Widowsmate
a Novelette by Kellis
February, 2000
Advance Properties Corporation
2210 Loop
NE, Suite 7A
Chicago,
Illinois
Telephone:
6-5072
September 26, 1934
Mr. Justin A. Ross
1703 Felton Street
Masontier, Ohio
Dear Mr. Ross:
We have developed an interest in
acquiring title to your property in the above suburb.� We know that it is not at present offered on the market, but we
also know that almost anything is for sale at the right price.� We are prepared to offer you the right
price.
If this proposal interests you at all,
please respond to me personally at the letterhead address.� I stress:�
you will like our offer.
(signed)
Alfred D. Gart
Alfred D. Gart, President
ADT:bg
�Has something made you greedy, Adele.�
�Greedy?�
She had insisted passionately on standard sex immediately upon his arrival.� Again amused by her curses, he had snuggled her onto his shoulder afterwards.� They had lain in companionable silence for several minutes until with no warning she rose enough to resurrect him with lips and tongue.� Now she squatted atop him in the usual female superior position.
�At least impatient?�
She grinned down at him, rolling her hips gently forward and back.� �Maybe greedy is right,� she admitted thoughtfully.� �I�ve learned something about myself recently.�
�Did you learn it at the cocktail party?�
Her smile widened.� �Cocktail!� That�s the right name, all right:� cock and tail.�
�What have you learned?�
�That the more I get the more I want.� Is it supposed to work that way?�
He chuckled.� �I can testify that it�s just the opposite for a man.� The longer he must do without, the more obsessed he becomes, whereas the more he gets the less he needs.�
She nodded.� �I thought it was that way for everyone.�
�But now you�ve found out different?�
�I think so.� Oh-h-h!� I like it on top!�
�Better than the bottom?�
�Either way is good.�� She shivered.� �But when I do the work it doesn�t wear you out!�
�That�s very kind of you.� I also get to play with your titties.�
�Yes, you do, you nipple-pinching bastard.�
�But I�m not �� You mean you want me to pinch them?�
�I want you to fuck, you womb-banging son of a bitch!� Oh, god!�
He lifted his hips in time with her twists, feeling the cervical contact.
�Son of a son of a bitch!� she exclaimed, head thrown back, eyeballs rolling up.� She screamed, held herself rigid for several seconds, then fell forward on his chest, panting, hot cheek pressing his.� Almost immediately she raised her head.� �You�re laughing again.�
�In approval,� he admitted, grinning at her.� �I find I enjoy being a nipple-pinching, womb-banging grandson of a bitch.�
Her eyes crossed introspectively.� �I didn�t say that.�
�Did, too.�
�Why is it that the standard curses impugn a man�s mother?�
He grunted.� �Ancient history. �Who knows?� Maybe at one time property was inherited through mothers.�
�Really?�� She raised up further.� Her hips, never disengaged, again began to roll slightly.
�Do you really care about that?� he wondered.� �If you feel up to talking, tell me something ��
�Oh, yes.� I�ve been meaning to tell you something, Mr. Ross.� You have a superior cock.� Did you know that?�
He chuckled.� �I always suspected it.� In what way?�
�It stays up! �� That�s another thing I�ve learned.� So many of them don�t.� Dicky�s doesn�t.� Big as it is, it just collapses when he comes.�
�You�ve seen him some more, I take it?�
�You heard him say he�d come back Saturday morning.� But he couldn�t get it up again even after doing me with his tongue.�
�Did you suck him first?�
�Yes.�
�He gets too much, I suspect.�
�You think that�s it?�
�It has to be:� a lad his age is just about at maximum virility.� What time Saturday?�
�About eleven.�
�That�s it, then.� He probably came to you straight from another woman.�
�That little bastard!�
�Yeah:� that big-dicked little bastard!� Are you going to tell me about that party?�
Her lip curled in pique.� �Here it is Friday afternoon.� Why are you just now asking?�
�I think Dillon started to tell me about it Monday afternoon.� He got as far as saying how awesome you were when Mellon sent for him.� If you recall, I spoke to you about your property taxes Wednesday morning.� You could�ve mentioned it then.�
�Oh, no.� That was on the telephone.�
He snorted.� �Said by the girl who lets her newsboy eat her while she�s on the phone!�
She smiled complacently.� �I did, didn�t I?� But obviously this is the right way to tell you what went on at the party!�
�It was a lot of cocked tails, eh?�
It didn�t start out
that way.� It started rather
nicely.� Bobby brought a ruby necklace
and matching bracelets for me to wear, very flashy.� Too bad I couldn�t keep them.
I guessed wrong.� He didn�t offer to do me in the car, which
surprised and, I�ll admit, disappointed me at first.� This was no Ford.� It was
a big car with plenty of room in the back.�
When I put my hand on him, he lifted it off, leaned over and whispered
in my ear, �The wife�s relatives might bribe the chauffeur.�� Maybe they might.� That man kept watching us in the rearview mirror.
We arrived at
somebody�s big country estate.� I never
did find out whose.� The party was in
one wing of the house:� 40 or so guests,
women and men, all in evening clothes.�
Waiters were circulating with drinks and canap�s.� The carpets were thick and the chairs were
too few for the crowd, but that�s the way it is at cocktail parties,
right?� Everyone expects to stand.
Bobby introduced me
around.� I listened for awhile.� He had told me in the car what he wanted, so
when Barbara � a woman in a red slinky with rhinestones � claimed that any man
would do it with anything that would hold still, I chimed in with, �Especially
each other.�
They all looked at
me.� Judge Harlowe, a stout fellow with
a salt and pepper beard, said, �You can testify to that, can you?�
Bobby explained,
�Adele�s a widow, your honor.� Her
husband had an interesting attitude about that.� Fortunately for us, she�s willing to talk about it.�
�Please do,� the
judge invited, and I was off.� It was
fun laying David�s theories on that crowd.�
He claimed that sexual intercourse happens in two phases, which he called the Encounter
Phase and the Execution Phase.� Issues such as shape and gender, social
rejection or approval, morality and sin, only matter during the encounter
phase.� Once presentation occurs the
execution phase takes over, which is basically a peg in a hole, whether square
or round, from a cucumber to a knothole in a fence.� Excuse me.� I�ll deliver
the whole lecture again, if you give me half a chance.
Oh, didn�t I tell
you?� David was an anthropologist, a
professor at Northwestern for many years until they threw him out for moral
turpitude.� He could make a real
argument for his theories.� I�ve heard
him debate them with learned men.� I didn�t have to debate;� the crowd Saturday night was all in
favor.� They listened well.� For a while I was the only one talking in
the whole room.� That doesn�t happen often, I bet!
Then the judge pulled
down one side of Barbara�s blouse to let her boob pop out, and said with a
leer, �I take it this is the Encounter Phase.�
I thought that was
damned presumptive, though Bobby told me later she was his mistress.� Anyway, I answered, �It depends on how
Barbara takes it.�
She pulled up his
cummerbund, stuck her hand down the front of his britches and asked, �Guess
what I encountered!�
The judge�s wife
sneered, �A breakfast sausage?�
The judge frowned at
her but Barbara fiddled around and declared, �It�ll be a summer sausage in
another minute.�
Bobby pulled down one
side of my gown.� In a twinkling boobs
were popping out all over.� Cocks
weren�t far behind.� That�s when the
tails got cocked.
�I can imagine it,� he remarked, deepening his thrusts and grasping her breasts.� �Did Dillon let you realize your ambition?�
�What ambition?�
�Two dicks at once.�
�No, he didn�t.� I don�t think he�s as comfortable with that crowd as he lets on.� He finally did screw me, but in a corner while everybody else was going at it hammer and tongs.� Only a few of the women managed two.� Barbara got the judge and a waiter around her at the same time.� Another woman ��
�What did the judge and the waiter do to her?�
�She screwed the judge while both of them alternated at sucking the waiter.�
�Hmm.� Is that what you mean by two men at once?�
�No, it isn�t;� it�s more like what my husband meant.� But all kinds were represented.� I saw women with just women and men with just men, as well as couples like Bobby and I.� Bobby couldn�t climax.�
�Did he say why not?�
�Said he couldn�t concentrate.� I think a lot of men had that problem.� Men are odd creatures.�
�Oh, you think so!� Why is that?�
�They go to all the trouble to organize an orgy, then get embarrassed when it�s time to play.�
�Embarrassed?� Dillon admitted that?�
�No, but I�ve heard men talk.� They tend to be touchy in front of other men.�
�Some of them.�
�Most of them!� Look at Dicky and you.�
�I�d rather not, if you don�t mind.�
�See what I mean?�
�Hmm.� It doesn�t sound like you had much fun after your speech.�
�I didn�t say I didn�t come!�
He chuckled.
Her body stiffened.� �Do it harder,� she admonished.� �Harder, damn you, you tit-crushing son of a bitch!� Oh, god!�
As before she sagged upon his chest, panting slightly.
He brushed her hair out of his face.� �Short and sweet, eh?�� He stroked her back from shoulders to hips.
Soon she raised up again.� �Your hands feel good, Mr. Ross, and so does your cock.�� Her hands rubbed his chest.� �All of you feels good.�
�Tell me, Adele:� is this sweet afternoon the result of you doing without all week?�
She sniffed.� �What �doing without?��
�I guess it is a dumb question!� Dicky�s been back, I gather?�
�He tried, the little bastard.� I refused to suck him any more.� Wednesday he finally agreed to do me properly.� Then he didn�t come back Thursday.� I don�t know whether to expect him today.�� She glanced around at the clock. ��It�s after two.� Probably not.�
�I�ll try to be a reasonable substitute.�
She chuckled.� �Don�t worry.� Unlike Dicky, you try to please me!�
�Then I suppose little Richard�s not the one who�s been keeping up your appetites.�
�Not at all.�� She grinned smugly.� �The carpenter came back Tuesday and offered to put new flashing all over my roof, said he noticed it�s been rusting out.� He�s been working here every morning, thinks he�ll finish up next week.� Then I think I�ll let him replace the shutters.�
�A very helpful fellow, is he?� Does he still exercise you on the kitchen table?�
�You know, he does like it there, right after he drinks his morning coffee.� But he admits the bed is more comfortable.�
�Progress!� Every morning since Monday, eh?�
�Yes.� And Bobby was here Monday and Wednesday nights.� He�s coming again tonight.� Could I ask you to do me a favor, Mr. Ross?�
�Could I ask you to call me Justin?�
�I�m sorry, but I told you:� you�re my manager.�
�Yeah, you told me.� What�s the favor?�
�Don�t tell Bobby about my other customers.�
�Huh!� Adele, I don�t repeat gossip.�
�You think it�s just gossip?�
�No.� I mean, I don�t divulge confidences.�
�Don�t you?� Bobby said he knew I was seeing other men.�
�Well, isn�t that what you want him to agree to?�
�Oh, he�d never agree to that, except maybe when he�s present.�
Justin nodded.� �I let him understand that you had other, ah, visitors, but I gave him no particulars.� And I won�t.� The only name he knows is mine.� Did he ask you to leave them off?�
�Not exactly.� He wants to say who I get to see.� He�s offered to pay out my mortgage.�
�Has he!�
�Yes, if I promise to let him approve any man I see.�
�That�s a hell of a carrot!� Did he offer to support you after that?�
�With a car and charge accounts, but no cash.�
�Got pretty specific, did he?�
�Yes.� He�ll pay any reasonable invoice, he said � just like somebody else I think a lot of.�
�What did you say to him?�
�I said I�d have to ask you.�
�Uh-oh!�� Justin thought about it.� �What do you want me to tell him?�
�I don�t know.� To be honest, Mr. Ross, I guess I want to promise what he asks.� But it would be a lie.� Nobody ever taught me how to say no.� When a man shows he wants me, all of a sudden I want him, too.�
�You�ve figured that out, have you?�
�I�ve always known it, but here lately I can finally live it.� Thanks to you.�
Justin sighed.� His hand caressed the smooth thigh that gripped his side.� �Dillon is certainly infatuated with you, Adele.� How do you feel about him?�
�With your cock in my belly, I love everyone.�� The oscillation of her hips increased.
�And with no cock?�
�All I love then is the idea of getting one.� Oh, you sweet-rodded bastard!� Oh, poke harder!� Harder!� Oh, you god damned son of a bitch!� Fuck, oh fuck!�
��������������������������������������������������������� *� *� *� *
�I want to obtain an exclusive on Adele�s services.�� Dillon blew out a cloud of gray smoke, peering sharply at Justin through it.
�She told me.�
�Then she has consulted you about it?�
�Yes.�
The man nodded, knocking ash off his cigarette into an ornate metal tray.� �She told me she would.� What�s your answer?�
Justin shrugged.� �I mainly listened.� She wants to accept.�
�What�s the outstanding balance on her mortgage?�
�$1250 plus a few weeks� interest.�
�So little?�
�Yes.�� Justin sighed.� �A bargain, except for one detail.� To be completely honest with you, I don�t think an exclusive is attainable.�
�Aside from yourself?�
�Even then.� I�m not a gossiper, but I�ll tell you this much:� Adele Thomas adores the male gender.�
Dillon grunted and took a pensive draught of smoke.� �She said as much at Harlowe�s, but I thought it was just rhetoric.�
�It�s a fact.�
�What if I moved her to a secluded estate?�
�With all-female servants?�
�If I support her like a wife, dammit, I expect a wife�s loyalty!�
Justin nodded.� �I understand.� Speaking of that, she believes you have a problem with your wife�s relatives.�
Dillon spread his hands.� �Yes, I do.�� He laughed wryly.� �They expect me to show a husband�s loyalty!�
�Can you afford to defy them?�
�No.� The secluded estate is out.� From what you say, I gather it wouldn�t work anyway.� Can she at least be discrete?�
�Oh, yes.� She can do that.�
�I�ve got to have her, Justin.� She�s gotten under my skin.�� He sighed.� �You�ll advise her to accept?�
�Yes, sir, so long as you understand what her promise is worth.�
Dillon grunted.� �I hope at least it�s worth her continuing to welcome me.�
�That you can depend on!�
�All right.�� Dillon opened a desk drawer, took out a small oblong of paper and handed it to his visitor.� It was a check, made to Cash and signed Robert Dillon, with the amount still in blank.� �Fill in the amount, cash this, then retire her mortgage with the cash.�
�Yes, sir.�
�I told her I�d open a few charge accounts for her.� I�ll have the signature cards for her to sign when I see her tomorrow.�
Justin put the check into his coat pocket.� �I�m sure she�ll be very grateful.�
�Maybe�� And here�s something for you, Justin.�� The man leaned back in his chair.� �The city council decided last week where to locate the new municipal auditorium, the one the NRA is paying for.� They chose a spot in the suburbs, where the condemnation costs will be less.� It�s expected to include a new business district:� stores, office buildings, branch banks, wide thoroughfares, many millions of dollars.�
�That�s very interesting.�
�Yes, it is.� Especially for you.� Don�t you own a few acres on Felton Street?�
�Yes, sir.�
�Well, for your information, the new auditorium will be built at the intersection of Felton and Everett Road.�
�That�s a block down the street from me.� I�d heard they were considering it.�
�Well, it�s official.� They�ve already bought the main parcel:� most of that block, I expect.� Incidentally, we�re going to open a branch there.� We, too, are looking for a site.� We�ll need tellers, bookkeepers and clerks.�� He grinned.� �Do you know any women who need jobs?�
��������������������������������������������������������� *� *� *� *
�Good god, I love this!�
Tilly, head propped up nearby on her elbows, asked, �What�s so different about it?�
He shook his head.� �Hard to say exactly.� The textures are very different, for one thing.� Laura�s cunt is slick and grips me gently when she comes.� And if I push in all the way, like this �� Oops!� Sorry, Sherry!� Did I hurt your nose?�
Sherry�s hand, occupied in holding open Laura�s labia, rose and pulled back the lock of dark brown hair that had fallen between him and her face.� She stuttered, �Thno, ith all �ight.�
He chuckled.� �Your tongue�s gotten thick, has it?�
Tilly snorted.� �I reckon it has, the way she�s been slurping!�
�I�ll give it a rest,� he offered, backing his hips away slightly from the vagina gaping above the rolled pillows.� Sherry opened her mouth wider to accept him, then closed her lips around the shaft.
Tilly said, �What rest?� You�ll want her to lick you, too.�
Slowly he pushed in and out of the suckling mouth.� �I was saying, the textures are different:� smooth and mostly passive versus rough and mostly active.� Another part is how it looks.� Laura�s bush makes a thick beard for Sherry�s chin.�
�I get it,� Tilly suggested.� �You mean it looks like you�re fucking a man.�
�Huh!� I don�t mean that at all!� She�s wearing lipstick.�
�I�ve seen fags wear lipstick and suck cocks.�
After a while he removed himself and returned to the lower avenue.� Sherry�s tongue followed him to protrude upon the hood of Laura�s clitoris.� A nasal moan rose from the other end of the pair of women.� Laura shivered and her arms tightened about the upper hips.
�She�s clipping me,� Justin reported.
Tilly advised, �Push it in harder.�
He chuckled.� �What every woman needs, eh?�
She reached under his thigh and caught his scrotum from behind.� �You could come, too.�
�No rush now.� Laura already did me up fine, even if she didn�t leave any evidence.�
Laura shuddered violently, accompanied by a stentorian groan.� Sherry leaned more forward, tongue lapping the top of Justin�s shaft.�
�Give her a rest,� said Tilly.
�Back to the rough,� he commented.� On this occasion Sherry�s hand guided him between her lips.� Tilly stroked Laura�s thigh.� Her other hand continued to squeeze his testicles.
When she had been left in peace for a minute aside from Sherry�s body weight, Laura�s muffled voice proclaimed, �Do me again!�� His wet organ departed Sherry�s mouth and put back between the stretched labia.� But Sherry, forehead wrinkled in tension, allowed her chin to sag upon the other�s pad.� �Oh!� she cried as her body stiffened.
Justin murmured, �Tilly, I hate to see you left out, even if you do have your period.�
�Don�t mind me.� I like to watch almost as much as you do.�
�Well, you�d have to go far to find a better show than this on a Sunday afternoon.�
�Yeah, far across the vacant lot.�
�Across the �� What?�
�I take it back.� It�s not as good as this.� Mostly cocks.�
�What are you talking about, Tilly?�
�Alvin�s so-called aunt.�
�What about her?�
�She�s a working girl, Justin.� On Sunday afternoons when the bars are closed she works at home.� When she can get any work, that is.�
�You mean she�s a � harlot?�
�Don�t mince words!� She�s a whore and that uncle pimps for her.� Not too well, according to Alvin.� He thinks they�re about to get thrown out of their digs.�
�He told you this Wednesday?�
�Oh, no.� He�s been coming back, mostly at meal times.� We feed him.� He don�t eat much.� You don�t mind, do you Justin?�
�A teenage boy who doesn�t eat much?�
She grinned.� �You don�t remember!�
�What else do you give him?�
�A bath now and then.�
�What else?�
�You gonna get mad with me?� I let him fuck.�
�How?�
�The usual.� He ain�t got much but such as it is, it�s raring to go.� I suck him up and he hops right back on.� You ever do a boy?� This one�s got a cute little rosebud.� He�d be willing, and he�s hardly got any hair at all.�
�I�m a cunt lover, thank you.� If he knows what�s good for him, he�ll go back to school.� Of course they never know that.�
�Maybe Alvin does.� He�s going back Monday.�
�Let�s hope he stays out of trouble.�
�Who�re you calling �Trouble?��
He grinned.� �I know trouble when I see it.� Is he still spying on the neighbors?�
�I think your talk helped him there.� I ain�t seen him out with his telescope since.�
A muffled voice complained from under Sherry�s hips, �Oh, god, I�m gonna be ruined!�
Tilly asked, �D�ja ever try this, Justin?�� Her hand left off stroking the thigh and slipped between the bodies instead to clasp his shaft in the web of her thumb.� She worked the loose skin vigorously, her hand a blur, pounding back and forth between the two pubic pads, but leaving his knob retained within the fat labia.
�I can�t remember,� he admitted with a gasp.� �Oh, ho!� You�re pumping me up, Tilly.�
�That�s the idea.� Else you�re gonna wear Laura out.�
He laughed.� White fluid appeared on the top of his shaft, evicted from the vaginal vestibule by the vibration of Tilly�s hand.� She closed her fist and jerked him clear of Laura, thrusting him instead between Sherry�s hovering lips, whose subsequent suction he found intolerable.� His last dribbles fell across the back of Tilly�s hand, which she raised to her face and licked clean before leaning forward and licking a gobbet from Sherry�s chin.
Justin frowned down at her.� �Damn it, Tilly, if you hadn�t done that, I believe I could�ve lasted all afternoon!�
��������������������������������������������������������� *� *� *� *
�Oh, god, Justin!� Do you really have to quit?� I believe I can last the rest of the afternoon.�
He rocked back on his heels and knelt, smiling at the panting woman.� �Better cool down, Beatrice.� Your kids will be here in half an hour.�
She sighed.� �Yes, you�re right.� And they would tell Mark.� I get so tired of them always having to come first �� No, I don�t.� I can�t believe I said that.� Don�t pay any attention to that, Justin, please?�
�How�re you getting along with Mark?�
�Better.�� She grinned as her breath began to ease.� �He made me come last night.�
�Did he!� Well, congratulations!�
�Thanks, I guess.� It wasn�t anything compared to what you make me do!�
�It�s a start.� Sounds like he�s willing to learn.�
�Yes, he is.�� She blushed.� �And I am, too.� I�ve learned if I suck him first, it sort of takes the pressure off.� Then he can lick me to a climax and we can get our second one together.�
He nodded.� �Sounds like a good tactic.�
�It works.�� She added as if an afterthought, �He�s still after me to marry him.�
�Thinking about it, are you?�
�I�m thinking.� If I do, will you still come to see me?�
�You won�t need me then, Beatrice.�
�Don�t tell me that!� I�ll always need you.�
�In some ways, maybe.�� He got out of the bed and began to don his clothing.� �Definitely not financially.�
�The railroad doesn�t pay as well as you think.�
�Not just the railroad.� Didn�t you tell me you worked as a bookkeeper a couple years before your first child?�
�That�s right.�
�Mellon bank plans to open a branch in a few months.� Keep that under your hat.� They�ll need tellers, clerks and bookkeepers.� I�ll have a major say in who gets offered a job.� Want a job, Beatrice?�
�Oh, god!�� She raised up in the bed, fists clenched, staring at him with huge eyes.� �How I would love a job!�
Suddenly the excitement left her face.� She shook her head.� �But how could I travel?� And who would mind the kids?�
�You can buy a car on time.� If you have a job, the bank would be pleased to loan you the money.� As to the kids, I might be able to help you with that.�
�You!�
He chuckled.� �Unlikely, I�ll admit.� But a lot of good, already trained women are out there needing work, the more so because they have kids to support.� As you know, I own a big old house that�s mostly empty.� The lot it�s on is destined to be very valuable in a few years.� In the meantime I think I�ll use it as a daytime boarding house for working people�s kids.� Tilly and Laura would love to run it.� They love children.� And I�ll bet I can find others with that attitude.� It�s a natural job for women, after all.� Call the place dayplay or daycare, or something similar.
�With older kids the dayplay bus would pick them up for school in the morning, take them in when they get out of school and bring them home for supper.� What do you think?�
��������������������������������������������������������� *� *� *� *
It promised to be a cool night, the first of the Fall.� Though just at dusk, the mercury was already below 60 degrees in the rusty thermometer that his father had screwed beside the backdoor many years ago.� The girls had closed all the windows, he saw, to save the daytime heat, but the main chimney showed no smoke.� Time to remind them how to run the basement furnace.
He opened the door and stepped from dark stoop into brightly lit kitchen.� The scene before him brought him up short.� Its centerpiece was the lad, Alvin, sitting in Tilly�s lap.� The pair of them had turned sideways to the table and was facing the door.� Her housecoat was pulled partly around him, probably for warmth, but not close enough to conceal the fact of his nakedness except for a ragged T-shirt.� One of her hands, supported by an elbow on the table, held a spoon to the boy�s lips.� Her other hand had slipped around his hip and cupped his genitals, where the foreskin was withdrawn from a small but upstanding carmine head.� Laura and Sherry in housecoats were seated across the table, each with cup and bowl.� Apparently it was supper time for some.
Tilly and the boy froze, eyes widening dramatically.
Laura took a breath.� �Oh, god, is it Wednesday already?�
Sherry�s chin rose several inches and she sniffed towards Tilly.� �I warned you.�
�No, it�s Monday,� Justin admitted.� Eyes twinkling, he asked Tilly, �Does he eat better when you crank?�
The woman�s hands withdrew and the boy�s flew to cover his pubes.� His face turned dark red and he jumped to his feet.� �Ah, uh, wh-what �� he stuttered, eyes wild.
Justin held up a hand.� �Take it easy.� Sit back down and finish eating.� Tilly, I believe you�ve developed a new way to serve supper.� I may want to try it out, too.�
She made a strangling noise.
He walked around boy and woman, both exhibiting sagging chins, stepped through scattered masculine clothing and hung his hat on the coat tree.� He regarded them from that end of the room.� �What�s for supper?� Smells like beef stew.�
�It is,� admitted Sherry.� �My recipe.�
�Got enough for me?�
�Yes, sir.�
�Pour me a bowl and some coffee while I fetch another chair.�
When he returned from the dining room, the boy was sitting on the floor tying his shoelaces.� Justin positioned the fifth chair beside Tilly�s and took his seat in the empty fourth chair remaining from Beatrice�s visit.� Sherry sat a bowl of stew before him, following it with a cup of coffee.
Tilly studied him with a worried expression.� �You didn�t complain Sunday when I said we been feeding him, so I thought maybe you didn�t mind.�
�No, I don�t mind.� I know you girls need a pet.� Just remember, that�s a real �� By the way, he does ejaculate, doesn�t he?�
�I�ll say!� responded Tilly with a quick smile.
�Well, you know what can happen if you aren�t careful.�
Laura cocked her eyes around at him.� �Would that be so bad?�
He laughed.� �You tell me!� Get up, Alvin.� Take your seat and give us a report.� You did return to school today, didn�t you?�
But before the lad could answer, Justin added, �My god, Sherry, this stew is delicious!�
�Thank you,� said the woman gravely, laying a paper napkin before him.� �The secret of good stew is knowing which pieces of fat to keep, according to my husband.� He knew good food and loose money � well, good food, at least.�
Tilly asked, �What do you mean, �loose money?��
Sherry looked away.� �I told you he was caught in an embezzling scheme.�
Tilly shook her head.� �I wondered about that.� Don�t we all do that sometimes � to the truth at least?�
�What?�
Justin grinned.� �Embezzling, Tilly, not embellishing.� It means stealing from your employer.�
�Oh.� Oh, you mean like me spending your grocery money on booze?�
�Yeah, like that, only more so.� You�ve been doing what?�
�Don�t get excited, Justin,� Laura advised.� �She bought a pint of Irish for her ague a couple weeks ago.�
�I owe you 80 cents,� Tilly submitted.� She grinned.� �Can I take it out in trade?�
�Oh, we�ll think of something.� Alvin, did you go to school?�
�Yes, sir.�
�Have any problem?�
The lad put down his spoon and lowered his head.� �Yes, sir.�
�Want to tell me about it?�
�I, uh, Jane MacDonald kicked me.�
�Kicked you?� Isn�t she the one who reported you for peeping?�
�Yeah.� She�s crazy.�
Tilly patted his hand.� �Show Mr. Ross where she hurt you, honey.�
Again the lad�s freckles disappeared in a sea of red.� �Don�t make me do that!�
�Let him see.� He can say if you need to get a doctor.�
Justin commented, �She kicked you that bad?� Better let me see.�
With obvious reluctance the boy stood up and lowered his jeans.� The genital extrusions were all definitely smaller than Justin recalled as typical of that age.� Only a few wisps of crinkly brown hair sprouted from the pubic mound.
�How old are you?� the man demanded.
�Fourteen.�
�A late bloomer, I suspect.�
�Here�s where she kicked me.�
The lad pointed to an angry purple bruise, yellowing at the edges, in the groin between scrotum and thigh.� Alvin leaned forward and gently felt the spot.
�Don�t mash it,� warned the lad.� �It�s sore.�
�But you don�t have a lump.� It�s not bleeding under the skin.� The toe of her shoe, eh?�
�She wa�n�t barefooted, if that�s what you mean.�
�No doubt what she was aiming for, is there!� You picked the wrong girl, Alvin.�
�That�s what I mean, she�s crazy.� I was spying on a different girl!�
Justin laughed.� �Jealousy, do you suppose?� She likes you, Alvin.�
Pulling up his jeans, the boy declared, �I sure don�t like her!�
�Then stay away from her.� Now finish your supper.� You don�t need a doctor.�
The lad took up his spoon.� Obviously he agreed with Justin�s opinion of the stew.
Shortly Laura asked, �What brings you here on Monday, Justin?�
�I�ve got a proposition for you ladies.�
�Ladies!� repeated Tilly in derision.
Sherry sniffed.� �You�ve come to the right place for a proposition.�
He grinned around at them.� �Maybe I want to turn you all back into ladies.�
Tilly snorted.� �Ain�t enough whitewash in town.�
�Two or three weeks ago you gave me to understand that you love kids.� All except Sherry.� What�s your opinion of little brats running around, Sherry?�
The woman studied him a moment before shrugging.� �Most women love kids.�
�You sound � indifferent.�
�Probably because I never had one.�
�Any particular reason?�
�Not exactly.� I didn�t try to avoid it when my husband was alive.� Of course, we only lived together for two years.� Afterwards � well, I�ve always tried to avoid it since.�� Her eyes narrowed.� �You don�t mean ��
He watched their reactions.� �My proposition is to fill this place up with children.�
�It is?� wondered Tilly.� �But, Justin, didn�t you say you can�t ��
�Not mine.� Nor yours either, though if you have some it won�t be so bad.�
Laura cocked her eyebrow.� �An orphanage?�
�No.� Something new:� a dayplay.�
�A what?�
�Maybe daycare would sound better.�
�But what is it?�
�A place for working mothers to leave their kids.�
Laura was startled.� �Leave their � you mean while the mothers are at work?�
�Exactly.�
The three women stared at him speculatively.� Even the lad frowned and paused in the transfer of stew from bowl to lips.
�A school?� wondered Sherry.
Justin shook his head.� �No, definitely not that.�� He grinned.� �If we called it a school, the government would take an interest.� I don�t think we could stand government inspections.� What we�d offer the kids would be mainly attention.�� And love.� You women are full of that.� Aren�t they, Alvin?� Supervision, for sure.� Probably lunch.� No, definitely lunch.� And transportation.� For an additional fee we�ll pick up and deliver.�
Sherry asked, �How about the kids that have started school, like Alvin?�
�They can stay here after school till time to go home.� We�ll offer them pick-up and delivery, too, if the school is too far to walk.�
�But none of us can drive.� Except you.�
He grinned.� �Sorry.� I�m not driving a school bus!�� His attention fixed on the lad.� �Tell me about your uncle, Alvin.� What does he do for a living?�
�Nothing.� He used to drive a truck.� Now he ain�t got no work.�
�About as much work as you have grammar, eh?� Is he home tonight, do you know?�
�Yeah.� I mean, yes, sir.�
�Sherry, how much stew do you have left?�
�Quite a bit.� I put in all our beef because the ice has about melted and the man hasn�t yet come this week.� Meat doesn�t spoil so fast if it�s cooked.�
�Guess I�ll have to buy a refrigerator.� Anyway, you�ve got enough for two more bowls?�
�Oh, yes, sir.�
�Good.� Alvin, when do you suppose was the last time your uncle and his girl friend ate dinner?�
The lad shrugged, pausing with spoon half way to his face.� �I don�t know.� They�ve about quit feeding me!�
�Then put your spoon down, wipe your chin and go invite them both over here right now for supper.� Tell them I may be able to offer them steady work.�
The boy stared at the man.� �Yes, sir!� he exclaimed.� He did lay down the spoon but forgot to clean his chin before springing to the door.� Justin chuckled at the whirlwind departure.
Tilly cocked a suspicious eyebrow.� �What�re you really up to, Justin?� Ain�t you got enough split tails to poke already?�
Laura sniffed.� �What�re you complaining about?� He might even get us another dick!�
The man sat back in his chair with a grin.� �What I�m up to is just what I said.� This is a good business proposition.� It occurred to me that, like Lydia Winkham�s for monthly cramps, you retired working girls are a strong dose of the right medicine for taking care of people.� You�re accustomed to satisfying demanding types who want immediate service of a physical nature, and you certainly know how to deliver whatever it takes.
�Things are picking up.� This country is going to get back on its feet, and we�ll do our little bit to help it, by god!� I�m willing to bet real bucks that you�ll make great nannies � and make us all a chunk of money at the same time!�
END
Copyright � 2000, Kellis
Stories at http://www.dhp.com/~kellis