You just can’t make this shit up.
Then there was Uncle Zane. Given what the young Miller knew now, there was a good chance Mom had slept with him when she went out of town at that awards ceremony. Her mother was in great shape and had certainly flaunted her ware’s that night in those tight leathers. Plus, her father had vehemently defended the pair for going alone, even pulling off the road to emphasize it.
Me thinks ye protest a bit too much, Papa.
Not that he was her real uncle or anything, just her father’s best friend. Even so, the implications were still disturbing. Picking up rando guys was obviously promiscuous, but those hookups were typically without emotion. But bringing a hometown friend into that world was flirting with emotional collateral. A dangerous thing indeed.
Zane. Holy shit, that dream was…quite revealing. Although she’d never fantasized about him before – he was like family, after all – she had to admit his rough and tumble personality was extremely attractive. Her Id’s suggestive powers were no doubt at play the night she’d dreamt about giving him head. Perhaps even more disconcerting was that being naked on the bed with her mother seemed natural as a spring rain.
What would Freud say about that?
In hindsight, it was just a dream, and the reality was her mom really does have sex with other people and her Dad finds great pleasure in it. So, just like Caroline would want their support if she chose to change genders or, hah, become a porn star, she too should find it in her heart to support their choices as well.
Besides, maybe I can snag one of Mom’s castoffs. That would show that shithead Bernard what he’s throwing away! Fucking Jerk!
+++++
It took a while for mother and daughter to warm up to each other. Their initial interaction was clumsy and uncertain, but that was to be expected. Their last get together didn’t end well and it took a lot of small talk and a bottle of wine to loosen up. Caroline talked about her work as a high school counselor, one day hoping to use her psychology certification to hang her own shingle. She also mentioned her scoundrel boyfriend and how she had found him in bed with another girl.
“To hell with him, then!” Lauren exclaimed while lifting her wine glass. “He doesn’t know what he’s losing.”
“Exactly!” Caroline agreed, clinking their glasses. For the first time in a long time, the two women felt a solidarity with each other.
After a few more awkward moments, the younger Miller set her wine down and peered cautiously at the elder one across the table. Lauren saw the inquiring look on her daughter’s face and knew what was coming.
“People are talking back home, you know.”
“Oh, about what?” The feigned ignorance was almost laughable.
“You. What you’re up to down here. You can’t deny the photos you post online are a little, um, tarty. Some wonder if you’re cheating on Dad. There’s an air of sympathy for him.”
Lauren took a sip of wine. “And what do you think?”
Caroline shrugged. “Well, the optics don’t look good, do they? You’re living it up in paradise while Dad whiles the hours away alone in the cold.”
“You’re right. They don’t look good. But most people that know us know the situation. We chose to be apart to manage the move. And while your father may be lonesome, he is anything but disconnected. He knows what I’m up to and who I’m with.”
“And he digs that?”
Lauren pursed her lips. “More than you know.”
“Wow. So, you guys really do have an open marriage?”
“Well, it’s not so much open as it is an agreement.” Some anxiety crept into the older woman’s voice. She wasn’t all that comfortable discussing her sex life with her child.
“An agreement where you can have sex with others with his permission? That’s so bizarre. He used to get so jealous when guys looked at you.”
Lauren really began to fidget. “I’m not sure we should be discussing this. This is between me and your father and what goes on behind closed doors.”
Caroline shook her head. “Not to be rude, but I think those doors were opened when I saw the video.”
Pouring herself another drink, Lauren sighed. Mothers were supposed to be less the parent to adult daughters and more the friend. She decided to approach this particular discussion from the latter perspective.
“Okay, then. Here goes. First, thank you for not mentioning to your father that you know. Not sure his heart could take knowing you’re aware. Second, the jealousy you mentioned is still there, he just channels it into something he considers pleasurable. I don’t fully understand it, and even he can’t explain it. But whatever it is, it’s real.”
“Cuckold angst.”
Lauren cocked an eyebrow. “Wow, listen to you, miss smarty.”
“Psychology major, remember? Plus, I read up on it.”
That put a smile on her mother’s face. Ever the curious one, she was.
“Mom, it’s okay. You guys aren’t beholden to anyone. You’ve given Amelia and me a wonderful childhood and raised us right. We’re thankful for that. I’ve come to terms with however you and Dad want to live your lives. I just want to be part of it.”
Lauren raised the other eyebrow and smirked.
Caroline coughed. “Uhhh, you know what I mean. Your lives. I want to be part of your lives.”
The women shared a laugh before enjoying another moment of silence, this one way less stressful.
Finally, Lauren piped up. “You were pretty pissed when you saw that film, though.”
“Won’t deny it. But later I realized, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what I think, and I’m not going to let that sour our relationship.”
Lauren reached out and grasped her daughter’s hand. “I’m glad you feel that way.”
Caroline smiled and squeezed back. “Me too.”
Another minute of quiet came and went before the younger woman pressed on.
“So, Dad enjoys seeing you with others. What’s that like? Is this something you want too, or is it all about him?”
“At first it was. Even though we didn’t…you know…maybe once a month. And even though his stamina was giving out, I was still content. Menopause kills the desire, so maybe I didn’t know any better. But then Max helped take things from fantasy to reality really quick.”
“Max?”
Lauren swiped through phone photos until finding one of Max Bemer, owner of Club X. It was of them together, standing outside his bar.
“Seriously? You hooked up with him? God, Mom, he’s hot.”
A smile flitted across Lauren’s face. “Yeah, I guess he is. Thing is, while it may have initially been to satiate your dad, now it’s like getting to be the bad girl in high school I never was.”
“And Dad’s really okay with this?”
“More than okay, he encourages it. I truly believe it’s his way to cope with getting older and not being here for me.”
Lauren noticeably turned up her nose. “Not that I care.”
“What?” Caroline shot back. The distain in her mother’s tone was obvious.
“Nothing. We just had a row before he went back to Des Moines.”
“I see. Well, I guess we can both be man-haters for the weekend.”
“Not all men,” Lauren grinned.
Another eruption of laughter. The wine was taking its toll.
“Speaking of which, Mom, it doesn’t appear you have any problem pulling them in. I wish I had those choices. I’m so done with that asshole Bernard. Think I could borrow one of your FWBs?”