Eta Carinae

Author's Note:

This is a chronological story of an incestuous, romantic relationship between a mother and son. If this is not your bag, move on! All characters are over 18.

Part 6. Elaine and David move and start cultivating a social life together.

November was a blur! The first week, we went and looked at condos. The 3

rd

one we toured was it! It was just what we were looking for! The building was a 15-year-old building in Pacific Heights. The exterior was somewhat modern, but the condo itself was a Mediterranean theme. The walls were plastered with trowel marks, rough beams on the ceiling, and a free-standing, gas fireplace. It was ornate cast iron with a weathered copper flue. The master bedroom was about the size of our living room in the apartment! There are two other rooms, one a bedroom and the other an office. The master bath had a large Jacuzzi tub with a shower. The master bedroom had a huge walk-in shower. The floor was a composite hardwood with a light roan finish. The northern side of the apartment had picture windows all along the wall, along with a rather large balcony. Elaine fell in love with it as did I.

Elaine and I had birthdays 7 days apart. Hers was on the 2

nd

and mine was on the 9

th

, so we celebrated our birthdays together. The 'Dickhead', aka Eric Howe, my father hasn't been with me for a birthday in 10 years! Oh well, fuck him! He didn't know what he had! Elaine made a reservation at an Italian restaurant in North Beach that we both love. We went to dinner a couple days after my birthday and I was going to order my first legal drink. I was to meet Elaine at work, then on to the restaurant. She was just inside the lobby when I arrived. We took a cab to the restaurant. It was a popular place and pretty full. The restaurant was a long rectangle. Mom reserved one of the booths in the back. A bit quieter and away from the bar. On Friday and Saturday night, all the folks from the 'old country' sing virtuoso's of 'Santa Lucia', 'Ave Maria' and opera. Some are very nice, others not so much. The hostess sat us at our booth. A minute later, a waiter appear asking if we wanted something from the bar.

"I'll have a Glenfiddich, neat." She directed.

"I would like a Bombay Martini, not too dry and in a low ball glass," I said with a bit of confidence.

"Excellent choice sir!" He finished writing the order and left.

"That was a

gyp

!" I exclaimed.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't get carded!" She chuckled.

"I guess it's your mature, confident image you project."

"I'm

certain

that's it!"

"Whether you realize it or not, you've matured quite a bit in a short time!"

"Maybe so. I'll think on it."

The drinks arrived and we turned our attention to the menu. We ordered a half platter of Antipasti. The full order could feed 6 people! This restaurant was 'Italian family style', all your food on platters. It was really nice for big parties! Elaine ordered the Chicken Marsala. I decided on the surf and turf. A small rib-eye with a bunch of Dungeness crab legs. Mom ordered a bottle of Burgundy.

While we waited for the Antipasti, she reached into her bag and produced a small box with a ribbon on it. I took her present from my coat pocket and we slid them over to each other. We did rock-paper-scissors to see who would open first. She lost. We have always been competitive.

"

Oh Deev, you went all out on the wrapping again!

" It was a long-standing joke. When I was about 9, I had her birthday present, but no wrapping paper. All I could find was a brown paper shopping bag and manila twine to tie it. Ever since then, that's how I wrap her birthday present in brown paper every year. Each year I have become more precise. She took off the twine and folded paper. I didn't use any tape. She turned over the 5"x7" box and lifted the lid off. She unfolded the tissue paper. I had found a vintage-looking cigarette case at a shop in the City. It was gold anodized stainless steel with a long Art Deco, stylized 'ribbon' down the length of the case. On the ribbon, two-thirds of the way down was a circle and I had an 'E' engraved in it. The 2 borders along the ribbon were engraved with Art Deco style Acanthus leaves. Beside it was a gold Colibri lighter.

"David......this is beautiful! Thank you!" She squeezed my hand. She opened the case. It had a nicely engineered latch and bar on each side of the case to hold the cigarettes. The hinge was a piano style. She put it in her bag.

"I thought someone of your sophistication shouldn't carry her cigarettes in something a little more

you

!"

"Why thank you love!"

"Ok, now yours." I opened the box and inside was a money clip; a very nice one! It was gold with 'D' engraved on it. I picked it up and as I did, I noticed a corner of a piece of paper under cotton. I snaked it out. It was a folded ad from one of my astronomy magazines. It was a picture of a telescope. I looked at her.

"You can get rid of your 'stylish' folder clip for your cash! We'll go back to the camera store and you can pick out anything you want. Get all the accessories, cases, whatever!"

I picked up her hand and kissed it.

"Thank you! I don't know what to say." She just smiled.

"When we're settled in, we'll go north and do some viewing under clear skies."

"That sounds like an excellent plan!" I replied.

I was putting the box to the side and I noticed another piece of paper under the cotton. I looked at Elaine and she smiled. I removed it.

"Excuse me!

A Brazilian wax?

"

"David, I love you more than life itself. That

nasty

body hair has to go!"

"You know, they're laws in this state about deforestation!"

"Don't worry babe, you're exempt! Pretend you're getting ready for a body-building contest."

"Ok. For you, no hair." I said slyly.

We turned our attention to eating. My steak was perfect! Besides the crab legs, there was a portion of herb & garlic butter gnocchi that just rocked! We finished and ordered a zabaglione to share. We were waiting for the dessert. She leaned over.

"You know those black stockings with the wide lace tops that you like so much?"

"Mmmm....."

"I'm wearing them. I also forgot to put on panties." She whispered in my ear.

"That's nice dear," I replied flatly. She kicked me in the leg.

"That's all you have to say,

'that's nice dear.'

?"

"How 'bout I tell you what I think later." Shooting her the 'side-eye'.

"Works of me!"

We made our way through most of the zabaglione. She paid and we walked out into the fresh night air. I needed it. I was a little wobbly from the alcohol. We were waiting for a free taxi. She was holding my arm. It would be appropriate, just in case.

"So, you want to take me home and make a man out of me?" I said.

"How 'bout I just slap you around for a while."

"Can't we do both?" We both laughed.

We caught the last ferry home. Back at the apartment, we went into the bedroom to change. I put a robe on and Elaine called me into the bathroom. On the vanity, she laid out a couple of gold captive ball rings and a small rod.

"Tiz showed me how to do this. These are your new rings and this is a taper."

It was a small 12ga rod tapered at the end.

"Clever name!"

She put some A&D ointment on the taper and on my nipple. She took the ball off the barbell, pushed it through with the taper, then pushed the taper out with the ring and then, the other side. She was fast! She popped in 2 green beads.

"Oh, I like it!" She said tugging on the right one. It was intense! She turned me around to see them in the mirror.

"These work!"

"Go out into the living room until you're summoned, sir knight!"

"Of course, milady! I suspect a plot afoot!"

"

Out

!"

I sat on the couch wondering what she had planned. It wasn't long until she said my name. I stopped at the door. She was in the opposite corner of the room and slowly walked toward me. The night lights once again provided the perfect ambiance! She was wearing a thigh-length, very sheer nightgown. Complimenting this was a pair of thigh-high stockings and heels. I met her at the side of the bed. I looked into her eyes for a long moment. Running my fingers down her ribs, waist, and hips is intoxicating.

"Your 'wrapping paper' is nicer than mine!" I whispered in her ear. She smiled. I continued to take in her visage. Her back-lit form outlined in black was beyond words. I loosened the tie on the collar of her gown and pushed each side open. She turned slightly and her nipple rings wiggled in a very sexy fashion. I don't know what it is about black stockings and heels! I pushed the gown off her shoulders and it fell. She took my hand and nudged me toward the bed and we laid down together. I was feeling a little 'fuzzy' around the edges; a little too much booze. As if she read my mind, she reached into the nightstand drawer and produced a coke vial. A small 'toot' a piece cleared the cobwebs. We have integrated many of the practices of the Kama Sutra into our lovemaking. We can spend an hour just kissing and touching. I once again found myself kissing down her stomach overflowing Venusian mound. I rotated myself and pressed my palms on the inside of her thighs. The feeling of the stockings

lit up

another dimension. As I inched closer her scent was exquisite! The sweet-musky-tang stirred something deep inside me, something very primal. Her inner labia looked like a partially open rosebud. I lightly flicked and licked the outside labia crease. She winced and clamped her thighs down on my head! I really did mind! I moved into the 'rosebud'. She rocked back in rapture. As she did, she placed her heels on my shoulders. I paused. She took some breaths and I checked my tongue for sprains. I had to work her clit over. It doesn't take much with her. I worked the tip of my tongue into the clit hood and she exploded in joy! She asked for mercy after 3 orgasms. Yes, I am pleased with myself!

After a short rest, I mounted her and she hooked her legs around my arms. My cock slid in and out, as slowly and as slow as I could manage. Elaine looked as if she was in another world. She unhooked her legs and wrapped them around my waist. I was on the crest of the 'wave'; that point of intensity where the longer it's held, the more intense the blast! Elaine had her own ideas! She tugged on my nipple rings, rubbed the ends of my nipples and that was it! I press myself deep into her and let loose in 3 voluminous ejaculations! I laid down on her, exhausted. We took a shower and went to bed. One hell of a birthday!

The move was like any other, except less painful than the last. We had the key to the condo by the second week of November and we were completely in by the 21

st

. We bought new furniture, cookware, and dishes. All the old furniture was donated. A moving company packed and moved everything else. We bought a California king bed with an interesting headboard. It had bookshelves and angled backrests. Elaine was rather surprised with how much interest and input I had with our furnishings. Hell, I was going to live there too!

We went to a giant warehouse-style store for furnishings and decor. It had everything you could think of for furnishing a house! I found a free layout program online and downloaded the Java 3D 'furniture' from the store we both liked and did a room layout. At the store, we picked out all the decor. I found a couple pieces that I really wanted. One was a nice copy of the Gundestrup cauldron that has the image of the Celtic god Cernunnos, the antlered man-god. The other was a lithograph of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. I love that painting for some reason. As we walked around in the framed art section, there was a reproduction of Bosch's 'Garden of Earthly Delights'. The 3-panel painting that the garden of Eden on the left, temporal life, then the last judgment. I leaned over to Elaine.

"Take notes, this is where we're going!" I whispered. She looked at me for a second.

"Yeah. I think are what Dante called

carnal miscreants

." She said suppressing a laugh.

"I guess the 'Second Circle of Hell' can't be that bad!" I said.

"Come on, let's look around." She ordered pulling my arm.

All the furniture from the apartment went to charity, saving her heirloom pieces. A roll-top desk from her father and the makeup table from Nona. All the new stuff landed in one day and the crew that delivered were total pros! With the house set up, I was tasked with finding the entertainment system. Elaine wanted a high-end stereo system. I chose a McIntosh home theater receiver and a set of Klipsch speakers. I told her how much it was and she gave the thumbs up. Our big screen was fairly new. The store sent out a crew to set up the stereo. They placed speakers, did sound tests, moved speakers, etc. The end result was unbelievable! I guess you do get what you pay for. The condo closed on the Monday before Thanksgiving and we were in and at home. Strange feeling.

Thanksgiving was a big deal, at least for Nona. Elaine's mother Sophia was the quintessential Italian 'Nona'. Mom said she's also a

Strega

. She's

very

perceptive, almost clairvoyant. Most of mom's side of the family has Thanksgiving. We left for Castro Valley around 11 on Thursday morning. All the women folk had to be present for the 'cooking ceremony'. She gave me the keys to the Mercedes. Finally, on the freeway, she turned off the music.

"At Nona's, we have to be

very

careful! You know how she can

read

people!" She reminded.

"I was thinking about that. I'll probably hang out with Ed. I know he'll want to talk anyway. Then I'll have to go torment Nona while she cooks." I said with a flat smile.

"Good idea!" I'm sure we'll be fine." She replied squeezing my hand.

Nona lives in a 2 story house in the foothills of a regional park. The house is kind of a 'West Coast-Cape Cod-Craftman' style that was popular in the '40's when the house was built. It was cool and creepy at the same time. We pulled up. Elaine looked at me.

"Shields up Scotty!"

We walked in and were rushed by Nona. I always felt like the 'special needs' kid of the family because of the Dickhead. We hugged and of course she said I was 'too skinny'. I saw Ed and he did the 'side bob' with his head. In the kitchen, he handed me a beer and we went out on the sun porch.

"Did you bring a deck of cards?" He asked.

I had a sealed deck of red Bicycle playing cards in my back pocket. This was a tradition that went back 10 years. Ed could do card tricks and he was good! The first couple of times we did this, I accused him of using trick cards. He said 'get a brand new deck'. I did. I don't know how he does what he does!

I broke the seal on the deck, burned the jokers, and started to shuffle. I handed him the deck. He rolled up his sleeves, then spread an arc of cards in front of me. Picking them up, he started to shuffle, in every way you can think of! He did one-handed 'turn' cuts, another cut I don't know how to describe, then handed the deck to me.

"Cut the deck into 3 piles." I did so.

"Draw a card and show it to me."

"Ed, I'm not 10!" I said with a sarcastic look.

"Oh, that's right! You have grown some! Go ahead and pick a card, look at it, then put it on one of the piles. Pick up the piles and shuffle." While I was busy, he set a wrapped 'something' on the table.

"Happy birthday!" He said, sliding it over. It was small, around 5 inches long. I set down the cards and tore off the wrapping. It was a folding pocket knife.

"I figured you needed a pocket knife. Good to have." He commented. I unfolded the large blade.

"What kind of steel is this? It's beautiful!" I asked.

"Damascus. It's a unique way of forging. Look it up."

"Thank you very much Ed!"

"Oh, by the way, your card was the 3 of clubs." I flipped him off and he laughed.

"Let's go back in."

Thanksgiving was underway in the traditional fashion. Women in the kitchen helping Nona with the cooking, except of, course Angie. Angie was Ed's wife. If Ed was the apex of good people, she was the antithesis! She drank too much, was a mean drunk, embedded herself on the couch at home all day eating and ordering off of HSN. I don't know how Ed put up with her. Ed's a good Catholic and there are not many! He actually

walks it the way he talks it.

I just stay away from her. We ate dinner and I didn't overdo it, even with Nona's special dishes. I had to drive home. I hung out after dinner and watched a football game with Ed and his son Jack. Finally, Elaine caught my eye and it was time to pack up. The drive home was uneventful.

"What did Ed have to say?" She asked.

"You know, the usual. How I'm doing, how you're doing, job, girlfriends, etc. I managed to play the

shy

act around dating. He gave me this for my birthday." I handed her the knife.

"You OK with being evasive?" She asked opening the knife.

"Perfectly. I am not required to share every detail of my life! I see enough of that crap online! Anyway, he knows that I'm reserved. That work for you?"

"Fine by me! This is a beautiful knife! Damascus steel and an antler handle. I wonder if he made this. I know he set up a forge at his shop."

"He didn't say anything."

"You know him, he wouldn't!"

The new place was still very new and fresh. I love the kitchen. It has a center island with an overhead hood with pot hooks. Built-in refrigerator, glass pane door cabinets, and plenty of storage. Elaine hired a cleaning service to come in once a week. We were adapting fast! We decided that Sunday would our day for an afternoon of discussion over a cigar. The balcony was the perfect place! Cigars are great but I don't want the whole house smelling like an ashtray! The balcony was partly covered with 2 long walls on each side. We bought a nice patio set of furniture. I picked out a couple of Fuente Reserva Lonsdale's from the humidor. She brought out a couple of snifters of cognac. She taught me how to really enjoy cognac! I prepped the cigars and she heated the snifters with the torch. We sat back and enjoyed the view. The building being on a hill gave us a view that went from the Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge. Though the day was foggy and misty, we could still make out sailboats. We dedicated these days of conversation to total honesty. We speak from the 'gut' no matter how painful it might be. Sounds easier than it is. Today, we spoke of dealing with the residual guilt, shame and the continual internal 'yak'. Our choice comes with a great deal of sacrifice that we are both acutely aware of. The conversation paused and we enjoyed cigars and cognac.

"I want to ask you something I haven't ever asked about," I stated.

"What was the last straw with your father?" She replied. I should have been surprised, but I wasn't.

"Yeah."

"He humiliated me with his whole company! He was bringing prostitutes to corporate events when he was overseas while I sat here waiting for my husband. His assistants kept me abreast of all his screwing around. I guess the

last

-last straw was when he was caught in a 'lady-boy' brothel in Bangkok. He tried to bury it, but I had Jean, his assistant, email me a copy of the police report. I wanted a divorce! I grabbed him in my little 'scorpion' claws, held my stinger over him, and said to him

'If you don't give me what I want, I will burn you down!'

He gave me the proceeds from the house, alimony, and child support.

No one humiliates me with impunity!

"

She was close to tears. Not tears of sorrow, tears of anger!

"Right on El!" I said holding my snifter up. She has always been smart, and clever, thinking 2 steps ahead. We sat, smoked, drank cognac watched sailboats and the fog.