Author's Note:
This will likely be the final story in this saga. I sincerely hope that you've enjoyed reading about this family's journey as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
Please feel free to leave a comment or send some feedback if you would like, it is appreciated. I do try to respond to all non-anonymous feedback messages whenever possible.
*****
--- Trouble ---
What in the hell.
What. In. The. Hell.
That was my thought. I had never in my life seen Becky and Julia fight like that. Nothing beyond a few angry words or teenage rebellion. This had left them both in tears. I had to do something, but what? Even August was worried. And I really needed to talk to him soon too.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. That's not how this part of the story started.
--- Dad ---
After we became involved, Becky and I had moved to Oregon. I could do what I did from anywhere, and Becky started teaching at the local state college. We found a nice town where no-one knew us, and lived a pretty idyllic life. We had twins, who I will name Julia and August, because I can. Not their real names, but they'll do. Becky was already pregnant with both of them when we arrived.
As of this story, they were both about to graduate from high school and had very recently turned eighteen. I was actually pretty down about both of them leaving for college, but especially Julia going to Caltech. We've always been close. Not the way you're thinking, you pervert. Just...close. We went on trips together, she felt she could tell me pretty much anything, we made stupid jokes at each other. Becky and her weren't distant or anything, their relationship was just more typical of Mother and Daughter. And, naturally I was going to miss August. It just felt different, maybe because he had wanted to go to Oberlin since he first read about it and he was living his dream.
I kept an eye out for what I would call "the signs of familial attraction". I mean in my family, it just made prudent sense. But neither of my children had ever displayed any indication of the slightest sexual feeling for anyone else in this house. And I was absolutely fine with that. I am grateful every day for what I had with Mom and what I have with Becky, but it was complicated and deeply personal. If Julia and August went their whole lives without knowing about their somewhat torrid family history and went on to live happy lives in conventional relationships, then I wished them the best.
Besides, Julia and I were close enough that I thought that she would have told me if she were attracted to, well, any of her other family members. She knew enough about me to know that she could trust me and that it wouldn't make me think of her any less. August was a little different, being a boy and a bit more introverted, but he was a lot like I was at his age. Well honestly he was far more creative than me, but we understood each other pretty well. If he started having those feelings I'd probably know about it before he did.
And if all of that failed, Becky would figure it out. Where I had intuition, she had intellect, wit, and logic. We had decades of experience with this kind of thing. Everything would be fine.
Those were the assumptions I was operating under. And you know what they say about assumptions.
--- Julia - Late Spring ---
Fuck. That was really the only appropriate way to describe everything. Fuck.
Everything was going so well, you know? High school was over. I was going to miss my friends, and of course my family, but I was going to freaking Caltech. Cal. Tech. I'm not going to mention my major here, but I'd be involved in designing and building things. Real things. I was excited the whole last semester. I talked about it so much that even August started rolling his eyes at me and making fun of me when I started to talk about it. He's lucky he's cute or he wouldn't get away with it.
Dad was proud, like he always was, but mostly he was just happy that I was happy. He absolutely understood how important it was, but I think he'd seen too many people ruin themselves with ambitions that outstripped their ability to be content. To cope with stress. He saw that wasn't going to be me, and that I was going to live out my dreams. He would say that I was much smarter than him, admit it without the slightest bit of ego. But I dunno, he seemed to understand me a lot more than, well anyone else.
Mom on the other hand was over the moon. She was driven by logic and will. She was proud of my achievements, but mostly, she wanted me to succeed at what I wanted to do. She kept telling me that I should have a lot of fun at college, but work hard too. Success first, happiness follows. That's how she says it happened with her and Dad. But I also know that he was her second husband. And she wouldn't ever talk about the first, although she never complained about him. She'd just say that love was too important not to gamble on. She never said anything to make me think less of myself, but I was honestly terrified of letting her down. She...she was a lot of what I wanted to be. We're very different people, but I want to be strong like her. Self-possessed, disciplined, and. And I'm having trouble saying the rest, even here, to myself.