was Rosalie's turn to be stunned as it sank in that I was her mother's new husband. After a minute of silence she finally reacted, angrily lashed out. "Well, well, you couldn't have me, so instead you had to fuck my mother, is that it? Or is your game that you're just after her money, trying to steal my inheritance, and fucking her is just a bonus?"

While I was expecting some awkwardness, her open hostility took me by surprise, and I snapped back at her with some hostility of my own.

"That's fucking bullshit! You and I never had a relationship, Rosalie, it was all me! You didn't put in any damned effort because you didn't have to! I was infatuated, and made it way too easy for you. When you dropped me, you even said that I deserved someone better than you. You were right, I did, and Donna is definitely treats me better than you!"

Then I took one more shot. "As for your mother's money, you money-grubbing vulture, before we got married I was the one who insisted on a prenuptial agreement, not her! The only people who'll receive inheritance are you, your children, and your baby sister! I'm making my own way, like I always have."

Since high school, I'd done everything on my own. Unlike my older brother Terry the party animal, I was so low-maintenance that our parents didn't even notice when I earned the best GPA in my class, or that my SAT scores were the highest in the school's history. I'd done everything on my own, and would continue to do so. I wasn't about to leech off Donna.

It was suddenly obvious that, emotionally speaking, Rosalie had brought a knife to a gun fight. Now she'd lost, but it wasn't over. She began to shout at me, "This is all

your

fault! I left Robert because of YOU, you bastard!"

I shouted back, "WHAT?!?! Let me refresh your memory! It was you that drop-kicked me two seconds after your cheating husband said he wanted you back! In what reality am I the one responsible for you leaving him?"

Rosalie began crying now, explaining between sobs. "After we got back together we went through counseling, with the idea that if things went well, we'd get remarried. I forgave him for cheating, but he never treated me like you did! He never tried to romance me, he never told me how beautiful I was, and when I asked him to cook for me, he just laughed, and refused to try! I really tried to make things work with him, but I kept comparing him to you, and he never measured up!"

Coming from the woman who'd dropped me like an anvil, that was a hell of an admission. However, I took no satisfaction from it. It was far too little, far too late. I was still angry and ready to continue the fight, but one stern look from Donna curtailed my ire. The threat of being banished from our bed made me realize that, while there was plenty of bad blood between me and Rosalie, she was still my wife's daughter, and I should back off.

Probably awakened by all the shouting, Addy began crying; I used this as an opportunity to remove myself from the kitchen battlefield to go rock my daughter back to sleep.

If you've ever held a baby while sitting in a rocking chair, it will come as no surprise that when Donna finally looked in on us I was still rocking our daughter, despite her having fallen asleep a half-hour before.

Communicating silently via hand signals, she made it clear I needed to put Addy back in her crib and get into our bedroom immediately. When I got there, she took me in her arms and kissed me.

Anticipating a scolding, I took the initiative and apologized. "I'm really sorry I yelled at Rosalie, I shouldn't have been so harsh with her. Her comment about me being with you for your money just really pissed me off."

Donna slid under hand under my shirt and caressed my chest, putting her hand over my heart. I was not getting yelled at, and the way my wife touched me signaled that sexy time was here. I took this to be a harbinger of good things, until she said the five words all married men dread: "Josh, we have to talk."

Whoops! Maybe I'd harbinged too soon. I felt a little anxiety creeping in. "Talk about what, babe?"

Taking Donna in my arms, I ran my hands down her back, pausing them on her sweet ass cheeks. Responding to my wife's bottom in my hands, my little soldier began to stand at attention.

"Rosalie is a horrible mess. She's angry at herself, and full of regrets for how her life has gone."

I kissed the side of Donna's neck, confident she got the message. An engraved invitation couldn't have made my intentions clearer.

"Rosalie needs some time away from Shithead, so she's going to sleep in a guest room tonight."

Breathing in Donna's natural scent, I didn't care if Rosalie slept in a swamp. My ex could go to hell for all I cared, I just wanted to get sweaty with the sexy mother of my child.

That's when she hit me with verbal ice water. "We're all upset right now, so I think it would be best if you and I didn't make love tonight. If Rosalie heard us, it would add salt to the wound, and you know how I get."

Indeed I did. At times, Donna's passionate cries during sex made my ears ring afterwards, like I'd been to a Motörhead concert. "Well, great," I grumbled, "not only did Rosalie break my heart, but now she's turning me into a eunuch!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Rosalie ended up staying the night, then the week, then a month, while she told Robert she was moving out and made arrangements to rent her old place again. Donna's house was plenty roomy, but having her live with us put everybody on edge. I was getting no loving from Donna with Rosalie in the house, which made me even edgier. To tone down my urges, Donna had even started wearing her old granny-style nightdress to bed. It didn't work.

When things got too bad, Donna and I would leave Addy in Rosalie's care and slip off to one of the cheap motels on State Road 57 outside of Fairburn to relieve sexual tension for a few hours. It helped, but being banned from spontaneously fucking my wife in the middle of the night was a constant irritant.

To minimize the changes in Etta and Jayden's routines, Rosalie and Robert worked out a schedule where they lived with their father, while Rosalie did morning drop offs and afternoon pick-ups at school. I know Donna would have loved for the grandchildren to stay with us, but with no love lost between my wife and Robert, he fought that idea tooth and nail.

I passed all my finals and graduated, and began planning my commute routine for my internship at Halway Brothers. I found a first-floor apartment in Indianapolis to stay in a few nights a week, depending on my work schedule; I planned on commuting the 50 miles home when it made sense, and on weekends. I couldn't stand to be apart from Addy for more than a few days.

Living apart from her kids was hard on Rosalie, but living apart from Robert seemed to have a positive effect. She began taking care of herself, dressing better by borrowing some of Donna's clothes, and getting her hair cut by Donna's stylist. Her skin lost its sickly tone, healthy color returning to her cheeks. She was almost back to being the woman I'd first met when she'd moved next door to my parent's house on the East side.

The palpable resentment Rosalie bore towards me marrying her mother seemed to fade, and her jaundiced comments- always directed at me, never her mother - significantly lessened week by week. I began to lower my guard a bit. That proved to be a mistake.

Fairburn, Indiana - October 1988

Donna was involved with the Ford Foundation, which was having a convention at McCormick Place in Chicago for three days. She and several girlfriends were going to go and stay for two nights. Kissing Addy and me goodbye, she left on a Monday.

That night, Rosalie came in to the den and told me she'd make dinner for the two of us. "Lasagna, just like old times, right?"

I laughed, "A stroll down memory lane, why not?" and went back to reviewing financial statements the Halway Brothers had sent down.

At dinner time, I fed Addy a jar of baby food - sweet potato and apple, her favorite - then rocked her to sleep and put her in her crib. When I walked into the kitchen, Rosalie had cooked everything perfectly, but lasagna wasn't the only thing cooking. Rosalie was wearing full makeup, spiked heels, tight jeans that hugged her ass, and a deep V-necked blouse showing plenty of cleavage.

Without thinking, I blurted out, "You're a little over-dressed, aren't you?"

She handed me a glass of red wine, and answered, "Since cooking dinner was my idea, I wanted everything nice for you." Her voice tone was seductive, to the point that two years ago it would have made me cum in my pants. But that was then; today, it had zero effect on me.

As gently as I could, I told her, "Rosalie, you cooking lasagna was plenty nice already. You didn't have to dress up."

"I wanted to. After I had Etta and Jayden, Robert started ignoring me, then he cheated on me. Even after couple's therapy, he never treated me like I was special." She sat down next to me and took my hand. "You, on the other hand, always made me feel special when we were together. It didn't matter if it was at the movies, or playing mini-golf, having a hamburger at the drive-in, or just stopping at the gas station. You never stopped treating me like I was important."