Learning Lessons Page 17

  Pete’s upper lip was sweating. He could see Jess now—Jacob, their nephew, Russ and Patty’s boy, had his arms around her from behind. She was looking at him sideways, talking to him.

  Russ got real close even though they were the only ones in the kitchen, he whispered, “Word is he’s got a real baseball bat down there too.”

  “Oh,” Pete said.

  “Yeah. It better not have been a student, I can’t believe you guys would—”

  “No, we’ve talked to him. It wasn’t a student at all. We believe him. If we thought otherwise we wouldn’t be helping him out.”

  “For sure, for sure—what’d he say?”

  “He won’t say who it is, Jess thinks he’s protecting someone. Like he’s doing the right thing. He’s heartfelt about the student thing—no way it was a high school kid.”

  “Yeah, personally I don’t think it was a student either. Ten times more likely it was one of these moms right here.”

  Pete’s sphincter tightened.

  “Christ, you see the way they got when he would come around.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right,” Pete said, his voice a little tight.

  “Maybe a teacher.”

  Pete’s heart pounded blood up his neck, forcing it painfully through him, it made him wince, he thought he might have to take a knee. The more he thought about that the worse it got until he’d convinced himself his vision was dimming. This was it. He was going to have a heart attack. He was looking right at her. It was so obvious. So fucking obvious to goddamn everyone. His pretty Jess, his baby girl, standing now, everyone watching her. All the kids and all their parents. She was putting her witch’s hat on, telling the kids how to play the game. They were in love with her. Transfixed.

  Who else would it be? She was one of those moms. She was a teacher. She was blonde. Tyler had moved in with her after he was fired.

  “Shit, there she is,” Russ said, “Jess is a blonde teacher.”

  Pete turned to Russ, his eyes were peeled in horror, his heart was in his throat, he tried to protest, his voice a creak from a coffin.

  “Jesus, Pete, I’m kidding, Oh, my God, sorry, buddy.” He clasped Pete on the shoulder. He looked genuinely sorry. “Oh, man, that sounded funnier in my head. I’m sorry, that was stupid. You should have seen your face.”

  “Yeah,” he cleared his throat, took a sip of beer and struggled to swallow it. “Yeah, that wasn’t funny.”

  “Jess is at the wrong school anyway. And besides,” he shrugged, “it’s Jess.”

  Pete was stuck. What if someone found out her class was away on a field trip that afternoon? What if they found out she wasn’t at school? Shit.

  “I know for a fact it wasn’t her.”

  “We all know it wasn’t her, Pete. Not Jess. Plus why would you move him in if you thought it might be her?”

  “Yeah, I saw her that afternoon. She was with me.”

  “She wasn’t at school that day?”

  “No, no, but she came by the Save-Mart. She was with me.”

  They both stood in the light of the kitchen looking out through the short dark hall at the room beyond. Watched the kids learn the rules, Put the Mole On The Witch. Jess was handing out sticky warts she’d made out of putty. Up late last night at the kitchen table going to the trouble to make sure each one had a fibre run through it like a big ugly hair. Everyone getting their wart put into the palms of their open hands. The inevitable booger it became in the hand of one boy dressed as a Minion who stuffed it in his nostril then blew it out on to his friend. Russ and Pete sipped their beers and watched.

  “Has he found any work yet?”

  “I don’t think so,” Pete said.

  “How hard is he looking?”

  “He’s looking,” Pete said, but he wasn’t sure he was. The last week was tough—coming home and seeing him sitting on the couch while Jess made dinner. There were things he could do around the house that would help them but he didn’t do them. Pete wouldn’t ask, neither would Jess, but it was the kind of thing that he’d hoped Tyler would feel grateful enough to want to do on his own. He’d asked Jess once what Tyler was doing about finding a new arrangement, about finding a job. Jess had shrugged, and she looked unhappy, wouldn’t look Pete in the eye so he dropped it. Quite frankly, he was afraid to ask about it again. They had a date in mind, at least Pete did, and Jess had originally acknowledged it. Tyler should be out around November 5th, 12th at the latest.

  “Don’t think he’s going to find a job teaching around here,” Russ laughed. “He’ll have to pick something new or maybe move out of town.”

  “He’s all right. He was probably good at what he did. He just messed up,” Pete said, then added, “And not with a kid.”

  “Wonder what the conditions were on his termination?”

  “Don’t know.”

  Jess clapped her hands a few times, said, Kids, kids, kids, and then she had their attention. She told them the game was about to start, told them to be polite and respect the others. No tripping or anything else you might think was funny. There was nodding, some of the kids looked around at one tall boy dressed as the Joker. Fat kid, dyed his red hair green, just got pinged as the bully.

  “Still, you’re crazy letting him in the house. I know we can trust Jess but still... Walking around the house with that body. What if she walked in on him coming out of the shower? Saw that old baseball bat? I couldn’t do it. The thought of Patty seeing something like that? How would she ever put up with this?” he said, putting his hand on his round stomach.

  “Yeah, I hear you—I’m not ecstatic. But Jess wants to help him.”

  “Too kind for her own good,” Russ said, swigged his beer.

  Jess had knelt on the floor in the middle of the family room, all the furniture pushed off to the sides. Patty had a little Princess by the shoulders and was carefully spinning her around. She stopped then let her hands off, sent her on her way. She put her arms out in front of her, her head tilted back like she was trying to see under the blindfold. Someone whispered, No peeking. Then everyone was dead silent except one boy chuckling somewhere when she stumbled. The Princess told him to shut up then everyone giggled. The little girl walked around with her hand held up, seeking Jess's face to plant her sticky wart on it.

  As the girl got close Jess would make claw marks in the air near her that made the other kids’ eyes go wide, pleasantly fearful. When the girl finally found her, touching her pretty face with her hands, looking for her nose, Jess scrunched her face up and held it still. The little girl plopped the wart onto Jess. Jess had drawn a spot with an eyeliner—the closest wart to her target won the prize, a big plastic pumpkin of goodies that Jess had put together. When the Princess took her blindfold off to see how close she’d come, Jess smiled then turned it to a snarl and tickled the girl all over with her clawed witchy hands. The little girl didn’t even get away just collapsed in laughter and let Jess tickle her up and down until she couldn’t breathe.

  Andy was next and even though he knew it was his mommy he was scared of the claw hands, and the surprise tickling ending. He’d demanded to go as a vampire this year for some reason. Jess had him painted with a black widow’s peak and a cape, and he loved showing everyone the fake fangs he’d stuffed in his mouth. Now he was shaking his head, and he had Jess laughing. He was so scared. She was laughing so hard no sound was coming out. She took her hat off and put her arms out to him, awwing him and urging him to come to her. He did, Patty with a hand between his little shoulders. She hugged him tight and rocked him back and forth, his shiny black Dracula shoes coming right up off the carpet.

  She went on through the kids, playing her witch game. Getting the kids to plant their warts on her upturned face. Making creepy witch noises if they would head too far in the wrong direction. Gave them a hint that would make them giggle. Her creaky laugh even made Pete chuckle despite the pain that was in his heart. She was ridiculous. Such a wonderful person.

  How could this be the
same woman who opened her top for Tyler, middle of the day at school, got him to do that dirty thing to her? He pictured Tyler running that big thing between his wife’s pretty breasts while she held them for him. Wanting it, doing it willingly, watching his big tool slide against her skin.

  15

  Witch

  Sunday, October 31st

  Tyler had wanted to answer the door as Drax. Jess said they couldn’t have kids and parents coming to the house and seeing his body like that. It would look suspicious. As much as she’d love to see that, she added. Tyler had laughed, said maybe he’d show her later.

  So Pete was sitting on his recliner now watching TV with Tyler while Jess and the two boys were at the front door handing out candy to kids. Jess was in her witch’s robes, Andy was a vampire, and Petey had on his Iron Man costume.

  “You didn’t have somewhere to go out?”

  “Nah, just don’t feel like it. You know...”

  Yes, the incident. The shame my wife brought you...

  “Mm-hmm,” Pete grunted. “I’m going to make popcorn,” he said.

  He went into the kitchen, into the cupboard, brought down a box of the Save-Mart brand Microwave Popcorn, opened it up. Jess came in the kitchen holding a plastic pumpkin they used to hand out treats from.

  “I think that might be it,” she said, putting it on the counter.

  “Oughtta turn out the lights,” Pete said, “mostly older kids now.”

  “Yeah, Petey did that. You making popcorn?”

  “Yeah, get them in the family room.”

  He put a bag in the microwave, pressed the popcorn button. Jess's arms came around his waist. He looked at her hands laced through each other draped over his belt. He looked at her face past his elbow. She was looking into the counter, distant, absent. She said, “We’re going to get through this?”

  “Of course we are, Jess,” he said, and he rubbed his hand over the back of hers. “Go get the boys we’ll watch a movie.”

  “Yeah,” she said, and his pretty witch softly padded out of the kitchen looking for her kids.

  Andy and Petey sat up on the couch with Tyler, Jess sitting on the floor below them, watching the movie. Halloween Is Grinch Night. His two boys’ faces lit up by the light of the TV, their wide-eyed expressions warming his heart. Pete sat in his recliner. Wondered why he had this chair. It kept him separate from his family. Created a physical gap between them. He sat on it now and watched a better version of his own family just ten feet from him. He could barely concentrate on the movie. His pretty wife with her handsome young husband. A very attractive couple. Their little boys eating popcorn and the two half-size candy bars their mom had allowed them. This was what Jess should be. This is how happy she could be. How fulfilled. A man in her life that filled her up and made her scream then sat next to her while they watched TV with their boys. His Jess was different when Tyler was around. Not when she was nervous about how Pete might feel or what the boys might think. When she was relaxed, not thinking how absurd this all was, she had a glow. Like a girl in love. She looked at Tyler with different eyes. She sparkled. Pete watched her when she didn’t know he was looking. It hurt him. But he still wanted this for her. How could he not want her to be so happy?

  Jess put the boys to bed when it was time, carrying Andy who had fallen asleep leaning on Tyler. Petey stumbled along next to her, his hand in hers.

  He went to the kitchen and poured himself a Dewar’s, ran into Jess in the hall as she returned to the family room. She didn’t even look at him. She had changed out of her witch garb. She had long pyjama pants and a snug little tank top on. He watched her turn in front of him, step down into the family room and pad over to the couch. She hopped next to Tyler, drew her legs up underneath her. Not touching him. But close enough. Tyler leaned back, put his big arms over the back of the couch. They looked at each other, held their eyes a moment. Jess smiled first, then Tyler. Pete could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra. It was obvious. Gentle swinging of her pretty breasts behind the snug fabric. Her nipples had hardened a bit, pressing the cotton out. She grabbed the remote while Pete took his place back on his recliner. He watched them. The two lovebirds sizzling with tension, pulling a blanket over their laps, sharing it. Wanting to touch each other but knowing they couldn’t, not with the boys in the house.

  Just two and a half months ago Pete had sat in his chair like he was right now and he’d watched the two of them, in the same spot they were right now. He’d watched this young guy fuck his wife in all sorts of positions. Watched his Jess’s pretty face turn to something resembling pain as this stud split her wide with his giant cock. Now he was living here. Sitting with his wife and kids, eating dinner, watching a horror movie. This was insane. If Pete had any sense, he knew this would not happen. Tyler would never have fucked her, he would never be living here. That would make sense. But then Jess would have missed all the wonderful things she’d experienced. He’d have deprived her of that pleasure.

  “You okay, Pete?”

  “Huh, yeah.”

  “You’re staring.”

  “Oh, yeah? Lost in thought.”

  “Did you want to watch a different movie?”

  Pete looked at the screen, forgot what he’d been watching. First scenes of Halloween. Michael Myers as a kid. “No, this is fine.”

  Jess leaned forward, reaching to the coffee table to pull the popcorn bowl over to her even though the kids had eaten most of it. Her rump came up, exposed to Tyler and his hand went between her legs.

  “Ope,” she yelped, and she knocked the popcorn all over the floor.

  Jess looked up at Pete, big smile on her face. “He touched me where he wasn’t supposed to,” she whispered.

  “I did not.” Tyler held his two palms up.

  “Oh, you didn’t?” Jess said, being playful, sitting back up now, facing Tyler.

  “How do you like it?” Her hands went under the blanket slowly, Tyler staring at her unflinching, smirking.

  Then her hands dove in, tickling him between his legs, hidden under the blanket.

  Pete looked around at the doorway, down the dark hall, worried about the kids. “Jess,” he whispered.

  “I know, I know,” she said, her hands stopping their tickling but turning to fondling instead. “They’re out cold, Pete.” She watched her hands moving under the fabric. She was stroking him over his pants.

  “See, how do you like it?” she said to Tyler.

  “I like it.”

  “Well, maybe I liked it too.”

  Jess looked over at Pete, past him, down the hall. Her hands were moving still. Pete heard his button snap, his fly come down.

  “Jess.”

  “It’s fine, Pete,” she said. “We’re not going to do anything.”

  He could tell she had brought it out, could see her holding it, thought he saw the shape of Tyler’s cock under the blanket. Tyler had his arms back over the couch again, Jess curled up next to him. Her hand was flicking now, swinging his flaccid cock up, snapping it against the blanket watching it make the fabric jump. She was making a little sound effect each time she saw it bounce.

  “Jess, come on,” Pete said. She was acting like a teenager, playing with a penis for the first time.

  “Pete?”

  “What?”

  She was looking at him over her shoulder, leaning towards Tyler, her hand was still playing under the blanket across the two of them. “Tyler got a blood test. We got his results back. I want to have unprotected sex with him.”

  Pete’s arms trembled, he saw the waves build in his whisky. “Oh?” he managed.

  “Yeah, I really, really want that.”

  “I know,” Pete said. “I don’t like it.” He had to put his glass down.

  “I know. You can watch. Don’t you want to see that? See him slide inside me without a condom?”

  “Yes.” He did. He really did want to see that. What was wrong with him?

  “What’s the big guy think of that?” she said
up to Tyler, her hand working between his legs.

  “He’s letting you know right now, isn’t he?”

  “He sure is. I can’t wait to feel his bare skin inside me. Pete’s right, though. I gotta put him away.”

  “You sure? They’re sleeping.”

  “I’m sure. We’ll get our chance.” Her hands were putting him back inside his pants. “Wow, he was easier to get out than to put back in.” Tyler laughed at her struggling. “You zip him up, I don’t want to snag him,” she said.

  “You’re not on the pill, Jess,” Pete said.

  “I know. We’ll be careful, I know my cycle,” she said, looking over again. Tyler was zipping himself up under the blanket.

  16

  Swallowing

  Thursday, November 3rd

  Jess looked out the window from the master bathroom and down the street. No sign of Pete yet.

  “Come on, Tyler,” she said.

  Tyler was in the shower, the room steaming up from the heat. She had him in there, scrubbing himself clean. She stood by the window in her bare feet, naked but she had her white terry robe on, tied around her waist.

  The knob squeaked as he twisted it, shutting the water off, then the shudder of the pipes somewhere behind the tiles, hammering away. He whisked the shower curtain aside and she blushed. It was still such a dirty thrill to see him naked in the daylight.

  He stepped out onto the bathmat and she handed him a towel. He dried himself, and she watched the muscles in his shoulders squirm while he scrubbed the towel over his chest. The big slabs of muscle in the side of his hips bulging as he bent over. His skin was so tight his middle bunched up into a hundred folds when he bent to dry his feet and ankles. Then he stood up, smiled at her, let her take him in a moment. She looked down at that big thing swinging between his legs, reddened by the heat of the shower. He put the towel over it, scrubbed it dry, all his big man-parts bouncing around. He threw the towel over the toilet seat, manhood slapping against his thigh when he let it go.