Chapter 189 - Lunch
*Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, you didn’t grow under my heart but in it. – Fleur Conkling Heylinger*
“I feel like I need to explain,” Cheryl said as they sat down at the table at the window overlooking the lake at Pier and Beam. “Most of the classes do not turn into a pro woman, anti-man bashing session.”
“Even the class about how we should be a matriarchal society?” Helen grinned.
Cheryl laughed. “Even that one.”
The waitress approached and took their orders before leaving them to enjoy the view and each other’s company.
“Michael has taken the class both semesters that it’s been offered. He failed in fall and is failing spring.”
“Is it a required course?” Helen asked as the waitress brought them their drinks.
Cheryl shook her head. “It’s an elective. Most of the students are archeology or sociology majors. There’s a few of the guys that signed up thinking they’d find a hook up. But that one…” She sighed heavily. “He doesn’t turn in any of the assignments, turns discussions into arguments and antagonizes most of the women in the class.”
“Do you get many like him?”
“Usually, one or two per year.” Cheryl shrugged. “Thanks for being a good sport earlier.”
“The babies slept in, so I slept in." Helen admitted with a slight shrug and a blush tinging her cheeks. "I didn’t make it to the gym.”
“Glad that I could help.” She grinned at her stepmom. “We’re planning on taking Dean to the cabaret next weekend for her eighteenth birthday.”
“She’s really excited about it.” She smiled at the younger woman.
“Have you talked to JD? Last I heard was that he was trying to get off for her birthday.”
“Yeah, he won’t be in until around midnight.”
They paused their conversation as the salads were served.
“Does she know that he’s coming in?” Cheryl drizzled the vinegarette over her salad.
Doing the same thing, Helen shook her head no. “His unit is out on a two-week drill, or whatever they do. He told her that they have a three-week drill.”
“Not even married for three months and already lying to his wife.” Cheryl laughed.
“Yeah, but for a good reason.”
The rest of the meal was spent with soft conversations concerning Dean’s upcoming birthday, senior prom and graduation. They then moved on to Cheryl’s pregnancy and her postponed wedding. Which then lead into Bunny, Ty and Jaxon’s commitment ceremony in June.
“I could do a whole class on relationships like theirs.” Cheryl said as she cut into her peach cobbler.
“How common are they?”
“Now? Or in history?”
“Both.”
“More common than people want to believe. It’s all throughout the Bible and other ancient texts. The Greeks and Romans were notorious for it. If a man could not produce a child, the wife could seek out a lover just for that purpose. The child would still be recognized as her husband’s child.”
“Some cultures, Vikings and Celts in general, if a man could not satisfy his wife, that was grounds for a divorce. Could you imagine the embarrassment of getting a divorce because you couldn’t satisfy your wife.”
“That would be horrible.” Helen laughed. “But I could’ve gotten a divorce a lot sooner.”
Cheryl laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. “Damn. I had an ex like that. I would never let him stay the night. He was sweet, but damn, he didn’t know what he was doing. Once he left, I finished what he started.”
Helen shook her head and pushed what was left of her berry cobbler away. “I couldn’t imagine doing something like that. Well, before…”
“My dad? Please, I know more about that man’s sex life than I care to.”
“It doesn’t bother you?”
“My specialty is in the ancient family social structure and sexuality. I get a lot of students that think they are going to have an excuse to watch porn.”
“But it’s your dad.” Helen pointed out.
“And I got here the same way that the triplets did. Just with a little less drama.” She paused and thought for a minute. “Different type of drama. My mom was still in high school, and they were divorced before my first birthday.”
“Was it hard? Your parents being divorced?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t know any better. Dad was always there for the big events. Even the ones that didn’t seem that big at the time. First day of school. Last day of school. Holidays. Even if it was just over the phone, he made it special.”
Cheryl gave a small smile as happy memories filled her mind. “Billy came into the picture when I was still young, and dad never complained that I called another man daddy. When Billy died, dad came home. Mom never remarried. For a while, I thought that they were going to get back together.”
“Obviously, they didn’t.”
“No." Shaking her head, she too pushed the cobbler away. "Mom had her *special friends* from time to time. They never stuck around long. The longest was David, he was a single dad and they dated off and on for years. Whenever they were both single. Now, mom calls him her long-term hook-up.”
“They still see each other?”
“Yeah, I think they see each other more now that all of us kids are grown and out of the houses. His wife packed up and just walked out. Mom really loved Billy and it was years after his death before she even looked at another man.”
Both women smiled at each other.
“I don’t think I will ever remarry if something happens to your dad.”
“Waylon is it for me.” Cheryl admitted. “It took us a while to get to this point. We dated other people, declared that we were only friends, swore nothing was ever going to happen.”
“Not your dad.” Helen smirked. “Our first unofficial date at Constellations, he told me that he was looking for a partner, a queen.”
“That’s dad. Surrounded by princesses, but always wanted his queen. I’m glad he finally found her. You make him really happy.”
“He makes me really happy.” Helen admitted with a dreamy smile.
“Honey, you had triplets at forty-four, he better be making you happy.” Cheryl teased.
“Not just like that.”
“I know.” She gave a soft knowing smile to the woman that had finally captured her father's heart.
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