Unintended Consequences

Notes [Last revised September 18, 2015]:

- All characters are the product of the authors' imagination, and are 18 years of age or older.

- Although this is a standalone series there are undisclosed details in

Empty Nesters

and

An Unwitting Discovery

.

- We don't think there is a particular order to read these since the reveals make it more interesting in the order published. However, several readers have commented the order should be

Unintended Consequences

,

Empty Nesters

and then

An Unwitting Discovery

.

- Special thanks to GrandTeton for helping make this story better by editing / proof reading it.

My small section of the universe seems to be ruled by minor probability fluctuations set into motion by others. As I lay in bed gazing upon the handsome form of Adam I had to wonder at all of the factors that led to this point.

Backing up a bit, I'm Zane, one of the female ones. I just turned twenty-five at the beginning of May. I'm finishing my first year in graduate school at the University of Virginia (UVA), pursuing a degree in bio-chem (Biological Chemistry). Up until the end of the spring semester, I'd been living exclusively in graduate student housing. At the beginning of the summer semester, I had planned to make a move into a half of a small duplex off campus in what was sometimes referred to as the student ghetto. It isn't so much a ghetto, as an area of low cost housing that is occupied primarily by students. The turnover rate is pretty high and the landlords don't do much in the way of upkeep. It's also known for having a slightly higher rate of partying. Graduate student housing was actually fine, but sharing an apartment would actually lower my rent.

So, I had just signed the lease on Monday with a friend of mine, Sally. It'd been difficult to find someone to share the apartment since there weren't many women in the program. Sally was in a few of my classes and we'd agreed we could get along. However, Tuesday, she'd received her grades and the number of women was going to decrease. She hadn't met the GPA requirement for the yearlong probation that all TA's (Teaching Assistants) get upon entry to the graduate program. She would be leaving to go back home.

I was really sad for Sally and we decided to go out to a local pub to commiserate. I consoled her about her departure and brain stormed over who I might get to take her room in the two room apartment. We did this over several pitchers of beer, while we were both being hit upon the entire night. We did a little too much drinking that night and the more we drank, the funnier all of the would-be suitors became. When we finally decided we'd probably need to go, it was quarter-to-two, almost closing time. We parted at the door and I began my walk across the quad back to the GSH (graduate student housing). Halfway there, I absently pulled my phone from my purse to check my messages and found myself reading an e-mail from my Mom. Apparently, she'd called several times tonight. I must not have heard the phone over the noise in the bar. The e-mail she'd sent was short and got directly to the point.

Dear Zane,

Give me a call when you can. Your Dad and I are getting a divorce. The house is being sold and the proceeds will be split. If you want any of your old stuff, you'll need to get it soon. Sorry to do this by e-mail; I tried calling you several times today.

Love, Mom

Oh my freaking god! I can't believe this,

I thought to myself.

Not fully considering the time, I immediately returned her call. When the phone was answered, it was a male voice on the phone. It sounded a little like Dad, but I wasn't sure it was him. "Hello? Who is this? Do you know it's 2:00 AM here? Um - Hello?"

"Um - I'm sorry, do I have the Richards' residence?" I asked a little confused, perhaps due to being a little drunk.

"Yes, is that you Zane?" the voice asked.

"Yes, Dad. I wanted to talk to Mom. She sent me a very troubling e-mail."

The voice answered, "Um - Okay, I'll get her. This is your brother, by the way,

genius

. Dad's already moved out."

What the heck was going on? I felt like I'd been punched in my gut. Then Mom was on the phone. "Hey, Zane. I'm so sorry I sent that e-mail. I'm not in my right mind, but I didn't want you to hear it from your Dad first. We're getting a divorce. He's been cheating on me with an employee where he works. Now that both your brother and you will be out of the house, he's decided he's leaving too."

"What? Um - when did all this happen? I just spoke with you like a month ago, right before my finals," I said, starting to weep a little.

"I know, Zane, it's all crazy. I had no idea anything was

really

broken until May. Look, I don't want to go into all the intimacies of our marriage, but your father hasn't been

with

me in over a year."

"You guys. You love each other, I've seen it," I sobbed into the phone.

"That might have been true at some point in time, dear. Looking back now, I don't even know when the last loving kiss we shared might have been. You have been gone for nearly five years now. Now with Adam going off to graduate school too, I guess your Dad decided it was time to fill me in on his 'real life'."

Adam was going to graduate school? I nearly dropped the phone. When I lived at home Adam was the least studious person I knew. He was mostly a party guy. He wasn't really a jock, but he ran cross country and never really took anything seriously. "He's what?" I finally asked into my cell.

"He's been accepted at about six different graduate schools, Zane. He's going to visit his first choice this weekend for a tour."

"Adam got into six different schools?" I asked mindlessly.

"Yes, dear. Your brother has changed his leaves, as they say. Look, I don't mean to change the subject, but your Dad's been cheating on me and wants a divorce, so I'm clearing out the house so it can be sold by the end of the month. If you want any of your stuff, we'll need to have it gone through and arrange to ship it to you."

My drunken state had disappeared almost completely now. "I just don't understand all this, Mom. It all seems to be happening so fast."

"You don't know the half of it. My head is spinning as well. Look, it's after 02:00 AM here. I'll call you tomorrow. Maybe I can send you some pictures of the things I think you probably want in the morning, okay?"

"Okay, Mom. Sorry, I called so late. I don't know how I missed all these calls," I said, attempting to control my sobs. "I saw the e-mail and just called without thinking."

"It's okay, dear. I haven't been sleeping much lately anyway. I love you and will send pictures in the morning. Bye," she said, hanging up abruptly.

Putting the phone away, I continued walking to my apartment, wrapped in the silence of my thoughts. My head was starting to swim as the alcohol was reentering my brain now. A fog was descending over campus and it seemed to creep in over my thoughts as well. I don't exactly remember getting to my apartment but I awoke the next day in my bed with a mild headache. I guess I'd had enough sense to drink a couple of big glasses of water before bed, judging by my need to urinate now, and the light extent of my hangover. As I sat in the bathroom eliminating some of the fluid, I started getting pictures of things from my past: stuffed animals, trophies, books, yearbooks, pictures, a variety of clothes and miscellaneous stuff.

Putting all of the pictures and conversations from earlier this morning out of my head, I put the phone on my bureau. I turned on the shower and waited for it to warm. I climbed into the shower to get the stink of the bar off. Bars were never really a thing for me and I always found myself questioning my decision to go, especially when I overdid it as I had last night. The water felt luxurious as I cleaned myself. My headache started to dissipate a bit. When I finished I got out, dried and dressed. Finally, I pulled myself together and sat down on the bed to call Mom again.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hi, Mom," I said. "I'll come down and help you pack stuff or throw stuff away. Not just my things, anything you need. Okay?" I asked holding back tears again.

"That'd be great honey. You sure you have time for that?" she asked. "I don't want to interfere with your school."

"Finals are over and summer classes don't start for two weeks, so it'll be fine," I said. "I'll be there sometime this afternoon. I'll call when I get close."

I guess I made up my mind and hadn't realized what I was going to do until I was on the phone. It's so strange how seemingly small but quickly-made decisions can change everything. It has worked to my benefit many times. Sometimes you just don't know until much later. Refocusing on what I needed to do now, I began packing a light bag to take. It was only about an hour's drive to Richmond, but I figured I'd be staying at least the night.

Putting my bag in the Civic, I started off. I was about half way there around 11:00 am and went ahead and called Mom to say I was about 30 minutes out. Traffic on I-64 was pretty light today. The rest of the drive I found my mind was full of random thoughts. How was all of this going to change things? Why didn't their marriage last? When had Dad started being unfaithful? Why? Hundreds of whys. I nearly missed my exit I was so lost in thought. As I arrived at the two story ranch, I found my self drifting into various memories that seeing it brought back. I pulled into the drive and just stayed in the car for a few minutes. Finally, gathering my wits about me, I was ready to venture into the emotional storm I felt certain must lay behind that front door.

Opening the front door with my key I thought,

I guess I won't be carrying this key anymore.

Looking around I didn't see anyone, but could hear some voices in the kitchen. "I'm here," I called out.

They both came out of the kitchen to greet me; Mom was first followed by Adam. Mom was at me at once putting her arms around me and hugging me tightly.

"I'm so glad you came Zane," Mom said, as tears formed in her eyes. "We've got so much to talk about. And the house, oh god, all of these things... It was all for nothing. I feel like such a failure."

Adam walked over and hugged both of us. "She's been like this for days", he whispered to me. "Dad really did a number on her."

Then in a more normal tone he said, "Mom, isn't it great to see her? Come on, you're going to get through this. There, there." He gently patted her on the back.

"I know, sweetie. I will get over this eventually. It's just pretty raw at the moment," she said, trying to stem back the tears.

"Why don't I fix us some lunch?" I offered. "We can get all of this emotional mess out of the way and then get to work after."

"That sounds like a plan," Adam agreed.

I went on into the kitchen. Along the way, I passed by a few boxes, but most of the stuff had tags like 'sell $100', 'Adam' or 'Jim'. Most of the tags said 'sell'. I was trying to process all this, but it wasn't computing. I just went in the kitchen to see what might be possible for lunch. The refrigerator was pretty bare; there was some lunch meat, mayonnaise and lettuce, but that was about it. "I guess we're doing sandwiches," I said, though I'm sure no one heard. At least the bread was whole grain and the toaster wasn't packed or labeled yet. I set about making some toasted sandwiches.

Mom and Adam came into the kitchen and sat at the rickety old table. The tag on the table said sell $50. I felt like I was in some alternate reality or a really bad dream. I brought the sandwiches to the table on napkins and sat down with them. "So from what I can see, almost everything is just being sold," I said finally.

"Yes, dear. I just don't want any memories of what was. I'm keeping some pictures of you kids, but I just want all the communal items gone. I don't think I'm even going to stay in the state; I have so many memories here. I might travel or go live with your uncle Dan for a while. I've cried so many nights now, I've lost track," Mom said.

"I can totally understand wanting it over. I'm not sure you have these things priced correctly, but they should certainly sell at the price you are asking. When will the sale be?" I asked.

"We're doing it Monday and Tuesday," she said.

Adam spoke up now, "Well, I have to go on a campus visit this weekend. I'm not sure if that's why she picked those days but I don't want Mom to have to deal with all this herself. Dad doesn't want anything to do with it."

"Yeah, Mom told me you'd been accepted at six different graduate schools. That's crazy. I didn't even know you were thinking about going," I said, kind of still in shock.

"Well, you led the way, Zane. I just learned from your example."

There was another one of those consequences. I wasn't setting an example, at least I hadn't thought I was. But somehow, my getting good grades and getting into grad school had made an impression. "I have to say, I'm really proud of you, little brother."

"You and I both," Mom agreed. "He has totally realigned his priorities."

Adam just blushed a bit at all the praise, while he continued to eat his sandwich. Between bites I could just make out the trace of a smile at the corners of his mouth.

When we had all finished eating I walked around with Adam to assess how much more there was to do. We went through each room taking note of what was left. They had some stackable plastic boxes to pack things. The things Mom wanted to keep could probably all fit in her minivan.

As we finished, I said "Adam, you've really gotten it all nearly done. I cannot thank you enough for helping Mom through this. I wish she'd called sooner."

"She's been waiting to call you and just kept putting it off. Yesterday, I told her I was going to call if she didn't. You have a right to know even if you aren't living here," he said plainly. "I think she needs your help, but Mom was worried it would mess up your finals."

"I guess it might have at that. I'm not handling it very well," I admitted to him.

"I'm not either, but we have to help her get over this. We're going to both be in school again shortly, and not here," he pointed out.

"Y'all know I can hear most of what you're saying, right?" Mom asked from the other room.

"Yes, Mom," we replied in unison.

Adam and I went to my room to pack up the items I wanted. It came out to four plastic boxes, which was about all I could fit in my Civic. The furniture in my room was mostly old and I had already furnished my apartment at school. I had one chair I wanted and I put it in the passenger front seat of the car. The clothes just got tossed in the trunk in a big black garbage bag.

By the evening we'd gotten through most of the other family-related items Adam and Mom hadn't decided how to deal with. Adam had really done a thorough job getting the majority of it done before I arrived.

That evening as Adam and I sat talking, I said "I just cannot get over how you have matured into such a helpful and gentle man."

"I guess that's supposed to be a compliment?" he asked.

"Sorry, Adam. It didn't come out the way I meant, I guess. Don't get me wrong, you were always a good guy. You just never had this kind of focus or drive when I lived here," I tried to fix what I'd inarticulately blurted out.

"You're probably right," he admitted. "But you never really took me very seriously, either."

"Yeah, I guess. It's sometimes like that with us Irish-twins. We were close in a lot of ways, but so different in others," I defended myself. "Anyway tell me which universities have accepted you and which ones you think you want to attend."

"Well I hate to admit it, but my first choice is UVA. However, I was also accepted at six others: NC State, Duke, UF, Northwestern, Clemson and Washington State. They all want me to drive and see them. I think I'm going to do the close ones and maybe UF. Northwestern and Washington State need to fly me up or I'm not going."

"Wow. I can't believe my little brother might be a graduate student at my university. What made you pick it as your top choice?"

"Well, the choice isn't final yet. I need to see what it is like and what they have to offer. However, from what I've read I think they have a really good biomedical engineering program. I also heard my sister goes there," he said, poking me.

That was when it hit me; I was still in need of someone to split the rent on the two bedroom half duplex. "I know you were joking, but it just so happens I need someone to split the rent on an apartment. My friend, Sally, is leaving due to low grades. I'm not trying to sway your opinion. I'm just saying, you should check it out when you visit the school. I don't have to make a decision for another month and could even pay both portions of the rent for a few months if I had to."

"I don't know, sis. You're kind of a jerk sometimes. Plus it would be a little weird if we brought our dates home."

"No pressure Adam; it's just an option," I said. "Look, I'm getting tired, I did a little too much commiserating last night and should turn in."

Adam seemed slightly disappointed and he asked pointedly, "You don't want to talk anymore? We hardly talked about you or what is going on in your life."

"Yeah, I guess I could stay up a bit longer. Let me go get into my pajamas first; my bra is eating me," I said, as I got up and headed off through the front room and then down the hall to find my bag. As I walked, I found myself looking into the nearly empty rooms. Very few items were left and the emptiness of the rooms gave me the feeling of finality. I found my bag in my old room, where I speculated Adam must have put it. He seemed like a totally changed guy. The combination of all of these sudden changes seemed to be catching up to me now. I stripped down to my panties and pulled on my nightgown, while I wondered about my being the muse for Adam's transformation.

As I padded back toward the den, I noticed Adam's door was now partly closed and light was streaming out in a small wedge on the floor and wall. I don't know why I looked, but for some reason I turned my head slightly as I began passing the room. There I was shocked to find him completely nude. At first I was going to keep walking, but then I realized he wasn't just nude. Although his back was towards me, I could tell that he was masturbating and the sight was something I really hadn't expected. My reaction left me stunned and staring as the scene unfolded; I was transfixed by the sights and soft sounds. As I stood motionless at his door, I could hear him saying something over and over that I couldn't quite make out. My face felt flush as I gazed on unable to break away; my heart raced with excitement and the warmth spread to additional places, where other signs of my excitement were developing. Just as I was starting to admonish myself, I heard him climax. "Oh, Zane. Oh god," he said slightly louder.

Oh, my god.

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning.

Adam was thinking about me.

I hurriedly walked to the den as I noticed a slipperiness that made my stride awkward.

In the den I sat back upon an easy chair, wondering what I should do or say. How should I handle this? Should I even confront him about it? I had been spying on him. His privacy was violated. People can't help what excites them. As I thought all of this, I realized that I was feeling extremely wet and my nipples were quite hard. Seeing Adam like that had really excited me. I tried to push all of these thoughts out of my head as I remembered that I'd basically told him he could live with me if he decided to attend UVA. About then he came back to the den in his flannel pajama bottoms and a tee shirt.