All Characters In This Story Are 18+ Years Old
*****
"My birthday was just last month, Mr. Engel," Clementine announced proudly, "I am 18 years old! How old are you?"
"Clemmy!" Exclaimed Daphne, aghast at the abrupt personal inquiry by her young sister.
"Your mother's right, Darling," followed Mitch McFee, quickly, "That is an impertinent question anytime, but particularly with a total stranger.
"No, no, no," Royce Engel interrupted, "Really, I don't mind." He put down the homemade biscuit he was about to bite and looked across the pine-slab table at the beautiful impetuous teenager. "I turned 30 last April 6th, Clementine." He smiled and added, as an aside, hoping to shift the conversation away from chastisement, "I am an Aries. Do you know anything about astrology?"
Clementine laughed. "Yes, I do." She said, puffing up her chest and expounding. "You are a Ram. I don't think there's much to it, though... Momma is Pisces, A Fish, but she doesn't like to eat trout. Poppa is Aquarius, The Water Bearer, but I am always the one who fetches from the river or the well. I'm Gemini, The Twins, but as you see I am an only child. My grandma was Capricorn, but I never knew her, so you'd have to ask Momma or Poppa if she liked goats." Clementine's bust rose and fell rapidly in her excited commentary. Royce was transfixed by the motion beneath her creamy homespun, scoop necked shift.
Mitch chuckled and interjected, "No, Grandma Leanne hated goats... or, more particularly, she hated 'Old Goats'!" He winked his right eye, out of Clementine's view, as he amended his statement. "She had a couple of them chase her before she ran off with me and got married." He laughed aloud as he remembered Leanne complaining to him about her Uncle Fred, and his buddy, who tried to corner her at a family Christmas party. Leanne had to knee Fred in the groin to get her message across but, after that they both left her alone.
Royce and Daphne were also laughing as the dinner table conversation immediately lightened and Clementine's perceived rudeness was all but forgotten. "I don't think there's supposed to be a connection with the actual names of the signs, honey," Daphne opined. "I think they are somehow connected to constellations we sometimes can see in the night sky... Remember how I showed you the Big Dipper and Orion's Belt?"
"I think you are right about that, Daphne," Royce agreed, "But, Clementine, I must disagree with your conclusion." He continued his gentle argument. "In my experience, although I am no astrologer, I definitely see personal differences between folks born in different months and similarities among those born in the same month." He smiled to make sure the young girl across from him knew he was not chiding. "Also, I think there is a decided compatibility factor, although I see no reason why anyone can't be compatible with anyone else, given enough time and patience." He looked left and right to Mitch and Daphne as he continued. "For instance, YOUR sign is Gemini, Clementine, which is one of three signs astrologers group under 'Air.' Your dad, Aquarius, is also an 'Air' sign. Mine is Aries, and my group of three signs is 'Fire.' Your mom, a Pisces, is a 'Water' sign. The fourth group, 'Earth' signs, is not represented at the table here, but your Grandma Leanne, a Capricorn, was one of them."
"So, what does that all mean, Mr. Engel?" Clementine asked impatiently.
Daphne reached out her right hand and patted Clementine's left arm while Royce continued. "Well, same group signs have lots in common, so they are naturally very compatible. You get along pretty well with your dad, don't you?"
"Oh, YES!" Clementine bounced in her seat and her tits bounced in her dress. She extended her right hand and scratched her fingernails on Mitch's forearm before she clamped down through his work shirt sleeve and seized his corded extensor muscles. "Poppa and I get along just GREAT!"
"And that's not all. Air signs have a high degree of attraction to both Earth and Fire," Royce added, with a nod to Mitch. "Which means your father and I, or you and I, have natural common ground, too."
"So Poppa and Grandma were compatible," deduced Clementine, with a frown followed by a sad face look at her mother. "But what about Momma? She's a Water sign... isn't she compatible with anyone?" Clementine pulled her hand away from Mitch and scooted closer to Daphne, laying her right hand on top of her mother's, which still rested on Clementine's left arm. "I LOVE Momma and I never thought we were not 'compatible' before..." Her voice trailed off with a pout and downcast eyes.
"Ohh, No!" Engel quickly assured the sensitive girl. "Don't you remember I said 'anyone is compatible with anyone given enough time and patience'? So, even though there may not be an automatic connection between, say Pisces and Gemini or Aquarius, we must remember you are all blood family... Daphne has been your loving mother for your whole life... and of course, the same thing goes for your mom and dad..." Royce paused, realizing he had, inadvertently, underscored and laid bare the incestuous relationship between Mitch and Daphne, which may have been hitherto tacitly denied. He had not once heard the term 'sister' spoken aloud by any of the family members and Clementine had expressly referred to herself as 'an only child.' Hurrying along, with high hopes of by-passing his gaffe before it registered, he concluded, "The bottom line, Clementine, is people are people and labels make for easy sorting and recognition but NOT for forming interpersonal relationships... Individuals make individual decisions. Right?"
Clementine looked up from the table and beamed a bright grin at Royce and then at Daphne and Mitch. "Oh, YES!" She agreed emphatically. "I think that makes WONDERFUL sense! Don't YOU, Momma? Poppa?"
Royce noticed Mitch exhale a stifled sigh of relief before he said, "Yes, Darling, very sensible. And speaking of sensible, let's clear the table and get our baths. It's growing late." Mitch clapped his hands and stood. "Royce, let's finish our conversation and let the gals have a free hand with the supper clutter."
Even though it was July, Royce noticed, now that the sun had set, that there was a dank chill in the cabin from the adjoining cavern. He was glad for the kerosene lanterns and for the heat, as well as the light, put out by the fire Mitch had lit in on the hearth in the main room. They stood by the mantel sipping a 'taste of corn' which Mitch had poured for them from a large crockery jug. "So, Royce... I asked you a question before Daphne called us to supper... What do you think about my idea? Can you stay for a couple of days?"
Royce finished his whiskey and set the glass down. He had had no notion of what to expect when he rode out to find Mitch McFee and help him implement the first stage of his legacy for his daughter, Clementine, and he certainly had never thought about any dalliance with a client's daughter, yet here he was, drinking whiskey and fantasizing about fucking both Clementine and Daphne. "Uh, sure, Mitch... When I said I had to get going, I didn't mean I couldn't stick around for a couple of days... I'm still not clear on what additional 'training' you mean, or how I can help, but... hey! You are the legator and anything you want or need me to do to make things work, I will."
"Ha!" Mitch snorted and smacked his shot glass on the mantel. "If 'legator' means I'm the one who says what goes, then I agree!" He clapped Royce hard on the back and said, "Come on, son, let's get to work." Mitch turned from the fireplace and called into the kitchen, "You all about ready? Royce and I are heading for the pools."
"Be right with you!" Daphne answered. "Clemmy and I are practically finished here."