"What do we need to talk to them about?" Macy asked.
"Well, I wanna be with you all the time and . . . it feels wrong sneakin' around. And, when we start college in the fall, we oughta get an apartment together instead of livin' in the dorms. It'll probably be, well, not cheap, but not as expensive as both of us livin' in the dorms, and . . . bein' with you feels too right, too good, to be sneakin' 'round 'bout it. I don't wanna feel ashamed of what we're doin'. I wanna walk around holdin' hands and tellin' people this is my girlfriend and bein' proud of havin' you at my side, so . . . I think we need to talk to Mom and Dad. And I want us to do it together, okay?"
"Tom," Macy said with obvious love in her voice, "that sounds like such a grownup thing to do and . . . the way that you feel about me is so obvious and that makes me feel so special, but . . . what if Mom and Dad tell us we're crazy or they forbid us or . . . what if they make us go to different schools?"
"I've been thinkin' about this and I have an idea," I said. "Randy's dad is an attorney and he knows about all kind of stuff. I guess part of the problem here is that what we're doin' is technically incest and people think it's wrong, but . . . what we're doin' can't be wrong, so maybe he can give us some advice on the legal stuff and, I know his dad and I'm sure he won't call Mom or Dad and tell them, so . . . let's see if maybe we can talk to Mr. Ronson tonight."
"Tom, you're actin' like such a, a man and not a boy, and it feels so good. I'm so proud of you and . . . it feels so good bein' your girlfriend," Macy beamed.
That night, we went to Randy's house and Mr. Ronson was home. We asked to speak to him in private for a few minutes and we went into his study. I told him that Macy and I were in love and that we were afraid that letting people know about it might get us in trouble because of being related.
"Tom, Macy, I wanna make sure you understand that if you are seekin' legal advice from me, that makes you my clients, even though you aren't payin' me any money. Since you're my clients, that means that attorney-client confidentiality applies. The most important thing about privilege is that, whatever we discuss, I won't reveal anything about our conversations to anyone; not to your parents, not to Randy, not to my wife, not to anyone. One of the reasons for confidentiality is to encourage clients to be open and honest with their attorneys. To give you my best advice, I've gotta know all the facts, regardless of how embarrassin' or private they may be."
"Mr. Ronson, I'm glad you're not gonna tell our parents about this. I kinda didn't think you would but it's good to hear you say that. I think I know what you wanna hear about but ask us anything and we'll tell you the truth."
"Sometimes when a young boy and girl say they are in love, they're in the stage of holdin' hands and bein' infatuated, and sometimes it means they are deep into a sexual relationship, and sometimes it means they wanna get married. So, I need to know where you are with your relationship."
"I'll answer this one," Macy jumped in before I could say anything. "Tom and I have a physical relationship that includes sex. That is something that we've both done freely and voluntarily and it happened after both of us turned 18. We haven't thought about marriage because we don't even know if that's possible. We both feel a very strong bond with each other and we want to continue spendin' our lives together and we don't wanna hafta sneak around about bein' in love."
"Well, I have several different things to tell you and all of it will be good news for you. First, a relationship between step-brother and step-sister is not defined as incest in this state and therefore it's not illegal. Second, since it's not incest, it would be legal for you two to marry; at least, it would be legal for you to marry in this state. Other states may have different laws on that subject. Now, that doesn't mean that I'm encouragin' you to get married. I'm a parent, too, and I would be concerned about you two rushin' into somethin' like marriage, unless . . . Macy, are you pregnant?" Mr. Ronson had a decidedly serious look on his face when he asked that question.
"Oh, no, I'm not pregnant, Mr. Ronson. We're not stupid. I started birth control pills about a year ago and Tom and I have only been involved for a few months," Macy responded.
"Oh, thank God," he uttered in relief. "Well, by all means, keep usin' your birth control. You kids need to understand that what your feelin' is obviously very special and very important to both of you but, as the newness of your relationship begins to fade, it will change in some ways. You'll find things about each other that annoy you and there's gonna be times when you don't wanna be around each other. Right now, you can't imagine that and you probably can't wait to tell me how wrong I am but, ya know what, I've lived a lot longer than you two and you're both human and I know human nature pretty doggone well and I'm tellin' ya, that's the way things work. I'm not sayin' that you won't stay together; I'm just sayin' that you need to give it some time -- at least a couple of years -- before you make a decision that will affect the rest of your lives."
"We definitely wanna be together but . . . I understand what you're sayin' and we'd be happy to just walk around holdin' hands in public without worryin' 'bout what people are thinkin'," I said.
"Well now, that's a whole different question. Just 'cause it isn't illegal doesn't mean people won't treat you funny . . . and some of 'em will. Go to school Monday and walk down the hall holdin' hands and whadya think's gonna happen? You don't need for me to answer that for ya. But, pretty soon, you'll be goin' off to college and people there won't know that you're step-brother and step-sister unless you tell them . . . and you better not. If you two stay together, you're gonna hafta start over somewhere but, once you do that, you'll be able to lead a pretty normal life."
"Well, that's pretty good news, Mr. Ronson. Now we just hafta find a way to tell our parents and hope they don't flip out."
"Oh yeah, that reminds me, there was one other thing I was gonna tell you. This isn't legal advice but it's probably the best news that I have to tell you. Ya know that my wife and I have had dinner with your folks a few times, been over at their house and hung out in the hot tub, we've seen each other at some parties, and we always talk about our kids. Way back, they used to brag about how well you two got along but then they started sayin' that you two were closer than most brothers and sisters and they even wondered if there was anything more goin' on between you. Well, they both agreed that they didn't want anything to happen between you two because, obviously, if it doesn't work out, you've got major problems in your family, but . . . they realized that if something was to develop between you two, there wouldn't be anything they could do to stop it and they would just hafta accept it and support you and hope for the best, so . . . I don't think your parents are gonna be surprised if you tell them and they're definitely not gonna freak out."
"Wow," I said. "I never woulda thought that . . ." I said in amazement.
"Holy shit!" Macy exclaimed, then quickly added, "Oh, sorry, Mr. Ronson."
"Oh no, no need to apologize, when they told us about that, I said 'holy shit,' too!" he laughed.
"Well Macy, I guess we need to go home and have a conversation with Mom and Dad about you and me," I said. "Thanks for all the great advice, Mr. Ronson," I said.
"Yeah, thanks, Mr. Ronson," Macy said.
I told Randy that we needed to get back and Macy and I started walking home. It was only about a three block walk. Under the cover of darkness, I reached out and took Macy's hand in mine. I squeezed her hand and she squeezed mine.
"Hey, let's stop for a minute and talk before we get back to the house," I said.
"Okay. What do you wanna talk about?" Macy inquired.
"This," I answered. I took Macy in my arms and brought my lips to hers. It was not a kiss that a brother gives his sister. It was a kiss like a soldier going off to war gives to his girlfriend, a kiss that says 'if I don't return, never forget that I love you.'
"I love you, Macy. I know what Mr. Ronson said about Mom and Dad but they might react different when they actually hear about it. But, whatever happens when we get home, it won't change how I feel about you. They can cause problems for us but they can't keep us apart. Mr. Ronson was right, we don't need to rush into marriage, but . . . one day, I know I'll ask you to be my wife. I'm sure of that."
"Tom, you make me feel so special . . . and so loved. I hope you know how much I love you. When you ask me, the answer will be 'yes!'"
We continued walking, hand in hand, in the direction of our home but we were walking slowly, as if we both wanted to savor this moment in our lives, or maybe we were trying to delay what might become an unpleasant confrontation. I interrupted the quiet with a sudden realization.
"If we get married eventually, we'll have kids, and you'll be their momma and I'll be their daddy. Wow! That's a whole lot to think about," I said. "I mean, I know you'll be a great mother to our kids, but . . . I guess I've got some more changin' to do before I'm ready to be a daddy."
"Yeah. I guess I'll be a good mother when the time comes, but I'm not ready for that now. I guess that's why Mr. Ronson said we shouldn't rush into anything. Bein' married means a whole lot more than just bein' in love," Macy replied.
"If we have a girl, we can name her Macy, Jr." I teased.
"You're silly . . . and that's one of the things I like about you."
We finally reached home and found Mom and Dad in the family room watching TV.
"Hey guys, were you been?" Dad asked.
"We went over to Randy's for a little while. . . . Uh, Mom, Dad, there's somethin' that Macy and I need to talk to you about."
"Okay," Mom said. "Let's turn off the TV." She hit the power button on the remote and the TV went dead. "What's up?"
I began suddenly, not wanting to lose my nerve. "Well, you both know that Macy and I get along really well for a step-brother and step-sister the same age, right? And we're both goin' to the same college in September. And I've dated other girls for about a year now and nothin' ever got serious with any of 'em, and then, a few months ago, I realized that the girl I really wanted was right here beside me, and . . . I fell in love with Macy . . .."
". . . and I've dated other guys but I realized that the guy I want is this guy who I've known forever, who I already know and really like and really trust. I fell in love with Tom at the same time he fell in love with me," Macy added.
"So, are you lookin' for our permission to start datin'?" Dad asked. "That might be kinda weird."
"No, Dad," I quickly responded. "We're already in love. Datin' is somethin' you do to get to know someone better but I already know Macy."
"We're already beyond just dating," Macy interjected.
"Meanin' what?" Mom asked with a raised eyebrow.