Update 14
Discovering Mum Ch. 08
After we ate our breakfast, we sat and talked to Granny for a while. I loved spending some time with her, but it was quickly becoming obvious that Mum wanted to talk to her about something and that I was the spare wheel, so I left them to it while I put our washing through the machine. I had a bit of a chuckle as I thought this poor washing machine has probably seen more cum in this load of washing than it had in decades prior.
When Chilton returned from his morning errands, he informed us that he would need time and privacy to do the physio Granny required each morning. Mum had already told me she intended to go into town to talk to a solicitor she had found locally. She wanted to do this alone, and I was feeling a bit at a loss as to what to do. As it was a nice day, I decided to look around the yard to see what needed to be done out there.
I pretty quickly discovered that there had been a lot of jobs that had gone by the wayside since Granny couldn't do them anymore. Gardens needed weeding; the lawns, although not overgrown, still needed mowing and edging. In fact, the more I looked, the more I saw that needed doing. I made a mental list and started by checking the shed for the tools required. I found the mower and a can of fuel pretty quickly, so I started with that.
By the time I had done the lawns, it had warmed up quite a bit, and I was sweating. I cleaned the mower and pushed it back into the shed and found some rubbish bags. I spent the rest of the morning cleaning up around the yard. I decided that the next big job to tackle would be to weed the gardens, but that could wait for now because I was hungry, hot, and thirsty. I went inside and cleaned up and was about to make myself something for lunch when my phone began to ring.
Seeing Mum's number made my heart rate increase, and I felt a smile spread across my face. Instantly I was transported in my mind back to this morning in bed. I felt my cock begin to swell at the memory, and I stepped back out into the yard just in case anyone from inside happened to walk into the kitchen.
"Hello?"
The voice that purred back down the line at me sent a shiver through me.
"Hello, my sexy, young stud."
She giggled like she had several times yesterday, and I realised that it was a sound that I had heard as a kid, but it never affected me the way it did now. Whenever I had heard it in the past, it was a sound of delight; now it had taken on a completely different and distinctly naughty tone. I wasn't going to let her have all the fun, though.
"Well, hello there, my sexy MILF."
"Oh, fuck, I love the sound of that."
"So do I."
There was a pause as we both thought about what exactly that meant, and I felt my cock harden even more.
"I was just walking around the supermarket trying to decide what to get for lunch when I had the very naughty thought of what I would really like to nibble on."
Oh god, this was so hot. I could hear the beeping of the registers in the background as well as the usual sounds of trolleys, people talking, and '80s music on the P.A. system. The fact that she was talking dirty to me while people moved around her in public was so outrageous and naughty that it made my cock ache for her.
"I can certainly think of something I would like to nibble on too."
"Mmm, good. I'm glad to hear that you're not the "take but not give" kind of guy. So, as I was saying, I was walking around the supermarket here, trying to think of food, and all I could think about was just how dangerously close we came to fucking this morning and just how much I enjoyed feeling your hard cock and your cum on me. Now I am so wet that my panties are absolutely soaked. What I want to do is take them off and play with my pussy, but even your slutty old Mum is averse to being arrested, so it might just have to wait until I am back in the car. I doubt I will make it out of the car park, though. Do you think that's too outrageous for your slutty old Mum?"
I smiled and practically groaned down the phone. I couldn't resist giving my cock a squeeze as I thought about it.
"First of all, you're not old. My cock is absolutely throbbing right now thinking about you doing that. I just wish I was there to enjoy it."
"Hmm, I bet you do. I want you to watch me too. I like the way you told me I'm not old but didn't say anything about me being slutty."
"I thought you were proud of being a bit slutty. I bet you want more than just me to watch you, don't you? I know you love an audience. I bet you want everyone there to see your wet pussy. You want them to watch as you slip your fingers inside your hot pussy and make yourself cum, don't you?"
"Oh, fuck. How is it that you know so well what turns me on and the man I married hasn't got a clue? I am so fucking wet right now."
"Show me."
"What do you mean?"
"You know damn well what I mean. I want to see how wet you are."
There was a long pause, and I worried that maybe I had pushed it too far. My cock was so hard, though, and I was glad I was out in the yard where no one could see me unless they came looking for me. I would hear the door open if they did, though, because the old timber screen door had a very squeaky spring hinge. Besides, being around this side of the house, I could hear the murmurings of Chilton and Granny talking in the room where they were doing the physio. I glanced around and realised that the neighbours could probably see me if they walked out onto their back patio, but at the moment there was no one there.
Then she whispered down the phone.
"You are so naughty, and I fucking love it. I have to go through the register now, though. I'll talk to you soon."
I reached down and slid my fly down, flicked the top of my underwear down over the head of my cock, and set myself free. It felt amazing to once again have the air caressing the bare skin of my cock.
A few minutes went by before I felt my phone buzz, and I opened the message.
"I know that you know this, but just a reminder that this absolutely has to stay between us. This is so wrong, but it's so exciting."
Attached to the message was a photo. It showed her standing next to the car with the door open. The open door of the car sheltered her from view in one direction and the car itself in the other direction, but directly behind her it was open to the back of the car park. There were several cars there, but I couldn't tell if there were any people in them. Most amazingly, she hadn't just lifted her skirt to flash her panties; she had removed both her panties and her skirt. She was completely naked from the waist down, and she was tilting her hips so that I could see her pussy. It did indeed look deliciously wet, and I was reminded immediately of how wonderful it felt to slide my cock along her wet slit this morning.
I had to be careful not to even touch myself for a few moments; I was that turned on. I took a quick photo to show her just how turned on I was. I sent it with the following text.
"Oh my God. It's so incredibly hot to see you doing that. I wonder if anyone was lucky enough to see you. You look good enough to eat right there where you are standing."
I gently stroked my cock as I waited for a response. Standing outside wanking was a big turn-on, knowing that the neighbours could potentially see, hearing the voices of Granny and Chilton from in the house, just a wall's thickness away, and seeing my mother's wet pussy was almost too much to endure.
Another message, but this time there were no words, just a short video. She was now sitting in the driver's seat, and I could hear the wet sounds of her fingers in her pussy. The phone jiggled about, and suddenly there it was, right in front of me. Her two middle fingers deep in her pussy as her thumb strummed her clit. The phone panned up, and I realised she had also freed her breasts from their confines. Her nipples were both rock hard, and she was smiling down into the camera. Her wet fingers came into view and began caressing one of her nipples, smearing her cum all over it. She then spoke directly into the camera.
"I love seeing your hard cock, but I don't want you to cum yet. I want you to save it for me."
She looked around as though she had seen something nearby. There was a rustle of clothing, and the camera went shaky for a second before going black. I smiled to myself as I realised she had either had a close call or been caught. I was nervous for her, but at the same time, I was excited for her as well.
I let myself calm down for a minute without touching my cock so that I didn't just explode everywhere, and then when I felt it was safe to do so, I tucked it back into my shorts. It wasn't easy, though, as I was still rock-hard. I wondered if I would ever have a day again where I didn't end up hard around her. I hoped not.
My phone buzzed again.
"Whew, that was close. All good. On my way home now."
I spent a few minutes walking around the yard trying to think about what I needed to do out here instead of thinking about her masturbating in public. Trying to get my cock to go down enough so that it wouldn't be so obvious when I walked back inside.
Eventually I felt like I was somewhat presentable again, albeit sweaty and dirty from doing the lawns. I took my shoes off at the door and walked inside. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim light inside, so I stood in the doorway to the kitchen for a moment blinking. I hadn't seen either Chilton or my grandmother yet, but apparently, they could see me quite clearly, which I realised when I heard Granny's voice right in front of me.
"What have you been thinking about to be blushing like that?"
I know I went even redder as a very erotic image floated through my mind. I think I managed to cover it, though, by laughing it off.
"Nothing much, Granny. It's just warm out there mowing the lawns."
"Mm-hmm."
Just like her daughter, she had the ability to sound sceptical and amused at the same time with just one word. It made me go even redder, and she chuckled at me. I swear it was like she could read my mind, but if she could, I was sure she would not be so amused.
I made a point of changing the subject, sort of.
"Mum just called. She's on her way home now."
"Oh good. Did she say how her meeting went with the solicitor?"
"No, but she seemed to be in a good mood, so hopefully it went well."
A good mood; now there was an extreme understatement, but I wouldn't be doing anyone any favours if I started thinking about that right now. I glanced over at the table where Chilton was sitting, drinking some water and watching the conversation between us. He was just watching and not saying anything, and it made me feel a little paranoid. There was a long moment where we just looked at each other without saying anything, but then he broke eye contact, and the moment was gone. He stood up and stretched, then returned his bottle of water to the fridge. He turned to Granny.
"How are you feeling, Liz?"
"I'm fine. A little short of breath, but I'm going to go sit in my chair in a minute. Beth will be here soon with their lunch."
"Good. I'll make your lunch now too, and remember to have a drink, please. It's important that you stay hydrated."
She chuckled and looked up at him.
"Yes, boss."
He chuckled back, and the mutual respect was obvious between them.
"You better believe it."
"Are you heading out now?"
"I will be after I have made your lunch, if you're happy enough for me to go."
"Of course, I am. Jeff will look after me, won't you?"
"Of course I will."
Chilton looked at me again, as though assessing my ability to do so. He smiled and nodded, then began making her food smoothie and preparing the syringe. He looked at me and asked.
"Do you remember what to do?"
I nodded and then went through the process with him until he was happy that I wouldn't mess it up, and then he left the room. A few moments later we heard the front door open then close as Chilton left. Granny reached out her hand to me.
"Help me into my chair, would you please?"
I guided her into the lounge room and let her tell me how best to help her into the chair. After she was settled, but before I sat down, I asked her if she needed me to bring her anything other than her lunch.
"No, I'm good for now, thanks, Jeff. I wanted to talk to you before your mum gets back, though."
I sat down and gave her my full attention.
"I've noticed a couple of things since you both got here."
Oh, crap. Suddenly I felt very nervous about what she was going to say, but she just looked steadily at me for a few moments before continuing on.
"In fact, Chilton noticed it as well, but he doesn't know you two as well as I do, obviously."
I could feel my face getting redder, but my blood seemed to be running colder.
"Okay, what's that, Granny?"
She smiled at me, and I felt some of the tension that had entered my body ease just a little.
"Well, I'm just very proud of the way you are being so attentive and caring towards your mother. She has had a very tough time of things lately, and I know that my situation is adding to that. I wish I weren't a cause of pain to her, but there is no denying that I am adding to her stress. I am so glad that you have stepped up and are looking after her. You make her very happy, you know."
I smiled, although I felt a little guilty at the same time.
"Thanks, Granny. The truth is, up until yesterday, I couldn't even do that. I tried, but she was walled up and just so damn sad. When she said she was coming here and why, I told her I was coming too. I didn't ask, and I think maybe she appreciated that. As much as it was a long drive, it seemed to fly by. Once we got talking, it was like a floodgate opened. I knew she needed someone to talk to, and I tried a number of times at home, but Dad was always around, and she wouldn't or couldn't open up to me. The further we got from home, the happier she seemed to be."
She smiled and nodded.
"You know, she never did feel at home there. I know he's your father, Jeff, but I find it very difficult to feel anything but animosity towards him. He deliberately moved her as far away from here as possible so that she wouldn't have family nearby. He claimed to love her, and I guess in his own, possessive way, he did, but it was a very manipulative and controlling relationship. I know she only made the decision to leave yesterday, but I suspect it's been festering within her for a long time. She was smitten when she was younger, and she thought she needed a sensible, stable man, but he crushed her spirit. Yesterday was the first time I have seen any sign of who she was when she was younger, and I think I have you to thank for that."
I was full-on blushing now. If only she knew how much of a free spirit her daughter truly was and just what exactly we had been doing, then she might look at the whole scenario a bit differently.
"Thanks, Granny, but to be honest, I just gave her the chance to talk it out without judgement. I learnt things about her yesterday that I had no clue about. It was like I met a whole new person. I genuinely believe it has completely changed our relationship. It's like I have met my best friend. She's not just some authority-type figure or a parent; we are truly friends, and I love spending time with her."
She smiled and nodded, and for some reason, I got the impression that she understood a lot more about it than she was letting on.
"Did she tell you about growing up here?"
"She did. She told me about her high school days, and last night walking along the esplanade was like going back in time in some ways for her."
"Did she tell you about her friend? What was her name again?"
"Susie."
"Yes, that's the one. She was such a lovely girl. Weird family, all a bit too holier than thou for me, but Susie was lovely."
She looked around conspiratorially as though someone might be listening in even though there was no one else here.
"You know, I suspect that sometimes there was a bit more than just your average friendship going on between them. Good luck to them, I say. I certainly had my share of experimentation as a teenager."
There was so much I could say, but there was no way I was going to break that confidence. I chuckled at the way she wriggled her eyebrows at this saucy bit of gossip, though.
"I suppose you have done your share of experimentation too. A good-looking young man like you."
I snorted a small laugh that came across a little more bitter than I intended.
"Nowhere near as much as you might imagine, Granny."
"That's a shame. Take it where you can get it, I say."
I was shocked to hear her talk like this, and I couldn't have stopped the laugh that burst from me if I tried. She smiled and leaned into me.
"Did I surprise you? Never forget that old people were young once too. I spent nearly a decade experimenting with my cousin. Of course, back then it was a much riskier prospect. There were a number of times when I thought that I might have been pregnant, but thankfully that never happened. Eventually, he, of course, found someone to marry, and things calmed down between us. There was the occasional special event that we all attended as a family, and sometimes things would flare up between us briefly, but it was never anything serious. When I met your grandfather, well, I fell so hard for him that no one would ever be able to turn my eye again. But I was always grateful for the things I had learnt from my cousin. It turned out that getting pregnant was never going to be an easy thing for me. I only ever got pregnant twice. Your mother and a baby boy that I lost early on in the pregnancy a couple of years after your mother was born."
This was a shocking revelation that I was pretty sure even my mother didn't know about. I was gobsmacked. I couldn't help but wonder just how much she had gleaned about our situation just since yesterday, but it felt like she was telling me she knew without saying she knew. I wanted her to keep talking about her past; it was such a fascinating insight into her life.
Granny was watching me closely as I processed what she had just told me. After a few moments she gave me a rather shrewd look and nodded, as though my reaction was confirming something for her.
"I'm guessing you have some questions regarding this."
I chuckled ruefully.
"Hundreds of them, but at the same time, none. It's really none of my business, and I'm certainly not judging anyone's relationships. Whatever makes you happy, I say."
She nodded.
"Indeed. Happiness is the most important thing in this world. Don't get me wrong; nobody can be happy all the time. We need the hard times to appreciate the good ones. When I say happiness, though, I don't just mean your own. So long as what you do in life doesn't hurt anyone else, then go for it, I say. Just be careful nobody gets hurt. In my case, I was incredibly lucky that my husband was a very understanding and open-minded man. We understood each other and knew we were safe with each other. My cousin, however, he wasn't so lucky. His wife could never know about us. She would have handled it very badly. Thankfully, it never came to that, and I put an end to the whole thing once I realised what the situation was. That's not to say there weren't moments between us after, but they were few and far between."
I knew she was telling me that she had had an ongoing affair with her cousin and that her husband not only knew about it but was okay with it. It really surprised me that he was as open-minded as that. How would I feel about Mum with another man now? The thought made me both jealous and excited at the same time. This was definitely something I was going to have to think about.
"Is he still around, your cousin?"
"Oh, yes, he's still going. I haven't seen him in a long time, though. I do miss those days sometimes. The excitement and fun we had, well, you can imagine. Sneaking off to meet up in secret places. We got quite clever at it as teenagers. I miss the men from my life. My Roger was such a good and caring husband. I was devastated to lose him, but I miss Richard too; that's my cousin. We learnt so much from each other. I have been fortunate to have had two very capable and caring lovers in my life. A lot of people don't get one, and I got two. I have been blessed with a beautiful family. I may have only had one child, but she has been the greatest thing to ever happen to me. I just wish she could know a love the way I have."
When Chilton returned from his morning errands, he informed us that he would need time and privacy to do the physio Granny required each morning. Mum had already told me she intended to go into town to talk to a solicitor she had found locally. She wanted to do this alone, and I was feeling a bit at a loss as to what to do. As it was a nice day, I decided to look around the yard to see what needed to be done out there.
I pretty quickly discovered that there had been a lot of jobs that had gone by the wayside since Granny couldn't do them anymore. Gardens needed weeding; the lawns, although not overgrown, still needed mowing and edging. In fact, the more I looked, the more I saw that needed doing. I made a mental list and started by checking the shed for the tools required. I found the mower and a can of fuel pretty quickly, so I started with that.
By the time I had done the lawns, it had warmed up quite a bit, and I was sweating. I cleaned the mower and pushed it back into the shed and found some rubbish bags. I spent the rest of the morning cleaning up around the yard. I decided that the next big job to tackle would be to weed the gardens, but that could wait for now because I was hungry, hot, and thirsty. I went inside and cleaned up and was about to make myself something for lunch when my phone began to ring.
Seeing Mum's number made my heart rate increase, and I felt a smile spread across my face. Instantly I was transported in my mind back to this morning in bed. I felt my cock begin to swell at the memory, and I stepped back out into the yard just in case anyone from inside happened to walk into the kitchen.
"Hello?"
The voice that purred back down the line at me sent a shiver through me.
"Hello, my sexy, young stud."
She giggled like she had several times yesterday, and I realised that it was a sound that I had heard as a kid, but it never affected me the way it did now. Whenever I had heard it in the past, it was a sound of delight; now it had taken on a completely different and distinctly naughty tone. I wasn't going to let her have all the fun, though.
"Well, hello there, my sexy MILF."
"Oh, fuck, I love the sound of that."
"So do I."
There was a pause as we both thought about what exactly that meant, and I felt my cock harden even more.
"I was just walking around the supermarket trying to decide what to get for lunch when I had the very naughty thought of what I would really like to nibble on."
Oh god, this was so hot. I could hear the beeping of the registers in the background as well as the usual sounds of trolleys, people talking, and '80s music on the P.A. system. The fact that she was talking dirty to me while people moved around her in public was so outrageous and naughty that it made my cock ache for her.
"I can certainly think of something I would like to nibble on too."
"Mmm, good. I'm glad to hear that you're not the "take but not give" kind of guy. So, as I was saying, I was walking around the supermarket here, trying to think of food, and all I could think about was just how dangerously close we came to fucking this morning and just how much I enjoyed feeling your hard cock and your cum on me. Now I am so wet that my panties are absolutely soaked. What I want to do is take them off and play with my pussy, but even your slutty old Mum is averse to being arrested, so it might just have to wait until I am back in the car. I doubt I will make it out of the car park, though. Do you think that's too outrageous for your slutty old Mum?"
I smiled and practically groaned down the phone. I couldn't resist giving my cock a squeeze as I thought about it.
"First of all, you're not old. My cock is absolutely throbbing right now thinking about you doing that. I just wish I was there to enjoy it."
"Hmm, I bet you do. I want you to watch me too. I like the way you told me I'm not old but didn't say anything about me being slutty."
"I thought you were proud of being a bit slutty. I bet you want more than just me to watch you, don't you? I know you love an audience. I bet you want everyone there to see your wet pussy. You want them to watch as you slip your fingers inside your hot pussy and make yourself cum, don't you?"
"Oh, fuck. How is it that you know so well what turns me on and the man I married hasn't got a clue? I am so fucking wet right now."
"Show me."
"What do you mean?"
"You know damn well what I mean. I want to see how wet you are."
There was a long pause, and I worried that maybe I had pushed it too far. My cock was so hard, though, and I was glad I was out in the yard where no one could see me unless they came looking for me. I would hear the door open if they did, though, because the old timber screen door had a very squeaky spring hinge. Besides, being around this side of the house, I could hear the murmurings of Chilton and Granny talking in the room where they were doing the physio. I glanced around and realised that the neighbours could probably see me if they walked out onto their back patio, but at the moment there was no one there.
Then she whispered down the phone.
"You are so naughty, and I fucking love it. I have to go through the register now, though. I'll talk to you soon."
I reached down and slid my fly down, flicked the top of my underwear down over the head of my cock, and set myself free. It felt amazing to once again have the air caressing the bare skin of my cock.
A few minutes went by before I felt my phone buzz, and I opened the message.
"I know that you know this, but just a reminder that this absolutely has to stay between us. This is so wrong, but it's so exciting."
Attached to the message was a photo. It showed her standing next to the car with the door open. The open door of the car sheltered her from view in one direction and the car itself in the other direction, but directly behind her it was open to the back of the car park. There were several cars there, but I couldn't tell if there were any people in them. Most amazingly, she hadn't just lifted her skirt to flash her panties; she had removed both her panties and her skirt. She was completely naked from the waist down, and she was tilting her hips so that I could see her pussy. It did indeed look deliciously wet, and I was reminded immediately of how wonderful it felt to slide my cock along her wet slit this morning.
I had to be careful not to even touch myself for a few moments; I was that turned on. I took a quick photo to show her just how turned on I was. I sent it with the following text.
"Oh my God. It's so incredibly hot to see you doing that. I wonder if anyone was lucky enough to see you. You look good enough to eat right there where you are standing."
I gently stroked my cock as I waited for a response. Standing outside wanking was a big turn-on, knowing that the neighbours could potentially see, hearing the voices of Granny and Chilton from in the house, just a wall's thickness away, and seeing my mother's wet pussy was almost too much to endure.
Another message, but this time there were no words, just a short video. She was now sitting in the driver's seat, and I could hear the wet sounds of her fingers in her pussy. The phone jiggled about, and suddenly there it was, right in front of me. Her two middle fingers deep in her pussy as her thumb strummed her clit. The phone panned up, and I realised she had also freed her breasts from their confines. Her nipples were both rock hard, and she was smiling down into the camera. Her wet fingers came into view and began caressing one of her nipples, smearing her cum all over it. She then spoke directly into the camera.
"I love seeing your hard cock, but I don't want you to cum yet. I want you to save it for me."
She looked around as though she had seen something nearby. There was a rustle of clothing, and the camera went shaky for a second before going black. I smiled to myself as I realised she had either had a close call or been caught. I was nervous for her, but at the same time, I was excited for her as well.
I let myself calm down for a minute without touching my cock so that I didn't just explode everywhere, and then when I felt it was safe to do so, I tucked it back into my shorts. It wasn't easy, though, as I was still rock-hard. I wondered if I would ever have a day again where I didn't end up hard around her. I hoped not.
My phone buzzed again.
"Whew, that was close. All good. On my way home now."
I spent a few minutes walking around the yard trying to think about what I needed to do out here instead of thinking about her masturbating in public. Trying to get my cock to go down enough so that it wouldn't be so obvious when I walked back inside.
Eventually I felt like I was somewhat presentable again, albeit sweaty and dirty from doing the lawns. I took my shoes off at the door and walked inside. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim light inside, so I stood in the doorway to the kitchen for a moment blinking. I hadn't seen either Chilton or my grandmother yet, but apparently, they could see me quite clearly, which I realised when I heard Granny's voice right in front of me.
"What have you been thinking about to be blushing like that?"
I know I went even redder as a very erotic image floated through my mind. I think I managed to cover it, though, by laughing it off.
"Nothing much, Granny. It's just warm out there mowing the lawns."
"Mm-hmm."
Just like her daughter, she had the ability to sound sceptical and amused at the same time with just one word. It made me go even redder, and she chuckled at me. I swear it was like she could read my mind, but if she could, I was sure she would not be so amused.
I made a point of changing the subject, sort of.
"Mum just called. She's on her way home now."
"Oh good. Did she say how her meeting went with the solicitor?"
"No, but she seemed to be in a good mood, so hopefully it went well."
A good mood; now there was an extreme understatement, but I wouldn't be doing anyone any favours if I started thinking about that right now. I glanced over at the table where Chilton was sitting, drinking some water and watching the conversation between us. He was just watching and not saying anything, and it made me feel a little paranoid. There was a long moment where we just looked at each other without saying anything, but then he broke eye contact, and the moment was gone. He stood up and stretched, then returned his bottle of water to the fridge. He turned to Granny.
"How are you feeling, Liz?"
"I'm fine. A little short of breath, but I'm going to go sit in my chair in a minute. Beth will be here soon with their lunch."
"Good. I'll make your lunch now too, and remember to have a drink, please. It's important that you stay hydrated."
She chuckled and looked up at him.
"Yes, boss."
He chuckled back, and the mutual respect was obvious between them.
"You better believe it."
"Are you heading out now?"
"I will be after I have made your lunch, if you're happy enough for me to go."
"Of course, I am. Jeff will look after me, won't you?"
"Of course I will."
Chilton looked at me again, as though assessing my ability to do so. He smiled and nodded, then began making her food smoothie and preparing the syringe. He looked at me and asked.
"Do you remember what to do?"
I nodded and then went through the process with him until he was happy that I wouldn't mess it up, and then he left the room. A few moments later we heard the front door open then close as Chilton left. Granny reached out her hand to me.
"Help me into my chair, would you please?"
I guided her into the lounge room and let her tell me how best to help her into the chair. After she was settled, but before I sat down, I asked her if she needed me to bring her anything other than her lunch.
"No, I'm good for now, thanks, Jeff. I wanted to talk to you before your mum gets back, though."
I sat down and gave her my full attention.
"I've noticed a couple of things since you both got here."
Oh, crap. Suddenly I felt very nervous about what she was going to say, but she just looked steadily at me for a few moments before continuing on.
"In fact, Chilton noticed it as well, but he doesn't know you two as well as I do, obviously."
I could feel my face getting redder, but my blood seemed to be running colder.
"Okay, what's that, Granny?"
She smiled at me, and I felt some of the tension that had entered my body ease just a little.
"Well, I'm just very proud of the way you are being so attentive and caring towards your mother. She has had a very tough time of things lately, and I know that my situation is adding to that. I wish I weren't a cause of pain to her, but there is no denying that I am adding to her stress. I am so glad that you have stepped up and are looking after her. You make her very happy, you know."
I smiled, although I felt a little guilty at the same time.
"Thanks, Granny. The truth is, up until yesterday, I couldn't even do that. I tried, but she was walled up and just so damn sad. When she said she was coming here and why, I told her I was coming too. I didn't ask, and I think maybe she appreciated that. As much as it was a long drive, it seemed to fly by. Once we got talking, it was like a floodgate opened. I knew she needed someone to talk to, and I tried a number of times at home, but Dad was always around, and she wouldn't or couldn't open up to me. The further we got from home, the happier she seemed to be."
She smiled and nodded.
"You know, she never did feel at home there. I know he's your father, Jeff, but I find it very difficult to feel anything but animosity towards him. He deliberately moved her as far away from here as possible so that she wouldn't have family nearby. He claimed to love her, and I guess in his own, possessive way, he did, but it was a very manipulative and controlling relationship. I know she only made the decision to leave yesterday, but I suspect it's been festering within her for a long time. She was smitten when she was younger, and she thought she needed a sensible, stable man, but he crushed her spirit. Yesterday was the first time I have seen any sign of who she was when she was younger, and I think I have you to thank for that."
I was full-on blushing now. If only she knew how much of a free spirit her daughter truly was and just what exactly we had been doing, then she might look at the whole scenario a bit differently.
"Thanks, Granny, but to be honest, I just gave her the chance to talk it out without judgement. I learnt things about her yesterday that I had no clue about. It was like I met a whole new person. I genuinely believe it has completely changed our relationship. It's like I have met my best friend. She's not just some authority-type figure or a parent; we are truly friends, and I love spending time with her."
She smiled and nodded, and for some reason, I got the impression that she understood a lot more about it than she was letting on.
"Did she tell you about growing up here?"
"She did. She told me about her high school days, and last night walking along the esplanade was like going back in time in some ways for her."
"Did she tell you about her friend? What was her name again?"
"Susie."
"Yes, that's the one. She was such a lovely girl. Weird family, all a bit too holier than thou for me, but Susie was lovely."
She looked around conspiratorially as though someone might be listening in even though there was no one else here.
"You know, I suspect that sometimes there was a bit more than just your average friendship going on between them. Good luck to them, I say. I certainly had my share of experimentation as a teenager."
There was so much I could say, but there was no way I was going to break that confidence. I chuckled at the way she wriggled her eyebrows at this saucy bit of gossip, though.
"I suppose you have done your share of experimentation too. A good-looking young man like you."
I snorted a small laugh that came across a little more bitter than I intended.
"Nowhere near as much as you might imagine, Granny."
"That's a shame. Take it where you can get it, I say."
I was shocked to hear her talk like this, and I couldn't have stopped the laugh that burst from me if I tried. She smiled and leaned into me.
"Did I surprise you? Never forget that old people were young once too. I spent nearly a decade experimenting with my cousin. Of course, back then it was a much riskier prospect. There were a number of times when I thought that I might have been pregnant, but thankfully that never happened. Eventually, he, of course, found someone to marry, and things calmed down between us. There was the occasional special event that we all attended as a family, and sometimes things would flare up between us briefly, but it was never anything serious. When I met your grandfather, well, I fell so hard for him that no one would ever be able to turn my eye again. But I was always grateful for the things I had learnt from my cousin. It turned out that getting pregnant was never going to be an easy thing for me. I only ever got pregnant twice. Your mother and a baby boy that I lost early on in the pregnancy a couple of years after your mother was born."
This was a shocking revelation that I was pretty sure even my mother didn't know about. I was gobsmacked. I couldn't help but wonder just how much she had gleaned about our situation just since yesterday, but it felt like she was telling me she knew without saying she knew. I wanted her to keep talking about her past; it was such a fascinating insight into her life.
Granny was watching me closely as I processed what she had just told me. After a few moments she gave me a rather shrewd look and nodded, as though my reaction was confirming something for her.
"I'm guessing you have some questions regarding this."
I chuckled ruefully.
"Hundreds of them, but at the same time, none. It's really none of my business, and I'm certainly not judging anyone's relationships. Whatever makes you happy, I say."
She nodded.
"Indeed. Happiness is the most important thing in this world. Don't get me wrong; nobody can be happy all the time. We need the hard times to appreciate the good ones. When I say happiness, though, I don't just mean your own. So long as what you do in life doesn't hurt anyone else, then go for it, I say. Just be careful nobody gets hurt. In my case, I was incredibly lucky that my husband was a very understanding and open-minded man. We understood each other and knew we were safe with each other. My cousin, however, he wasn't so lucky. His wife could never know about us. She would have handled it very badly. Thankfully, it never came to that, and I put an end to the whole thing once I realised what the situation was. That's not to say there weren't moments between us after, but they were few and far between."
I knew she was telling me that she had had an ongoing affair with her cousin and that her husband not only knew about it but was okay with it. It really surprised me that he was as open-minded as that. How would I feel about Mum with another man now? The thought made me both jealous and excited at the same time. This was definitely something I was going to have to think about.
"Is he still around, your cousin?"
"Oh, yes, he's still going. I haven't seen him in a long time, though. I do miss those days sometimes. The excitement and fun we had, well, you can imagine. Sneaking off to meet up in secret places. We got quite clever at it as teenagers. I miss the men from my life. My Roger was such a good and caring husband. I was devastated to lose him, but I miss Richard too; that's my cousin. We learnt so much from each other. I have been fortunate to have had two very capable and caring lovers in my life. A lot of people don't get one, and I got two. I have been blessed with a beautiful family. I may have only had one child, but she has been the greatest thing to ever happen to me. I just wish she could know a love the way I have."
